One block down, 3 to go.  I hope.  I know I have enough fabric for 3 blocks and am trying to stretch it to make 4.  With 4 blocks, I think the Storm at Sea effect will be more apparent.  I’m sticking to my fabric diet (another 2012 resolution) very well so far and will make do with whatever I have in my stash.

Using Wendy Mathson’s Trimplates has really been helpful for accurate piecing.  The next test will be when I sew the next block to this one.  I’m looking foward to doing that when I sew with a quilting friend on Friday!

This year, I want to challenge my piecing skills with the ‘storm at sea’ block patterns. I’m off to a good start using fabric from my stash for the diamond and the little square in square units.

For the big square in square, I’m using challenge fabrics from the Bay Area Modern Quilt Guild January meeting. They are from the Premier Collection by Lotta Jansdotter for Windham Fabrics.

To help me with the pattern, I’m using a book and tools by Wendy Mathson: A New Light on Storm at Sea Quilts: One Block-An Ocean of Design Possibilities and fast2cut Quilters’ TRIMplates

So far so good!

Just finished a challenging and fun project–a quilt made by 5th graders and parents at the Washington Open Elementary School in Santa Clara, CA. Each student embroidered and embellished a block for this quilt in gorgeous colors of nature. They all did a fantastic job. Every block is beautiful, unique and interesting and I enjoyed quilting every one.

For next month’s meeting of the Bay Area Modern Quilt Guild, we are making 9 patch blocks in Halloween fabrics. After scanning my fabrics into EQ7, I was playing around with some of the blocks in the EQ7 block library. I think my block was originally one of the eccentric star patterns. After coloring it with my fabrics, I ended up with this one that I’m calling ‘Bats Dancing’. If you recognize it as something else. Please let me know.

What would this block look like in a quilt? Here are a couple of possibilities: Bat Waltz and Bat Disco.

Last week, I had the opportunity to improve my piecing skills in a class with Sally Collins. O my gosh, I learned so much! Sally produces amazing work and is a generous and helpful teacher.  She makes unbelievably gorgeous quilts and her small scale quilts defy imagination!

This 3 inch sawtooth star is the result of 3 hours of work in class. I sewed and unsewed (removed stitches in) a few seams, some several times, to achieve it and the effort was worth it. I’m very proud of this little project and am using the small-scale skills that I learned in my large scale quilts.

If you like batiks, check out Sew Bee It Quilting in Morgan Hill, CA. They one of the best selections that I’ve seen, especially in the lighter tones.

Each week, I try to take something new to the Farmer’s Market.  This is the quilt I’m working on for this Friday.  It’s actually 2 quilts called Night and Day from a pattern by Jinny Beyer.   The pattern is a free download from RJR Fabrics.

For more free quilt patterns, Lily Street Quilts has a whole page of links in Free Patterns.

My own longarm machine has finally arrived, is set up and stitching beautifully! I’ve been quilting all week and having a marvelous time getting aquainted with her. She’s strong, competent, fast and easy to get along with! I want to give her a name–open to suggestions.

My handmade, machine stitched quilts will be offered for sale.

Every Friday in May, 10am-2pm
San Pedro Street between Santa Clara and St. John streets

Counting down til next Thursday, May 5. That’s the day that I’m scheduled to get my new longarm quilting machine–a Gammill Optimum with a Statler Stitcher. It’s going to be located in my garage and I’m all ready for it. In addition to painting the walls and ceilings of the garage (getting ready for the new, not so little, baby), I built a new floor on top of the existing concrete. It’s just an inch and a half high, framed with 1 X 2′s laying on their wide sides, 16″ on center. Three quarter inch plywood is laid on top of that.
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