Around the World Blog Hop...

When Leslie of Leslie Unfinished asked me to participate in the Around the World Blog Hop, I decided to give it a go. My blog is fairly quiet most of the time, but I love having a place to post pictures of the various things I'm working on and share my thoughts. If you haven't already, please check out Leslie's blog. She has made some beautiful things, and I have to give her credit for giving me the courage to try free motion quilting. She will probably be surprised by this statement, but she explained her process to me at a guild retreat last year and it made all of the things I had read and videos I had watched 'click'. I still need lots of practice, but I really enjoy FMQ and plan to continue to do more and more. Thank you, Leslie!  (Did I mention that Leslie and I are both members of the Oklahoma City Modern Quilt Guild? Well, we are! It's a great guild and I have learned so much from my fellow guild members and met so many nice and creative women!)

Now, to the questions...

1.  What am I working on?  

Oh, so many things. I am one of those people who loves to start new things...finishing, not so much... One of my UFOs that I am most excited about is Lori Holt's 'Bee in My Bonnet' Row Along from a year or two ago. (Actually, I just looked and the Row Along started in August of 2012 - wow! That UFO has been simmering for a while.)

  

I finished the rows at my guild's retreat last year, and I guess I've been sitting on them for more than a year and haven't gotten them put together yet....shameful.....lol!  

2.  How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I don't know if my work differs from others or not. Is it supposed to? I'm not real good at following the rules. I tend to glance at the instructions for a few seconds and then go my own way. Life is so full of rules that I think the creative process allows me to let go of those rules. Everyone keeps telling me there are NO quilt police; however, I keep expecting them to jump out of the woodwork every time I do something a little outside the box. They haven't yet...keeping my fingers crossed.

3.  Why do I write/create what I do?

I do what I do because I love it! I love reading a bazillion different blogs - mostly quilting, but not all. I love the inspiration I get from all of the pictures people post on Flickr and Instagram. I love pulling all of the fabrics in my stash and placing them next to each other until I find the combination that makes my heart go pitty-pat to make that special block or special quilt for that special person.

4.  How does my writing/creating process work?

Lately, my quilting has been in response to needs - friends retiring, having babies, suffering illness, etc. When someone says they need a block or a quilt, I think "I've got to do that - right now!" I want to participate in everything and help everybody but I am realizing that doesn't always fulfill the need to create because many times I am being told what to make and what colors to use, etc. Sometimes I just need to create to keep myself sane.  

So when I get to do my own thing, I get out pencil and paper. I would love to know how to use the various graphic software programs for quilt design, but I don't want to spend the time required to learn. So, for now, I will stick with pencil and paper. It works, and if it ain't broke why bother to fix it?

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Now that I've shared a bit about myself, I get to tag others to participate in the Around the World Blog Hop next Monday, the 29th of September.

I asked Angie of Sewing With Squeak to participate, but she had already participated. If you are not familiar with her blog, please check it out. She makes lots of neat things. (Angie is also a member of my guild.)

I also asked Misha of MishaMichele to participate. I met Misha on the About.com quilt forum a few years ago. If you're ever in need of quilting advice, the women on the quilt forum are the best. I started there in 2009 and was taken under the wing of a wonderful group of quilters. I have grown so much in my skill and creativity, not to mention confidence.

OK! OK! I'll stop talking....have a great week and hope to see you again soon...

~Bri

I call her Frankie...

I call her Frankie because she was a monster to put together - not her fault!  This was a mystery quilt from a couple of years ago. The host was posting clues every hour to hour and a half. After I had several of the blocks made, she announced some of the measurements were incorrect - redo some of the blocks!  Uh, no.....so I put it all away until yesterday.  I decided I was getting it put together one way or another so I could call it Done!  I had to shave a bit off here and add a bit of fabric there, and she's a bit wonky and an odd size (33" x 50"), but dear daughter and I decided she was perfect for a lap quilt and we're keeping her.  

It is very liberating to decide to keep a quilt vs giving it away. When you're keeping for yourself, you don't worry about little things like cut off points and a bit of wonkiness.  I may have to make more quilts to keep!  LOL

~Bri

Quilt of Valor Block Drive...

Want to make a Quilt of Valor block? My friend Debra posted on her blog a few weeks ago about another blogger, Kevin the Quilter, who is hosting a QOV block drive. It is a really simple block, but it makes a very striking quilt when all put together. If you have a bit of extra time, see if you can make a few. He has some pretty good prizes too...The block drive runs through June 1st...


