Twisted

A three-year old WIP is now finished!

I started this project with Bonnie during Super Bowl Weekend 2009.  It was sort of a quilt along to use up 2.5" strips.  I had a stack of novelties that needed to be used, so I chopped them up into 2.5" strips and started stitching.

All the blocks were done before the end of the big game.   But when I laid them out all next to each other, it was kind of muddy and really didn't work.  So I grabbed some fresh fabric from the stash and added some sashing and the fun border.   And there it sat in the WIP pile.

I pulled it out again after a machine quilting class with Pam Clarke at MQX 2010.  I wanted to try out her technique on something that would hide my mistakes.  It hides them so well, you can't see the quilting at all!  Here's a glimpse on the back.  I had gotten through about 1/3 of the quilting.  Back to the WIP pile!

A couple of weeks ago, I dug it back out and finished the quilting in a few hours.  Another hour to sew the binding completely by machine and it was ready to show Bonnie during show & tell.

Totally Twisted, 60 X 76", completed April 16, 2012.

String Color

If the flaming bagel in the microwave wasn't enough to wake me up this morning, all this color surely will do the trick!  Julia intended to defrost her frozen bagel for 30 seconds, but set the microwave for 3 minutes!  Who knew you could set a bagel on fire that quickly?

On to the color!  I was able to complete 12 basket weave string blocks in the workshop with Bonnie on Wednesday.   I used phone book pages as foundations and cut them to 6.5". 

 I'm thinking about somehow combining them with the swap blocks below.  Maybe I'll chop up the basket weave blocks to create a border.  These are 30 of the 32 blocks I received through 2 rounds of Mini Scrap Basket swapping.

Here are the 16 blocks I sent for round 2...

and the 16 blocks I received...

I was actually kind of excited to get one of my own blocks back.  It was like seeing an old friend!  You can pick out the red with giant polka dots.

I'm loving this string business!  I can't wait for Bonnie's next book (due out in July!) with lots of string projects.  We got to see some of the samples this week and they were amazing!

I'm off for day 2 of MQX with Karen.  We're sure to run into Diane, our MQX buddy!

Bonnie Hunter!

 What an awesome day!  We've been waiting for years to meet Bonnie and today was the day.  You know how when you "meet" someone online you wonder what they will be like in person?  Bonnie is exactly as she appears on her blog.  So fun and friendly and generous!

Sorry.  Blogger is not being nice, so everything is out of order.

When I walked in this morning for the workshop, THE hexagon medallion was draped over the piano.  Breathtaking!

 

Sharon gifted Bonnie with an "Only in Rhode Island" basket.  

 Dels's frozen lemonade mix, Jonnycake mix, coffee milk syrup, and New York System wiener sauce.

 

Don't you just love stacks of quilts?  Stacks of Bonnie's quilts are the best!

 

Tomorrow, we're off to MQX for some retail therapy.  Woohoo!