Survey says...

Can't you just hear that guy on TV saying that on
Family Feud!!!?

I always love finishing a quilt because that means I
am free to start or start again working on another.
My neice loved her green pineapple quilt she
received at her bridal shower last weekend. So last
week's evenings and this weekend I pulled out my
Mary's Triangle blocks. Below are just three of
many ways to lay them out.

The top one would have plain beige squares in the
centers of the blocks. Which one do you like?

Until next time...
Susie

More Baltimore Album blocks

I must say that when I see these blocks here on my
blog, I have a renewed enthusiasm for working on
them. Since I have A.D.D., I seem to stop when I hit
a snag. The block that is unfinished (that I will show
you later) has little lazy daisy embroidery stitches with
beads in the center, and I just couldn't make myself
finish them. Also I'm not crazy about the block. Just
like I'm not crazy about the top one shown here.
It was one of the earlier ones and I think the flowers
are too big. I do like the second block, but I think
those little embroidered things look like worms!
But this could be the weekend that I actually
get re-started. You all hold me accountable now OK?
Also the next block has a woven basket that I AM
looking forward to working on, so......
I'll let ya know on Monday!!!

Remember that our guild president ended her term?
We have a new president, Pat, and she is gonna be a
good one! I can tell. Not that the previous presidents
haven't been good, we have been lucky in that area.
They have each had their own styles and focus. It's
just that Pat, well, is an attorney and seems to have
a knack for being very concise, organized, fair and
forthright. I like that. I don't know if that's a lawyer
thing or a Pat thing. Anyway, Pat, I hope you have a
fun reign as our fearless leader!

Until next time...
Susie

Ultimate UFO

This UFO will be with me a while. I took a year-long
class in 2004 from a guild member who is an amazing
quilter. She designed this beautiful Baltimore Album/
Little Brown Bird-ish quilt with the cutest 3-D flowers.
I am from Baltimore, hun, (it's a Baltimore thing) so I
knew when I started quilting in 1999 and became aware
of Baltimore Album quilts,that I was destined to make
one. The only problem was that I had no desire to make
one in Red and Green. This one has a very pale sky blue
background and will look kind of pastel-ly. The top
block is the first one and I can see now that my applique
skills were not as good as they are now. The little
circles are stuffed and I have to tell you that the
embroidery part is not my favorite. And dontcha just
love those cute daisies! They are so easy!
I have 8 blocks done so will show more later.

Until next time...
Susie

Stash

Here are my two white shelves together. The corner
still looks bare. Maybe that's because the rest of the
room is still so cluttered. Notice I didn't photograph
that! I am amazed at how small my stash looks when
I spread it out. Does this mean I have to buy more
fabric???!!! I didn't refold it all but I still feel a little
more organized. There are still a few more piles of
fabric to file. The piles on the right shelves above that
cute little button lamp is all my Christmas fabric and
the small shelves on the far left holds miscellaneous
fabric like panels and groups that go together. The
skinny plastic drawers are the beginnings of my scraps.
I am using Bonnie Hunter's scrap organizing system and
have the drawers labeled for 2", 2.5", 3", 3.5" strips and
squares and the bottom drawer is labeled large scraps.
These are the pieces that I can't bear to cut because
what if I need a 6" square, yada, yada, yada!

My neice's bridal shower is this weekend and I am
slooooowly sewing the binding on her quilt. I'll finish
it and then...on to the next one. Yay!

Until next time...
Susie

I'm back

Boy, it has been a while since I've posted. Sorry about
that. I have been too busy reading the ENTIRE
Pioneer Woman (aka P-Dub or Ree for real) web site!
This woman is hysterical. And her recipes are absolutely
delicious and her husband aka "Marlboro Man" is a real
live cowboy and handsome to boot. (Oh my I made a
pun!!!) Check it out.
My friend Mary and I went to the Annapolis Quilt Show
this weekend. Mary is in our bee, The Piecemakers, and
we usually meet at her house. We had a great time
looking at the beautiful quilts and the many vendors.
I sometimes can't decide if I like to look at quilts or shop
when I go to quilt shows. I think it is dead even. The
above quilt was a part of their challenge. Annapolis
always has good challenge ideas and beautiful challenge
quilts. The challenge was to create quilts using the colors
of the Maryland flag. And since I am born and bred in
Maryland, have never lived anywhere else, a true Terp,
("Fear the Turtle!") , and a Baltimore girl, HUN, I LOVED
all these quilts. This one was my favorite.

Here is what I bought.
Above are some Asian fabrics that I plan to make a
jacket out of. I call them Asian instead of Oriental
because, well, you see, my daughter is Korean and she
has always said it is politically incorrect to call Asians
oriental so I am sensitive about that word. Now, I don't
know if she is right or not, but I figure she would know,
her being Asian and all! I'll write about her and my two
blonde boys in another post.
I also bought a backing (right) fabric for my black,
white and red Carolina Crossroads mystery from
Bonnie Hunter. Then I got a few FQs (because they
were only $1.50 and certainly not because I NEEDED
them!) and some Kona Snow to use for my machine
embroidery. I thought I used lots of restraint. Actually
I have to save my pennies because my husband and I
are going on an Alaskan cruise in four weeks. More
about that later too.

Until next time...
Susie

What a mess!

Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and get
organized!

This all started because I have given up the guild library
(the best job in the whole guild-I have had for 6 years!)
and I have to admit, I miss all those books. I counted
them as I was organizing them for Amy, the new librarian,
and there are 476 books. But I LOVE all that space they
left. So I got a bee up my you-know-what and decided
to move things around.

This is complicated so pay attention.
(Sorry, that is the Mom in me talking)
Here is the library as it was.

Most of my fabric was on those brown shelves on the
far left (above). I moved it all to the dining room table...
...so I could move those brown shelves.
You see, on the other side of the room were my other
shelves that were white. Those shelves were filled with
all my quilt books and magazines. I happened to have
another white shelf unit that was just lounging
(unassembled) in the garage. Now with all this space
to fill, I thought, "Wouldn't my fabric look good on
BOTH white shelves in this beautiful space left by the
library?" So, boom, there I was taking all my books and
magazines off the white shelves so I could switch them
with the brown one.

Whew, I was ambitious. Actually it didn't take me as
long as I thought. Just a few dozen trips from my sewing
room to the dining room around the corner...and back.

I'm almost done. I will finish this weekend and take
some beautiful pics. Oh and I forgot to mention, all
this is in the midst of finishing the quilting on my
niece's green quilt. That will be done this weekend
too and ready to bind.

Now if I could just get to this last pile of scraps to press cut and organize!
Until next time...
Susie