Announcing Christmas in July Quilt Along

Would you like to join me for a quilt-along?  I'm dedicating the month of July to working on Christmas projects.  That way, I have some hope of getting them done before the holiday season is upon us.  I will be working on Brand New Day made with my hoarded stash of Robyn Pandolph red, green, and cream fabrics.

If I get that quilt done before the end of the month, I'll start on Let It Snow, the pattern I won in a give-away on Thelma's blog.

So, are you interested in joining me?  Not a lot of rules or structure - you can make anything you want to, as long as it has a winter or Christmas theme.  Bed quilt, throw, wall hanging, tree skirt - whatever you choose to do.  All you have to do is work on it during the month of July and periodically post something on your blog showing your progress.  No blog - not a problem - send me pictures and I'll post them here for you.

If you want to join me, let me know via comment here or email message and I'll post a link to your blog on my sidebar so readers can check out your progress. 

We'll officially start on July 1 but you can use the month of June to get ready by deciding what you want to make and getting your supplies together.  The new Christmas fabrics are just arriving in the quilt shops, so this is a great time to start.

Progress Report

I've finished all the 9-patch blocks for Second Hand Clothes.  They went together very easily with the chain piecing method I showed in my previous post on this project.  I could start putting the rows together for the top but the fabric I ordered for the setting triangles has not arrived from Hancocks of Paducah yet.  

If you are interested in this pattern, Bonnie Blue Quilts is having a 25% off sale through the holiday weekend.   If you are mentally kicking yourself for not having bought Rouenneries while it was widely available, you can still get it.  Bonnie Blue Quilts still has kits for this quilt (called Belle Mead) on sale now.

I'm tempted, very tempted.

Wednesday Weigh-In - Positive Reinforcement

Despite the fact that the needle has barely budged since I got the new scale, I have lost some of my "padding."  I am wearing pants I bought in 2008 that were too tight last summer, and that makes me feel like I've accomplished something.  You may recall my post about weight-loss rewards and he importance of non-food presents or pick-me-ups (as I call them).  Well, I cashed in one of my rewards last Saturday when I used my birthday gift certificate for spa services at Metropolis in Princeton.  I had a service called the Spa Mosaic Body Treatment, a sort of fancy massage.  It was heavenly! 

I've promised myself another one when I reach my goal weight.

The stats:
weight lost this week: -0.8 pounds
weight lost YTD: 3.2 pounds

Spring Quilt Market Inspiration

I am fascinated by the semi-annual Quilt Market.  The 2010 Spring edition was held in Minneapolis this past weekend.  Thankfully, the quilt trade people attendees include a number of bloggers who satisfy our curiosity by posting photos on their blogs  (THANK YOU!!). 

Now that I have my own kaleidoscope quilt in the works (very slow and sporadic progress), I notice them all over the place, and the photos from Spring Quilt Market were no exception.  Fig Tree has what appears to be a version of a kaleidoscope, called Saltwater Taffy.   This could be fortunate because I've noticed the Fig Tree designer often finds an easier, simpler, quicker way to construct traditional blocks.

Then there is the cover of Quiltmania Magazine.

I like the color placement and way the blocks form a border. 

It all inspires me to get back to my own version and make some more progress.

Chain Piecing

I am working away on my version of Second Hand Clothes using Moda Collection for a Cause Legacy fabrics.  My workload at this time does not allow for big day-long marathons in the studio.  Fortunately, this quilt is perfect for making in a few minutes grabbed here and there.

Here's a photo of one of the instruction sheets, with directions for piecing the 9-patch blocks.  You cut the rectangles then sew them to a strip of the solid fabric used for the center and outer corners of the 9-patch.  Leave a tiny bit of space between each rectangle as you sew them to the strip.

When you finish chain piecing, you use your ruler and rotary cutter to cut the pieces apart, then line them up on the strip that forms the other corner.  It goes fairly quickly and I think it will yield more accurate, square blocks. 

I'm hoping to get these blocks done this week, then I can start putting the quilt together over the long weekend.

Bloggers' Quilt Festival

Amy is hosting the Bloggers' Quilt Festival again this spring, while the pros are at Quilt Market.  Gives us something to distract ourselves with while we wait for the Great Reveal, you know, all the stuff we will want to buy and add to our stashes in the coming months!

Here's my reveal: 

This is Aquarium.  As a little girl, my daughter loved aquariums and we visited the ones in Baltimore, Chicago, and Mystic, CT.  She used to say she was going to be a dolphin trainer when she grew up.  So for a while, I was collecting aquarium-like fabrics.  Not just theme prints with dolphins and fish, but coordinating prints in deep sea colors. 

I made this wallhanging using the techniques in Strips 'n Curves, by Louisa L. Smith. 

It is a combination of strip piecing and curved seams.  Very fun to make and not as difficult as it looks, yet yields impactful results.  Here's a close-up:

Go visit Amy's blog where you'll find links that will take you to all the blogs participating in the Festival.  You will see a lot great quilts, without having to travel anywhere.

Wednesday Weigh-In - Diet Buster

The week was a disaster as far as the diet goes, just look at the stats below.  And all the fault of this product:

My daughter introduced me to it after having it at school.  Nutella, nectar of the gods and elixir of love as far as I can tell.   I mean, seriously good.  "OMG, it rocks!" as Hungry Girl would say.  Similar to peanut butter but made of chocolate and hazelnuts.  Only problem is that is has about a gazillion calories in a tablespoon, which is the minimum amount you need to spread on a piece of toast. 

So, I've been a bad girl and the stats show it.  I will try to get back on track.

The stats:

weight lost this week: +1.6 pounds
weight lost YTD: 2.4 pounds