Circles and Squares

I am really enjoying the '365' QAL with Quilty Folk.  I started the first of 2016 so I should have a total of 120 circles to date.  This is so big (and our weather is bad) that it is hard to photo inside.  

I am working it 6 x 6 blocks at a time and then joining three of those sections as a row so I don't have all those blocks to fiddle with a layout later.  And it is a calendar quilt of sorts, so the days and circles represent my 'Leap Year'.

Since my top third of the quilt totals 108 - I need two more rows of six - 12 - to bring my total to 120.

I have been working these six at a time with Slow Sunday Stitching and it has really helped me to stay on track with this project - I am hand stitching these and will hand quilt this.  Yes, I have a lot of thread - love thread as much as fabric bits.  As a scrap quilter, I have a lot of bits come thru my sewing space so I will have no problem having a different fabric for each circle.

And I am very thrilled and flattered to be a guest blogger over at Confessions of a Fabric Addict today.  Oh my, Sarah called me an expert - I think the real term is crazy - scrap crazy.  That's were I am playing with squares for Hands2Help and the Scrap Challenge.

Sewingly Yours,

Sharon

Four Down

It's hard to believe that four months have gone by already this year.  How I wish our April looked like this, but we are still a bit on the cool side with very cold nights.  We even had a bit of snow the other day.  My daffodils got killed off with one snow storm and then my early tulips got nipped by the cold (and deer).  BUT the dandelions are doing great!

One of my April goals was to start the Hillside Houses and I did good at getting three houses into the first row.

 I need to take more time to enjoy Slow Sunday Stitching - and not just on Sunday.  The '365' project has been my only hand work (yes, I have been hand stitching all those circles), but that will change next month.

RSC16 has been good for playing in my scraps.  I went ahead and did up all my little 3" blocks in all the colors possible for the year as I just need to move a little faster in some areas.  So the column quilt will be my 'color' play with RSC for the rest of the year.

I am enjoying the history along with the Westering Women QAL.  I've never made this block before - love the look.  I need to browse my yardage on the shelf to start prepping the sashing/cornerstones as I could be 'framing' these as we go so there is a finish closer to the end.

The 'Adinkra' quilt is going to be so different from what I work on.  AND I am excited that one of our guild members will be going to Africa and going to bring back fabric for my alternating blocks.  This will be so cool!

Then I got to enjoy some fun ladies teaching a 'quilter's project bag' project.  I heard back from many that they did indeed finish up their bags at home and were so pleased with the bag.

And there has been 'do more of what makes you happy' with lots of scrap play while participating in the 'Scrap' challenge.

I hope you had a grand 4th month,

Sewingly Yours,

Sharon

Let's Book It - April 2016

I hope you have been dusting off those books, patterns, files, and printed off 'have to make it' projects.  It's a shame we gather all these lovelies and then ignore them.  This is the perfect opportunity to enjoy them - so consider joining in.

This will be my 'Let's Book It' project for April and May - Hill Side Houses.  Yes, you can use a large project and break it down into manageable units each month to help you complete it.  I've broken this down into 4 sections - one section a week - and this should help in getting this lovely at least to the flimsy stage.

HOUSE ONE

HOUSE TWO

HOUSE THREE

FIRST ROW COMPLETE

April's Charm is the HANDS ALL ROUND

     

Now it's Your Turn:

An InLinkz Link-up

A Scrap Problem

Sarah @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict has a fabulous challenge for helping with that scrap problem.  My goal for April's scap management was my greens.

This drawer (and an overloaded shelf) was my selection.

9-Patches

Log Cabins

300 Flying Geese Units

Spool Blocks

600 (1.5") HSTs

And the drawer (didn't even touch the shelf) - looks worse.  I had more fabrics donated - yes, greens.  PLUS, I had a 'squirrel'.  You know - the distraction. And large gray tub that just annoyed me and had to be dealt with.

There were a few bags of scraps - donations I had not gone thru as I was busy with other areas of taming.  There was pressing, sorting, cutting down, putting into the storage system, and some things actually got tossed.  Nylons and polys just aren't going into my work - they shrink, shred, and melt.  But I found a couple of my Aunt's 'in-progress but let's not finish' things.  One was the blade borders which I took apart and made into these 'fans' to be appliqued to the white (an old white-on-white cleared off the shelf).  This will be a travel project for me over the next couple of months.

