Scrappy Spool Plan?

I've decided to sew my spools into sets of four to make 6.5" blocks.
I will be able to make 68 blocks using the spools I have already made.
Since these were a leaders and enders project, I was a little sloppy with my "flippy corners".
That means I'll have a lot of squaring up--ack!

I'm hoping to get them put together to a size appropriate for a QOV.
 I'm not sure if I will set the blocks in rows with a border..... 

or set them with sashing to add some width and length.
My box of spools will be going with me to a retreat later this month, so I have a long way to go before making that decision!

Linking with Scraptastic Tuesday HERE

Slowly but Surely!

Well, it's not even half way through the month and my October UFO is off the frame and ready to bind..amazing, right???
 I plan to work on getting the quilt bound later today, but I have a feeling it will also be coming with me to a sew-in on Monday. We are supposed to have an unusually warm day today, and I have lots of work to do in the gardens before winter, so outside I will be! 

I know I'm not the only one out there with unfinished Bonnie Hunter projects!
This is my box of spools that were a leader and ender project a couple years ago. I think this time of year, as it gets closer to Bonnie Hunter mystery time, it seems like a good idea to get at least one of those unfinished projects completed before starting something new. I'm going to do a little research and if I find a setting I like, the spools may be my "project to finish".

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends!

Linking with Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching HERE
and WIP's Be Gone HERE

Still Here!

I thought I should do a quick post to prove I'm still around. I've been back from quilt camp for a few days, but have been busy with things like washing windows, getting my flu shot, etc., etc., etc.....

you know...those things that we hate to do, but they just have to be done!

The first things I wanted to get done at quilt camp were my ThimbleCreek mystery blocks.
These are clue 8.

And the clue 9 blocks.

After I finished the mystery blocks, I got my Hunter's Star blocks put together--these have been coming with me to a couple of retreats, so it was nice to finally get them sewn up into a top. 

Then I made my Temecula Summer Sampler blocks into a top--nice to have that finished too!
I also started sewing some blocks together that I have brought to more retreats than I can count. Maybe I will be able to finish them at a retreat I am going to later this month--that would be amazing! 

We also did our block swap--lots of fun blocks and all different!
Now to come up with an idea for them---hmmmmm....
I will need to ponder that for a while....

I thought I would use up my meager Edyta Sitar stash and make a few more blocks to mix in---keeping with the swap rules, of course: Laundry Basket batiks for the background and LB prints for the stars. Most of these fabrics were scraps left over from the basket quilt I made using Edyta's Snow Bird fabrics.

Hopefully next week I will remember to post some project photos from the other campers--they are wonderful!

October UFO goal.....

I really want to get my ThimbleCreek Mystery (sewn earlier this year) done before the current Halloween mystery is finished--wish me luck! 

It's already loaded on the machine--that's a step in the right direction!

It's a very busy quilt and my advisers agreed that an edge to edge quilting design would be just fine. I decided to use this pantograph called Flirtatious. I've used it before, and I noticed that the open areas in the quilting design on the previous quilt puffed out in a distracting fashion. So...I have drawn curls at various places on a vinyl overlay with a dry erase marker. Hopefully that will prevent the puffs--if I remember to stitch in the curls!

I found a little time to stitch in between packing--I'm leaving tomorrow morning for Quilt Camp and will be back late in the week. Have a great weekend!!

Linking with A Lovely Year of Finishes HERE

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