We've got the Grand-kids this weekend, so I doubt it. I have been piecing a new project this week, though, a Five-Point Star design. Sorta looks like a commercial for Texaco! LOL!! I need to get some fusible web, though. I'm going to applique these blocks down on square ones. These blocks are 12 1/2 inches, five-point star inside of a circle. Then I will have alternate blank blocks in between, and I want to FMQ a wreath made up of linked stars in those.

Linda, how do you make a quilt granny square? I've crocheted a whole bunch, but never sewn any.

Rita, that sounds like a neat quilt. Can't wait to see it!

I'm planning to sew. Don't know of any plans DH may have. I have 2 wall hangings about 36" square each that I'd like to quilt and finish so I can give them to the UMW for the bazaar and have them out of my closet. :)

Donna

Hope to get the table cut down so I can start quilting the top I finished. It's a bit too hight now and makes my shoulders ache. Also hope I've got DH talked into a brief visit to the outdoor quilt show in Georgetown this weekend.
LindaB/CA

I suppose I'll get to some quilting. In fact, I birthed the crib quilt this morning and am about ready to head back up to the sewing room to double needle around the border and shall likely just tie it, instead of quilt it, since it's a blue and cream crzy quilt. Turned out nice, if not juvenile. I don't dislike juvie and baby themed quilts, but doing them in traditional designs instead makes them extend to toddler/childhood blankies or wall hangings in a more mature child's room. I worked on this concurrently with the blue/cream Carpenter Wheel/jewelbox quilt I'm making so I could use the scraps. It'll have to be shipped to Texas early next week. After that, I think I'll spend a day re-sorting the bins of material and getting the room in order before I start back in on my full-sized quilt and/or lotto blocks.

Pictures please. ;-)
LindaB/CA

Donna, here is a pic of the granny squares. There is a tutorial on line that shows how to strip piece the block. That is fine if you want several that are all the same. I am in an exchange of granny squares and it worked very well for that. I am also making some by just piecing squares to make the block. These squares all finish at 8.5 inches.
Calliope, I would love to see a pic of your baby quilt.
Linda OH

Here is a link that might be useful: Granny Square Tutorial

Ooh, Linda, I like those! They look like great scrap busters.

If I started cutting and sewing pieces for all these great scrap buster patterns I keep seeing I'd have a mountain of tops and no scraps left! LOL

Donna

I might get some sewing in on Sunday. DH just reminded me that we are going to a Lobster Boil/Pig Roast tomorrow night. I have to take a dessert or sidedish and have no idea what to make/buy.

No sewing, but spent Friday at the quilt show outside Philadelphia ,
And found some fabrics I've not seen anywhere in my area. Spent too much $, and may spend more today, Lancaster. Pa has dozens of quilt shops , so we hope to hit a few on the way home today... Oh no, I may find more remarkable fabric!! Burning up that plastic!
The quilts at this show are just too remarkable...I can't imagine ever doing work like I see at these shows... It boogles one mind!
V.

Linda, You are an enabler!! love the granny square pattern and her tutorial looks pretty easy. It does look like a great stash buster.

Last night I pulled out BOXES and BOXES of fabric to sort - ended up cutting some squares to take to retreat and still have boxes all over the sewing room.

We are riding bikes to a pre-opening of our new Discovery Center Museum this afternoon, then will spend some time tonight sorting fabric and trying to get projects organized for retreat.

A new member at church is organizing a new quilting group so need to get organized for our first meeting on Monday, as well. Sounds more like a working weekend than a fun sewing weekend!!!

Sue

I haven't touched the sewing machine yet this weekend but hope to get to it tomorrow.

For a week, DH and I have been shopping for a vehicle to replace his ancient car. We wanted a used SUV nice enough to use for daily commuting but big enough to tow a camper trailer - and we finally found one in great shape with reasonably low mileage and a reasonably low price. Good shopping + good negotiating = good deal. We're very happy but tired tonight. Car shopping is hard work!

LindaOH
Saw an antique version of the granny quilt today at the Georgetown (CA) quilt show. It had been saved by someone carefully stitching fraying parts together and it looked like the original had been carefully hand pieced. Amazing work so many women did for their friends and families with a whole lot fewer tools than we use.

