Happy Thanksgiving and two finishes

The front, all quilted and bound.

The back, sideways and quilted and bound.

My new office "art"

It's nice to get things all finished up during the week of Thanksgiving.  I quilted and bound the Ingie quilt and then delivered it to its recipient on Monday.  Everyone thought it was wonderful and I have to admit that I am pretty pleased with how it turned out.  My Citrus Triangles quilt is also done and is hanging in my new office. (That's what I did at work yesterday - moved my office four doors down to be closer to the rest of my team.  My phone and computer aren't up and running yet, but at least all my stuff is in the right place.)

Today I might get some quilting done, but I have to watch some very important football games first.  The first and most important one starts in just over an hour.  I'm wondering if my heart can handle the stress of rolling out of bed and then watching a Packer game.  And, yes, Thanksgiving will be a low-key event this year with one friend coming over.  I prepared a turkey in the slow cooker last night and we will be watching football and eating turkey sandwiches in honor of our colonial ancestors who would have thrown rocks at the tv and burned everyone involved.  Here's hoping no one gets lit on fire today.

Sunday, in which I worked on three projects

What a great weekend.  It rained and was disgusting outside and I had no plans so I got to clean and then work on my quilt projects.  I even made enchiladas which are really great vehicles for guacamole if you are so inclined to look for guacamole vehicles.  Honestly, guacamole vehicles are my favorite vehicles.

At any rate, here is what I did:

The back of the Ingie Quilt

This back is actually done in petal pink, even though it looks peach here.  This photo was taken in the small bedroom upstairs which has the best light in the house.  Seriously, that's as good as we are going to get here.  I took a class on photography at the Sewing Summit and I basically learned that I have to move if I want better pictures.  None of us want me to do that, so we will all have to use our imaginations when it comes to my photography.

Next up:

October

I'm all caught up with the Modern Block of the Month project sponsored by Sew Mama Sew.  This is October and I have to say that I really like it.  I'm thinking about doing this again but with shades of grey instead of purple.  It was quick and easy and I'm pleased with the results.

Finally, a Spinster update:

Corn and Beans

Have you ever dug through your fabric stash and shouted, "Corn and beans! Corn and beans!"?  Oh, yes you have don't deny it.  This little block came together well, but was very bulky in its seams.  Still, I love those colors.

Country Farm

I know what you are thinking, "Shouldn't a country farm be red?"  Well, my response is that it would be lovely if I could find three red fabrics that looked good together and blues blend so much better.  My country farm symbolizes the fresh water and air that we can find out in the country.

Country Path

I couldn't look at the instructions for the Country Path block without thinking about a primrose path and how it is best not to be led down one.  Which is kind of a weird expression when you think about it because primroses are lovely and a path lined with primroses would be nice to be led down.  But, maybe that's just me with my pro primrose agenda.  I felt some pretty pinks were in order because a pink primrose path would be even more lovely even if the result would be being led into something far more sinister.  (A primrose path story:  My grandmother did not like to serve me alcohol when I visited her because, in her words, she was leading me down the primrose path; considering this was when I was in law school and I was in my mid-twenties, I assured her I could handle her watered down scotch drinks without turning into a drunken reprobate - I had being in law school in my mid-twenties to do that for me.  Still, I think she viewed me as a lush after that. I'm drinking Irish whisky tonight in her honor. See grandma, you were right.)

Tomorrow, or the next day, I will show you my next non-Spinster quilt project.  I know. I'm excited too.  

FNSI - Results

The Ingie Quilt - Completed Front

The beginnings of the back.

Welcome to everyone visiting from Friday Night Sew-In.  Tonight I finished piecing The Ingie Quilt and started on the back.  The back will have two rows of blocks which will be placed in a field of Kona Petal.  It will be very sweet when it is done.  On a side note, I love it when the fates intervene and I get to show a completed object for FNSI, rather than bits and pieces of what I managed to put together that night.

Tomorrow I work on piecing the back and will make an appointment with the fine folks at the LQS to put this puppy on the long-arm.  But, tonight is cocktails and Ghost Adventures.  I've tivo'd the episode where the ghost adventures crew visits the Lizzy Borden house which should be entertaining and quite appropriate for the holiday season.  

Piecing madness

All footprints will be washed away. I promise. 

