Thursday, October 30, 2014

I'm still here...

Oh, my last course was a tough one... now it is over and I'm taking Beginner Greek, which is even worse. However, so glad that the sewing machine (and relief for an over-taxed brain) is just a few steps away. Also that some bright fellow posted a youtube that helped me learn the Greek alphabet in less than 10 minutes. It is corny, but it worked. Learning how to write the letters is another story.**

I only finished a couple more blocks for the Lord of the Rings quilt so will take pictures when the third one is finished... it is close. There are two more after that, then comes the challenge of selecting fabric for the sashing/borders, and arranging the blocks. What a journey this has been. I wonder if the time it took has any relationship to the length of those movies?!  :-)

Now and then, Pinterest attracts me away from doing any work. Can you believe all the marvelous quilts that are out there! I've been saving those that inspire me, and have very itchy fingers when I look at them. Btw, I graduate May 15, so hope all that ambition and my sanity are still with me so I can turn some of the vision into reality.

In the meantime, here is a photo that makes me want to sew a tree ...


** I'm finishing a Masters degree online, started it in 1993 so it is a huge UFO project!



Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Lord of the Rings Quilt

Here are four more blocks finished (I didn't move the lower left one out of the picture, but it was finished last post.) 

I've one left to sew together which is J. R.'s initials, and another one that so ugly that I'm going to pitch it (no photo of that one!) 


These are scenes from the movie, and I love the one with the blue mountains, Grey Havens. My plan is to do some quilting 'reflections' on the water so that vertical line of contrasting tones isn't quite so prominent.



I'm also glad that I didn't have to put eyes on Gollum. That character gives me the creeps!

I do have a question... if anyone has any paper-pieced patterns that are Lord of the Rings, but different than these, I'd be very interested. I need a couple more blocks and don't want to make duplicates. I might be able to make patterns, but it would be nice to find some already made.

I'm now planning the general layout for this quilt. The plan looks good so far. Choosing the background color and fabric is a challenge though. I'll take pictures of my options and see what you think.