The great emancipator

Gwen Marston has set quilters free. I recommend her book "Liberated Quiltmaking." It allows ordinary quilters (not just those art quilter types) to go for it! Sew, sew, sew. Make crooked seams, use queer color combinations, everything doesn't have to match. If someone points out a wonky quilt block to you, just say "Thanks for noticing. I meant it to come out that way."
I'm going to refer to her book for ideas for my next couple of quilts.

Squaring up

I first saw Eleanor Burns on TV umpteen years ago. She was on a channel that was really out of our area, and came in snowy. But I recorded her on the VCR and watched her religiously. I learned a lot about quilting from her. One thing was how to square-up finished blocks. And my blocks really need it. I'm not one of those people whose quilts get ribbons at the fair! So what I do is take my finished blocks and trim the edges carefully. It makes them a lot easier to sew together, if they are all the same size. I'm getting those blocks put together. It'll take me a couple of days, I guess. I plan to sew the blocks together with the border in three horizontal sections. I'll put the whole thing together after quilting.
Meanwhile I'm hemming and hawing to myself about the next project. And I still have to make the puff quilt.
I was once talking to a friend at the library. (Our library has a knitting and crocheting group that makes things for charity.) I explained to her that I don't like to have a lot of unfinished projects. I figure that if I die, I'll be leaving behind a pile of rags. But if the project is completed--well, everyone appreciates inheriting a quilt.

Strange Day

Strange day today. It's raining a bit. It rarely rains this time of year here in Southern California. Luckily, I had returned from shopping before the downpour. I went out early. I guess that I'm a so-called morning person. Last weekend my grandson visited and I found out that his bed is a double size, not a twin. So today I'm making another row of blocks on the quilt. I'm planning to use up any left-over strips from the quilt for part of the border, but I may have to change that, because there may not be many strips left!

A Quilter is Someone Who

A QUILTER IS SOMEONE WHO:
By Rosalyn F. Manesse

Saves ten boxes of scraps,
Has one corner of the house an eternal mess,
Buys half a yard of calico,
When on vacation, goes to the fabric store in every town,
Loves flea markets,
Is always looking for new ideas,
Spends sleepless nights thinking about color combinations,
Has a tottering pile of books and magazines in her room,
Visits every five-and-dime,
Is always picking up pins and bits of thread from the floor,
Has a callous on her left index finger,
Is always looking for more quilt patterns,
Begs her friends for remnants,
Works for a year on a quilt, then gives it away,
Watches TV with a needle in her hand,
Is forever ironing,
Is never bored,
Knows one hundred patterns by heart,
Forgets to water the lawn,
Can get it all together,
Finds treasures at a garage sale,
Always has time to help a friend.

This poem is copyrighted.

Baby Toes does its thing

It just bloomed today. This is my succulent plant called Baby Toes. fenestraria rhopalophylla

What it's going to look like

Here's a few blocks, not sewn together yet.

Satisfaction--I get some

I'm so happy about the quilt blocks I'm making. They're really easy to make, as I can do a lot of sewing before I have to press any seams. I make 2 or 3 blocks at a time. I moved a small cutting mat right next to my left side, and I put my ironing mat next to the sewing machine. I have a calculation of 35 blocks being needed, if I add a nice border.
I went to see that movie "Bourne Ultimatum." Those explosions and gunshots kept me awake, I'll tell you. Well, I really don't want to nap at a movie that I paid admission to see--I can nap for free at home. Superman and car chases--that's about it. Matt Damon is a good actor.
Meanwhile, those quilt puffs keep staring at me from the side, where I shoved them.
Once in a while I bring home one of those cut-down cardboard boxes from the beverage aisle of the supermarket. Handy for parking quilt patches in. And they can be tossed in the recycling bin whenever I don't need them anymore. You know, if I have to bring a cake or some food someplace, I put the pan inside of one of those boxes(lined with a paper towel). Handy.

Cut, cut, cut

A lady goes into a New York deli. She tells the counter man that she wants to buy a slice of lox. The man takes out the lox, and he slices a paper-thin slice. "How's this lady?"
"Cut," she says.
He cuts another slice. "OK?"
"Cut," she says.
"You're having the family over?" he asks.
"Cut," she says.
"It's going to be a party?"
"Cut."
"A Bar Mitzvah?"
"I"ll buy the next slice."

I took out that big box of fabric I keep on the closet floor, and pulled out assorted fabrics in dark or light colors. And I sliced a big bunch (that's a quilter's scientific term) of 2 1/2 inch strips. Yep, the decision has been made. White House Steps quilt coming up!
And good news, I hunted around and I do have a bunch of 4 1/2 inch squares left over from the Four-patch Quilt I made in 2004. Someday I'll post a photo of it, but let me tell you that the teapot applique on my blog is from the Four-patch Quilt.
And I managed to cut a few squares for my puff quilt, too. I'm still huffing and puffing on the puff quilt. It seems to be taking a long time, but remember, the quilting and piecing are being done at the same time. That puff quilt will only need a lining sewn to the back to be done. I'll just make a pillowcase type of lining, and tack it down in a few places.