~ Coming Together Slowly ~

YUP!!! I am still working on getting my "Old Red Barn" project put together.

It's really strange how my ADHD gets in the way. I read the directions several times over and still got them wrong. Apparently, when I was sewing the strips together - I was to do it randomly - not all the same way!!!

Well, I did mine all the same way; so instead of having several different blocks of the same fabrics .......... I have 2 different blocks with the fabric strips all in the same place.

In my opinion ........... it's too late to change it now!!!! Ssssooooo ........ I am going with it. I laid my blocks on the floor and they don't look to bad.

I still have 2 rows left to put together. If the overtime at work would slow down - I just might get some time to sew.

~ Annie ~

> Goodies <

I got lucky enough to be able to attend a day at the Vermont Quilt Festival. It was so much fun!! A group of 3 friends piled into a car and we enjoyed the trip.

Of course, the quilts were great - as always. So much talent with so much diversity. I can only dream to do quilts like that!!!

And the best part - vendors!!! YUP - I did a little shopping while I was there. I picked up a kit to do a tumbling block quilt. It came with two different size templates along with instructions for several projects.

The red topped tubes are bobbin holders. I thought they were really a neat find. Now I will be able to find all my bobbins without hunting for them.

And then the best find in my opinion ............ the Martelli rotary cutter. I couldn't wait to get it home to use it. To my amazement - it works just like they were saying. I think this is going to be my new toy!! At the same booth, I picked up a mat to stop my pedal from running all over the floor - another great find.

On the sewing front - I am still putting together my "Old Barn Quilt Along" project. I have almost all the rows sewn together.

~ Annie ~

> Against the Grain <

The "Quilt Along" over at the Old Red Barn is going along just fine. The instructions are written so you can understand easily and they have great pictures if you need them. I am finding that this project is going fast!!!

I cheated a bit because I used pre-cut 2.5 inch strips that I have in my scrap bin. This saved me a lot of time = no cutting!!! And the sewing is pretty fast = it's all strip sewing. The thing that is a little different is the direction show you not ironing in between sewing the strips.

Why is this a problem?? Well ............. I am one of those meticulous (crazy!!) people that just think you need to iron every seam when I finish sewing it. You see ........ I'm a rule

follower!!! Sometimes it doesn't even cross my mind to do things in a different way. I actually am amazed when I "go

against the grain". It's a terrible thing to be almost 50, and not be able to be a free thinker!!!



But ........... I did decide to try not ironing the each strip as I sewed it together. What did I learn??? That ironing is time consuming!!! I do like my seams flat when sewing together pieces for patchwork, but with the strips it doesn't seem to matter. I could zip right through a 6 piece set of strips in no time flat. So ............ this was a good thing to do.

I now have my 30 blocks for a quilt top that I will set in a 5 x 6 layout. I think this will be a good size - my blocks are 12.5 inches square.

At any rate ............. I am keeping up with this project.

~ Annie ~

~ The Quilt Along ~

I have started the "Quilt Along" that is going on at the Old Red Barn . I haven't started anything in a couple of months, so I thought this would be a good project. I know!!! I have a ton of projects that I could finish .......... but what would be the fun in that!!!

This quilt seems to be going easy. You start with 12 half yard pieces that you cut into 2.5 inch strips. That was really convenient ......... I just happen to have a 2.5 inch bin of strips. My thinking is: why don't I just pull my fabric from there????

Most of the participants are doing fabric theme's or fabrics from the same line's. I know I should follow the crowd .......... BUT .............. I don't tend to buy my fabric like that!!!! I don't think I have several fabrics from any "line" in my stash. If I do ......... I don't know about it!!!

YUP!!! I'm a scrappy kind of girl. I buy fabrics I like and then figure out what I am going to do with it later. Ssssssooooooo .................. theme fabrics tend not to work for me!!!

I did dive into my strip bin and pulled out 12 different fabrics that have no relationship what so ever to each other. Just pulled fabrics or colors I liked, trying hard not to get the same color strips. And amazing enough ............. I do have enough of one fabric to come close to the 5-6 strips of each.

