Mardi Gras Quilt

After finishing up my jar quilt last week, I spent the week-end doing something I've put off for a while... sorting all my fabric scraps.  I have enough now to make more than a few quilts if I wanted to.  I dumped them all out into a big pile, then started sorting them by color into some smaller shoe-box sized clear plastic bins.  I had put off the task, but once I got started it was quite satisfying.

Once that was done, I started planning out my next quilt.  I grew up mostly in Louisiana, and this time of year means one thing..... Mardi Gras!!  The 3 colors that represent Mardi Gras are purple, yellow, and green.  Some say that the colors represent justice (purple), peace or faith (green), and power (yellow, or gold).  Louisiana State University took the purple and yellow as their school colors, while my Alma mater, Tulane University (which used to be the University of Louisiana) adopted the green, (as well as light blue).  I had plenty of scraps of each color, and added white and black to make up a traditional "king's crown" block.  I used a pattern out of the book, "More Quilts From The Quiltmaker's Gift".  I'm so delighted at the result.  I hope to get borders on it and get it quilted up this week-end.  Then I hope to get another quilt finished before starting something else...

Unfortunately, our ISP has been causing us much trouble lately, and half the time I can't even check email.  It's made blogging and many other things increasingly frustrating.  They said they'd have it fixed by today, but this has been going on for weeks now, so I'm not counting on much.  They are the only high speed Internet in the area, so if we have to switch, I may be on here much less :-(.  I'll keep you posted...

Hope you have a great week-end!!

Back in the saddle again...

Yep, I think I'm back on the proverbial horse, after my case of food poisoning last week. After discovering that my friend, whom I'd eaten out for lunch with, also got sick, and that no one in either of our families was sick too, I called the health department to report it, and they have interviewed both of us extensively. Sounds like there was indeed an outbreak of sorts in that town, which is not the town either of us live in. I hope they find the culprit...

But after being horribly sick for a few days, then having the aftermath of a neglected house to attend to (you know how THAT goes), I think I'm finally all caught up now and have been happily sewing along.

I just finished the first of 3 quilt tops that I'm currently working on, and thought I'd share. I have had the "Fire Escape" pattern, by Atkinson Designs for several months now. During my first "shop hop" here in Eastern Oregon, I decided to focus on buying fabric for this quilt, and bought a yard at each of the different stores I went to. I love it! And, though not intentional, I think it'd be a very nice masculine quilt for any guy. It'll fit quite nicely into this house full of boys and men.

I also wanted to show you a picture of the 2 fat quarters I've received in the mail and the ornament from the ho-ho-ho holiday swap over at Gen X Quilters! How much fun is that?!?! I hope to get my ornament finished soon. Any ideas for inspiration?
I also just joined up with a "Quilt along" over at "That Girl, That Quilt..." Come over and join us!

I hope all of you are safe and sound. We have many friends and family in the Midwest who are experiencing severe weather right now. My thoughts are with them and all the other folks who live there!! Take care!