TWO Celtic Solstice Tops with Poetry

A Quilter's Celtic Ode To The Frog by Deb Hayter with apologies to Clement C. Moore.

The day had arrived, the first clue came out.
"Let the cutting begin", I said with a shout.
The colors I'd chose: orange, green, yellow and blue.
I had pretty jewel stacks and new rulers too.
Each Friday would find me merrily sewing along.
The units were made; please don't let them be wrong.

I stay with the pack, never falling behind.
Until the reveal was given and a new plan in my mind.
I'd make a new quilt for each grandchild this year.
But what of my units?  Leaders and Enders I cheer.
So onto the blocks which from units were made.
They fit together perfect and my fears start to fade.

Months have passed by. Almost six (I'm keeping track).
But my blocks are all ready.  It's an impressive stack.
There are so many - what was I thinking?
"A king will not work," I said without blinking.
Two queens it will be, so off to retreat
And hope for two tops. Oh my, wouldn't that be sweet?

The trip is a success and I am in awe
The tops are gorgeous and shown with a "ta-da."
It's time for the borders, let's get them in quick.
The top looks so perfect - wasn't that slick?
It doesn't lay flat?  A closer look makes me pause.
Oh no, wait, wait.  What could be the cause?

I should have measured and counted my squares
So I wouldn't have put too many pieces in there.
And now I hear from you, the mocking little bit
Each time you open your mouth - "Rip it, Rip it, Rip it."
A lesson has been learned, never again will I cheat.
The borders are back on and my tops are complete.

New piece counts:  Quilt 1 - 2,750   Quilt 2 - 2,750

My Trick to Pinning

Last night when I was attaching my pieced borders to my quilts, I realized that the way I pin may not have been thought of by others.  No one showed me to do it this way, but I am sure that it is not original by any means.  Just a light bulb moment for me about a year ago.  By pinning this way, you can remove the pins with your left hand and my seam guide is not an issue.  Win-win.

Those Pesky 1/4" Seams

My tip of the day show how I handle 1/4" seams.  While I know that there are oh so many ways out there -- this works for me.  If finding that perfect 1/4" seam is a challenge for you as well, give this a try.  It is shown here on Barbara - my lovely featherweight - but works the same on most machines.

I use a combination of a seam guide from Bonnie Hunter and the seam guide that came with the machine.  Using the green guide, lower your needle into the 1/4" hole and lower the presser foot to keep it in place.  Then slide the other guide right up next to it and tighten into place.  Remove the green guide.  Voila --- this will give you a scant 1/4", thus enabling you to have an accurate size square after pressing.  (I should have cleaned the machine before this picture -- ah well, live and learn.

A New Facebook Group

Okay -- so I bit the bullet and started another Facebook group.  I know, I know -- do we really need another one?  Well, I am hoping that we will use this group as a learning spot -- sharing tutorials (so many groups won't let you link anymore) and ideas as well as our "ta-da" moments.

It is called Our Quilt World and please feel free to join -- it will be monitored well -- and let's all learn and grow together.

Here is your link:  Our Quilt World

May Quilt Update

Previous 2014 posts:  First of year quilt update  (There are individual class posts for 4 Bonnie Hunter classes as well if you click on Feeling Crafty label and go to older posts.)
                         End of January quilt update
                         February quilt update
                         March Quilt Update
                         April Quilt Update
Goals:

Quilt Retreat:

Bind Ryan's Log Cabin (LC) yes, Bind Bekah's Stacked Squares (SS) yes, CS blocks put together into a top yes X2, borders nope - still need fabric for neutral inner border and don't have the pieced border assembled yet , Finish Bargello top nope = didn't even get to take it out, Bobs Rectangle Squared (RS) yes, top/back/binding

Home:  I have girls for a week in addition to my retreat so need to be wise in my goals this month.

