Fun For Friday - I'm LEAVING!!

Just for the weekend.....
This weekend is our annual Shawnee Retreat!  Hooray!! I'm Saved!

But first a little Frida love.  I bought 3 yards of this fabulous fabric at the Lancaster Quilt Show.  Won't this make a wonderful backing?

This is my favorite art book of her work.  She was a talented and fascinating woman.

Little Day of the Dead figures of Frida and Diego keep company with my thread.

Today I'm also sharing a fun note and photos I received from Gwen Marston (my mentor, idol and friend.)  It was such a fun surprise for me.

Here is a photo from 1995, my first Beaver Island  retreat with my dear friend, Mary B.  The theme was log cabin quilts and  I made 1 small quilt a day.

Gwen in on the far left, I don't know who is in the brown pants, then me looking totally dorky in a denim dress and sweatshirt (nice hair, lol) and my Mary.

Here is the log cabin quilt that Mary made.  I loved it then; I love it now.

Here is what I'll be working on at the Retreat:

The Flying Geese project:

And my king sized bed nine-patch quilt (not worked on since the retreat 2 years ago - ooops.)  I even added some more of those chinzy looking brown florals.  Oh yea, I have a backing already.  Now I just need to SEW!

I hope you are doing something really fun this Weekend and Happy Spring!

Cabin Fever - Finished!

Happy Monday!

I finished my Cabin Fever quilt, started in 1995:

The backing is made up of 20 fat quarters (I trimmed them all to 21" x 18").

After realizing on basting day that the backing was short, I attached the NYC subway fabric to the top and bottom.

Here is the backing before quilting.

Coco took a 30 minute sun bath on it one afternoon (she's avoiding eye contact with me).

Here is my favorite FQ on the back.  These funny Chimps.  The eyes are a scream.

I quilted each block and then on the diagonal in one direction.

The label - and hooray, I had the opportunity to use this funny label.  I didn't actually take forever, just 18 years to get back to it.

I couldn't decide on a single binding fabric, so I used 4, one on each side.

Here is a rag ball made of batting and the strip that gets trimmed after binding.  I've been making these for each larger quilt that I do.

And what's next?  I'm working on finishing my last border on the Jubilee quilt and I am piecing more of my flying geese that I traded with Susan and Jill.  It's happy and fun.

What are you up this week?

Cabin Fever - For Real!

Happy Saturday- I'm late for a Fun For Friday and I'm early for a Tuesday post.   I've lost a week due to an unwelcome, unwanted and unappreciated virus.  Perhaps you've heard my cough it has been a "cough heard 'round the world" kind of thing.

Here is my 18 year old UFO Log Cabin quilt top so far:

Look at these striking combinations.  The blocks are 10" square-ish.  There appears to be a heavy trimming hand at work here.

As you can see, it is a everything and the kitchen sink mash up.

I have 35 blocks that still need to be set.  All this just sitting around, moving to 2 different homes, across state lines  and through many US Presidents.  And why?  I think it's the general weirdness of the overall combination of dated fabrics.

Can it be saved?  Should it be saved?

Here is a project I finished before the plague set it.  I think I'll name it "Inauguration Day".  It is made up of patriotic prints.

 The backing is an Americana toile fabric.

It has found a home on our family room dining table.

Stay warm and well and have a great Weekend!