I said, "Boom chicka pop!"

Not much is going on in my corner of the world at the moment.  The sky is dull, grey, forbidding, and brings with it a chilly wind and nasty drizzly rain.  It would be easy to sleep the day away.

However, sitting in front of me, nestled safely between my arms as I type is a over sized coffee cup laden with snacking goodness.  Crisp golden kernels of pop corn with just the right touch of sweet and salty.  Hmmmm.  I have to say DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT.  You read this right.  Do not buy it...else I will not have enough of it for ME!!

 

 

Delicious I tell you...and it comes in an amazing evaporating bag.  Product seems to fly out of it way faster than you could possibly be eating it.  Maybe my cats have discovered it.

 

On other fronts....

 

I finished my FLiRTS gift.

 



 

I went back and reexamined my partner's mosaic and decided that the more subtle border was called for. 

 

This puppy is in the mail headed for it's new home.  It should be there by the end of the week.



I received a package from my DQS13 partner...
 

One mailing cube of happiness!

I love the potential that is in a sealed box.  Until it is opened it could be anything.

 

 

This is what I found when I opened it.

 



 

Oh yeah!  SCORE!! 

 

 I love this little quilt.  It was made for me by Phuong, aka Dorrylu.  She didn't know it when she made it, but it looks like the aspen trees I remember from my college days.  She took me back 30 years.  THANK YOU Phuong!!  I love it.

 

 

 

for now....

 



DSQ13 HELP PLEASE

I love this little quilt...or at least the idea of it. I am pleased with the way the piecing came out.

 

What I am not pleased with is the wonk.  You can see it in this picture.  The bottom edge is lined up with the bottom line of my cutting mat.  Look how far the top edge shifts to the left!

 

I haven't tried to block it yet.  I'm not sure how to do it...but am pretty sure that doing it before quilting it is a good idea.

 

 

As to quilting it....I have two thoughts. 

 

My first is to hand quilt it with pearl cotton .... echoing the bright bits in the text.  I hesitate because there are a lot of seams to go through and I am not sure how my skill measures up to the task. 

 

My second thought is to put it on my long arm and quilt this pattern on it.

 

 

 

The pattern is called Ribbon Dance by Vicki Malaski.  I would quilt it out as one large pattern centered on the quilt....the wonk wouldn't be a problem here as the computer can adjust the shape for me.

 

What do you think?

 

How would you go about blocking it?

 

Should I start over for my swap partner and turn this beauty into a pillow?



DQS13 Top Done

Just finished the top....and I have to say I am a little disappointed.  It isn't quite square...that is to say it wonks to one side.  I'm wondering if I could block it to fix the problem.  Have any of you ever done that?

How do you think it should be quilted?

Doll Quilt Swap #13

Many of you know that I participate in the occasional on-line swap.  At the moment I am firmly committed to three...that is to say I have a partner and some sort of plan, even if it is just a due date.

This past weekend I worked on a mini for my Doll Quilt Swap partner.  I started with her list of likes and dislikes...  I'd quote her, but I wouldn't want the secret to be blown...let's just say she likes words, and saturated color.

Then I found a block that intrigued me on Pinterest.  (Anyone else addicted to this treasure trove of inspiration?)

Source: dreamcastlequilts.com via Andrea on Pinterest

And I started playing with it.

Next I had to see if I could actually make the block....
 

What do you know...it worked!

And choose a final layout.....
 

And a final color pallet....

 

Cut all of the pieces....

 

I finished piecing the smaller units on Sunday.

 

And am now nearly done piecing the center.

 

 

 

I'm actually a bit further than this.  I have only one long center row to finish.  However, I've run out of steam for the day.  (and I still have an hour or so of quiet before the boys get home from school.)

 

It suddenly dawned on me that I need to come up with a plan to quilt this puppy.  Any suggestions?

Medicine for the Soul

Sometimes I wonder what the heck is wrong with me.

I live in a beautiful city, in a lovely home, and have plenty of everything that I could possibly hope for;  I have three wonderful sons, a loving husband, and enough family close by that they actually make me nervous when we are all together (there are around 20 of us);  I belong to a BIG GOD who takes great pains to care for me....even when I don't care for Him; and still there is a bitter little grouch living inside me that is just itching to get out and bitch at someone, anyone.  What in the world could I have to bitch about?

I need to get a life.

In keeping with that theme...get a life....I will now divert this tirade to some pretty pictures.




Nice, isn't it.



I can feel my soul healing....ahhhh



These are some of the photos that I chose from Flickr to represent myself to my partner in the next DQS swap. 



That must be the grumpy troll inside of me....




This is what my God has to say to him......



Hello Nosey Parker...I love your pink nose.



The sign ups are now closed for the swap...and the mamas are busy behind the scenes sorting out the bebes.

(wouldn't the colors in that picture look amazing in a quilt?)





Bring on the sun.....that grump is beginning to smile.




Much better.

DQS 13 is Up and Running



 

This is the last quilt I made for the famed Doll Quilt Swap (DQS)  on Flickr. 

 

 

and this is the one I received!

 

Isn't it amazing!!

 

DQS #13 is now accepting applications for participation.

 

 

The swap activities will run from now until February 2013,

 

 

Culminating with the mailing and receiving of minis in mid-February.

 

 

You don't have to have swapped before to join the fun...but you do need a presence on Flickr.  That is, you need an active photo stream with pictures of quilty stuff.

 

 

Really, it is a ton of fun!!

 

 

Won't you join us!!