Slippers!! Side Note

Forgot to note...the 2011 Road to California Quilt Show is coming up at the end of January in Ontario, California.  Did not want to attend this year's show without having finished something from last year's show.  That was a good reason for starting this quilt.  Reason #2...Chloe is coming to town and maybe this blanket will be ready for her, especially since this is a proclaimed "Quilted Quickie."  Reason #3...we are finally getting my boxes out of storage and my work area is functional again.  Hurrah!!  Calico Quilter's Casita is back...now operating out of Temecula, California.

Slippers!!

 The quilt I am working on comes from a book of patterns, "Quilted Potpourri" by Jere'e McDade, which I picked up at last year's quilt show, inspired by the vibrant, whimsical sample quilt that hung on the wall of the booth.  I also purchased the fabric roll which corresponded to the prints of the sample quilt.  Purchasing a pre-selected roll of fabric cuts has been a great convenience.  While I normally enjoy picking my own prints and colors, I trust the eye of the designer for a fun quilt like this one.  Probably should have drawn from my own stash of fabric; however, it has been fun to decide which print goes where, using someone else's fabric picks.  I find that I still have to call upon my own skills in considering color value, balance and so on, as I piece the quilt blocks and put them in place. 

Handquilting Tools

Pictured are some of my quilting tools.  The ones I have come to value most for handquilting are:

1.  Two comfortable thimbles that fit well; one for the thumb, one for the forefinger

2.  Quality cotton quilting thread

3.  Sharp quilting needles; I use short ones

4.  Tiny scissors for clipping threads

5.  A trusty basket to keep my things in

These are things I am always on the lookout for at quilting shows/shops to replenish my supply, especially since I so enjoy handquilting.

Happy New Year 2011

I am a self-taught quilter.  Here's my very first calico quilt which I started more than 25 years ago.  There have been other projects over the years, but this one is a treasure, dear to my heart.  This quilt has a long history and is still a work in progress.  I will finish this quilt in 2011.