Shop Hop Sunday 8.31.2025

It was 'extraction day' at the lake. All the boats and seadoos and lifts and docks needed to come out of the water. I usually don't help as I am considerable weaker than the young strapping nephews so I decided to have my own fun and do a mini shop hop. I'm on the hunt for baby blue Toile fabric and a Quilt in a Day Wonky Log cabin ruler. The first two shops I went to in Houghton Lake (Michigan) were closed. Not a great beginning. I then went to Cardinal Creations near lake City. I got there at 1:40 pm and they closed at 2:00 pm.

This is really a cute shop. No toile and no ruler but they did have a flowery piece that I brought. Silly me, I left my fabric I wanted to match. I also got myself a 'I love to sew' t-shirt. This little wreath was in the bathroom. Sew cute!

The Bird's Nest in Cadillac was only 10 minutes away and open!

Although the sign says. 'fabric and yard', the was definitely more yarn than fabric. A half yard of dragons followed me home.

Hobby Lobby was on the way home just before the freeway. Nothing followed me home but I did receive a smile and a duck from a fellow Jeep-er.

How about this for a giggle? If you read yesterday's post...

Me and all my friends at the 'HOT FLASH'!

SoScrappy Saturday 8.30.2025

Today is the fifth (!) Saturday of August of the color teal. Today is also the link up for the Table Scraps Challenge.

Since the August color is teal, I wanted to work that into my Table Scraps Challenge. The prompt for the August Table Scraps Challenge is 'HOT FLASH'. Ummmm...an interesting combination. Although teal and red look very good together! I admit, my brain went to one item and I could NOT dislodge it.

'Hot Flash' reminds me of the sparks off a campfire. 🔥

So here are my two 'Hot Flash' campfire Meals on Wheels place mats. (Talk about a weird donation :) )

pattern inspiration: I attempted to strip piece the teal and set into a rail fence to add 

                                    interest and I found a picture of a campfire on Pinterest that 

                                    I used as a template.

Sharing today with SoScrappy Saturday and 

Joy at Table Scraps Challenge.

Finish or NOT Friday 8.29.2025

I have a finish this week and it's my red, white and blue Chinese Coin quilt!

pattern: Chinese Coins

panto: serpentine

Sharing today with Alycia at Finish or NOT Friday and

My Quilt Infatuation's Needle and Thread Thursday.

WIP Wednesday 8.27.2025

I added the sashings and borders to my red, white and blue Chinese Coins quilt. I picked a lighter gray for the sashings and darker gray paisley for the border.

I started sewing a few place mats for the motorhome. Here is my fabric draw.

I decided to make flying geese to accent the camping fabric. The yellow is one of the place mats that came with the motorhome.

I played a round of 'binding chicken' and lost. :(

I also played 'bobbin chicken' and won!

On this happy note, 'May you always win 'Chicken Sewing'!

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

Design Wall Monday 8.25.2025

Another week and another quilt based on 3.5 inch strips!

I dove back into the leftover strips again. This time I made piles according to length. If I could get one 6.5 inch cut - into pile A. If it was enough for 2 x 6.5 inches (13 inches) into pile B. Pile C is 3 x 6.5 (18.5 inches) and pile D is 4 x 6.5 (26 inches). When the fabric was too tall in a pile, I just started a new pile.

I then sewed the resulting piles in groups of 4 on the long side and subcut into 6.5 inch lengths. 

Ta-da! The beginnings of a Chinese Coin quilt using leftovers.

I calculated that I wanted 23 bricks down so I arranged 5 units of 4 in a column and the last unit sewn together was a set of 3 x WOF. That way I could get all six cuts for my 6 columns to make them the length I wanted...oops, no picture of the 3's added.   :(   

I must have been too excited to get the columns completed!

Sharing today with Judy at Design Wall Monday.

QOV Sunday 8.24.2025

Saturday, I volunteered to help 'man' the QOV Booth at the AQS Quilt Week in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Well, I volunteered for any day Lynn (our leader) needed me and she said, 'SATURDAY!'. 

Here is our booth with a few shoppers. The space was smaller than in previous years but Lynn made the most of it! The AQS Show is kind to allow Michigan QOV to offer 1/2 yard cuts of donated fabric for $1.00 donation as a fundraiser. This year, the booth raised over $2,000 through the kindness and generosity of others.