Speaking of deadlines...How do you keep track of your ongoing projects? Especially those with deadlines? I have about a bazillion things going and have handwritten lists all over the place - and I can never find them. And I never have them with me when I'm shopping. So I've been playing with different apps to help me manage them. I believe the one with the most promise so far is Evernote. I've loaded it to both my iPad and iPhone. Still learning but am curious what others might be using.

~Bri

Sandwich Anyone???

No, not that kind of sandwich!  A quilt sandwich...

I finished my Star Light, Star Bright 'star' and got it sandwiched and ready to quilt.  I usually sandwich my little quilts on the bed on Sunday when I have the bedding stripped off.  However, a few weeks ago I sandwiched one of my mom's baby quilts on her dining room table.  OH MY GOSH!  What a difference that added height makes...I will be going over there to sandwich all future baby quilts and save my poor aching back.  I also sandwiched the second red, white, and blue Asterisk baby quilt.  Now to get my 'free motion' on and get after it...but not this weekend....maybe next...

I have a larger quilt top ready to go to the long-arm quilter.  I would really like to quilt these larger ones myself but I am afraid to try to sandwich a big quilt.  Yep, I know!  I'm a big old fraidy cat!  (Those are 16" blocks!)  So I pressed it, bought a backing, and will take it by her house this week - I hope.  I chose a black and white chevron for the backing.... pretty....
 

The Sassy Quilter's Triangle Quilt Along started last Friday - choose fabrics, post a picture, get entered for a prize....not too late to join in....

~Bri

A Win and a Finish...

Well, I did go ahead and get the next step done on the "Happy Quilting" Star Light, Star Bright Quilt Along.  

And I am so glad I did!  I posted a picture on the linky and won the weekly prize - three of Melissa Corry's patterns. YAY!  I already had "In Your Neighborhood" - I bought it when she published it a few months ago.  I chose "Salutations", "Boxed In and Out", and "Simply By Design" as my prize....awesome blossom!  We now have 3 weeks to complete the last step.  To enter the contest, I only have to complete the top.  However, I hope to finish the entire thing - quilt and bind - so it will be in the "parade" - not exactly sure what all of this means, but that's OK.  I'm learning....and I'm having fun doing it...

Remember my Stash Bee blocks from last year?  I asked for the Asterisk Block and got about 50 blocks.  I put them together into two baby quilt tops.  I finished one and the other is still just a top.  I plan to donate both to charitable organizations through the two different guilds I belong to....Yes, two...long story....for another day...

See the numbers?  That's the backing!!!  I think it is so neat...and the striped binding...oooh laaa laaaa!

What do you think of the big picture?  At our weekly guild meeting last week, a few of the more prolific bloggers had a panel discussion on blogging.  It was very interesting to me as I am trying to do more with my blog.  It was noted that pictures are very important and should be as big as possible.  So I'm going to go with bigger pictures and see what I think...Seems really big to me....LOL...I'm going to go ahead and try out a bigger font as well....so adventurous today...

I didn't get any sewing done this weekend.  My daughter told me I had to read the book "Divergent" since the movie comes out next week and I am taking her.  Surprise!  I finished the book, and it was OK.  I probably won't read the 2nd and 3rd books in the series until after we see the movie.  I guess this is the next big thing after "Hunger Games" which I absolutely loved - the books and the movies.  Since I couldn't get the book from the library immediately, she "allowed" me to read the book on her Kindle, and I am thinking I may need a Kindle.  I couldn't sleep one night and got the Kindle to read in bed - so much lighter than the iPad - and the back-light doesn't blind you in the dark the way the iPad and iPhone do.  Hmmmmm....

Have a great week!

Bri

Already 2014? Wow...

Time sure flies these days.  I can't believe it is already March.  WOW!

With the new year, I got to thinking about resolutions.  I went back and read my post from January of 2013 where I said I knew better than to make resolutions.  But I also committed to a goal to find the perfect project for a beautiful piece of fabric I had purchased some time ago.

