Rainy Weekend - better get quilting!

Rainy here and I'm having trouble getting started today.  Yesterday I worked on my "Mod Squad" homework.  You may remember, I met Deborah Boschert last fall in Houston.  I loved her work and bought her book "Art Quilt Collage".  

I've been quilting for over 40 years! And just lately, I have been fascinated by the Modern Movement.  "You've come a long way, baby" is a good description!!  No interest for me at the beginning, but it's grown into something that's got my interest now!

So I organized "Mod Squad".  I talked some quilting friends, and their friends (10 of us) into working our way thru the book's design guides.  It's a discussion group - because we're all working out of our boxes! No official leader.   [Occupy Sewing Room group??]  Each month (at the fabric store classroom) one of us presents the "design of the month assignment".  We all go home and make a 15" square using that design.  We decided on 15" because it's little enough to be fast, big enough to show our idea!!  The squares are ok unfinished, because we have no idea what we will end up with.  Pot holders?  a quilt? Part of another quilt?

We 'sneak' them into the store in a brown paper bag before the next meeting and the owner hangs them in the classroom so they are 'anonymous'.  We gently critique them round table style.  Then we each guess who made what!  Then we reveal who made them.  Some of us have our own distinctive style, we're easy to guess.  But we have a few who are universal!!  Some pieces have 5 different names guessed!

I'm easy to guess.  Even when I think I've been clever - yep, they got me!  So this month I just gave up and used fabrics I'm known for.  They're going to guess me anyway!  With a trip to Portland and a new grandbaby coming - why not just do something that pleases me this month!!

It's been great fun and boy, are we learning a lot!  You can see the growth each month.  So far we did Line; Landscape: Grid and this month is Thirds (with personal symbol thrown in!)  I'm from Nebraska (through and through!) and the thought of a personal symbol boggles the mind!  I changed "personal symbol" to "favorite things" and it's easier to come up with 'themes'.  I love-love-love houses!  I've finished several house quilts over the years, and have a few house UFOs as we speak.  So that would have been an easy one - but there are others I've developed that aren't so well known.  So I picked another favorite and expect not to fool anyone at all!

There are times that it's just another obstacle in front of deadline work (before the show we were all a little stressed) ... but basically, we're all growing into it. Each month I get "I may not get the block done this month excuse from one or more..." but usually, they come thru!   It will be interesting to see how much we're learning is 'incorporated into our box' at the end.

DH is off golfing this weekend and I'm still working on my "To Do Later List".  That list got started when prepping for the Annual Quilt Show got overwhelming.  Just told myself, I'll do that later.  

Well, it's simply amazing how fast "later" zooms up.  Now that list is "it's later than you think -- get-r dun now" list!  

I made a frankenbatt for the new baby quilt and I'm not happy with it!  I just don't quilt (DSM, walking foot) close enough to feel secure that it will stand up to baby usage!!  So I'll run a few more lines (Forget the design factor!) up the overlaps.  My kids tend to run their quilts into the ground!!!  I like to see them used, but it does imply a obligation to get them to last longer!  It's bound and ready for the wash after I add that quilting.  A Finished UFO! But no time to celebrate!

Off to the next two projects.  Wool checkerboard lap quilt out of  DBIL's brother's Pendleton shirts!  Since there is a family wedding back in NE this July - would like to send the couple's Christmas stockings and this memorial quilt in the same box.  Yep, it's 'later' NOW!

And then .... there's 2 million projects (?) in my mind, on Pinterest, stacked in the sewing room, promised to people, fabric bought for, started but currently in 'time out' waiting for me!

Send the Minions, please!!