Feb= Violet

Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, Some Poems Rhyme and Some Poems Don't!

For now the block is finished and ready to take it's place in MC quilt.

Applique is raw edge (I like the primitive look)
Can you see the Washington cut out?- pres. day
And the gopher- proves I don't freehand.
I also added a heart w/Be Mine.

Now on to the borders...... small tumblers brings this block up to 20"

Several of us are following the MC (Monochromatic Challenge) hosted by Judy Laquidara.

Link to other Violet projects March is Brown

You can see the links to January's Blocks and play along if you wish.

For February the randomly drawn color is VIOLET! yeah, I can do purples.

I am planning to make large blocks each month of the challenge. At the end of the year I should have enough to make a keepsake quilt top.

I have jotted down ideas to use for colors and months. I even have ideas for borders (I can't wait to get that far!!)

Last month was YELLOW and I made a yellow Flower. When I googled 'yellow' the first image I saw was a flower- simple enough.

For Violet I had a couple of ideas. Violet is the birth flower for February so it made sense to make more flowers. I planed to do raw edge applique and use black thread to make the petals more heart shape. (gotta get in a V-day reference- maybe I will hide a groundhog in the flowers just for giggles).

We are gearing up for a snow storm and I am hoping to use my time snowed- in wisely!

What are you planning for February?

Scotts quilt top and more...

One of our friends from church has been hinting that we need to make him a quilt. Actually he has threatened to just take one when we aren't looking.

Challenge is he is a tall guy (we tend to make smaller quilts) and he is color blind.

My first thought was to see what I had in my personal collection that I thought he might like. Both quilts I pulled to let him consider ended up being ones that I am just not ready to part with.
(see how I am!)

Instead I sewed up Pam's 4 patch blocks into a good size scrappy top. (mark one off my UFO list) I hope to get it quilted this week and the group can hand sew the binding at one of our next meetings.


This large Bow-Tie quilt was made with favorite fabrics many years ago. It was one of the first I quilted on my machine.
On closer look I identified several pieces of material that I no longer have in my stash.

One of which my mom gave me, so at least for now it is going back home with me.

The second quilt I thought I might be ready to part with is going back with me too.
76 x 88 (ish)
My quilting has improved a lot since I did this one and I am going to pin it in and do a different design in the borders.

After having it out on display several gals have asked to participate in a class to make their own. I will hang on to it until at least the end of class.

Kids, Pinita and Cake!

Photos are not in order.

At church we like to do a 5th Sunday Potluck Style Dinner.

This Sunday just happens to be Karlee's 4th B-day so we added a little surprise for all the kids.

This is the mug shot of others celebrating B-days this month.

Karlee love anything princess so we decided to surprise her and the other children with a princess pinata! Hubby rigged up pulleys so he could raise and lower it.

The mask I brought didn't fit so the kids were on their honor to keep theirs eyes shut when it was their turn at bat. No one cheated. It was so cute watching the really little ones try hit. Carl would lower the pinata down till it touched their head and even the 3 yr old got a couple of good whacks in.

Karlee the B-day Girl taking the first cut into the cake.

Cousin Andrew was on hand to help if she needed him.

This beautiful Princess Castle cake was made by Aunt Sarah and Uncle Nick.

The kids were so excited to see her carry it into the party.

Cousin Ben age 3 taking a swing.

Family and Friends are what make a day fun.

Today we got to spend time with both and added food, fellowship and fabric.......to be continued....

FNSI worked on Pink Sues

I didn't get a lot done last night but was able to play with my Black/White and Pink Sue's.

This will be for my daughter's niece.

I am going to consider borders and adding her name.

This was cut using my BABY GO and scraps from cutting out an Apple Core Kit. This 'series' of Hand-Me-Down fabrics is going to show up in several projects this year.

Mid week report- brag??

Favorite youngest grand daughter, Breely is now sitting up by herself! It is amazing how quick they grow up!

I started playing with the sunbonnet sue blocks for Abra's quilt. I have decided to make 4 Sue's and the rest of the blocks tri/sqs.




This should be a wild busy quilt when I get it done.

I had a few misc blocks left over from my RRCB mystery quilt. I pieced them into a section to add to the back of this thrift shop sheet.

The sheet was a $1.00 purchase. It was about 6" too narrow (I did my top square 5 x 5 blocks)

I am please with how well the colors go together.

Almost looks like I knew what I was doing- lol

I piece backs all the time and prefer to use sheets when possible. This is the first time I actually pieced part of the front blocks onto the back.

I am thinking I like it. The busy flower sheet hides the seams and floats the scrappy patch.

I had posted a photo of Dawns sailboat quilt top and promised I would find out where she got her pattern.

