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Saturday, January 27, 2018

String Me Up!

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An upcoming publication interview arrived in my inbox yesterday.

It posed different questions on various aspects of my life, but of course got down to such things as

“Hi Bonnie, how are you? What’s on your sewing table at the minute?”

I am mighty fine, thank you very much – and  then my mind went to:

“Which sewing table?!?!?"  “Does this mean cutting table?”  “Or which machine table?!”  Oh, just take a stab at it.

And then it got to the part where they want a hi-res head shot for the issue and I thought….oh boy.  I haven’t had a “GOOD” one done in a while.  And the big regular camera is up at the cabin with the big long distance zoom lens on it for viewing wildlife. 

At any rate, Quilt-Cam is happening this afternoon (2pm Eastern!  You made note of this, right?!) and if I spruce myself up perhaps I can get one of the men folk to take  a photo in my “natural habitat" ?

I am, for the very first time in a long long while, finding myself enamored with 7 projects all at once, and I am rather in a tithering dither. Or would that be a dithering tither??
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The “Irish Courthouse” blocks that I’ve shown before are coming along!

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The red/neutral travel project is also moving along!

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My Checkerboard Rails Leader & Ender project is growing!

Pattern from the free patterns tab at the top of the blog.

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And there is THIS THING!

“Breakfast at Tiffany’s” on the computer at the front of the room. 

My friend Tonya Ricucci has often reminded me that I take the “Trash Can Approach” to quilting, and it’s true!  I LOVE taking bits and bobs of pieces deemed unusable by others and finding a place for them to shine.  I often think that the “real stash” is feeling neglected because I’m happier to play in the junk than “the good stuff.”  In my book it’s ALL good stuff!

I want to do something quirky and unexpected.  I want things to lead off to nowhere, unresolved.  Kind of like the pathways and corridors of the Winchester Mystery House, a favorite “haunt” in San Jose, California where I grew up.  (I loved that place.  I always wanted to live there!)  There is a new movie coming out about the house, starring Helen Mirren.  I’ll be first in line to see it!

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Yep.  Crazy, unresolved, and I like it! 

I’m shooting for “Full Size”

So much fun from the dregs of the stash!

I love that the center looks like dancing legs.  It makes me want to call this one “Kick Up Your Heels.”

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New “Cabin” Hand Quilting Project.
Yes, more fans.

I had always planned on quilting this with fans.  In fact, I see fans on everything – especially the antique quilts I love.  This one will have something else quilted into the border, but fans will fill the center.  It’s such an easy arc to quilt without having to turn and turn and turn the hoop. 

At one time I was thinking of cross-hatching the neutral and outlining the shapes just inside the patch, but no ---I’ve never been a fan of cross-hatching, it looks much like a mattress pad to me – this is more fun.

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Jason’s Hexie Quilt – Evening quilting when at “HOME”.

Now THIS kind of outlining means loads of turning and turning and turning the hoop.  But I love how this is coming along.  There will be stitching happening on this tonight!

And – oh NO! I just remembered #7!!

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Jeff’s Hexie – borders still in progress.

Is that enough to keep a girl busily happy?  I think so!

As for that diamond-hexie thing that is a continuation of the Rishi quilt we did on my China Trip?  That's supposed to take the place of Jeff's Hexies once it is finished.

But please, for heaven’s sake – don’t let me start anything ELSE!!

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Yesterday’s #quiltvilleoftheday
Pinwheel Fancy from the Addicted to Scraps book!

I love piecing that is a bit deceptive to the eye. While it looks like this quilt is pieced in columns, it is actually assembled on point and the columns happen automatically!

I used my Essential Triangle Tool for all 3 sizes of half square triangles used in this quilt – the whole quilt came from 2’’, 3 1/2’’ and 6 1/2’’ strips.  BINGO!

And, don’t forget that you’ll get a free pdf digital pattern for the Wanderlust Table Runner with your purchase exclusively from my website – not available anywhere else.

Other things for today:

You are NOT going to forget Quilt-Cam at 2pm Eastern, right? It all happens on Facebook Live on my Quiltville Facebook Page.  If you miss it, or don’t do Facebook, I’ll have it embedded in tomorrow’s blog post as I fly off to Florida bright and early!

Tonight I’ll be drawing for the winner of our January Quilty Box Gift-Away!  I am hoping that EVERYONE has already entered ON THAT POST.  It’s not too late.  You’ve got until about 7pm Eastern time to get that done.

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Quiltville Quote of the Day -

Vintage Sisters Choice quilt sent in by Kevin H.

Imagine how much better the world would be if when speaking of others we focus on assets instead of shortcomings?

Let's build each other up instead of tearing each other down. Can you imagine?

I’ll see you oat 2pm Eastern for Quilt-Cam!  Have a great Saturday, everyone!




25 comments:

  1. 7 projects! I have been feeling guilty that I have 4 in various degrees of getting done. At least that is how many I have out of the closet right now.I have got one ready to be quilted this month. Thanks for all the encouragement and tips you so freely give us.
    Have a safe trip to Florida.
    Jayne in Utah

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  2. I'm the queen of UFO's or WIP's if you prefer!!! LOL!! You inspire me to finish them and yes I will be ready for Quiltcam today at my machine. Rock On Bonnie!!!

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  3. Seven, lol. Rookie. Just kidding!!! My line is - I am a beginning quilter - I love to BEGIN new projects! (I am also pretty good at finishing, but oh look - there is a shiny, new project over there! When the movie 'Up' came out I recognized myself in the dog - SQUIRREL!) But I have finished piecing 3 (ORL, Moth in the Window and a log cabin) since January 1 and I have quilted 2 others and working on a 3rd this week. Thank you so much for all the great patterns and ideas. Uh oh - SQUIRREL!

