Candy Corny Blocks

This week's blocks for the Halloween Mystery from ThimbleCreek were so fun to make. 

A candy corn pinwheel is formed by the flying geese in the center of the block--so cute!

The flying geese start with a strip set that is sub-cut into 3.5" pieces.

Then the "flippy corner" method is used to make the geese...

and four of them make a pinwheel in the center of the block.
I thought the candy corn geese were very fun and I was very tempted to do them for all eight of the flying geese in the block. Then realized it would distract from the pinwheel effect--good thing I figured that out before I made more geese!

We need five blocks to complete mystery clue three.
Be sure to sign up for Joe's ThimbleCreek Gazette to get your clues!!

And I think I finally have a plan for these little rejected stars--stay tuned!!

Linking with Needle and Thread Thursday HERE

Chippewa Nine Patch Complete!

I put in the last binding stitches in on Sunday and even had a little time to attach the label before Poldark started. 

Chippewa Nine Patch is a pretty big quilt--an 80" square.
Unfortunately, my quilt holder doesn't quite have an 80" wing span!

I got to use up the extra nine patches on the back--I love the big paisley too.

I ran out of the medium blue I used for the alternate blocks, but had the same print in a darker blue that I subbed for the half blocks around the edges. I think it worked out okay--kind of acts like a border? 

I quilted it with a paisley design that was very fast and easy.
I think all of the fabrics (including the back) are Minick and Simpson.

Monday I had time to sew up this week's Temecula Summer Sew Along blocks. I am avoiding using red fabric since almost 75% of the blocks I've made so far have mostly red in them. I'm trying to keep blue prints to the inside since my alternate block fabric will be blue--the fabric shown in the background actually.

I spent the rest of the day filling a tub with some of my quilts for a short lecture I did this morning (and again tonight) at the quilt shop: "Fancy Finishes". It was fun to bring some of my quilts out of the closet and share them! 

Linking with A Lovely Year of Finishes HERE and Sew Cute Tuesday HERE

Slow and Sweltering Sunday Stitching

 The Part Two blocks for the ThimbleCreek Halloween Mystery are finished.
These were really fun to make--really!

Last week's Temecula Summer Sew Along blocks are done too--some easy ones this time.

I spent some time Saturday getting my July UFO quilted. I had some great advice on quilting design and thread from the long arm quilting group on Friday and I'm pretty very with the results.
If I can tolerate it, I'll be spending some time today with this quilt in my lap stitching down the binding. It's been so warm the last couple days--I may need to break down and start the air conditioning so I can get this done!
Linking up with Kathy at Slow Sunday Stitching HERE

Oops!

Thanks to everyone that let me know my photos were a no-show in my last post. It's a complete mystery to me what happened because, weirdly, I can see them from all my devices--go figure! The pictures were taken from my iPhone, so perhaps Blogger was unhappy about that? Anyway, if you would still like to see yesterday's photos (and you do!!) I have put them in my Flickr album HERE 

Last week my sister Cathy was here from California for a short visit. We were in my sewing room when she asked me where I cut my fabric. 

Ha! Good question!! 

Okay, I had a huge mess and piles of stuff that needed to be sorted out. 

I'm participating in a block swap that will take place in October, and these fabrics were in the heap. We are using Laundry Basket fabrics--a print for the star and a batik for the background. The star is from a Terry Atkinson pattern that she graciously allowed us to use for the swap. I decided I better get my blocks made before I lose the fabrics in the tidying process--something that happens to me a lot!!

I had completely forgotten about these How Does Your Garden Grow blocks until I found them under the pile. I got them all sewn together on Sunday so I could pin it up at the quilt shop to get a good photo. Of course, I took that photo with my phone. You can see the better photo at Flickr than this one I took this morning. There's a lot of border applique needed before it will be finished.

I finally finished piecing part one of the new ThimbleCreek mystery.
Sixty four pieces in a 6 inch block--yikes!
There wasn't a new clue this week, so I have until next week to get part two finished.
BTW--I see that the first mystery pattern is for sale on the website for $31! If you plan to make the quilt (named All Around Town), I hope you printed out the patterns while they were still available for free!

This months Buttermilk Basin BOM and the blog hop design done--yay!

