This is an annual event that the Association puts on to assist eligible Boise State University employees with food vouchers for meals on campus once or twice a week. The top was made by a volunteer, who will also bind the quilt.
I did the quilting, an overall meandering style with 
Raffle tickets are available for $2 each, or 12 for $10. Email me if you’d like tickets, and I’ll get you in touch with an ACE Senate member.
I am *sew* close to having some finished tops!
I thought I was ready to put borders on the flannel quilt, but I measured and I need another row, then I can add the borders.
I found some border fabric for the 10 Minute Block throw, so just have to add those.
And, I went and bought more flannel to make another flannel quilt! Yes, the goal was, and still is, to get that flannel stash used up, but I am making them for my nieces, so it’s not stash building! At least, that’s the plan for now. And they can’t both have the same quilt! Not only that, a lot of the flannel I have left has baby prints and that is not really appropriate for a 7 year old, will be 8 year old by the time she gets the quilt. So, I took advantage of the 50% off sale at JoAnn’s to add more variety and get the backs for both quilts.
I also took in a gorgeous customer quilt on Sunday, and can’t wait to see it finished!
What’s prompting me to clear out my stash is that I want to re-organize and/or remodel the Quilt Cave. So I’m looking over my stash and feeling very blessed.
Dreams. Oh, the dreams!
I signed up for the free Pre-Design Studio III webinar today. It starts at 7 CET, which is 11 am MST here in Boise.
I’m pretty excited about it, because I took the demonstration class for Pre-Design Studio II at Innovations in September and eventually bought the software. However, because of being in school, and the fact that I knew I was going to get a new computer and didn’t want to have to re-register the software, I didn’t install it right away; in fact, I just got it installed and activated about 3 weeks ago. Have I used it? No.
I then saw the notification that there was an upgrade! What?!? I was really disappointed until I saw that one of the new features was to be able to export the file to a format that can be used on a computerized quilting machine or other software! And the best part? It was only a $26 cost to upgrade!! YES!!
So, I’m really excited about attending this webinar, so I can quickly re-familiarize myself with the software and start working on making some original pantographs. I even have a photo in mind to start with.
There’s still time if you want to attend, but you’ll have to sign up here:
I set my intentions to enjoy each and every moment this weekend, but I still need more weekend!
I spent time with a friend of mine, who offered to sew up a bunch of the fabrics I cut to make more of the 10-minute blocks. She had a computer problem, which we solved, and she also shared some of her sewing room organizational tips with me.
Afterwards, I attended the Organizing Your Sewing Room seminar that Karen held at Quilt Expressions on Saturday.
Do you see a theme here? 
I’m not one to set New Year’s resolutions, but I have recently gotten the organizational bug. So, yes, I am wanting to do something in my sewing room.
The “something” is find more space and/or better utilize the space I have. While I feel blessed to have the 10’ x 20’ bonus room over the garage serving as my Quilt Cave, I feel I could utilize the space better. I’ve had a contractor over to look at it to see what ideas he has, and I’ve received a reply to my email inquiry from a local custom furniture maker, whom I need to call back. Now I need to develop a “bubble diagram” to figure out what my work centers are so I can prioritize my tasks and figure out what is needed where, before I start tearing everything apart.
This is probably connected to the other projects I’ve started, namely re-arranging items and clearing off long forgotten residents from my office desk. After working on it most of the afternoon, I can actually see the Formica on the desk top!! It’s not finished, and I still have a couple of very large piles to go through, but now I have a space in which to work! It’s actually comfortable to sit at my desk!
I’m a terrible procrastinator, which is part of why this has become such a problem. I am determined to develop better habits so that I don’t have to spend my precious sewing time cleaning up my messes. Putting it off doesn’t make it go away, and I just have to remember that!
Now that I have an almost cleaned off desk, it feels like tomorrow should be Sunday!
Wanna know what I did on my vacation??
