Quilt Trivia

I'm now hard wired to the Internet. Less portable than before, but oh so much faster than that silly card!

Hmm, let's see. I made a handkerchief halter top, certainly for beating around the house, not much else, but oh so cool and comfortable! I made another neonatal quilt blankie. That reminds me I have got to get those quilt sizes so I can work on the next bigger size, I didn't want to make the wrong size and have to redo it.

I finished a pillow for Jessica yesterday. One side has the Ohio star quilt block and the other has the heart block. The binding is the backing that will be used on her quilt, which I did swirls and curls all over. She liked it so much she stuck it on her dresser and hasn't touched it since. A good thing? I'm not sure.

The quilt block swap that I'm going to be part of will be putting out information soon. I'm rather excited about that. I can hardly stand to go and pick out fabrics.

I am going to make a blue quilt for my sister for Christmas, I'm not sure what else I will use, but I have begun collecting blue fat quarters and have been considering a kings cross block, if only because I watched a quilting show the other day that told me how to make it with all different fat quarters. What is a "fat quarter"? A fat quarter is also sometimes called a "flat quarter". If you go to the fabric store and tell them you want 1/4 of a yard they cut 1/4 of a yard off the fabric long ways. So you get a piece of fabric that is around 44" X 9". But if you buy a fat quarter you get a piece that is around 22"X18"! How you ask? A fat quarter is a yard cut in half, and then cut in half again the OTHER way. Resulting in rectangle better suited for cutting. There are books galore that utilize fat quarters, because it's little enough to give you a great variety and also allows you to play with the quality of the fabric without going for the entire yard. Lately, I've been buying 1/2 yards and cutting them up the middle and sharing one of the halves. Trust me it's loads of fun to know you don't HAVE TO buy the whole yard. Joann's puts their fat quarters (which they call flat quarters) on sale for $1 each ALL the time, any print. That's only about $4, not a bad deal at all. So why you ask am I paying around $20 a month to be part of a Bali Batik fat quarter club? I'm not really sure... All I can figure is that it's because they are coming so nicely matched?

None of this is to be confused with FAT BACKS fat backs are a trademark name that one simply wonderful store sells. Just one lovely FAT BACK will cover the entire back of your quilt, no piecing required.

So I suppose the simple way to keep it straight, is Fat Quarters for fronts, and Fat Backs for the Backs.

I'm sure that's enough for now. So here's hoping all of you have a Happy Father's Day. I couldn't wake up enough to wish my husband a Happy Father's Day, and of course my father is dead, so I have spent the day fighting the pain in my foot to make a Giant Cookie Cake for my husband. Lucky me I can have this short break during nap time, before I have to pull out all the stops for dh's favorite dinner. Did anyone else see those Blue SuperMan-SuperDad gift bags at Hallmark? DH is getting one of those, filled with goodies.