Friday, August 29, 2014

I finished the baby quilt!

This morning I finished the baby quilt, "A Star is Born."  All I have to do now is to put the three layers together: the top, backing and batting and quilt it.





I must add that I received a new camera, a Canon Powershot G16 for my birthday.  Unfortunately, it is so "high tech" that I am having a hard time trying to use it.  I have been taking pictures the past 1 1/2 years with either the Canon Powershot G9 or G10.  It has been easy to move those photographs to the computer using a USB cable.  The new one is wireless.  This 58 year old brain can't stand reading the new manual which I just downloaded from the Canon website.  The manual is over 170 pages long!  Yuck!

At any rate, once I figure it out, my pictures are supposed to be even more clear and bright!  I don't know how long that will take..... 

Now I am on to the Hampton Ridge Quilt.  I can't wait to put that one together!

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Almost finished the baby quilt top....just need to add the border!

I posted yesterday that I will try to finish the baby quilt for friends of my daughter and her fiance.  Here is the photo of the almost completed quilt.  I just need to add a border...maybe a 3 inch border.



I think I will name the quilt, "A Star is Born."

Saturday, August 23, 2014

I'm making a baby quilt!

I have been making a baby quilt for my oldest daughter and her fiance's friends.  Here are some photos of the quilt top so far.



I am using the bicycle fabric as a border.

3/5 of the quilt is shown here.

I had better hurry!  Sarah and Tim have a new baby boy born last week!


After this is done, I will start working on Hampton Ridge.
This month is the sashing and corner stone but the quilt is on point!

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Moda Modern Building Blocks - Block of the Month: Fig Tree Style

I worked last week at my children's high school.  The school year is starting soon and I usually help in the Finance Office.  Fortunately, my children are older now, graduated from high school and I work (get paid) and do some volunteering there still.  I usually don't sew when I work there because I am exhausted when I come home.  That is why I have not posted anything to this blog.

Last Friday, I received my first BOM from Fig Tree.  It is a bit different from the original Moda Modern Building Blocks.  You can see the difference if you compare my photograph of the quilt I am making to the Moda website where they have the assembly and finishing instructions:
http://www.modafabrics.com/Modern-Building-Blocks-Assembly-PS9900.pdf.

Modern Build Blocks 2014 - Fig Tree Style

I followed the cutting instructions for the blocks but I had a bit of trouble sewing them together.  I will try another method to get the pieces to fit better next month or it may be my ironing.

Block #2 - 36" x 36"
Block #48 - 6" x 6"

Block #28 - 6" x 6"
Block #20 - 6" x 6"
Block #21 - 6" x 6"

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Daydreams BOM - Month 3 - Blocks 5 & 6

I picked up this month's BOM yesterday.  I love these blocks because they are large, 12.5 inches unfinished and 12 inches finished. Because they are large, they quickly come together.

I will have to think about this but there has to be a better way to put these blocks together with more accuracy.  I try and try to cut accurately but parts of my blocks do not come out straight. 

Block 5


 
Block 6



Vacation in Monterey

Earlier this week, my husband and I decided to take a short vacation to Monterey and Carmel to get away from the heat and also take some time away from his work. The weather was very pleasant, the high about 83 degrees and the lows about 54 degrees.  The weather here in Sacramento were about 98 degrees for the highs and the low was around 68 degrees.

We hiked around Point Lobos State Park.  We didn't see any otters but there were quite a few sea lions and cormorants.  The hikes were great and the ocean views were spectacular but there was a lot of poison oak along all of the trails.  Of course, this made me very nervous and I wanted to make sure that I would not fall anywhere near the itchy, itchy plants.

Every time we go to the Monterey area, I have to stop at the Back Porch Fabrics shop in Pacific Grove.  It has the largest collection of Kaffe Fassett fabrics that I have seen and quite a few books and notions.  It was grand going in and looking at all of the quilts hanging on the walls.

Back Porch Fabrics - - 157 Grand Ave # 101, Pacific Grove

I purchased three fabrics.  The yellow fabric is from Kaffe Fassett's collections.  The other two, I randomly selected because they matched my focal fabric.  

I am making pillows with my youngest daughter's sorority, Alpha Chi Omega.  I will make two, one for my daughter and the other for her "lil sister" this coming fall.