Cubes, oh yea!

Saturday was the second session of both cube classes. I was excited to see that all the ladies in the Hollow Cube Too class had been working on their cubes, so we could really get a good idea of what they would look like.

 We cut the background pieces and saw those cubes really stand out!

 Dianne mixed her colors and is using a dark purple for her background. I forgot to get a pic when she had it all up there.

 Ida Mae is using the polka dotted black for her background....it really brings out the colors in the quilt.

 If you look closely, you can see that she switched out just one wall on some of her pink and green cubes....can you find them?

 The Tumbling Block class went well too, many pretty colors and interesting designs.  We figured out a great way to get an entire vertical row off the design wall to sew....just tape it! Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures until we had taped the rows together.....they both promised that they would bring them back when finished!

Mary is using a random layout, should be really pretty!

I spent all day yesterday cleaning....I went under and over all surfaces in the kitchen.... it looks so good I hate to cook and dirty it up again. This past month has been so busy that I haven't done a good job of deep cleaning. I cleaned the whole downstairs, except I forgot the ceiling fans! I still need to tackle them and the upstairs bathroom, but it will wait for another day.

Cubes, cubes and more cubes....

The ladies got a good start on their Hollow Cubes,Too blocks on Saturday.  I like to teach some classes in two sessions, like these 3D cubes. There are a lot of steps to making cubes, especially the hollow ones, so if they can concentrate on the construction of the actual cube, without worrying about how to finish it, it's more manageable.

Plus there is a lot of strip sewing and cutting involved in making them and it's good incentive to work on them through the week when they know they will be coming back the next week to work on putting it together. I hope by next Saturday they will be ready to begin sewing some pieces together.

Here is my design wall to show the process to the students as they made their first cubes.

Lots of pretty fabrics as always! We are using the book ABC 3D Tumbling Blocks and More! by Marci Baker. Her techniques make this interesting quilt very doable.

    

To make this block look 3D you have to have a combination of three fabrics that are light, medium and dark or it won't be effective. Sometimes that is the hardest part...coming up with a good combination of three fabrics. 

 Later in the day I taught a second quilt class, the Tumbling Block quilt. I have taught this one before, but it never ceases to fascinate me. You make this block using strip piecing methods as well, so there is lots of cutting, sewing strips and recutting. It's worth all the work when you have a finished quilt to admire!

 They are going to see how many sets of cubes they can get sewn and cut before next Saturday, and spend some time playing with them to get some ideas on how they would like to arrange them.

You need to choose sets of 3 fabrics for this quilt as well, in shades of light, medium and dark.

 I am so excited to see what both groups of ladies have ready by next week!

Bindings finished = quilts finished + retreat prep

 Binding day was successful! I got all 3 quilts bound. I still have to write the pattern for this one and the Cathedral Windows pillows. Then I might be ready to post some fall classes!

 You are probably getting tired of this quilt, but I really love it. I think Marci Baker is a genius for figuring out how to do this using strip piecing methods! Plus I'm really happy to have it finished.

I'm so glad to have this finished, since it's been aging as a top for several years.  I need to learn from this photo...note to self: get down even with the middle, so that the quilt bottom doesn't look smaller.

Today I want to do some quilting on the Twister quilt...and get things packed and ready to go on my retreat. I have some projects ready, but need to figure out a couple more, just in case. I would hate to run out of things to work on! We are leaving tomorrow.  We do all of our own cooking, each of us signing on to make a meal and bring snacks, so I have some enchiladas to make today as well.

Lots of people ask me about the retreats I go on. We came up with this one night during a quilt class...talking about how much fun it would be to go on a retreat and then planning it. We found a bed and breakfast, Harrisdale Homestead,  that we rent about an hour away, and there's plenty of room to set up to sew. We take over the place, cooking our own meals and sewing and chatting into the wee hours. We work on our own projects, though sometimes we plan ahead to make the same projects. It's just fun to get away from home and spend some quality quilting time with friends! 

Cubes quilted

 I finished quilting the Hollow Cubes, Too quilt yesterday. I was a bit worried about the quilting taking over the quilt, so I used a gold variegated thread. It blended nicely, I think, and it didn't ruin the 3D effect of the quilt pattern.

 I had some problems with thread breakage, I guess from having so many seams. Alot of the fabric is on the bias too, so I wondered if that would make a difference.  I did slow the machine down and that seemed to help.

I love the border fabric and used it on the back too. I am using one of the fabrics from the rust cube for the binding. It's ready to go. I am going to work on binding all three quilts I finished last week tomorrow.

I made the back and cut the binding for the Twister quilt I made last year...and haven't quilted yet. I hope to get it loaded today. I also need to start planning what I will take on my upcoming quilting retreat with friends. We all take our own projects and sew from morning to midnight. It's great fun and I can't wait! We leave Thursday.

