friday night cut up

I have participated, very quietly, in the Friday night sew-in before but I actually added my name to the list this time.

It will not actually be a Friday Night Sew-IN but a Friday Night Cut Up.  I have a stack of fabric to cut. I have been making the jelly roll sew along blocks. Not from a jelly roll, but from some black and white and red and white strips I had.  Well, I am liking it so much, I am adding some other blocks to the twelve that will come out of the sew along. I bought a great border print I found on the Southern California Quilter's Run last month. It is black and white and red and LIME GREEN. How fun.

I also have a baby quilt to make for a new grand niece. So more cutting for that, plus two backings plus binding. Cut, cut, cut.


I need a distraction. I went to the Long Beach International Quilt show today. I have attended all of them so far and they all have been a disappointment. While there were some larger quilts this time, most of the show was recycled wall quilts forom the Hoffman challenge or Houston last fall, etc.  There are three big quilt shows now in California and this one definitely ranks a distant third to Pacific International and Road to California. I may have to skip 2011.  So it is Friday night cutting for me.

happy in the red, white and blue.

Independence day.  There is something quite ethereal about walking through Independence Hall in Philadelphia where those brave men took a tremendous leap of faith and started our country more than 200 years ago.

It is also very special to me.  It was on Independence day when I married the Dude.  Why do I call him "the Dude"?  Because everyone who meets him makes the correlation. Think The Big Lewboski but much more articulate.

Anyway, Indpendence day makes the perfect anniversary. One, you never have to work.  Two, your husband NEVER forgets and three, there are always fireworks.

So Happy Independence day to my fellow Americans and especially to the Dude.


photo from Eric Flexyourhead's photostream on Flickr

quilt run

Well I was not going to do it, but I did. The Southern California Quilter's run, yes I am still working in the area, is the last two weekends in June. There are 36 shops participating covering 6 counties. I had participated in 2008 but it was so crowded at every store that I said to myself "never again".

And there were no buses in sight.  But we know what happens when that phrase is used. I received a newsletter from one of the quilt shops encouaraging people to participate in the second weekend and I said to myself "why not?". Well, the second weekend is the thing to do. One could walk around and actually see the fabric. I made twelve stores I think, including passing in front of Disneyland's main entrance on a summer Saturday morning, not for the faint of heart. There were some wonderful stores out there and there were some not so much.

That being said, I did find the perfect backing for my jelly roll quilt along. I have been making the blocks in red, black and white, mostly black and white or red and white. So when I saw Timeless Treasures recipe box fabric, it has probably been around for years, I knew it would be absolutely wonderful. 

The picture is fuzzy, sorry.  I have a brand new camera somewhere here, I just have to find it. I put it in "someplace safe". Ever done that?  As soon as I find the camera, I will post pictures of the blocks with the backing, I just love them.

I will also post my almost completed Charming Girls quilt along which I am doing in Moda Darla fabric from last year, I won a giveaway of some fat quarters and enhanced my stash with some border fabric.  I am trying to make a second one, I am making the larger version, in some Christmas fabric from a couple of years ago to be given as a gift. It will be totally from my stash and scrappy and makes me feel very self righteous. Since I am on such a roll, I better get rolling.