1 Block Done! 5 Month to Go!

ONE BLOCK Done! Only 7 more to go……and 23 more sashings. But I am quilting. Thanks to my BFF – Bec’s encouraging words of “Get ‘er done!” I needed that! Only 5 months left. Rut-Ro!


I did a simple quilt design on this block by echoing triangles. Speaking of triangles…..Have you heard of Pie-on-a-Stick? Well, here in Key West, they serve Chocolate covered Key Lime Pie-on-a-stick. Ooooh! So Good! Soooooo Rich! I drank a lot of water afterwards, but it was worth every bite. YUM!

I can't think of a better way to keep my strength up.  :0)

My List of UFOs (UnFinished Objects)

I have made a list of all my unfinished projects and it is sad to so many unfinished projects. I saw a few quilters make a list on their blog and I think it is a great way to keep tabs on my projects. I definitely need it as a constant reminder and a great incentive to finish my granddaughter’s quilt.

Don’t get me wrong. I love to quilt and I really love working on this quilt. BUT, I am having the hardest time sitting down to work on my projects. Part of the problem is all the other activities I have going on and part of the problem is time – “Oh, it’s too late to pull the quilt out tonight. I’ll do it tomorrow night”. So, I thought if I put this on my blog and make it a constant reminder then I will have to finish Vi’s quilt for her birthday.

I only have 5 ½ months to quilt 8 blocks and 24 sashings, not to mention the large border! It has already been over a year since I made the top and another 6 months of sitting in the hoop.

Well, I better get moving or should that be quilting.

Picture taken a few months ago....

I'm a Slow Poke Quilter!

Boy, is that an understatement!  LOL!! Well, it is for me with the many years it takes me to finish one project.

I have joined a blogging group called "Slow Poke Quilters".  I have been slowly going through the group visiting each blog and enjoying their stories.  Click on the button below and enjoy visiting other Slow Poke Quilters!

Surreal Serenity

Today was a travel day.  We left Tyndall AFB near Panama City for Old Town, FL.  We could not have asked for a better day.  Weather and traffic was wonderful not to mention a lot of great views of the Gulf along the way..  As we drove through Apalachicola on East Hwy. 98 .  People were out enjoying the weather in the downtown area.  Some were shopping while others were having a yard sale.  Yet it wasn’t crowded.  Two boys holding a sign we could not read gave Dan the “Blow Your Horn” motion and Dan obliged.  We could hear the two cheering over our motorhome’s engine!  Okay, on to quilting.........

My top is finally done! I had to make myself stop adding more appliqué. I started this top over 2 years ago. Not because the quilt was giving me a hard time – no, no, it was because I was enjoying the growth and the process. Working with batik is a real joy. It is easy to manipulate and it easily forgives my mistakes.

For the longest time, I could not come up with a name for my quilt. I tried several but none fit: “My Pond” (too plain), “We Are Not Being Koi” (they are goldfish), “Lanai Memories” (nah!), Serenity Pond” (yep, so calm it will put you to sleep)….nothing fit. I wanted people to know that this quilt was not a lot of work, but the opposite. This quilt relaxed me, challenged my imagination, and brought me many hours of peaceful moments. Then a friend and a great photographer posted on Facebook a photo of some beautiful lilies. I told her they looked surreal. That’s when my quilt’s name came to me! My pond is surreal and serene! Surreal Serenity! I have never had such a hard time naming a quilt.

 

Everything is hand sewn including the border.  I was using the freezer paper method.  I had talked to a friend once about using the turn-under-as-you-go.  She seemed to like it, so I switched methods when I started working on the small lotus petals.  I find I do like that method a lot better.

I added ginkgo leaves to give the water a little more motion.

The blue batik started my idea for a water design, but it was my pictures of the purple lotus that inspired the Japanese garden pond.  I added bamboo to give the sense that the garden continued beyond the border.

My Yin Yang goldfish.

This is the book that inspired me to use the mosaic style instead of making the plants and fish more solid.

Here's my old post of the top:  http://quiltincats.blogspot.com/2010/05/little-hand-quilting-little-applique.html

Well, for now, I have to put the top away.  I want to finish my granddaughter's quilt before she outgrows it!  Good incentive, don't you think?