It's ready to be quilted!

I got the final border on the Hollow Cubes, Too quilt yesterday and it's ready to be quilted. I am going to get the back and binding ready today, so it will be ready to go when I am!

Heading out to sew with friends...hope you are having a quilty day too!

Getting excited!

I sewed the rest of the rows together yesterday on the Hollow Cubes, Too quilt. I have added the background border...now just need to cut and sew on the final border, hopefully today. I am excited to get it finished!

Since it was a bit cooler this morning, I started loading the Potato Chip quilt on the quilting machine. I'm not sure if I will get anything quilted today, but it helps to have it loaded and the bobbins wound so that I can quilt when I get a chance.  I had to do a bit of straightening before I could load it. I tend to lay things on the quilt machine table when I am cleaning up fabric messes around the sewing area downstairs or have bought new fabric. I keep most of my fabrics in tubs under the quilting machine, so when I am cleaning up from one project I take those leftover fabrics upstairs and put them away. (Or lay them on the table to be put away later.)

Now that this quilt is almost finished, I need to decide what is next. I have a lot of ideas of things I want to make, so I guess it's time to start fine tuning one of them. I really enjoy having the summers off to work on these projects, but it seems like the summer is going by so quickly and there is so much more to do. I am trying to get quilts finished for my fall/winter class schedule this summer while I have the time. There is some painting I want to do too, but I'm waiting for it to cool off a bit for that. 


Speaking of lots to do, I guess it's time to get off this computer and get busy!

Are you sick of reading about Hollow Cubes?

 I worked on sewing the rows together on the Hollow Cubes, Too quilt yesterday. I am over half way now, 7 finished and 6 to go. Lots of fussy intersections to pin, and they are not all perfect by any means. It's just fun to make something that seems to jump off the wall. I toyed with the idea of putting something in the bottom of one of the cubes but I don't think I will. Might be a bit much. What do you think?

Not sure what I am going to work on today....might start cutting something new before I go back to the cubes.

Cubes....bit by bit...

I cut the fill-in fabric yesterday for the Hollow Cubes, Too quilt. I chose a deep reddish purple to go with the background I had chosen originally. I really like this floral fabric and bought enough for the back too when it went on sale. It's a very rich looking fabric and has a batik look to it as well.

 I love them together.

 I worked all day on getting the rest of the vertical rows sewn. I have 2 rows left, then I will be ready to start sewing them together. I still need to get the rest of the top and bottom filler pieces sewn to the rows I finished Tuesday too, but that won't take long.

It is supposed to be over 100 here today.  I have already watered everything so it can survive another hot day. I hear it's going to cool down a bit tomorrow, to 91. Yea, cool!

Family sewing time and other fun stuff

 I went to Earling to spend some quality sewing time with my sister while she is here from Canada. She started her first quilt last year and wanted to make some progress on it. It looks like she is burning the midnight oil...not quite, but she did get lots done. She is making 15 blue blocks and there will be 15 purple blocks. She had 10 blue blocks finished when I left yesterday, and the rest of the pieces ready and squared for the other 5, just  needs to put them together. I think it will be really pretty when she is finished!

 Mom enjoyed playing with her blocks. She isn't quite up to sewing yet, but she kept us company while we sewed and enjoyed some quilt magazines I brought with me.

Here are her blocks on my faux design wall at her house.

Sharon came and sewed yesterday afternoon. She made and attached bindings to 3 quilts. I forgot to take a picture while she was sewing, or holding a quilt, but here is her basket of goodies. 

A family friend, Jeanine, came a did some knitting and browsing through quilt magazines.

I finished sewing the flat trapezoids on the rest of the Hollow Cube, Too triangles, then started a new Potato Chip quilt. When I made this quilt originally, I made it for someone, so eventually gave it to them. I wanted a new one so I could teach the class again and have my own model. 

On my way to Earling on Wed. I stopped at Stitchin' Tree Quilts in Harlan. She is having some good sales in conjunction with the All Iowa Shop Hop, so I managed to find some goodies there. Then yesterday,  a local craft business was having a good sale, and I scooped up some gorgeous fabrics at a good price. That sale is going on in Earling the next few days, so if you are going to be in the area, email me and I can give you the info. They didn't have lots of fabrics, but what they had are gorgeous. She also has tshirts, purses, jeans, pillow forms, and lots of other goodies. I will take some pix of my fabric purchases later and post tomorrow.

Today I need to figure out which quilts I am taking for the Bluffs Arts Council Quilt show and get them ready to take. We are setting up tomorrow and the show is Sunday. Can't wait to see all the great quilts!

