3 finished quilts.....

This is a disappearing pinwheel block made from 10 inch squares.

Last years jelly roll derby.

A t-shirt quilt. The flying geese were made using left over t-shirt pieces. 

All have rounded corners using bias binding. It is my new love.

fun things made over the weekend.....

Blocks for Lotto. These sewed up faster than I thought they would.

Words from one of the t-shirts that were too short and too wide to fit anywhere. I put them on a bath towel instead. I think Amanda will get a kick out of it.

I always have a bag of colored pencils on the bus so kids can draw. 

One little 5 year old boy drew this. I am not sure what it is. 

But he was intense as he worked and colored.

I asked him if I could make a pillow from it.

He wanted to know how I could make a pillow with the paper.

I told him I would use fabric. 

I had no plan at that point so the drawing hung on my fridge for a few weeks.

I had all this t-shirt fabric laying about. I was even wondering what to do with it. 

A sane person might just toss it.

Then it struck me where I could use it.......

I have seen these plush toys made from kid drawing and thought it was pretty cool.

That's what I did here. 

I feel his legs are too skinny, but I love his hair.

 I hope he likes it.

getting up to date on things.....

Last weekend I put binding on Carissa's T-shirt quilt. Her party is next weekend and she will be able to have it on display. We were going to meet her in the parking lot of Kmart, down in Algona.

A friend of hers had free kittens. My Malcolm in the middle son wanted one of them. 

We would meet up and trade one quilt for a kitten.

I wasn't able to get a decent picture of the whole thing in the parking lot....so it was decided that it will get official pictures at Carissa's party. Besides there was a kitten involved and all my son wanted was to get it back home quickly.

This is my new granddaughter-kitty. Her name is Dusk of Oolacile. 

(heavy sigh)

It is from some dark video game he plays. He says she answers to her full name and calling her Lucy for short does not work. What the heck? 

Okay, whatever.

Amanda wanted to see a "so far" picture of her T-shirt quilt. Her uncle, tractor joe wanted her to see how her quilt was taking over his space and stuck his foot in the picture. My goal is to get a finished top this weekend. She won't have a finished quilt for her party next weekend, just a top.

She is okay with that. It took her forever to gather her t-shirts! 

I won BLOCK LOTTO again. I know, it seems like I win a lot. But I play every month, there is only one month I didn't. The block involved batiks and curves. The curves said take a break.

I laid the blocks on point to see how that would look. While I like it, I am not 100% sure this is how it will end up.

My brother-in-law received one of the envelopes in HIS mailbox and promptly brought it over. This has happened before, too. I suggested that maybe he should get the quilt, tractor joe totally agreed!

"Yes! Make my brother a quilt!" 

And last but not least....

Last weekend we went down to Ames to bring home a carload of dorm room things. It was all the stuff Crispy could live without for a week. He brought the rest home with him yesterday.

Next year he has an apartment. This may be his last summer at home. 

I better get busy sewing on those T-shirt columns.

t-shirt quilt and bag.....

I am finished sewing this t-shirt quilt together! It will go to the quilters tomorrow. The final is a little different. I was able to get the spring track and field shirt to put in it. I was a little worried I wouldn't get it in time and sewed the columns up. It was easy enough to remove a shirt back that wasn't important and replace it.

So then I started thinking about all the rejected backs.

I cut them up. I am thinking about a tote bag.

...and sewed them in rows.

Then added plain red t-shirt to the sides.

There was still enough strips left to cut up and use for the handles.

And here is the finished bag......

I was going to box the corners, but decided to leave it as is.

Nothing fancy, just a tote for hauling stuff to track meets.

It is about 18x19 inches.

in the middle of all kinds of things.....

My cousin called me tonight. She told me I hadn't blogged since the panda bear at the end of December.

Really?? I checked. She was right.

I couldn't believe it.

I finished making maple leaves. It will be a log cabin type setting. I am in the middle of adding the logs. But I put those aside to work on....

A t-shirt quilt for Crispy's girlfriend. 

I ran out of interfacing for the backs. Another project on hold. 

Although I could start making the columns with what is ready.

Or, here is something else to work on....

The tea-towel quilt. I have thought about this a lot. I think I have a plan now.

Just can't bring myself to cut and commit. 

Then there is always my contracted braille class.

At the rate I am going it will take me a couple years to finish this.

I love doing it, but it really takes all of my concentration to get the lesson ready to mail.

Then I am on pins and needles waiting to hear from the instructor. 

I've been doing pretty good, so far. My lowest grade is a B+,

I always think...this will be the perfect assignment....but no, I mess up something.

We are in a blizzard watch. I was totally unaware of this until I talked to my cousin.

It is also the weekend. One or more of these projects will get worked on!

the super secret project......

The William A. Irvin t-shirt quilt. This race is held every year during Grandmas Marathon weekend. My sister, Jill,  has run this several times. 

She likes to run.

Her husband Jon tried running several years ago to see what the thrill was.

He never could find the thrill.

So, instead, he worked behind the scenes. For 18 years he has been involved in the set-up and take down of The 5K William A. Irvin Run which is held the night before the marathon.

The William A. Irvin is now a floating museum up in Duluth.

This year, Jon was to receive an award for his many years of service. Jill wanted him to have a quilt too, she secretly collected the 18 t-shirts from every race. It took her a while, but she did it. 

I am not a big fan of t-shirt quilts. I made one years ago. It went okay...but I thought I would never ever make another one. I didn't even have the pattern anymore, I had given it to my nieces so they could make their own t-shirt quilts.

But, here I was making a t-shirt quilt.

I looked at Karen's wonky t-shirt quilt (HERE)....and this one (HERE) and got verbal directions from her. I jumped in and started making the rows.

I wanted it 4x5 shirts....only had 18, so I used the backs from some. Inspector Kitty, sitting on a backs-block,  said the first row looks good and I should carry on.

I kept adding filler fabrics to the blocks and before I knew it, I was done.

It was machine quilted.

When I brought it home, I laid it on a chair. Ozzy jumped on it, and declared it quite cozy and comfy.

I added random fabrics for the border.

Except for some words that were added using the nautical flag alphabet.....

It has his name Jon and his last name.

The words run and race.

....and the word Duluth.

Here is what it looks like all together.....

and you know what?...it wasn't that bad, I may even make another one some day.