Funky Chickens

Had to show off my new chicken quilt or soon to be quilt. I belong to a lovely group of women quilters and stash collectors called the BlottoBabes. We play a monthly blotto or I should say lotto. Each month one gal chooses a particular quilt block pattern, eveyone makes one or as many blocks as she chooses, sends them to the hostess and she then chooses one or more winners by drawing names. So fun. Every once in awhile, we get tired of that game and do a group project like a RoundRobin or in this case a Row x Row. We divided into groups of about 6 or 7 and each person in the group chooses a theme for "her" quilt, makes one row and mails it to another in the group, that person adds a row to coordinate with the original row and sends it on, etc. Well, this has been a year long project and I recently received my finished rows. Wow! I think this is my new favorite quilt. I love chickens, all kinds of chickens. Love the homespun country look, too. So, here are some shots of my funky chicken quilt before I get started quilting on it. And what a wonderful treasure to have blocks made especially for me by my quilty buddies.

New Year's Resolutions - Too Many UFO's

I started this Buggy Barn "Star Cazies" quilt last year, or was it 2 years ago? It's still sitting there waiting for me to finish machine quilting it. There's a problem. It's a king size quilt, it's huge. I don't have a long-arm quilting machine, just the zig-zag I've had for 40 years. It's so much work to get this through my machine! I work up a sweat! I've done it all in homespun, like the original pattern. I love this primitive look, yet I did my bedroom is sort of Victorian. So I'm thinking of painting the room, tearing up the carpet, getting new window treatments, etc. MAN a quilt is a lot of work! But my quilt is well on it's way to being completed, I just need to work through the pile on top of it!

Then last year, I purchased this absolutely beautiful fabric from a fabric designer friend of mine who lives an hour away from here near Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was hot off the press. The box showed up while I was there. As soon as she opened it I had to own it! I love these colors. This block is called Eyes of March, and I started making this paper pieced block as soon as I got home that day. I probably have 6-8 blocks done and this would match my bedroom without tearing up carpets or painting or changing the window treatments. But I love the primitive look, but I love the look of this. What to do!!!!!


I just hope I can get back to working on both of these quilts! I have many other UFO's including making the TussyMussy pattern that Chris and I worked on so hard. She did all the computer work so I'll give her all the credit. I almost had a wall hanging done of the TussyMussy and RAN OUT OF FABRIC! How's that for good planning! And then, once again, got busy with my real job of doing Estate Tag Sales and the TussyMussy went into the UFO pile. Someday, hopefully this year!


Right now I'm preparing to journey the whole 7 blocks to Chris' house to have a "Girl Friend Sewing Day!" It's so wonderful having her right here in Muscatine again! It used to take almost 4 hours to drive to her house to have "Girl Friend Sewing Day." I think we can do it more often now. We'll post a photo of what we accomplish today. Will we talk Tea Cozies? Will we do a Funky Star Quilt? Will we do UFO's? Who knows! ~Pam