The mister jumped on the No Shave November bandwagon...and he's still there. He now has a nice beard, which is fifty shades of gray. The mister was admiring his new face in the mirror, and maybe it was the red sweater he was wearing or the bad lighting...but he smiled, patted his stomach and let loose with a, "Ho-Ho-Ho!" For one second there was a twinkle in his eye...and then Bad Santa appeared...the mister may look like Santa and he may sound like Santa but I know Santa, and he ain't him! I am posting this as a Public Service Warning...if you are in my neck of the woods and you see a man who looks like Santa, approach with caution because if it's the mister, you'll be sorry!
Let's talk quilts...our group met the Friday before Thanksgiving and it had only been a short three weeks since we had met so I didn't expect to see too many quilts - but I was happy to be wrong! We started off with blocks for Stephanie. She asked us to make her the blocks pictured above, except about half of them were sewn wrong. Stephanie gave us the instructions, told us what to cut and then sew...but if you look closely you'll see the center strips in some of the blocks are wider than others. Here's why this happened: Usually when quilt instructions are given, the cutting is done at one time, and then the instructions for sewing are given. Stephanie gave us cutting instructions, so we cut. Then, because we assumed we were done cutting, we sewed...but after sewing the center strip Stephanie told us to cut them to size and several of us missed that step...we like to pretend we know what we're doing so we looked at the picture and sewed it up. So a simple block turned into a bit of a nightmare for Stephanie! I'm sure Stephanie will get them all sorted out...and it will be a wonderful quilt. I'm going to wait and tell you the story behind this quilt when it is finished...but I'll give you a hint, it's for a Gold Star Mother.
Last month Lori and Helen took a class from Freddy Moran, (you can read my posts about Freddy Moran and see some of her quilts by clicking here and here.) Lori brought in the quilt she made at that class. Lori pieced the black and white background and then cut out the flowers and glued them to the backing. Once the glue is dry it is not gummy and will not cause any problems with sewing machine needles...and this quilt top will be machine quilted, which is why I mentioned the glue! The flowers are raw edge, but this quilt won't be washed or used - it will probably be hung on a wall or maybe even framed! I really like how this turned out - love the colors and how bright and happy it is - just like Freddy's quilts!
Isn't this a cute quilt? I wish I could tell you who's quilt it was...but I don't remember! However, I'm sure someone will let me know??? Someone? Anyone? Buehler?
This is Helen's quilt - I would recognize her handi-work anywhere! She "found" these blocks in her workroom...only Helen has blocks like this just lying around! This is a bit of a Christmas Kitchen Sink quilt - all kinds of fabrics and blocks - and it is fabulous! Helen said this was therapy for her, making this quilt, so I hope Helen stay in therapy because what she creates while there is just toooooo fun!
Helen brought in this project she is working on - making Hexie's without sewing...well, sort of. Starting with a circle, the fabric is folded around and around and it's finger-pressed...the only kind of pressing I like. Then a few stitches are taken in the center so the Hexie wiill hold it's shape or a button could be sewn on. Helen hasn't decided how she's going to use her Hexie's yet but I LOVE this idea and I just might be working on my own Hexie project!
This is Neva's quilt. It's the perfect lap size made with some very fun fabrics - don't you just love that stripe? Nicely done Neva!
This quilt had us all a little speechless. Janet made it from her husband's shirts - just look at all of those little pieces in the sashing! It's so beautifully pieced! Janet worked on this quilt for a very long time, it was her therapy quilt and I know this quilt holds a lot of memories for Janet - and a lot of love.
This is a close-up of one of the corner's - every stitch was made with love. It's beautiful Janet!!
Stephanie made this quilt top and if I remember correctly, it started with the block in the center which Helen gave her. It is draped over a coffee table so you can't really see how big it is or the edges - I love orange and green together - one of my favorites!
I'm so sorry about this picture - it just doesn't do the quilt justice. This is a whole-cloth quilt made with The Ghastlies Christmas fabric. Kareena made this quilt and IT IS HUGE!!! I think it's queen-size but it could be king-size - it is huge-er than huge! Terry quilted it and it's a shame you can't see the quilting because Terry outlined EVERY PERSON and EVERY TREE and EVERY LITTLE THING!!! It is heavily quilted and it's going to be so fun on someone's bed this Christmas!!
Well that's it...it was a great show, no? Our show was followed by a fabulous lunch made by Janet who hosted us...it was a very rainy cold day (as always!) but it was so fun to be with such good women in Janet's beautiful home...I live for days like that! November proved to be one of the busiest months for me this year...two birthdays, a trip to Utah, wedding flowers and dress alterations, pies with kids-kids-kids, Thanksgiving and putting up Christmas decorations and blowing fuses with Christmas lights...glad November is over so I can now concentrate on the calm month of December!
