Bluebird is ready to fly...or at least to quilt!

 I sewed the borders on Bluebird last night and love how it looks with the quilt. I used the same fabric as I had used on the triangles that straighten it up top and bottom. As you can see, it's Conrad approved.

 Smokey is still deciding.

I love this teal batik and pieced a back out of it for the quilt. I can't wait to get it quilted. 

I will get some cat less pictures later. He really didn't want to get off!

Pets on Quilts Show

If you haven't visited Lily Pad Quilting yet for her Pets on Quilts Show...you need to check it out now! Lots of fun posts about pets on quilts and you can vote for your favorite one. Here is the link for the virtual show and you can vote here by leaving your vote for your favorites in four categories in the comments. Her directions are very clear on how to do this. You can win prizes just for visiting and voting on your favorites, even if you didn't enter the show.

I had to enter Smokey and Conrad as we all know they love quilting and like to make each of my quilts their own. My post is here and if you want to vote for them, you just comment --Cat on Quilt-#55 here in the comments. Have fun visiting the show!

Do you wait by the mailbox?

I was so excited last week to find out that I was the winner in Terri at QuiltNCards giveaway! She said she was giving away some fat quarters of batiks but I was really surprised when I received them to see how many there were! Fourteen fat quarters and some chocolate too!  Aren't they gorgeous? There is even one that looks like giraffe skin? I am working on a new version of Which Way is Up? out of batiks, so I will be cutting some of them up very soon. My assistant checked it out the minute I laid it all out to get a picture. She loves fabric and quilting!

Thanks Terri for the luscious fabrics and chocolate!

Hide and Seek anyone?

I found Smokey in the middle of the quilt sandwich while it was ON the quilting machine.

Do you have helpers like this? 

Conrad ...always helping

These are my cats on quilts.....Head back to Pets on Quilts....

More progress, but not much!

I did a little more quilting last night, but it's slow going. I just can't quilt as much at night. I think Smokey has the right idea!

I am getting excited to go to the AQS show in Des Moines on Saturday with friends. They announced the winners of the contests yesterday on their site.  I can't wait to see them in person.  I am also excited to see my quilt, Starflower Cascade,  hanging in the show as well. It didn't win any awards, but it will still be fun to see it there! If you happen to go, look for it!

Where's Smokey?

 I've spent a good share of the past few days sewing or working on something class related. I pinned 2 sections of this quilt together and then got up to get something. I sat back down and grabbed my pinned rows and realized there was a lump in my fabric...a very large lump. Hmmmm, who could that be?

Smokey loves to sit on the "arm" of my sewing table, plus she has always loved to be under blankets. So I guess it was the perfect spot for a Saturday afternoon nap.

I've also been watching Ugly Betty on Netflix while I sew. My daughters always raved about this show, but I had never watched it. I'm am quickly becoming a fan! It's a quirky, but fun show that grows on me the more I watch it.

Happy Sunday!

Hmmm, did I make this for you?

 I came home from class last night and found Smokey looking very comfy on this quilt. I finished the quilting and got it bound yesterday.  It's not very big, about 40" x 48", so it didn't take long. I folded it up and set it on my machine before I left.....and you can figure out the rest.

I made this Corner the Stringpiecing Market quilt a few years ago as a model for a class I taught. I have the very same size and type made using fabric strips/strings. I don't always have time to quilt models before hanging them on display for class, and once the class is over, I move on to more pressing things, so they never got quilted. 

Since it was made with selvages, I sewed the borders together with selvages showing as well. I have one more quilt that I want to quilt before the quilt show to use at my table for the demonstration, just to show different types of string piecing. 

 They always look so much prettier when they are quilted, don't they?

I'm doing a little shop hopping tomorrow with friends. I will try to remember to take some pictures to share!

Aren't we comfy?

I cut the borders for the new sampler last night. It has two final borders, but one of them is only on the top and bottom. I got that one sewn on and half of the last border. It shouldn't take me too long to finish it tomorrow night. I need to figure out what to name it too!

I also ran the copies for the sampler class that begins Wed. night. I have a Sampler Pick, with several people doing different samplers in the same class, so had to run several different sets of patterns.

I also watched The Following...that show gets creepier every week.

Still no fix for my no-reply comment problem.

Snugly Sunday

I couldn't resist taking these pictures Sunday!

It's hard to get a good picture of Conrad since he is so black. It's been about a year since I got him.

 I don't see this very often, usually when he flops down beside her, it's wrestling time!

More quilting, wouldn't you think I'd get caught up?

 I spent some time quilting the Twister quilt on Wednesday. I decided to change the panto to Feather Me, another of my favorites. I thought the big loopy feathers would compliment the angles of the twister pinwheels.

 I have to be really careful with this panto, because sometimes you can sort of start to zone out and forget which way around the circle in the center you are going. oops! That would never happen to me, right?

 The back of this quilt isn't as colorful as the front, but I am using a variegated bright thread, so some of that will show. You can see the back rolling over the bar that I have already quilted. I have a gold-ish with green flecks batik that looks really nice with it and the front to use for the binding.

 Smokey likes to hang out with me while I quilt. She is sitting under the table...she sleeps through the noise of the machine. Not sure how. I can't let Conrad in while I quilt, he doesn't realize it's not safe to prance around on the table while I am using the machine.

