Where did the week go?

It's hard to believe tomorrow is already Friday!  Last Thursday I left for a four day quilting retreat at Quaker Haven Camp in Syracuse, Indiana.  It is held every six months, and is becoming a regular event for me.

It's so good to see friends, and make new ones, but most of all we have fun.  Our ages range for the most part from around 45 to 85, and one might wonder how we can have so much fun.  But first remember,  these are ladies who get really excited over a trip to a fabric shop, so anything related to quilting is going to be fun.  Generally we share our projects and patterns, show off completed quilts, look at each others fabrics and most of all sew.  Some of the younger quilters, and some not quite as young, sew late into the night attempting to finish projects before returning home. This year we had some Amish families who where camping in tents, escape a big rainstorm by coming inside and visit with the quilters.  I was fortunate enough to ask a question about one ladies brown wool hat, and found that the maker was standing right in front of me.  She went on the explain how she cuts the pattern, blocks the wool, and finishes each bonnet.  It was so interesting.

During the retreat I finished putting the first boarder row on my medallion quilt, then proceeded to draw a creative blank about the second row.  Yesterday, after trying out several other patterns, I settled on the sharp triangles.  For the corner turn, I've drawn an interesting continuation of the sharp triangles, and can't wait to see them all set together.  I'm already perplexed over what next!  I'm considering an applique outer border, but not certain.                                                                     
                                                                                           

                           I've probably shown photos of these "spool frames" before, I can't remember.  Can you guess I LOVE spools of thread?  I must admit, I do.  Mostly I love the old spools that come out of grandmother's sewing baskets, that are wooden, and have silk thread wrapped around them.  Those are highly sought out by other lovers of spools as well as myself.  Sometimes they are so expensive it defies reason.  So, maybe you can understand why I became so excited over today's mail delivery...

.  These are new, old stock boxes of wonderfully shiney thread!  I do love it, and it was very inexpensive, so that makes it better. 

I only have one problem..... running out of thread shelving!  I guess they will have to bunch up and share.  I love to use the old print maker's drawers with little sections, but they usually hold only the smaller spools.  The old handmade tool/silverware holders are another option, also just as hard to find.

Above you can see what I've been working on this evening.  It's a very simple square patch of beautiful fabric.  Sometimes, it's nice to just let the fabric, not the design be the focus.  Moda's Papillion is the fabric used, and patchwork will be surrounded by ten inch borders of their boarder rose vine print.  I think mitered corners are a must, so the print flows nicely around the patchwork squares.   

 Please forgive the GIANT photos....  blogger isn't cooperating tonight!  Happy sewing ladies!

I'm stuck!

Do you ever just get stuck?  I've developed a mental block that started yesterday, while working with more traditional fabrics.  So I put that project aside to marinate, age a bit more, and pulled out this pineapple project that has been aging for about a year now!

The blocks are 14", and I love them, but the quilt has been whispering "I'm supposed to be a medallion quilt," and I've been turning my ear.  But last night I decided to embrace the medallion idea, and put a black border around all that spinning color.  Now, what?  I have some 4-patch blocks made from the scraps of the center, that is a good start. 

Then I remembered one of my favorite authors, amazing quilter, Gwen Marston!  (She has been one of my quilting hero's since her days writing for Ladies Circle Quilting Magazine) I pulled out her newest book, and felt as though the Calvary was coming to the rescue.  This book has been thumbed through, but never studied, so that is my task for the rest of the afternoon.  I know my design inspiration lies within these pages.  There are photos of her quilts, and those of her students.  All are great!

 I've been playing with the idea of adding these twisted pineapple blocks to the outer border, or corners in a set of four blocks, so the very cool twisted star will come out.  Also, the center would look cool set on point...

Stay tuned, hopefully this will all come together pleasantly.

Time to pack now, we planned a weekend of kissing the grandbabies, fishing (hubby), and antique hunting (me), up in Michigan this weekend. Happy Fall weekend everyone!

French General's New Fall Collection!

French General's new line, Chateau Rouge, will be released very soon!  I have pre-cut charm packs flying to me via Priority Mail as I write!

My fabric storage racks are heavy with stacks of the past French General lines, and have to seriously talk to myself in order to cut into a piece.  What am I saving them for?  haha  (am I the only one who does this?)

I do love the deep reds in this new line, and am getting used to the gray/linen colors combined with red.  I tend to be a red & white lover, but the gray adds a nice depth to a red quilt.  The mustard color is real interesting.  I love adding "cheddar" to quilts, but this is more like "gouda"!  I can't wait to play with this color.

If you haven't visited the French General blog, The Warp and the Weft, check it out!  There are always interesting things to read.  If I still lived in California, I'd be going to their Woad Workshop!  So interesting, and the deep blue color is amazing!

I made good progress yesterday, finishing up the blocks for my red & blue quilt.  I hope to get them sewn together, and into the quilting frame today!  My old Singer 301 has been purring since getting her cleaning and oiling after the last quilt!  I just love that machine!  ttfn

Summer's over.... Fall is here

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Doesn't this photo just scream summertime?  This is the front of a wonderful antique shop in Noblesville, IN.  While my niece visited this summer, I learned she is truly a child after my own heart.  She loves to go antiquing!  So of course, I took the opportunity to teach her how to do it right!  It was fun to see which items she was drawn to, and what she ended up buying.  I know there will be more antique shopping in our future.
 Now all I need to do is teach her to quilt!

 Summer does seem to be over here in Indiana.  Our nights have been in the low 50s, and the air has a crispness that wasn't there three weeks ago.
I suppose it's time to get back to work here, and make quilts!

I haven't totally been on vacation, there has been some block piecing, and quilt planning.  These fabrics came in the mail yesterday for some of those planned quilts.  I hope to have a few new quilts in my Etsy shop soon.

Fabrics for a planned log cabin quilt.

French General Petite Odile fat quarters

 This is a large shawl that was my summer knitting project.  It was a bit to warm to work on it outside, but just right when inside with the A/C on.

The yarn is one I wouldn't normally use.  I prefer knitting with natural fibers, but this yarn jumped off the shelf, into my hands.  It's by Red Heart, called Treasure, and comes in several colorways.  It is 52% wool, and felt so soft it sold it's self.  I have mixed two colorways while knitting this shawl.  It's a very simple pattern of garter, stockinette and rows of "yarn over, Knit two together".  I didn't follow any set pattern, just knitted as I wanted to.  I did add a nice picot style edge, by using the lace row, knitting a few more inches, then folding at the lace row, knitting one more knit row and picking up a stitch on the back for each stitch knit.  The folded picot edge gave the shawl a very nice ending, and looks nice when wrapped over the shoulder.                                         

  

Inside of hem

My monitor is picking up green as yellow.  But still love the colors in this shawl!

Now I want to knit!  I try to save knitting for quiet times in the evenings, or when I sneak a movie in.  I still have several hours of sewing machine time to get in today.  Make sure you stop to enjoy the change of weather, Fall is here!