WIP Wednesday

I've been seeing Brick quilts over blogland and have been fascinated by them. I always thought they looked cool and when I hunted a tutorial, the tutorial usually began with cut a gazillion bricks x by x. My eyes would glaze over and I would think, 'So Not Happening!'

Imagine my delight when my friend LindaJ posted this quilt on her blog as 'Staggered Bricks'. Linda also posted this clue to the construction of the Staggered Bricks~you need to scroll down to where she talks about her Mom. :)

A quick chat with Linda, (Thanks!) proved I was on the right path to make this quilt with strip piecing.

So I decided to cut into my Oconomowoc Quilt Challenge fabric~it's the green~ and attempt a Staggered Bricks quilt. My quilt was suppose to be approximately 36 x 36...Challenge Rules...but before the border it was like 34 x 28 (huh?) A miscalculation on my part so I took off two vertical rows to make it 28 x 28 before borders. Sew up a 4 inch border and ta-da!

My first attempt at a Staggered Bricks quilt. I'm loving the construction of this even if I am not too crazy about the fabric placement. Wait till you see the back~let's just say that I had another 'oops' in the cutting zone and it was a good thing that I had the extra from the front because now it is a part of the back! This Challenge quilt isn't due until October's meeting but it sure does feel good to have it all pieced and waiting for quilting!






Thanks Linda for heading me down the Staggered Bricks path! I definitely *see* more of this quit in my future. :)

Pillowcase Day

Today was pillowcase day! I made the one on the right first with no accent then thought it might look better with an accent. I went diving into my red, white, blue and beige scrap basket and found a few that I thought would look okay. The one on the far left is a tad wider but hey, when one is diving into the scraps~anything goes~right?!



pattern found here. I did do the *tube-sausage-hot dog* thing to enclose the cuff's seam. I simple search on YouTube *How to make a Pillowcase* to refresh my memory on the order of the fabrics for sewing.

Design Table Monday

What would you do?

I separated out my animal novelties from my other miscellaneous novelties~both realistic and not so realistic are included in each pile.

The pattern I want to make calls for 48 novelty prints. My piles range from a high of 41 different prints to low of 30 prints. Each pile represents one quilt.







So....would you

a. rush to the store and buy more animal prints?
b. supplement the novelties with non-animal novelties to reach 48 in the piles?
or
c. put everything back into the container and try a different pattern?!

The fabric-a-holic in me says, 'Answer A'.
The stash buster in me says, 'Answer B'.
The lazy quilter in me says, 'Answer C'.

Wonder *who* will win this battle?! lol

Stash Update Week #35

A quiet week. We spent the first few days in Michigan and the rest catching up. :)

and I still have all the laundry to do!

Fabric added this week: 0 yards
Fabric added this year: +177 yards

Fabric used this week: -1 yard
Fabric used this year: -178 yards

Net fabric for the year: -1 yard (used)

What I accomplished this week:

finished a few coiled *UFO*s, here and here

Goals for next week:

continue on Patriotic Stripes and Strings
sew QOV pillowcases
start on QOV photojournals
take Baby in for cleaning~I'm a little late this year as normally she gets cleaned in July. :)

DD heads back to school on Thursday~so my goals should keep me busy...

A Little Sewing

I had enough of the purple butterfly batik to make 2 more 8 inch hot pads and 2~4 inch coasters. I am seriously addicted again! lol. I can imagine these little beauties in the whole rainbow of colors!

I better stop and get back to my *Patriotic Stripes and Strings*. They are waiting patiently for me to piece them into a flimsy~if only I could decide on a setting....





pattern source: It's a Wrap by Susan Breier

WIP Wednesday

Remember when *coiled baskets* were the rage a few years ago?

I have this one sitting on the counter~holding some miscellany stuff.

DD thought one for her would be nice and could I make it in purple?

I went into the closet, searched the blog and last week, before we left for Michigan, I finished this.

I also decided to make a flat one. I made it 8 inches across and tonight I will give it a test drive to *see* how it holds the heat.


I also have the beginnings of two more. Check out this purple butterfly batik I had stashed with this UFO! good thing it was hidden or I would have used it for my FAB pal, Cher and her birthday gift!

pattern credit: It's a Wrap by Susan Breier








Mom update: Thanks for all the warm wishes. Mom is about as I expected. My sister left as she needed to return to her home and be *at her job* but plans to head back to Mom's in about a weeks time. In the interim, my oldest brother and his wife are staying with Mom. Brother#1 and SIL#1 are both between jobs and feel very blessed with this opportunity to look after Mom at this stage in her life.

