New Blocks!

This year, I am hoppin' on the RainbowScrapChallenge!

I came up with a block that utilizes my "odd-strips" bin, as well as my heaping neutrals bin.
I'm thinking I will make two of these each month.

My second one is in-process. I start by making a panel with blue strips trimmed to 1.5", and neutral strips trimmed to 3.5".
The strips are about 18.5" long.

Next, I'll cross-cut the panel into 1.5" strips, and of course, I sew them all back together again.
That is what we do, yes?

 

Well, it isn't quite that simple actually:)
I had to rip a few seams and re-position them to make the 12.5" block.
This whole process created a bunch of leftover scraps that I trimmed to look like this,

I think it will make a nice border!
Perhaps the blocks will look cool set on point.

They are certain to create some fun, design wall time!

Following are the lovely places I am linking this block,

then I am back to the sewing grind!

 

One Monthly Goal: January Goal

Thought I ought to set a goal and join the party, haha!

I am having tons of fun visiting sites who have linked up with One Monthly Goal's Inaugural Party! Some sites are new to me, some I regularly follow, and some I am reacquainting with!
Thank you ALL so much for participating!

As well as striving for finishes, the social aspect was one thing I loved about ALYoF, both aspects swayed me to launch OMG.

I must admit though, I rarely commented to posts that were linked with the ALYoF Flickr Group! I have a Flickr account that I post to once or twice a month, and I've enjoyed joining groups there in the past. I am not sure why it never occurred to me to join the group and share the love!

Viewing the groups' pictures all in one place heightens the sense of accomplishment, so I will be posting there regularly! The more we support one another the merrier!

If you have a Flickr account, I encourage you to join the OMG: One Monthly Goal Flickr Group and share there too!

Back to that striving-for-finishes bit:

This month I have a small UFO I would like to finish.

I found the tutorial for this block at Linda's Quiltmania.

Actually there are four blocks. I need to dig them up, this pic is from a couple years ago. I think I know where they are.

Primarily Circles

I aim to sash, border, sandwich, quilt, and bind these cuties to complete this small baby quilt.

Tackling UFO's one at a time - Let's do this thing!

New Linkup HERE!

 

Sharing these fun block with Jen today as well:

Check out Jen's new 100 Day Challenge! It is easier than it looks! Choose three goals and linkup on Wednesday, or simply state them in the comments!

 

Today is Linky Tuesday over at Connie's Place:

Quilty 365, One Dot per Day!

I have decided to join the project Quilty 365, hosted by Quilty Folk. We are making one circle dot per day for 366 days; A Daily Dot! I would like my finished quilt to read a bit like a journal of the year. Sometimes I'll just use a favorite fabric from my stash, but often inspired by an activity from that day.
I Began on November 30th, using the Number One to mark my first day...

Yesterday I made apple butter and chose an apple print, and today I am using up the apples saved for apple crisp so I went with another apple print, this one from my vintage stash. (umm, yes that is a pear there hanging with the apples, I actually snuck a few into my apple butter)

Tomorrow I am likely to use a bit of the fabric that I am over-dyeing today, with the ice method. Here it is photographed after 12 hours. If all goes well, this fabric will be used for a Jewelry Roll, a Christmas gift inspired by the Bag It! Challenge still going at Elm Street Quilts.

Next year I will be participating in the RSC 2016 - Rainbow Scrap Challenge, and I have narrowed my block choices down to about ten (so hard to decide!), but I will also make one scrappy dot per month in the colored assigned...

I am using the reverse applique method for my circles, with freezer paper and glue.

Each week I will make up some backgrounds, then select my dot fabrics each day. I'll be taking notes along the way as well, thinking maybe I will write on the backing fabric about the daily blocks. I may even use the quilt-as-you-go method and complete one unit each month. My circles are slightly smaller than Audrey's and my blocks are trimmed to 5".
Looks like I will have a bunch of leftover circles from those centers. hmmm...

This is a fun project!!

Sharing this today with Building Blocks Tuesday, Linky Tuesday, Fabric Tuesday,
and WIP Wednesday, since it is actually Wednesday - lol!

Check out the December Linkup at Quilty Folk to see what others are inspired to do with Quilty 365!

Cozy Christmas Quilt Sandwich

This is an accomplishment I can say for certain would not have happened were it not for the monthly goal setting we do at ALYoF! A bit of a scramble over the weekend, but I managed to meet my goal!
Cozy Christmas has a backing, and basting is completed!

All credit goes to Melissa, of Sew BitterSweet Designs, and Shanna, from Fiber of All Sorts for hosting A Lovely Year of Finishes! I set my GOAL and linked my post up (#40) early this month. I have three threads selected for the quilting, however the sandwich is all rolled up. There are a few projects ahead of this one, hopefully I will get to it soon - like before Christmas!
Thank you Melissa and Shanna for keeping us motivated!

