Long Overdue Post...

Oh my goodness!  I cannot believe it has been more than a month since I have posted.  I was afraid of that when I started the blog but had hoped to blog every one to two weeks.  Maybe next year...

I have been off work for the holidays and have done a lot of sewing.  I made a list of everything I wanted to accomplish while I was home, prioritized it, and got after it.  I have done real well and have gotten most of it done and am on track for the next step of Bonnie Hunter's Easy Street Mystery that comes out tomorrow morning and the About.com New Year's Day Mystery that is going to start tomorrow evening and go into Tuesday.

I won't try to squeeze everything I did in the last few weeks into one post.  It will give me a good reason to blog again real soon!  I have so many things to share...

My first project was some blue blocks to be sent to a friend who recently became a grandmother.  Her new little man arrived a bit early so she did not have a chance to put a quilt together for him.  Several of us on the About.com forum sent her blocks.  These are mine.

If you are like me, you need more projects for next year!  (Like I need another hole in my head!  But, sometimes, I just can't help myself...)

First I signed up for the Sugar Block Club block of the month (BOM) hosted by Amy of Stitchery Dickory Dock.  Just love her blog!  For $7.95 for the entire year, you get a block pattern each month and a dessert recipe...Amy has set up a Flickr group and folks are already posting their fabric choices.  I haven't posted mine yet...still trying to find one perfect fabric for my background...

Then I signed up for the Lucky Stars foundation paper pieceing BOM hosted by Elizabeth of Don't Call Me Betsy.  If you sign up before January 5th, the price is $10.  After the 5th, it will be $15.  She also sent out a practice block a couple of days ago.  I haven't had a chance to try it yet...Oh no!  I'm already behind....Elizabeth also has a Flickr group and many have already posted pictures of their practice star...I'm so jealous...I am thinking I'll go with scrappy red and green for Christmas...

Yesterday I found out about the Skill Builder BOM hosted by Alyssa of Pile O' Fabric.  This was the first time I had seen her blog, but she has some very neat things.  Her BOM is free and will cover a large number of techniques (curved piecing, paper piecing, free motion quilting, quilt as you go).  I haven't committed to this one but plan to keep an eye on it...Of course, Alyssa also has a Flickr group.

I also found out yesterday that my quilt guild - the Oklahoma City Modern Quilt Guild will be hosting a BOM this year.  Not sure of the details yet, but I will definitely plan to be a part of that one.

If you would like to see my first six steps of Easy Street, they are on my Flickr page.

I hope to be back real soon with pictures of some of the other things I've been working on.

Happy New Year!

Bri

5 Days of Stitching...

Yep!  That's right!  I've been off work for the last five days and it has been a wonderful time of stitching, cooking, and reading.  If this is what retirement is like, sign me up! 

I started out by whipping up the 7th row of the Bee in My Bonnet Row Along - leaves flying in the breeze - next to the last row on the right in the picture below of all seven rows together.  They are not sewn together yet - just laid out together.  The next clue comes out a week from Wednesday.  I can't believe I am still staying caught up with this one.  I adore these 30s fabrics and can't wait to see the finished product...this quilt is for me!!!

Next, I stitched up the December Stash Bee blocks for Jackie.  I'm so glad she posted her block early.  Now I am caught up on Stash Bee until January!  These blocks are called Arkansas Crossroads and went together very quickly.  I bet they will make a pretty scrappy little quilt.  She asked for no repeats on the fabrics.  I see that some of those pinks look identical, but I promise you 'They are not!'

After catching up on these two 'commitments', I decided to have some fun and got out the Quick Curve Ruler I had ordered from Sew Kind of Wonderful a few weeks ago.  Jenny Pedigo and her sister, Helen Robinson, are hosting a quilt along with the Quick Curve Ruler.  They are taking traditional quilt blocks and putting a curve to them.  They started a few weeks ago, so I had some catching up to do.

Jenny started with the Churn Dash block first.  Isn't that neat?  I am doing these blocks with 'dotty' fabrics with a solid background.  And surprisingly enough, it wasn't that hard to do.  The curve is not tight, so it goes together pretty easily.  Jenny has some videos on her blog to show you exactly how to do the cutting and sewing.

Next, Helen did the Sawtooth Star block.  It was a little harder than the first one, but it went together pretty quickly.  Minimal ripping and resewing...

After that, Jenny did the Rail Fence.  Now this one was hard!  I ripped it out a dozen or more times and never seemed to get it quite right.  I remembered from Jenny's videos that she said she uses a lot of steam.  I do not use steam - I have a dry iron - so I got the Ellen's Best Press out and pressed it into submission.  It works for me!

