October 2012 – Amherst Quilters Guild

October 27, 2012

Mystery block unit and the game…

Hi everyone, yeah…that was me mentioning how glorious weather cuts into my quilting – and look what I have done! Rain, rain, rain…YES – you have full right to blame me!! But…maybe you will get to sew just a bit more? :) Anyway – I just wanted to follow up on my crazy, quick post from yesterday and make it more clear so everyone will have a chance to play the game and win! I showed you the entire quilt and block that makes it was quite small in the picture, so not easy to see it parts. Remember, I asked what is the PIECED UNIT that makes this star block and what would you call it? So not the ENTIRE block but what SINGLE UNIT makes it? Here is the star: Can you find it? Of course, there is many different ways one can piece this […]

October 26, 2012

It is…isn’t it? IT’S FRIDAY!!

Hello everyone, can you tell I am ready for weekend? :) Life has been just a bit busy, busy, busy these days and I am so ready for the weekend! There will be some sewing…I am sure of it!! How about you? This amazing weather we have is really beautiful and – NO, I am not complaining, but…it does cut into my sewing! Oh, it is nice – let’s clean the garage…lets have an extra long dog walk…lets do some more yard work – GEEEZ!! OK, enough whining! So here is a good thing about it – colors! inspiration! – it is everywhere!! Last Sunday my husband and I took an extra long walk along the Ellicott Creek with dogs and I was clicking away with my camera – so here is some glorious autumn inspiration for you: Don’t you just have to smile when you see these colors? Jewels […]

October 20, 2012

knitting and quilting

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. Quilting isn’t my only obsession. I have tried many a craft in my day-started crafting as a child -so that long span of years from then until now has given me lots of time to experiment. I have a few favorite crafts but, generally speaking, I’m game to give any craft a try at least once. Knitting is one of my craft obsessions that comes and goes. These chillier mornings and evenings bring it up to the top of the list. I am by no means an excellent knitter-just proficient I’d say. What holds me back is my inability to fix some of the my mistakes. Dropped or twisted stitches usually require me to start over-which is really a wet blanket on one’s enthusiasm for a project. Now a quilting mistake on the other hand, I can fix. I have lots and lots of tricks […]

October 19, 2012

great easy gift quilt

Hello all, Mary Ellen again. Got this video in my e-mail this morning. When I find videos from a good source, I usually subscribe to the video channel at YouTube. That way each time a new video is posted, it comes right to me. I’ve been a subscriber to the Missouri Star Quilt Company videos for a long while now. Love Jenny Doan, the mom in the operation of the shop, and her videos. Jenny’s instructions are nice and clear, she has a nice way about her, they usually feature pre-cuts, and usually are very easy. This video link is for a star quilt with a twist, which uses pre-cut layer cakes. It will work for any size square though, so it’s a perfect one for scraps or yardage as well. Jenny shows a technique for half-square triangle units that I seldom use, to be honest. You get four from […]

October 17, 2012

Life gets in the way

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. Does that ever happen to you too? Life getting in the way of all the things you’d rather be doing? My yard needs lots of work right now; Mother Nature hasn’t yet killed all the foliage so I think I’ll have to start cutting down perennials if I don’t want to leave all the garden clean up until the snow begins. Have a big batch of tulip bulbs to plant as well, and removing the hosta leaves would make that an easier job. Are you good about digging down nice and deep, adding the bone meal, positioning the bulbs in a nice arrangement, putting chicken wire around the squirrel snacks bulbs, and then tamping nice and firmly? Me either. I just dig out a clump, throw in the bulbs, right the ones that are completely upside down, and then return the clump. If it’s not […]

October 14, 2012

the perfect sewing room

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. What would your perfect sewing room look like? I do several other crafts which have some cross over with quilting/sewing so I would want a combination sewing and crafting room. It would be huge with lots of table space so I could dedicate a table to cutting, another table to piecing, another to other crafting messy tasks. It would have a mini kitchen with a sink, microwave and mini frig. Lots of windows. Of course drawers and closet space galore. I don’t care for lots of clutter as decorations so other than the clutter of whatever the ongoing project might be, the room would be “clean and simple”. And my sewing room would have a sewing elf who would clean up the floor each evening, throwing out the threads and bits, and putting the pins back in the pincushions, etc. Of course in this fairy […]

October 9, 2012

You’ve got to be kidding!

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. I borrowed the title from the blog entry I’m linking up here. This quilt is absolutely amazing. Wait til you listen to all the quilter did to bring it together, and you will also be saying … You’ve got to be kidding!

October 3, 2012

October Lucy Goosey

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. What a busy time it has been! It seems I haven’t been able to sit down for more than a few minutes until after dinner and a dog walk, and when I do I promptly doze off! I think it’s a sign of something-and don’t you dare say old age! I can’t believe we’re in the last month of our Quilt-a-long! I am working on directions for our last block, an easy variation on the timeless Friendship Star. I am planning to give your directions for a 4 inch, 6 inch and 12 inch finished block and a few possible layouts. I know that not everyone was in love with the first block-that paper-pieced star-and I hear tell that the block # 5 gave a few quilters fits as well. So sorry but perhaps you’ve exercised those quilting muscles a bit. Remember there were […]

October 3, 2012

Some science, some color inspiration, good giveaway and even a recipe!

Hello everyone, did I scare you yet? Ha, ha! I simply couldn’t think of a better title for this post…maybe because it is a bit all over the place? :) Oh well, that would be just like me…I am somehow trying to catch up with my life, again. How does this happen? Oh I know – I simply want too much!! To teach, to design, to sew, to cook and bake, to play with my dogs…oh yeah, all that in my spare time. Sound familiar? :) I keep thinking longingly about retirement, but then I remember that all you, my retired quilting friends are also busier than ever, so I might as well not dream about it but get my you-know-what in gear and JUST DO IT. (is that a Nike commercial?) So what are we all doing while the glorious autumn rolls into our neighborhoods? Are you feverishly working […]