I didn't find the perfect project in 2013; however, I did find it in 2014 and I have already gotten started.  One of the young women in my guild, the Oklahoma City Modern Quilt Guild, started a quilt along using Tula Pink's City Sampler blocks book in February.  She set a goal of 11 blocks per month so we can get all 100 finished in November so we can sash, finish, etc, by the end of the year...yeah, right!  I really didn't think I could do it, but I am proud to say I got 10 of the blocks made in February.  So technically, I didn't do it, but I got pretty darn close.  I also have the next two cut out.  Unfortunately, I have done nothing in March....yet....

I am using a bit of this red fabric in each of the blocks (assuming the fabric goes that far).  I think I can pull it off - I have two yards and I am using as the primary fabric in some blocks and just as a minor player in other blocks.  One of the quilt calculators said I could get more than 100 5" squares from the two yards so I'm thinking if I am conservative I can make it work. However, I'm not going to worry over much about it.  I am also using some purples, greens, yellows/golds, and several low volume fabrics.  

Here's a picture of a couple of my blocks...I'm really liking them...and I'm sewing all of them on my sweet little Featherweight Pippa.  It seemed like the perfect project for me and Pippa.  I hadn't used her much so this is helping me get to know her a little better.  Totally different feel from my Janome MC6300 Kate.  And I am using a Tula Pink Aurifil variegated thread sampler I purchased last year (ironically, from the same young woman who is running this QAL).  I love buying thread, but I am bad about hoarding it and not using it.  It's just so pretty!  I am trying to get over that so I broke it out and am loving it!

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Is anyone doing Melissa Corry's "Happy Quilting" Star Light, Star Bright Quilt Along?  I am doing one large 32" star, but she has instructions for multiple sizes and layouts.  She has been publishing a new step each Wednesday and we are almost finished.   Since I am only doing one big block it has been easy to keep up with so far, although I haven't done this week's step yet....I am still optimistic I will get to it....

                      

I will probably make a baby quilt with it although the colors aren't really nursery colors....oh well.....

I'm also going to start The Sassy Quilter's Quilt Along later this month - a triangle quilt.  I have been wanting to make one of these for a while so I am going to make a small one - probably baby quilt sized - with low volume and muted fabrics....This QAL starts March 21st.  If you are interested, please join us.  I found this blog through a posting on the Happy Quilting QAL and am really glad I did.  Paula has a lot of interesting information and fun things going on.

I hope everyone has a great week!

~Bri

Catching up...

I did finally finish the Little Red Riding Hood quilt I started in June of last year at our guild's quilt retreat. Baby girl Callie was born in late August, and she got the quilt some time in October....I really meant to have the quilt done BEFORE she was born, but good intentions and all that...just didn't work out....someday, I will actually have the baby quilt ready before the baby arrives..... maybe.... But I must say I am very pleased with how the quilt turned out.  I ended up finding that elusive red and white striped fabric for the binding, and it looked as wonderful as I had hoped.  My free motion quilting still needs work, but I believe I am making progress.  

One of these days I'm going to remember to track how much time I spend making a quilt - from choosing a pattern, to choosing fabric, to cutting, to sewing, to quilting, to binding. People always ask how much time I spent on a quilt, and I honestly have no idea.  Do you track how many hours you spend on a particular project?  I tend to bounce around from one to another so it might be hard to keep up with.  I just never think of it until I'm too far into the project for it to be effective...sigh....

In between quilting and binding, etc, I made a few more of the 2013 Sugar Block Club blocks!  Amazing....I still have a few more to make but it's been a while since I looked so I'm not even sure where I am....I didn't sign up for 2014...yet....probably won't....might....






Of the three BOMs I committed to at the beginning of last year, the Sugar Block is the only one I have halfway kept up with.  I never even started on the Lucky Stars....paper piecing still eludes me...LOL....I'm not even sure where I am on the Oklahoma City Modern Quilt Guild BOM .  Maybe I'll check on that some day...

Have a good one!

Bri

Welcome Back, Sewing Mojo!!

My sewing mojo ran away from home back in August.  Fortunately, she decided to come home last weekend so I have been getting lots done and loving every minute of it.

When my guild was collecting quilts for Oklahoma tornado victims, we were taking pictures and posting on Flickr.  One particular quilt caught my eye so I decided to try my hand at creating my own version.  I had recently received a fat quarter bundle from a dear friend on the About.com quilt forum (Thanks Debra!)  and decided it would be perfect for this little experiment.  I cut strips, sewed them together, and then cut at an angle...learning experience....I wasted a bit of fabric, but all in all, I think it turned out pretty cute.  It's baby quilt size, and I am going to send it to a museum in Colorado that is collecting quilts for flood victims.

