New Quilting Design

Today I'm going to show and tell about my first attempt to design my own quilt block. About 3 weeks ago, I was sitting in the sewing room but not really feeling like sewing and I picked up some graph paper and started designing new quilt blocks. The next day I received an email about a "design your own quilt block" contest a certain website was having and I decided to enter my design, The Flippin' Bowtie block. First I put together a lap quilt with the block and then I put together a small wall hanging with the block. I got it all done and ready to enter the last day of the contest and got it all submitted. Wish me luck... there's some pretty nice quilting prizes. If anyone would like to purchase the pattern and instructions, I am making it available for $5. Just send the $5 with your mailing address and Item No. #201 (Flippin' Bowtie Pattern) to Arlayne West, 701 1st Street, Grimes, IA 50111.

New Baby

Greetings Everyone! We got our second new baby last week and is she ever a cutie and sweet as can be. Her name is Cookie Dough and she weighs a whopping 3 pounds. She is a long hair cream, red, & tan piebald mini dachshund. Although she hasn't quite figured out yet what all the going outside is all about, I do get lucky once in awhile and she happens to go outside, so I praise her ridiculously and make a really big tado about it hoping she gets the idea soon... very soon. I can't tell you how many times I've tripped over these two new ones. I've decided they do better if I take them out one at a time rather than together. When together all they want to do is play with each other. So by the time I let each dog (that's 3 now) outside and they take their own sweet time doing their thing, then it's time for me to come in and do my thing and then it's time to start the whole routine all over again. So much for getting much done around the house. That all seems to be on hold for right now, but I'm enjoying them so much I really don't care. Here's a photo of Cookie:

For Sale

Here's the first set of quilts that I am listing for sale this month. More will be listed later this week. A photo of each quilt is next to its size and price.

If you would like to purchase one, simply enclose the price amount with your contact information and quilt name and mail to Arlayne West, 701 1st Street, Grimes, IA 50111. I will contact you about how you want to receive the package. Shipping and handling is already included in the price of the quilt. First come first served.



















Eagle Quilt
(Size 34 1/2" x 27 ") - $35

Japanese Puzzle Wallhanging

(Size "19 1/2" x 19 1/2") - $30

Flippin' Bowtie Wallhanging
(Size 26 1/2" x 27") - $30

This quilt block patter was my own

creation & was entered into a contest.

I didn't win but it was fun to make.

Small Maple Leaf Wallhanging
(Size 13" x 12 1/2") - $30
























Class Sampler Quilt
(Size 29 1/2" x 29 1/2") - $40
























Reach for the Stars
Star Galaxy Quilt with Embroidered Corners
(Size 73" x 73") - $400

Ginger's Assistance in the Sewing Room

Well, this weekend has really been productive. I've finished two quilts and got a third one ready to be quilted. Ginger has been lending me a hand with measuring the fabric and pulling to get the cross grain straight. She's not done too bad for her first lesson. :-)

Japanese Puzzle Class

Well, today I finally finished a class I took through a Yahoo sewing group called the Japanese puzzle. I learned how to do it, but I ended up hating it, so I stopped early on and threw away all the left over pieces. I decided to take what I had completed and turn it into a small wall hanging or table topper instead of a full size quilt. I found this quilt very confusing and just not that pretty, but staying within the idea of uneven pattern design, I put uneven black corners on it and then attached it to a multicolored tan-brown square background and quilted and bound it, so it would be done and I could move on to a more "fun" quilt top. So here is my sloppy Japanese Puzzle quilt topper.

Moving on to something much more fun, I spent much of the afternoon lovin' and playing with Ginger Belle. She is so cute and does the funniest things. She has a lot of white under her chin and down her chest and tummy that is pretty unusual for a red dachshund. Here's a new photo of her resting in my lap that Charlie took today. She has gained a whole pound so now she weighs 4 1/2 pounds. She played out of her cage a lot today and had no accidents, so she's really doing well. Won't be too long before I get to pick up the other baby and start training all over again. I can hardly wait.