Something's Fishy

Actually, that's not the name of this quilt. It's called Molokini Bay and it is a Hoffman kit available through Hancock's of Paducah. Sally is making it for her daughter, Dianna, as a wallhanging for her dining room. It's made up of pieced strips (primarily blues and greens) that mimic water and has fused orange fish swimming across the quilt in both directions. We all know a picture's worth a thousand words, so here it is finished, but not quilted...

Sally started the quilt a few weeks ago and as the pieced background began to grow (it goes together in horizontal rows) she became worried that it would be too large for the space allocated in Dianna's house and checked both the quilt size and wall measurement. Yes, it was going to be too large. MFNT (that means "memo for next time"): double check all measurements BEFORE you  begin a project! I am comfortable sharing Sally's dirty little secret as I am guilty of this same mistake...last year I decided to surprise Scott with a quilt for his (small) apartment...I chose a pattern, bought the fabric, and as I began to cut the fabrics realized the quilt was HUGE! It was more than double what I'd thought based on the picture. Finished, it was around 4x5-1/2 feet, taking up the better part of an entire wall of his home. Who knows what I was thinking beginning a project and not checking the size first. Anyway, I know I've said this before (see above); but, a word to the wise...don't neglect the planning stage of a project and double check all measurements.

Sally brought the in-progress quilt on her visit this past week and in a matter of two days it was scaled down, sewn together, and the nine fish were pieced and fused to the background. It's a fun quilt to make and is going to look great on Dianna's wall! 

An Unusual Lone Star Continued...

Sometime last summer Sandy and I started a foundation-pieced project called "An Unusual Lone Star." We started by making 128 parallelograms that comprised the star. We both felt a sense of accomplishment by the time we finished the little buggers last September, but little did we know that the challenging part of the ULS was ahead. It's at this stage that Sandy returned to the project this past week. She arrived last Monday and we spent the next several days working on her ULS. Well, "we" is not entirely accurate...we worked in the cabin together, but she did the work. I was only there for consultation. She had hopes of finishing her ULS by Saturday, but was short fabric for the background. Unfortunately, the two stores we visited on Friday didn't have anything comparable. Disappointed, we returned home, worked a bit more on the sawtooth border, had a great Cinco de Mayo dinner, and called it quits until she can return with the background fabric. Good News: On her way back to Santa Barbara, Sandy stopped at Betty's (her favorite fabric store near Santa Maria) and found the background fabric. 

As it stands, the star is together, the sawtooth border is almost complete, and Sandy plans to return the first of June to finish her ULS. It's going to be smashing!!!

Another Donation Quilt and More

Lauren's visit this month was far too short and we had far too little time quilting together. This was due in part to the scorching-hot weather, which made it impossible to work in the cabin past about 2 pm, and two trips to Sac and one to Carson City, which used up three of our days together. I'm not suggesting those days weren't enjoyable (had a few "must see" movies on our list, including Hope Springs, which was very cute, and The Beasts of the Southern Wild, which I would have enjoyed more with sub-titles as I couldn't understand a single word), but that time could have been spent stitching together! She came with a prioritized list and at the top was to make her donation quilt for one of DD Lou's cancer kids (I now call Dianna, our resident nurse at Cottage Hospital, Outpatient Services in Santa Barbara, "DD Lou" as that is her Words With Friends name. We always have 2-3 games going and she has become DD Lou to me. So, DD Lou it is!) Back to Lauren, here she is with her finished blanket that will be sent on to OPS.  

Not on her list was helping me make Verne's 95-year old mother and Lauren's grandmother a quilt for her birthday, but my sweetie did it willingly and with her usual enthusiasm. Made completely from our stash of Moda pastels (which is dwindling), the French Rose quilt below is perfect for Clara, both in color and size. She seems to shrink a little with each year and this 60" square quilt will be more than generous in size for her bed or lap as she sits and cross stitches.

Finally, Lauren was able to begin a new project, which will be given to her best friend from law school, Torrie Poplin, who now lives in Chicago. We first saw this quilt, designed by Jean Wells, on the cover of a quilting magazine Cece brought to our last retreat. Cece bought the fabric for the quilt as a kit and made it this past month. We put together a similar collection of fabrics completely from our stash. This has become a stash-busting month and it feels good! Here's the first block of the quilt...

Sally's Quick Trip

Here's the question: Does "talking shop" (in our case, talking quilting) constitute work (in our case, a Stix Mini Retreat)? If so, then Sally just came for a Stix Mini Retreat! Not quite 24 hours long, we spent a few hours admiring each others handiworks and had a couple of great meals. It was wonderful and memorable! I honestly think the real purpose of Ms. Sally's visit was to have her picture taken with her projects, though...she's always complaining about the disproportionate number of pictures of Maria and Lauren on the Blog. So, here's a couple of pictures of Sally with finished projects:

This quilt was made with just two fabrics, an orange-red and off-white. It's going to be even prettier after it's been quilted!

This is Sally's donation quilt. It'll be going to Cottage Hospital Outpatient Surgery in Santa Barbara along with the other donation quilts we've made. These precious blankets will be given to children who are undergoing chemotherapy treatments. God bless those special children...I hope our blankets bring them much comfort. Let's make more!

Lauren's Mini Retreat

Lauren is home for spring break and after much thought decided that she'd rather quilt than study. After all, a girl has to have her priorities straight! Last summer she bought a kit of Dr. Seuss fabrics, "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas," one of her favorite childhood (and adult) stories. Today was spent cutting and beginning to stitch these adorable fabrics. Her few breaks during the day were spent making felt balls...what fun!!!