I have been working on a baby quilt for the new granddaughter of a good friend.  I had planned to have the quilt finished by the time little Callie was born, but since my sewing mojo ran away I am a bit behind.  I had the top made weeks ago, sandwiched it last weekend, and started quilting yesterday.  I am learning free motion quilting and did a lot on both of these little quilts.  I think I am getting better, more comfortable with it, etc.  I used Little Red Riding Hood fabric and a bunch of coordinating fabrics....lots of fun and can't wait to see it finished....I'm really loving it! I used a serpentine (stretched out zig zag) stitch in the sashing and like how that looks.  Here is just a sneak peek...

I bought a red and white stripe to use as the binding for this quilt months ago, but I can't find it.  I may have to come up with Plan B if I get the quilting done today - still got lots of tails to bury, etc...a few areas I want to rip out and try again....LOL  But maybe by next weekend, I will be ready to bind....

Bri

...to Kate to Pippa...

An amazing thing has been happening in my quilt guild lately.  Many of these modern quilters are discovering the joys of vintage sewing machines.  A couple bought Nelco machines – very nice!  But the majority who are going crazy over vintage fell in love with the Singer Featherweight or her big sister, the 301.  One by one, the ladies are finding them on Craigslist, in quilt shops, estate sales, etc.  After looking at pictures of many of these beauties and getting caught up in the frenzy, I decided I needed wanted one AND I wanted a white one.  I casually mentioned this on our guild’s Facebook page and I received a phone call shortly after telling me where a white one was located for sale. 

My husband and I drove 3 hours Friday morning to go take a look at her in scenic Tahlequah, OK.  She is a very pretty machine with the original case.  She appears to be in pretty good condition and sews a beautiful stitch.  YAY!!!!  We packed her up and brought her home. 

The machine was made in 1962 in Great Britain.  Being from Great Britain, I thought she deserved a royal name.  As you may recall, I recently named my new Janome “Kate” because I thought the machine was so classy and sophisticated.  Hmmmmmm….what to do?  I posted my dilemma on the guild’s page and it was quickly suggested I consider Pippa, Kate’s sister.  What a perfect name!!!!  So here she is…Lady Pippa!  (Now I know that Pippa probably isn’t really royalty, but she is close enough for me.)

Have a great week!

Bri

Lots Going on in Oklahoma...

There has been a lot going on in Oklahoma lately.  First and foremost were the tornadoes on May 19, 20, and 24.  Many people lost everything.  My guild - the Oklahoma City Modern Quilt Guild - organized a quilt drive and made two beautiful quilts to be raffled off to earn money for charities involved in long term relief efforts.  To learn more about the quilt drive and how you can win one of these beautiful quilts, click the link above.

On a personal note, I was off work for two glorious weeks.  A lot of sewing was done during that time.  Caught up on the Sugar Block Club BOM.  The first one looks really dark.  I really want to redo it, but then again, I really don't!  We'll see...

Because all of my sewing stuff is in the middle of the living room, one of my goals during my vacation was to get a bit better organized and make my area look nicer during down times.  I bought some decorative boxes to keep projects in and made a cover for my sewing machine.  I looked at a bunch of sewing machine covers on line and finally decided to pull out some orphan blocks I had made over the years and put them together.  Rather than fitting the cover to the machine, I made a rectangle and put ties on both sides.  I think it turned out cute... 

Oh!  And I decided on a name for my lovely new machine.  She is KATE!  Because she is so classy and sophisticated...LOL!

I really want to donate quilts to the quilt drive, but I produce actual finished quilts at a snail's pace.  Then I remembered that I had one baby quilt on hand that I had made last year that hadn't found a home.  I am taking it to tomorrow's guild meeting to donate. 

I also quilted and bound two quilt tops that a former member of the guild had made but hadn't had a chance to finish.  She received the blocks in a swap and then put the tops together.  I think the colors are very nice together and both would make a good snuggly for either a little boy or a little girl.

I had hoped to finish this quilt as well.  I put the blocks together into the top last weekend, but I think it needs to be bigger.  Haven't been able to decide on a border idea...still thinking on it....This was a BOM from a few years ago titled 'Sentimental Journeys'.  Borders and finishing instructions were never published so I am on my own...

