Block Party

I worked on bee blocks this past weekend. 

I was in the 3x6 Bee as caretaker of the Pinwheels hive, so of course I chose a pinwheel block.  For once I chose an easy block that was quick to make, which was good because I spent most of the weekend with my foot elevated.  Hard to do that and sew!

This was a block that I found on last year's calendar.  I really like it.

One of the fun things about the 3x6 Bee is that you make the same block in different colorways.  It lets you see how the colors play together.  My friend and I have been talking about making a quilt like this - the same block in different colorways.  I think it would be gorgeous.

Apparently the only picture I took of this block was with my phone.  The blue is the same as in the blue/green block above, but it doesn't look the same here, does it?  Anyway, you get the idea.

Two of the members of this hive wanted rainbow blocks.  I was trying to figure out how I was going to do that with this block when I noticed this crayon fabric sitting right beside the sewing machine.  I had been auditioning it for something else, but it was perfect for these rainbow blocks.

I also made a few blocks for my friend Marian in the Bee Awesome bee.  The tutorial for the Bee Simple block is here.  She asked for three blocks, and I told her I would make a few more.  At first I made 7.

But they were so easy and so fun, I ended up making a round dozen.  I usually don't like blocks with gray in them, but I have to say, this color combination is so soothing, I may have to make myself a quilt using these colors.  Every time I looked at the blocks I just felt good.  Maybe gray does have its place in the world after all.

Finally, I got out my GMFG blocks and started putting those together.

Progress is pretty slow, but it's coming.  It's a great project for sitting in the recliner with your foot up.

Sorry for the distracting background in this photo, but I am making progress.  I'm out of yellow hexies again, so it's time to make some more.  I think this is going to be an ongoing project, and although it's on my 13 in 2013 list, I will be very surprised if this one is done by the end of the year.  It will be enough just to have made some progress, since it's all sewn by hand.  I am really loving the way this is coming together.  I think this may be a favorite quilt, if it ever gets done!

So that's what's been going on in the prsd4tim2 studio this week.  What have you been up to?

A Star {Doll Quilt} is Born

It's amazing what a little bit of fabric can become.  I started with a few bits of fabric and some hexie templates - a great project for airplanes and airports, as long as you're not squished into the middle of a row (your neighbors don't really go for being stabbed with needles, I think.)

A few {hundred} stitches later, it starts to take shape...

And grow...

A little at a time...

Until it actually starts to look like something.

And then maybe you mount it...

And quilt it...

And quilt it some more...

And maybe you need to add just a touch of hand quilting...

To come up with a finished quilt.

Add a label, and voila!  You're {finally} done.

No wonder this little baby took so long - a lot longer than I thought it would.

Sure hope my partner likes it.

Home Again, Home Again, Fiddle-de-dee

After 9 days away and a  16-hour travel day, I'm finally home.  I had a wonderful visit with the grandbabies.  This is Abby, trying on the hats at Gymboree during our shopping expedition.   She is an absolute hoot.  Such a smart little cutie, with a definite mind of her own.  We had a great time together.

Britton is a happy little guy, always smiling, usually laughing, and great fun to be around.  His laugh could melt the hardest of hearts, I think.

And we had some great quality time together as their mama got ready for and attended Sewing Summit.  I had the occasional pang that I didn't go this year, but frankly, I only get 4 weeks vacation and I can spend them with the kids, or with the grown ups...  It's hardly even a choice.

And BD#1 took great care of me, sharing some of her goodies from Sewing Summit, which was very kind of her.  I have lots to show, but haven't had a chance to take pictures of anything yet, except for a couple with my phone.

Here's what I worked on while I was away...

(Sorry for the weird shadows, but it gets dark here early now and I haven't been home during daylight yet.)

I'm running a little behind for the DS Quilts Doll Quilt swap.  I thought this project would go much faster than it did.  Or perhaps I spent too much sewing time playing with the bebes.  If so, it was time well spent!

This hexie star was a great portable project.  Perfect for airports, airplanes, and days when the sewing machine was gone or in use.  In fact, I was warned ahead of time that daughter's {very cool} sewing machine was off limits.  And as I say, this project was perfect, except that it took much longer than I thought.  Luckily the star is finished now, and attached to the background fabric.  I need to drop by JoAnn's tomorrow and pick up some backing fabric.  It is just enough larger than anything I have on hand that I need to shop {oh, darn!}

Hopefully by the weekend I'll be back in the groove and ready to show some of my cool loot and maybe a finished doll quilt. Plus, I got a ton of fun mail while I was gone!  Stay tuned...

Hexie Care Package

I have recently made a new online friend.  We are in a couple of bees together, and in one of the intro threads, I mentioned that I am from Seattle.  My new friend mentioned that she was also from the Northwest, and in fact was spending the summer there while her husband is deployed.  Oh boy, did that bring back memories.  I did that at least 2 summers, when my children were small.

In our correspondence, we agreed to meet if I make it to Seattle this summer, which I fully intend to do  (sister is more than ready to get Grandma's treadle machine out of her garage - how I will transport it to Florida, I'm not exactly sure, although my new friend offered to drive it part of the way - is that cool, or what?)

