Quilting oops

I finally got around to resuming the mystery quilt, Carolina Crossroads, that I started last year. I have all the sub-units done, so now I'm just putting it together. I ran into a hitch with the 16 setting triangles. They're supposed to look like this:

15 of mine looked like this:

and one of them looks like this:

In my defense, the directions I was following did have a picture with the incorrect assembly. There was also a picture of the RIGHT way, but I managed to follow the wrong one. Sigh.

Meanwhile, Kidd the terrier continues to make himself right at home.

And Callie has colonized the plastic box I keep by my sewing machine for scraps.

Seeing spots

Look! Shiny pictures!

Here's a shirt I've been working on. (I haven't bought buttons yet). The pattern is made with Bernina's MyLabel software. It looks like a couple of my measurements are a bit off, because it bunches up at the back of my head. However, the bust and sleeves fit really well. Here's why:

It's 3-D. It allows for my mighty blessedness. Yay! I'll try for a modeling picture after I get buttons. Also, I'm supposed to put some ruffles on this, since nominally it's a sample for a demo I'm doing next month at the Quilting Loft. Hmm. Maybe around the collar and cuffs? I don't know if I can face ruffles running down my chest or around my butt.

Meanwhile, I'm slowly inching along on the Carolina Crossroads quilt. Here are a couple of my stars for Part 6. I've been insanely working a ton lately, plus I've turned my attention back to garment sewing, so this has been languishing. I've got to get back to it while I still know where everything is.


Awww.
It's a notable anniversary for Trent and I. Today is the 10th anniversary of our first date.

A plea for a good cause


Bernie is currently in 2nd place, and stands a really good chance of winning the big prize and building a shelter. However, some of the other groups (all worthy causes, I know) are picking up steam. The contest runs through Jan. 31. It's the number of donors that counts. If you can spare $10, please please donate to Bernie's cause to help animals who otherwise wouldn't have a prayer. I'm lucky (and my sweet Chloe and Stella are, too) to live in a part of the country rich in well-funded animal rescue groups. Bernie's not, and the animals in her neck of the woods really need her.

And finally, leave a comment
My pal and reader Linda K informs me that she's been unable to leave comments. If you can leave a comment, please do so. If you can't, shoot me an email at mkmorrow (at symbol) yahoo dot com.

What I did during the holidays

December was something of a blur. It was the end of an academic term (the last one during which I will be teaching college full time). We celebrated my birthday and our 8th wedding anniversary. My mother had to be hospitalized with major intestinal issues, so I got to do a lot of worrying long distance. She was released a few days before Christmas, so she was home, but still flattened, when we got to my hometown of Springfield, Missouri on Christmas day.

My parents have retired to the house where I grew up. It was a little freaky being back there, but it was also kind of nice. Trent liked Springfield, despite the sad unavailability of our preferred veggie sausages (Gardenburger breakfast sausage). They've built a delightful greenway (the Galloway Creek Greenway) that begins a couple of blocks from my parent's house, just across the street from my elementary and junior high school.

I was seriously worried about mom while she was hospitalized, and so I decided to make her a quilt for Christmas. It started out as a table runner, but I decided the blocks were too boring for that, and it would make a cool quilt. The block is a puss in the corner variation, and the finished quilt is a nice couch-nap size at about 68 x 78". Here it is pre-quilting, with cat assistance:

And here it is in its new home (corner turned down on purpose so you can see the backing):

I guess Mom really likes it, since she promptly asked me to make her another quilt.

Once I got home Missouri, I resumed construction of the Carolina Crossroads mystery quilt. Here are steps 4 and 5, completed:

Bonnie says we're going to start putting blocks together this week - I can't wait!

On the subject of quilts, here's one more note about Springfield: the FM store is like fabric heaven. Most quilting cotton is 3.99/yard. They had home dec weight silk, 54" wide, for $7.99/yard. I had to be forcibly pried out of there, and I found a way to go back the next day. My parents are shipping me a box full of fabric. I'll post new stash pictures once it arrives.

Trent and I also took a day trip to Branson, just so he could appreciate its tacky grandeur. Because he is a wonderful, wonderful husband, he actually pulled over when I spotted a quilt store. But he couldn't resist expressing his disapproval (he's been taking lessons from the disapproving rabbits):


I just couldn't resist.

Mystery Quilt part 2

Mystery Quilt
I've finished step 2 of Bonnie's mystery. Here are my 103 little 9 patches (we need 100, so I have a few spares).

I found these stupidly fun to make, and stayed up WAY too late Saturday night finishing them. I'm afraid that this quilt is going to lead to yet another quilt in the same colors, because I've still got a pile of 1.5" strips that I cut, and more pieces of the fabric I cut them from. If only one of my friends would have a baby girl so I could make more pink things...

Other quiltiness
I'm making a blankie for Ryan's Baby Harris project. Originally, I was going to just sew right sides together, turn, and top stitch. But then, of course, I decided it was a delightful opportunity to practice my free motion quilting skillz (that's skillz with a z, y'all, 'cause I'm so hip). The quilting is now done, so I just have to bind it. The flowered part is a nice Anna Griffin cotton print, and the solid yellow is flannel. If you click to embigify the yellow picture, you can sort of see the quilting.

It's about 42" square (well, it's close enough to square that I don't think the baby will mind). I've got a cute coordinating stripe to bind it with. I thought about tackling that tonight, but the quilting was not so kind to my poor shoulder, and I should probably get to bed.

Knitting
I'm sloooooowly binding off the eye searing pink shawl. It's got a crocheted edging - you single crochet into a live stitch, chain 4, sc into next st, chain 8, repeat until your eyes cross from staring into the bright pink shawl. Someday I'll finish. Then I'll have to find somewhere to block it.

Carolina Crossroads mystery quilt

My life is so empty, boring, and full of free time that I decided to add another project. (That's sarcasm, y'all, in case that wasn't clear.) I'm a fan of Bonnie Hunter's fabulous website and blog. She started a quilt project and was persuaded to turn it into a mystery quilt sew-along, now called Carolina Crossroads (because she's in the middle of moving from SC to NC). The Yahoo group for the project ballooned up to 700+ members in 4 days - that's a lot of quilters. Holy cow.

Bonnie's all about using stash and scraps. The mystery quilt needs a light, a dark, and an accent. I'm using pink, black, and red, mostly from my stash, although I will admit that I bought a few more pinks to round out my collection.

Step 1 was to make 100 3.5" rail fence blocks, using dark/accent/dark. Here are mine, stacked into groups of 10 for ease of counting. As you can see, I'm using an extremely liberal definition of black and red.

Step 2 requires making 100 "accent in one corner" blocks, again 3.5". I'm up to 31 finished so far. They're a little fiddlier than the rail fences to get together.

I've been suffering from a lot of "help" in this process.

I really need to be working on some Christmas present projects, but I just can't seem to rip myself away from the mystery quilt.