More challenges

Last week's 365 Challenge blocks.

The good news:
the crazy block number 34 had been posted incorrectly and was replaced by this easier (????) one (20 half inch HST's!). 

The bad news:
I had already pieced the crazy block.
The other good news:
this will be the block for February 23 (a day off-yay!).

Why can't they all be like block # 35--three easy pieces---?
Because it's a Challenge!!
Fortunately, the blocks this week have been a bit simpler--a good this because.....

....now you will know for sure that I have lost my mind.
Since I won the  All In A Row book from the lovely Anne at Bunny Hill, so I felt I had to make at least one row.
I used fabrics from my Kathy Schmitz Piecemaker's bundle and made the row designed by Sweetwater.Sweetwater
If I only get this far, it will be a fun skinny runner!

I hope you are finding time to sew this week!

Linking with Needle 'n Thread Thursday HERE

February Already?

I'm not sure how January went by so quickly, but since it's winter, that's okay!

One month of 365 Challenge blocks down--only eleven months to go! 

At the beginning of the month, the blocks were very easy. Now they are beginning to live up to the name of the sew along--Challenging!!
These are the parts of block 34 before piecing--keep in mind it's going to be a 3" block!
This is what I've learned so far while making these blocks:
1) Starch the fabrics like crazy before cutting
2) Press the seams open
3) Check the measurements after sewing each segment in the block
...and then maybe my block will end up at the right size!

I spent a couple afternoons last week doing this....

....and managed to get to this on Saturday.
After auditioning what seemed like dozens of fabrics, I finally settled on a blue homespun from my stash. 

 The backing will be another piece of lighter homespun. I'm also using a third homespun for a hanging sleeve. It feels good to clear some fabric out of the homespun bin--eventually I may be able to snap the lid closed!

The binding was made using the fabrics leftover from the triangle sashing.
 Stacy had designed a spool block for a blog hop, and I really wanted to use it on my quilt front, so my extra block will go on the back for the label. 

 This will be my February UFO to complete. I'm hoping there will be few other UFO finishes  as well--I need to clear off my design wall! 

Linking with OMG: One Monthly Goal HERE

Quilt Camp Accomplishments

It took several retreats, but I finally finished my Devil's Claw blocks--yay!
These will go together to make the cover quilt from Civil War Remembered by the Country Threads ladies. The pattern in the book calls for 30 blocks, but I wanted mine to be a bit larger, so I made 42 blocks. This project will probably have wait to be put together until April when I will be at quilt camp again.

It took almost the entire retreat to finish those Devil's Claw blocks, but on the last day I was able to work on some Fractured blocks. These were very fun to make-- a lot less labor intensive than a Devil's Claw block, for sure and a much better stash burner! 

You probably knew that I couldn't resist putting all of the flowers on my Flower Garden Crazy mat! 

I won't be doing the stitching on it for a while, though.

 I am still doing my Slow Stitching on How Does Your Garden Grow, but I'm sure everyone is tired of seeing what little progress I've made on that project!

Linking with Slow Sunday Stitching HERE

 

First 2016 UFO Complete!

I finished my January UFO before I left for quilt camp, but didn't get any photos taken until today.

ThimbleCreek 2015 Mystery Sew Along quilt.
Officially checked off the 2016 Finish-A-Long list!
There was a little peek of sunshine this afternoon, so I ventured out onto our ice covered porch to get some quick pictures. I could have spent a little more time arranging the quilt but I had to be quick since I was too lazy to put on my coat and gloves.

Somehow there was a big pile of leftover hourglass units, so I used them to frame my label.
How 'bout those blue bats on the backing?!?
I ordered the backing online (at a great price) and was very surprised to see the bats were black and blue and not all black when the fabric arrived in the mail. It took a while to warm up to them, but I'm okay with them now---I think. 

I wimped out on the edge to edge quilting and ended up doing a lot of ditch quilting. It shows off all the piecing nicely, so I'm glad I changed my mind about that.

