In the midst of changing out rooms and realizing just how many projects I have lined up to work on "one day", I told Bobby that I seriously needed to keep slaving away until I finished some things so I could start something else. And then the package arrived.
There's this company called Keepsake Quilting that sends out a quarterly catalog. I call it my drool book. I love it when the small booklet arrives in the mailbox, and am thrilled even more if I have 30 minutes to drop everything (or ignore everything) and browse through it. Twice a year, they have a "challenge" where you can order a small package of material, make a small quilt from it, and mail it back to enter a contest. You know the theme of the material and the contest, but not what the material is. This quarter's theme was landscaping. I've ordered some landscaping material in the past, and figured that even if I didn't enter the contest, I would have some material that I liked. I placed the order, and got a notice that the package was on BACKORDER. Not sure how they expect you to enter a contest if they don't have the material on hand to send you, but the material finally came while we were moving furniture. Not the best week, so I didn't even open the package. The following week I couldn't resist temptation and pulled it out "just to look".
Here's samples of what I found (or as close to it as I could find on their website):
This panel is actually a beige wood, almost like a pine, but with crackly wood lines.
This is the pattern, but the print is a deep green.
Once I saw the material, how could I not at least ATTEMPT the challenge? Only a week and a half until the deadline? No biggie, I mean, it's only a 30" square. I've never done a "nice" quilt before. Hey! We all gotta start somewhere, right? Housework? The washing machine operates quite nicely and loads can be thrown in and out between breaks. And since the rules say we can add up to 2 fabrics, and I need a solid, PLUS I got the perfect fabric for Christmas that could spare a square or two, I figure it's worth a try. Bobby wasn't so sure about my idea, but once he saw my square he liked it, so I feel as if I've accomplished something. I've still got some trimming to do, but here's my unquilted entry square:
I'm not so sure about this makeshift chicken pen. My original plan had been to cut the chickens out and applique them all over the grass and the rooster on the wall, but if you notice the yellow blob on the first photo, things this small don't exactly applique very well. Maybe once I quilt in the stones and add some small circles between the birds for dirt it might look a little more realistic. I know my sewing and quilting skills aren't developed enough to win a prize, but I'm just excited that I'm this close to making the deadline and am somewhat happy with the result!
All this to say that the pictures of the finished bedrooms will have to wait until next week. I'm sure you understand. :)
There's this company called Keepsake Quilting that sends out a quarterly catalog. I call it my drool book. I love it when the small booklet arrives in the mailbox, and am thrilled even more if I have 30 minutes to drop everything (or ignore everything) and browse through it. Twice a year, they have a "challenge" where you can order a small package of material, make a small quilt from it, and mail it back to enter a contest. You know the theme of the material and the contest, but not what the material is. This quarter's theme was landscaping. I've ordered some landscaping material in the past, and figured that even if I didn't enter the contest, I would have some material that I liked. I placed the order, and got a notice that the package was on BACKORDER. Not sure how they expect you to enter a contest if they don't have the material on hand to send you, but the material finally came while we were moving furniture. Not the best week, so I didn't even open the package. The following week I couldn't resist temptation and pulled it out "just to look".
Here's samples of what I found (or as close to it as I could find on their website):
This panel is actually a beige wood, almost like a pine, but with crackly wood lines.
This is the pattern, but the print is a deep green.
Once I saw the material, how could I not at least ATTEMPT the challenge? Only a week and a half until the deadline? No biggie, I mean, it's only a 30" square. I've never done a "nice" quilt before. Hey! We all gotta start somewhere, right? Housework? The washing machine operates quite nicely and loads can be thrown in and out between breaks. And since the rules say we can add up to 2 fabrics, and I need a solid, PLUS I got the perfect fabric for Christmas that could spare a square or two, I figure it's worth a try. Bobby wasn't so sure about my idea, but once he saw my square he liked it, so I feel as if I've accomplished something. I've still got some trimming to do, but here's my unquilted entry square:
I'm not so sure about this makeshift chicken pen. My original plan had been to cut the chickens out and applique them all over the grass and the rooster on the wall, but if you notice the yellow blob on the first photo, things this small don't exactly applique very well. Maybe once I quilt in the stones and add some small circles between the birds for dirt it might look a little more realistic. I know my sewing and quilting skills aren't developed enough to win a prize, but I'm just excited that I'm this close to making the deadline and am somewhat happy with the result!All this to say that the pictures of the finished bedrooms will have to wait until next week. I'm sure you understand. :)
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