Acton Fair block contest 2013

Acton Fair Block Contest 2013 "Christmas"

     This is what I did yesterday,  along with my one hour of hand quilting.   I was feeling poorly
from a cold and managed to accomplish something. Didn't want to sit idle all day.

Acton fair 2010 5th place   "A day at the Beach"



2nd place 2012 "the 60"s"
 

     Two years ago, I got 5th place.  This year I got 2nd place.  I enjoy doing this.  Acton fair takes the blocks and makes a quilt out of them.  They raffle the quilt among all who make a block.   Have not won yet, but maybe next year!!!

One day of needle work challenge

rays of sun in the sky (upside down)
one hours worth

 five hours of hand applique yesterday, while at the Cumberland fair watching ox pulling.

     Okay, so Monday I goofed off.   Well, I was at the fair and did my oxen powderpuff pull (got 5th out of 11 teams) at Cumberland fair.  When I got home, I was just toooooo tired to do any quilting.  
      So, yesterday, I took my hand applique fish scene to the fair to work on while I watched the pulling with my hubby.  I sat there for more than 5 hours and worked on my fish scene.  This is a class that I took with Jo Diggs from Portland, Maine.   Loved her work for years and finally got to take a class.   Have finished a couple of pieces already.
  Tonight I did my hour on my quilt.   I have completed one side of the outer row of mountains, only the sky portion. You can see the moose parading around the outside border.  It is looking better all the time.  I love it.

My old sewing buddy

Bummy, my helper?
 

     Bonnie, you said you liked kitties and sewing machines,  well. here he is. Lost him last year, but he was my helper for many years.  That is where he liked to sit while I was sewing.  I always had to move his tail out of the way!!!!!,  Either that or he was the other way arround, trying to catch the thread take up lever.
     Started on my sky blocks last night.  Decided to continue the sunrise theme in them.   So far so good.   It is a lot eaiser to do staight lines, than those stupid antlers.   This quilt has led me all the way, even to the Katahdin batting, a Maine-made batting named for the highest mountain in Maine.  Went to the LQS to get a wool batt for it and was asked if I had tried the Katahdin batting.  I said "oh no, with my theme that had to be the batting for the quilt."   My Josh just loves Mt. Katahdin in Baxter State Park.

28 moose parading around my quilt

9 1/4 hours this week!!!

     Finally finished my 28 moose.  When I started I thought it might be a mistake, but they are all done.  All from the same stencil,  ALL a little different??????    For the most part (antlers excluded), my quilt stitch has improved.  Those antlers, oh my, what a job.   Glad they are done.
     Now, what to do next.   I have quilted this as I was led, Not from the center out.  Yes, I did the center first, then the corners of each round, then the corners of the  border. Next the 28 moose, now I have all the blocks in the center to do.    I think I will carry my sun rising over the mountains on all the sky parts of the block, then who knows about the mountains.  It sure has been fun to quilt one hour MOST  days.  I am so grateful to Bonnie for encouraging me to do this.  THANKS, BONNIE.

Center of wedding delectible mountains quilt

July 7, o7,  why isn't this finished yet?????

hand quilting for an hour a day (hopefully)

New pattern for my Accuquilt

free handout from Moda

uses 1/2 square triangles, 4 patches and 4 1/2 squares,  all components of the one die that comes with Accuquilt

I spotted this pattern at the LQS this AM.  can't wait to try it out.  Should be lots of fun to do with any scraps.
My suggestion is get that machine out, cut scraps and PLAY, PLAY, PLAY!!!!!!  Keep arranging the shapes into different blocks
I also keep my eyes open for any quilt block that can utilize these shapes, even if the pieces in the quilt block are made of different shapes----it works just the same.   Anyway, I love it and am having fun discovering the possibilities of this one die.  Also purchased the hexagon die so I would have hexies cut to sew for handwork.

5 more moose to go

 

only 5 more moose to go



As I watched "South Pacific" last night,

was able to get 2 1/2 moose done.

Had a class tonight, but no one showed up.

Only one student, must have forgotten.

so while I waited I finished the last 1/2 moose.

 

I am still having fun with my Accuquilt.   Looked at

the wedding bouquet quilt block today, think I will do

this one on my one set of dies.

Accuquilt playtime

Wahoo, only 10 more moose to go on my hand quilting.  I have done 8 1/2 hours this week.
 Thanks ever so much Bonnie.
Have been having fun with my Accuquilt.  Looking for blocks that I
can work out just using the accuquilt die that came with it.  It is not as contrasted as I would
have liked, but I started using scraps and just kept going.   It is fun.
I would never have made all those 1/2 square triangles without the fun machine.

My "Bali" UFO that Bonnie encouraged us to finish

Flannel block
 

This is a flannel quilt top with each block has the month printed on the flannel. At our store, 6 of us took two months each and created a block for ourselves and one for everyone else. I took July and September. You can see my school house  block.

. This was done about 9-10 years ago. The blocks sat and sat. Finally decided how I wanted to display them using a wonky setting. Then added the sashing and cornerstones. The green border was to set it apart from the piano key border. Just love how it turned out. Next is put it together as a quilt.   

Oh,  by the way,  this is definitely mine,  a keeper.

 

I only did one moose tonight.  As you can see I had too much help!!!

my Christmas ornaments
 

Since we started last week, I have completed 9 moose.  That completes one side of the border and starting in on the second.   7 moose per border.  I have 19 left to go.
I did 8 1/2 hours of hand quilting and one hour of buttonhole stitch applique on my ornaments.
I think I have done pretty well for myself,  Thanks Bonnie for the shove to get going again.

Appalachian Trail Marker

Central wreat of flowers
with Names and
Date of Wedding!



Sun rising out of the corners of the
Delectable Mountains.



Yes, of course,  a Moose
hard to see, harder to quilt.
Looks good on the quilt.

     I am still learning this Blog thingy, but hope to improve soon.
Thanks Bonnie, for encouraging me to get back to quilting this queen size quilt.  It will have 28 moose around the border, with the "AT" markers in the outside border corners.
     This is a special quilt for my son and his bride.   They are both hikers and climbed mountains.  When my son proposed on top of Cadillac Mt. in Acadia National Park, I knew I had to make Delectable Mountains.   They both love Moose and the Appalachian trail so that is why these are quilted in.  It may take me years to finish, but Bonnie has challenged me to JUST GET BUSY AND SO IT.  So I am.
I have done the center, the sun rises, the AT markers and ONE moose.  Actually I did 3 moose, but the first 2 were traveling aroung the quilt on their antlers--- so it took me 20 minutes to rip them out and start over.   Now, this moose is at least walking in the right direction.   It takes about 45 minutes to quilt the moose (stupid antlers). Having trouble with marking staying on, or able to show up on this color.  Purple marker shows up, but disappears before I can quilt it all.   White marker does not show up enough.   Will experiment more tonight in my hour of quilting.  Ramona of Maine

this is the Moose I have been trying to quilt on  the Delectable Mountains wedding quilt!