I have been reading and watching videos about free motion quilting.  My first shot at it didn't turn out too bad.  I want to practice some more.  I bought a pair of machingers gloves Friday as well as a special bobbin case made especially for FMQing.  Having always wanted to go on a quilt shop hop, I finally made it Friday.  Along with a fellow guild member, I went to three different shops in central Oklahoma.   The shops were very different from one another but all three had some interesting items.  I hope to go again someday, but I totally blew my budget - practically at our first stop.  Oh well...It was great fun!

Next weekend will be my first ever quilt retreat!  I am calling it quilt camp because I love the Elm Creek Quilt Books and their quilt camps.  I know this will be nothing like that, but I am still excited.  I have narrowed it down to three different projects to work on and have been making lists of supplies to take. 

Take care everyone!  And have a great week...

Bri

Two Blocks and a Border...

I said last week that the next thing I was going to work on would be the February Sugar Club block....well, I was wrong...or, more accurately, I changed my mind.  I decided that since I had caught up on the OKC MQG BOM last weekend and a new block came out last week, I should just keep the momentum going and do that block first.  So I did!  It was a fun, easy block to make. 

The instructions said to cut very carefully to ensure your strips lined up.  I think I cut correctly, but I messed up a bit on the stitching.  I haven't quite figured out where my perfect scant 1/4" is yet so my two pieced strips are a little off.  Oh well...doesn't bother me too much....well, just a little...but probably not enough to redo it.

I then moved on to the February Sugar Block Club block.  It was the dreaded paper piecing.  It wasn't too hard - nice big pieces, but I just haven't grasped the concept of knowing where to place the fabric on the back of the paper so that when it is flipped over, it covers the paper entirely.  I ripped two sections out over and over before I finally got it right.  And I think it was just luck.  I am sure there is a way and when I figure it out, it will be a real "Ah ha!" moment.  Can't wait!

After finishing the February block, I proceeded to the March Sugar Block Club block.  However, I had a bit of a problem so that's why the title is 'Two Blocks...' rather than three.  I assembled the various sections and when I went to put it together, I can't find one.  I know it is here somewhere so I have not remade it.  I have looked everywhere I can think of that it might have fallen or I might have carried it, but no luck yet.  If it doesn't show up soon, I'll remake it - and, of course, it will then magically appear.  Oh well...so only two blocks to show this week.

As for the border in today's title, I got out the Civil War quilt I told you about late last year.  Originally, I had hoped it would be a Christmas gift for my Mom last year.  When that didn't happen, I thought it would be a Mother's Day gift (yea, next weekend) or a birthday gift (next month).  I'm thinking neither of those is a possibility; however, I have been working on the dog tooth border - stitching them up in pairs as leaders/enders.  I had no idea how many I had or even how many I needed so I started stitching them together and made four strips.  I got the quilt top out today and layed them out.  I still need to cut/stitch about 30 pairs and I'll be set.  Here's a glimpse of where I am.  Not a great picture, but I am going to put a narrow dark border all of the way around and then the dogtooth border.  The lighting in my bedroom is awful for photography...

So, it's probably time to start winding down and getting ready for bed.  I hope everyone has a great week.  Happy stitching!

Bri

A Little Bit of This...

I think the hardest thing about blogging is coming up with a catchy title for each post.  My blog is mostly about my stitching, but there are only so many ways to say that...What I Sewed This Week, What I DIDN'T Sew This Week, The Beautiful Fabric I Ordered This Week (Riley Blake's Little Red Riding Hood - yum!)...not very catchy....I shall continue to struggle with that one...and not worry overly much about how catchy it is.

This week, one of the ladies on the About.com Quilt Forum challenged everyone to show a picture of their cutting table.  Well, before I could post a picture I had to do some cleaning up.  In the course of cleaning up, I found a bunch of little bits and bobs of fabric that were too big to toss but too small to do much with.  I decided to stitch them together into crumb blocks...I've also heard them called crazy blocks...I ended up making five and plan to continue to make a few each week until I have enough to do something with.  These are 6" unfinished.  I chose 6" because that was the ruler I had in my hand at the time.  Real scientific decision-making going on here...LOL!

These three have fairly large pieces in them.  The other two had much smaller pieces, but I didn't get a picture taken of those.  Maybe next week...

