EQ Rocks! If you know how to use it......

I have been stalling for awhile on one of my quilts, Maverick (for my BIL).  My excuse was that I had to figure out cutting sizes for a churn block.

I saw directions for a  lap size quilt in a magazine that I really liked,,this was about 2 years ago. 

A couple of months ago (before Christmas) I was able to reconstruct the same design on EQ6 as a king size quilt (DH wanted his brother to have a BIG quilt).  But I didn't want to make 7" blocks.  I wanted my blocks to be larger.  I finally decided on 12" blocks..

At various times I thought about how to work the math so I could cut the pieces.  Even got a friend in the quilting group in on it.  She had a program on her iphone that she thought would help, but it didn't.

Today I got to thinking that EQ should have the dimensions of the block somewhere....so I started searching.  Sure enough, under "Double Monkey Wrench",  "Work Block" and " Rotary Cutting", there it was...all I had to do was put in the 12" dimension, and the cutting instructions were there.

To make the Maverick blocks all I had to do was flip the 4 corners of this block.  I have the basics now.

I am going to make a couple of sample blocks to see how they turn out, pick out my fabric and I will be on my way!  Maybe this will be February's goal.. a King size....56 blocks,,,well,, maybe March....

One Small Item Done...

Finally DH and I got our act together and covered my small ironing board.  This has been on my list for almost a year, if not longer....Just something I never got around to.

Don't remember where I got the fabric, but it is canvas or some heavy duty fabric.  I cut a rough pattern and then cut the fabric and some insulation material.  I add two layers of  left over batting, one of which was comprised of 3 parts, not sewn together, but as it was the "first" layer next to the original board, it is held in place well. 

DH did all the heavy work.  Our electric stapler will never be the same again...it was on its' last legs anyway. 

Now I can put up my regular ironing board for awhile..I plan to use this one and the smaller one made out of a cheese board I made earlier last year.

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Personal Note:

I have been having some tiny health issues lately...hopefully will get back into the swing of things shortly.  Just found out I need concentrate on losing at least another 12+ pounds (already lost 10 in the last year!) ...am in the pre-diabetic stage and I really don't want to go there.

So, I guess I'll have to get into the kitchen a little more than I have been.  Anyone have some good simple recipes (diabetic) that they know about?  I'm surfing the web and have found a couple of good sites...

Winner Mini Giveaway #23 is......

Janet!  Congratulations!  The calendar will be winging it's way to you as soon as I can get it ready....hopefully Friday or at the latest, Monday...

She said she was going to share it with friends, so there is more than one winner here....

Remember to look out for my next Giveaway on Feb 15th...as well as what I am doing, or not doing, depending on when you look, in my sewing room on the side....

Mini Giveaway #23 - Quilting pattern/block calendar

Welcome to our first Giveaway of 2012.  So glad you dropped in. 

I bought this boxy calendar in 2009 and haven't used a pattern from it yet.  They are all lovely, different, and colorful... You will see a lot of paper piecing here, with some basic instructions.   All the necessary information is available....finished sizes, cutting sizes, yardage, etc.....

Here are pictures of the front and back of the stand-up box...

Each quilt is shown at the beginning of the series, with all basic information on the 5 1/2" x 7" cards following (back and front). Since everything is shown on a smaller scale due to the size of the calendar, it shows how big the pattern or block should be enlarged.  Different quilts, depending on their complexity, have from one accompanying card to quite a few.

 Here are a few examples of what are inside....

It has oodles of applique designs which can be incorporated into other quilts as well....

The only thing missing here is minor...one sheet of the date cards on which you can list the patterns you like and where they are...but you can make one up easily enough.....it shouldn't hamper anything.

So comment if you are interested and be available for contact.  DH will draw the winner on January 17 after 10:00am and I will announce it as soon as I can afterwards....

Remember the next giveaway is in a month....February 15th  

See you then......

Am I Nuts? .... Opinion, Please...

.....or am I thinking too much....

As said earlier, I am in need of 2 pieces of fabric, plus 1 fussy-cut center block, for my Mountains wall hanging... again,  example from book:

Now, I know I can find 2 lovely fabrics which would fit together perfectly.  Any bright/neutral would do....

orange background,,,multicolor mountains,,,But what to put in the middle?  Maybe either one as the middle, with the other as the mountain and white (?) as the sky....

Again, either of these with white sky would work...but what to put in the middle?

Am I limiting myself with a fussy cut idea??? I really wanted this to be an exercise in mountain climbing, so to speak.....and not worry about blocks in the middle..

but maybe a simple middle block instead of the one shown......

Can't go wrong with red and black...flowers in the middle, red as mountains, and again,,,white as sky....

but I have the urge to use a couple of these, along with gray for the neutral color.....

 Either fish fabric used in a large block in the middle,,,at least 13" square...with gray as sky and either waves (cut either lengthwise or across the design???) or the green as the mountains....

Would like to get this decided by Monday,

but may have to wait.....

I think the fish would be funky, but this is a new design for me and I don't know where I would hang a fish..

But I don't want to be predictable....

Okay, main decisions:

1) fussy cut or simple design block in the middle....

2) should I add another color in the middle block if  I choose to go that way...

3)  or,,,,and I'm leaning toward this....use EQ6 and play with ideas...my group is going to start tomorrow on these blocks....they only meet twice a month...maybe by later on in the month I can decide and try to get caught up.....

4)  Rereading this, I realize I have all the ingredients in the red and black idea for tomorrow, and could still check out the others in EQ....

........groan......

Wonky Top DONE! I'm On My Way!

I finished my Wonky Top (size approx 64" x 64") on 1/7.  I'll be keeping the progress report on the side of my blog for a few more days....

It was made from a package of layer cakes (10" square) I bought this summer. 

The sashing and borders are made of cotton, but has a little looser weave that the blocks.  I am hoping that the quilting I do will help anchor it in more.  I really like the color.

I had to be careful with the blocks and keep them in order....really had to watch myself...I did goof...Nope, I promised myself I would try to keep the minor goofs to myself this year.

....although major goofs could be a fun thing to look back on....

This may be a UFO for awhile,,,I have a couple of other quilts I am HQing now....

Next up --  searching my stash for

 two colors + a block to highlight 

January - Lost Month......Nevermore.....

At the end of each January, have any of you said, "That was quick, where did January go?" 

I have.  January, being the first month of the year, has always sped by like a jet plane, or satellite, or .... Secretariat...

Not this year.  I want January to be chock full of things done or doing....It's bad enough to have time go faster and faster, much less not knowing where it went to or what has been done...

This January I have vowed to do several things...

1)  Give/Throw away items that have been on my "Don't Want" or "Don't Use" lists for several years...averaging one thing a day.

2)  Start/Finish/Continue on tasks (Quilty or Otherwise) which are named on one of my many lists.

3) Do something that won't take more than a few minutes (less than an hour), that has been hanging around waiting to get done for months now....minimum one item a month. Ex: cut away and clear dewberry bush et.al. which we tried to train to grow on a trellis...didn't work...dewberries, as their name indicates, tend to grow and stay close to the ground. 

  4) Definitely work in 15 minutes of handquilting a day, minimum, regardless of any other quilty task I also do.

I already have 3 dresses hanging in my closet, ready to give to the local church thrift shop, and have my eye on several more things.

I am oonches (that's a few inches) away from finishing my first top (flimsy....love that word!) of the year....see side panel...

Next week a heavy duty dentist visit will slow me down some, but that may qualify for the once a month item (true, it will be more than an hour, but it is something that has been delayed long enough).

Enough of this...time to get back to work and "...do the things I do...."