So, now I am working on sewing them together. This is pretty easy - strip piecing. And it takes very little time to do, not to mention that it is mindless sewing. Just zipping along.

When I reached the part where you cut the sewn strips into blocks, I thought I was having a brain fart. According to the directions, my strips should be 11.5 inches wide and I should be cutting 11.5 inch blocks.

OK - I'm not the greatest at math .......... but please ........... quit messing with my brain!!! I just know that 6 strips at 2.5 inches wide is not 11.5 inches!!!! At any rate ........ I'm getting 12.5 inches. Ssssssooooooo ................ my blocks are just going to have to be 12.5 inches!!!! Works for me!!

Now that I am thinking about this - 12.5 inch block - I had better start thinking how large I want this quilt top. If I sew all my strips together and cut my blocks, I will end up with 36 blocks. That is going to be a large quilt top (72 x 72).

Did I tell you I also hate square tops!!! Just something about them that irks me. So this configuration isn't going to work out for me. I am thinking I might want to do a 5 x 6 (60 x 72) quilt top.

If anything - I need to stop thinking and get sewing. I have 15 blocks done so far, I don't expect it will be long before I finish up the others.

~ Annie ~

I'm Getting There !!!

Hi Everyone!!! Well, as you can see ....... I had a little time off due to health reasons. I haven't really touched my sewing machine since mid-February .......... isn't that hard to believe!!! It is for me - I use to sew daily. I can't promise that I will be doing that ......... but ....... I am hoping that I will at least begin to get back to my some what "normal" self!!! Right ........ like I could ever be anything remotely normal!!

Sewing wasn't the only thing I stopped doing ............ I'm just starting to catch up with all my favorite blogs. Another miles stone .................... I haven't even looked at fabric since February!!!! YUP!!!! It's my fault if the fabric market slumped .............. wasn't even interested in looking let alone buying fabrics. I'm sure it won't take long for me to get into step with things and fix that!!

I did surf some blogs lately and stumbled upon the "Old Red Barn Co" ....... and ......... they are having a quilt along!!! The project looks easy enough for me to be interested for my next project. Ssssssoooooo .................. I picked out my fabrics and cut it all up. I am starting a little late but so far the steps seem to be pretty easy and not all that time consuming.

I did look at all the other participants fabric choices and they seem to be following themes. Not me!!! I just took a bunch of fabric that I liked. I guess it will be a surprise to what I end up with. I'm willing to take the chance.

~ Annie ~

~ Random ~

YUP!!! This is just a random thought - do you know what this is??

I am in the process of trimming up my 120 square in a square step 2's (Bonnie Hunters Double Delight). While doing this I tend to wander in my thoughts and looked across my cutting table to spot this................

Now, all I could think while looking at this is, what others would think if they got a peek at this sitting upon my cutting table!!! What odd thoughts would come to their minds when viewing this amongst my sewing and quilting paraphernalia!!!

Well, I can tell you where it came from ....... a Disney on Ice production of Monsters Inc, which was one of my youngest daughters favorite movies when she was younger (I liked it too!!). This is the character Boo dressed in her monster outfit - didn't want you to think she was being eaten by anything!! And it was one of those wwwaaayyyyy over priced things they get you to buy at these shows. It had a snow cone in it and if I remember right, it cost me about $12 probably 5-6 years ago. YUP!!! I got suckered into that one and of course she only placed it on the kitchen shelf until I got tired of looking at it!!! My daughter didn't even notice it when I removed it!!!

Sssssooooooo, once I confiscated it, I could not bring myself too throw it out - it was costly you know!!! So, I had to figure out a way to keep it around without looking too suspicious ........ after all I am keeping it because it was expensive!!!

And where do all things tend to end up - in my sewing room of course!!! And the expensive Boo is now............................

YUP!! That's right .............. my pin holder!! And the teeth are fitting, how many times have you tried to pick out a pin and ended up "bitten"!!!

So, what do you use to hold your pins???

~ Annie ~