First of many

Lately I have been so concentrated on trying to bust out these smaller items that it has actually been ages since I have completed a quilt. When I moved into the studio space, it gave me an opportunity to reorganize, and pull focus to some of my UFOs, including finished quilt tops that have been hanging around for years waiting to be quilted. Some of them are so simple, and ones that I hope to be able to show at craft fairs, or at least to be samples of patterns/formulas that I work with.

Yesterday I basted my first quilt in many months.

An alternate color way to another that I have up on my etsy page

Today, another will get basted. The backing and batting are already spread out on the floor just a-waitin' for me to return...

Pot holder and place mats

There is nothing like having a specific goal (read "deadline") to compel me to get s*** done.

I quilted and bound that pot holder for our PMQG / KCMQG swap...

(like those little martini glasses??)

And really, the theme of the week has been binding. I have 3 sets of place mats on which I have sewn bindings, one of which is the long-overdue commission, the other two are new additions to hopefully have a decent inventory when Saskia and I have our tables at a holiday bazaar next month. (more info to come soon...)

My thimble finger is about to get quite the workout!

a little log cabin love

One of the very many talented fellow Portland Modern Quilt Guild members is Susan Beal, author of the inspiring new book, Modern Log Cabin Quilting. A couple of months ago she was getting ready to head to Kansas City, and would be attending the KCMQG meeting while there. Susan approached our guild about doing a log cabin pot holder swap with the other guild over the next couple of months, and from what I gather got an enthusiastic response.

For reasons I am really not sure of, my focus has been anywhere but on getting things done in the sewing studio for the last month. However, I am making a concerted effort to change that, and part of the effort is attacking specific commitments, including this pot holder. So, yesterday, once I finished my Seams Perfect blocks, it was log cabin time! I only did two blocks, one for this swap and one for my little shadow box outside my studio door (all of the studios have one!), but it was fun for me, and reminded me of what I enjoy in patchwork. I think I had gotten off track for a while, honestly.

So, now I have a fun block to be quilted with some Insul Bright and cotton batting before the November meeting of PMQG:

And a simple piece of patchwork to introduce the visitors of 1121 N. Loring St. Studios to Surrounded by Scraps:

completing October Bee blocks

A week (or two?!?) ago I started a little post about some Karen Griska blocks that one of my online bee-mates chose for her October blocks. I FINALLY got around to finishing the last 4 blocks yesterday.

I am not quite sure how this happened, but for some reason my first set seemed to come together with straighter seams than the second grouping I did. Harumph! On the first group I went from using the 1/2" seam to a 1/4" seam, while yesterday's group went from 1/4" to 1/2" - and for some reason my machine was not wanting to keep straight.

(the newer blocks are on top, the one's from the other week are on the bottom)

Hopefully, once mixed in with the dozens of other blocks Becky will be receiving, the flaws in mine won't be so noticeable. In the future, though, I prefer my strip piecing to be a little less regulated. Just sayin'.