What's Up Wednesday

There's not a lot happening on Moose Bay this week.

Mostly, I've been getting ready for a retreat, but managed to squeeze in cutting out Clue 8 for the ThimbleCreek Halloween Mystery. I only have this one block together so far. 

Joe's instructions are to put the blocks pieces together in rows, but I found it easier to do the construction as a nine patch.
I plan to work on finishing the rest of these blocks at retreat, and hopefully will also get the Clue 9 blocks cut out so I can bring those along too.
First I need to change my rotary cutter blade and oil up my machine!!
Linking with WOW HERE

It's Almost a Wrap...

I almost forgot about my September UFO finish! 

Luckily after a couple days of rain, there has been some lovely weather and I managed to get outside and take a few photos.

I think I'm naming this Four Patch Stars.
You may remember this was a free pattern at Windham Fabrics, Worn and Loved. The four patches are from a swap. I thought this pattern was going to use up a lot more four patches than it did--I should have quadrupled the pattern and made a bed quilt!

I used several curved rulers to accomplish the quilting.
The thread is a medium tan: Aurifil # 2325.

Oops--I neglected to put on a label--I guess that will be some of my Slow Sunday Stitching today!
The border print down the center is a Jo Morton fabric that was leftover from a strippy quilt I made a while back, It worked out perfectly to make my backing fabric wider. 

The main backing fabric is from an older Connecting Threads line. 

I wasn't real happy with the quilting I did in the border, so I'm glad you can't see it in these photos--haha! 
Of course, when you have your face right in it while doing the binding, every flaw jumps out. Plus, I just didn't like the design. I had planned on picking it all out and redoing it, but after a few days, it didn't look as awful as I first thought...and I really don't relish doing all that reverse sewing! So, for now, it is what it is....

I'll be doing a little stitching on this month's Buttermilk Basin block today too.
I think this is one of my favorite blocks so far: sunflowers, white pumpkins and canning jars--so fun!

Linking with Slow Sunday Stitching HERE and A Lovely Year of Finishes HERE

Friday Already?

I've been a machine quilting fool this week and finished the machine quilting on two quilts--pretty good for me!

For the quilting on the Colorz model, I found this pantograph at Urban Elementz. It's one of their free designs, Pansies. You can download one page and then make copies to tape together long enough for the span of your quilt. I felt the design was a bit small, so I enlarged it 150% and redrew parts of it.

I used Aurifil # 2125--yellow with a hint of green.

I forgot to take a photo of the whole quilt before I dropped it off--sorry!
Maybe I'll remember to get one once it is hanging in the shop. 

Monday was the final Stitch Therapy for 2015.
This is Twyila's top--one row to go! 

Merrily pieced this beautiful top and her husband (who is the long arm quilter in the family) will be quilting it--gorgeous!!

This is the panto I chose for the QOV kit I picked up last month.
I had forgotten how difficult it is to keep the laser light on those long curves.
I've made a note to myself to never use this one again--lol!

The name "Funky Fans" is very appropriate--maybe "Really Funky Fans" would be a better description! I used a burgundy colored Glide thread.
Anyway, it's finished and dropped off at the local QOV headquarters!
Linking with WIP's Be Gone HERE

Sunday Stars

Hopefully I will get this top loaded on the frame today and maybe even start on the machine quilting.

This will be a model at Colorz.
The focus fabric is really beautiful--you know I love me some birds!

The second "half" star for Stars in the Garden is complete..... 

.....and  some components for the full stars are basted and stitched.

I also put together some "kits" for the last three full stars.
It seemed kind of inefficient to keep pulling out fabrics for each round.
When I came across some hexagon flowers that had been stashed away I decided to put them to use as star centers.
I'll be doing my hexagon basting while watching the finale of Arthur and George on PBS and maybe I will even get around to The Fall on DVD.
Linking with Slow Sunday Stitching HERE

"What I'm Doing" Wednesday!

I'm feeling pretty smug this week. 

I finally got around to reserving my Windows 10 update (free for Windows 8 users depending on the device), found new Anti Virus to replace my expiring (and way to pricey to renew) Norton 360, chose a Medicare supplement package within the grace period (whew!), and finished listening to Serial (that the rest of America listened to a year ago--yeah, I'm slow!).

