Simple Times Quilt Along Reveal!

Ta da!  Here is my version of the Simple Times Quilt Along quilt hosted by Carol at Brown Quilts and Kelly at Charming Chatter.  Check out the links to see the parade of quilts.  This was a great quilt along and I love the pattern.  Thank you both so much! 

I used my 1930s stash for this quilt and have fabric pulled to make a scrappy backing.  I had wanted to get it put together, quilted, and bound for today but it's way too hot to be doing all that.

I Can't Think of a Title Tuesday

I'm feeling under the weather this week so I don't have much to say.  Here's what I've been working on:

 Gomez helped me finish the Simple Times Quilt Along Quilt .  I'll be posting the completed top with the rest of the parade on August 4th.  I doubt I'll get it quilted and bound by then but I might.

 Barbara Brackman's Civil War block of the week. Peterson's Flag and

 Railroad Crossing.

 FWQAL Big Dipper (left) and Broken Dishes (right)

FWQAL Box (right) and Bat Wing (left)

Recent Reads & Simple Times Quilt Along

Gomez as Library Sphinx

I didn't get much sewing done over the long holiday weekend as I thought I would. The weather was intolerable with high heat and high humidity so I stayed inside in the air conditioning and succeeded in not being very productive.  Although I did read two books so I guess that's something.  I read Marie Bostwick's latest book Threading the Needle and Tina Fey's Bossypants.  Both were enjoyable and perfect for long holiday weekend couch reading.

 This week I did get caught up on the Simple Times Quilt Along. 

1930s fabrics just make me smile.

Having a short week at work also makes me smile.  One more day and it's the weekend again woo hoo!

What I Wanted to Post Yesterday....

Georgia Power is not improving their standing in this household that is for sure!  We did have a line of severe thunderstorms roll through metro-Atlanta yesterday evening. However, this happens every summer at least once a week if not more so it shouldn't be a big deal....

About 7:00PM, the lights flickered and I heard the transformer up the street go WHOOOOMP.  I will not repeat anything that was said in my house last night because it was NOT NICE.

Even though we lost power, S. and I made fajitas and sauteed plantains because I have a natural gas stove that works great (when the gas line are not electrified and threatening to blow up your house....)

But I digress. As the night dragged on...in the dark...I was hoping that I wouldn't lose all the groceries that I had just bought to replace the ones from last month....

Seven hours later....

At 2:30AM (yes I was up), the power came back on. Grrrrrrrr....

Here is what I wanted to post.  Simple Times Quilt Along.  The first sewing step was four of the framed four-patch blocks and eight of the stars with four-patch centers.  I sewed some of these at Silver Thimbles on Friday night and finished it up on Saturday.  I spent more time talking and laughing than sewing which is exactly what I needed after all the frustrating insanity at my house.  Laughed until I cried and it was awesome!!

I also made my Civil War block for this week.   An easy block although tricky measurements for a nine-patch to make a finished 8" block.  I used Barbara Brackman's Civil War Reunion fabric for the dark and medium fabrics and found an unknown 5" floral in my box of 5" scraps.  Hope it's correct to the period.  I am trying to use only reproduction fabrics from the mid-19th-century as much as possible for this quilt.

Simple Times Quilt Along Catching Up

This week has been chock full of catching up.  Catching up with work, catching up with housework, catching up with errands, catching up with grocery shopping.  I also need to catch up on everything in blogland and quiltyland and who knows what else.

I am also catching up with the Simple Times Quilt Along. I decided on fabric and began cutting and now...yikes they are already making blocks.  .

I am using 1930s fabrics and decided to use this cute cat fabric as the focus fabric and some of the background pieces.  It was hard to cut into this fabric because I have been hoarding it since.....before they put dates on the selvages apparently....but decided to bite the bullet and cut it up.

This is what I told myself as I was cutting up this fabric I have been hoarding since the beginning of time:

They make more fabric. 

Really they do. 

Every year at least twice a year.

And I'm sure I will find more fabric that I like out of the hundreds of fabrics that come out every year.

At least twice a year. 

So that's two-times-hundreds of fabrics.  So I should just sew with it already!  
 There now that wasn't so hard now was it?

I had less difficulty cutting up the rest of the fabric because...well I have oooooooodles of 1930s fabrics.

And I know this because cutting fabric for the quilt didn't put a dent in my 1930s stash.


If anyone is still interested in my saga of house repairs, it is still ongoing but nearing the end.  I did experience an EPIC customer service fail with my phone and internet company.  And by EPIC, I mean EPIC.  Borderline on Georgia-Power-customer-service-fail EPIC.  Needless to say, the only way I can resolve the issue is by getting a new phone and Internet company because I am not wasting one more iota of a second on the phone trying to sort out the problem.  Take that AT & T!!! 

As of next week, AT & T is fired and they better not try to charge me anything because I'll have to go all Scarlett O'Hara-as-God-as-my-witness on them.

OK deep breath. 


I have Silver Thimbles Sewing Club tonight so I'll have something actually sewn together to show tomorrow.  Oh and tomorrow is also Civil War Block of the Week. Can't wait to see what this week's block is.

If you made it all the way down this far, I'll tell you a little secret.

Shhhh... just for those that read my blog and have been living through my crazy house crisis with me....

I'm having a "We Survived the Crazy Electrical House Fire of Friday May 13th, 2011 Giveaway" of some random quilty good things. Come back next Friday for details. 

Simple Times Quilt Along!!!

OK house stuff on hold.  Let's get to some super-fun quilty goodness.  I am joining in on the fun with Kelly and Carol in the Simple Times Quilt Along.  If you are not yet a follower of Charming Chatter or Brown Quilts, just click on the super-cute bear button in my right sidebar and it will take you right there (or click on their names above). 

Kelly and Carol are so wonderful that there is even two different sizes that you can choose from or do both and have a Momma Bear and Baby Bear quilt along.

During my recent cleaning and sorting of my sewing space, I noticed that the top for my box of 1930s fabrics didn't close as well as I remembered it did previously.  What is up with that?  Plastic bins shrinking?!? I know it happens with clothes but bins?  Anyway....I'm gonna use some of my 1930s stash to make a Momma Bear version.  Fabric requirements are up this week.  Big quilt on Carol's blog and little quilt on Kelly's blog. Cutting instructions are next week. Can't wait to see all the wonderful fabric choices.