I need 239 one inch half square triangle to sash my Buttermilk Basin BOM blocks. I printed up the papers from my Triangulations CD and spent the morning fitting them to the scraps of background fabric I had leftover from the blocks. Of course I ran out of the background fabric, but I think I found a pretty good make-do fabric from my stash to make all the HST's.

 I'm really looking forward to removing all those papers--not!

Linking with One Monthly Goal (OMG)  
and 2016 Finish-A-Long HERE

Stress!

The bad thing about procrastinating, is the stress you feel when your deadlines draw near. I always tell myself that I will get things done well in advance, but you already know that I'm easily distracted!

I should be packing for a retreat that starts on Sunday, but I don't want to fall behind on the 365 Block Challenge just yet--only 344 more blocks to go!!

I have finished quilting and binding my UFO for January (I'll share photos when I get back from retreat), so to reward myself I did the embellishments on the first Let It Snow block from Buttermilk Basin. I know I am going to love this Sew Along! 

My friend Sandi and I are doing our own Sew Along. At a sew-in on Tuesday we set up the backgrounds for our Primitive Gatherings Crazy Table Mats. She is doing Summer Crazy and I am doing Flower Garden Crazy. When we finish, we plan to swap patterns--fun!

I am sooooo itching to fuse a few flowers onto the mat and so some stitching, but I know I better finish my retreat  packing or my stress level will be sky high! 

Well, maybe just one flower first....

Slow Stitching Decisions

Cross Stitch used to be my go to "craft" until my eyesight got a little sketchy. Still, I was very tempted to get out my flosses when I saw this sew along (there's those words again!) on Facebook. 

A crow on a fox--too cute!!
This Sew Along is called Joyful World. Find out more HERE.
 I used to be all about hand embroidery. but these days most of my embroidery is done on wool. Still, I am saving the cute vintage embroidery designs that Sentimental Stitches will be posting this year. Check it out HERE and then click on Free Patterns, scroll down to Vintage Blooms, and click on Fabric Requirements Blocks One and Two just beneath the setting diagram (there are a lot of ads to navigate through--I hope you get there okay!) 

There was no way I could resist the new Buttermilk Basin BOM--it's snowmen on letters that will spell out "Let It Snow"--so cute! I decided to live on the edge and use a dark background--I hope it works out! You can find the pattern link HERE.
 I'll be stitching up my block today and enjoying some Slow Sunday Stitching!
Linking with Kathy's Quilts HERE

Finish-A-Long 2016

I haven't joined the Finish-A-Long before, but maybe it will encourage me to finish some of my older projects--we'll see! 

The idea is to choose projects that you want to finish in the first quarter of 2016--three months of sewing fun!!

The finishing instructions for the Buttermilk Basin 2015 BOM were posted on Friday. I do like the long banner Stacy created, so I will probably follow her instructions faithfully! 

My second group of Green Lake Retreat swap blocks are waiting for me to come up with a setting idea--I would like to get these made up and out of the way soon! 

I had completely forgotten about my little boats! I finished these at a retreat in October, and just found them when I started packing for the retreat at the end of this month. I have to get this one finished ASAP!

These leftover blocks from my Paper Dolls quilt were going to be made into a wall hanging and donated to our guild small quilt auction last summer. Surprise! It never happened. It's time to get these gals off the design wall! 

It's way past time to get my little cake stand quilt finished and framed.
I have the perfect spot for it and I'm excited to get it done! 

It wouldn't take much to finish up this small flag quilt, but here it hangs, unfinished, month after month--gotta get this one done soon. 

Ryokan has been pressed and hung on the design wall  waiting patiently to be quilted--since last June, I think.
 I really want to get this one finished--it's been years since I made the top. 

You can't tell from this photo, but these are such pretty blocks. Memory Bouquet was one of our first Stitch Therapy projects and this is the year to finally make it a quilt. 

And lastly, since it's already on the quilting machine--the ThimbleCreek Halloween mystery just has to be finished!!

Linking with the 2016 Finish-A-Long at Clover and Violet HERE