Sadly, my friend's sewing machine has been in the shop almost the whole time she has been there, and she is suffering a bit from its predicament.  I suggested hexies, and said I would make her a Hexie Care Package.  I used the leftovers of my Little Apples quilt.  I used Kelly's tutorial to make the little pouch.  Easy peasy.  LOVE how neat and tidy the zipper looks using Kelly's method.

 

And inside is everything you might need to make hexies and keep your hands busy, including a  Little Apples hexie needlebook.

Pins and needles and scissors, oh my!  (I watched a PBS special on Judy Garland  last night, so that was just bursting to come out!)

 Sure hope she likes it.

 

The Merry, Merry Month of May

I've been a crazy swapping fool during the month of May.  To say I was over-committed is a gross understatement, but I got it all done (just in the nick of time!) and they are all on their way to their new homes.  In fact, some of them have arrived already.

Pot Holders for PP11.

The Circles Mini for the DS Quilts Doll Quilt Swap.

The Mannequin Pinnie for the FLiPs Swap.

The napkins for my private swap with Peggy.

The pineapple ticker tape mini for the Mini QT swap.

And finally, the last swap of May was the Oven Glove/Pot Holders in the Super Swaps Swap.   The photo at the top is my co-worker modeling the coordinating apron as well.

 I still do have a couple of bee blocks to make, but I will get at least one of them done this weekend.  The other is a Dear Jane block to hand -sew, which may take me awhile. 


It was a pretty busy month, but I got all the swaps done, at least.

And I still managed to complete some granny squares...

Some hexie blocks...

A 12-inch Swoon test block...

And 3 quilt tops, which are still WIPs, but at least the tops are finished.

All in all, it was a pretty good month.

Lily's Quilts Fresh Sewing Day

Sick Days

I thought I had miraculously made it through the winter without being sick, but alas, it was not to be.   And you know I'm sick when I don't feel like sewing.  But I did have some scraps and hexies don't take much thinking, so I managed to get some hexie blocks done.  I'm maybe 3/4 of the way to my GMFG quilt.  That's progress, especially considering that I never thought I would EVER do this much hand sewing.

I managed 5 blocks in 4 days.  Hmmm...  at this rate, it will be a long time until I get the other 20 blocks made. 

And I actually did a block with gray in it.  I even like it. 

And I planned the block for my Ticker Tape Mini Quilt for Denise in the Mini QT Swap.  Can't show the whole thing until Denise receives it on Monday.  Here's a sneak peek.

I think even this little bit of progress is way better than daytime TV.  I think I'd go crazy if that was all there was to do. 

Here's to feeling better!

Building Blocks

This weekend I managed to finish up a few things that were on the "to do" list.  First, I made this block for Kat, who is this month's queen in the Sew and Bee Happy.  She is doing a reverse rainbow quilt and asked everyone to do a different color block.  I had aqua/teal, and I thought this color scheme would be easy given that I just finished up my Teal We Meet Again quilt.  I was right, but not in the way I imagined.  Most of the scraps in my scrap basket were too small, so I ended up raiding the stash and cutting 4" squares.  I really was surprised at how much aqua and teal fabric I had - I think I could have made 2 blocks and never repeated a fabric.  This was a simple wonky star block with a fun twist, and I enjoyed making it.

I have now received all of my blocks for the 3x6 bee, which I started before the Teal We Meet Again block swap.  I've been thinking that 2 teal and red quilts might be too much, so for this round I tweaked my block request by adding yellow.

I really like the aqua and yellow combination.  I hope it will look great with the aqua and red and brighten up the quilt a little.

And finally, January was my month in the Fall Bee and I asked that everyone help me with my GMFG quilt I started in the First Time Bee.  I think I have figured out that I need 80 hexi flowers to make this quilt, and so far, I think I have 20, so I need all the help I can get.  This is the perfect project for a virtual bee, because I really want a scrappy quilt, and so the more folks who contribute from their stash, the better.  Hexis are so fun to make while you are watching TV or just need a few minutes to relax.  It's also a very portable project, so you can take it with  you if you have a few minutes.  Wish I had known about hexis when I was spending endless hours sitting in karate studios and waiting for piano lessons to finish.  Oh well.

Anyway, I received my first 3 blocks from my bee friends and I finished 3, so I'm making progress.  I finished another during the Super Bowl this evening and  have 3 more started, with 10 more expected from my bee friends, so I'm closing on 35.  I am participating in 2 more bees this year, so if I decided to do GMFG blocks, maybe I'll collect enough by the end of the year to make my quilt.  I'm really excited about these blocks.  Aren't they fun?  I'm actually getting enough blocks that I'm beginning to wonder what color to use for the filler rows.  Suggestions gladly accepted - the only colors I don't want to use are white, black and gray.  I'm actually thinking about yellow, maybe a cute yellow polka dot.  Would that be too busy?

Meanwhile, it's back to work tomorrow, so I'd best run along.  Have a great week.