Roll Quilt - Nope
CS blocks - Finish before retreat yes
UFO - Tea Towels - 1 finished
Quilt and attach binding Ryans LC yes, Bekahs (SS) yes
Hand quilt baby Ashton's  Dancing Nines (DN)- yes
Quilt and bind Bob's RS yes
BOM blocks yes
Mark Applique quilt for quilting - nope

1st - It is a new month AND it is my birthday month.  Yay me.  It is also the last high pressure month, I hope.  I have a few deadlines this month and then perhaps things will slow down a bit.  One can hope anyway.  After tea with my sweetie, I set about cleaning up the office from the previous quilts.  All the scraps from the black/white/red/grey quilt are cut as well as starting on the prints from squaring off last month's thrift store binge and put into the system.  I then look at the stack of minky I have leftover and my brain takes over and moves into play mode.  Apparently I am not feeling the pressure today.  I have a few blocks leftover and I put those together into a large square.  There are still scraps left so I set to piecing them into 4 1/2" blocks and then into another large square.  Now I have two and no idea what to do with them.  I use CS blocks as leaders and enders and add another 6 to my stack.   It hasn't been an overly productive day, but I have certainly had fun.  Quilt Guild night.  Played with minky leftovers from baby quilts.  I know -- I have work to do but checked out for awhile.  AND I had fun, so there.

April Quilt Update

Previous 2014 posts:  First of year quilt update  (There are individual class posts for 4 Bonnie Hunter classes as well if you click on Feeling Crafty label and go to older posts.)
                         End of January quilt update
                         February quilt update
                        March Quilt Update


Goals for April:

Hand quilt tricot for baby, bind, deliver to Cass - yes
3 Tops - Log Cabin (LC) Ryan yes, Dancing Nines (DN) baby  yes, Bekah yes
3 Block Of Month's (BOM's) current - yes
Quilt, bind, finish Scrappy Mountain Majesty (SMM) - Zyra yes (need April), Scrappy Trips (ST) - Malea yes (need May), Bricks and Stepping Stones (BSS) - Elena yes (need May)
Celtic Solstice (CS) - 20 blocks - yes
Roll Quilt - not happening this month -- I spent too much time hand stitching the other two quilts.
Swap Blocks yes
UFO -- work on blue afghan yes and finished it

SMM, CS, ST, DN, and BSS - all are Bonnie Hunter patterns and are available free on her website at www.quiltville.com 

1st - It is April Fools and I am not playing any tricks.  What's up with that?  I do decide to start the month off right though.  There is a possibility that my daughter will be here on Thursday and I would like to give her this quilt to take back to Utah with her.  Can I do it?  Let's find out.  Mister helps me set the frame up in the den and with a movie on the laptop, I set to work.  I quilted for about 6 hours (yep, 3 movies) to get to this point.  I also prepared the swap mailings and put the international ones in the mail.  I still need a few more envelopes to finish my 2 1/2" square swap.

2nd - I started out the day back in the den hoping to finish this quilt today.  I am thinking there is a good chance that I can make this goal.

Movies are back in the lap top and I get all the way around the edge before asking Mister to help me roll the quilt.  I put another movie in and soon the center is finished as well.  It has taken me the whole day and another 3 movies, but my quilt is off the frame.  I just have the edge left to do.  I finish the mailings from yesterday and make a pattern from the burp cloth I did last month so that I have one for future projects.  Good day!

Quilt Ladies

One of the ladies on the Texas Quilter's Facebook page decided to sponsor a "Meet and Greet" with anyone who could make it.  Since I actually can fit it in, I am off to meet them.

We gather at a restaurant and visit for a couple of hours before heading down to the fabric warehouse district to play.  Everyone walks away with at least one treasure and some new friends.  What a nice afternoon and I look forward to getting to know Suzanne, Becky, and Bonnie better.  Thanks ladies.

(It's a bit of a blurry picture that a random guy at the counter took for us.)  Glad we have it though.