Since Thursday, I have been busting my stash! Oh, I did visit Country Quilter to take advantage of their 40% off sale, although I did bring home ONE 3 yard purchase for which I do not currently have a purpose, but I do have an idea! And it is right up my alley in all it’s dark fuscia pink glory!! My intention was pure, though…my purpose for going was for in-progress or planned projects which are to be made in the next 2 months, namely the Vandal quilt. Hey, I don’t have much gold and black, what can I say!?! 
I got the gold and black fabric washed up, but haven’t cut any more of it…I got tired of all those small pieces, so I distracted myself:
yet to be determined. I worked it up in EQ7 and it’s lovely! 
I woke up this morning and, knowing it was my last day of a long Christmas break before going back to work, I jumped out of bed, grabbed a cup of coffee and started sewing the last of the blocks for this quilt. 
left over! I see a second Cotton Candy quilt in my future… Today has been a really great day!
I woke up thinking I had finally picked the fabric needed for the mystery quilt hosted by QT Mystery Quilts today. Mind you, the directions say to pick the fabrics out and cut them to specifications BEFORE the day of the mystery!…but then, I’m “mystery challenged”! I have such a hard time not knowing what the quilt will look like, I get paralyzed with not being able to pick out my fabrics….much like the Roll Roll Cotton Boll mystery that Bonnie Hunter is running! Wow, is that one intriguing! I haven’t started it yet, either, because, for once, I’ve stayed focused….
To begin with, I finished the two Bronco quilt orders I had, and they were delivered in time for Christmas…barely!
One was made with 
This close-up shows the Hungarian blue much better:
The second quilt used a very dark, tone-on-tone blue fabric that even
During our Christmas holiday, which we got to celebrate at home, I took out a UFO that I’d started during the 2009 Humanitarian Bowl, featuring the U of Idaho Vandals. It’s been on my mind, partly because I promised it to DH last February, and partly as a counter-part to the Bronco vs. Vandal rivalry here in our home…after all, I make BRONCO quilts! DH is a University of Idaho graduate, and played football for the Vandals, so I thought he’d like to use it during football season.
For some inexplicable reason, I picked a log cabin design. Lots of people say this is a beginner’s block, but I truly don’t think so because the narrow strips require precise seam allowances, and the amount of work each block takes to create.
Of course, I planned on making a throw (he won’t go and get one of my many, pink, quilts). I checked with him again as I pulled it out, and he’d really like a bigger quilt…one that will fit on our king sized bed! Oh, the joke is on me!
I worked up a mock-up in Electric Quilt 7 and I have to say…it’s going to be STUNNING!
Now I know why this amount of work will be worth the effort.
While perusing the Yahoo discussion for the Quiltville mystery, I ran across the 10 Minute Block instructions that someone mentioned. Wow! Talk about making a block fast! Sewing them together and putting on the borders took me much longer than making the blocks!
P.S. Why is it that photos of quilts rarely look as good as the actual quilt??
Oh, and because my friend was interested in how I made a quilt so 
So, finishing this unplanned quilt took a bit longer than I had anticipated, and now I need to get back to cutting more 1 1/2” strips for the Vandal quilt, rather than working on either of the mystery projects. That’s OK, because even though I still haven’t picked the color, I’ve decided, that I would start sewing together some string blocks for Bonnie’s project, because they are neutrals and I can work them into any other colors I pick later. 
On the home front, we also found out that my DH needs shoulder surgery to repair his rotator cuff. This will require a 4 month recovery, which pretty much puts him out of work for that entire time, as he is a self employed drywaller. Luckily, he carries workman’s comp insurance on himself, and this all started when he was working on a job, so we are in the process of starting a claim. He’s the sort who is very unhappy when he isn’t working, and we’ll both have to deal with the entire recovery process.
As much as I’m not looking forward to his surgery, I am very thankful for the blessings we have and the opportunities the new year will bring. I think many changes are coming for this new year, and I can’t wait!
Happy New Year!!!
I am at the end of my vacation, and I have accomplished quite a bit…which is why I haven’t posted in 9 days!
So, that is what I accomplished.
But, of course, I am scheming to also:
On a less frenzied note, I have almost all of my Christmas shopping done, too. Aaah…
I think I accomplished quite a lot in these 9 days!