I hope I get better at these over time.  The next block will come out on December 8th.  Can't wait...I wonder what it will be...

Of course, Bonnie Hunter's Easy Street Mystery started on Friday morning.  I haven't decided how big a quilt I want to make so I only made half of the units required for Step 1.  The next clue will come out next Friday.  I hope I can keep up with this one.  So far I am liking it....my other colors are orange, pink, and green....

I had planned to work on the borders on my Civil War quilt.  I had figured out what I wanted to do for the borders back in September.  Yesterday, I couldn't really remember what I had planned.  But luckily enough, I had written it down and was actually able to find it.  Serendipitous?  I do believe so!  I made a sample with some scrap fabrics and think I know what I am doing.  It will be a dogtooth border - I saw it on a blog but I can't find the site right now....but I knew the dogtooth border would be absolutely perfect for this quilt.   I had hoped to get this done for Christmas but that isn't looking likely right now...Oh well....Now to cut the fabrics I plan to use and start putting them together. 

In addition to all of the stitching, I did cook the ham and turkey dinner with many of the trimmings.  There are only three of us so we have leftovers...yum!  Plus cherry pie, blackberry pie, oatmeal cookies...sugar, sugar, and more sugar!!!!

Take care and have a great week!

Bri

A Little More Progress...

So happy to be back to sewing!!  I got the last two rows of the Bee in My Bonnet Row Along finished just in time for the next clue to come out on Wednesday.  Just love these little cocoa mugs.  Lori had us make the flying geese with a 'no waste method' that was pretty cool.  I had never seen it before - had always sewn the square to the corner then whacked it off.  Either making a tiny HST or tossing the fabric.  Hated the waste but didn't know a better way....now I do!

I also got my November Stash Bee blocks completed.  Laura asked us to make a self-portrait of ourselves and a pet.  Not sure this looks much like me - I do have curly hair, but I forgot the glasses.  This was applique which I keep wanting to learn to do but haven't taken the time to do so.  I did these raw edge applique.  My darling little Singer, Eve, only goes straight - no zig zagging for her...

Other than sewing, I've been on a bit of a baking binge.  So thrilled it is finally cool enough to turn on the oven.  Made sugar cookies yesterday and peanut butter cookies and brownies today.  Getting geared up for turkey and dressing, etc.  Got out my only Thanksgiving decorations and sat them on my sewing table.  It wasn't until I took the picture that I realized I have Easter eggs still sitting on my table.  Not much of a holiday decorator...oh well...I love my little turkey guy!  He looks a little put out with me...haha!

Last night I chose my fabrics for Bonnie Hunter's Easy Street Mystery and the About.com New Year's Day Mystery - unless I change my mind about them before then.  I won't show pictures yet - just in case.

Now to make some binding for the leaves quilt.  Hopefully there will be pictures of that quilt before too long.  Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

~Bri

Sewing again...

Yay!  I am sewing again...after almost four weeks of little to no activity, I am finally feeling myself again and have gotten some sewing done.  I got my October Stash Bee bookshelf blocks finished and mailed off at practically the last minute...

I also made a couple of blocks for a quilt that the Oklahoma City Modern Quilt Guild is going to raffle off for Hurricane Sandy relief.  Can't wait to see the finished quilt. 

That's not all!  I got Row 4 of the Bee in My Bonnet Row Along finished.  I am so excited.  I still have one more row - flying geese - to catch up on before the next clue comes out on Wednesday.

Now with all of that resting I've done the last few weeks, you would think I would be keeping out of trouble, but NO.  I rested with my IPad in my lap and found all kinds of new projects I want to do.

Jenny at Sew Kind of Wonderful put her Quick Curve Ruler on sale so we could all participate in a Quilt Along that she and her sister are hosting.  I ordered the ruler and got it, but I haven't actually tried to use it yet.  In October, Jenny posted a Churn Dash block using the Quick Curve Ruler.  In November, her sister Helen is going to post a Sawtooth Star block using the ruler.  (I think they plan to take turns posting new blocks on the 8th and 22nd of each month.)   I really want to try these and hope to find the time soon.  I've never even sewn a curve yet, so this could get interesting...

Bonnie Hunter posted fabric selection instructions for her Easy Street Mystery that will start the day after Thanksgiving.  I've never done a Bonnie mystery but am thinking I will try this one.  She says it will be less complicated than the last couple - which had what appeared to be thousands of pieces!

Janet Wickell on the About.com quilt forum announced her New Year's Day mystery.  It's going to start on New Year's Eve...more on that later.

So much to do and so little time.  I must not get sick again!  Otherwise, I have no idea how I'll get any of this done - much less some of the things I had hoped to get done for Christmas...

Have a good week!

