Christmas Challenge Revealed

This year's challenge was to find 3 paint chips whose name started with your initials and then to make something with it. You could add up to 2 additional fabrics. So, as I've already mentioned in a previous post, I struggled with this one. After multiple false starts, I finally hit on something.

 
My paint chips -- pardon the blurry photo: 

Reading all the blogs with the countdown to Tonya's book release inspired me. Lynne's journey with this quilt was my light bulb moment. I borrowed her idea of playing with fonts first and then trying to copy them.

I really wanted to include all the serifs in Antique Ruby, but quickly discovered that wasn't going to happen. You can see from my "A" that it didn't come off too well. Overall, I'm pretty happy with how this turned out, considering it's only my 3rd attempt at doing letters freestyle like this. Altho, I'm not so sure this is considered completely freestyle since I was trying to copy the feel of the fonts.

I decided to use this as a good practice for doing feathers so the top and bottom are quilted with feathers. I can actually say I think they turned out ok.

All I can say is, I'm sure glad this one is done. Next year's should be a bit easier since I've got it all figured out already. More on that at a later date.

No. 5, No. 5, No. 5

....feels like a Revolution*, or should that be resolution? I'm just thankful that it's Number 5 and not Number 9. It's THAT time of year again....you know, the time when all good QB's are scrambling to finish their Christmas Challenge because, well, you know, TIC TOC -- 18 days!

So, this year it's the paint chip challenge. Sounds easy, doesn't it? Find 3 paint chips whose paint colors start with your initials and make something. Yeah, right. After starting and abandoning attempts Number 1 - 3 I finally realized I wasn't "feeling the love" with one of my colors. Back to the big envelope of paint chips I had accumulated. Find another one that will work with the 2 colors I already have AND whose name starts with the appropriate initial, then off to find fabric in said paint chip color. Attempt Number 4 -- abandoned. I guess it would help if I had started with an actual plan.....

So here I am today, working on Number 5. And you know what, I LIKE IT! Yes folks, she really does like it! Hopefully that means that she might actually finish this one. She better, since TIC TOC, time is running out....18 days left to the QB Christmas party/challenge reveal. Stay tuned, eventually Number 5 will actually be revealed here, and maybe even Numbers 1 - 4 if I can find them.






* Credit must be given to the proper source who supplied the references to the bits & pieces of the Beatles song that was rattling around in my brain this morning. Thanx PJ -- as always, your music trivia amazes me!

When a Plan Comes Together

This afternoon was a baby shower for a young couple at church. They are confessed "nerds" -- she is a math teacher and he is an engineer. 3 of the QB's decided to make a group quilt for our shower gift. So, the hunt was on for nerdy, teacher/math oriented fabric. It took some searching, but I soon found the perfect fabric.

Here's a sneak peak at the completed quilt. The quilting was even numbers. I used a Dave Hudson pantograph which was perfect for a math teacher.  The fabric has been ordered online and arrived on Friday. I passed out the color dots from the selvage to Claudia and Sally. Claudia left on Monday for the QB retreat (I was not going -- long story but it involves a certain Spotted One among other things.) Sally returned from out of town and picked up my two rows and the borders -- inner border all pieced and headed to the retreat first thing Wednesday.

Claudia & Sally complete their rows and assemble the top. Friday afternoon they delivered the top to me for quilting. I loaded it on Bessie (my trusty HQ16) and proceeded to quilt, and quilt, and quilt some more. Then  it was time for the binding. Saturday evening was spent binding accompanied by some Halloween movies. Nothing like Night of the Living Dead to accompany some hand sewing.

And here's the happy Mom-to-Be with the completed baby quilt -- 1 week start to finish.

Challenged by the Challenge

So, here it is, another year has flown by. It's December and I have joined the ranks of the rest of the QB's struggling to finish this year's Christmas Challenge. Usually I know what I'm doing. This year I started out with little direction and no real plan. Other than it had to be green and it had to be a basket of some sort. I started out on one idea and chugged merrily along until I came to a crashing halt in September. I had NO IDEA how to proceed further. Well, I can now report that the pieces are finally falling into place. An idea occurred to me the other day while doing some blog browsing. I can happily report that the 2008 Challenge is ALMOST COMPLETE! Whoo hoo!

Meanwhile, I seem to have become a bit distracted. A few months ago Freda had a Christmas Cottage exchange. I didn't participate. But, now I keep seeing all the cottages everywhere and even a completed top or two. Well, I decided to make my own cottages, smaller, and slightly different. Now I'm on a roll. I'm thinking I'll add some trees too.