It's Done..........Hooray!!!!!

Mariner's Compass - Nov 22, 2012

It is finally done - that is the top is done.  I didn't think I would ever get this thing finished.  I did more ripping and redoing on this quilt then I think I have ever done on any quilt.  It is not perfect, not even close.  There are still things I could fix, but the best fix is to start over. 

I am pleased with the colors.   I think they turned out well.  You never know.  Sometimes I will have these ideas bouncing around in my head and sometimes they just don't work out as well as I would have hoped.  The common color in all the circles is blue.  I pulled the colors from the gold and the fabric used as the borders around the circles.  The center circle I wanted to pull the brown (in the outside borders) and the gold into the center to give balance.  All the dark in the half square triangles are the same fabric as the borders around the circles.  There is 51 different batiks in the quilt.  Click on the picture to enlarge it and you may be able to see the colors better. 

To see more on the mariner's compass as it came together, check the previous posting. 

On to the next project and I do have lots.................

Mariner's Compass - On the Design Wall - Nov 1-19



October12

 I have been working many hours on my Mariner's Compass.  Beth has finished her top.  She is off to the Houston Quilt Festival.  I hope that by time she returns I will have mine finished, but I still have many hours to go.  I am going to post a picture each morning until I finish  the top.  Come back to see it come together. 


October 25












 



October 31







November 2

November 3

November 5



November 9



November 11

November 14

November 19

Am I ever going to finish this quilt??? This is not the best quilt I have ever made.  I am a bit disappointed in it.  I should have followed my gut instincts and changed the sizes of the center border fabric.  It would have saved me a lot of grief and it would have given me a nicer looking quilt.  But, when I make the next one I will make my corrections and hopefully it will be to my satisfaction.  I would say that I should finish this (the top) in the next couple of days, but so far my predictions have not been too good. 

Mariner's Compass

Mariner's Compass

I am still working on the Mariner's Compass.  It is coming along, but this weekend I am going to have to quit working on it because I have another quilt that I must finish.  It is nearly done still needing a border and a pieced border, a pieced back, batting, sandwiching, quilting and binding.  Maybe it will be a ten day project.  Then I can return to the Compass quilt. 

What is new????  Not much here.  Things are about the same.  Everyone headed out this morning for Market at Houston.  I didn't go.  I am going to miss all the fun, but I am going to be richer.  That place is very dangerous for the pocket book.  For those of you who don't know they have Sample Spree on Friday night.  Temptation, temptation, it will part you from the contents of your wallet. 

It looks like rain, but it is not predicted.  It is still warm here - 83 now.   It would actually be good if we did get some rain.  We have not had more than a few drops all month.  October is usually dry.

For those of you who like English history.  I am reading /listening on CD (while I quilt) to a book by Alison Weir.  It is "Innocent Traitor."  It is about Lady Jane Grey.  It had to be tough to be royalty back in the 15th/16th century.  Those people were cold. 

Hope all is well on your end. 

Visitors, Dogs and Quilting...............

Bob and Julie

I had company this week from Cedar Rapids, IA.  They are snowbirds and were on their way to their home in Texas.  It is always so nice to see old friends.  I have known Bob for nearly all my life (not quite).  He was a roommate of my husband, Jim.  He married Julie many years ago.  Julie and I have things in common, like quilting.  They were in a hurry to get to their home, it was damaged in a storm and they needed to get it taken care of.  Our visit was short, but enjoyable and I may see them again come spring, when they head back north. 

Mariner's Compass

I am working on a Mariner's Compass.  There is four of us meeting roughly every 7-10  days.  We found a quilt designed by Brenda Henning.  It is a lovely quilt and will keep us busy for awhile.  Here is a picture of one of the compasses.  It is not put together, it is still in pieces but it gives you the idea. This pattern is really neat because it has several large pattens for the big compasses.  You pick the ones you wish to use.   The quilt has 5 large compasses and 4 smaller ones.  This is suppose to be my project for when we meet.  I am behind and I will probably always be behind.  I would like to make the parts when we meet and put them together with my Pfaff at home.  I don't drag my Pfaff around unless it is absolutely necessary. 

The fabric to the side, is fabric that I have auditioned for the next compass.  The fabric around the compass is the fabric that I am going to use as background around the compasses.

Jack and Yethi

Winter is coming, I decided that my big dog needed a doggy bed.  She likes sleeping on the tiles, but in the winter they get cold.  She also has a very thick rug (like a wool) she sleeps on.  Yethi is now over 8 years old.  I have noticed lately that sometimes she walks like she is stiff.  I bought her a Simmons Orthopedic bed.  I found a place in my bedroom for it and Jack (the other dog) took it over.  He growled at her if she came close.   I have twin beds in my bedroom (pushed together), Jack has occupied one until now.  I guess I will have to make a trip to Petco and buy another bed. 

Hope all is well with you..................