November was a blur!

It's December tomorrow!  I am starting to panic a little bit as my schedule is filling up fast!  I've got to finish the gift for my friendship group's gift exchange.  So, I'm going to have to put a couple of projects on hold till I get the gift done.  I have less than a week.  

Here are a few more blocks for my Abundance quilt.  I've been appliqueing a couple hours each night and developing a callous on the side of my middle finger.

Here's the cornucopia.

I'm not sure if I like this corn.  Some of the yellow kernels are melding into the background.  Dare I unstitch them and replace them with a darker yellow fabric?

Here's the pear.  I'm not too thrilled with it either.  I will have to see how the blocks look side by side and then decide if I will have to redo any of the blocks.

And here's the acorn swag.  I decided to use wool felt for the stems.  

I also want to share this photo of a fun, whimsical quilt made by Wendy for her friend Irene, in honor of her birthday.

Irene is from the UK but has lived in the US for a long time.  She likes tea, sewing, her dog Dexter and her cat Popcorn.  Irene is also famous for her soup parties.  Wendy and Sandy made this quilt in the style of Mary Lou Wiedman's story quilt and did a fantastic job.

I should have taken close ups of the different details of the quilt.  The cat Popcorn is made of popcorn fabric.  Very cute!  And the dog is actually a replica of a photograph of the actual dog.  I have never made a photo quilt like this before (save for a self portrait I did years ago) and would love to tackle something like this someday....as in maybe the year 2020 when I am caught up with my applique projects.

And in non quilt related news, dad is here visiting and we took a very short weekend trip recently to Santa Barbara, CA and to Simi Valley, CA.

Here's dad at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley.  This is a replica of President Reagan's oval office during his tenure at the White House.

This is the Marine One helicopter which flew President Johnson.

And here we are boarding Air Force One.

Interestingly, I was telling one of my friends from the quilt guild about our recent visit to the Reagan Library and she told me that her husband ACTUALLY FLEW THIS PLANE!  Her husband was an air force pilot who had served under President Nixon.  That is very exciting!  We will have to visit the Nixon Library one of these days.

One our way to Santa Barbara, dad and I stopped at Roxanne's A Wish and A Dream in Carpenteria.  What a fun quilt store!

They have a great selection of fabric, embroidery stuff and gift items!  I would love to come back and take my time shopping.  If you visit their website, you will see a sample of the wonderful items they carry.

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall 2012

With the time change back from Daylight Savings Time, it suddenly got a lot cooler here in Southern California.  We also had a couple days of rain. 

Fall also marks the start of the new television season, a visit from my dad, travel or road trip with him, and a new applique project.

This year, I have decided to start on "Abundance". This is my first fall themed quilt. It is a Verna Mosquera pattern.  My friend Lynn attended her retreat a few years ago.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to join her but I did purchase the pattern and a kit with some of the fabrics she used.  I've completed a few blocks already.  So, I've decided to post them here as I complete them.  I started with a relatively easy block- the pilgrim's hat.

I am using wool felt for the berries on the twig.

Here are some strange gourds- the kind with the nubby growth that's gross and fascinating at the same time.  Has anyone actually cooked and tasted them?

And finally, a wishbone.

In case you are wondering, it took a couple weeks to complete these blocks.  I haven't really been tracking the number of hours it takes to complete an applique quilt.  I should do that just to see how long it actually takes.  

I am still working on 2 other projects- the Bordered Diamond quilt from the Kaffe Fassett workshop is on my design wall.  And I am still machine quilting the Berries and Bluebird applique top.  I like to work on 2 or 3 projects simultaneously and switch back and forth.  

Before I end today's post, I'd like to share some sad news.  Yolanda Radig, founder of the Orange County Modern Quilt guild, passed away from cancer last month.  She is OCMQG's first President and she has touched the lives of many people who will surely miss her.    Although I did not know her very intimately, I will always have positive memories of her.  Yolanda was generous, gracious, encouraging and always enthusiastic.  She was also a gifted quilter and I have admired her quilts and her color selection.  The image below is from her blog and it is a tribute and a reminder of a fearless warrior who will always be an inspiration to me.  

Good night, Yolanda.  It was a pleasure to have known you.