Purple Quilt in progress

I am working on a quilt using deep purple fabrics and greens (sages, olive greens, limes) but in these photos some of the purples appear blue. It is harder than one would think to find fabrics in deep purple tones. I am going for a scrappy look with all sorts of blocks I am just creating on the fly, so I have been looking for fat quarters and fat eights, even leftover scraps, in deep purples and greens to off-set the purples. These pics are just a few of the blocks I have been making in my spare time. It is very relaxing to use all these different fabrics and just create.....

This box made of recycled rulers was from a cool store with interesting doo-dads and I couldn't resist.

I should be receiving my CQ needle case from Nickilee soon (the one that I won) and I will post it very soon.

We spent Thanksgiving relaxing at home then visited Frankenmuth and Bronner's, where I bought a little something for the Secret Santa Stocking Swap (did I get that name right?) on HGTV. We have almost no (blood) relatives, so we spend holidays with the 4 of us here at home and then visit friends (who are like family) around the holidays.

On a side note, we're working on the fine art of parallel parking with our 17 year old daughter so that she can take the road test and finally get her license.

My temporary job ends at the end of December. I have been covering at a non-profit for a woman who is on maternity leave. That should leave me more sewing time (and time to search for a new job.) I am still contingent at the hospital, but some regular work would be great.

I will write more soon, but I wanted to make sure to post something since I haven't been very good about posting.

Stocking and experiment

This is the stocking I made for the HGTV secret santa stocking swap. I sure hope the recipient likes it. Of course, it will be full of gifts. The purple and green block is an experiment...I am creating something so I played with fabric tonight. This is one of the blocks -- I thought I would share it.

Autumn photos and HSTs

The top picture is a project I started on a whim - 200 scraps (and a few identicals) sewn into 200 HSTs. My seams are getting sooo straight with all this practice. I really need to finish my other projects but for some reason just HAD to do this. Only a few more left to sew, then I can put it on hold while I finish my other projects. The other photos are from an Arboretum - this is one of the oldest houses in the area set in some woods and near a peony garden. The red leaves are from a sweet gum.

Siggy Quilt

Today I am going to work on my signature quilt. I am still waiting for a few blocks to arrive back to me via the mail so I can't finish the top today. So, here is a photo of two of the strips to give you a sample of the progress, I have 6 strips so far. These rows of blocks are resting on top of a red blanket which has nothing to do with the quilt. I have the border fabric and the backing ready, so as soon as the remaining blocks make their way back to me, I can get this one done. Although I am toying with some ideas and who knows what I will create today. I have to say, I really love this quilt. It is chock full of memories of my friends, co-workers, pets, and family. Some people have simply signed their names, while others have written very personal statements.

*UPDATED* I have put together part of the top. It is lying on the curved back of the sofa, which makes it appear wonky. As soon as I get the rest of the blocks and create the border, I will post it again. I was never a 1930's person but I have really enjoyed using these fabrics. I hope to finish this soon as I am still working on my Asian quilts and the wildlife quilt. Oh and the batik quilt. Oh and the red, black and white quilt.

Tile Art

We visited a local botanical garden today - it was a beautiful autumn day. This sweet gum tree has such beautiful colors. The other 3 pictures - of the entry gate and the tile art - could be made into quilts. I am going to work on my signature quilt tonight and once it is further along I will post a photo. A few more people signed some blocks and I know that whenever I am feeling down, reading these blocks will cheer me up.

Happy Halloween

Just in case I don't get a chance to post before Saturday, I am posting now. Happy Halloween! My daughter made this decoration for her Spanish class at school. Today I work at the hospital - the local preschoolers are supposed to be dressed up in costume to trick-or-treat through the hospital. On a quilting note - - I have many blocks signed for my signature quilt and hope to start sewing all the blocks together soon. I am really excited about this project. More later!

I Won!!!

I won a contest which required that the winner be the 1st person to post on the HGTV message boards as soon as Nickilee posted her 7000th time. It was fun to play along with the others in anticipation of her 7000th post!

Here is her blog:
http://www.cqnickilee.blogspot.com/

I will post a photo of the item I receive as soon as it gets here, but that should be in a couple of weeks. I can't wait! She does beautiful work.