And She's Done

I know myself well enough to know that if I plan on doing something when I get home from work, I bester do it right away. Once I find my way to the couch or the bed or to the Wavy Lays (it happens), all bets are off for the evening! I wanted to get the top for this quilt done today, so as soon as I walked in the door and took care of the dogs, I headed straight to the sewing room. And GET 'ER DONE I did!

This is the picnic quilt setting from Lori Holt's book, Farm Girl Vintage.

I made the borders just a couple of inches wider than the pattern suggested and staggered them with partial seams. If somebody knows the actual name for that type of border, please enlighten me. This was my first time sewing partial borders, and it was far less difficult than I anticipated when making the top, so I went ahead and did the same on the borders as well. I'm happy with the outcome! (The bottom border isn't wavy; it just needs to be pressed) I'll piece the backing - hopefully this weekend - and send it off to the quilters straight away.

And then it's back to yet another of Lori's fun projects, her Bloom Sew-Along. These are the first 8 blocks I've sewn.

This one is my first applique project, and though I'm satisfied overall with my progress, I can definitely see areas for improvement. Even still, it'll make a fun surprise gift for a surprise somebody!

How Many Projects Is Too Many Projects?

Like most quilters, I suppose, I tend to work on several projects at a time. The second I get bored with one, I switch to another to avoid complete disinterest in another long-term project. One of the ones I keep coming back to is this fun little lap quilt.

It's the picnic quilt setting from Lori Holt's great (and addictive!) book, Farm Girl Vintage. I've had the book since it was released about a year ago, and I'm still making projects from it. I wanted a simpler block since I was going to be making fifty-two of them -- some 6" and some 12" -- so I went with the crystal star block, a modified version of the simple star block.

I used fabrics from some of my favorite designers: Lori Holt, Pam Kitty Morning, Lecien, and Ellis & Higgs among others. I love how scrappy it is and that it's so bright and colorful. All that's left to do on the top is to attach the borders, and then off to the quilter she goes! One of my local quilt shops, Millie P's, always does a great job quilting them on the long arm. Smaller projects I'm willing to tackle myself, but for bigger projects (and when I'm feeling exceptionally lazy and impatient) I will gladly hand over my dough to the professionals and let them do it.

Once I attach the borders, I'll have a better quality image of the finished top. After that, it's back to one of the eight(!) or so other projects I've got on the back burner.

Today I'm also linking up to one of my favorite pattern designers, Lorna McMahon at Sew Fresh Quilts. She created the pattern for this reindeer block that I used to make these pillows.

Until next time, a glass of wine and Chinese takeout is calling my name...

Beagle Beagle Quilts is (Sort Of) a Go!

Hello! Thank you for visiting my brand new blog. It is - obviously - very much a work in-progress, and I will be making improvements in the coming weeks. I'm just getting the layout started and I'm not finished with it, but I know that if I wait until I am completely satisfied with the look, it would never happen. Until then, it's partially wack and partially the Mack. Really bad rhyme. Really, really bad. Nonetheless, here we go!

As the name suggests, I'll focus on my beagles (I have two - Audrey and Rita)...

...but mostly on my quilting.

The dogs keep me sane (while simultaneously driving me bonkers); the quilting keeps me focused. We've had beagles as part of our lives since 1996, and I don't know that that'll ever change. I learned to quilt at the same time I learned to sew, about two and a half years ago. Most of my creative energy goes into that...as well as my hard earned dough. I could've picked a cheaper hobby, but I love it!

I'll do my best to update at least weekly, and you can also expect occasional posts on cooking and photography.

See ya 'round!