Blocks 7 & 8

I got in gear this weekend and managed to catch up on my blocks for Saturday Sampler. I hate falling behind on these, because then it becomes very easy to just set them aside permanently. And I'm loving these blocks.

Block #7 is Queen Victoria's Crown. The center went together fast - and then the outer rows took awhile. Too many little triangles. And one of the edges refuses to straighten out with pressing. However, I know that when I sew it onto a sashing it will be OK.

Block #8 is called Arizona. This one was much easier. My only bit of panic is comes with wondering how much of each fabric will be needed to finish the final 4 blocks. One of my pink fabrics has much less left than all of the others. But this is a sampler quilt, so substitution may be OK in the end.

A Nearly Perfect Day

Yesterday was a nearly perfect day. I went to the 2010 Quilts & Vines event with 3 girlfriends. The weather was great for an outdoor quilt show - no wind, no humidity, no heat. Just lots of sunshine and gentle breezes.

We set up our lawn chairs in the shade of big ol' trees, then wandered off at our leisure to explore the hundreds of quilts displayed in the vineyard and along the fence lines. A band played in the background and their was food available for sale. And of course - since the whole event is held at the Strawbale Winery, there was wine to taste - and purchase if desired.

Here are a few of my favorite views from the day. Click on the photos to enlarge them.

Quilts & Vines

Only a couple of more days until the 2010 Quilts & Vines. I can't wait to attend for the 4th year!

Just imagine hundreds of quilts hung in a vineyard among the grape vines, draped over fences, and hung on the side of an old barn. Music, a trunk show, food . . . and local wines to taste. What more can a girl ask for on a Saturday?

If you are within driving distance of Sioux Falls then it will be worth your time to come check it out. Bring a lawnchair, a hat, and sunscreen. And after you've explored the quilts - or maybe to rest up in between, you can sit in the shade of big old trees, listen to the music, sip a little wine, and just relax.

Here is a quick glimpse from last year . . .

My pink & white "New Wave"

The top is done! This went together so easily. (See yesterday's post for the pattern source.) And it is a perfect project for stash busting. All you need is 12 fat quarters and a yard of solid for the sashing - plus backing and binding fabric. I'm headed to The Pin Cushion to look at the Minkee choices for my backing.

I'm really liking this

I finally spent some time in my sewing room last night and I've put together 7 of the 12 rows for my New Wave quilt. And I am really liking this pattern. I have all of the rest of the pink wedge shapes and the white strips cut so hopefully tomorrow I'll finish this top with the final 5 rows on the top. I'm thinking it needs something cuddly on the back - like minkee.

I promised to share the pattern source. It was a free pattern found on http://www.ohfransson.com/. Elizabeth Hartman has some neat things on her website that are worth checking out. And thank you Elizabeth for creating this easy and fun pattern.

A new project

I haven't done any sewing since my surgery, but I have done a little organizing for a project that I wanted to start. I saw a darling quilt called New Wave on a blog and downloaded the instructions. (I'll link to the original blog when I finish my project.) I made a couple of rows in June before going into the hospital, and now I'm ready to do the rest.

I've been collecting pink fat quarters for a couple of years, and so I've got quite a few - not all of fit together very well. Some have too much "yellow" or "blue" to go well together. But I needed 12 different ones for this little quilt and I've pulled 12 now that I like.

Next steps are to start sewing again. Maybe later this week I'll feel like digging in.

I'm back - kind of . . .

Wow - thought I would only be "off radar" for about 2 weeks, but it has definitely been longer. My simple surgery turned into 1 simple one, and another emergency surgery 3 days later to repair more problems. I spent 13 days in the hospital, but have been home one week today. And today was the first time I felt up to sitting at the computer long enough to read a few blogs and check my email.

Thanks to some of my local readers for the calls, visits, cards, and flowers. I can't say how much I appreciate knowing my friends were thinking of me.