What I've been doing

Hello Pieceful Quilters,

First, I would like to thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers over the past couple of months. My Dad's illness and subsequent passing were made so much easier by all of you - your kindness, sympathy, and above all, your patience, have been amazing! I can only hope for each of you as wonderful a circle of friends (for you are all my friends) as I have.

Now, in case you were wondering if I have been sitting around and staring into space, well, yes, to some extent you are right, however, I have taken my own advice to so many of you, and turned to my quilting for therapy. There is nothing quite so soothing as sitting at your machine and choosing fabric after fabric to put in a scrappy quilt, and then piecing them through in a long, long string of pieces. So, here are a couple of things I have been working on:

First, the most recent Sarah's Club project. I didn't quite have it done in time for the meeting last month, but it is finished now, and Vonnie has it all quilted. All I have to do is put on the binding and add a label. I am really pleased with it:

Sarah's Patriotic Quilt

Then, I have been working on three great scrappy projects at the same time. Sewing a bunch of pieces from each, then ironing and then more sewing. First is the 1000 Pyramids quilt that I am making from the Charm Squares we exchanged in Sarah Club. I still haven't found the two missing rows that I brought to the shop to show you. I am sure they will turn up, but in the meantime, I have continued to move along. Here is six more rows at the end of my guest room bed:

1000 Pyramids

Next comes the quilt I am working on using the triangles from the exchange. Some of you may have seen part of it at the demo, but here is some more on my design wall. I have started writing the pattern, too, and it will be available free on our website, soon.

Hidden Diamonds - Triangle Exchange Quilt

Finally, I have started my project for the next exchange. If you haven't heard, we will be exchanging 1" x WOF strips to make quilts from Edyta Sitars newest book, "Friendship Strips and Scraps." Information about the exchange is in our current newsletter. If you didn't receive one in the mail, you can download one from our website. I am doing this adorable Courthouse Steps quilt. The one in the book uses slightly bigger strips, but it is working just fine with 1" strips. Here are some of the blocks in progress on my ironing board. Don't they look kind of like they are floating? Hmmm - Magic!

Strip Exchange Project in Motion

So, no need to worry about me. I am doing fine, and getting plenty of therapy in my sewing room. Gosh - I might even finish something! And, if you see my missing triangles somewhere, please tell them to come home so I can add them to their quilt before I finish it!

Happy Sewing Therapy!

Carrie

Schoolhouse Quilt - Finished!

Hello Pieceful Quilters,

I had mentioned awhile back that I was planning to do a reproduction of the schoolhouse quilt from the International Quilt Study Center in Nebraska, that Jo Morton and Gail Kessler had used to create Andover's Schoolhouse fabric line. I had always wanted to do a traditional schoolhouse quilt! Our month in the recent shop hop was September, so it seemed like a perfect chance. Here is the original quilt:

And, our quilt:

Oklahoma Schoolhouse Quilt

I was determined to come up with a way to do this without templates, so my pattern uses the Tri-Recs Ruler set. The quilt finishes to 70" x 94", but you could easily make it bigger by adding another border or two. We have several kits leftover from the shop hop, and they include the pattern, for $109.99. Patterns are also available seperatly for $8.99. I don't think Katie has had time to put them on our website yet, but feel free to call the shop to order over the phone.
(847) 516-7911

Happy Schooldaze!
Carrie

Antique Schoolhouse Quilt

Hello Pieceful Quilters,

I want to share one of my current projects. Andover fabrics has reproduced the fabrics in the Schoolhouse Quilt shown below. The quilt is from the collection of the International Quilt Study Center in Lincoln, Nebraska:

IQSC Schoolhouse Quilt
Click on the quilt to visit their website

I ordered some of the fabrics from the collection, including the great fabric you see in the alternate blocks. It is hard to tell from the pictures, but the fabric really gives the quilt wonderful movement. Some of the fabrics are below - again, it is hard to see the detail in the pictures, but if you click on the pictures you get a better close-up view.

I am working on reproducing this quilt, and making it easier - as usual. Not quite sure which of my favorite methods I am going to use, but I will let you know as soon as I figure it out!

Happy Quilting!

Carrie