Chicago Pavement

So, this morning, I was perusing some of my older quilting magazines, and came across this one:

This is Country Quilts, Fall 1993.  I fell in love with the cover quilt, called Chicago Pavement.  I just had to make it, today! ( We all know that feeling, don't we?) So, I started cutting some fabrics:

I needed 9  two and a half inch squares of tone on tone white (or whatever lighter color I wanted- I just really like tone on tone white fabric, and have lots of it), and 4 two and a half inch colored squares.  I then cut triangles ala Bonnie Hunter, who showed how to use the easy angle ruler and really made things easier for me:
I cut two and half inch strips of the colored fabric, and then cut it, using the 2 1/2 inch line:

After I had everything cut, I went ahead and laid it out:

Here is the first one I did:

The original blocks came out to 12 inches finished size, mine finish out to 6 inches unfinished.  I wanted them to be smaller, I really want to use a lot of different fabrics.  I'm going to try to do a couple of blocks a day, at least, but we'll see how things go.  The new sewing room is clear down the hall, the fabric and quilting machine are back the other way, so I am definitely getting my exercise going from one to the other :).  I do need it though, the holidays added up in more ways then one, that's for sure!
On the Easy Street front, the top is done and awaiting borders.

I love it.  It's so much bigger than I thought it would be!  I found a purple and turquoise fabric in my stash that seems to work, so I'll hopefully get that done today.  Depends on how much time I have after the kids get home.
 I hope everyone has a great day,
Happy Quilting,
Marianne

New sewing room and Easy Street Progress

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and a very Happy New Year.  I feel that 2013 will be a great year.  The end of 2012 brought an early valentine's gift:

This is my new little nephew, James, he was due Valentine's day, but decided he wanted to ring in the New Year in person.  He's doing great, just has to get to 5 lbs, then he can go home.  Eat up, little man! The new parents are doing great, and just love him to pieces.  There are now 5 grandchildren between the two of us, and almost 15 years between the 2 youngest.  And, much to my daughter's disappointment, she is still the only granddaughter. I haven't even had a chance to make him a baby quilt, I was supposed to still have 7 more weeks :).  I will be getting it in gear this week.  I promise.

My youngest kids have been at their dad's for the holidays, combined with my oldest son moving into this own place.  So... his old room became my sewing room!

 I love having a room just for the sewing machines, dress form, and all my patterns:

Pattern holder

 Isn't it the coolest?  I got it from the local library, they were going to toss it out, but it holds patterns wonderfully.  I thought I had so many patterns, but they only fill up about 1/3 of it, the bottom and back are empty! More space to fill. 

 I now have my quilting system in the middle of the room, where I can get around it.  I might even try doing pantographs now.  Learn something new, right?
Finally, here the progress on my Easy Street Mystery quilt.

 The side and corner pieces are done.

This stack has only half of Block A.  I still have 8 more to go, and then block B, and putting it all together.  It's not difficult, just so time-consuming.  I really want to get the top together this weekend, but I have to be on the road tomorrow for about 8 hours ( time for vacation to end- kids are coming home), so maybe by Monday night.  I can only hope, right?  I am loving the colors though, and I haven't figured out yet what kind of quilting design to do on it.  I think I have to wait and let the completed top "speak" to me. 

Well, I hope everyone has a great weekend,
Happy quilting,
Marianne

Easy Street part 5

Despite it  being the weekend before Christmas, and working, I managed to get a few things done.  Most of Easy Street part 5 got done:

This is just a smattering, I love these colors together,  Does anybody know how many clues are coming?  I am chomping at the bit wanting to know how this turns out.  I am also one of those sad people who have to read the end of the book before I start reading it! 

