My weight loss journey and quilting workshop with Flavin Glover

Hey all,

It is Palm Sunday and I am ready for church so I thought I would do a blog post!!  Even tho it sleeted yesterday afternoon, signs of Spring are reminding us we serve a risen savior and it won't be long for these cold dreary days to be around.

Yesterday Flavin Glover, from Auburn Alabama, came to Possum Town Quilters and presented a workshop on using the log cabin block to make log cabin villages.  Here is a link to her blog.  It was really a fun workshop.  There was lots of good food, fellowship and sewing.  You know it always lifts your spirit when you can say "look what I did!"  Flavin teaches a great class and is very encouraging and had lots of good tips.  If you can get to one of her classes I recommend it.  Here are some of Flavin's sample quilts she showed at the workshop.

Here is my work for the day...I was using Rainbow row, in Charleston, SC as my inspiration...and you know they are soft pastels...not my usual colors.  I didn't like it at all, but once the pink brightened it a bit, and I add some more roofs and other colored buildings I think it will come together.  

I don't know if you are a regular reader or someone stopping by on a blog tour, but I have been working on getting healthier.  Thanksgiving I gave up diet coke and really almost all soda.  I drink maybe one a month now.  I lost a pound or two over the holidays, but nothing to get excited about. So it was time to do something else.

On February 5th I started tracking the food I ate and it was really successful.  I have been moving the scale downward almost every week since!!  A week or so after I started, on Feb 17, by my camera, I decided to take a "before" photo.  This morning I did another.... I know there is not a huge difference and there is a ways to go, but I thought I would let you see where I was.  I am about at -13 according to this mornings scale, but my actual date for weekly weigh ins is Mondays...but no time to write blog posts and edit photos before work.

I will try to keep about the same outfit as long as possible, so it won't be the clothes  change you see it will be the change in me.  I will give you a monthly, or so, update!!

Sew long.

Layout Craftsy block of the month

Dear Readers,

I think this is the layout I am going with...unless I change my mind in the morning.

Craftsy Block of the month 2012

Hey readers,

I decided to get my Craftsy Block of the month quilt out from 2012.  I am going to work on it.  After looking through the blocks I am not sure I like a lot of them.

So I have made a few more blocks and we will see how they work in...I have one of the new ones on the floor...but there were a few I added earlier that were not part of the 12 that Amy Gibson taught in the class.

Here are the ones I have made this week...

An off set log cabin

An enlarged Wild and Goosey

An Ohio Star

A String Block

Another String block but this time in a 9 patch

I am thinking of taking some of the slash blocks out and putting these in, sashing it with neutrals and random cornerstones.

The other option is to try a quilt as you go like they did at this site...here.  Hmmmmm... by the way they have a ton of tutorials.

On a personal note I have been working on getting healthier this year.  I gave up diet cokes and, really all cokes, at Thanksgiving.  I have been upping the amount of water I drink on a daily basis.  I have been tracking my food for the last month or so and my weight is headed down...:)  I had really let it get out of hand.  My goal is to keep the tracking up and when my weight gets down a little more, where there won't be as much pressure on my knees, to add in more physical activity.  At this weight my knees hurt a good bit of the time and I need to get some pressure off of them.

When it shows a little more I will post photos!!

Sew long.

Terry

More about our Ultimate Guild Challenge Quilts

Dear Readers,

I thought you would like to see the photos of the other Magnolia quilts, both selected and not, because all are really good.  These pictures were taken by Keri.  She did a wonderful job.

Naomi's is hand pieced and quilted.  Her flower is 3D.  Cool.

By Naomi

Julia's has the micro quilting that she has gotten so good at.  I love her use of color.

By Julia

 Barb did a paper pieced work that is wonderful.

By Barbara

 Watana also included 3D elements.  Love the variation in the leaf fabrics.

By Watana

 Brenda used pieced diamonds to do her quilt.  If you have ever pieced with fabric that is not on the grain you would know this is a spectacular work.  I also like the colors in the diamonds.

By Brenda

 Mary Anne painted her picture on fabric then quilted it.  I really like how she used some irregular quilting to make the frame look more like wood.

By Mary Anne

 CC took a selfie with her I-pad and then made it a quilt.  This is an amazing work of art.  You really need to see it, and the others in person.  The bead work and the details of the hair blowing is amazing.

By CC

Linda paper pieced using the same patten as Barb.  Isn't it amazing how fabric choices change the look of a quilt?  Nice clean lines.

By Linda B.

Tonya's quilts always seem to have a feeling of playfulness.  I love the children running on the hill chasing the butterfly's.  One of the girls under the tree is reading the Bible.

By Tonya

 Carol had wonderful use of color and workmanship.

By Carol J.