She was nice enough to bring the book and a photo of her quilt to church so I could snap a shot.

Dawn chose not to add the background strip at the top of each sailboat and made up for that by changing her border just a bit.

The pattern can be found in Sugar Sack Quilts by Glenna Hailey.

Our quilt group met last night and agreed that we are going to each work on a version of Debrah Cohen's Celtic Knot. I can't wait to show off our progress.

Have a great week- cheryl

FNSI- report and hopefully repeat

While the rest of the world was busy sewing up beautiful future heirloom projects....

I got side tracked working on my List of 11 Quilting Things TO -DO in 2011.

I can already cross #1 off my list! The book is done. (I get extra points for adding the list to my side bar!)

I can mark off #5 also, I have made a UFO list and posted it along with photos.

I get one check mark for #11 (sew-in), # 10 (worked on a new utility quilt) also counts as a check for #7 (a New To-DO)

A couple of weeks ago Dawn gave me a yard sale find. Several rows of the 9-patch blocks were set with a purple sqs of fabric. The setting fabric was in very bad shape.

All total there were 48 Nine-Patches of which I ended up saving 36.

The blocks were all hand sewn and a bit wonky. (just the way I like it- uh huh, uh huh)

I re-sized to 6 1/2". I then sewed into Four larger 9-patch units.

My choices now are to set them together and add a border- applique butterflies perhaps?

Or, cut them up into a D-9, then add borders- applique????????????

Or...my favorite.....let them sit around until I get other ideas.

With the hand stitching I really need to commit to getting some sort of border on so the blocks don't pull apart.

Some day this will be a scrappy take to the park, drag through the dirt quilt.

What did you do on your FNSI?

cheryl

11 UFO's

Drum Roll, another year in the number 1 spot- the winner is: scrappy Pine-Apple, paper pieced, all cut and sorted and it even has it's own drawer. Last year I purposed to work on it or give it away. Proud to say I am still the owner, one more block completed!

#2 4-patches from Pam. I can either make one really large quilt, or two med. size ones or 4 small or 8 puppy size. All the 4-patches are sewn together, these have been waiting to get put on the TO DO list.

#3 Sort and cut Kit from the RW&B scraps. Great use for the BABY GO.

#4 Dresden to set on point from Stack & Whack style class in 2010. Just b/c I can teach it doesn't mean I can do it- lol-finish that is.

#5 I still need to make a T-Shirt quilt for Brian from my office.

#6- Auction find, 50 state flower blocks have been un-sewn, need to re-size and re-set. Dare I plan to quilt it too?

#7 What is this?

cont.... yard sale Dresden plates. I planned to sew onto split blocks and doing something funky with them.

#8 not a cat....

- my fabric for the traditional Stack and Whack. The class all finished theirs last year. Mine is still in the bag.

#9 These are the scraps of the scraps.

I need to finish cutting the triangles with my BABY GO and sew them into sets. I would really like this to be on the list to quilt this year.

#10-It's a tie-- Here comes the collection of black, white and pinks. Sunbonnet Sue OR the Pink Apple Core, I want to make a quilt for our daughter's niece. Which ever one gets done first goes to Abra.

And.......#11- the one most likely to get done...... PB&W scrappy Butterflies. I love butterflies. I have 63 cut and ready to applique. The week I get this top finished I will do a give-a -way of the left over scraps!

So there is my list of 11, is anyone taking bets as to how many I work on? (Notice I didn't say complete) be good cheryl

FNSI- don't forget to sign up

I don't always get to sew on a Friday Night so I rarely officially sign up but..... due to all the snow I am going to be home- yeah!

Join me and the hundreds of other quilters as we take advantage of the night.

Hubby is headed to bed, he has to leave out on a trip so I will have a quiet house! Along with sewing I hope to pull TO-DO's and UFO's and start some sort of a list on how to work/finish them.

Judy L is doing a 12 month color theory challenge and I hope to stay caught up with that project. January was YELLOW and I am pretty pleased with my progress.

I have been wanting to do more of Tanya's Wonky letters and hope to piece a yellow JAN to add to the border of my completed challenge piece.

I don't normally get excited about New Year's Resolutions but this year I think I will take it slow and commit to 11 things I hope to accomplish this year, (I originally thought 2,000 and 11 things but that is just nuts!)

#1--Compile a list of the 11 things!

#2-Host 11 Give-Aways on my Blog. Starting in Feb on the Eleventh of each month till then end of the year.

#3-Make at least 11 donations to on-line quilter/friend's favorite projects.

#4-Follow Judy Laquardia's Color Challenge, ...AND..organize at least 11 colors of fabric along with the color each month. Jan/Yellow- done!