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  4. And then, of course, there is your busy bag hand piecing travel project!

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  5. I probably have that many projects going, and am thinking I need to come up with more scrap projects to use up more scraps! I haven't heard the phrase "in a tithering dither." Can you tell me more about it and what it means?

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  6. Bonnie, I hope your response to their question about what is on your sewing table is exactly what you told us.......which sewing table?.....do you include cutting table ....and then proceed to tell about all the different projects you currently have in various states of progress..at home, at cabin, by hand at end of day, prepped for working on in hotel room with borrowed machine, hand work for plane travel, etc..I don’t think other people in the industry realize just how entrenched in quilting and design and teaching and creating you are. It’s what you do professionally and in any spare personal moments that you can! It’s not just a job for you. Your followers (groupies, lol) know how much you love it, but I think for a lot of the people in the quilting industry, it’s what they do for a living on a 5day/9-5 scale. You are in a whole mother league.

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  7. That was “whole ‘nother league”.

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  8. Yippee! See you at 2... I'm bringing On Ringo Lake parts!

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  9. Bonnie, you know we love to hear the ways that we all are alike, unfinished projects, easily distracted by the next exciting project and all. I saw several fabrics in your newest string project that I also have in my stash, and I know others recognize some fabrics as well. It's kind of our own version of the song "Somewhere Out There" from "An American Tale." Instead of "we might be wishing on the same bright star" we are joined by stitching up the same great fabrics. Okay, that's my morning musing for today. LOL!

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  10. Great projects. Who's counting would be my answer. In January There are MANY New Starts online. I get distracted easy by all the Pretties!! Trying not to start something new is hard!

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  11. Thank you Bonnie so much for your encouraging words! I am loving that checkerboard block!

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  12. I’m trying to pack for a trip the end of Feb. Trying to figure out what to bring. En P. And On Ringo Lake are coming for sure. I am HOPING I can finish my tumblers before then, and want to bring just a mindless piecing project. I have a HST project working it’s way trough my brain too, so...so many...I will be gone for 1-1/2 months, visiting Gkids and SIL, so need a lot to do!

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  13. Love the way my eye dances around on your string project!

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  14. Love that you were watching Breakfast At Tiffany’s. My mother named me after that movie but she threw a kink in my name and dropped the y and added two e’s.....And I’m super EXCITED to watch the Winchester movie. I LOVE those kinds of movies and often have to BRIBE a family member to go with me because they are all chickens when it comes to creepy, scary movies. And you are creating a monster...I pot out an SOS on my Facebook page last night asking for phone books so I can start some string piecing. You absolutely INSPIRE me in MANY MANY ways.....

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  15. Oh, Bonnie. My bestest quilty friend and I say that we have 'ADOS' which stands
    for "Attention Deficit......OH....SHINY". LOL
    Thank you for ending each post with a positive thought. It indeed makes a difference.

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  16. Plan on hearing you speak on February 1st in Ocala, FL, can’t wait!!! I have about that many quilts going at the same time that I don’t know where to start first😜

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  17. Hi Bonnie, Sharon Pond here. I just noticed the Irish Chain block on your post and I was wondering where the pattern for that one is. I don't remember seeing that block before. Is it in one of your books or in Quiltmaker magazine? I really like the pattern and thought I might like to try it.

    Thank you in advance
    Sharon

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  18. Love, love, LOVE how your Checkerboard Rails are coming along!!! Best of luck on all of those projects. I find that I have trouble focusing when I attempt that many projects at once. For you, it appears that bits at a time really works toward a finish!

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  19. So many UFO's. I came up with 10 for our guild challenge without even trying! I did finish 2 from last year's list; one about to go in the mail, and the second I'm waiting to show at a meeting before I gift it. I had to take a lot of stuff out of my sewing room this month, as my husband was painting all the window frames (our whole downstairs, not just my room) after we had new windows put in. I want to take time in putting stuff back and weed some out, but I NEED to sew! I do handwork with a group one morning, so that helps, but I think I need to take one UFO and work on it while I weed stuff. You know, half hour sewing, half hour sorting stuff.

    We have divested ourselves of cable TV and are now just streaming, so I'm always looking for movies/TV I've missed to watch while I stitch.

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  20. I loved seeing your Irish Courthouse blocks as you started making them in one of your earlier posts before I had even heard a name for the block! It inspired me to get out my strips and make my own. I just finished my quilt top and added a scrappy border.
    Hope you like it! Here's a link to my photo.
    https://pin.it/75bst4llhobzw5

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  21. I love all of your projects..I am working on a string quilt as well, but not that alone..I have way too many going at once. I wonder how you or theirs decide on what project to work on each time you sew? I have no method to my madness. So sorry that I missed the web cam today. Have a great weekend.
    cheers,
    maggie

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  22. On you cabin hand quilting project, did you fix the hst boarders you felt were all flipped when you first found it again?

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  23. Bonnie, I think your quote at the end of the quilt block ought to be place on a quilt block also. Reading in part: "When speaking of others we focus on their assets instead of shortcomings". Love the quilt block quotes. Have a blessed day.

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  24. Oh, Bonnie, I admire you so. So many projects and all beautifully executed. Is there ever a free moment? You are the energizer bunny in disguise! Safe trip and I know you will have fun!

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  25. Oh Bonnie you sound like me! I think that I’ve got 4 in different stages! Something has to finish up! I’ve got more ideas and projects in my head!LOL But I love working with all the colors and different designs. It’s total bliss.

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