Monday's Design Wall

Happy Monday! Here is what is on my design wall this Monday. These blocks are the result of a friendship block exchange that happened yesterday. Our guidelines were: sherbet colors, 9-1/2 inch block, your choice of design. We are 12 very diverse quilters. I grouped the blocks in two color ranges: one group is the lime green, lighter blocks, and the other group are the purple, more intense color blocks. Yes, I know. The purple butterfly is in with the lime green blocks, but I wanted six blocks in each picture, so there you go.

I laid these blocks out on my bed this morning and added another block that Julie gave me. It is more intense colors, but I was looking at the idea of using these blocks to surround a center medallion design. I was thinking of putting a border of pinwheel blocks around a center block. Julie's block is a 12 inch block finished. I think that would leave me with 3 inch finished pinwheels. I laid these blocks out on my bed because my design wall is not big enough to accommodate that large a layout. Don't you love the very colorful quilt peeking out and around the blocks? That is my current bed quilt (which I absolutely love, BTW) that I finished a few years ago. It is all batiks.

This last weekend was busy for me. Saturday was my Quilting 101 workshop. I really did not need to do too much this month since one of the other ladies in our guild did a demo on applique. She is a very accomplished applique person. I did the project along with the group. I learned a different way to sew my applique stitch. It was not difficult to transition, but I needed to think about sewing the opposite direction that I normally sew (which is from left to right). Kathie sewed from right to left. It is much easier to see the edge of the applique piece which makes for stitches that are more hidden. She also basted the pattern piece to freezer paper, then pulled the paper out from under the applique piece just before closing the seam. Kathie irons the freezer paper on the underside of the fabric. I usually iron the freezer paper on the top. It is good to take classes from different people. I always learn something new.

On Sunday, I went to the block exchange, then had lunch with some of the ladies from the group. After that I went home, picked up my husband, and we took off to the county fair. It was the last day of the fair. There was a show that evening that he wanted to see, so we attended on that particular day. We also saw the crafts and quilting exhibits, which were in a different building this year. It was really hot, and we arrived in the hottest part of the day. By the time the show started, it had cooled off a bit. We stayed at the fair until closing. I usually will attend the fair two or three days each summer, but since our guild did not do any exhibit quilting this year, I went for one day only.

My husband and I enjoy going to county fairs. We missed the fair in Sonora last month, but we hope to go to Santa Clara's fair, and maybe the State fair this summer. If I can find dates for some other county fairs, I hope we can attend them as well.

Hope you all have a great week.

Happy Quilting