#1550

That's my number, and I'm sticking with it ;)

#1550 is the registration number for my Priority: Alzheimer's quilt, "The Ties That Bind." I dropped it in the mail to Ami Simms today, and will be watching my USPS confirmation number to be sure it arrives safely! (Funny thing -- there weren't any Priority FREs out at PO, so I had to ask the clerk when my turn came. She didn't know what the acronym stood for -- is that more an online shorthand for those handy envelopes? Or was she having a blonde moment?)

Anywho, I'm going to miss that little quilt, but I'm proud to be part of something bigger and better.

More birthday blocks -- lucky me!

I must say, I'm so pleased with myself for picking the perfect theme for my birthday blocks ;) As I mentioned to someone else today, I've been carrying around the idea for a while, and this swap was the perfect opportunity to bring it to reality.

Today's mail brought TWO more great blocks, from Sophie (l) and Christine.



Sophie was definitely right -- more stripes were needed, especially when they're used in just the right way, like she did in her block. And Christine picked one of my all-time favorite fabrics for the center of her block (you can't really see it in the photo, so you'll have to trust me on that). Plus, I needed another block that's intensely red to balance Diane's from the other day.

Lucky, lucky me!

Quick Update on "WIP and WIN"

So far, I've heard about a variety of works in progress, from Denise, Sophie, Dorothy, Sandy, Karen and Christine. That's 6 so far, registered to win. I can't imagine there are too many of you out there without a WIP, but if you're in that crowd, tell me that, too! You've got six more days... heck, you could start at least one project and abandon it to the WIP pile in that time ;)

Edited because I can't add...

Blast From the Past

This just popped up onto my iGoogle homepage, courtesy of WikiHow... This was a big treat when I was a kid, something I always wanted to take to school on my birthday celebration day. (Given I have an August birthday, I usually celebrated at school at another time.) I think my mom wishes she had never discovered this idea -- although they're absolutely darling cupcakes, they're a real pain to make, and more importantly, transport to school! If you choose NOT to share this idea with any kids in your life, I'll never tell ;)

The Ties That Bind

Here it is -- The Ties That Bind. This little quilt was made for Ami Simms' Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI). One of the gals at quilting.about.com challenged the members to make a quilt this fall, as Ami is trying to collect 1000 quilts to take to International Quilt Festival in Houston and sell. I'm thrilled to be able to participate, and would be honored if my contribution went to Houston.

The parameters for the little quilts are pretty straightforward -- each donation must fit in a 9x12 USPS priority mail envelope. Ami auctions off a bunch of quilts each month and gives the money to the Alzheimer's Association. This is a great opportunity to try something new AND make a difference.

A little more about the quilt... anyone who's read anything I've had to say in the last 24 hours or so will recognize the components of this piece. When I trimmed the center panel of my beach quilt, I had some leftovers. Three of the pieces became postcards (those are done, too, waiting for you to tell me about your WIPs), and the rest became this little quilt. Each unit is about 3x4.5, and the total size is about 8.5" square. I put in what felt like 8 million eyelets, then tied the pieces together with a darker brown, nubby yarn.

This piece is made in honor of Laurel G., who has early onset Alzheimer's.

Tell Me About Your WIP -- and Win!

You saw I finished the top of the art quilt I've been working on... I had some pieces of the center panel left over after trimming it to fit the outer border, and those pieces were almost exactly postcard sized! So, in honor of my ONE MONTH (!) blog-aversary, I'm giving away these:

I just have to finish the edges, probably just overcasting with blue. A couple of the couched yarns fray a lot, so I dabbed on a little fray check first. Once it's dry, I'll finish these off before moving on to the next thing on my "to-do" list.

Want to win? Comment on this post and tell me a little about a "work-in-progress" in your life (quilting or otherwise) by September 10. Assuming more than three of you care, I'll randomly draw names for the winners.

Sensuous Lines & Curves

At LONG last (I think this class was last fall -- it's been long enough that I can't remember!)... here's MY finished top from Carol Taylor's Sensuous Lines & Curves class. I had to do a little fudging when I cut the length of the center panel too short, but it's barely noticable, so I'm pleased. My "big idea" was the beach, like at home on Lake Michigan -- water, sand, dune grass and sparkles of sunshine.

There's a LOT of work still to do before this piece is finished. The center panel has all the yarns and trims couched onto a "full" quilt already (top fabric, batting and muslin). The entire piece now gets layered with batting and backing, then that panel needs to be quilted to outline each of the couched yarns. In my mind, that was overkill, but I tried it on a sample (I'll show you that in a minute), and it's definitely worth it. Boring, though! I'll do that in invisible thread, I think, and then add in a few strands of copper hologram thread as accents (and to help balance the left, which is a little pale). I'm not sure what I'll do in the outer blocks yet... I guess take it one step at a time!