At the Lake....

Yesterday we drove up to the lake to check on things as the forcast was for sunshine & 50's. It was cool, quiet and breezy. I didn't even see a squirrel!
Looks like I found a project for this summer. This picnic table is old, doesn't get much use, and it sits under the pines. I painted it with quilt blocks a few years back(2nd time). Even though I coated it with marine varnish the paint peels off it.
In 2009, we replaced the top on the other table(which also used to peel) and I painted fish on it(3rd generation of fish). I coated it with outdoor varnish and it has held up well for these past two winters. I expect the fact that the boards were new and had no dirt on them when I painted is the key.

Another Patriotic Quilt - Exquisite Star

This is one of my favorite patterns to make. It is so simple and I love making these blocks when I just want to sew but don't have any plan. I call this mindless sewing.
I made the top at my Undercover Bee sew-in in August 2009, layered it last fall and quilted it on one of those cold January days. Our Bee usually dedicates our August meeting to making Veteran's Quilts. It is 45 x 63".
I will donate this to the Durham, NC Veteran's Hospital Hospice Unit in November.
I am donating it in honor of our friend, Holt Thornton, who served in the Army/Air Force during the Second World War. The plane he flew with was shot down twice. He is a proud veteran and a wonderful Christian man.

Plaid?

A day full of quilting! I sewed with some friends at a local quilt shop until 3PM, stopped at Joann's on the way home and then met with another quilt group in the evening for fun, food and show and tell.
I made several of these blocks today. I don't know the name of this block but it looks like a plaid to me. It is very easy to make using just 2" strips and 3 1/2" squares. I plan to make this a "Veteran quilt". 42 blocks should give me a 54 x 63" top.

Yellow/Green Pinwheels

I have seen several tutorials on the whirl-a-gig pattern. I made this one using the larger version which makes a 10" block. The 16 blocks were a little small for a baby quilt so I added the borders. Actually, it took me as long to make the borders as it did the blocks. The backing is a soft green paisley. It is 51" square. I made the top back in October and quilted it last week.

Dainty Little Crosses

This is a quilt I finished in September 2010. I found the pattern in a book I borrowed from our Guild library. I wish I had written down the name of the book and quilt designer so I could give proper credit. Something I shall endeavor to be better about. It is 42 x 48" and I really enjoyed making it. I seldom use solids. This quilt reminded me how much they can add to the looks of a quilt.

Indian Orange Peel Finished - - -

Yesterday I finished the quilting and sewed on a solid black binding to accent the blacks in the quilt. It is 63" square and I was pleasantly surprised (given all those curves and bias edges) that it was fairly square when I finished it. Now I just have to stitch down the binding and I will have something for show and tell at Cyberbee II meeting Thurs. evening. Actually I do have couple of other things as this group only meets face-to-face quarterly.

I Won....

these 9 blocks at our guild meeting Thursday evening. Each year in October we have the opportunity to purchase a kit for a Holiday block. In December, you bring back your finished block and enter in a drawing with the other makers of the same block. We had winter weather the night of our December Meeting and it was cancelled therefore they held the drawings this month. My friend Sharon also won a set. Since there are just nine (8" blocks) I think I will give her mine as well. They are lovely but I feel she will be more likely to use them.
I have a large drawer full of various sets of blocks that I have won or exchanged over the past 20 years. Once in awhile I get them out and use some of them but seems I would rather make more! Go figure!