Megan's Blog

Leap of Fabric Faith

The house is quiet, the kids are off to a scouting event, so I turn my attention to the poor neglected, not really started medallion.

Taking that first step is always the hardest for me when I can't see the whole quilt in my head.  But I have faith.  I have faith in the fabric, that if I like the whole pile that ultimately the fabric will find it's proper place.

I think this outside border will help transition into the green and browns....stayed tuned, we'll see how it turns out together.

Hugs and Stitches!

Megan

Lessons Learned

Tomorrow we are off to Ellis Island and a drive-by of the Statue of Liberty with 150 of our closest 4th grade friends.  In preparation of this, the kids had to do some family history research and then on Tuesday they were to go to school dressed as their immigrant relatives and go thru the registration/inspection process to see if they could enter the country.

Poor #2 went to school fearful for his citizenship for on Tuesday, because he took a fall on the quad and hurt his knees.

As he limps and cries himself from crash site to the house, I hear him cry/speak to no one in particular ---"now they won't let me in the country cause I have a limp"  Apparently he was unaware that he in currently resides the US.

And while I was looking for this picture I come across this on the camera...

when I questioned DH as to why he took a picture of the candy selection at the baseball field snack stand, he tells me,  the kids always send him for candy that is unavailable at the stand, so he headed off those requests by taking a picture of the selection and have them pick from the photo.

I've said it before and I'll say it again.....I'm surrounded by genius!

Meanwhile, I've spent 2 days cutting 6-1/2 and 2-1/2" strips of piles of fabrics (thanks to my fairy godmother of fabric for this project) getting ready to create something wonderful on my medallion quilt.

No more putting it off, I'm diving in.....

Hugs and Stitches!

Megan

Catching the Fever

well it seems that someone in my house has caught the fever....

don't you just love that he has thread on his shirt sleeve like the rest of us???

Last week I went into the 4th grade class to make a quilt for the local children's hospital.  The kids each drew on a block and then we made a sandwich and then they did some quilting.  I came home and put them together using that "quilt as you go" method. 

I left a blank block for the one child that was absent last week.   

It was especially fun seeing my little one threading everyone's needle and showing them where to quilt.

Now I just have the other 4th grade class to do.....yikes, I need about 5 more hours in the day!

Hugs and Stitches!

Megan

Sit a Spell

So I took some time this weekend in the woods to sit a spell, recharge for the next few weeks of year-end madness.
of course, as all you upstate NY ladies know, if you are going to sit a spell in May in the Adirondacks, you better either wear a full head net or do it indoors!  Black flies will eat you alive otherwise.   

But I did find time to do a little Dear Jane-ing

So now I better go work on my medallion quilt....I feeling some pressure from the last holdout on starting this quilt.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

Hugs and Stitches!

Megan

Temporary Ban on Multi-Tasking

I had a breakfast get-together this morning and then some running around in town and then got home with an hour to spare before the invasion of the men of the house.  mmmmm, what can I get done in an hour of peace?  I know, I'll "restore my natural haircolor" before they get home.  So I put the goop in the my hair and now I have to wait 25 minutes. mmm, what can I get done in 25 minutes, nothing in the sewing department onaccounta drips would be hazardous.  So I sit at the computer.

I take a look at emails and then typepad.  I notice I'm getting some hits from my friends at McCalls. 

Following the trail and I get here

and then I end up on this page

Look!  It's my basket quilt.  I knew it was coming out in  the August issue, I just didn't  know that the August issue was out already.   And  then I had to look at the other beauties in the same issue.  Love Beth's quilt and all the rest.

Well, you know, we've all burned cookies because we weren't watching the time.....need I say more?  let's just say I'm a few shades darker than my "natural color"....we'll just call the color  "YIKES".

New rule:  set a timer when "restoring natural color" and for now there's a temporary ban on multitasking.

Hugs and Stitches!

Megan

The sound of my voice

Yikes, where did this week go?  it seems like I went from class to class to class.  Between my Saturday and Monday's applique classes, I found 17 new converts to the applique life.  And then to the rest of my classes----6 in total this week, including 22 fourth graders today who each quilted a block for a Project Linus quilt.  Really, by now, I'm getting sick of the sound of my own voice.....it will be nice to have a quiet weekend in the woods.

In the meantime, I've been working on a gift quilt so I can't show it yet.  And I got some new books....love that Sue Spargo!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't know that I will make either of these quilts, but there are some great blocks in these and her color sense is wonderful.

I'm off to figure out what hand project will come with me this weekend.  I was thinking Lollipop #6 but I'm afraid the Lollipop Ladies will confiscate my fabric if I get too far ahead.  Guess Dear Jane is coming instead....

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend!

Hugs and stitches!

Megan

Civil War Blocks

Today I decided to tackle a few Civil War Blocks in between the deadline projects...

 
these blocks are so rewarding, little 6-1/2" victories!  Hope you are victorious today too.

Hugs and Stitches!

Megan

Time out for a Lollipop

I've been feeling the effects of the spring sprouting of trees, grasses, flowers....spring is definitely a mixed blessing here.

I should be working on a certain medallion quilt and some class samples and some magazine quilts, but the decided instead to work on a lollipop block.....something a little less taxing on my foggy brain...
 
I'm finding more and more that a photo reveals things that the eye doesn't always see.....like things that don't look symmetrical (like those light green leaves).  In this monster of a quilt there's so much going on that a little un-even-ness will probably not really show, but while it's still pinned I might as well fix it.

Working on this block definitely has helped to brightened by day....now I guess I'll do some hand sewing, cause it's probably not safe to operate heavy machinery like the vacuum, stove or oven, while I'm on allergy medication.

Hugs and Stitches!

Megan

Happy Day!

Hope you all are having a wonderful Mothers Day and that someone has made you breakfast in bed!  I'm going to use the power of the day to try to convince the little ones that all I really want for Mothers Day is for their rooms to be cleaned and not by me....think they'll buy it?

I'm trying to get all my class samples done for the upcoming schedules at the shops.  Here's another little sample called Mandelesque by Shelley Swanland that I finished up last nite (after a hard fought baseball game that ended in the loss column-boo hoo!)

It's a super easy way to do cathedral-window look without the hand sewing.

The pattern is for a much larger quilt, but for the class sample I just want to get them interested in the technique...I might need to make a larger one too at some point cause it really is easy and pretty too.

Hope you find time to sew today...

Hugs and Stitches!

Megan

More Trees Please

In the midst of 5 classes this week, I was still able to finish piecing on the trees...

I made the inside smaller than the twin-sized pattern directions, so it seems like the borders are now a little too large for the quilt, but I'll play with that later....I have it let it just hang on the wall for a bit first before I make any rash decisions.

and I am proud to say, no purchases were made for this quilt!

Hugs and Stitches!

Megan