AC center field is complete!

All of the blocks are done (and one redone ;0) Inner border is added to the center medallion, all of the blocks are set into the corner sections and sewn onto the medallion. Yea! That completes the center field of my Amaretto Cottage! Great to take the day off and spend a lovely rainy day finishing one of my November goals and here it is...

This is the block that I changed yesterday

It was the very first block originally made with a light background

When I put it up on the design wall last week with the first layout

I wasn't happy with that light background fabric for corner blocks

First layout...

Second layout with the remade corner blocks

 ready to add to the center after

adding a medium tan border to the medallion 

and another shot of the center field finished!!!

Borders will be added, the same dark floral print that borders the medallion. Right now the center field measures 86 x 86. The center block, Missouri Star is 15", the blocks in the medallion are 6" and the blocks in the corner settings finish at 10".

Janie has all of her blocks completed as well and dropped them off last week. After the holiday we will put her blocks up on my design wall and start assembling her Amaretto Cottage. Pix soon :0) Her colors are completely different, the original fabrics by the designer, Marianne Elizabeth ~ Classically Home for RJR.

I would be happy dancing except this head cold from &%** still has a grip on me :0( Another rainy day YEA! and on to my next goal... Frozen quilts!... for the girls to be made for the next holiday... fast approaching! Yikes! Much to do. 

Spent a lovely day with Mom, Michael and our little Thanksgiving feast. Chris came, it was a wonderful day. Mom making a funny face at me. She is just so darn cute, especially for 99!

Enjoy your weekend

Groetjes, Jo

Thanksgiving Wishes

Fall Frolic, a fabric collection by Sandy Gervais for Moda

in a quilt made in 2008

My favorite flannel quilt to bring out for Fall evenings

with plans to curl up in this Thanksgiving weekend
following a nice dinner with family

Thanksgiving wishes for fellow quilters and bloggers
here in the states as well as everyone throughout the planet
 for a wonderful day with family and friends!
Groetjes, Jo

'Tis the season

This pretty much sums up my week! 

Feeling much better, spent the day at the longarm getting caught up. 

As for Amaretto Cottage, unsewing the corner blocks was all I accomplished :0(

Loved the rain this week, that was an upside! Looking forward to a nice week with a little break to dry up the leaves and a day off tomorrow to work on my projects. 

Enjoy your weekend!

Groetjes, Jo

Amaretto Cottage and 99

Yipee! 

Amaretto Cottage is up on the design wall :0) this evening!

This is the first layout with most of the 10 inch blocks laid out with the medallion center. A few more to finish, then add one more border to the center medallion before the outer blocks are added to finish the center field followed with at least 2 maybe 3 outer borders. One will be wide and the same dark floral print as the last border on the center medallion. Happy dancing to have this baby laid out! 

 

I had the nicest surprise this afternoon, flowers from my friend Pam!!! So nice! This morning I sent Pam pix of her Swoon quilt in progress on my longarm frame. Looking forward to getting the binding on and back into her arms to see in real life :0) 

What a wonderful day! 

We also celebrated my Mom's 99th birthday earlier this week.

 Wow 99 ! Happy Birthday Mom

Groetjes, Jo

November's Goal ~ Amaretto Cottage and Frozen

Janie and I are on the last block for Amaretto Cottage!

Month/Block 9 ~ Nine Patch Star Variation

Not completely pieced and there are three more for a total of four of each block.

Nov. goal is to finish the last blocks and then start setting the blocks together! Yea!!!

A recap with pix below of each block, Amaretto Cottage is a block of the month from Marianne Elizabeth. My friend and customer, Janie purchased the BOM as a kit in 2012 with the original fabrics from Marianne in the Honey colorway. Gorgeous fabrics in mostly golds and purples. Janie asked if I would help her with her quilt. We started working together on it last year and now we are getting close to finishing the top! I decided to pull from my Civil War stash plus a few Thimbleberries to make the blocks myself, making it easier to help. Janie has done a fantastic job with her blocks, "perfection" I say even tho she never agrees with me, she is an excellent quilter! 

