Slacker

The Gaylord Texan Convention Center in Dallas is featuring Alice in Wonderland this summer - what a great sand sculpture!






Not much sewing going on here (but I did visit three quilt shops on Saturday).  All I have to show for two weeks is one block.  This is the progress on my square-in-square blocks.  Still pondering my options.

Finally...

There hasn't been much sewing time since returning from our fabulous trip. Sometimes quilting/sewing takes a back seat to reading, especially when it's on the back porch. My sewing room is upstairs and there's no AC up there. I really should be spending more time there because it's just going to get hotter!

I've managed a little progress on Bonnie Hunter's String Spiderweb pattern. The upper left shows sections sewn into two "blocks". The shrinkage is generally amazing to me. The "star" has become more prominent, and I'm not thrilled with that. Maybe it's just the surprise of seeing it draw up.

This is going to have to be a full size quilt for maximum impact, don't you think? It really was in the plan all along, but I really would like to make some smaller quilts; it just doesn't seem to happen!

Putzin'

I haven't started a new project in a long time (with the exception of Lori's doll quilt in January).  I sewed a couple sample blocks months ago to capture an idea, but not picked a new project to ramp up the enthusiasm.  I've been thumbing thru the quilt library and keep coming back to three quilts.  These need to ferment a bit in my brain before jumping in.  So, Sunday I grabbed a stack of 3" squares from the stash and, quick-as-you-please, I had 21 square-in-square blocks.  Here's a little sample -

I'm considering adding pieced strips around the edges - I've got something in mind.  Don't know where it will go from here.  Sometimes you just gotta play and let the blocks tell you how the quilt should evolve.  I'm a great one for over-planning, so this will be an adventure. 

One of the quilt books I return to repeatedly for reference is 'Vertical Quilts with Style'.  It gives diagonal measurements and cutting dimensions for side and corner triangles for blocks from 1" to 16" (increments of 1/2") - very handy when you decide to set a block on-point!

Hope to get back to sewing soon - things are crazy busy!

Raffle Quilt

Just a quick post to show you the fabulous raffle quilt from Heritage Quilter's Guild of South Suburbia (Chicago area). Jennifer Kralik, along with another quilter whom I, unfortunately, do not know made this. Ruth Ann Gapen did the incredible machine quilting. Isn't it beautiful?! Jennifer has been responsible for quite a few raffle quilts of late, with one more gorgeous than the next. She also made our current raffle quilt which was juried into the upcoming Shipshewana, Indiana. I'll post some pics of that one soon!

Architecture

You might be interested in a few close-ups of unusual architectural detail.  These first two shots are from Notre Dame - looks like serpents projecting from the structure.

 The following are from Oxford.  We spent most of the day at Blenheim Palace (approximately 10 miles from Oxford), so we didn't arrive until late afternoon.  We jumped on the open-top tour bus for a quick overview (short 'window of opportunity' for pics).  The architectural detail was amazing - very eclectic.  We had dinner at 'The Eagle and Child' pub (favorite hangout of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien) - an item from Jan's 'to do' list.

 

These last two are part of the drainage system!

Hope to get back into the sewing room soon - lots to catch up on when you're gone for two weeks!

Pussycat, Pussycat, Where Have You Been?

I've been to London to visit the Queen! Well, we didn't get to see the Queen, but I did buy a cute mug for my granddaughter with the nursery rhyme on it.
Vicki and I packed a lot into our days. We saw cities, towns, museums, palaces, and, the main reason for the trip...Quilts. We saw some beauties, but, unfortunately, no photos were allowed. We went to the exhibit of quilts at the V&A Museum. This was the advertising card for the exhibit. I love the modern take on the Union Jack.At the Museum shop, they were out of tea towels, as the demand far exceeded the supply. They put our names on the list for them when the new shipment comes in. We are keeping our fingers crossed. So, the only thing that I bought there was this Day Planner for next year.

I've always wanted to see a Sanderson Star, and this one was in the exhibit. The pic is from the DayBook.

The other show we attended was at the American Museum in Bath. The book for this exhibit was published a few months ago, and shows many of the quilts in their collection. I thought that I'd pop into the Museum shop (they always have one), and look what I found. A little book on their quilts for 4.99pds! It was just tucked in amongst the other "American" novelties. I'd never even heard of this book before, so I consider it a lucky find. It is small (digest size) and has many photos - some in color, but lots of b&w, too.

I'm sure Vicki will have more to say about the quilts we saw in days to come. For me, I am glad to be home, but it was a fabulous trip, and I am already making a list of things to do on my next visit!