Meanwhile....

I have been rather productive. I am still keeping up with my quilt-along and my new block of the month!

Here are my latest two blocks for the Bible Studies quilt:

The lower block shows the perils of using homespun plaids in a block. I am still trying to decide whether to remake it. I could do it as a half sort of flying geese instead of half triangles stitched to square blocks. I am going to think about it. I haven't made up my mind yet. I have been using a LOT of spray starch on this quilt, but it seems like it is taking a lot more starch to get the plaid to crisp up than the other fabrics. (I had to make a run to the Hancock's one evening this week to buy a refill because I had run out of Mary Ellen's Best Press.)

We had our first meeting of Historic Club at Quilter's Loft last weekend. We are doing the Away from Home and Mill Girls quilts by Nancy Rink. I was going to do both, until my husband and my mother talked me out of it. Now I am glad they did. I saw the tiny tiny spindles in the tiny tiny hands of the mills girls and thought, "how in the world would I needle-turn that?" I still bought the book in case I change my mind later. I see some cool projects in there that I would like to do. This month, the first block is for a woman named Huldah Currier.

Meanwhile...

I also finished my inner blocks for my Amish with a Twist quilt this week. I had it in pieces strewn about my sewing area, and I was terrified that they would get lost or one of my kids would play 52-card pickup with them. I still need to put the framing on them, which I may start doing today. I have my giant 12.5 inch ruler out, and my iron plugged in, but I haven't gotten much further than that. My goal is to finish the top and piece the back so that I can fold it up and put it back in the closet. Currently I have four active projects out of the closet, and my goal is to get down to three active projects.

I haven't been able to make much progress on the hand quilting on the Irish Chain quilt because of the cold weather. My fingers have a bizarre tendency to crack in cold weather, no matter how much bag balm and hand cream I put on! It's no good to bleed all over the white area of a quilt marked in water soluble pen, ha ha ha. While cleaning up the Amish Twist quilt, I found a second feather wreath 8" template. I have one downstairs next to the tv that I am using on the Irish Chain. At least I am consistent in my artistic vision! Maybe I can get some quilting done today with the ACC game on and the Selection shows. I got some quilting done Friday evening with the game on.

Progress Check for March

The theme for this month is "itchy." As in, I am itching to start new quilts, but I really need to focus on finishing my UFOs. A couple weeks ago my friend Cindy asked me whether I had Quilter's ADD, if I had trouble concentrating on finishing a quilt without starting three other projects along the way. I laughed and said I'd have to get back to her, as I have only ever finished three quilts in my life. Now at least the number is four, but I am very tempted to start other quilts (such as the recent Moda Friendship Quilt-along). Have you ever seen the Coen Brothers movie Raising Arizona? I keep thinking of the scene where Nicholas Cage's character, a reformed robber, gets itchy of living life on the proper side of the law, and says, "I found myself driving past convenience stores that weren't on my way home."

My friend loves the baby quilt! I am so happy. The quilt went right down to the wire to the baby's due date. I was terrified that the parcel service would try to deliver the package, but that they would be at the hospital having the baby. Apparently I checked the tracking information a little too compulsively, because on the second or third time, the website asked me whether I would like an email notification the minute my friend signed for it. Oh dear! [blushes]

By the way, in news of quilt exhibitions, I saw this very interesting Tweet this afternoon:

Civil war quilts at the McLoughlin House in Oregon City. Read the NCRI report to find out more: nps.gov/fova/parknews/…
— Fort Vancouver (@FtVancouverNPS) March 4, 2013

There is going to be an exhibit of Civil War quilts at the McLoughlin House in Oregon City, Oregon, which is part of Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. The quilts are from the collection of Eileen Jahnke Trestain. (In case her name is familiar, she is the author of "Dating Fabrics, A Color Guide: 1800-1960.")* The full exhibit opens on March 15th, but there is a preview on March 9th. I have been to Fort Vancouver and the McLoughlin House before; I just wish I could make it back for the quilt exhibit!

*I like to call this book along with "Textiles for Regency Clothing" and "Textiles for Early Victorian Clothing" the "Pat the Bunny Books for Quilters and Costumers."

Quilts in Progress, as of March 4, 2013
1.  Very Hungry Caterpillar baby quilt (Finished!)
2. Teal Single Irish Chain (hand quilting)
3. Champions of the West (blocks finished, but not stitched together- I got creative block when it came to the border)
4. Civil War Sampler "cot" quilt by Karen Witt (haven't finished all the blocks yet)
5. Liberty of Londons sampler quilt (I honestly can't remember where this is in the process, but I definitely haven't got the quilt top finished)
6. Golden's Journal quilt (haven't finished all the blocks yet)
7. Peggy Martin-technique sampler quilt (ditto)
8. Crazy quilt (not your usual crazy quilt, but it is crazy! Quilt top finished, but needs sandwiching/quilting/binding)
9. Roses for Shiloh quilt by Painted Pony 'n Quilts (haven't finished all the blocks yet)
10. Amish with a Twist (haven't finished all the blocks yet)
11. Space left here in case I've forgotten something, kinda like setting an empty chair at dinner for a possible stranger to show up. It's possible as I excavate down through my stash, that I may find more quilts I didn't know about. We are proud members of Old Salem, and one of the side benefits of membership is getting a new tote bag each year. The past few years they've been marvelous gigantic bags, perfect for filling with accumulated projects. A new year, another Old Salem bag with an unfinished quilt!
12. Not quilting, but alter my dirndl to fit my new, smaller, self, and finish the heart-ruching trim for it.

Quilts in the "Some Day" Stage, as of March 4, 2013
1. Olivia the piglet quilt
2. A Baltimore Album quilt
3. A hexagon quilt
4. A chintz panel quilt
5. A quilt with the Metro Blues fabrics that I got in New Braunfels and Belleville
6. Various Rosemary Youngs Civil War Diary and Civil War Anniversary quilts
7. Barbara Brackman's Civil War Sampler
8. Barbara Brackman's Grandmother's Choice women's suffrage sampler
9. A botanical album quilt that I've had designed in my head for a long time
10. Mill Girls by Nancy Rink
10b. Away from Home by Nancy Rink (postponed indefinitely)
11. Mimi's Bloomers quilt by Erin Russek
12. Just Takes Two quilt by Sentimental Stitches
13. The Hazel Ilene quilts by Prairie Moon Quilts
14. Path to the Civil War: Aurelia's Journey Quilt
15. A Dear Jane quilt
16. A bed-runner designed by one of my kids
17. Miscellaneous quilts that I've downloaded from quilt-alongs and free patterns from textile companies.