365 Quilty Circles Project Up To Date

On June 29th, I began my 2nd "365 Quilty Circles" quilt top.  As I did with the first quilt top, there will be 12 blocks across, but instead of 15 rows of blocks, there will be 16 rows of blocks down.  This will allow for 6 blocks on the final row for additional info. about the two quilt tops.  Several people have suggested putting the two quilt tops together and quilting them as one.  However, I believe that would be most difficult to get them to line up.  Also, several blocks have thick appliques, which could and most likely would create problems while machine quilting.

Another amazing thing--I am presently up-to-date on this project.

365 Quilty Circles up-to-date through 7-16-2016

     

Design Wall Monday

365 Quilty Circles.......
My first quilt top for this year's project is complete with a HST and circle with 4 or 5 words as my Journal Entry and the date.  Each HST finishes at (4 inches).  There are 12 squares across and 15 down making the top 48" x 60".  It begins at January 1st, 2016 and ends at June 28th, 2016.

Design Wall Monday  07-11-2016

My second quilt top for this year's project will begin at June 29th, and hopefully end on Dec. 31st, 2016.
I have had a difficult time keeping the project up-to-date.  It took most of last week to get caught up on my
June blocks and now it's the 11th and I haven't begun July's blocks.  Yikes!!

I have adored this project.  I have enjoyed choosing the fabrics for each square, trying to have the fabrics relate to what happened that day.  Some days, I hand embroider the circles and some days, I machine embroider the circles, trying different colors of thread that match the fabric.  It makes a great conversation
starter.  My fellow guild members were intrigued when I showed it at guild last Saturday.

Check out Patchwork Times.com  to see what others have been working on this week.

Design Wall Monday

Happy 4th of July, 2016
Our neighborhood fireworks were rained out for 30 minutes or so and then the clouds blew over and the fireworks began.  Lots of fireworks now with no threat of fire since everything is soaking wet.

My Design Wall Monday consists of two items-both are exciting for me...

Top--Bonnie Hunter's Class at Guild-Bricks in the Barnyard AND  Bottom-- is a Mola

On Friday evening, July 1st, I went to an evening lecture sponsored by our guild.  Bonnie Hunter of www.Quiltville.com  was the speaker.  If you haven't been to one of her lectures or a class, be sure to
take the opportunity to attend.  It is well worth your time.  Bonnie is delightful and so full of energy.
I was hoping some of her energy might rub off on me.

On Saturday, July 2nd, I took a full-day workshop from Bonnie Hunter based on her pattern; Bricks in the Barnyard.  It was one of the best classes that I have taken in quite some time.  Many more blocks need to be made to complete my quilt but I have a good start.

The bottom design is a Mola that belonged to my sister, who passed away in mid June.  My previous post explains how my sister and her friend purchased Molas from the San Blas Indians back in the mid 1970's.

Link up with Patchwork Times.com to see what other quilters are working on this 4th of July.

My Sister and Her Husband

I've been on "auto pilot" for the last few weeks.  My sister (90) and her husband (91) passed away within a few hours of each other on June 13th.  They had been married over 67 years and had met in third grade.  What an amazing life they led...Their memorial service was beautifully planned, with their grandsons reading the Eulogy and several of my brother-in-law's cousins telling stories of when they were young.  My niece and her daughter designed and arranged several hundred pictures that were gathered and chosen by family members to be displayed at the memorial service.  The displays were created with white bulletin boards covered in burlap and twine attached to the back and strung across the front.  The pictures were attached with small wooden clothespins.   My nephews were in charge of choosing the slides that were shown on a couple of large screens during the gathering. The slides ran continuously.  As children, we always loved sitting down to an evening of watching slides.  One nephew found a large poster that represented how my sister and her husband lived their lives.

  

Poster found by their son and displayed at Celebration of Life gathering

Here is a Bulletin Board showing some of the small quilts my sister had made and given to me through the years.....

Small quilts made by my sister and given to me as gifts

My sister loved to sew, quilt, waterski, go camping with family, make cakes for her grandchildren and great grandchildren. 

