Change of Plans

I had every intention of starting this Crazy Seasons sew along.  I even printed out all fourteen pages of the free Block One (pictured above, photo from Farmhouse Threads). I joined the Facebook group, started gathering my background fabrics and then thought--yikes--what am I doing??? 

Instead, I got out my Stonefield's qullt BOM kit that I purchased in December of 2017 from an Instagram friend.  I've been looking forward to making this quilt--I've loved it since I followed along while Karen @ Log Cabin Quilter made hers.I decided I would be much better off if, instead of diving into a new project (as much as I love the Crazy Seasons!), I worked on things I already have waiting in my "to be made" queue. Yesterday I set up the first 13 blocks (part one of the BOM). The kit was put together by Homestead Hearth and there are lots of generous cuts of cute fabrics, but naturally I had to change a few of them--lol!
I know I am going to enjoy this project a lot. 

I'm happy to say I've finished Sunny Lanes (pattern from Pat Speth). It isn't my usual type of quilt, but I had a good time making it. Most of the fabrics were from a layer cake (April Showers by Bonnie and Camille from Moda) I had won a while back and the white muslin is from a donation made to our quilt guild. I added a few dotty fabrics from a bundle I won during a Row by Row Experience event. I think the only fabric from my stash that I had purchased was the Moda marble I used for the inner border and binding.

Willow loves my Cinnamon Rolls quilting--lol! Just kidding...I think she is contemplating how much fun she would have chewing up the quilt.

Jayne found this fun backing fabric for me to use that is perfect for the quilt--looks like fresh spring grass---another generous donation to the guild.
This is where I usually show my label, but our guild has special labels they add to the donation items they hand out.
I hope the recipient enjoys Sunny Lanes! 

January One Monthly Goal Done!

Yoiks! How can it already be time for an end-of -the-month link-up??? 

Fortunately my Patches of Blue Quilt Along quilt is completed. At the very beginning, I had decided I would forego the pieced border, but in the end I had to do it. I am really happy that I took the time (and used up some more fabric!) to add the zigzag border.

After the quilting was complete, I went back and added some dots to the applique flowers. I just thought they needed a little more "something". I also finally remembered to add some beaks and eyes to the birds--almost over looked that!

The oak leaf and reel block is my favorite from the Patches of Blue book. I had to shrink the pattern 80 percent to fit in the space where the sleigh would have been placed. Someday I want to make an entire quilt using this block--I love it! 

I have a small collection of saved Reel Patterns, but the one that's been on my bucket list forever is the Fons and Porter Oak Leaf quilt. My friend Paula mentioned that she has it on her list too--maybe it's time to do this one! 

Even though I didn't put the sleigh on my quilt, I had to use this cute label from my Laundry Basket Frivol tin.

Linking with One Monthly Goal HERE

My First 2019 Sew Along

I'm not sure what is happening with Blogger. I haven't been getting my comments--so annoying! I have read them on-line though and thank those that take the time to leave me a message!

For the last couple years, I have participated in Bea and Cecile's Quilt Along's on Facebook, so I was looking forward to finding out what the theme would be for 2019.

In 2017 we did log cabin blocks...this is my Idaho Square Dance (pattern by Bonnie Hunter) that I made from my challenge blocks.

Last year it was baskets...and this quilt is the result of that Quilt Along--Cherry Baskets (pattern by Bonnie Sullivan). 

And this year the theme is flowers.
 I spent a lot of time paging through my books and magazines before settling on these Jo Morton books. I had made a small wall hanging from the original book for a "crayon" challenge several years ago. The Encore book has all those patterns, in addition to a large central floral applique as well as some new small blocks. 

The challenge is to post at least 2 blocks each week for eight weeks--a minimum of 16 are required for the Quilt Along challenge. These six blocks have been stitched down, but all of my blocks have been prepped and are ready for stitching. Well, sort of....

Some of the blocks are a bit boring lacking in interest, so I have been adding little bits of applique to them. 

Like this--nothing over the top.

 I added the V shape to these flowers.

This block was still is a problem.
Originally the pink flowers looked like peppers to me, so I made the green sepals and placed them at the top of the shapes. The flowers became strawberries--and they were so cute!. But, duh--strawberries aren't flowers. So I removed the sepals and put them at the bottom of the shapes. Now I'm not sure what kind of flower these could be, and I think my additions are way too big, so I am still pondering what to do with this block. For now, it's at the bottom of the "to be stitched" pile---lol!

This is my most favorite block of all--a bird, of course.
But----not a flower in sight.
Oops!

I hope this is going to count as a flower block!!

Half Way There....

Mid-month already? Yeesh! 

I haven't even begun quilting my January goal yet. There was no time to do it before I left for retreat and since I've been back I've been doing a lot of sleeping--lol! 

I really wanted to get this quilt top put together while at camp (Sunny Lanes pattern from Pat Speth). It took forever to get the blocks together--I had made the four patches and HST's before I left home, but my brain was trying to make them into a different quilt. Needless to say, there was reverse sewing involved!
This morning my friend Jayne brought me batting and backing fabric from our guild Crisis group. As soon as I get the top quilted, I will hand the quilt off to her to be donated as the group sees fit. 
I love how cheerful it came out and it's fun to move some stash fabric out the door. 

I also added the final border to my Arctic Circles top. I was getting really bored tired of this project, so after English Paper Piecing the borders, I attached them by machine with MonoPoly and a narrow zig zag stitch. I only use my Bernina at retreats, so this was another thing I really wanted to get done. My everyday,   
"at home" machine (Juki) only does a straight stitch and I rarely need anything more than that.
Yesterday, I cut some blue strips that I am appliqueing onto the outer edges so I will have a clean finish.

I was kicking myself for not having some leader/ender piecing along with me. I'm thinking this project , Church Window Hexagon Variation starting Wednesday from Temecula Quilt Co. will make a good LE project and burn up some scraps as well. I wouldn't do them with papers though. I think there's a way to piece it by machine that would have a similar look.

I've resisted so many sew along's already this year--no Bonnie Hunter mystery, no Pam Buda 1880's 9 patches, no Kathleen Tracy Mystery 2019 (I may cave on this one!), and no Country Threads Bulls-eye Quilt (although I do want to make another one someday).
I'll let you know what I DID cave on next time! 

2019's First Goal

I just finished putting the borders on my Patches of Blue, so it only makes sense to get it quilted and bound too. (unintentional rhyming!)

I was a bit bothered by all that empty space around the Blue Spruce block, so I dug out my packet of Laundry Basket Applique templates.  

There are three stencils of the shapes that Edyta repeatedly uses in her patterns included in the package.  What I love about the stencils is that I don't have to get out my light box. Also, if I want to reverse a shape I can just flip the stencil. It's super fast and easy! And it's fun to mix and match the shapes. 

In the Patches of Blue sew along, we were to add a gingerbread man and a few snowflake appliques. I wanted my quilt to be an "everyday" design, so I omitted the Sleigh block and all the other "wintry" touches. Of course I had to have a few birds! I've moved these applique shapes around so much--added and subtracted, re-added and rearranged, that I'm not sure if I like it or not. 
I've decided to quit and deal with what I have done--lol! 

The shapes are just pinned in place though, so there may be some unplanned rearranging when I attempt to glue them in place while the top is still hanging on my design wall.

Patches of Blue will be my One Monthly Goal for January.
Linking with Elm Street Quilts HERE