I also made a couple of Scrappy Trips blocks.  You can find the pattern for these on Bonnie Hunter's Quiltville blog here.  I really like the way they turned out, but I didn't really enjoy the process.  I may have to tweak it a bit, and I am wondering how they would look if you used a larger strip - these squares finish at 2" for a 12" finished block.  I have a 12 1/2" ruler for squaring up.  If I made the blocks bigger, would I need to get a bigger ruler????  Or could I just use the lines on the cutting mat?  I wonder how big they make rulers...I bet the bigger ones cost a pretty penny!

I spent this morning catching up on the Oklahoma City Modern Quilt Guild BOM.  I made both March and April's blocks.  I am doing in all solids and am enjoying the look.  I am looking forward to May's block and will try to make it in the month of May - what a concept!

I plan to work on February's Sugar Block Club Block next.  It is paper piecing, and I haven't really done much of that so I have been avoiding it.  But I hope to show a picture of it next week. 

Once I get caught up on the Sugar Block Club, I will start on the Lucky Stars blocks - those scare me.  These stars have about a bajillion pieces.  But I signed up because I wanted to learn how to paper piece.  Should be interesting. 

I am also gearing up to start a new project soon - the Butterfly Quilt on Red Pepper Quilts.  This is such a beautiful quilt and will make a wonderful retirement gift for one of my best friends.  Fortunately, I have more than a year and a half to get it done.  I'm going to need it.  By my calculations - which could be wrong - to make the quilt 60" square, I will need 225 butterflies.  And I think it would be neat if every butterfly were a different fabric.  I must shop!!!!  I've also been collecting some text fabrics for the butterfly body here and there - there won't be 225 different text fabrics...Fortunately, I'm not that crazy....But I am going to have to track down a few more.

Have a great week!

Bri

There's a new gal in town...

I don't believe I ever explained the name of my blog, but I named it for my two favorite vintage Singer sewing machines.  Eve is a 15-91, and Ruby is a 404.  I really like the older machines with their ease of use and rare breakdowns - plus I found them very cheap at local thrift stores - and my dear husband can do maintenance on them.  However, I started dreaming about getting a new machine a few months ago - thinking, yea, someday I will get a new one.  Well, someday came last weekend.  YAY!!!!  I got a Janome Memory Craft 6300.  I haven't gotten to use her a lot - and I haven't figured out a good name for her - needs to be a modern, sleek name.  But I am enjoying her so far.  Quiet, fast, does more than just go straight....LOL...

I have only made a few blocks so far but I am having a blast.  I finished up a batch of Farmer's Wife blocks for a swap - but I forgot to take a picture.  I did make a couple of blocks for the April Stash Bee swap - Road to Oklahoma - and I got a picture of each.

 I will be the Queen Bee for next month's Stash Bee blocks, and I have chosen the Selvage Blog's Asterisk Block.  I made a few this weekend and am going to ask the others to make them in red, white, and blue for a USA patriotic theme.

I have one more thing I want to show.  I finished it earlier this month for my guild's Madrona Road Challenge.  I was given a few fat eighths of Michael Miller's Madrona Road fabric and challenged to make a mini quilt.  I chose to make Elizabeth Hartman's Octagonal Orbs pattern.  It's an easy to follow pattern, but I cannot imagine making more than one of these blocks.  It took a while, and I left mine as an octagon rather than putting on the corners to make it a square.  Made binding it a bit of a challenge, but I like it a lot.  I will probably give it to my mom for Mother's Day.

I recently discovered Instagram - so fun!  So many neat pictures posted all day every day.  My user name is bwquilts.  If you are on Instagram, I would love to know your user name so I can follow you too.  Have a great week!  I plan to be back next week with a report on more accomplishments and adventures. 

Bri

Long weekend...no sewing....

I had a long 3-day weekend, but I didn't get any sewing done.  What a shame!  Took a quick road trip on Saturday to see some property my husband and I recently purchased in Sallisaw, OK.  Long drive...but we are making some plans on what we want to do with it....it's 20 acres in the middle of nowhere....perfectly quiet....yummmmm....

Sunday, I sat around and did a whole lot of nothing.  I did play with some fabrics - I never did finish Bonnie Hunter's Easy Street Mystery in December - I got Steps 1 through 7 done and lost interest.  I got the pieces I had finished out and played around with the layout.  Not sure when I will actually get back to doing anything on it...

