Catching Up... Again

What I've been up to lately:

A wedding quilt in the style of Boston Commons:

A few blocks to contribute toward a quilt for next year's EOD Memorial Ball Auction:

(this is my first ever attempt at paper piecing!)

I found this awesome *free* pattern called Coffin Buzz... I only get to work on it once I've planted myself in bed for the night - but it's getting closer to finished.

Doogie's cousin had a daughter LAST MARCH (as in, over a year ago) and I've had fabric for the quilt... I just never did get to sewing it.  I finished piecing it yesterday.

441 5.5" squares later, I've gotten everything cut for a wedding quilt I'm calling "Disappearing Jermy" for an old, old friend.  It's a disappearing 9-patch with some specific color arrangements.

The Midget decided he wants to learn how to cross stitch... this has turned into a very time-intensive experience for me.  He's starting to understand how to translate the pattern on the paper to the fabric.  Hopefully once that clicks, it will not involve me sitting next to him directing his every move.

And Alice's bulldog teeth have come in.  She will look at us with her upper lip all caught up in her lower teeth and we just laugh so hard.  We've been calling her Cletus (cause were super awesome doggy parents like that - mock the weird).

What I've been working on the last few weeks...

T-Shirt Quilt for EOD Memorial Auction 2012:

Bohemian Rhapsody:

A Crooked Mile:

Harlequin Star:

And Crafty Blackbird's Siggy Block Swap: 

It's been a while... I've gotten quite a few things moved from WIP to Completed (or almost completed):

Thor's Quilt

Melinda's Heart in Blue & Plum (needs borders and it's ready to go)

2012 EOD Memorial Ball Quilt

I got a bunch of projects started:

Teri's Geisha & Lanterns

Gabi Reah's Thor's Quilt

The Sudoku Quilt

A Crooked Mile

Monticello Log Cabin in Emerald

Nellis EOD Christmas Party Auction Quilt

The embroidery machine and I had a little comin'-to-Jesus talk, and we agreed it would be in the machine's best interest to cooperate from now until Christmas.  I was able to get the wording and one crab finished all in a day (!!!) and another two crabs a day later.  I tried using the blocking technique to keep things from puckering up as badly this time - it worked for the most part.  I like how the pictures seem like there's fireworks going off!

The picture was creating using Stephenie Hammer's photo - It looks pretty awesome on the fabric.

The braided part took forever until it dawned on me that I could just use a complete stripset pieced off-set.  Duh. 

I voluntarily used set-in seams because I just couldn't figure out how to trim things accurately.  I probably trimmed closed to 3" off trying to get things to line up.  So, I put the sides on, and then the center tops on, and then figured out the corners last. 

There is an additional black border around the entire thing now.  It's off to be quilted - I can't wait to see what it will bring in at the auction!

EOD Wounded Warrior Quilt 2011

About a month ago, I was approached to create a quilt for for an injured EOD tech.  With the help of another EOD wife, we were able to create him an Americana-themed Rail Fence quilt with some really cool personalization. 

First, I put the embroidery machine to use and made a Master Crab

We chose a red stars / blue stars block design.

One of the coolest parts of the quilt was a picture of the team that was dyed into 100% Kona cotton.  The company, The T-Shirt Diner, was able to do it in about a half-hour and for about half of what I'd expected, cost-wise. 

This was the first half completed.  I love how the seams give the top a stained-glass appearance with the sun coming through the doors.

After close to an 8-hour sewing day, I had to walk away for the night.

The quilting was completed over a weekend by a local Great Falls, MT quilter - Denise Shortridge. She did an all-over, medium-sized meander.  The quilt was bound in the lighter blue star fabric.

I feel like the crab in the middle of the border/divider looks almost like a rodeo belt. 

While I was waiting for the quilt to finish it's wash/dry cycle, I made a wheelchair bag for some mobile storage.  The interior is black.

I want to make a HUGE THANK YOU to Ship-It of Great Falls, MT.  They heard who the quilt was going to and cancelled ALL the costs associated with packaging and shipping to help get the quilt to it's new owner as quickly as possible.

If you are local to Great Falls, I want to personally ask you to consider using Ship-It to show your appreciation and thanks for their help by giving them your business.  

Their address is:

Ship-It

825 5th Ave S 

(Intersection of 5th Ave S & 9th S on the NW corner)

406-727-7157