I loved the Serial podcasts, because I enjoy programs like Dateline and 48 Hours. It was like having one of those shows coming along with me during my morning walk. I have to say that I am completely up in the air though--did he do it? I went back and forth so many times and I'm still not even sure if I think Adnan is guilty or not. I'm looking forward to the new podcasts that are said to start up again this fall--I hope they have found some new evidence!

So, today, I am giving myself a refresher course in using the Rapid Fire Lemoyne Star tool. I am scheduled to teach a class using the ruler this coming Saturday at Gruber's in Waite Park.

I've had so much fun sewing using this ruler.
I love Lemoyne Stars and this is one awesome tool--it makes sewing the stars so easy to construct with no Y seams!

Is this 3" star not the cutest ever???

I've also been playing with some of the other types of stars you can make with the ruler. This is the Banded Lemoyne Star--pretty cool! , You can give Gruber's a call to sign up--it should be a fun day!!
Linking with WIP's on Wednesday HERE and Let's Be Social HERE

Whoo--Hoo!

Once I decided on a quilting plan, I couldn't stop until I had my September UFO finished! 

I'll have better photos later, but I'm so happy to have the majority of the finishing process completed.

The plan for today is to get the binding made and attached so I can do hand stitching (Slow Sunday Stitching!) this evening.

I've basted enough hexagons for one of the full stars for Stars in the Garden. 

I laid them out face down on my ironing board and covered them with a square of freezer paper (shiny side down) and then pressed them to the paper. I think I will do this for the other four stars. It will make it easier to rearrange colors, if needed, before constructing the stars. It may make it easier for "take along sewing" too--we'll see! 

Linking with Kathy at Slow Sunday Stitching HERE

Acquisitions Confessional

 I totally indulged in some retail therapy and bought a whole stack of fat quarters---not on sale! 

I guess that means I really liked wanted them, right?

Modern Background Paper by Zen Chic--not my usual type of fabrics, but so fun! 

These are my favorites of the bunch.
 The Paper colorway is all light--the Ink colorway, coming out later will be darker.

This bundle of FQ's was more in my wheelhouse and they were on sale--Yay!

And jelly rolls were such a good deal I had to get them. Okay... I needed to add something to my cart to get that free shipping--haha!

From another retailer, I added yardage of some fabrics to my cart (to get free shipping again!).
Too bad the one thing I really wanted is either back ordered or cancelled--hard to tell from the invoice. At least I still got the free shipping!

I have been doing some sewing too!
I've finished the August Buttermilk Basin Block....

...and finished one of the two "half" stars I need for Stars in the Garden.
I've been watching/listening to the Civil War on PBS every night, so have managed to get a lot of hand work done.

This is what I should be working on--my UFO for this month. I've been doing everything else but quilting this top--even cleaning!!

Linking with Needle and Thread Thursday HERE and WIP's Be Gone HERE

Scrappy Holiday Sewing

I finished my five clue seven ThimbleCreek Mystery  blocks over the Labor Day Weekend. 

The hourglass units needed to be squared up, and I found my Bloc Loc ruler a great help. The seam fits into the channel in the ruler and then the corners of the units need to intersect at the 2 1/2" lines and at the outside corners. I also kind of double checked (before cutting!) by making sure the X landed in the middle of that half inch square in the center....

and then trim!

Then the ruler and the trimmed unit both get turned, lined up again, this time with the trimmed edges on the 2 1/2" lines. Look at how fine those ruler lines are--makes it so easy to see that you are in the right spot! Trim again.

Perfect!

To be more efficient, I trim all the units for the blocks on one side, then I will turn the whole pile along with the ruler. I have used my Bloc Loc ruler for half square triangles (it's intended use), and it works great for that also. The ruler comes in lots of different sizes, but I have found the 6 1/2" size works fine for small triangles as well as larger ones--and it may be easier to handle too.  

So here are my five scrappy blocks finished--they go together so easily if everything starts out the right size--lol! I'm having lots of fun putting together the fabrics for this mystery!

And I am joining the Perfectly Pleasing Pincushion Parade HERE!
There are lots of adorable pincushions--take a look!

Linking with Scraptastic Tuesday HERE