Monday, my husband and I ran a few errands, ate at a Chinese buffet, and went fabric shopping - OK, I went fabric shopping and he wandered aimlessly around the store.  Bought a few solids for the various BOMs I am participating in.  I made this block last weekend and my husband really liked the colors....I'm thinking I'll do more blocks in those colors for him a quilt.
                 

This is the January block in the Oklahoma City Modern Quilt Guild 2013 Block of the Month.  I am really happy with it.  Speaking of the OKCMQG, it was announced today on the blog that the Red Cross quilt is complete and chances to win it are being sold - not sold actually, make a donation of $10 to the Red Cross or Empire State Relief Fund and get a chance to win.  You can get all of the details on the blog. 

I got another BOM block made last weekend.  This is the January Sugar Block Club block.  I messed it up a bit, but in the long run it came out OK.  She uses odd measurements, and they threw me off.  The center 9-patch was supposed to be 7 5/8".  Mine was 7 3/4", but I got confused on my ruler and thought it was too small - when it was actually too big.  Sheesh!  I ended up stretching the flying geese to fit - by the time I figured out I should have cut down the 9-patch, I had already trimmed the geese.  If I had ripped it apart and tried to fix, it would have been too small.  I told myself I would be the only who knew....now a few more people know....LOL!
                  

These are the fabrics I've chosen for the year.  Rather than going out and buying a fat quarter bundle, I remembered I had gotten a bunch of FQs last year in a birthday swap - so I went through those, picked 17-18 I liked and chose the brown for the background.  I think it will be interesting, and I feel good about working from the stash vs more shopping...
                     

The next row of the Bee in my Bonnet Row Along came out - twinkly winter stars.  I did get some of my fabrics cut, but I did not get them all cut nor did I get any sewn.  Oh well....que sara sara!  Whatever will be, will be....I will eventually get there....

I still have pictures to share....see you next week - have a good one!

Bri

Resolutions? Uh, no....

I don't make New Year's Resolutions - mainly because I know I will fail!  A resolution usually requires a huge behavioral change, and I know that's something I am not good at.  However, I do have a goal for this year.  We recently had a conversation on the About.com quilt forum about those special fabrics that we've had for a long time and just cannot bring ourselves to cut into.  I have only one of those, and it's a beaut!



I have two yards of it, and best I can recall - I bought it in either 2009 or 2010.  I've initially chosen it for a mystery quilt a couple of times, but I have always chickened out at the last minute and went a different direction...So my goal for 2013 is to find a pattern for this beautiful piece of fabric.  Wish me luck!

Back to the things I worked on during the Christmas holiday...I have some pictures...

I finished the leaves quilt.  If you recall, all I had left to do was put the binding on.  And YAY!  It's done.  I machine stitched to the front and hand sewed to the back.  I had been machine stitching to the back the last few, but I wasn't really happy with the way they were turning out.  This took quite a bit longer and made my hands hurt for a little while, but I think it was well worth the effort.



I made a few heart blocks from 30s fabrics for a friend who has been sick.  Another friend is putting all of the heart blocks together that she has gathered from several to make her a quilt.  Such a lovely thing to do...



Just in time for the next row of the Bee in my Bonnet row along, I got the mittens row completed.  It went together quicker than I had anticipated.  Wonder what will be next - next clue comes out this Wednesday.  Not too late to join in....



One more picture...This is a small quilt I put together for another friend who is not feeling well.  She is going to get showered with mini quilts over the next few weeks.  I can only imagine how that would make a quilter feel --- to get quilts from friends all over the country when things are looking bleak.  I really hope it brightens her day.



I had made these little 3" blocks in December 2011 when the Temecula Quilt Company hosted a block a day - 'The Twelve Days of Christmas'.  The block for Day 1 had one piece, the block for Day 2 had two pieces, etc.  I had also framed them back then to make them 5" so they went together very quickly.  Used a fat quarter for the backing, used scraps to make a scrappy binding, and just a few hours later - a mini quilt was born! 

I am not only proud of the quilt, but the fact I was able to put it together so quickly with things that were already made.  That is my goal as a quilter - to be able to put something together to brighten someone's day without a lot of fuss.  Now I know why I do all of these block of the day, block of the month, etc.  It's not only the camaraderie of doing something with a group, but it's also having a variety of things on hand that can be tossed together quickly.

Have a good week!  I have a few more pictures for next week.

Bri