I was also asked to please, please, please make a toddler sized Florida Gators quilt by Christmas eve.  This was last Thursday.  Yep, I was busy.  Got the top done, put it on the frame, where everything went crazy.  I kept dropping bobbins everywhere, the thread kept breaking, and making birds nests on the back.  Finally got it done around 1 am Sunday night.  When I went to put the binding on it, my thread kept coming out of the machine, etc.  This was one quilt that did not want to cooperate! I didn't get a chance to take a picture, my camera was dead, but here is the aftermath:

I learned two things: orange and blue are not my favorite colors, and that Walmart carries Gator fabrics when you frantically run in at 11 pm the night before Christmas eve, because you don't have enough for the backing.  But, it got done, and she is happy with it. 

On another note, my oldest son moved out, so his room is being turned into just-the-sewing room. 

There is still the fish tank and the turtle tank.  He keeps saying they'll be by to get them, but they haven't yet.  The poor suckers are lucky I remember to feed them, in this house if you don't remind me by asking " when's dinner?" or bark and beg for food, I will forget.  Don't ask about the beta fish my daughter used to have.  If they don't come to get them soon, I may put a posting on facebook that reads " Free to good home- one abandoned turtle and a fish family, very loving even if I get a disgruntled look on my face if not fed on time"  ( just kidding- maybe) .
Hope everyone had a great Christmas, and bring on 2013!
Happy quilting,
Marianne

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone.
Marianne

easy street, part 4

I have been slowly working on easy street , part 4, Bonnie Hunter's latest mystery quilt. 

untrimmed flying geese

stack of purple and white geese, with stack of purple and turquoise geese.

geese sewn together. 

I really can't wait to see what this comes out to be. Bonnie has also created a pattern for a scrappy flying geese quilt, called  geese on a string, based on an antique quilt she found.  I love anything with little scrap pieces of fabric!  This is one I will be making in the near future.  This week will be finding me celebrating Christmas on Tuesday ( my kids are going to their Dad's in Alabama for the holidays), work and cleaning my house, something it is really needing.  I will also be moving sewing machines and tables into what was my son's bedroom, and getting some sewing done, instead of laundry and dishes.  Yeah, 16 days of freedom, just me, my mom and the dog! I'll miss my kids, but they'll be back before I know it. 
Hope everyone has a great week,
Happy quilting,
Marianne

What am I working on today?

Today, I finished the string blocks for Bonnie Hunter's, Blue Skies, from her book: String Fling, scrappy, happy and loving it.  Over the past week, I turned these:

Into these:

And finally to these:

Now, onto making over a thousand half square triangles.  Yikes.  It's going to be great when it's done though.  Only problem? My scraps seem to be multiplying! :)
On the home front, school is over for this semester, and I have a month before it begins again.  And, my oldest son moved out, so his room will be turned into the sewing room!  Yippee!!! Oh, and my two youngest kids are going to their Dad's for Christmas and New Year's.  So, I will be cleaning house, and rearranging and moving sewing gear and fabrics.  The quilting machine and such will stay where it is, it fits perfectly there, but I will have a room where I can close the door on the mess.  Can we get a whoop whoop!!
So, time to get cracking on some more sewing today.  I am trying to get clue 4 of Bonnie Hunter's
easy street mystery quilt done, or at least some of it done today.  Have to be at work by 3.  Why does life have to get in the way all the time?:)
I do however, have all the other clues done, and for once they are all in one container:

 Yep, time to get sewing! 
Hope every one has a great day.
Happy quilting,
Marianne

Easy street part 2

I am loving this mystery quilt so far.  Much easier, like Bonnie Hunter promised it would be this year.  I worked on clue # 2 this weekend, but not as much as I would like to.  I came down with the flu, and it is kicking my butt.  So, I am in bed, trying to get my energy back. Get your flu shot.  ( my public service message).  So far, I have about 1/2 done, and the rest will get done when I am back on my feet.

I am having an issue with my pictures being blurry in the middle. No clue why, probably a setting or something.  I have a tendency to fiddle with things, then forget what I did, and how to undo it.  Well, time for a shower, and then a nap.  I feel like I ran a marathon, and all I did was get up and get a cup of coffee. Oh, and look at the kitchen- yep the hurricane I call family has been through there.  Sigh~.
Happy quilting everybody,
Marianne