Linda G came up with an original design combining a tree limb and a table decoration.

By Linda G.

There were two other magnolia quilts that were taken home before Keri & I got to get pictures of them.. :(.

Hope you enjoyed looking at them.

I will post some pictures of what I have been working on this spring break on the next post.  So far no progress on the projects other than errand being run and things set up to be worked on.  Slight set back today when I was changing a water filter and bumped the supply line and caused it to start spewing water all over the place, but I guess I needed to mop anyway.  Tax information is taken to the tax man and some other business stuff taken care of.  It feels good to check those things off.

Sew long.

Update

Dear Readers,

It feels a little redundant to put this on here, as I put it on Facebook, but I would like it recorded here too...

My Magnolia Quilt made the top eight.  The next step in the process is to photograph the eight top and make a group photo of the quilters and submit it to AQS.  Then they will evaluate all the groups and decide which ones will be shown in the AQS Show in Grand Rapids.

In the mean time, they will most likely be hung in the Columbus Convention and Visitors Center, Columbus, MS during the pilgrimage.  Here is a link  to the brochure about the dates and what houses will be open this year.

I don't have photos of the others but I plan to try to get them on Saturday...until then here is a link to Julia's she was a selectee too.  And Keri took photos of a lot of the others and they can be found here.

Enjoy the links to their blogs.

Sew long.

The Magnolia Challenge

Dear Readers,

I had my first finish of the year last night, or really this morning, when during the PTQ meeting I was sewed my label on my magnolia quilt.  While I never worked out the tension problems, as a whole I am not as unhappy with the quilt as I was before.  I really like the colors and if you don't get too close and look at the tension problems on the back, it is really pretty.  It is a wall hanging right???  That means you don't look at the back!!

The challenge given the guild was to make a 36 inch by 36 inch quilt (+ or - an inch) that showed a southern magnolia.  The quilt had to be bound in the green you see in the photo.  The top eight will be chosen to be sent the the AQS Ultimate guild challenge.  Then they will look at photos of the top eight and decide if your guild will be invited to participate in the show.  To choose the eight, the quilts will be displayed at the MQA meeting in Hattiesburg next weekend.  When the blog is published with the minutes from todays meeting, you will be blown away by the variety and workmanship of the quilts.
You can click here the link to the blog.

I pieced this last summer when a couple of friends and I got together and had a sewing retreat.  Sue Harmon and Diane Brown were working on a quiet book for her granddaughter, and I was working on this quilt.  I got the inner part done, but didn't bring any black fabric, so on my way home I stopped and bought some and got it the borders on.  I then set it aside, hoping my sewing room would be complete before time to quilt it...unfortunately it is not done yet so I quilted it on my small babyloc but it does a great job with piecing it just doesn't do well with the tension for quilting.

I named mine "Winds of Change in The Magnolia State"  I thought the fractured flowers looked like they had been hit by a big wind.

It hangs nice and straight.

Here are some closeups of the the quilting.

I wrote a bible verse and Mississippi State Flower and Tree - The Magnolia  State in the black border.
Free motion quilting words is not for the faint of heart.  But it is mostly legible.

Here is the label that Judy printed for me.

Sew long!

Blocking my Guild Challenge Quilt

Dear Readers,

If you are not from America, you may not realize that this is the biggest football day of the year for professional football.  I have been working on my Ultimate Guild Challenge magnolia quilt and keeping one eye on the game.  The game is also important as many of the most innovative ads of the year are aired during the game.  So with a daughter who is an art director for an ad firm, I like to watch those too.

When making a wall hanging or a quilt for a show, you may want to block your quilt to get it to hang really straight.  Life as a Quilter -- Julia Graber: Indecision–The Storm Within told me how she does hers.  I my method is pretty much the same.

First I lay out some scrap lumber or since I didn't have any around I used some poles from handles of yard tools to make the sides of the "pool."

before the water, you can tell it is a little ripply.

Then I put some heavy duty plastic to form the inside of the pool.  After I put the quilt in the center I pour a gallon, yes I typed gallon, of water over the quilt.  I squish the quilt in the water till it is all absorbed.  Then I try and make sure everything is nice and flat.  I then turned on the ceiling fan and another small fan and pointed it at the quilt in order to dry it out.  I expect it will be dry tomorrow.

after the water, smoother, but still wet.

I will let you know how it is looking.

On another note, my dad, Bob Turnage, did have his heart surgery and is doing well.  Thanks all who took time to pray for him.  I believe in the power of prayer and I know it made a difference.

Oh I almost for got to show you the light I bought on my trip to Ikea during Thanksgiving holidays.  It really helps if you are sewing at night.  Check out the difference.  It is a Jansjo.

ON

OFF

Sew long.

Terry