WIP Wednesday 7.30.2025

QOV Signature Quilt Mike is a flimsy!

Overall, I like it but when I make it again...I would change a few things around. :) I'm a great Monday morning quarterback! :)

pattern: Signature blocks are 8 inches unfinished, 

                patriotic prints are 8 inches cut and the stars are also 8 inches unfinished.

                The border is 4 inches cut.

Sharing today with the Inquiring Quilter's Wait Loss Wednesday.

Design Wall Monday 7.28.2025

I pulled out my QOV Signature blocks to make a quick quilt. 

Only I discovered that:

1. the blocks didn't even remotely match (I have more with a different red and beige in the center) and 

2. my supply of patriotic fabric might be large but very few of the prints are over 1 yard in length.

Looks like QOV Signature Quilt Mike is going to be a mish-mash of prints. So I pulled and cut prints and here are a few of my options.

Option 1:

Option 2:

Option 3:

Option 4:

I 'know' that there is not a lot different in each one but I decided I liked the pieced stars as an 'unexpected' element in the design. I started sewing it together.

I'm going to border with the gray and bind with the blue.

Sharing today with Judy at Design Wall Monday.

QOV Sunday 7.27.2025

Alycia is hosting a QOV Sew-Along called The Ribbon. She released Step 2 last Wednesday and it is to make the hourglass (or quarter square triangle) blocks.

The Ribbon: Step 2 

Alycia's instructions are to mark the center diagonally then sew a scant 1/4 on either side of the line of opposite colors. This makes one set of hast's. You then place two hst's together so the colors are opposite, mark, sew scant 1/4 inch. I'm not a fan of this method as my 1/4 seam always is off and so is the resulting block.  

😢

So I went searching the World Wide Web for the method to make hourglass blocks with 4 patches. Thanks to Preeti and a 10 year old post, she describes her method here. Preeti even includes a chart for multiple sizes! One down side of this method is that all the edges of the blocks are BIAS. 

Enough said...pick your poison, quilt friends. 👻

I've made 23 out of 31 hourglass blocks that are needed for The Ribbon Quilt. To the left are Alycia's instructions, the middle are my blocks and to the right are my trimmings. I did need to pull out my large Strip Tube Ruler from Cozy Quilts to trim my blocks to 8 inches unfinished.

SoScrappy Saturday 7.26.2025

Today is the fourth Saturday of July of the color purple!

I did get a little discombobulated this month will all the happenings around Bell Creek Quilts. Everything seems mixed up and topsy-turvy.

Today I am sharing the rest of my purple sewing for the month. My first share is the 2025 Stash Buster Challenge block.

I now have eight blocks. To make a bigger quilt, I will need more blocks (thank you, Einstein!) or possible separate the blocks into two groups to make two baby quilts. I'm not sure what I will do but I am leaning towards two baby quilts.

pattern: 2025 Stash Buster Challenge block in 16.5 inch unfinished size

My second share is for the Table Scraps challenge. July's prompt was English Country Garden/ full bloom.

I was on Mackinac Island on July 1st and did find one lilac that still has a few blooms! I didn't take of picture of that bush but here is one from the Island archives. That's the Grand Hotel in the fuzzy background!

I had this big bag I made many years ago and never used.

So...I cut it up and made two placemats for Meals on Wheels this month. Looking back...if I would have cut in the other direction, I think I might have gotten four place mats. In any event, I saved the extras and maybe I'll make a zippered pouch. :)

Sharing today with SoScrappy Saturday and

Joy at July's 2025 Table Scraps.

Finish or NOT Friday 7.25.2025

I have a finish!

The Buckeye Beauty is quilted and bound. It just needs labeling but first it will be a 'show and tell' for how I make the hst's. I do need to make a few visual aids before next Wednesday's meeting.

Spoiler Alert: I use the tube method.

pattern inspiration: found on Pinterest - dead link and 

                                    ALYCIA!

panto: serpentine

Sharing today with Alycia at Finish or NOT Friday (different link :)).

WIP Wednesday 7.23.2025

 One more border and my Buckeye Beauty is ready for quilting.

pattern inspiration: found on Pinterest - dead link and 

                                    ALYCIA!

pattern: found on Pinterest - dead link

I want to start a new leader/ender project so I wanted to clear out the red/blue 4 patches from the storage bag.

An hour later and 288 red/blue 4 patches! No idea what quilt (or quilts!) all this will turn into to!

I stuffed them into the plastic container...I think I'm going to need a 'bigger boat' :) The top barely closed...

