144 James River Blues Blocks

144 blocks done!

I tell you, doing scrappy from the blue Civil War pieces and scraps is not for the faint of heart! 

But they're done.  All 144 of them.  Or 145.  I get a different number every time I count, so I quit counting!

I'm calling this done for now.  I made a decision to package this up to take with me when I go home this summer.  I don't have a design wall here, but I have empty floor space there where I can lay them out.  It will be the perfect project. 

But just in case I've counted wrong - again - I'll package up enough blue scraps and shirtings to make a block or two if/when I come up short.

Whodathunk counting to 144 would be so hard!



P.S.  My Yahoo email is all messed up.  I reply and I don't know whether they're going or not.  I'll be getting a new email shortly.  I apologize if you haven't heard from me.  Please know that I read and appreciate every single comment!

Next Project

I was going to list out a bunch of quilts I want to make in 2014, but I'm so wishy-washy sometimes on what I feel like doing.  So I'll pick as I go.  I decided once I've finished up James River Blues, that I've earned the right to start a new quilt!  "Earned"?  LOL.  Okay, I've made a deal with myself.  Finish up an old UFO and you can start a new quilt!

After much going back and forth, I decided to do "Hurrah" by Minick & Simpson!

When I first saw the pattern unveiled at Market, I knew I wanted to make it!

I have a stash chock full of Minick & Simpson fabric.  I'm so funny sometimes - I don't want to use a particular fabric because then I won't have it any more.  Does anyone else do that?  But no more!!

So 2014 will be a stash year.  I think M&S is a great way to start! 

I Survived Road 2014

I pooped out and came home about 1:30.

That list I made served me well.  Primitive Gatherings and Jaybird Quilts were on the same aisle within a few booths of each other.  Bernina -- yes, I went there -- was just over on the next row.  I bought bobbins!  Seriously!  That's all I bought there.  Anyway, I was done with my list in 15 minutes.  That must be a record for Road!  The pictures are lousy, but here they are.

At Primitive Gatherings I picked up some dark and light blue charms.  That's it!  Do I get kudos for that?!

At Jaybird Quilts, after hugging on Julie and Mary Ann (and Lawrence), I snagged the Mini Hex N More ruler, three mini patterns, Radio Way, Disco and Northern Lights, and a charm back of Kona solids to make the Mini Disco.  I didn't have the Sidekick ruler, so got that, as well as Julie's new block of the month design book, Park Bench.  More than was on my list, but that's the way it goes!  I met Julie when she first started blogging, and have so enjoyed watching her career blossom.  She's such an adorable young lady, and I'm proud to call her my friend!

The last thing I decided to get after pondering it for a while was an Oliso iron.  I know several folks who have one and they love it.  I will probably take it to Louisiana with me when I go next time and leave it there.  The little $10 iron I bought at Walmart over Christmas didn't get very hot, but I was able to iron enough with it to get my money's worth.   

I did some shopping for a friend at Superior Thread.  She sent me a list and I was totally lost looking for that thread.  A nice lady who works there saw my look of bewilderment, took the list and found everything for me in three seconds flat!

I picked up two patterns, one for me and one for a friend.  That concluded my shopping!

There are some awfully beautiful quilts hanging in the show.  The best of show was -- well, it WAS the best of show.  I won't post a picture here because I don't think I'm supposed to, but it was a stunning applique quilt by Sharon Schamber.  The Road site, I'm sure, will post the winners after the show.  www.road2ca.com   There were a lot of gorgeous traditional quilts.  There was one basket quilt in particular that had baskets quilted in the solid blocks between the pieced baskets.  It was stunning and I think it won a ribbon as well.

I'm going to go back tomorrow for a little while.  I want to look again at the new and larger Sew Ezi table.  That might make it more comfortable sewing in Louisiana than up on that fold-out table.  They will ship it there for me if I decide to get it.  Need to think about that overnight.  Also Bernina has an awesome sewing chair.  I'll look at it again tomorrow and decide if the show price is special enough to get it now or wait until later.

I am so happy right now.  I haven't been to anything quilty since last January.  It was a much needed break in the monotony of my quiet little world.  And I'm heading into the sewing room right now to work on those 44 remaining James River Blues blocks.

