This is the progress on the All About Me Halloween quilt so far.
The only place I could find to take a picture of this quilt was off my deck. Since it is evening, the sun is quite low in the sky and is responsible for casting a shadow from the tree over the top left hand corner of the quilt.
This piece now measures 88″ x 99″. The pattern does not call for a border, but I think I will end up adding a border anyway.
This is tonight’s progress on my Halloween version of “All About Me”. Three rows are now together.
I am having a little bit of difficulty since I don’t have a design wall to put this up on. I tried placing the blocks on a piece of flannel. That worked, but I don’t have a wall big enough to hang the flannel on. I have been using the floor as a substitute design wall and then moving the blocks to the bed of my long arm.
I am planning to make my quilt 8 blocks wide by 9 blocks long. That will make my quilt’s finished size 88″ x 99″. I haven’t decided if I will add borders or not.
I posted on June 22, 2008 that I bought two new patterns. I have started working on both projects. Yes, I still have UFOs to work on and yes, I have started two new projects at once without finishing either project. Oh well, this is how I work. I flip between projects as the mood strikes me.
First up, is Charm Party Tote by Penny Sturges of Quiltsillustrated.com fame. You remember, the company with the motto, “No wimpy bags”. This bag has been renamed, “Charm Walker” by a good friend and you can see why by taking a close look at the picture.
I have been talking about the multiple layers of Pellon fleece in this project and how when this bag is finished it will be able to stand on its own. In fact, I think it will be able to follow me as I walk through the mall. That has advantages as I will have more room to carry shopping bags if my purse can move on its own power.
This bag is only the outer layer so far and it stands pretty well. Imagine how stiff and proud it will stand once it has the Pellon lined pockets which are attached to the Pellon lined lining added!
Last night I looked for this project to show my mother and I couldn’t find it. With all the joking I have been doing about it walking away on its own, I thought maybe it had given up waiting to be finished and had walked itself right out of my studio. But alas, it was there, turned inside out and thus camouflaged against all the other fabric in my studio. What a bag–it has the ability to walk on its own, and can camouflage itself into its surroundings when necessary!
Charm Walker, walk on!
This is the progress thus far on my Halloween version of All About Me by Atkinson Designs. I have plans to make this quilt large–queen bed size. These are only a few of the blocks. I was so anxious to see how it looked that I quickly laid out some of the blocks last night so I could share a picture.
This one could be renamed, All About Fun, because that is exactly what this pattern is, FUN!
This morning was the FABs Saturday Sew-In. This Saturday’s project was both designed and organized by Cher with a little help from LindaJ. (Linda worked out the drafting of the pattern in EQ.) The pattern was affectionately named, CGF. I’ll leave you guessing what that stands for! LOL
The pattern was drafted first with a feature fabric square of 12 1/2″ (cut size). The alternate block was actually a rectangle that was made up of one 8 1/2″ square and two 4 1/2″ squares.
Last night LindaJ came up with an amended version–8 1/2″ square, one rectangle 5 1/2″ x 6″ and two squares cut 3″ square.
I decided to make my version of the pattern, “half size”. (That is half the size of the original pattern.) I had a bin of pre-cut 6 1/2″ squares already cut and another bin of 2 1/2″ squares. I had a few leftover partial 4 1/2″ strips that I cut into 4 1/2″ squares and I cut a few of my 5 1/2″ squares down to 4 1/2″ squares.
This was 6 of the first blocks arranged on the floor to see how this patten might look scrappy.
All the squares are now finished but not yet sewn together.
2008 marks a very special anniversary for the Province of BC. It has been 150 years since the founding of the Crown Colony of British Columbia in 1858. BC 150 is a yearlong celebration marking this anniversary.From June 12 to July 6, the CP Spirit of 150 Rail Tour is visiting BC communities along the Canadian Pacific rail line. Last Wednesday night the vintage CP 2816 Empress steam train rolled into our community.
The following are pictures that I took of the steam train as it sat on the tracks near our house.
The train came complete with a conductor.
These ladies looked like they were waiting for the train to leave the station as they would have years ago.
The train brought along its own live entertainment.
This engine is not quite as old as the steam engine that led the train but we suspected that it may have been along to provide some extra power for the Empress.
This is the back of our yard/house (our house is on the left with the black roof). This picture was taken as we walked across the baseball diamond between our yard and where the train was parked. The view of Mt. Cheam was breathtaking on Wednesday night.