I like the Granny Squares too!

I am playing with a scrappy Irish Chain.

A lobster/piggy roast sounds like fun too!!!

Linda I love the granny squares block! How big including seam allowance are the individual squares inside the block? I think I might like to make some of them. Very pretty.

Well Friday I got a couple hours of hand-quilting done on my Grandma's quilt. Have only got 3 rows left to hand-quilt and am excited about that. Really hoping to have it completed by Christmas! :-) Spent most of Friday preparing for my son's birthday party that we had all day Saturday, so I am a little tired today, but hoping this afternoon to get more hand-quilting done on Grandma's quilt.

Best to you,
Sandra

I'm having a blast making granny squares. I made 14 at the workshop yesterday and 8 so far today. I'm still working on them. At this point, I have cut out a total of 40 and think I may cut at least 2 more. They go together very quickly.

Sandra, the squares are cut at 2 1/2 inches and finish at 2. I did two colors, green and orange, using the strip method but the rest I have cut squares. I didn't want to make so many all the same which happens with the strip method.

The workshop was so much fun! Everyone used different colors and it was interesting to see the results. Some of the fabrics used were Halloween fabric, brights with a black background, blue and yellow baby prints, fall prints, and bright modern fabrics. One lady cut her squares at 2" instead of the 2 1/2" the rest of us used. The blocks finished much smaller. She is using them in a baby quilt.
We had a wonderful lunch. We do a planned carry in dinner when we have workshops. The food is always delicious!
I'm now going back to my granny squares!
Linda OH

I decided to tackle the Dec. block. Man, is it hard to wrap my head around backward placing of pieces. I have done one segment and that paper will come off very easily because each seam has been sewn, ripped and resewn.
Will try the next groups after supper.
Theresa

Yea! Today I finished the little gifts I'm bringing to Retreat. Not fancy, but they ended up taking a bit longer than I expected when I started this project. Most of my projects are like that so I suspect I start all of them with a little too much optimism.
Kate

Optimism is a good thing. I'm hoping all of you post lots of pictures of the retreat.

Linda, your workshop sounds like fun! It would be neat to do it then swap blocks with the others so you get a big variety.

Donna

Well, I was quilting, then swearing, then ripping. When I first heard that the September block was difficult I couldn't see why. Everything went fine until I had to press as I joined the parts. Now I remember why I always give up and follow a pattern. This one just said press to the dark side! Well, I sure feel like I've gone over to the dark side ;-) but pressing to the dark side didn't work for joining everything.

If anyone has a magic formula I'll think about making a second one. I already cut the squares and made the strip sets.

Quiltnhen~try pressing your seams open, nice and flat. Press-not-iron. That should help. And pin your intersections, placing the pin on the approach side of the intersection.

I tried to layout (again) a very colorful, scrappy batik charm quilt. I can't seem to find a layout I love. My dog loves the latest one, as the squares went flying as I chased her around the bed - ugh! Starting over......

Quiltnhen, I was ripping all last evening, too. I quilted a wall hanging on Sat. and the border ended up very wavy and pucker-y. I thought I could unstitch the worst side, but decided it all needed to come out. I recently played with my machine tension so this border has a leaf design of teeny tight stitches! It's only 30" square, but after about 3 hours of ripping I decided to leave the 4th side for another time. >sighDonna

Thank you so much Linda!!! I printed a copy of the photo of your granny square blocks and information about the size. I look forward to making them. :-) Thanks bunches!!! Well off to dry some more zinnia seeds. I collected seed heads a week ago and am separating out the seeds. It's pouring rain here right now. Hope everyone has a good week!

Best to you and many thanks,
Sandra

msmeow, thanks for the tip. I'll try that. It's turning the units to match the colors that changes the pressing needs. I know there's probably a way to figure it out, I just get frustrated.

msmeow, I didn't read the next post before posted mine. My condolences! Sewing is so relaxing until it isn't. The ripping I had to do was because I attached a strip upside down, which messed up the pattern.

Boy, brain on hold today. The tip was from magotheriver, thank you! One of those toss and turn until the wee hours nights.