WIP Wednesday #3

Added another project to my WIP list...  Actually it's a 6 month 'block of the month' quilt and I just received the THIRD month's package!  I'm only 1/2 through the first month so this one needs to get on AND move UP the WIP list if I hope to ever catch up :) 

This is a picture of the quilt when it's complete:

Sunflower Glacier Star - Quilting by the Bay

This is the first month's block - making 8 of them:

And this is what I have done so far - all 8!

OK,  sad...   But I also have the rest of block one cut out!

I also worked more on Mason's graduation quilt, back of the quilt this time.  I have all the strip pieces cut out and paired up for sewing the block tops.  This took a long time as I am using 30 or so of the Bali pops from the Sangria collections.  I found that some of the fabrics were too light.  I have also collected and cut out 20 or so different fabrics for the background pieces.  Will have some actual pictures of the quilt shortly  :)

 

WIP Update: (date) is when entered the list or last worked on...  8/17/11 is my starting point

Completed Projects:
Nothing completed this week. 
 
New Projects:
Sunflower Glacier Star 8/31/11

Ongoing Projects:
Mason's graduation quilt - Back - continued - cut out fabric and started to assemble blocks 8/31/11

No progress:
Berry Bliss Twin Quilt 2of2 played with several designs... still deciding pattern 8/17/11
Eric's Browning Quilt (Christmas present 2010!!!) made multi-fabric binding strip  8/24/11
Snowman Quilt - top together awaiting borders, quilting, and binding 8/17/11
SVQG - Mystery Quilt month 1 of 4 (August) 8/17/11
Boat Log Cabin Quilt 8/17/11
Rose of Sharon wall hanging 8/17/11
Row Robin Sampler Quilt! have 5 strips of four blocks each... MoVeD the rows around... Still Thinkin...  8/24/11

This week’s stats:
New projects – 1
Completed projects –0
Currently in progress – 9

Chose Pattern Design... Can't find the name?

I have chosen the design that I am going to use on Mason's graduation quilt back...  But I can't find the name of the block...  It first I thought it was 'Jacob's Ladder' but realized that it wasn't the same.  If anyone knows the name of this block I would love to hear it!!

I first saw this block when my quilting friend, Lynn, was making a quilt at the Fall SVQG retreat.  She was using tiny plaid fabrics and it was beautiful. 

I am using the Hoffman's Sangria Bali Pops for the fabric :)  Below is how these blocks go together. I plan to mix up all of the mediums and darks from this collection for the dark squares and triangles.  I also plan to use many lights ranging from white-on-white to batik mediums for the light triangles.

To start:

Cut assorted Bali Pops into 2 1/2” x 10” strips  (A)

Cut assorted Light background colors into 5 1/4” x 10” pieces (B)

Sew one (A) to one (B) using 1/4" seam allowance.  Each of these sections will produce 4 finished blocks.

(A) dark fabric at top / (B) light fabric at bottom.

Cutting into 4 - 2 1/2" by length strips as shown above (dotted lines).  After cutting into 4 sections line 2 of the pieces like this and stitch together:

You then place this piece - right sides together with a dark piece of fabric like this:

 Sew on the solid lines above so that you are just touching the corner of the dark square.  After both lines have been sewn cut 1/4" away from the sew line as shown (dotted lines).  Iron your piece towards the large dark triangles and finished they should look this:

I plan to set these squares on point.

digital design built in computer

Now to figure out just how many I will need....

Again, if anyone knows the name of this block - please let me know!

Thanks!!

Saying Thank You..

So often in life we get so busy in our day to day routines that we neglect to follow through on things we mean to do.  Can't just be me?! Can it?  Today I find myself with regret for not following through on something I have been meaning to do....

I went to college as an  adult.  I'd say young adult now as I was 27 at the time, but a full blown married adult is what I felt I was.  It took me nine years of night school during which I worked full time, I gave birth to two beautiful boys, divorced, lived on my own for the first time (not counting the two baby boys!), bought my first condo by myself, and in the last year of school met the man of my dreams and his two young daughters who would become my family.

So much change in nine years.  There was one constant through it all for me and that was a very special man who was my college professor and my amazing mentor.  Benjamin. G. Gardiner.


He was Ben to his students. My first class with Ben was Accounting 101.  I waddled into his class five months pregnant  to find this mid-aged** man dressed with an odd hat standing in front of what appeared to be a grade-school child's lemon-aid stand.  I remembered looking back at the door to check the room number to see if I was in the right class.  I was. I'm not sure which one of us looked funnier as I remember that day.  

Controversial Lemonade Stand Earns $1,800

What I didn't know that day was just how much I would grow over the next nine years both as a person and a student and how much Ben and his quite sense of humor would influence me.


Ben went on that day to walk us through basic accounting using the monetary platform of the lemon-aid stand.  It stuck and I fell in love with accounting.  Ben would go on to teach a dozen or so of my classes over the next nine years.


My most memorable moment in class was when Ben was handing back the mid-term project of my first computer accounting software class.  The project was to account start-to-finish for one year of a tee-shirt company I believe.  He pulled me aside and said I did a wonderful job on my mid-term.  He went on to say that given the professional hard report cover and the labeled sections, along with the table of contents he was sure that I could charge any client an extra $50 for this, HOWEVER, if I ever handed him in another project like this he would flunk me!  He said he now knew how good I was at putting together this type of project and I was now to find BETTER THINGS TO DO WITH MY TIME!  I laugh as I look back because this was about half way through my course of studies and by this time I had Ben for an instructor for four or five courses and he knew me and my newly divorced situation well enough to know where I was 'hiding' from my real life and this was his way of telling to me get back into living my life. 

Ben taught me many things but mostly he taught me to believe in myself.  As we would prepare for a test he would always tell us 'you have studied hard', 'you are ready for this test', and most of all 'remember - it's all in there!'  Now we just needed to take a deep breath and remember 'it's all in there'.  Just quite everything else down, concentrate , and the material will get to the top of the pile.  And he was right, it always did.

I graduated in 1997 with my BS in Accounting. Ben was at my graduation as were many of my other instructors but it felt every bit like Ben was there just for me. 

Sadly Ben passed away last month.  I always meant to sit down and write him a letter thanking him for the confidence his belief in me gave to me.  Ben was a wonderful man and everyone who's life he touched was better for having known him.  I mourn my teacher, my mentor, and my friend.  But I know Ben, he would be telling me I am once again wasting my time that could be better spent.

You are the best Ben and I will carry you and the wisdom and confidence you gave to me, with me, for all of my days.





**I say mid-aged man with a bit of a chuckle for as I read Ben's obituary I realized that he was on that first day of class the exact age that I am today!  Funny, he always seemed like such a grown up, so sure of himself.  Wonder when I am going to feel that way? 

Is there someone in your life that you've been meaning to call or write a note, 

maybe someone you want to say 'thank you' to?  

Make today that day!