Today was the last day of my 5 day Easter weekend holiday. Tomorrow, it is back to my day job. The weekend was filled with the usual weekend activities–laundry, grocery shopping, vacuuming, and dusting. Good Friday we enjoyed a special family meal in celebration of Easter. The extra long weekend also afforded time for quilting.
I finished off a super secret project that I can not share pictures of right now and I worked on a project for me.
While in Arizona in February 2009, I purchased two panels of cacti prints from the Santa Fe fabric line by RJR. I set the blocks together using the BQ pattern from Maple Island Quilts after seeing a quilt made by Kathleen Moorhead Johnson http://www.augustwindquiltdesigns.com/page13.html.
The dark Southwest print to the left of my quilt top is a fabric from the same line as the cacti blocks. Although I purchased this fabric with the intention of using it as a border, I am not sure I like it with this quilt top. I will have to think further on this. Also, I still have some more cacti blocks so I am thinking of adding another row of blocks before calling this one finished.
This quilt was made from a pattern by Maple Island Quilts, called BQ2: http://www.mapleislandquilts.com/quiltpatterns.asp
I started this one on Friday morning and finished it to the flimsy stage on the same day.
The pattern says that borders are not necessary on these quilts, but I am not so sure I agree. Those who know me know that I like to add borders to my quilts. I think borders frame the quilt and corals the blocks. I am undecided whether to add borders to this one or not. If I did add borders, I was thinking of a narrow strip of the black for an inner border and a wider strip of the green as an outer border.
I am also trying out a new idea that Pat (http://bellcreekquilts.blogspot.com/) gave me. The flimsy is being held to my garage door by large magnets fastened to the back of large clips. They seem to hold the quilt top just fine. No need to round up quilt holders now (as long as my quilts are not too large!). Also, no more pictures of quilts with hands and feet! LOL
This is a closeup of the gorgeous lily fabric.
I have an idea for the next BQ quilt that I want to make. I saw a picture of a quilt made from the BQ pattern in the Fall / Winter 2006 issue of Quilt Sampler magazine. The quilt was from a shop in Tucson, Arizona, called, The Quilter’s Market. I wrote to the Quilter’s Market to see if I could purchase a kit to make this quilt. I have not received a reply so now I am collecting fabrics on my own to make this quilt.
This is a photo of the picture that was in that magazine. The quilt is made with vegetable fabrics. I am going to make my version with fruit and vegetable fabrics.
I had Monday off from work so I headed to Bellingham, WA with my parents to do some shopping. While in Wal Mart, I found the following fabrics to add to my BQ#3 collection. The fabric on the far left is a black and white check to use for sashing the blocks and the corn and peppers will be added to my collection of vegetable fabrics.
These fabrics are fat quarters of fruit fabrics that I purchased at Hamel’s earlier in the year. There are apples, strawberries, tomatoes, lemons, and citrus fruits.
While the clerk was cutting my fabrics in Wal Mart, my Mom asked me if I was buying enough for two quilts. Do you think she is looking for another BQ quilt? It looks like I will be cutting out two quilts at once again–one for me and one for Mom! LOL
This quilt was inspired by a quilt I saw at the Lynden Fair in August 2006. If you take a look at my post from August 16, 2006, you will see the quilt that inspired me to search for the pattern for this quilt.
On September 18, 2006 I finished BQ#1 to the flimsy stage. I mentioned in my post on that date that I cut out two of these quilts at the same time–one to be finished for my mother and the other to be finished for myself.
If you look back to my post of October 6, 2007, you will see my quilt, BQ#2. It only took listing these quilts on my side bar and making them part of my finished quilt goals for 2007 to get them finished–a year and half later! I wanted them finished for Halloween, I didn’t say which Halloween! LOL
My Mom took pictures of all her fall/Halloween quilts on Sunday and e-mailed them to her friends with the following message:
The” Quilt Lady” (Norma) came by today with a new quilt for me. (the one
on the dinning room table) The other ones she made me last year. I am real proud of my Halloween / Fall assortment.
These pictures are included here as well for your viewing pleasure.
And finally, a picture of Jack smiling at you.
