A little Zoom to get me going!

 It seems like months since I was able to join one of Chooky's (Chookyblue) Zoom sessions. Perhaps because of the 13 (plus) hour difference from South Australia to Maine, I never seem to make it at the right time.

I was thrilled that yesterday's session fit into my day. It is always fun to catch up with quilters from all over the world. It was particularly great to see Clare's face. She was still having a hard time speaking after her recent surgery, but she was able to type in her comments. She showed us a few heart blocks that she had received to "cheer her up". These two from me will hopefully arrive in Australia soon! 

 

My friend Grace (citymousequilter) showed what she was working on and then lamented that she never seems to accomplish all that she expects too. She asked if any of us ever felt that way and we all laughed hysterically! The funny thing is when I look at what Grace actually accomplishes, I am always amazed. I wonder how I can quilt every single day and still not finish as much as I think I should. I guess we are all a little too critical of ourselves. I enjoy my daily handwork and I just have to be patient for the end result. I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir here!

One project that I am diligent about is my daily circle project. Since I am doing it in the potholder method, I can see progress each month as the blocks get finished. I sew one circle onto a 3" background each morning, then at the end of the month, I quilt and bind the block and assemble it. I am quilting the June block now, but I've already assembled January through May. 

 

And the back is fun too 

 

I had made plans to go to the Vermont Show with friends, Barb (funwithBarb) and Randy (Barrister'sBlock) so when the show was canceled we decided to stick with our plan and visit Vermont anyway. We went by way of Lowell to see the potholder quilt exhibition curated by Pam Weeks from her book, "Portable Patchwork". We met up with Gladi (Gladi'sQuilts) and other friends for lunch. Great fun!! 

 

 

I've been working on the 3rd and 4th (final) borders of my recent "pot luck" medallion potholder quilt. The final border has created a volcano of light fabric strips all over my sewing room. 

Can't wait to see how it turns out. Enjoy the day!

Slinging Hash

 The next border on my pot luck potholder quilt is complete. I've decided to call this one "Stash Hash". There are blocks and "units" from at least a dozen other quilts in this one. Now I know why I keep those "reject" blocks! 

                                                                            Front

 

Back 

 

I'm making progress on step 3 of the Quiltmania Mystery quilt, "Mathilde". Not sure where it's going (guess that is why they call it "mystery"!) or if I even like it yet, but I will carry on! I love watching the progress of others. I especially enjoy seeing other quilters add little changes. The only change I have made (so far) is to eliminate the birds from the 4 border pieces. Since I made a mistake in the orientation of the flowers, I thought it best to wait and see which direction they should be going in. Hope they don't fly away before I get them stitched down. 

 

Have a super sewing weekend!

Pot Luck Anyone?

 While we are all waiting for pot luck picnics in the summer sun, I decided to unearth my numerous orphan blocks and make "potholder potluck" number 3. I named my last one "Sourdough" because for some strange reason, when the quilt was finished, I ended up with more orphan blocks than I started with. 

 

I am using printed patchwork (cheater prints) on the back 

So far it measures 32" and if all goes according to plan, it will be 80" in the end. That should be the end of the orphans, but then...

11th Annual Seven Sistahs Retreat

 Another fantastic retreat on Wells Beach, Maine. We all agreed that if it weren't for the fact that we truly missed our "Miss Tina", it would have been a perfect week. Tina was patiently recovering from her eye surgery and we were in constant contact with her to make sure she was behaving. She is doing wonderfully so all is well! 

We always have a great time, but we all admitted that this year was different. We all seemed more relaxed  about what we intended to accomplish. Instead of whirling with pedal to the metal, we spent a lot of time chatting and truly relaxing. We even tried to solve some of the world's problems as we ate our way through the week! 

I took very few photos this time, but here are a few highlights. A little retail therapy on Wednesday at the Portsmouth Fabric Company.

Susie Karen, Karen, Kathy and Charlotte hard at work. Fotini had to leave on Thursday, so I missed catching her photo! 

 

Susie Karen and Karen cheering Charlotte on with her marvelous border treatment on this gem. Karen's aunt Marsha gave Karen some vintage "Double Wedding Ring" archs which she turned over to Charlotte who created this wonderful master piece. 

 

Way to go Charlotte!

 

I only brought hand work but still brought more than I could finish in a month. I was able to assemble all these potholder blocks to create, "Fancy Feast". I  loved the one I made with vintage linens and feedsacks so much I decided to make one with chintzes and toiles. I love it! 

 

and back And, the backs is just as much fun with these printed patchwork (aka "cheater prints"). 

 

This is my favorite stage in the "potholder quilt" process. I love seeing all my blocks stacked up before I stitch them all together. 

 

These are a few of my favorites: Love those fishing cats!

 

And, of course my cowgirl days!

And this one because it is one of my friend Judy Roche's toiles. The chintz and the cheater on the back came from Judy as well. Thank you my friend. I miss you! 

 

Needless to say, a good time was had by all!! Enjoy the day.

It's Tea Time

 I finished all these potholder blocks last month but, before I could assemble them I started another one! I decided that I liked the look so much, I would try one with totally different fabrics. (stay tuned for the unveiling LOL). This one is made from  feedsacks and vintage tea towels (hence the name, "Tea Time"). 

I had so much fun trying to find the right towels from my collection. I didn't want to cut up any that were still usable as linens, so it was a bit of a challenge. Some of these have been in the family for quite a while, so it is nice to be able to showcase them in a colorful quilt.

And, as usual with this potholder method, the back is almost as much fun as the front. 

 

I'm off tomorrow for our annual "Seven Sistahs" retreat where I will be assembling the second one. Photos to follow! Enjoy the day!

Sugar Shack Village

 My little quilt for Cecile and Corinne's sew-a-long is now complete. Such a happy little quilt!

 

and back 

 

Thanks Cecile and Corinne for another great sew-a-long. You can visit their Facebook site (here) and see the unbelievable creativity! So much fun! 

This little cutie will be visiting the Iowa Quilt Museum soon. I will post more info as it unfurls.

Bird's Nest Soup currently at the New England Quilt Museum

 Just a quick head's up for New Englanders. My Bird's Nest Soup 

(along with "No Bake Applique") is currently on display at the New England Quilt Museum. The exhibition consists of quilts from the fabulous book, "Portable Patchwork" by Pamela Weeks. It runs through July 15. Please visit New England Museum for details. Lot's of superb "potholder" quilts as well as other exhibits and a wonderful gift shop! Enjoy!