And this quilt was something I made some time ago with my Aunt's cast away blocks - reworked into something new.  It was in the tub - waiting for borders.  You know I hate borders.  I knew I wanted to add the black inner, but had nothing for the outer border.  Well, in pulling this out I remembered I had saved the side cuttings (wide backing) from a large quilt done by my long armer.  Just enough and just the right color - the quilt waited for a reason.  And I have a backing that has sat on the shelf for a few years - my weekend project is to get this quilted.

The green drawer may not have gotten emptied, but the large gray tub did and that makes me very happy.

Not sure what my May scrap challenge will be as I have a HUGE and FULL May planned.  Have you accepted the Scrap Challenge?  

Sewingly Yours,

Sharon

Monday Making 4/25/16

I managed to get the second block made for the Hillside Houses quilt.  My goal for today is to make the third block and get the row sewn together.  No, I didn't sew 'chimneys' and one extra - those are the windows of the next house.

I caught up on the 'Circa 2016' little blocks which gave me two bonus HSTs to add to the pile of 120 we need.

If I can get Moe to nap other than my Marcus fabrics, I can dig thru  those piles to see what small pieces are available to work a few more HSTs.  I want to work them as the small bits 'evolve' rather than cut them on purpose. 

Since the 2" barrel was stuffed (and Moe moved), I dumped it to sort.  I want to work some little bow tie blocks as well as pull any Marcus that may have ended up in here.  Again, rather than cut small pieces - use the bits that already exist.  And these little 3" blocks each week take little bits.

Hope you get some Monday time,
Sewingly Yours,
Sharon

Recycling

Since I need to go to our local recycling center with bottles and  cans, I figured I better get that plastic bag (and a few others) emptied.  Sorted, stashed, slashed, and used fabrics.  The bags can now be cleared from the house.

  
I could save all these for the RSC16, but I wanted to use them up.  So a stack of green 9-patches were made.

Along with some red ones.  I did set aside some red scraps to go with another leader/ender project.

There weren't a lot of grey strips, but enough to make up a few tiny log cabin blocks.

Some green ones, too.

And of course - the reds.......

I found this wadded up in one bag.  I think my aunt may have started to make this as a border and then gave up on it.  I recognize a few fabrics that I had given her.  What to do with it?  The blades are made using a template and hand cut out and not all equal.  And some are not cottons.

Well, I carefully took it apart and scrapped the white - yes, I can throw out fabric.  And the non-cottons went into the trash, too.  I used one of the blades to make a cardstock template and cut some new ones from fabric out of that other baggy.  It's a start.  And yes, someone gifted me some cut-off triangles in a little baggy - a leader/ender project.  And you can see some of my little blue containers in the back - a few different leader/enders at hand.

** linking up with Oh,Scrap **

And today there is a guest blogger with the most terrific 'recycle' quilt tutorial - I know I want to try this one myself.

Sewingly Yours,
Sharon  

Whooping with Kitties

In moving things around with the de-winterizing - I decided to see what was in those huge grey tubs to try and combine two into one.  I found a grocery bag of scraps that someone must have gifted me - I don't reconize any of these as mine.  Rather than stash that bag away again - I played.  Yeah, I finally felt safe with a rotary cutter in my hand.

Some tiny Bow Ties and Churn Dash blocks to add to my collection.

Then I put all those geese  into their 'by 4' setting to make some progress with this project.

Then I pulled my Orange FQ tote to make up the spinners for RSC16.

Then added them to the column quilt in progress.

Where's the kitties?

Bella is still holding a grudge since the trip to the Vet.  Some fresh cat nip in a little scrap batting 'pillow' toy.  She makes short work of ripping a hole in it and spreading it all over.

This is why they get the nip in the kitchen - easier to sweep up the floor. Yes, that is a bit of a blood spot on the floor as 'Miss Thing' tagged me with her claws to grab that nip bag.

Once Bella is done, Moe moves in.  As you can see, he licks the loose stuff off the floor (he doesn't like the toy bag).

  
And then it's a good roll, and roll, and roll, and roll..................  He actually sweeps most of it up - all stuck to his fur.  Then he goes outside to roll around on the sidewalk or lawn some more (cleans his furs off and marks his territory).  That's when I can get the Swiffer Wet Jet out and clean up the floor.  Hey - it kept them busy and happy while I got to sew.

We are to have a lot of rain today - good sewing weather, but the weekend will be glorious.  Maybe a bit of ME time with a trip out and about needs to be planned.

Sewingly Yours,
Sharon