I need a good name any one have a good idea?

Today's post brought to you by Richard

When I first started this quilt I was really worried what I would do with all the area that is not Dresden.  But I came to the realization that it would be fun to quilt in circles around the Dresden plate going in rings going outward.  Then of course reality sunk in, my snake does not really circle out but throwing caution to the wind I decided it could kind of slither out.

I took some close up's to try and show off the quilting some.  I quilted 4 rows out from each of the three Dresden's on the quilt.  The only exception to this was those area's that did not have quilting (the edges and the bottom corner) I continued doing the rows outward following the lines but not crossing any like I did on the first 4 rows.

All in all I think that it turned out wonderful.  I was worried that I did not quilt inside the Dresden's them self's enough, but my wife came home from work (her lunch break or rather Julia's dinner break) and she said its done.

So the boss says its done, so it must be done.  Here is a close up of one of the full Dresden platters.  I cant wait to go show it off at guild meeting Thursday.  So the only real question is what should I call this quilt.  I really want to win the Dresden contest and I won't if I have a lame name so help me out.

Dresden Fun

Today's post brought to you by Richard

My wife Tanya makes me laugh.  We got done putting the Dresden's and the snake onto the front of my top for the baby blanket.   I was sitting there trying to decide how to applique down them.  When my wife hands me the above blocks and tells me I need "Practice" before I work on my quilt.  In other words, she did not want to try and figure out how to do her own applique and bummed the job off onto me, such love she has for me.

After I was done practicing I got serious and was able to finish sewing my Dresden's down.  We got the back cut out and the batting cut out and we plan to get the basting done Tuesday (We meaning Tanya, turn about is fair play)

Here is the back I have for the quilt.  I am getting excited about quilting this, I have a plan in mind and just can't wait to do it.

I aint talking you can't make me talk

Today's post brought to you by Richard

I went shopping today and spent a little over $200 bucks buying materials for 2 projects (both competitions)  I have talked about one of them already the Dresden completion at SLMQG and also this one here.

I only today decided what I am going to do for the Men Quilts today.  I have a hundred things in the works that I would LOVE to submit for this contest but it has one rule that I have to say SUCKS.  I cant talk about it.

Each entry must be a BRAND NEW piece never published or blogged about..

You cannot blog about the creation or discuss it in any forums you may belong to.  Mums the word in all entirety this year!  If you get caught abusing this very important rule, you will be disqualified.

The above comes from the official rules on the Men Quilt Too! post.  This of course only reminded me of being a child.  At Christmas time my mom always took us shopping for presents for my Dad.  One year I bought him a tie.  And my mom has teased me ever since.  I went home and promptly told him that their is no way he is going to get out of me that I bought him a tie because its a secret.  The story is so old my mom is the only one that remembers it.  But I am not going to tell you that I am making a quilt.  ACK!  No Must not talk any more.  Its a secret and I am not going to say a thing.  While other then wait its a secret.  ACK! I hate secrets.  Well I need to go hide in my sewing machine and sew my lips shut.  As my mom always told me loose lips sinks ships.

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In other not so secret news my Dresden baby blanket for the the contest at the end of this month I was able to find a front and a back for the quilt today out shopping (ya after spending $200 bucks you would think I could find something).

I have my top finished (While almost finished) I have the Dresden Snake done..

What in the world is that.  Yes its a Dresden Snake.  While you know me, if there is one way to make something I Richard Healey will find a way to do it not the right way.  And yes that goes for Dresden's I made 2 regular Dresden's but how can we stop and do things all normal like when its so much more fun to do things the wrong way.  After all this is a "Modern Quilt Guild" that my completion is for, so I did the more modern thing and did not play by the right play book.

Any way more pictures later but the 3 items are stuck to my back ground fabric which I think you will all approve of and on Sunday (well after I go to sleep and wake up again) later in the morning I will sew it down.  Some have questioned how I like my new machine.  It sews like a dream.  I just love using it.  Just wish I had more time in the day to quilt and less work.

All is well that ends well

Today's post brought to you by Richard

While I finally did it.  I broke down and made a Dresden.  My guild SLMQG is having a Dresden competition (Just got distracted the 2  quilts I showed off last month in guild meeting are listed on a post on guild site yea!).  Well I am running out of time to get serious to enter the competition.  So I must make some serious progress in the next couple days so I can get something to turn in for the competition.  Just so you all know this is not a guild only event.  Their is lots of NICE prizes so please make up a Dresden project and enter.

Last night just as it was starting to get dark my kids ran in the house screaming that the neighbors tree fell into our yard.  I ran out to look and was happy to find that it did not land on the power line (we have over head power in my area).  While scouting around I was saddened to realize that a coaxial cable was laying on the ground.  I ran in the house to realize that my Internet is out.  How can any one live with out Internet.  I was so excited to post about my Dresden but I could not get online.  Before I finish my story, I want to show you what happened 3 years ago this month.

Yes this is the same yard you can see in the picture above.  The top picture the right side of the picture is my neighbors yard and the left side is my yard.  In the bottom picture the left is their yard and the right is my yard.  So 3 years ago my tree fell into their yard hitting the roof and landing on the car.  My insurance company loved me.  The tree was dying and we had talked just weeks before that we needed to have it removed.  This time 3 year later its payback and the limb is now in my yard and our poor fence is dead.

Any way to start over on a good note today I finally cut into the Reunion material that we bought during the shop hop.  We ended up with 21 different fat quarters (22 we had one duplicate).  I took a six inch cut off the end of each fat quarter (the above picture was after the cutting) and was able to cut  8-9 petals of each material type.

Using the instructions on this post I sewed the top together and then flipped it over.

This was actually a lot easier and lot faster then I expected.

Once I got all the single petal's sewn together and ironed I sewed them all into pairs.  and sewed the pairs to other pairs.

It turns out that it takes 20 petal's to complete 1 flower.

I finished 2 full flowers and have enough petal's cut for about 4-5 more.  It seems that I need a circle for the center so will be going to the store today to buy a cutter for that and buy some material that I will use to put these on.  My plan is to make a baby blanket so with any luck I will have the top put together tonight and have something to show off in my next post.

To end off the post thank you goes out to the Comcast repair guy that climbed the pole and put my wire back on so that my Internet is back on and alive.  I host all my websites at my house so it was a sad night last night.  Almost 12 hours with no Internet.  Many unhappy visitors to my sites.  Oh well its back on and happy now.