John Flynn's 2010 entry in the WSQC is a Storm At Sea quilt. Remember that these are 16" x 16" quilts. This is an impressive bit of piecing. It isn't quilted yet, but knowing John the quilting is going to be very fine indeed.

Last year John made a 2-sided quilt…

For more on the World Series Quilt Challenge, click here.

My son and DIL have been remodeling their kitchen (those are IKEA cabinets). They have done a lot of work with help (when needed) from Steve. My part of helping came in the form of painting. Last week I worked with Lorna and we painted the living/dining room walls and ceiling. Two coats each. They look good. I also volunteered to 'marble' the kitchen floor.

Initially they thought the floor would be better in solid gray. They used a satin finish latex floor paint. Satin finish latex on the floor is just too hard to keep clean. Everything shows on it. So here it was before…

And here is after marbling…

I used the same gray for the base coat and 'bagged' in a blue/black mottled marble pattern. Both paints are high gloss alkyd floor paint. I did this to my own kitchen years ago and I can tell you that it wears really well. And it's just paint – easy to touch up or change. The best part is that dirt is hard to see on this kind of finish.

Marbling really isn't hard to do. You work wet paint, dabbed onto a wadded up plastic grocery bag, into a wet base coat. Every now and then I stuck my bag in mineral spirits and worked that into the design to 'soften' some of the pattern. The veins are made by dragging a crummy narrow brush (or a stiff feather if you have one) loaded with dark paint to make squiggly lines of varying widths. You will make a more natural line if you hold the brush with the fingertips of your non-dominant hand.

I was covered with paint by the time I was finished. I wore gloves to protect the very fine manicure I got this week and was just proud of myself for not messing up my nails. At least I didn't get any in my hair.

I explained the World Series Quilt Challenge here. There are eight of us making quilts that will be auctioned off to the highest bidder in November, after Quilt Festival. All the proceeds of the auction go to Alzheimer's research so this is an excellent way to make a (large) donation AND buy a quilt!

I got the OK to show you the quilts-in-progress that I have photos of. First up is Hollis Chatelain's 2010 entry, in progress:

This was her 2009 quilt, Fading:

For more on the World Series Quilt Challenge, click here.

I'm making progress on my quilt which is good because the deadline is drawing near. I've got pictures of a few of the other quilts that I'll share over the next few days. But here's mine:

There are still flowers to add and I have to quilt it. Click on the photos to make them bigger and you'll see more detail.

I've shown it in my recent classes and every time I try to explain it I choke up. Who knew this was going to be so emotional?!

You may be noticing that this is not my usual invisible hand applique. In our book, Applique Outside the Lines, I had begun doing more expressive stitching. I'm still needleturning, but I'm stitching with perle cotton in exposed stitches. I like it! You're going to be seeing a lot more of this from me.

For more on the World Series Quilt Challenge, click here.

It is still crazy busy at my house. It probably is at your house too so I am not going to complain. Today, I'm just sharing something pretty. Isn't it wonderful that orange has come back! I'm not sure where it was all those years when I ignored it.

Same flowers, different pose:

Click on either photo and they should open for you, bigger.

I know I have not posted enough in the last week. Here's my excuse and I think it's a good one… Steve is out of town. He and our oldest son, Chris, are camping and hiking in Colorado.

When he's gone I am forced to fend for myself. Now, I know that that I am a very lucky woman in that Steve does all the cooking (except cakes) and all the grocery shopping when he's home. In the summers he does most of my errand running too. All of this in addition to having a real job. Seriously, I know I am blessed. But when he's gone I can hardly keep up!

So I thought I would share the photo he sent, taken yesterday on the summit of Mt. Elbert. It is highest peak in the Rockies in the North America @ 14,000 feet. I'm glad I'm not there because I can't breathe above 10,000 feet. I wonder who took the photo?