~Bri

Farmer's Wife Blocks...

Not a lot of productivity around here the last couple of weeks...we've all been sick with a head cold.  I started it and then promptly passed it to my husband and daughter...We're finally on the mend, but we went through a lot of tissues and cough drops before it was over...it's been miserable...

Enough of that!  I did receive my Kansas Troubles fabrics I had ordered.  Very pretty!

In addition to these fabrics, I found a few at Hancock Fabrics that I thought would work as well for the muddy, muted tones called for by the swap.  So this weekend I did get my blocks for the swap finished.  I signed up for the Churn Dash and the Bow Tie.  I'll send 10 of each of these to the hostess who will swap them all out, and in the long run I will end up with the first 20 of the Farmer's Wife blocks.  Cool, huh?

The fourth clue of the Bee in My Bonnet Row Along came out this past Wednesday, but I haven't had a chance to work on it yet.  The fourth row is APPLES!!!!  They are so cute...

The October block for the Stash Bee was announced for Hive 2.  It's a book shelf.  Such a clever idea...I have cut a few fabrics but have not started sewing yet.  Maybe next weekend.

Here's to a better week than the last...

~Bri

Row, Row, Row...

Are you doing the Bee in My Bonnet Row Along?  The fourth clue comes out Wednesday, and I am caught up!  For me, that is very unusual - we'll see how I'm doing when I get to Row 20...   I am using my 30s stash I have been building for the last few years.  Each row so far has been very different - squares, butterflies, and chevrons.  Can't wait to see what Lori has in store for us next.

As for the swaps I mentioned last week, I have started on one and am fretting about the second.  The first is a scrappy Postage Stamp 4-patch - easy, peasy...Doing these as leaders/enders while working on my rows is making them pile up fast.  The second is The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt in country colors.  The country colors is what is messing with me.  I love brights, high contrast, etc.  Finding muddy, muted colors in my stash is proving quite a challenge.  I ended up ordering a fat quarter pack of Kansas Troubles fabrics to give me a starting place.

Instructions for the Stash Bee block for October should be coming out soon.  I hope it's easy!  Have a good week...

~Bri

My First Stash Bee Blocks...

I got my first Stash Bee blocks stitched up today for Hive 2's Anneliese who lives in Ireland.  The blocks were fun to make but a bit of a challenge.  There were no exact measurements given for the center and the rounds to keep things interesting, and I had a bit of trouble figuring it all out to end up with a block 12 1/2".  But all in all, I think they turned out pretty good.  They are "Converging Corner's" blocks and instructions to make your own can be found on Anneliese's blog.

I am going to work on my "Bee in My Bonnet Row Along" Row 2 next.  Clues come out every other Wednesday; however, she posted Row 3 early today.  Sooooo much to do!!!  If you're not playing along, it's not too late.  Come join the fun!

I signed up for a couple of more swaps this week on the About.com quilt forum, and I am very excited about them.  More to come on those later...

~Bri

A Change of Plans...

Last week, I had visualized my ‘second-ever’ blog post to be titled ‘My First Stash Bee Blocks’.  Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten those made yet….oops!  I do have a good reason, excuse, etc – today is my daughter’s birthday, she was off work all weekend, and she had me out and about all weekend shopping.  She was looking for the perfect fall jacket.  She ended up with what I would consider more of a coat, but she’s happy – so I am happy.  Maybe I’ll get to the blocks next weekend…

I did do one ‘quilty’ thing last week to share.  I bought fabric for a backing for this quilt.  It’s actually a throw or lap quilt – only about 60” square.

If you’ve never done a ‘tesselating’ quilt, let me tell you the biggest challenge is planning.  You have to choose all of your fabrics and their placement BEFORE you start sewing!  Crazy!!!  But each block interconnects with its neighbors.  Well, let me tell you, that is not how I normally piece.  I make my blocks scrappy and then I lay them out and figure out where each will go.  Having to plan ahead proved quite a challenge.  I really am glad that top is finished.  Now to get the backing pieced so I can take it to the ‘long-arm lady’ to be quilted.  It’s a retirement gift I expect to need by the end of the year…nothing official yet, but I am trying to stay one step ahead…

Ohhhhh….almost forgot….I found these lovely remnants in the bin…BOOMER SOONER!!!!  Almost a yard and a half…hmmmmmm…….

 

~Bri

My First Blog Post!

I recently joined Stash Bee and was encouraged to create a blog and share my quilting.  This picture is a quilt I made for my daughter.  She picked a pack of fabrics at the January 2011 Oklahoma City Winter Quilt Show.  We added a few fabrics to it and decided on this pattern as we went.  We think it turned out pretty good!
~Bri