Also in the works this week, I am piecing my Christmas Topper for the QAL led by Carole of From My Carolina Home. Initially this was going to be a Mystery QAL, however Carole's followers voted for a reveal. Of course, once I saw what we were to make I began playing with layout options! This first one is according to pattern layout:


Block Option ONE



Block Option TWO



Block Option THREE

I decided not to share with you my final decision! I do hope you won't lose any sleep over this, but it will remain a mystery until I reveal my topper!

I'll be sharing the suspense with Lyn at What a Hoot, for BOM's Away, and with Jen at Quilter in the Closet for Building Blocks Tuesday!

Christmas Topper Quilt Along, Mystery or Not?

I am game to create a quick Christmas Quilty, with weekly assignments led by Carole of From My Carolina Home.
Carole is running a poll this week and will announce on Friday whether this is a mystery, or reveal the design to us along with Step Two of the Quilt Along.

Since I love the suspense, I went ahead and selected my four fabrics and made their cuts.
Done! Decisions made. Irreversible, regardless of the poll results!!

I have several more things to share today!

October was busy busy with visits from both our parents. Spring and Fall are the best times of year in Southern Nevada, and we look forward to company, and sitting outside for dinner.

Perhaps I risk exposing my ignorance, but I learned two new things from my DFIL last month:

1. The gas gage in most cars is located on the dash, on the same side of the steering wheel that the tank access is. (Am I the only one who has never noticed this? How handy when driving a rental, right?)

2. The song Vincent (Starry Starry Night), by Don McLean was written about Van Gogh! Here is a 4min clip with lyrics set to his artwork..

Best October ever!
My sister stayed for five nights! Here we are at Hoover Dam taking selfies...

It went by so fast, but it did give me the time I needed to hook her into quilting!

That's right, JULIE IS A QUILTER!
I didn't give her time to make decisions - I just gave her squares leftover from a mini I made early this year (see Traditional Sunrise). She learned to make HST's, piece and square them; she arranged them in every way imaginable (that's when I knew she was hooked, haha!), and finally decided on this layout.
She is free-motion quilting!
The binding was attached mere minutes before we left for her flight, and she took it home to complete by hand:)

On-Point: A Setting for Cozy Afternoon!

I have always been attracted to quilt blocks that are set on-point, how bout you?
For me, The "Cozy Afternoon" Quilt Setting is no exception!

Love Love Love the lattice design!

Really, this setting could be used in so many ways!

All the math has been done for us --- Thank you Jacquelynne!

How bout you, do you love windy shots?

Today, as we celebrate the release of Jacquelynne Steve's setting instructions (link HERE!), we also wrap up The Cozy Afternoon BOM Bloghop! I have really been looking forward to seeing all these blocks come together and I will definitely be visiting all the participant's blogs:



 Teresa @ A Quilt and a Prayer

Jacque @ Lily Pad Quilting

Julie @ The Crafty Quilter

Bev @ 44th Street Fabric

Kahryn @ Kathy's Quilts

Are you wondering if Jacquelynne is offering another e-bundle pattern giveaway?

Well, of course she is!

But first, a close up of my Cozy Afternoon Christmas blocks:

The idea to mimic the sweet little critters and use Jacquelynne's fabric, "Joy, Love, Peace, Noel" as my theme fabric was irresistible, though I love the sweet, teacup blocks designed for Cozy Afternoon! I plan to use one or two of the block patterns (the birdie!) to embroider dish towels as Christmas gifts.

 

As everyone gets to work on their settings, this seems like a good time to share a quick tip!

Did you know there is usually less stretch in your fabric running lengthwise than widthwise? Whenever possible, I cut my borders from the length of my fabric rather than across the width...

 

And now, let's see what Jacquelynne is sharing for the finale!

I adore the black and red version of Hugs & Kisses!!

This pattern "e-bundle" will be awarded to one lucky reader at EACH stop in the blog hop!

 

To enter the giveaway:

Please leave a comment on this post prior to Sunday October 18th, at midnight (PDT time!).

Maybe you have a tip to share with readers about working with borders? Or not, haha!

 

Blog followers receive a second entry, because it makes me so happy to know who is reading;)

Each comment is an 'entry', so please leave a second one to let me know how you follow!

 

The winners will be contacted by email on Wednesday, Oct. 21st!

Remember to leave your email address if you are a no-reply blogger!

 

 

Although I may not be able to reply to every comment during a giveaway, please know how much I appreciate your visit and enjoy hearing from you!