Sewing and shopping

My assistant and I were working on the Cathedral Window blocks yesterday when friend called and asked if I wanted to go to Seams to Be Quilt Shoppe in Plattsmouth. I haven't been there in ages, so I jumped at the chance. I am replenishing my stash of batiks because I have very little left in usable pieces, and they have a wonderful stock of batiks.

The one under the rest goes from light green to dark green all in one piece...so I had to have that one. And the rest...I just liked.

I plan on finishing the cathedral windows project today if all goes well. What are you working on?

Almost finished!

 I worked on mom's star blocks again yesterday, and only have 4 left to finish. It won't take long, as the last seams are pinned and ready to go.  You might remember that I had enough middles for 20 blocks, but when I started putting them together, I only had enough flying geese for 13. There were enough rectangles and squares cut for 3 more blocks, so I found another red in my stash and made 3 more sets of flying geese out of it. That's all I can make with what I have.

When we originally cut it, we were using a fat quarter pack of fabrics so we cut what we could get from the fabrics we had.  They are 8" blocks, so she can get a nice throw out of them. These fabrics were  from a Lewis and Clark collection. I made my Lone Star quilt out of the same fabrics.

I worked in the garden and flower beds for awhile yesterday, too. I had a rose bush that got hit by weed killer last year, and was going rogue! So I trimmed it back all the way and hopefully it will come back ok.

Smokey must've worked hard too!

Stuff that's up

I have been working on a new quilt design for the past week or so. I am not ready to show and tell, but it is coming along nicely at this point. It takes time and lots of tweaking. I work on it for awhile and then have to stop and let it rest so I won't keep doing the same thing over and over. I think it is almost ready now. Then I will need fabric, as I know that I don't have enough for this one. Shopping, oh yea!

I have also been working on a block design for a contest. You will hear more about that later...

Finally, I am working on a little something for my daughter's birthday, but I can't tell you what it is or show it to you. She sometimes reads my blog, so I don't want her to find out.

Today at 4:00 p.m. my spring break from school begins....even though I have a long to-do list, I plan to do a few fun things as well. Maybe even a little chillin' with Smokey & Conrad!

Short work week, Tumblers and kitties...

 I have been wanting to make a Tumbler block quilt for a long time.  I used a lot of my left over pieces from other projects. I cut strips, then cut out the tumblers. This one is a perfect size for a baby gift.  It was fun and easy...might have to make the next baby quilt this way.

We have a short work week this week...three days of school (yea! casual day today!), a professional day tomorrow, then no work Friday. I love long weekends! It is the end of our second trimester. One more to go...

Conrad and Smokey were laying in the same chair the other day and he just rolled over to snuggle next to her! It was so cute. She didn't know what to think, since when he gets that close he usually wants to wrestle! She sort of growled quietly for awhile, then she accepted the fact that he just wanted to snuggle. He really is a sweet kitty!

Our baby is growing!

I can't believe how much Conrad has grown the last few months. I wish I would've taken a pic like this when I first got him, though Smokey probably wouldn't have eaten that close to him in the beginning. Now they spend a part of each day wrestling....with her growling and him leaping. It is pretty funny to watch, though sometimes she seems pretty serious about teaching him a lesson. He has so much energy and many times can't sit still. But he also likes to cuddle, and is very lovable. He is eyeing Smokey right now...she is sleeping peacefully. I had better grab him before he decides to pounce!

Progress on Tumbling Blocks

 I sewed on 3 different projects on Sunday and the Tumbling Blocks was one of them. I debated sewing together more row pairs, but ended up sewing together the 4 pairs from the day before. If I needed inspiration to keep going, this was it.

I sometimes use my wallhanging in the kitchen as a design wall when sewing rows. I made more of the blue blocks since I know I want a whole row of them. Then I have to get the rest figured out. Back to the design wall!

You really wanted to see another kitty picture, right? I need to take one of Conrad moving around...he has gotten so big!

Back in the swing of things...

 I have been doing a lot of fun things during my winter break from school....quilt shop hopping, family get-togethers, teaching class, sewing with friends and planning our next quilt retreat.  I have also been working on getting the Tumbling Blocks quilt cut out. I am using the book ABC 3-D Tumbling Blocks and More by Marci Baker. I have wanted to make this quilt for a long time. She has figured out a way to make tumbling blocks without set in seams. Her pattern calls for 7 ( I used 9) combinations of light, medium and dark fabrics, which you strip piece,  then cut them (which seemed to take a long time, though I didn't do it all at once) into 1/2 hexagons. I am really excited to start sewing this one together, hopefully tomorrow (I am sewing with friends).

It will probably take awhile to figure out the layout. I didn't think I wanted rows, so I was just going to do a random type placement, but I have been playing with them as I cut them and I think I will do something similiar to this. I need to get them on a design wall....and play! 

 Conrad is growing like crazy...he is getting big and loves to instigate wrestling matches with Smokey....he is a bit naughty!

A box in a sunny window is just the perfect place to curl up and nap, isn't it?

I also worked on my letter sign, but haven't taken the pictures of it. I got the letters all finished, now to get it together. I will take some pix and post later about it....there is a pretty good chance you will figure out what it says now.

I am off until Thursday...