This was the sew in weekend with guild members and time for me to get started on the Quilt of Valor (QOV) quilt that I said I would make for a woman in Mississippi; she's a former military member who is now a teacher and the mother of a two year old girl.
Here's the quilt top completed ( ignore the lighter blue on the right - that's the backing for another quilt). Saturday, Linda G., who is our charity quilt fabric organizer and kit maker, found some patriotic fabrics that no one wanted to use - I thought it would work great for the backing for this quilt, with pieces left over. I don't have a pic of the fabrics, but will post once I get them pieced into a backing.
While Linda G. was organizing, I spotted some cute fabrics that just 'spoke' to me and said they would make a darling little girl's quilt so I grabbed them, too. Yesterday, I talked to Gloria to see if she thought it would be ok if I used these fabrics to make a quilt for the QOV recipient's daughter - we both thought it would be.
Once I got home last night and had decompressed some ( It's amazing how sitting for two days sewing can make you feel like a wet dishrag), I started making the little girl's quilt. I wanted something quick and easy so decided on doing 9 patches. I started cutting the fabrics and got one row plus one block done before time to watch Pitbulls and Parolees at 10 pm.
This morning, I cut more of the fabrics and got another row plus a couple more blocks done.
I was going to do five across and six or seven down, but now I think that would be bigger than I wanted ( and might have run short on fabrics), so now the plan is for four across and five ( or six) down. The small print frogs was to be the backing, but there's not enough ( just barely over a yard) so I think I'll use it for a narrow border and binding and I'll go over to Walmart to find some pink for the backing fabric.
When I let the vet in Mississippi know that her quilt is ready to ship so that I can get her address, I won't tell her about the extra quilt for her daughter - will leave that for a surprise... I love surprising.
Also while at the sew in, I taught Colette how to do the 5 minute block, but with 5" blocks instead of 10".
Then, on Saturday, a woman named Louise stopped in to talk to us about maybe joining the guild. She has taken a lesson from Carolyn at The Hen House and really wants to continue learning how to quilt. While we were talking, she noticed and mentioned the Five Minute Block that I had made to show Colette before teaching her how to do it. I told the woman if she had five minutes, I'd be glad to show her how to make it. As she sat down in my chair, we introduced ourselves - her name is Louise and she moved here from Las Vegas. The center of her block was a little sloppy, but really not that bad for a first timer - and, actually, it's a little harder to get the edges to lay the way you want them to when you're using 5" blocks instead of 10". Oh, and I didn't have her finish her center square like Colette and I did with ours. You can either leave it as it is, sew it down square or roll the edges and make a faux Cathedral Window.
Now Barb thinks I should keep little projects like it at my machine every sew in for just such occasions - and I just may do that. I have Suzanne McNeill's book of Five Minute Blocks and will look through them to see if there are other variations that I can teach, too.
Later today, hubby and I are meeting his son and daughter-in-law for a birthday dinner for hubby; the local grand kids might be joining us, too. Right now, I feel the need for a quick nap.
P.S.
Thursday night after the guild meeting, I started working on the embroidery for my "Snow Happens" table runner by Bird Brain designs - http://www.birdbraindesigns.net/. Since I hardly ever see the top of our dining room table due to hubby using it for his jigsaw puzzles, I'll put a sleeve on the back and make it a wall hanging. It will be awhile before it's done since I'm only going to be working on the embroidery part while I'm sitting and watching tv at night - the tv is almost always on and I'm listening, but not always sitting in the same room and actually watching.
Off for that quick nap...
TTYL
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