#5-Identify at least 11 UFO's (I'm not committing to working on them just find then and add them to a list- lol)

#6-Machine quilt for my personal collection at least 11 quilt tops sewn prior to 2011

#7-Start at least 11 new TO-DO's (Everyone spends so much time vowing to finish stuff, I am going to purpose to start some)

#8- Teach &/or Learn at least 11 New quilting techniques

#9-Cut out and Kit at least 11 projects using my new BABY GO

#10-Sew at least 11 favorite go-to projects to have on hand for gifts.

#11-Participate in at least 11 Sew-Ins on-line &/or Live Body.

Part of my sew-in time is going to be taking inventory of my New 11

Any and All suggestions will be considered (who is going to teach me to make a side bar?)

The photo is of a top that my good friend Dawn is working on. I was thrilled to let her pull from my stash. Can you see what fabrics were mine? Just kidding- even I don't remember. I will share her finished masterpiece along with info on where she got her inspiration. That might have to be one of my 11 things TO DO this year!- be good cheryl

Yellow Flower

The yellow is all scraps from Alycia. I added the black for background and my own scraps for the letters.

I think I did a good job using up all her small pieces.

The saw tooth border was cut using the smallest triangle die with my BABY GO.

I didn't iron or re-size and most were cut on the bias so there is some distortion. (I like it)

The letters are cut free hand and I will raw-edge applique them.

Judy is doing a color a month challenge and I am considering ideas for making large blocks to add to a quilt.

I had started this scrappy flower block from material and blocks that Dawn gave me.

I have several ideas to make it larger. All involve me pulling more fabric and using my cutter!

Maybe I can work on it tonight and start my FNSI a little early.- be good cw

Monocromatic Challenge Home Page

I am going to HI-JACK this page to link my MC progress
Jan/Yellow   Alycia had posted on her blog about following Judy's challenge to do a yellow project. 

Jan/Yellow

Feb/Violet

Mar/Brown

April/Orange

May/Red

June/Indigo

July/Blue

Aug/ PINK

Sept/ Green

Oct/ 2 color 

Nov/ Black and White and accent color

Dec/ work on setting strips and sqs etc....

Final top/

I had added it to my TO DO list (you know the one in my head that sometimes actually gets done)

There were a couple of times I almost pulled yellows from my stash to cut into.

(What is it about challenges that seem to put me in the yes, no, yes, not now, maybe, ok, mode of thinking?)

I swear I have at least 3 idea on projects to do in yellow! Have I started any of them?- NO

Did I write the best ones down yet? NO

Well what did I do?

I mentioned to Alycia that I like her scraps!- that is kinda like writing something down.

She sent me an envelope full of her yellows that were left over from her project.

Since the yellows were already pulled for me the new challenge is to make something entirely from her 'gift'.

I stayed up a little late this evening and think I have a start on a cute piece that kills a lot of birds with one stone (not literal birds)

used BABY GO

used Alycia's scraps

Judy L challenge

Tonya wonky letters- maybe

Mug Rug- very possible

can't wait for FNSI to finish this project!

RRCB ready to quilt

A picture is worth a thousand words. What a fun mystery project. I have enjoyed seeing the progress of all my cyber quilting friends. I have the perfect fabric for the back and as soon as I get a day to stay home this top is getting pinned into the frame for quilting!

How far along are you on your future heirloom quilt? cw

BABY GO Tumbler and Flower

I have several mini bins of 1" strings that I was looking to put into a project.

Last night I sewed a set of strips and sub-cut with the Tumbler die. At the time I was auditioning for a scrappy tumbler design.

The horizontal strips reminded me of flower pots.

Then I remembered that Dawn had gifted me a box of yard sale fabric. (When I say 'gifted' I really mean I just took it)

I think there is enough variety of scrappy between her pieces and mine that I can get a fun scrappy quilt.



This flower was cut using my BABY GO and the flower die. The flower pot is a tumbler that was pieced and then cut.

I enjoy doing raw edge applique. Look at the cute primitive thread drawing I get on the back of the block!

Bah HumBug....."!"

Tonya is at it again, check out the blocks that are being made for her Bah HumBug project.

UnRuly Quilting

A group blog for working on UnRuly Quilting projects and most especially UnRuly Letters. What is UnRuly? Liberated, wonky, improvisational, mis-matched, points cut off
http://unrulyquilting.blogspot.com/

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I was to participate.
The ideas were just a spinning in my head.
I made sketches
I pulled fabric....
I cut with scissors (I didn't run with them just cut)
I trashed the floor with threads and scraps of fabric......
and....... finally as the clock struck Midnight.....
I ironed and re-size my contribution to the Bah HumBug project.
Tonya, I present my Humble attempt at an "!" Exclamation point "!"
I can't wait to see what you get to create with all the blocks.
be good cheryl