TWO BLOCKS FOR APRIL

Our guild decided they wanted to do two blocks for one month since there will be 13 blocks for the quilt, so this is the month!!  Two simple blocks really and they are similar so it will be a piece of cake.
Block No. 4 - Variable Star

(Using the colors shown in the picture above)
Background:
Cut four 4-1/2" squares
Cut one 5-1/4" square
Red Fabric:
Cut two 5-1/4" squares
Pink fabric:
Cut one 5-1/4" square
Black Fabric:
Cut one 4-1/2" square

Place a background 5-1/4" square on top of a red 5-1/4" square.  Do the same for the other red and pink 5-1/4" squares.   Mark them diagonally down the center, sew 1/4" on each side of the mark.  (My picture shows the sewing lines marked)

(I cut too many squares -- you will not have four -- just two)

Cut them apart and you will have two of each color (not the four I had!!)

Cut these squares diagonally so you have these:

Lay your block out as follows:

Sew and you will have a finished block:

NOW ON TO BLOCK NO. 5 -- CROSSED FINGERS

Background:
Cut four 4-1/2" squares
Cut one 5-1/4" square - subcut this square twice diagonally so you will have 4 triangles

Dark red:
Cut two 5" squares - subcut these squares once diagonally so you will have 4 triangles

Light red:
Cut one 5-1/4" square - subcut this square twice diagonally so you will have 4 triangles

Pink:
Cut four 2-1/4" squares
Cut one 4-1/2" square

Place a 2-1/4" square on each of the 4-1/2" background squares and sew diagonally on the drawn line.

Sew the background and light red triangles together as follows:

Lay out your block and sew together:

Viola!  Finished block No. 5:

Now that wasn't so bad, was it????  And we have 5 block finished!

Dogwoods

This has been the most beautiful spring.  The dogwoods are prettier than I have ever seen.  These were taken at a cemetary here in McKenzie.  Isn't it the most beautiful, peaceful place!!!

And here are a few from our meadow:

And I have been transplanting day lilies because they have been taking over.  I have a spot where absolutely nothing will grow so I'm putting some day lilies there because they grow ANYWHERE -- at least I hope they do.

And here is our pet cemetary (Lugar and Pug, two boxers we have lost):

Oh, and our boxer, Bruta, in the background.
And I have knockout roses and azaleas blooming.

Well, you can't see them from this distance, but they are blooming.
I have never seen this happen this early in the year.  Just wait until summer -- can you say hot?????

One finished - one more on LA machine

I haven't posted in awhile.  My batteries were gone on both of my cameras!!!  Now I am back in business.  I just finished this quilt -- from a kit I bought in Paducah a couple of years ago.  I don't know what possessed me to do the vines and basket in brown thread.  I'm not sure I like the results but I'm sure not taking it out.  It is bound and washed, so it stays. 

Oh, and the woven basket -- don't do it as it says on the pattern which is Gathering Basket from the book Meadowsweet Home.   I would have had to raise my needle bar in order to quilt it on the longarm, so thought I would just do it on my domestic.  Well, guess what!!  My domestic wasn't exactly crazy about the thickness.  I couldn't get the lines smooth, so I just did a few and then gave up.  It is enough to anchor but it is not what I really wanted.  Next time, I would do an open weave with at least 1/2" in between the weaves instead of them being right next to each other.  Here's a picture just to show that it doesn't look the greatest.

So when this is shown they have to pretend they are a horse galloping really, really fast!
Now I'm quilting my lemoyne star made with the Moda Hope line of fabric.

I'm liking it.  It will take awhile because it is 108 x 110. 

Debbie's Animal Banners

Debbie has made these banners using Toni Whitney's patterns for her son's room.  All I did was quilt the edges down for her.  Aren't they great!!!!

I used Aurifil inivisible thread so I didn't have to change threads all the time and they went pretty quickly.