March UFO Challenge

 Last month I mentioned I was going to use Bon Appetit with Ash as my March UFO challenge. I didn't count on finishing Ash as quickly as I did. Then with Project Quilt and trying to make progress on Aunt Daisy I was planning on ignoring the actual March UFO I was supposed to work on...the crumb blocks I made last October.

I looked at the blocks a couple of weeks ago and just couldn't think of a design/pattern that I liked. Twelve 6 inch blocks don't make a very interesting quilt unless you can figure out a way to make it bigger. This past week I saw pictures on Facebook of two table topper / wall hangings that I really liked that I thought would work.

I sewed up the original quilt top Saturday and even added the first border.

It didn't look like the original picture. A bit blah and too busy. Soooo....Sunday morning I took it apart and fixed it.

Not a big change but I think it really made a difference. I added a couple more borders and finished it late last night. It finishes about 34 inches square. I think it will make a great wall hanging for my hallway. I probably won't do any fancy quilting as it is so busy and has some really thick seams. For now, it too is going in the to-be-quilted closet.

I finished up the Aunt Daisy white triangle in a square blocks. 

This block is going to be huge! I still have another 192 blue triangle in a square blocks to make! They are all cut out but sewing them together is slow and fussy.

I decided the single layer cake was not going to make enough blocks for the Kira quilt so I ordered another layer cake by Moda Basic Gray. Not the same line but I think they will play nicely together. I created a test block with the pieces I cut wrong.

Easy! I think I'm going to like making this quilt.

Happy Spring

 This is my one and only daffodil, it proves Spring is here. Today was sunny and it almost, almost, reached 60 degrees. Time to get out the sundresses. Hehehehe

I was not in the mood to sew or quilt this past week so I didn't participate in the final Project Quilting challenge Conquer a Fear. However, I did finish the project I was going to do late Sunday after the deadline. It only took me six days to quilt a little bitty two fabric quilt.

It's a double flannel that I bravely quilted in swirls. I have a very difficult time quilting consistent swirls. They usually morph into something else.

I threw in little zigzags as filler where there was no room for a swirl. I don't know if I improved or got worse by the end. ;o)

This is a sample of the next quilt to be loaded.

I didn't make the quilt. It is another one that was donated to Quilts for Kids. I have ideas on how to quilt it but I can't figure out how to travel across the quilt. I definitely don't want to tie-off a hundred times.

I've started a new quilt. Below are the fabrics. It is a layer cake by Basic Grey. I love the neutral colors.

The pattern I'm going to use to Kira by GE Designs. Alas I cut the first four blocks too small. I'm going to piece the blocks to see how "off" it is. I think I can continue making smaller blocks but I'm worried the overall quilt will be too small.

Stay tuned for suspenseful results next week.

Grumpy

 I'm letting my inner curmudgeon out. I'm not a fan of daylight savings time. I don't have a problem in the Fall, but in the Spring, losing an hour, throughs me off for at least a week. I doesn't help that it has rained constantly for the last two days. 

My mood did brighten up a bit when I saw this this afternoon. A daffodil ready to bloom in my front yard.

The yucky weather has helped on the sewing front. Bon Appetit with Ash is a flimsy!

It's not my favorite Project Linus mystery quilt but it is cute. I don't have a back for it yet so it is currently hanging in the to-be-quilted closet.

I quilted and added the binding to a guild community service quilt. It is flannel on the top and also has a pieced flannel back. So soft and cuddly. I kinda wanna keep it.  I didn't quilt it with leaves - boring meandering again.

This week's Project Quilting challenge is Conquer a Fear.

I have an idea of what I'm going to do, so stay tuned for another post later this week.

I warned my neighborhood today about a peeping tom.

Or maybe I should a peeping Henry.

He's gotten so much bigger.

Happy Monday

 If you didn't see my Project Quilting 14.5 Not a Square submission scroll down. If you didn't see everyone else's submissions click here. It just amazes me how creative and imaginative quilters are.

Between the snow and rain, I've been burrowing in and getting lots of stuff done. 

I continued to make Aunt Daisy triangle-in-a-square blocks until I ran out of the paper piece templates and printer ink. Wallie World saved the day today, so I can continue on as I still have A LOT more to make. 

I decided on a thread color and loaded the guild community service quilt and three bobbins. I think I'll quilt meandering leaves on this double flannel quilt.

I played with EQ8 a bit this past weekend as Angela saw a baby quilt I made years ago (pre-blog) that she wanted to make.

I was able to create a draft and print out the yardage - sort of. The learning curve is high, and I really should do one of the tutorials that came with the software instead of just hitting buttons to see what happens.

Besides winning EQ8 during the Villa Rosa Designs blog hop I also won one of their grand prizes (no, I didn't go buy a lottery ticket or go to a casino - I know I'm not that lucky).

The box was stuffed and heavy!

Wow!! Books, patterns, lots of notions and FABRIC! It took a while before the happy dance ended. Maybe I should have bought a lottery ticket. ;o)

I've also made lots of progress on Bon Appetit with Ash.

Putting it all together is going much easier and smoother than I thought it would. I should have it finished by next week. Especially since the forecast is more snow and rain...and more snow and rain...and more snow and rain...

PQ 14.5 Challenge - Not a Square

 I've made several of these little round wedge table toppers using Vicki's tutorial.  Although I use a smaller Dresden plate ruler, and this time I cut my strips narrower. Mine has a 16.5 inch diameter.

This challenge was perfect, I've been wanting to make a Spring table topper for my kitchen countertop. Vicki's instructions are very clear and easy to follow. I know I will be making more of these.