triangle exchange

Last week I received my half triangles squares from the Friendship Triangle exchange hosted by my local quilt shop. This was paper pieced. There was a meeting at the quilt shop for inspiration, questions and assembly ideas. Of course, the book is fabulous but it was a tight budget this week. Mom went and participated in the exchange and bought the book, yes!  I can borrow it when I need it. Here are my 380 blocks, free of paper and ironed:

 Here are several ideas for layouts,  my first idea:

 then this one:

 more:

I think I will do this last one pictured below. It is on the cover of the book Friendship Triangles. It is a continuous square and uses over 400 of the squares plus setting triangles.

It is my favorite!I was afraid of the idea of mixing all the colors and different prints. But now that I see them together and what the shop owner has done, I am not afraid anymore. I am getting over my fear/dislike of batiks.

A simple fall collage

Monday

Here is an project that I needed to finish. I had my sewing machine serviced a couple of months ago and the blanket stitch is now working!! I am not great at applique so this was a challenge for me.

Homecoming was this weekend. The football game was sad because we lost horribly. The dance for DS was the next day. I really accomplished a ton. I cleaned up the house and the garden beds. Watch football and tried to relax. Hmm, back on the diet. I gained a couple of pounds.

I did long arm a wall hanging you can see it here.

Pumpkins gone wild!!

Pumpkins gone wild is the name of the charm pack in this quilt. I had to hand stitch the binding before it went out on display.

I sewed the borders on my orphan block quilt. I need to think of a better name for it, don't I? I found this fabric in Texas when my daughter was graduating in the spring. This border fabric has all the colors of the quilt in it, I knew I would find the perfect project for that wild fabric!!

I have been binding up all the quilts here. I had 2 quilts from last spring I thought I needed to sew binding on. Nope, just hand stitch the binding. Then I have 4 more table runners to hand stitch and the mountain is conquered!! I took inventory and I have 4 quilts to get on the long arm and quilt. I am the most caught up ever. I want it to stay that way. I have goals to finish my Civil War Diary Quilt, the second Victory quilt I have started and begin a long journey with Dear Jane in 2011.

Yesterday, my husband had a terrible day. There was an error made in our checking account with a company that made an unauthorized charge. Boo, creative money handling and we are all OK. Then his mother went to the ER and is in the hospital with her lung disease. And to top it all off, DS bought a itunes card. It was missing when we got home from the store. I went back and it wasn't in the parking lot. It had slipped in between the cup holder and the console in my van. I thought I could pop a storage drawer out, but no I jammed it. DH saved the day by fixing the drawer and finding the itunes card. Poor guy, he needs a great day today.

So starting today it will be a more normal week for me around here. I have a bit of a cold so I skipped Mondays workout and I need to go today. I have one violin student on Thursday. Tonight I am going to pin a small quilt of Mom's on the frame and try a new stitch. Then Friday we are going to the high school football team's homecoming. Ahhh, back to the good old routine, I love it. Quilting, knitting and sewing makes it all better.

Update on all things

The Quilt show was this weekend, my quilt is the green point sisters' choice. And the spools here. I heard people say nice things about them. I was nervous because my quilts aren't overly quilted art quilts. There are ones I actually use. I may try a more art type quilt in two years at the next show. My longarming skills will be even more improved by then!!

 At first I was intimidated my the quilting at this show, but then I was inspired. I met a lady who had an artist quilt her pieces from south east Michigan. I must meet her someday!

Here is the view of the ski slope outside the quilt show....

Here is a lake in the state forest on our nature drive yesterday.

Here are my sister's choice blocks, 6 inch paper pieced.

I need to get energized. I am tired because I had to work half days Saturday and Sunday at my day job, plus on call phone calls in the night. And since last Thurday this is what I have accomplished outside of my 40 hour plus work week:

-two hours of parent/teacher conference, all good

-ordered class ring for DS, very expensive

-sewed two quilt blocks

-drop off, pick up and attendance to quilt show

-shopping and wandering the Oktoberfest downtown

-made two quilt blocks

-quilted a table runner

-nature drives

-watched football

Hmmm, maybe I need to get a perspective. I keep feeling like I haven't done anything!!!