Design Wall Monday

I finished piecing all my *Patriotic Strings*

Time to play with a few layouts!

Layout #1



Layout #2


Layout #3: can you see the star?


Layout #4


Layout #5


Layout #6

Who knew that there are so many options?!

Pattern inspiration: Mary's Amish Stripes and Strings.


Layout inspiration, found here.

(I scheduled this to post while I'm away. Any bizarre-ness in the post? I'll fix when I return home to the main computer~I just wanted to share all the different ways to arrange these blocks. Part of the challenge was to take the picture before they started falling off. You know...once one fell...it was like dominoes!)

Stash Update Week #34

Another week has gone by. I added a bit of fabric but used a bit, too.

Fabric added this week: +2 yards
Fabric added this year: +177 yards

Fabric used this week: -1 yard
Fabric used this year: -177 yards

Net fabric for the year: 0 yards

What I accomplished this week:

two binder covers for DD

Goals for next week:

finish *Patriotic Stripes and Strings* block
choose a layout and piece PSS (above) into a flimsy

Mixed Emotions

Dear Blogger Friends,

I write this with mixed emotions yet I wanted to let you know that I have started on a journey. Not an ending in my belief but the *NEXT* step in life. You see, my Mother is dying. Her kidney disease has finally taken claim on her. I need to remind myself that this is HER decision in HER way. She decided NOT to have dialysis and my siblings and I *knew* the day would arrive when Hospice would became a part of Mom's life and death.

So as you read this, we are travelling to Michigan to say goodbye to Mom. More for me than for her (or anyone else) as Mom has withdrawn into herself. One foot in the living world and one foot in The Other. For a time, she will know I am there but will not remember my visit the next day.

My grieving has begun and I must make this Goodbye Trip.

Cheers to you, Mom!

photo by SIL:J Christmas 2010

Thank You Blogger Friends for listening/reading along with your comfort and caring. I have scheduled a few posts to appear while I am away. Forgive any wonky-ness that may appear as I am not able to edit the posts once they do indeed post. :)

We will be back on the 23rd~WIP Wednesday~as DS needs to return to work and DD's school countdown is on.

Belated Sewing

Last year, DD picked out a new, more modern shower curtain to replace the *Hello Kitty* one.

I had searched and searched for the *right* clouds to *go with* *Hello Kitty* to cover the glass doors on her wall cabinet~you know~to hide all the miscellany stuff that gathers in said cabinet.

Yesterday, while the scraps were out, I sewed more modern inserts. From the picture, I see they are a bit wonky. I will need to re-do that, maybe!

The conservative side of me says that I should make identical covers.

The maverick said thinks the two different covers look great.

The lazy side says, "It Is What It Is!" I'm thinking the lazy side will win this battle....

The Binder Covers

DD asked for two binder covers. One for Math and the other for multiple subjects. I tried to free piece the *math* letters ala Toni Ricucci. *M* was the first letter I did~much trial and error and very wonky. I had printed off the instructions from 2006 on the *letters-how-to* from Bonnie's Qultville but the *freebies* have since been removed from Quiltville~at least, I couldn't find them to link back. Toni has since had a book published describing her free piecing tachnique. DD's *Jesus Loves You* image is one she found on the web that I transfered to fabric paper and sewed into the binder cover.

We are getting ready for the first day of school on September 1st!

WIP Wednesday

Working on my *Patriotic Strings*.
As you can see~I have a few holes to fill in!

pattern inspiration: Mary's Amish Stripes and Strings

Design Wall Monday

My weekend sewing of patriotic strips and strings.

Pattern inspiration: Mary's Amish Stripes and Strings, found here.

Stash Update Week #33

What a FAB-ulous week! I spent part of Saturday at LindaJ's virtual birthday party and then I was able to sew for a bit. What else was FAB-uluos?! I added no new fabric and had a finish!

Fabric added this week: 0 yards
Fabric added this year: +175 yards

Fabric used this week: -6 yards
Fabric used this year: -176 yards

net fabric for the year: -1 yards~woohoo! used more than in!!!!!

