First Pink and White quilt top is done

I am trying to decide whether or not to add a 2 inch border all around (pink).  I bought fabric at Angies Quilting Loft on Sunday for the back - clearance rack $4/yd. This quilt is for one of the girls who live next door. I am now working on the quilt top for Frank's sister.  Maybe I will have most of it done this weekend. After these 3 quilts are done, I am going to get rid of all pink fabric in my house!   Jenny did so much work cutting 2.5 inch strips for this quilt, and 1.5 inch white strips for the next 2 quilts.  What do you think I can do to show my appreciation to Jenny?



Snowbound in Seattle

I didn't take a photo, but if I did, it would be very boring.  Just a lot of snow.  Starting to get cabin fever after 2 days inside.  I think I am going to ask to telecommute one more day, because it is likely to still be icy on Friday a.m. On Saturday, I am scheduled to return to Wash DC for TRB.  The temperature is supposed to reach 40+ degrees on Friday afternoon, which should melt all the snow. 

I have been working on a pink quilt top, which is almost all sewn together! For this one, I am using Lintott book Jelly Roll Quilts "Blue Lagoon" p. 14.  The other 2 pink quilts are using "Sparkling Gemstones" p. 20 of the same book.

Wish I could have spent more time sewing, but I was a diligent federal worker!  I had a 7 a.m. Pacific teleconference today, and then another meeting at 11:30 a.m. Pacific.  Most of my computer and telephone equipment worked well.  Frank has never gotten my netbook to talk to the printer, so I ended up emailing him a document and he printed it from his computer instead.  I also had a small problem using my web meeting room (adobeconnect), but it worked from my netbook running Windows even if I couldn't get it to work on Frank's Linux machine, but Ed C told me he thought it was because I was clicking on the meeting room location when I was inside webmail. 

See (most of) you soon at TRB! Lots of love!

December session at Lori's

Courtesy of Li, we have this lovely picture of the spread we sat down to eat last Sunday. We had risotto, pork loin, salmon, sweet potato burritos, orange fluff, shrimp and fudge while listening to Christmas music, and then had to sit and stitch because we were too full to move!

Thanks, Lori, for hosting. Looking forward to seeing everyone in the New Year!

Shawls

Okay, another not quilting post but I'm excited to have finished these two projects!
This is my first blocked shawl. I think it came out well.
Here's Declan helping me block my second shawl (although I'd completed the knitting for this one quite a while ago). Fortunately he's laying on the spine so you can't tell that I didn't quite get it straight.

International Quilt Study Center

Last week I visited the Quilt Study Center while in Lincoln to teach the CACC. I stayed over an extra day specifically to visit the Center. My friend Ann came over from Iowa to ooh, ahh, and enable my yarn habit - in all fairness, my trip helped her in the same area.

Here's a couple of the quilts we saw that I think you might find interesting.
Quilt made of the quilter's father's ties, including the one he wore at his wedding in 1931.

Part of an exhibit on English paper piecing and mosaic quilts. Sorry the images aren't more clear.
Isn't this one incredible? Most of the hexagons are about 1" across at their widest point! (Same is true of the detail from a different quilt above.)
Crazy quilt made by a group.

Purple disappearing 9-patch

Here is the top, without borders.  I used a $3 scrap bag from the Block Party Quilt show "member boutique", and fabrics from my stash. 

Disappearing 9-patch

http://valentinequiltworks.blogspot.com/2009/02/disappearing-9-patch-quilt.html

Remember those 5" charm squares of transportation fabrics that I sent to S&B a while ago?  Maybe it was last year.   This super simple pattern is the PERFECT way to use them.  I bought some purple florals scraps at the Block Party Quilt show last month.  I used a tone-on-tone dark purple for the center squares, otherwise, mixed lights and darks around.  But, you can make it in a more organized fashion like this example with red center and black and white around.  I think we could use the transportation novelty prints in the 4 corners, and a "solid" for the center, and perhaps black/white prints for the other 4 squares, or maybe blue tone-on-tones.  I haven't taken a photo yet of the purple florals yet, but I'll have the top done (without borders) by tonight (I think).