Inch by Inch...

I've been making slow progress these days, but I have finished Barbara's Crazy Quilt round robin block I had been working on...it has been posted off to the next recipient a day before the deadline, yeah!

I also started working on the Dear Jane blocks I want to hand quilt for my pay it forward swap. If they aren't done in time to be Christmas decorations, I figure they will make cute valentine ones, lol. The blue block is for Barbara's Dear Jane, I promised one a while back as a thank you for all the help she's given me since we met!

I've also started on a few ocean waves blocks for my scrappy ocean waves bed quilt. I will make this for our bed I think! I have a feeling my Dear Jane won't be on the bed for a while, lol, as hand quilting won't be speedy here with this newbie! I am using all my reproduction scraps and like the look so far.

We are really looking forward to our trip out to Oregon in a few weeks. Anyone in the Portland or Bend areas want to meet up? I am hoping to see Patti and Cher while I'm there (How is Saturday the 16th for you guys? I will be jetlagged, but that won't keep me from some quilt shops!). My parents have retired to a new house in Bend, out in the mountains, so we plan to stay in Portland at the start and end of the trip to keep mountain pass driving to a minimum...

I am starting to think about 2007 goals... I think 2 bed quilts for my own house, many wall hangings, and a focus on quilting for our family again. I still only have one of my own quilts in the house and it is in bits, fallen apart from abuse (my first quilt). I love giving quilts to friends, but they appreciate any thoughtful gift, and I want to quilt for my girls this year as well...and sew some clothes for them...make some dolls maybe... So maybe 2007 will be year of the family for sewing and knitting projects...hmmmm

Crazy Quilting Round Robin

This lovely patch is done by Barbara as part of a round robin we are doing. I am learning as I go about beading and silk ribbon embroidery. Spider webs and spiders are good luck images in crazy quilts, so lots of good luck for Barbara!! It is my first time beading and doing the silk flowers, but I am fairly happy with how they turned out. I will be putting a celtic knot motif in the white patch and doing a few more seam treatments before I call this one done. It is funny, I couldn't get into my crazy quilt class online, I just couldn't find the time, but since I can go crazy on this and not have to do things in a certain order, it was more "fun" to work on!! I plan to try to keep the spider and celtic knot motifs in each round robin I do, as a signature, if someone else hasn't done it before me.

Today is my patchwork group meeting. I will probably work on cutting out more reproduction fabrics for an apple core charm quilt I want to do, and a scrappy ocean waves quilt. Or I might bring my CQ work...hmmmm...

There is no Thanksgiving here tomorrow, but some of my American friends are hosting a Thanksgiving on Sunday. I am making American biscuits (biscuits here are cookies!) and we got together to make a few pies earlier (pecan, yummm!!! and pumpkin!!).

Hope everyone in the States has a great Thanksgiving!