Pointless Quilter

Finished 5/25/14 (still unnamed) I started Scrap-Therapy years ago and have boxes and boxes of 5" cut squares.  I have done most of the Scrap-Therapy quilts and needed more ideas of what to do with all my pre-cut scraps.  So in comes the book Nickel Quilts by Pat Speth and Charlene Thode, and then More Nickel Quilts, and then More Nickel Quilts & Borders and Amazing Nickel Quilts.  You get the picture - all kinds of quilts to make using 5" squares.  I fell in love with this pattern (called Tillies Treasure from the 1st book) when I saw a friend making this for her brother.  So I gathered over 600 squares (the inside blocks needs 2 light and 2 dark squares.  My finished quilt measures about 100" square and I LOVE IT and yes, I quilted it all by myself using my new Bernina 750QE.  I had very few problems once I figured out the right needle and tension. Glad this one is done.  I started it a few months ago when I was at a retreat. ...

What a fantastic 5 day workshop with Cindy Needham.  I've taken her one day linen workshop at Road 2 California many years ago and then I was in her design workshop last September and last week, 2 friends and I headed up north to Rancho Cordova for her 5 days linen workshop.  She is such a great teacher - generous, organized, and you are given so much information, with wonderful handouts and she has samples galore for you to pet and touch. This workshop was so much fun with so many interesting people from all over.  We had a lady from Puerto Rico, Seattle, Massachusettes, Arizona and from all points of California.  Here's a sample of some of these lovely ladies pieces. And some of the other projects they worked on. And I got a lot done too.  The first thing I finished was this little wall hanging my sister Beverly pieced using 3 little cross stitch pieces my mother made.  I knew Cindy would have the perfect stencil.  And then she g...

And I'm pretty early this month.  Let's start this month with my Fall BOM. And Pat Sloan's Globetrotting BOM block. And get this people - I have finished all 111 Farmer's Wife blocks.  Here is the last batch. I've even put the first 3 rows together with aqua sashing to see how it looks.  I think I'll like it.  But I'm not going to work on it yet.  I have a few quilt tops that need to get done in addition a little trip.  I am leaving with 2 friends tomorrow for Cindy Needham's Linen Workshop.  So I'll have a few tops to quilt for that too.  But tonight I did finish this.  I am showing you the last block of the 2013 Fat Quarter Shop's Mystery Block of the Month.   I am also sharing a picture of the top.  It is all together but I don't like to show quilts until they are all done but I couldn't stand not sharing. Loving my new Bernina 750.  Still haven't embroidered on it yet.  Don't know when I'll get around to...

The Heart of the Valley (Central Valley, CA) shop hop was this weekend.  My two friends, Janice and Elaine, and I hit all 10 shops in 1.5 days.  We left at about 1:30 on Saturday and headed south to Bakersfield and then up to Porterville.  (4 shops in all on Friday). Here we are at Strawberry Patches.  Their theme was camp out.  With smore fixin's, hot dogs and the the campsite.  (Even with chirping birds and noises.)   I heard on Saturday they even had camp signing around the campfire (fake). On Saturday we left early to get to the Turlock store Cloth & Quilts at 9:00 am .  They had a baby shower theme.  From there we went to Bear Paws in Oakhurst, which was a beautiful drive in the mountains.  Then we headed to Fresno for Cottage Quilts and then to Clovis (Quilter's Paradise) who still had the rodeo theme going, then to the Mennonite Center in Reedly and then on home to Thimble Towne who had a Kentucky Derby theme--with horse ...

Goodbye 640! You have been good to me for 8 years and I will miss you. But I have fallen in love with another. She's a beaut. Big and bright and called a sewing computer. I can't wait to get to know her better. Spent a lovely day in Los Osos with my material girls. There was only 6 of us but still had fun with good food and fellowship. We all brought some hand work to do and caught up on all our lives. These ladies are the cream of the crop. We missed all of those who couldn't make it. Thanks for looking.   Posted with Blogsy

I used to cross stitch a lot.  That was before I started quilting.  So this project started about the time I started quilting.  I wish I would have recorded the start date of this.  I know that I used to work on it only on Tuesday nights when the Material Girls would meet at Pam's.  After we stopped meeting on Tuesdays, I took it to work and swore I'd work on it on my lunch hours.  And I did. After consulting with a friend, I decided to use the left over linen fabric it was counted cross stitched on to pipe/bind.  It's not very big but makes a perfect little fall pillow.  (If I want, I can take the pillow form out and use as a wall hanging too. So after doing a lot of spring cleaning yesterday, I was able to sit and sew and got caught up on all my BOM's.  I finished the Farmer's Wife blocks last week some time and the rest I cut the pieces on Friday night so I was able to just sit and sew. First - the Fat Quarter Shops BOM - this is blo...

Two weekends ago the local quilt show called Best of the Valley was open and this year I entered three quilts. I was lucky enough to get a ribbon on each quilt. A first place for my fish quilt, a third place for my butterfly quilt and an honorable mention on my linen quilt. I didn't take pictures of all the other wonderful quilts but my friend Debbie posted a bunch on her blog which is listed on by 'blogs I read list'. Her blog is called Quilt Crazy Debbie. Other than that I have just been working on a Nickel Quilt book pattern called Tillie's Treasure. I have two more borders to go before I can pin and quilt it. I also have ordered myself a new Bernina sewing machine. I decided get the 750 QEE. I will hopefully get it in the next few weeks. My new little girl dog Needles is adjusting well. Still hasn't warmed up to Jeff but loves me dearly. She still has a potty problem that we are working on with praise and treats if she goes outside. When I'm home she li...

Here are my Block of the Month Blocks. First up is my Farmer's Wife blocks 82-90. Blocks 82-90 Not too many holes to fill.  Only 2 more months.  Here are my Fall BOM Blocks. And then my Fat Quarter Shop BOM. And last but not least, my Pat Sloan Globetrotter block. And in a few days, Aprils will be due! Thanks for looking.

Tonight we showed our round 1 quilts from our design board exchange challenge.  We each created a design board of things we like, things that inspire us. Then we will exchange them every two months and we are to find something on each board and create a quilt within the size of 16  x 20 or 18 x 24 (roughly).  Then we bring them back and then we discuss techniques and critique in a positive manner.  Offer suggestions.  That kind of thing.  Some of it is hard for me to do.  I have a hard time with abstract. For my board, I took a lot of things that I found on Pinterest.    Here's my board. Karen Taber got my board and this is her piece.  She used the colorful doxie picture and the lizard (under the words in the middle). Barbara Sawyers Board. Which Sara got and she is working on an iteration of quilts (series) but it's a new word we learned tonight so thought I should use it in the blog post  ;)  So here are 3 of Sa...