Southwest Summer Quilt Block Tutorial

Summer in the Southwest is HOT, inspiring me to pull my deepest orange for this project!

I love the way it plays with this Echino NiCo Scooter Fabric!

Finished block = 13.5" x 17"
Although there are bias edges to be careful with, this is an easy block and a fun method...

1. Select three fabrics with good contrast.

2. Cutting:
     Fabric One: Cut your center fabric 6.5" Square.

     Fabric Two: Cut four pieces of the contrast fabric, (to be sewn next to the center):
          2 - 3.5" x 6.5"
          2 - 3.5" x 12.5"

     Fabric Three: Cut two squares of the outer fabric, 9 3/8" , then cut them diagonally in half.

3. Starch and press your pieces for best results when working with bias edges.

4. Lay your pieces out:

5. Sew one 3.5" x 6.5" rectangle to each side of your center square and press seams outward.
Sew one 3.5" x 12.5"rectangle to the other side of your center square and press those seams outward.
Sew one triangle to each side of your pieced square, and press those seams outward as well, toward the triangles.

6. Cut the block down the center first. Make three more cuts, 2" apart on each side of the center cut:

7. Invert the strips. This is the traditional layout, with the outer strips inverted to match the others:

This is the layout I selected:

8. Sew the strips together, preferably with a walking foot.
9. P ress the center seam open, and the other seams outward to complete the block.

 

Someday, this will be a fun tote bag!

Soon, I hope!

Cozy Afternoon Block Four - The Joyful Christmas Mouse!

I have been looking forward to sharing this joyful little Mouse!

My 'Christmas' version of Block #4!

This month's pattern includes the cutest little birdie and it was just released today! Check out the other blog hop participants to see the bird - some are appliqued and some are embroidered:

Teresa @ A Quilt and a Prayer

 

Jacque @ Lily Pad Quilting

 

Julie @ The Crafty Quilter

 

Bev @ 44th Street Fabric

 

Kahryn @ Kathy's Quilts



'Cozy Afternoon' is a free Block of the Month Quilt, designed and led by Jacquelynne Steves. The sweet little mouse is her artwork as well - I copied it from the theme fabric I will be using in the borders, from her line, "Joy, Love, Peace, Noel".

Here are all my 'Cozy Christmas' blocks so far:

I am having fun with these critters!

Only one more block to go and then we get an additional month for the setting! Yep, that means there is still time to receive the patterns! Visit Jacquelynne's blog, The Art of Home to sign up.

Jacquelynne has generously offered an electronic 'pattern bundle' giveaway -

This bundle will be awarded to one lucky reader at each stop in the blog hop!

 

To enter the giveaway:

Please leave a comment on this post prior to Sunday August 16th, at midnight.

 

I am interested to know of your favorite authors and/or books! A short, yet heartwarming book I recommend - a favorite since I was young, "That Quail, Robert" by Margaret Stanger.  

Have you read any of the books (to the right) I have conquered this year?

BTW, I am a 'hands free' reader! 80% of the books I read are on CD, often with headphones!

 

Followers of my blog may leave a second comment for another entry! I know, I know, shameless right? But followers should be rewarded, yes!! And I am coming up on my 300th post so this is good timing - hint hint;)

 

The winners will be contacted by email on Wednesday, the 19th!

 

Remember to leave your email address if you are a no-reply blogger!

 

Thank you so much for visiting! Please know how much I appreciate your comments even though I may not be able to reply to everyone during a giveaway!

Making Improv Blocks with Leaders and Enders - BOM's Away!

A bit of clean up was required in my sewing room over the weekend. It began as an attempt to prioritize my projects, however I was side-tracked a bit by all the 'scrappies' I keep near my machine. Groups are within reach so I can easily join two pieces when I am chain-piecing and want to avoid breaking thread.

I find if I just piece a few things without thinking about it, eventually one of them will inspire me. This block was completed early this year when I made matching Jewelry Rolls for myself and my BFF...

 

That first block inspired me to separate Lavender, Green, Gray, and Aqua/Turquoise scraps of all shapes and sizes. This is how the bin currently looks....

 

YTD, I have six blocks from this group. I photographed them and played with PicMonkey yesterday.

Collages are a great way to visualize setting colors! A darker gray, or black, would probably look better with this first collage.

I do like them with Kelly Green though, one of my all-time favorite colors...

Perhaps I will go with Teal when the time comes...

I may still add to some of these blocks since they really vary in size.

More likely, I will design similar settings that bring them together.

 

Each one has some sort of memory from a prior project -

perhaps I will name it 'The Memory Keeper'.

Thank you for reading - hope you have a great week!

Linking up with Jen at Building Blocks Tuesday!