NewFO & July Ends

If you haven't heard of NewFO, you need to go visit Barbara @ CatPatches.  She gives us permission to start something NEW with no pressure to finish, just start something.  So many stress over finishing up those WIPS and UFOs, give yourself a break and start something new - it really helps to keep the FUN in quilting.

My official NewFO was for the Monthly Doll Quilt Swap Group.  I wanted to try out a new idea for a block, so log cabin rose garden evolved for my partner.  Of course the little dolly to go with it, too.

Of course I enjoy THIS ONE too.  A chance to finish up something old and again permission to start something new - I'm always up for something new.

This was my Something Old - a mystery during Super Bowl Sunday by my LQS.  It was suppose to be quilted - unfortunately this didn't get to as I got sidetracked by something else and some deadline items.  So it will get floated over into August. 

My Something New - the Nested Churn Dash with the pattern and QAL with Quilt Jane @ Want It,Need It.  I went with just three rounds of nested Churns rather than the four - I hate BIG blocks remember.  This made for a nice 64" square couch throw size.  I have a backing ready and have to decide whether I am quilting this or sending on to a long armer.

I don't have a huge book library or subscribe to quilt magazines, I do have a lot of saved inter-net projects 'found', and a small arsonal of patterns which oddly is mostly bags and purses (and I am not fond of making bags and purses).  But these need dusting off and used!

I dusted off this book to make that long promised mini for my Vet - to hang in their new wing - and I don't want to say how long ago that was.

 Just some fun scraps out of my never ending basket - why did it take so long to get this done?  But it has been delivered and I hear it is hanging in one of the 'woofy' rooms.

I love the Rainbow Challenge - I have plenty of scraps to build a few rainbows.  But I am slowly working thru that large tote dedicated just to this.  Baggies of sorted color scraps are getting used and emptied.

July's color pick was RED and I had lots of fun working my blocks.  I like to use red as a 'popper' color in a quilt, so a challenge to work just blocks with it.  Lots of variety and fun play.  I look forward to the next color and hopefully to empty another baggie of scraps.

I combined my project for monthly Make it Handmade Christmas Challenge  and monthly Simply Small Project with the pattern by Sherri for some cute placemats.

This was my distraction from completing my Something Old.  The Purge Challenge to clear out the scraps and uglies.  I don't have uglies - hey, I love all those fabrics - I call it 'character'.  And being a scrap quilter - not really a challenge, but my baskets (now three of them) are overflowing and really need that incentive to get them tamed.  Yeah, tamed - you know you never can empty them!

The string blocks on the phone book papers became this.  I set them in a zig-zag rather than the traditional X and O pattern.

And the brites went into some half log blocks.  These two quilts will be sent off to Gene Black for the Quilt Angel project.

There were some other projects finished off for some secret sewing that at some point I can share.  I REALLY hope August slows down.  HaHaHa - I know that's not happening already as my 'to-do' list is already made for the month.

Sewingly Yours,

Sharon