Avoiding Bias....

Last Sunday I avoided bias by going antiquing with Dee and her family.  We both loved this chair.

Saw some great quilts.

Dee held this one up for a picture.

By Monday I was avoiding bias by working on my Itty Bitty Project.  By the time I finished the block on the bottom left (Flower Garden) bias was beginning to look fun!



Front

Tuesday, I avoided bias by going to King's Island.  Riding roller coasters in 100 degree heat is bound to take your mind off bias!!  While there, I noticed how handy drawstring backpacks are.  But, being hot, I was not longing for the synthetic variety.



back

Wednesday, I avoided bias by using a charm pack that I won from my LQS to make this super-cute, non-sysynthetic, drawstring backpack.



inside

I used solids that I won earlier this year.  Since there were no notions used, this bag was free!!!
I think that the charm pack was Just Wing it by Mo Mo.



Thursday, I avoided bias by tidying up the sewing corner.  This great basket organizer was a wonderful gift from a quilty friend.  Thanks Shannon!!

Picked this up at Marshall's for some scrap management.

I really like that I can slide the baskets out.

I love that it slides out of the way under my ironing board.

So finally, I needed to face the bias.  I think that I will likely use a gallon of starch on this quilt. 

Four rows down, four rows to go.  I am determined to finish this soon, bias and all!!

Blessings,

KT

Quilty Admissions

Virginia Star Itty Bitty

Okay, so after neatly avoiding (though I LOVE it) the Farmer's Wife craze, I have fallen victim to another quilt a long!  I know, you are all shocked.  Finished this one last night.



Greek Cross Itty Bitty

Completed this one this morning.  I really felt called to add some purple to this project.  (Again, I know you are all shocked!)   ;0)



Here they are playing so nicely together.  I hadn't expected to even do this many so soon, but I find I need a little stress relief from...

BIAS!!!!!!!!!  I am loving the look, but apparently my scant 1/4 inch isn't scant enough, or I have stretched them somehow.  I am getting bulls eye warping.  Only thing I know to do at this point is starch the*&@! out of them.  I still love the pattern, and adore the fabric, but I am disappointed in the outcome.  I will press on!  -Pun intended!-  One day I will even do this pattern again and get it right!!!!!  (Why did the "Eye of the Tiger" just start playing in my head?)

Oh, and one last admission.  I am horrible at random.  Can't do it...something about control.  So, I have a whole schematic drawn up with a complex organizational pattern to make it look....random.  Dee would affirm that I am a little neurotic.

Other WIPs (aka "The Doo-doo List):

1.  Binding on April Showers May Flowers---still.

2.  Catch up Birdie Stitches Blocks---still on February.

3.  Quilt Grandma's Peacock---still intimidated to work on a precious antique.

4.  Make a grocery bag pattern.

Well, break is over.  I will be working on these among household chores today!!

Be sure to use the handy WIP button to visit the other lovely WIP's to encourage you to start finish some of your own!

Blessings!

KT

This, That, and the Other

Over the holiday, my family went with Dee's family to an antique mall before going to watch fireworks.  I saw this quilt, and had never seen the stars in the circle like that.  This may be on my bucket list!  Anyone know what the pattern is called?

The poor quilt was so loved and tattered that it is no longer useful, so I didn't bring it home.

I did bring this home though!  She is a 5 quart!  I only paid $12.50.  Now I am finally able to make double batches of our favorite meals.  This way I am off cooking duty through the weekend!!!  Great use of the money if you ask me!!  She is holding Chicken Teriyaki that was a recipe posted on a blog...so long ago that I forgot where.  It is one of our very favorite meals.

Spotted all these aprons yesterday at Marshall's.  They were around $13.00, great if you need an apron, not so great if you just want to pillage the designer fabrics!! 

As I dug through the racks, I just saw more and more.

Can you believe it?

Everywhere I look, I see the Farmers Wife Quilt A Long.  I long to join, but really don't have the time, or need the guilt...

I plan on borrowing the book from the library to read all the fun stuff.  I just have so many patterns already that I should get more use out of.  But oh, those small blocks are cute!!  So I made a list of 12" blocks that I have access to, yup 47!!!  Told you I shouldn't buy another book!  So my plan is to reduce them by 50%, as well as collect some more (without buying more patterns).  This is going to be a scrap project, and it may not be finished for many years. 

The first block that I have done was from an ipod app!!  The app is called Block Fab.  You should check it out if you have an ipod, iphone, or ipad.  It took all the guess work out of reducing a block from its library.

Of course, I still had to make the block!!

It gave me a little break from this!  Now I am on to adding the background to these!!

Boy am I loving this quilt!!

Blessings,

KT

Friday Finish

I am quilting a quilt in my very limited spare time this week.  At this rate I am sure to finish by Christmas!  Anyhow, I finished January's Birdie Stitches block!  And it's only February March!  These patterns are fun and free!  Since I was on a fabric diet, and I had kona snow in my stash, that is what I used for the center fabric.  I ended up using a very soft, silvery gray for the snow so that it would show.

Got a few French knots in!

All the border fabrics were also stash.  Only thing that I bought was embroidery floss and interfacing!!!

Blessings,

KT

Quilt Story Block Party

Traditional Block

This is a Garden Walk block that I made using '30s reproductions. The pattern can be found in Eleanor Burn's book, "Egg Money Quilts".   It is one of my favorite blocks of all time!  The poor darling is languishing with its siblings in a box, crying out to be quilted.  This is the year of finishes!!!

Modern Block

This is one of the blocks I made for Anina's Pinwheel Party.  You can find the links and everyone else's quilts and blocks by using the pinwheel party button on the left sidebar.  Such a fun new spin on the pinwheel, and I added fussy cuts to all of the squares for a little fun!  This quilt too is calling to be put together this year!!

Creative Block

This block was made for my January Sew Bee It.  Meredith asked for four letter words and sent the most wonderful fabrics.  You can explore all the goings on of this bee and the wonderful ladies in it by using the Sew Bee It button on the left sidebar.  I just couldn't resist using the cute little birdie for the dot in the "i".  Love me some fussy cuts!

Be sure to visit all the other wonderful entries in the Block Party!!!

Blessings,

KT