JUST TAKES 2 RETURN

Now that the baby quilt is finished and in the hands of the expectant mother and dad, I am back to working on my Just Takes 2 blocks.  Here is what I have as of today:



but I still have a long way to go to catch up.  So far my favorite block is the one on the bottom left.  It’s got pizzazz!

Once I buy some more batting, I plan to pin-baste The Quilt Show half-square triangle exchange quilt for quilting.  Of course, the picture of this top was one of the many files lost in the computer crash of December 2011 – January 2012.  However, I searched my old blog entries and found it so in case you don’t remember it or are new and haven’t seen it yet, here it is.



Sew long for now,

MORE QUILT STUFF

For a peek at the Amish quilts from the Esprit collection currently on exhibit in Lancaster, PA, click  HERE.  Oh how I wish I could see these in person.  Maybe they will tour the country some time in the future.

SUNBURST

The Quilt Complex

Also, in honor of National Quilting Day, you have an opportunity to watch any of the programs done by The Quilt Show this weekend as they have opened up their  web TV Show for the entire weekend of March 16 – 18.  This is FREE for these three days.  Here is a video about the event.

The picture below pretty much sums up the life and times of Ranger the Maine Coon cat.  He gets in the middle of everything we try to do.  In this case, he assisted me with sewing borders to my Civil War quilt.  Couldn’t do it without him.

NOT!



Finally, let me leave you with these words of wisdom:  “Minds are like parachutes. They only function when they are open.”  Anonymous  [Who is this "Anonymous" guy anyway?  He's so smart!  LOL]

WHAT DO BASEBALL AND HST’S HAVE IN COMMON

Tonight while watching the Texas Rangers vs. Minnesota Twins baseball game on television, I began clipping “ears” and tearing off triangle paper from a half-square triangle exchange done with other members of The Quilt Show .   The exchange was called Sisterhood of the Traveling Triangles  because half-square triangles were submitted from all over the world for exchange.  So far I’ve found lots from the United States, but also a few from Canada, England (U.K.), Germany and Australia.  The fabrics included batiks, florals, conversation prints, solids, prints, bright, dark, all different kinds.  There were no limitations put on them.

There are many more to trim and tear, which I will probably pick up again tomorrow during the baseball game.  One thing though, they are messy – I was covered all over in threads and paper giblets after a couple of hours.



As you can see from my photo, from left to right are (1) the half-square triangles to be clipped and to have paper removed; (2) the HSTs already clipped, paper removed and finger-pressed open; and (3) the trash can for all the little clipped off ear bits and torn HST paper trash.  The remote control is handy and the pillows for my back and arm are set up.  It’s working out to be a pretty good system.

I think I am going to make a version of the Cheddar Triangles Block quilt located on page 101 of Betsy and Carol’s book, History Repeated:  Block Exchange Quilts of the 19th Century Patchwork Divas OR a version of the Medallion Quilt from Edyta Sitar’s book, Friendship Triangles.  For some reason the pages in that book are not numbered.  Go figure.  Anyway, I dream of what I will do with the HSTs as I rip the paper off.  Such wonderful dreams.