Several days ago I promised Ms. IM an update on how her quilt was doing.  As you can see, it is under an appropriate level of supervision and is getting some necessary attention.  So far, its gone from 156 squares to 16 blocks to the current 7 blocks.  The hardest part now is keeping everything in order (thank you handy new design wall) and keeping the cats from stretching it while they sit on it.  This is about to be locked away in a plastic tub so I can finish the binding on another project that might make it to work tomorrow to be shown off.  Ladies, prepare your amazed sounds now.

The Ingie Quilt - Cutting is complete

Bob, hard at work.

Does he look angry?  He looks angry.

Time to play with the layout. 

First, I'd like to address why Bob looks so angry.  I roasted a chicken on Saturday and only gave him some of it, not all of it.  Bob was sulking because I told him that the chicken was going into soup and it was not open to discussion.  He'll be okay, trust me, but he still has this look about him as if he can't understand why I'm so stupid and won't give him what he wants.

In piecing news, I've finished up my fat quarter bundle and am ready to play with the layout on my brand new fabric quilt wall.  I finally broke down and bought a quilt wall so I could layout quilts without using the floor and moving around the cats that would inevitably end up sleeping on the pieces on the floor.  Sam has already figured out how to knock pieces off, so this could end up being hours of entertainment for all of us.

So pretty.

I really like this combination of pink and yellow.  It is such a fresh, springy look and something that is fun to play with here at the tail end of summer.  Still a few more color combinations to do and I'm heading out on vacation tomorrow so I didn't make my goal of getting this pieced before I left.  Sigh.  At least I know I will have something pretty to work on when I return.  Today, I start forming ideas of what to pack and spend some quality time with the cat army and convince them to be nice to the sitter.  Sam - I'm talking to you; let her pet you this time.

More orange and some pink

When last we spoke, I said that I was going to do two batches of blocks of this quilt and then two blocks of the Spinster Quilt.  Well, I threw that out the window right away because it really makes more sense to do three batches of blocks for the Ingie quilt and then two Spinster Quilt blocks.  These blocks are just too easy and come together quickly, plus I only have two more sets of three to do which is much more reasonable than three sets of two.  Really, the math makes sense to me.  Really.

In deer news, I wanted to mow the lawn yesterday but a pair of deer had bedded down in the backyard and spent a few hours chewing their cud and otherwise being really, really sweet. I decided there was no need to chase them out with the lawn mower.  Unfortunately, I will have to address the growing lawn that provides a good bedding to the local deer community.

Festival of pinks

I've completed two more sets of twenty-one blocks for Ms. IMs quilt.  As I said, this will be coming together quickly.  To make things interesting and because I'm all about random rules, I've decided that I will make two sets of this quilt and then two blocks of the Spinster quilt and go back and forth until everything is cut for the Ingie quilt.  Or, until I decide to break my own random rules because they aren't working for me.

The Ingie Quilt

Many months ago, a friend of mine asked me if I would be willing to make her a quilt.  Of course I leapt at the opportunity to make a quilt for someone who actually wanted one, but I had some conditions.  It would take me months to make one, I get veto authority over the pattern, and I will not do applique.  After IM accepted these conditions, I handed her all my quilt books and told her to pick out a pattern.  Months passed during which she was too busy, I was too busy, and life got in the way.  Eventually, she showed me the pattern she chose.....

Does Not Compute

.... from this book....

Dare to Be Square Quilting by Boo Davis

...and then she told me her conditions.  She didn't want the robot, and she wanted it in off-white and shades of pink.  After confirming with her that she really didn't want the robot, "Are you suuuure you don't want the robot?" I proceeded to dream up how to do this.  It's actually a simple Amish Brickwork pattern without the robot and since the background was now the foreground, I decided to make the blocks a slightly bit bigger to show off the material she chose. I'm showing you all this because the final project is going to bear little resemblance to the pattern, but I love how patterns and ideas take shape.  Then came the most important part, picking the material, and she chose well, very well...

This fat quarter bundle and IM met and they knew it was meant to be. 

With directions and a jaunty spring to my step, I started strip piecing and cutting......

First batch of 21 blocks completed. 

Only 11 more sets to go and then I can start putting this together.  It will go quickly, I think, but I have other projects to keep happy so it won't be overnight.  I can tell already that I am going to like how this turns out.