First finishes of 2011

I've just returned from the packaging-mailing store where I sent off matching quilts for two brothers, grandsons of a dear friend and former colleague.  The quilts were easy and fun to make.  I hit a sale at Joann's a while back and picked up half-yards of juvenile prints.  I don't usually buy fabric at Joann's, but I think these fabrics are perfect for kids' quilts: fish, frogs, cars, dinosaurs, bears, how could you miss?
As you can see in the pictures, I just cut them into strips and sewed them together randomly.

I added each boy's name to the top using a blanket stitch.

The backs are pieced with some fabric from the front and a letters and numbers fabric I bought a few years ago at a quilt store in Vermont.      

                                                                                      
The bindings are the red star fabric I used for the boys' names.

 I'm afraid my photography leaves (quite a) bit to be desired, but you get the idea. I hope John and Mason enjoy their quilts!

I have been a follower of lots of quilty blogs for a few years now, and I have always been interested in the way bloggers connect with each other through swaps and challenges and quilt-alongs.  It is amazing how many of those activities are going on in the quilty blogosphere, and I have often wondered where all these quilters find the time to participate and to do their own projects too.  (As for housework and childcare and meal prep, somehow that seems to get done as well; and many of these quilters also have jobs.  It makes me tired just to think about it.)
 
There's no child care necessary in our household (our only child is an adult not living at home) and I retired from my day job, so I am going to tackle my time management issues and join a quilt-along!  Natalia, she of Piece N Quilt, is having a Star Quilt Block of the Month Quilt Along.
 One block a month.....yeah, I can do that!  So I grabbed the button (look right) and now I'm off to my sewing room to search through my stash and make the first block. If all goes well, I'll be able to show you my first block very soon.

A veddy British week.....

When I thought about what I have been doing for the last week, I realized that my life has had a particularly British flavor of late.  Last Wednesday we saw "The King's Speech;"  on Thursday my book group had a lively discussion of George Eliot's Middlemarch; and today I spent the two hours at my Monday Quilting/Knitting group doing some English Paper Piecing.

I never thought I would like English Paper Piecing, but I have seen posts from lots of bloggers who have made beautiful quilts or placemats or potholders using this method.  So I found a really good tutorial at Sunshine's Creations, and now I'm hooked!

Here's the link so you can get hooked, too!
http://sunshinescreations.vintagethreads.com/2007/03/tutorial-on-english-paper-piecing.html

I have no idea what will come from all this, but I am enjoying the process.
Also, this  is the perfect take-along project while driving (don't be alarmed....Dave drives; I piece!) so I keep a sandwich bag ready with some fabric pieces and sewing supplies, and I'm good to go.
  I'm sure I will be doing more sewing in the next couple of days because here in the Northeast we are expecting yet another snow storm tomorrow and Wednesday!

Giving Back

This past Friday was the annual Service Day for my Quilt Guild.  All year long, members make quilt tops of all sizes and bring them to the service table at our regular meetings.  The Service committee (two other women and I) collect them and save them until January's meeting.  Our meeting room becomes a beehive of activity with women matching backings to the quilt tops, women adding batting to the quilts, women pinning all three layers together, women sewing and turning the quilts, and women tying the quilts. Since we always have an afternoon meeting and an evening meeting, the room is buzzing with the sounds of talking and laughing and sewing machines most of the day.  I brought home a trunk full of completed quilts to be taken to one of the organizations we support. Incomplete quilts went home with members who will finish them and bring them to future meetings.   Here's a picture of the finished quilts.

A New Year.....A New Project

I have spent lots of time (LOTS) reading blogs by quilters, cooks and bakers, and I have often thought, "I should try blogging, too."  I've asked myself questions like, "Whatever will I write about?"  "Who would be interested in what I have to say?"  "Would I be able to find something to say week after week, and even (gasp!) year after year?"
Well, I've decided that those questions are unanswerable, at least by me at this time, so I am going to jump right in and give this whole blog thing a whirl.  The start of a new year seems to be a good time to start a new project like this, so here I am!
I retired last June after a long career in education, most recently, as a high school librarian.  I loved my job, and I loved my colleagues, and I loved my students, but it was time to move on.  So now I have lots more time to sew and quilt and read and bake and cook and travel, and have lunch with friends, and go on outings with my book group, and spend time with my husband (who also retired in June,) and visit my sister and BIL who live six hours away.  I guess that answers the question, "What will I write about?" doesn't it?