To left; Decorated Cakes--To right; Halloween Costumes--Center on table;Camping

Their love of sailing was a dream which she and her husband fulfilled.  They began by reading every book in their local library about sailing.  My brother-in-law built his own El Toro sailboat.  After selling their house in the late 1960's, they moved onto their new 36 foot sailboat.  They lived aboard their sailboat for 7 years.
After my nephews had all graduated from high school and my sister and her husband retired, they began their journey.  They sailed down the Pacific coastline, through the Mexican Riviera, Central America, and through the Panama Canal to the Caribbean Sea.  They made a special trip to the San Blas Islands and visited with the Kuna Indians as they watched them create their special Molas.  They traveled to these special islands with another couple.  My sister and her friend purchased many molas.  I must admit, I always dreamed of having a mola, knowing that my sister had been to those Islands.  Here is the one I chose.....

Mola from San Blas Islands mid 1970's

 I guess I will write about my Bonnie Hunter class that I took on Saturday, July 2nd on another day this week.

 

Design Wall Monday

Here's what I have cut so far for my Bonnie Hunter class, Bricks in the Barnyard.  I only have this evening and a couple of hours tomorrow to do any more cutting before I leave.  I'm hoping to feel more prepared for this class than any other class I've taken at our guild.  I want time to focus on the tips and techniques that she will be giving us, rather than cutting my fabric.  I'm also hoping to haul my Juki to the class.  It is my favorite sewing machine and has lots of bells & whistles (like needle down & a thread cutter, which saves on thread).

Fabric cut and on my ironing board

Be sure to fly over to Judy's Blog at:   Patchwork Times.com

Missing my 6 1/2" Easy Angle

Next month, I'm taking a Bonnie Hunter class and she recommended using the Easy Angle for making the half square triangle units.  I knew I had that exact Angle and had it for quite some time, so where could it be?
So, as I was looking for it; I continued to put items away and sort through fabrics.  Amazingly, after about two hours, I found it.  I imagine if I could lose a few more things, I could actually get my Sewing Room in some type of order. I'm going out of town for a week and when I get back, I'll only have two days to get ready for my class plus I'll be exhausted after my trip.  We are going to be making a quilt from Bonnie Hunter's book:  Scraps & Shirttails II.

I had wanted to finish my Bonnie Hunter Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt from 2014 but too many other projects have been started, so I plan to show her the part that I have completed.  I'm hoping that some of her energy will rub off on me.

Design Wall Monday

One of our guild members taught a class in June 1999 and again in June 2005 on making a "Miniature Double Wedding Ring" quilt. I remember how much fun our members had learning the technique and bringing back their finished quilts at the next guild meetings.

Mini Wedding Ring Quilts from June 1999

The picture above shows (2) Mini's that I made in June 1999.  Good thing I brought these out to show because I now realize that the "mini" UFO that I started in June 2005, is missing the 4-patch blocks at each
intersection.  As I was quilting it, I thought it was odd that the rings were not finished at the intersections.

Mini Wedding Ring Quilt from June 2005

The picture above shows the Mini that I thought was almost done except for the sleeve at the top.
I discovered it is missing the 4-patch blocks.  Now to round up contrasting fabric to make
(20) tiny 4-patch blocks.  I hand quilted around all the rings with gold metallic thread to match the background fabric and machine quilted three times around the rings with gold thread.  I will also need
to make a label.


So, as not to forget the "Major Project" that I've been working on with a deadline--the end of June 2016.
Oh, who am I kidding???  I know, you will look at it and say "It doesn't look that bad".  However, my camera doesn't take wide angle shots and about one third of the stuff is hiding in a corner of my bedroom and my cutting table is also piled high.  I have created a wider walk-way than a few weeks ago.

Sewing Room - mid June 2016

It appears that there is a problem on Judy's end, so I cannot link up at this time.  Hopefully, I will remember to link up, later this afternoon.  Hey, more time to work on organizing and clean-up.... LOL
Link up is now working at Judy's house at:  Patchwork Times.com