Orphan Block Challenge!

I told you about the Orphan Block Challenge, in my previous post.  Last Wednesday, we presented the finished projects at our quilt group.  I have to admit I was excited to see what someone had done with the cowboy boot block I had submitted.  It seemed like it would take forever until someone stood up with the project incorporating a cowboy boot block.  Then finally, Janell stood up and said she had been excited about the block she had gotten for the challenge.  She did not wait to work in it and got it done weeks ago.  Then she held up this fabulous tote-bag with my block on it!  She continued to explain that last fall she had won the 'challenge fabric' quilt block competition at the Customer Appreciation Fun Run, and that she had another of my blocks from that challenge!  She showed us the other side of the bag, and it had the cowboy boot block that I had submitted to Challenge Block Competition the previous year.  Wow! I got both my blocks back in the same fabulous project.  This is a quilted tote bag.

Thank you, Janell. I love, love, love this bag!

The fabric on the shaft of the boot, is  the
challenge fabric from the last challenge
fabric block competition.

I have always entered a block, or four, into the quilt show challenge block competition, but have never won.  I am definitely a winner this time!

This cowboy boot block pattern is in Fons and Porter August 2015 magazine.  I enlarged the pattern by 25%, so it could be used in a 12 1/2" block.

What's On The Design Wall in March?

Hey! March is turning out to be a great month.  I got a couple wall hangings completed. I started a Stack n Whack quilt.  I have an orphan block, that is from Rosemary at my other quilt group.  Besides the Knotty Quilters, I belong to the Piecemakers of Idaho.  We have been doing an orphan block swap, where we bring one of our orphan blocks (a block that has no quilt to go into -boo ho), in a sealed paper bag with our name in it, to our meeting.  When we leave the meeting we pick-up a different paper bag and take it home.  We make something out of the block and bring it back two meetings later.  We take turns holding up the thing we made and see if the person recognizes their orphan block in the project, then we give it back to them to keep for ever and ever.  Rosemary's orphan block is on my design wall, upper left. 

It is 18" X 18" and consists of one of my top favorite color schemes, red, white, and blue. I got an 18" pillow form and took it with me to the quilting retreat earlier this month.  A friend said that I needed to add a little more around the edge to make it fit.  Well okay.  I went in my stash, later, and found some good edging fabric, squared up the block and added an inch of the edging fabric.  I sewed the back overlapping pieces, right sides together, then I put the pillow form in it.  The cover was a tad loose, so I laid it flat and pressed the edge down and stitched in-the-ditch all the way around to shrink the pillow cover up a little and add this lovely design feature to the pillow cover.

I figure Rosemary is not looking at my blog, so she will
still be surprised on Wednesday! 

I Sharpened My Seam Ripper And Got To Work!

How time does fly when you have a blog and you like to post photos and information about the things you love.  I love having fun, I love quilting, and I love fabric!  Today is the five year anniversary of my blog.  This evening I clicked on my menu for 2012 and looked at all the wonderful things I did in the first year of my blog.  I jumped in and figured out how to build a blog and had fun discovering all the possibilities.  I made some fun quilts. I flew to Tucson and helped our daughter move to Missouri. I made the Moose and Squirrel (Rocky and Bullwinkle) quilt for my husband's birthday.  We visited our daughter in Missouri for Thanksgiving and had a wonderful time.  I finished my fish quilt in December and discovered those tiny blocks of fabric to make doll quilts with. What a fun year!  This year is shaping up to be just as fun!  I made a mess of my 9 patch block and got to post it on my blog for some laughs.  I will be visiting our daughter in South Korea in April! I finally get to use my passport for the very first time!  Planning on going to Sisters for that fine quilt show, and plan on a road trip with my husband in September. 
    I sharpened my seam ripper and fixed that 9 patch block.  It looks a little better now.

My quilting niece sent me the pattern for this block and
some fabrics to make it with.  We did a swap.  This is my block.

I have come along way in five years. I belong to two quilting groups.  The Knotty Quilters is a small group that really supports each other in learning and growing.  We have so much fun!  We have our own quilting retreats, in Eagle, ID, where we get together about once per quarter and spend Friday through Sunday enjoying each others' company, projects, fabric, and food. 
     I have my quilting niece,whom I do long-distance quilting projects with now. We started quilting together when she was in high school.  I have Kirsten Larsen, my daughter's American Girl Doll, that has her own quilting blog.  You can view all the 'Gluten Free Doll Quilts' on her blog by clicking the link at the upper left of this blog.  She has friends who are cats and stuffed animals that also like her quilts.  She has ever so many more blue ribbons than I, and one Best of Division ribbon from the Western Idaho State Fair.  I started the doll quilt blog in June 2012, and it soon morphed into Kirsten's blog.  She has her own cutting table, mat, and rotary cutter.  She is so creative. I just don't know where she gets it!

This is Kirsten's design wall.  Most of her projects get designed here.
Right now she is sharing it with me.  She lets me take the photos
for her quilting blog.

  Kirsten's friend, Ebony, likes to sit under this buffet and look out the window onto the world.  The windows behind this buffet go clear to the floor.  I keep the shade on this window up about 18", so she can see out.  We moved here a little over a year ago, and I love my new quilting room!
Happy Anniversary!  I know the coming years will be just as exciting!

What's Wrong With This Block?

I know after I pressed this block, I held it up for my very dear friend, Phyllis, to look at.  She said she liked the colors.  Hmmmm. . .
After I returned home from our weekend quilting retreat I dug out my three quilt blocks and put them on the design wall.  I stepped back and when I saw this block, I started to laugh and said something like "D--- it, how did I do that?!"  My husband, who was sitting in the living room and who did not see what I was talking about, said "A quote for you: Don't talk and quilt at the same time."

Well, Nicole, how did my block come out?

I get the distinct feeling that Phyllis did not really see it.  Like when I ask my husband to look at something and he doesn't really look; he just says "Nice job, Honey."
     What happened was time was running out because of the time change. We lost an hour of our quilting time today!  We were all about ready to pack-up, clean-up, and leave.  I was in a hurry to get this block finished before I had to pack up.  Well this is what happens when you hurry piecing!