The first four went into the center and formed the medallion. HERE is a link to the blog post for Month 7 with both of our centers finished in September with borders. First blocks were 6" finished, Block 1 ~ English Ivy (corners), Block 2 ~ Cake Stand (8), Block 3 ~ Aunt Addie's Album (a challenge!) and the center is Missouri Puzzle which finishes at 15 3/4". 

Center blocks

The first month's block were the same block made in two sizes

6" that went into the corners of the center

and then four more in a 10" finished size.

All of the blocks will be set on point

Month/block 1 ~ English Ivy, the 10 inch block

We didn't follow all the months in order. Instead we would choose a difficult block followed by an 'easier' block just to break it up a bit. It was also nice to work at our own pace! 

Block 5 ~ Log Cabin (changed the fabrics)

There were 12 of these total. 8 regular and 4 that will be corners...

Block 5 ~ Log Cabin

Block 5 ~ Log Cabin corner block

Block 6 ~ Kansas Troubles

For both blocks 1 and 6 I pulled very light background fabrics because they will create a diagonal line into the corners of the quilt once all of the blocks are set. The rest of the blocks are darker.

Block 8 ~ Pinwheel Square
(Block 9 is pictured at the top)

Block 10 ~ Temple Court

Block 11 ~ Beginner's Delight

Month 12 will be cutting the setting triangles, the layout and joining the 10 inch blocks with the log cabin blocks and adding final borders. My goal for November is to finish the last blocks, get the center field of this quilt all together and ready for the borders. I am so looking forward to seeing how all the colors work out. We know Janie's will be gorgeous in the gold and purples. HERE is a link to a google image search for this quilt.

My second goal is to start 2 quilts intended as Christmas gifts for the girls. The focus fabrics are from Frozen with the two sisters which is perfect for two little sisters. Of course, they know all the words from the movie's songs and they both were Elsa for Halloween. This is my pull along with the purchased fabrics... the large pink Frozen fabric will be the backings.

Hope you are enjoying your weekend. Weather is gorgeous here in Nor Cal. 

Loving it, however California needs rain! 

Groetjes, Jo

Challenge Quilt

Last night at Annie's Star Quilt Guild meeting was our deadline for turning in our Challenge Quilts. At next months meeting all of them will be displayed and voted on. I completed mine just an hour before leaving for the meeting, well mostly completed with plans to add some beads and more embellishments but a deadline is a deadline! I ended up sewing down the binding by machine, also not planned and not done well as I caught an edge on one side. With no time to fix it... off it went! Oh well, that's what happens when you wait until the last minute :0(

Pix of the completed project will be posted after December's guild meeting. For now a hint and a pic of what is left of the provided piece of fabric that had to be included. 

Other than one Fat Quarter, all of the fabrics I used where scraps from a quilt that my friend Donna made. That was a challenge in itself! It was fun to get outside of my traditional box, dust off a package of fusible and create an art quilt! Another hint is this quilt honors my disabled brother and will be gifted to him once we complete the challenge and quilt show. Pix next month following our December 4th meeting! 

Janie is in Hawaii for a family reunion so her Amaretto Cottage project is on hold. The challenge quilt has been on my quilting agenda and now its time to regroup and set some goals for November, this weekend. For today, it's back to customer quilts, mom and checking in with last night's speaker, Sandy Klop of American Jane Patterns. 

Wonderful presentation and trunk show last night. Sandy has a pattern company and is a fabric designer for Moda. I highly recommend her for her professionalism, it's been a pleasure to work with her and her company. Being treasurer I didn't get a chance to paruse her beautiful fabrics and patterns. The tables were packed with members anyway so I am looking forward to meeting with her at the workshop taking place today at Honey Run Quilters @ Cathy's. Wishing I could have signed up for this one, Brandie did and it will be fun to see what wonderful quilt she makes today!

TGIF :0)

Groetjes, Jo

Fall Back!

Actually, I would be quite happy with 40!

A reminder for those of us in the states

(except Arizona)

turn back your clocks this morning

and change the batteries in those smoke detectors

Enjoy your Fall Sunday, Jo