Designing Monday

I finished this cute little quilt for the monthly challenge on the Sentimental Quilter's Yahoo group.  It was a fun one to make and I had most of the little squares already leftover from other projects.  I found a stencil for the quilting that is called Twisted Ribbon.  It worked great on the straight sides, but I had a bit of a quandary when I got to the corners.  I just had to draw some creative lines that eventually met up with the other side.  Every corner is different.  Not sure how that happened.

I'm getting prepped for a class in May through the guild.  The teacher is Laurie Ceesay who lives north of here in the UP.  She makes art quilts and is teaching a portrait class using her pattern.  We are supposed to make the background ahead of time so we can focus on the appliqué in class.  It should go pretty quick.  Laurie appeared on Quilting Arts TV this season.  I missed the episode and I don't know if they can be accessed via the internet or not.  This type of quilting will be a stretch for me, but looks like fun.

Background for Laurie Ceesay quilt

It is a cold dreary day in Northeast Wisconsin.  Hope you are having a better day in your neck of the woods.

Be sure to hop over to Judy's blog to see more beautiful quilts.

Around and Around we go

I had a fun afternoon yesterday with my friend, Joyce.  We took a class in woodturning and each made a bowl.  I had never used a lathe before and was a bit intimidated by the whole thing.  The teacher spent an hour and a half going thru safety and demonstrating how to get started on making the bowl.  The class started at 1:00 and went until 5:00, but we were still there at 6:00 sweeping the floor.

The class was offered to cancer survivors (which Joyce is) and their friends and family members.  She invited me to come along.  It was offered by her medical provider in conjunction with the Artisan Center.  The Artisan Center is run by the local technical college.  They offer classes in pottery, jewelry making, woodworking, quilting and sewing as well as open lab time where you can rent their   equipment for 3 hours at a time.  This class was only $5.00 which was a steal.  We were in class with 4 other women and we all had a great time.

Here are a couple of photos of us at work.

 Joyce with our teacher (left) and his helper

 Joyce is ready to work at her lathe.  She is all buttoned up to keep wood chips from falling down into her shirt.

 We used a wood gouge to cut and shape our bowls.  We also had to wear a face shield to avoid flying wood chips.  Mine was mostly covered with dust so we had to stop from time to time to run the windshield wipers. LOL

 Here's my bowl.  Waiting for sanding and finishing.

Once I got past my initial nervousness of using the lathe, I had a great time.  The teacher did a super job and he helped with all the details, like making it actually look like a bowl!!!

Designing Monday

My design wall has not changed since last week.  No borders added yet to this top.

I found the latest small quilt challenge from Kathleen Tracy on A Sentimental Quilter and made a quick little quilt with leftovers from other projects.  I am thinking I may need to make one of these in R&W.

 Yikes!  I suddenly see mistakes in this photo.  No wonder it didn't look right when I finished it.  I guess I know what I will be doing today.  LOL

Backing fabric

This was a busy week for decorating at church.  I have photos of Lenten decor and Easter decor to share.  I am so in awe of the two women I work with on this as they have so many wonderful ideas.  I help with sewing and provide my husband who is just the right height to reach above the altar.

This is for Lent.  Mostly purple.

Let's look closer.

The altar looks very dramatic.

 I love this shiny purple fabric.

I sewed the purple banners and another person made the white paper banners on her Cricut cutter.

These banners hang on really tall chairs.  They are really uncomfortable to sit in but perfect for this.

 Altar closeup.  The vase laying on its side was a clear glass vase, now spray painted with faux rock finish.

 The purple stripe on the parament is a non woven similar to interfacing that comes in a bunch of colors.  I found it at Hobby Lobby and it is perfect for this as it is just a little stiff and hangs perfectly.

Here is our Easter Decor. Love all the flowers.

 The white behind the cross was a challenge for us, but makes a big statement.

The banners on the side now say He is Risen!  Unfortunately the yellow font is impossible to read from more than 10 feet away.  A learning for next year!

 More purple on the altar.  

Hope you had a blessed Easter day!

Hop over to Judy's 
blog to see more beautiful designs.