The Sit and Sew area also sponsored QOV themed blocks that were made into QOV's. I think their leader said that three flimsies were created over the run of the show. I've seen this pattern on the web but can't remember who created the pattern. (Lynn drew a blank, too)

I was a little smarter this year and I used the bathroom on the other side of the quilt displays. :) 

I was able to view a few of the quilts. Here is a sampling, starting with a motorcycle quilt (a family favorite) and ending with a cow (my husband has work in dairy processing for over 40 years). 

Enjoy the quick show...sorry...I was in a rush so didn't get the creator's names. :(

Happy Sunday!

SoScrappy Saturday (on a Sunday!) 8.24.2025

August has five Saturdays, so I wanted to find a little something to sew for my 'free' day. Our color this August is teal.

Our guild is sponsoring mini stockings for the local Meals on Wheels program and our leader 'wants' to donate 1,500 mini stockings in December 2026! So I shopped at Hobby Lobby and found 'Christmas-y' fabric that has a teal background. 

Oh no! it looks like one of my stockings belongs to the Wicked Witch of the East! I want to re-make that one. I have a stocking template but I do occasionally cut/sew a little on the creative side. :)

Sharing today with SoScrappy Saturday.

Finish or NOT Friday 8.22.2025

Every so often, I have a week were I am away from Bell Creek Quilts. 

This is one of them! 

Tuesday was my Town Hall Quilt Guild trunk show and workshop.

Wednesday was the Howell Melon Patcher meeting.

Thursday was the monthly QOV sew day. I did manage to sew up some signature blocks for the QOV booth. Mostly thanks to my friend Gladys who ironed all the blue strips up and sub-cut the strata into 8 inch blocks. Yea for teamwork!

Friday (today!) is a home and errand day.

Saturday I will be helping out at the QOV Booth at the AQS Show in Grand Rapids. 

whew!

I do have a finish this week...well, technically from last week but I am sharing this week. It's my quilt inspired by Bonnie Hunter's Simply Strippy. I've also heard this pattern referred to as a Lasagna Quilt.

pattern inspiration: Bonnie Hunter's Simply Strippy (or Lasagna Quilt)

panto: serpentine

I always procrastinate sewing on the labels, so this morning I was adding the label to the QOV I am turning in tomorrow. Thanks goodness I took the time to pre-make about 12 labels so I just picked one from the stash and sewed it on!

Sharing today with Alycia at Finish or NOT Friday

WIP Wednesday 8.20.2025

Tuesday I went to the Town Hall Quilt Guild in Clarkston, Michigan. I presented my Crumb Trunk Show and a workshop.  I was supposed to have a friend help but she bailed on Monday morning. I'm thinking it was a blessing in disguise as I had my Acadia payload filled with my stuff! The three suitcases were filled with quilts, one roller bag had rainbow crumbs to share and the other roller bag is my travel sewing machine.

I only took one picture of my set up before I started the workshop demonstration. It checked out pretty good as this was the third time I've given my Crumb Trunk Show.

Since there were only 3 sewers at the demonstration and NONE were sewing crumbs...well, I worked on my own crumbs! I almost finished 33 beige blocks. I only had the last log to add, which I did today at the Howell Melon Heads open sew time. I then went into my 'parts department' and was excited to find 31 brown crumb blocks! My plan is to frame the beige in brown and the brown in beige, set the blocks on point and have a quilt that is close to 85 x 85. I committed to making this size quilt for the local Tunnel of Towers project. In southeast Michigan the plan is to convert an empty hotel into apartment homes for homeless veterans. The quilts will be given to the residents and need to cover a full bed. One hitch...this group does NOT want red, white and blue. Brown and beige to the rescue. :)

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

Design Wall Monday 8.18.2025

I am continuing my deep dive into 3.5 inch strips. I collected my leftover strips and sewed them short end to short end to make a very long strip of fabric.

I pressed the seams open (as best that I could!) and cut my long strip into 50 inch sections. I then sewed the strips long sides. First two together, press, then four together and press then eight's and press. I continued until I had 23 rows of my 'made' fabric. I then trimmed it all to 49 inches wide. I didn't pay attention to where the fabric fell on the strips except I tried to keep the word up. Unfortunately one part of the words are upside down. :(

I added an inner and outer border and ta-da...my flimsy! This one only took about 4 hours of sewing!

pattern inspiration: Bonnie Hunter's Simply Strippy

Sharing today with Design Wall Monday.

SoScrappy Saturday 8.16.2025

Today is the third Saturday of August of the color teal.

I have one fish that is swimming alone...

A few fish that are swimming with their red partners...

....and the rainbow school of fish!

Sharing today with SoScrappy Saturday.