Done! Pot of flowers for Twisted Tradition

I'm not a big fan of appliqué- looking at it, yes, but working it myself is difficult. Too many stitches show here and there, but it is easier than last time.
Aren't these colors great? Block of the month with all fabrics chosen by Material Obsession in Australia

Twisted Tradition - Pot of Flowers

On school break now and have much more time for quilting. This pot of flowers will become the center of a much larger quilt. This is a block of the month from Material Obsession in Australia and I'm about a year behind.

Twisted Tradition - Block 3

It's getting back to normal here in Rhode Island after Sandy, and we are still worried about all the people in NJ and NY who have been hit again by rain, snow, more flooding, and more power outages. It seems the electric companies will be working for a while to get everything straightened out.  In my town, people who want to help clean up near the beach are being turned away due to sewage leaks, gas lines leaks and other hazardous materials lurking beneath the sand and debris. Some homeowners are wearing respirators as they shovel the mess out of their homes.

I've been working here and there on a few things.
The first is the Queen of the May and Block 3 of my block-of-the-month from the quilt store Material Obsession in Australia. Here's a peek of the corner. Aren't these colors crazy! This is the reason why I'm making this quilt - to push myself in a color discomfort zone.

Half of the block

Almost all of the block

Ta da!

Block 2

Queen of the May was a lot easier to piece than the Carpenter's Square from last month because there are no inset seams and very little fussy cutting.

Block 3

I recommend checking out Material Obsession if you are intrigued by these blocks. The owner, Kathy Doughty, has written some amazing and inspiring books.

Saturday, some people in my guild are getting together to piece tops for Habitat for Humanity. We give quilts to every resident who moves into a  Habitat home. Perhaps some can go to hurricane victims.

Twisted Tradition - Block 2

The cars are full of gas, cell phones charged, extra water in containers on the counter, generator checked, propane purchased for the grill and all items that could become windblown are safely stowed. Sandy is roaring outside at 35 mph, with expected gusts to 70 mph and my school is closed for two days. The crockpot is filled with pirate stew, and we're hoping the power stays on long enough to cook it without firing up the generator. After painting some trim in a bedroom this morning, I decided to finish handpiecing block 2 of my Twisted Tradition quilt. This is a block-of-the-month that I purchased after seeing the quilt in Sisters, OR, in summer of 2011. My aunt made the same quilt and hers is done; I'm just quite a bit slower! See block 1 here.

It turns out that somehow I received the wrong block in the mail, but only realized it recently. This block actually goes to Let's Twist Again, but I'm not going to pursue having this remedied, since the store is halfway around the world in Australia!

I love how we had to fussy cut the diamonds in the block center to create this pattern. As well, the purple patches and green paisley. Can you find the purple patch that is sewed in the wrong direction? I'm ready to sew block 3, but there's some fabric missing, and I'll need to head to my LQS to see if they have anything that can work. Of course, the LQS is closed along with everything else in my town, so it will be a few days before I can get started. Guess I'll have to get out some other UFOs!

This is my neighbor's beautiful red maple. It's hard to tell, but it's really blowing hard out there. Her oak trees (in the background) have lost almost all of their leaves in the wind from yesterday. Stay safe if you are in Sandy's path!