Sharing today with The Inquiring Quilter's Weight Loss Wednesday.

Design Wall Monday 7.21.2025

We had another funeral on Saturday. My nephew's wife's Grandma passed away. She was 84 years old. Chaz is my favorite nephew so I 'knew' I wanted to attend to support him. It's 'what families do'.

As I settled in the sewing room, I was working on my buckeye beauties. I realized that I wanted another row. 

I dug into my trusty bin of blue/white 4 patches and had just enough red/white hst's to make 4 more blocks. But, wait! Something is NOT right at Bell Creek Quilts! Oh, my!

I sewed the extra row to the top and NOT the bottom. Out came the seam ripper and a short spell later, things were looking better. One more border and it will be ready for quilting.

pattern inspiration: found on Pinterest - dead link and 

                                    ALYCIA!

Sharing today with Judy at Design Wall Monday.

QOV Sunday 7.20.2025

My apologies, blogging friends. The days are slipping by without very much happening in the sewing room. :(

Last Thursday was the monthly meeting of Casual Quilters' QOV. I decided to work on Alycia's newest sew-a-long, The Ribbon. She decided to make it a sew-a-long rather than a mystery.

The Ribbon quilt.

You can find the first page of the directions, here. This has the size and fabric requirements. Also included are the cutting directions but I wait until the steps are released to cut. I do make a few of my blocks in a different manner so I cut accordingly.

The Ribbon: Fabric Requirements and Cutting Instructions

Alycia released The Ribbon: Step 2 on July 16, 2025. It was to make the checkerboards so I cut in the morning and sewed at our day. First I made the blue-white-blue-white-blue strata.

I was happy to be able to complete the white-blue-white-blue-white strata while at sew day, too.

After lunch, we had a special guest, Ed D. who was awarded a Quilt of Valor. He served in Vietnam. Here he is with his proud daughter.

On Friday, I sliced up my strata and sewed the checkerboards. It only took me an hour to sew my checkerboards. I plead the 5th on how long it took me to sew the strata. We tend to talk more than sew on QOV sew days. :)

The Ribbon: Step 1.

SoScrappy Saturday 7.20.2025

The only purple sewing were two fish for the Howell MelonHeads picnic on Wednesday. The theme is 'Day at the Beach'. I thought fish fit the theme. :) Only problem: my fish on the left is 8.25 inches and the fish on the right is 8.5 inches (unfinished). Left fish is too small and right fish is just right...looks like I'll only be turning in one fish...

pattern: combination of Pinterest tutorials

Sharing today with SoScrappy Saturday (but on Sunday!)

WIP Wednesday 7.16.2025

I've assembled the Buckeye Beauty blocks and I think I am going to use red/blue cornerstones with white sashings.

pattern inspiration: found on Pinterest - dead link and 

                                Alycia

Why haven't I sewn more?! We had an unexpected death in the family (My nephew-in-law was only 37 years old and leaves behind my niece and their 8 year old daughter. It really is tragic.) and my kids are in town. I am taking this opportunity to spend time with my adult children and my grand-dog. 

Doesn't Angie look cute in her new tutu? 

Sharing my progress with the Inquiring Quilter's Weight Loss Wednesday.

Design Wall Monday 7.14.2025

Alycia has inspired me with all her beautiful Buckeye Beauty blocks and quilts she has been sharing. I searched her blog and here is a few of her wonderful-ness.  Fast forward to our last MelonHeads meeting and one of the program is Methods for making Half Square Triangles. I immediately thought of Alycia's Buckeye Beauties and my trusty box of 4 patches that I use as leaders/enders.

I make my hst's using the tube method so I had quite a few in a jiffy. The parts are ready to sew.

This is the arrangement I leaning towards recreating.

pattern inspiration: found on Pinterest - dead link

                                Alycia!

Sharing today with Judy at Design Wall Monday.

SoScrappy Saturday 7.12.2025

Today is the second Saturday of July of the color purple.

I made one more purple Happy Block to replace 'Patrick from SpongeBob' as he is a registered trademark.

 pattern: MaryJ's Happy Block

I also made my purple fish.

Here are all the fish I've made so far this RSC 2025 season. I've even included the rogue teal fish.

pattern: combination of tutorials from Pinterest

Sharing today with SoScrappy Saturday.

Finish or NOT Friday 7.11.2025

My finish this week is the purple/pink Plus quilt.

pattern: combination of tutorials on Pinterest

panto: halycon

Sharing today with Alycia at Finish or NOT Friday.