I found my "note-to self" for the Temecula Summer Sampler--now I'm back on schedule and just have this weeks blocks to sew up. 

 I am sweating bullets and keeping my fingers crossed that yesterday was a fluke and today you will see pictures!!

Sophie's Garden in July

Yesterday was our July Stitch Therapy meeting, so I have lots of new photos to share! 

Deb was unhappy with her wool applique, so she started all over without the wool!

Twyila's is making some of her favorite birds:
the bluebird,

the robin, 

the wren, 

and a couple of cardinals.

A very creative house--love the window above the door!

These dotty flowers are so cute!

Fun embroidery--I think this was Mary's block.
I feel awful that I neglected to take photo's of Darlene's Sophie's Garden. She has separated the blocks and made two small quilts. Yes, they are all put together and ready to quilt--awesome!
We only have two more meetings this year, so I am excited to see some great progress in August and September.

Another Scrappy Quilt, Coming Up....

 One more day of  medication--Yay! 

I am so tired of being wiped out and having vertigo, so by the end of this week I am counting on being a lot peppier!

All the borders have been on my ThimbleCreek mystery quilt since the Fourth of July. I'm very happy with how it came out, but I still have a lot of scraps in the bin!
Hopefully I will have a better photo once it has been quilted--it was a little breezy in Breezy Point--go figure!

You can see on the first photo that I re-sewed the corner star blocks. This photo shows how it looked with the original stars. It bothered me that the zigzag seemed to end in mid-air, so I thought a star with a dark background would work better. It was kismet that two corners came together as red and the opposites as blue and I could "bleed" the stars into them. 

Did you think I could resist Joe's Halloween mystery??? It's going to be another happy, scrappy project! Part One HERE, Part Two HERE
This is about the extent of my sewing this past week. I need five more of these blocks, but I can't get my brain to focus on sewing. 

At least I have my hexies to fall back on.
I've been basting them while binge watching Master's of Sex.
Great show--I love Mrs. Johnson!
Linking with Scraptastic Tuesday HERE
and Linky Tuesday HERE
and Quilt Story HERE

A Little Housekeeping....

I've been pretty sick this week and I blame my refrigerator.
I was in the midst of deep cleaning it, when I was overcome by extreme fatigue. Soon I realized I was feverish (probably why I even thought to start cleaning it in the first place) and experiencing aches and chills.
Yep--I'm allergic to cleaning.

This is the extent of my sewing this week--my four blocks for the Temecula Summer Sampler Sew Along.
I had to take a nap after each one.

 

I don't think I have posted last weeks yet.
The blocks finish at four inches, so they are pretty cute!

It turns out that what actually made me sick was a diverticulitis flareup.
The wanton eating of seedy, summer fruits--strawberries, raspberries and blueberries--finally caught up with me. Maybe the Salted Caramel Boom Chicka Pop wasn't a good idea either. Since I am allergic to penicillin, I am on some horrible medication that is almost as bad as the diverticulitis. I guess I will limit myself to peaches, nectarines and Quaker Popped Rice Crisps until I decide to live dangerously again.
Back to bed.....

Holiday Sewing?

It's been so beautiful outside, that it would be a shame to stay indoors and miss the sun. Even with a smokey haze from the Canadian wild fires, it has been very pleasant to be able to sit outdoors and stitch up some hexagons.

I'm almost done with the eight side units I need for Stars in the Garden. Mine are much scrappier than in the original pattern. I'm hoping to start on some of the other units later today.  

There's only one more border to be added to the ThimbleCreek mystery quilt.
Between doctor appointments, gardening and (gasp) cleaning, I haven't made a lot of piecing progress. Wednesday was a total loss--I have enough of a challenge maintaining a consistent quarter inch seam, but with dilated eyes--forget it! 

This will be my July UFO finish--I hope!
Shown is only one quarter of my Chippewa Nine Patch (an older Minick and Simpson design) that has been in the UFO bin for several years. I plan to do an all over quilting pattern, so hopefully it won't take all month!

 Back to those hexies!

Linking up with A Lovely Year of Finishes HERE

 Kathy at Slow Sunday Stitching HERE
 WIP's Be Gone HERE