Sunday, April 25, 2010

DDPF pictures



Quilt Show 2010

My shopping at the quilt show was purposeful, for the most part.  Nearly every vendor had batiks and there were many with 19th-century reproductions.  I didn't buy any of either. 
Here's what I got:
(1)  Novelty FQs, mostly sports, for a commissioned quilt
(2)  Miscellaneous FQs and long q's (9 x 40) from a booth where they were "buy 12 @ $1.25, get one free"
(3)  A splurge:  Terrie Hancock Mangat brights -- 2 FQ packs
(4)  Red and brown shweshwe from South Africa -- these FQs are keeping company with the reds and browns I bought from the same vendor last year :)

Friday, April 23, 2010

DeepDishPieFest

A week later -- still basking in the glow of a wonderful reunion!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

It's National Library Week

Pyke Johnson, Jr., wrote this poem, which was published in Connecticut Libraries in the 1970's or early '80's.
[For National Library Week]
Take a Librarian to lunch.
You know that she deserves it.
Ascertain her favorite food,
And find a place that serves it.
Seek out, too, an ambience
That you are sure will suit her.
Some place that bans all little kids
And where there’s no computer.
Serve her with her favorite drink:
Champagne? Or something diet?
And make it clear that, at this meal,
There are no rules on quiet.
Ask her to tell you of her job:
Which books are circulating?
Which patron said what funny thing?
You’ll find it fascinating.
But do leave promptly when you’ve shared
Good talk and drink and food.
Librarians must be back when due
And may not be renewed.
N.B. Nothing her should be construed as precluding the taking of a male Librarian to lunch.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Challenge quilt finished, and other progress

The challenge quilt is finished!  The label has a scanned photo and a lot of text.  It turned out perfectly on the first try.   I can't post pictures until after the challenge revealing at the guild's May 5 meeting.

I flung a box of fabric to Cricket (one of the HeartStringers) -- 44 yards!  I also dropped a box off at Salvation Army -- 36 yards!  And while I was at SA I did not buy anything, not even a necktie.

Back to housecleaning.  The Magpies are coming next weekend!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Paths and Stiles

The guild challenge quilt is nearly finished!  It is quilted and bound. I am embellishing it now.  Next is the label, which will be special.  Stay tuned!

Meanwhile, during the four-day weekend, I pieced this "Paths and Stiles" variation. (I say 'variation' because other blocks with this name have HSTs in the corners.)  The fabrics are homespun plaids and plain muslin.  The setting is from "Forty Fabulous Quick-Cut Quilts" by Evelyn Sloppy.  I made 9" blocks for my version, which is about 73 x 82.  I have the backing pieced and the batting cut, ready to baste and quilt.  I'm pretty sure this will be donated to a local school fundraiser.

Friday, April 2, 2010

Fabric bargain!


In 2007 Julie and I bought a tremendous quantity of fabric left by a local quilter who passed away in 2003. The widower remarried and they needed to clean out the sewing room/studio.  I got 1700 yards out of that deal, and Julie got a comparable amount.
Last week Mrs. H. called to say that there were still some boxes of fabric and some rubber stamps that she was never going to get around to using, and would I be interested? I asked my coworker Tara if she'd like some rubber stamps, cheap. Yes, indeed! So at 1 p.m. today we met at the H's house.

Pricing was up to us. Tara got 40 or so stamps for $30. I took all the fabric that appeared to be cotton, several packaged batts, a big Olfa cutting board. Left the DMC floss (I have boxes of DMC already), left the serger thread, left the box of lace and prepackaged Wright's bias binding. I wrote a check for $150. When I got home I used the bathroom scale to weigh the fabric: 93 lbs. At 4 yds to the pound, that's 372 yards. I've been sorting (and I'm not finished yet)-- several sets of blocks from long-ago guild swaps, some FQ bundles still packaged, a roll of fusible web, some fabric that turned out to be polyester (I did a burn test), some fabric that exceeds my quotient of 'cute' -- but there is a LOT that will be right at home in my stash.