Oh oh oh oh, I forgot something.  (Quit laughing!)  In the entryway to the convention center, there are quilts hanging from the various vendors.  The last one caught my eye.

It was the same block as in James River Blues.  It's a common block but I don't remember the name of it right now.  Anyway, the blocks were much smaller and the setting was stunning.  As you can see, part of the blocks were black and it really made a wonderful setting.

Okay, now I'm done!

Wordless Wednesday

James River Blues Blocks

I've sewn for two days - and I've loved every single second of it!

When taking inventory of the tub with the blocks, I was disappointed to find that I only had 30 done.  I was sure there were many more than that.  I did find lots of parts and pieces, and scraps cut to the correct size.  I had done so much cutting up front.  That's probably why I was sure I was further along.  But it was very easy to pick up again.

So now I have 100 blocks done!  Just need 44 more!

I made this project so much harder than it had to be by using the scraps.  I had bits of fat quarters and small odd shaped pieces from which I was able to cut at least one square.  There are a wide variety of fabrics, from Judie Rothermel dating back to the late 1990s up to more current reproduction fabrics from the last couple of years.  Nothing was strip pieced.  Those squares were sewn together one at a time!  Tedious, sure, but so enjoyable! 

I'm just about out of scraps now.  Before I go cutting into yardage, I want to look around at the quilt show next weekend and see if I can't find some small cuts of blues and shirtings that might work for fillers.  Variety will be key here. 

This was a fun weekend.  I definitely need to do this more often!!

Lost and Found

I couldn't find my leader scrap anywhere, so I started a new one.

Then I found it.

I am dazzled by my brilliance!

The Weekend - Finally

This has been an extraordinarily long week.  Several reasons for that, but nothing interesting enough to talk about here.  Just suffice it to say I'm real glad it's Saturday.

I was supposed to get fasting blood work this morning - a self-imposed date - but I'll do it tomorrow.  I was up half the night and now the coffee pot beckons.  Plus, Penny is in there chowing down on her food and it just made me jealous.  I know, I know, I shouldn't be jealous of a dog but I am.  I mean, she does nothing all day except sleep, look cute, and then eats whenever she pleases.  I heart my dog.

This weekend will be spent plowing through the house.  I'm in the mood to pitch and toss and box and generally start the process of getting rid of stuff.  Maybe January spring cleaning?

My plowing will include rounding up five Short List projects, rounding up a few tops to send out to be quilted, and then pulling in maybe three UFOs to work on.  I'm afraid if I pull more than three, I'll get overwhelmed again.  I've suffered from overwhelmitis a lot in the past five years.

The first project I'm going to work on - starting today, even if it's just for a few minutes - is James River Blues.  Why? 

Because there are three tubs assigned to this project.  Yes, three.  The nuclear physicist or brain surgeon that I am, I thought I'd do scrappy totally from my stash instead of just choosing 12 blues and 12 backgrounds.  Literally scrappy.  I dug around in the scrap bin one day unearthing every Civil War blue or blue shirting scrap I had.  Couldn't be black; had to be blue.  Then I spent another three days doing the same in the stash.  I'm committed now because I don't think I can switch to a limited number of fabrics at this point.  I don't know how many blocks are made but I suspect there are quite a few - probably more than half of the required 144.  In any event, it's mindless sewing, more or less, and that's just what the doctor ordered up for today.

I think the reason I put this aside is -- well, there are several reasons, most of which I probably can't remember now, but work was a big part of it. We sold the company a year after my boss' death, and that is probably the biggest project I've ever undertaken or will ever undertake.  Getting Penny was another big part.  She'll be five years old next month.  Do the math.  Here, I'll make it easy.  I started this on 2/22/09.  The few hours of down time I had for that first couple of years were spent with her.  She was my sanity at the end of a long day.  I missed my Daisy so much and, I'll admit, the bonding took a while with Penny, but we bonded and we're happy and I love her so much.  Time to get back to the project that she interrupted.

Wow, going back through the blog turned up quite a few quilts that need to be finished.  Best not look any more right now.  I'll get overwhelmed again!  I'll be at the Bernina if you need me!