A few new things to blog about....

It's been a while since the last time I posted anything, so I have a little catch-up to play.

1: I finished the write-up for Singer's website and have sent that off. I think it turned out well. I made some diagrams (all those hours in Architecture school may have finally paid off) and they really seemed to help clarify the directions. My mom did a run through of my directions to find anything that needed more clarification and was able to get most of the tough stuff without me being there, so that's definitely a good sign.

Thanks for helping me out, mom!

2: I've joined a Row Robin Quilt Swap! The way it works is we were split into groups of 6. Each person makes a row for the quilt theme they have chosen. They have 6 weeks to complete it. When they are finished, they stick it in a ziploc bag and mail it off to the next quilter. That person makes a row to fit your quilt theme and style within 6 weeks and mails it to the next person on the list. Each bag of strips gets sent to all 6 group members, so by the time it gets back to the original person, there are 6 different strips for them to complete a quilt top with. They can add sashing and arrange as desired before finishing the quilt.

I'm really excited to see what comes back to me at the end of the swap. Throughout the swap we are supposed to check in periodically on the flickr group so that everyone knows their quilt is still in good hands and hasn't disappeared.

The theme I've chosen for my quilt is the Wizard of Oz. I'm thinking I'll have a finished quilt of 54" in width. If I make 6" blocks, that gives me 9 to make my strip out of. My mom (who also joined the swap) and I went to a quilt shoppe in Plattsmouth, Nebraska over the weekend to shop for our swap quilts. I got a few really cute Wizard of Oz fat quarters to use in my strip. My rough plan for my strip is this:

Block 1: A simple block with one of the scenes from the fat quarter I purchased.

Block 2: Ruby slippers. This will probably be appliqued (which reminds me I should get some library books to teach myself how to do that exactly). I'm planning on using some of the red sparkly fabric I had sitting in my stash.

Block 3: The hot air balloon. This will most likely also be appliqued.

Block 4: Maybe something with the witch fat quarter I bought.

Block 5: The emerald city. I'm not quite sure how to make this yet, so we'll see what I end up with. My mom loaned me this green fabric that I think I'll probably use. I think maybe inventing some sort of strip method may be the answer.

Block 6: Is still up in the air. I might do some sort of really simple frame for one of the scenes from this awesome fat quarter I scooped up.

Block 7: Also up in the air, but maybe another framed scene from the same fabric.

Block 8: I was thinking about doing the ruby slippers again, but this time putting them on the wicked witch. Do you remember the scene when she was squashed by the house in the tornado?

Block 9: There are several scenes on the same fat quarter. If I don't end up using them in the strip, they'll probably end up in the corners on the finished top. I'm really excited to see what I come up with for my strip and then to see what else turns up in all the other strips that I'll recieve at the end of the swap.

I also scooped these few fat quarters up, but haven't decided how to use them yet. I just couldn't leave the quilt store without them.

My mom's theme is all 30's prints in pastel colors. She found a lot of them at the quilt shoppe over the weekend, but was still undecided on what sort of pattern she wanted to do. I'm glad we didn't end up in the same group of 6 because I think it could ruin part of the surprise of what each of us would end up with at the end of the swap. I also think it would have been neat if we had ended up in the same group because we've never done a quilt together. I have a few she's made for me, but we've never done one where we both have worked on it. I suppose we'll just have to save that for another project.

3: I'll keep this blog from going to much longer and add my other stuff in the future. A few things to look forward to in the near future:

• A Plastic Bag class I took at Urban Arts + Crafts. I'm considering turning this into my first tutorial, which is why I have yet to write it.
• A tour of my quilt collection.
• A blog on a few different print methods I've tried recently.
• I'm considering starting some sort of Etsy find of the week
• A review of the Seams to Be Quilt Shoppe in Plattsmouth, NE

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