What I accomplished this week:

finished MY CAT button up for Linda
finished a water bottle cover for Linda (also made two more~not pictured)

Goals for next week:

work on QOV blocks
two binder covers for DD

I did get de-railed by an unannounced visit from some cousins. They have visited just about every year that I have lived in Wisconsin. Greg actually lives about 15 minutes from Bell Creek Quilts and his brother, Matt visits from the greater Flint, Michigan area. They pop in for about 2 hours prior to their annual visit to the Wisconsin State Fair. So I was kinda expecting them, sorta~if you know what I mean. Matt has been after me to make him a tshirt quilt~all Harley and all 4X~and I have been saying, NO! He wants them shirt to shirt without any sashing~seems like they would just be too stretchy and uncontrollable to me! Also, one he received from his father right before he passed away...which must be about 20 years ago...so that one is IRREPLACEABLE if I make a mistake. I am really super hesitant to make this quilt. He really just dumped the tshirts and literally RAN! There is a mysterious *Cousin Connie* from the other side of the family and I was sure she would just LOVE to make the tshirt quilt! In any event, after the cousins left: my FIL called and asked to meet us for supper. The have been at a motor home rally about an hour from us so we each drove 30 minutes to Lake Mills and had a nice supper at a restaurant called Blue Moon. So my sewing day was cut short but I did get to enjoy company from both sides of the family.

The Birthday Gifts

Today is LindaJ's FAB Birthday party!

Here is what I made:
Linda had suggested three different Button Up patterns from Joined at the Hip. I decided to make the *MY CAT* and tried to piece the kitty like her furbaby, Skylar. Hopes it looks like him. :)

Next: Linda just loves the 30's prints so I made her a water bottle cover from some of the prints! Isn't it a happy cover?

I also included a little baggie with the leftover blue prints. Linda will definatley use the blue 30's before I will! Maybe in her bow tie blocks she makes! :) She had asked that I leave the top of the binding unsewn so that she could place the loops to match her Button Up base quilt. I didn't make the loops, just in case Linda has a prefered method of construction! How mean is that?! Linda will need to finish her own gift~ another UFO! :)

*MY CAT* pattern source, here.
water bottle cover from GROOVY GIRLS by Terry Atkinson. Website and blog.

Sewing Preparations

The FAB's are getting together to celebrate LindaJ's birthday and sew this Saturday. Linda's sewing project is The Skinny Strips quilt, found here. I tried this pattern a few weeks ago and I totally was NOT grooving to it! Sew much sew, that I took the project and hack it up and turned it into another totally different quilt :)

Linda, being the sweetie that she is!, exempted me from this project and let me select another! I am going to make my version of Mary's Amish Strings. Except that I am going to use beige as my base and sew blues, reds, golds and beiges to my squares. I am starting at 10 inches then will cut down to 9.5 inches so the final block size is 9 inches. A 6 x 8 set should be approximately 54 x 72~a good throw size for Quilt of Valor!

Here are about 32 foundations cut. The beige I was going to use~I used somewhere else~sound familiar?

Instead of running to the store~I shopped the stash to *see* what was available.

Of course, I made a few blocks to *see* if it looks okay.

Too soon to play with the layout?!

I promise this is all that I made.

Today we are at the Wisconsin State Fair and Friday~well, there is a ton of shopping to do~groceries and Walmart to name a few~plus a visit to my in-laws at their motorhome camping site in Madison~sew I don't think there will be very much sewing happening today or Friday!

I will be sew ready for Saturday! :)

WIP Wednesday~Bag Make Over

Before~the free bag from Summerfest

After~with a Milwaukee Admirals logo :)

Happy Birthday, Linda!

Today is LindaJ's Birthday!

Your gift in in the mail! :)

The FAB's are celebrating on Saturday with a cyber birthday party and sewing day! Woo-hoo! Stayed tuned~on Saturday I will show what Linda received from me!

Stash Update Week #32

More out than in! Hurray!

Fabric added this week: +1 yard (for a birthday gift :))
Fabric added this year: +175 yards

Fabric used this week: -9.5 yards
Fabric used this year: -170 yards

Net fabric for the year: +5 yards

What I accomplished this week:

1. quilted and bound 4Patch Posie
2. pieced the super secret birthday gift

Goals for next week:

1. finish the super secret birthday gift

This Week's Finish

Yay! I finished sewing back the binding on my 4 Patch Posie!

Here is it's *glamour* shot! pattern by: HD Designs. This one will be going to Margaret's Hope Chest. Carin and Carol still need over 100 quilts for their Fall Prison Ministry. I'm hoping to get a few more quilts made for them. This one is a little big~they accept quilts of all sizes but ask that you *try* to make the quilts 45 x 60.

I quilted it with Contempo from Lorien Quilting. I thought the straight lines would be a good compliment to the *swirls of the posies*.

WIP Wednesday

Working on sewing the binding back on my 4 Patch Posie~straight set.

pattern: 4 Patch Stacked Posie by HDDesigns

Design Wall Monday

I made a few more *posies*.

Maybe a diagonal set for something different?!

pattern: 4 Patch Stacked Posey by HDDesigns