Family time & quilting time

 Yesterday was great, sewing with friends all day. I got the rest of my Hollow Cubes Too triangles cut out and want to finish sewing the other side pieces on today...then I will be ready to figure out the layout. I really like this quilt and will be excited to see it come to life!  

I am heading up to my hometown for some family sewing/chatting time today. I plan on stopping at the Harlan quilt store on my way. They are having a big sale for the Iowa shop hop, so I have to check it out.

My sister, Nancy,  wants to work on her quilt, so we will be having a mini sewing retreat the next 2 days. I am taking several projects to work on, but will probably spend most of my time working on a new Potato Chip quilt. I designed this quilt several years ago, and gave away the one I made. I want to make a new one so if I want to teach the class, I have my own model. (Plus it's just fun and easy to make!) I borrowed my mom's quilt the last time I taught it!

My two other sisters that live in Earling have to work today, but one is coming tomorrow to sew in the afternoon. She has some bindings to work on

More cubes and letter progress...

 I worked on another color of cubes over the weekend. Love these so far! It's funny, when you put them on the wall, they don't look 3D, but when you back away, there those cubes are!

 When I went in for my class last night, I got to see some progress on these quilts from a couple of the ladies who had been in the free pieced letters class.  Check out the little cupcakes she is appliquing on her quilt. Her border  has these cupcakes. She has also started a new project!

 This gal was deciding on an arrangement and planning how far apart her letters should be. I love how the letters don't all have to be the same size or shape!

Now, what letters should I make next?

Hollow Cubes and bindings

 I spent a lot of time sewing this weekend! I got all of the Hollow Cube strip sets that I had sewn cut into triangles. I have the additional strip sewn to 2 of the color sets. Here is a preview....I had to put some up on the wall to see how they were turning out! I love this 3D optical illusion!

 A lot of you know that I have a "few" quilts that need bindings. I sorted all of my tops last summer into "needs" categories. Some need bindings, some need to be quilted. I didn't post the full list, as it is l-o-n-g and I do have some pride! I sewed the binding on one of them yesterday, the Puzzle Quilt. I taught this class last year 3 times, so it hung for a long time on display quilted, but not bound. At least it was quilted, right? The scrappy binding was all made and ready to go. I have been trying to make the binding when I finish the top, so I am not looking all over for something that matches when I finally do get around to binding it.

I sewed binding on 2 other quilts Saturday, will take pix later and show you. These were not on "the list", but more recently made. I also took a trip to one of my favorite quilt shops yesterday. More on that later.

Conrad is almost as big as Smokey now. Here they are a few months ago. Look at that fluffy tail! It is so long. I have a feeling he will be bigger than her before he's finished growing!

Spring Break is shopping, sewing...what's next?

I am so enjoying my Spring Break! Monday, after a couple of appointments, I went fabric shopping with my sister-in-law. We checked out a new quilt store in Omaha...very nice! I was looking for a few more fabrics for the second quilt I want to make out of the book ABC 3-D Quilts and More. This one is called Hollow Cubes, Too. (If you follow the link, it is the 2nd quilt on the page under the pic of the book.) You need 4 combinations of light, medium and dark and I think I am going to stick with 4. I don't think I'm  going to use the greens in the quilt, but got them just in case one of the other combos didn't work! I had bought the center fabric just because I loved it, so am hoping it will work as a border. 

You might remember that last summer I sewed with some students/friends on Tuesdays. When I went back to work, they continued to sew together on Tuesdays, so I went up and joined in the fun yesterday. I cut out my strips for the Hollow Cubes, Too quilt and sewed them into stripsets.  I worked on a back for a quilt and them I worked on a UFO I'm helping my mom with. It was great fun to sew with them all again...7 more weeks and I will be able to join them every week! I met these ladies as they have been students in many of my classes, but they have become friends as well. You meet such nice people through quilting! 

Brenda was working on her T-shirt quilt, so I was able to get a pic! She has quite a collection of Mickey Mouse shirts, so some of the other ladies were drooling over them yesterday.

Dianne finished her Tumbling Blocks Quilt...isn't it gorgeous? It's fun to see the finished quilts from classes I have taught.

Tomorrow I am going to the International Quilt Study Center and Museum in Lincoln, Ne with friends. I am so excited about this! I have been planning on going here for several years, ever since they opened, and just have never made it. Pretty embarrassing since Lincoln is only about an hour from here. They rotate their stored quilts in and out of the exhibits and also have visiting exhibits as well.  I will take some pictures if it is allowed and share with you!


Today I am staying home all day! I am going to get a T-shirt quilt on the frame so I can start quilting it. It's nice and cool here, so a great day for that! I am also waiting for the repair guys to come and look at our dryer. It quit drying over the weekend, so I hope they can fix it.