I played "hooky" yesterday...

As much as it pained me to do it, I decided to stay home and work on this Zenith quilt top yesterday rather than going to my quilting class. I missed seeing all of my friends, but it was the right choice since I finished getting it assembled.

 

I plan to work on finishing up my Midnight at the Oasis quilt and I need the design wall in order to do that. Now that the Zenith top is finished, I can take it down and put it into the to be quilted pile. And, the MATO can go back up on the wall. I'm more than half way to being finished and what I do have left is easy.

I'm still working on the cargo duffel. I had to lay off for a couple of days since I was waiting for my zipper to arrive. I wish I could have found a zipper I like better, but the one I got will work just fine. I was looking for one with with two pulls so that I can open it from either end and this one does, but it's not pretty. I hope to have time to work on it this weekend, although...

On Saturday I'm taking Kathy Doughty's Modern Wedge class in Orange County. Yippee! To tell the truth, I don't even care if I get much done in terms of starting/making a quilt. I'm more interested in meeting Kathy and listening to her quilting and fabric philosophy. I've been following her on her blog for years and greatly admire her fabulous ability to combine interesting/unusual fabrics. To say that I'm excited is an understatement. :)

Take care,

MATO QAL - the final link up!

It's the last day of our Midnight at the Oasis (MATO) QAL. It's hard to believe I've been working on this quilt for four months already. I've still got just a tiny, tiny bit left to do on the applique border but, as you can see here, I've gone ahead and made some of the blocks needed for the following three borders just to get a feel for what the completed quilt might look like. I'm going to continue working on it and know that it will go much quicker when I begin the rest of the borders.

I'm going to love it when it's finished! I'm so glad I signed up to do this quilt before I had really fully read the pattern instructions. I might have chickened out and not done it and that would have been a shame. It's been a true learning process and I think I can safely say that this is my favorite quilt out of all that I have made over the years.

I've linked up with Sharon at her blog, Fabric and Flowers, and hope the others making the quilt do too!  Thanks so much to Sharon and Jess, too, at the Elven Garden for hosting this great QAL!

I'll post photos of this quilt again, when I have the top done and one final time when it's completely finished (quilted and bound)! 

Take care,

I'm linking up to all of my previous MATO posts for future reference! They are #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, and #6.

MATO progress... working on it today!

I've been working on the applique border of my MATO quilt every Thursday at quilting class and I can finally see light at the end of the tunnel. I'm hoping after today, I'll be 95% done.

This has been such a fun quilt. Yes, sometimes that applique has seemed tedious, but it's going to be so worth it in the end and I've learned a lot in the process. I'm really loving this quilt and my DH is too!

On another note, I've just listed two Grace Errea patterns in my etsy shop. These are patterns I purchased from her when I took her Eagle class with the intentions of making them fairly soon after the class. Considering that I haven't even finished the Eagle yet (I'm in the process of FMQing it now) I've decided that I'll never get around to it so wanted the patterns made available to someone who actually might make one/both of them up. 

They are here, if you are interested. 

Take care,

MATO progress... or how slow can I go?

I'm slowly - very slowly - getting the applique border done. But, in the meantime, and because I'm already behind schedule, I've made just a few of the small churn dash blocks. I thought about not doing them and substituting something else for this border, but they are so darn cute, I decided it was worth the effort. :)

Linking up here just a little late! :)

Take care,

S-l-o-w Progress on the MATO...

I'm definitely making progress, but it's s-l-o-w. It's probably not really, it's just that I'm not used to doing applique - which obviously takes a whole lot more time that machine piecing. :)

I'm beginning to be able to "see" the quilt in my mind and have an idea of what it will look like when it's finished and I like it!! At this point, the vines and a leaf and flowers are just pinned on the border. I've still got some re-positioning to do before I'm ready to sew it down, and lots more flowers, flower petals, and leaves to make.

I actually went ahead and made a few of the blocks that comprise the next three borders so I would have a better idea of the fabrics I need to be selecting. Those little churn dash blocks are only 3" finished... whew! :)

It's really been a challenge for me - I'm definitely out of my "comfort zone" on this one and it's absolutely wonderful! This is going to be a quilt I treasure.

Linking up with Sharon and Jess for the QAL.

Take care,

MATO progress... I'm finished with border #2

I've been having a great time working on my Midnight at the Oasis quilt and, believe it or not, I've completed the 2nd border. Orange peels... and all hand appliqued. I'm patting myself on the back because I'm not typically enamored of this type of "hand work." I used the freezer paper method and found it easy, quick and very accurate.

I'm linking up with both Sharon and Jess today. If you like this quilt pattern, you might find it fun to check out what everyone else is doing with theirs. Lots of great variations, I think!

There's also a flickr group if you want to see even more!

Take care,

Midnight at the Oasis center block...

I've re-joined a quilting class that I belonged to about 4 years ago and it meets every Thursday from 9-3. A great group of women with varied interests, it makes for a fun and interesting day. Most of the time we work on projects of our own and it's a place to solicit advice if needed or just spend the day socializing. There's lots of "oohing and aahing" too!

I spent much of the day last Thursday working on my Midnight at the Oasis orange peel blocks, and then yesterday I almost finished my center block. I only have the very center to applique and I've held off till I decide what exactly I want to put there. The pattern calls for three circles, one atop the other, but I'm thinking something a bit more unexpected. We'll see what I can come up with.

I'll admit that I did not enjoy setting in those triangles and I paper-pieced the small triangles (thanks to great info from Sharon), rather than hand piece those tiny things as the pattern suggests. The paper-piecing was easy, but I still had a bit of an issue making them fit the center block and then setting in the triangles. I was ready to start using the ole' seam ripper when I decided to use some starch instead and it really helped it all lay flat. It's by no means perfect - not even close, if I tell the truth - but no one is going to notice it when I get the quilt finished and up on the wall, so it's staying the way it is!

I'm really having a good time with this quilt pattern so far. It's a real challenge for me since it's not the type of quilt I usually make. It's time consuming, lots of tiny pieces, and some hand applique, but I am really enjoying the process anyway. Of course, seeing it come together on the design wall makes it all worthwhile.

Take care,

Midnight at the Oasis QAL and I won some fabric!

I did accomplish a few things this weekend and it felt great. I got two (of four) quilts pin-basted before I ran out of pins. I could have finished the other two if I had wanted to go buy more pins, but I didn't want to leave the house. The Fractured and the HST quilts were the ones I basted, and I'm going to start quilting the Fractured first.

In the meantime, because I don't have enough other quilts and UFOs to keep me busy, I joined the Midnight at the Oasis QAL hosted by Sharon at Fabrics & Flowers and Jess at The Elven Garden.

Here you can see just some of the mess I've got piled around my sewing room as I was picking fabrics for this quilt. I finished all four "pieced triangles" of the center block and now have to sew the setting triangles and the circle thing in the middle of the block. Kinda fun, I have to say!
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I was also the lucky winner of Vicki's drawing last Monday for a FQ of her hand-dyed fabric. Every Monday she picks a winner from the participants of the previous Friday's Fractured QAL. The odds are pretty good everyone will win eventually since there aren't millions doing the QAL. Thank goodness, or I would never win! :)) I'm not just being negative... I'm just not lucky that way! Except this time, and look at that gorgeous fabric!!

I loved the little packet Vicki sent which included a perfect-for-a-quilter greeting card, her business card, a pad of sticky notes and that wonderful fabric. Thanks Vicki - I love it and I'll definitely put it to very good use.

Take care,