Scrappy Trip Round Five Blocks

Round Five and my third time in a hive is nearing it's July 15th deadline so this weekend it was high time to make my blocks for my hive mates.  I usually spend the first couple months gathering just the right fabric and then attack the five required blocks all at once.  Each time my least favorite thing is getting the 1/4 seam allowance just set right and then they go together pretty smoothly after that.

First up was an all green one for Britta:

 
I hope she likes it.  She let me know she liked one I had done last round but I tweaked a couple fabrics to make them all green.

Sherri and Holly from Rebecca Mae Designs wanted fun bright modern fabrics:

I always struggle with the freedom of just fun bright fabrics...but here is the end result.  I am happy with it and I hope they will be, also.

Lee from Didder's World asked for orange and pink.  I picked out a whole other group of them and then last week went to a LQS on a shop hop and fell in love with three new pinks and oranges that absolutely brought a whole new level of appeal to the finished block. I could adore a whole quilt top made of these!

Funny thing is a couple of the prints were from last year's Western Washington Quilt Shop Hop and I passed it up last year because I didn't like the fabrics.  Who would know how incredible I would think they are this year?

Therese requested Country / Reproduction fabrics.  I had previously had her in the first round  I participated in and struggled with this request then, also.  This time, I consulted Cheran at Fiddlesticks Quilt Shop who led me to some fabrics by Jo Morton and I hope they are what Therese had in mind all along.

The pictorial print is Panier De Fleurs by French General and I thought the colors fit the 'fugly' fabrics that are represented in these fabrics to a tee.  I know a lot of quilters are drawn to these reproductions but I am not among them.  I sure hope they fit Therese style and appeal to her. I truly think this is what she will adore and hope I am on the right path here.

To finish up our hive's request the beekeeper, Shirley from Simple Sew, requested teal, orange, aqua and bright colors with the teal or orange as the center stripe.

The Kaffe Fassett fabric gave me a great palette to work with.  I really like how it turned out.

I like to make a block for me each round but last round I didn't so this time I made two for me.  My colors are Browns, Greens and Blues.  I really like how it is all coming together with such a wide variety of colors and values amongst these three colors.  Here are my two new blocks that I added to the collection this weekend.

 

This is what my Scrappy Trip is currently looking like at the present.  I have four more blocks arriving this round.   Lee has already shipped hers to me and it is already happy in it's new home.
Thanks so much, I love seeing each new arrival and am loving watching this Scrappy Trip Quilt grow each quarter.

June Progress

May seemed like such a long month and already June is flying by.  June is only one day shorter but it seems so much shorter as the month is quickly flying by.  Actually I am farther ahead on my BOM progress than other month's but have so many additional side projects that I just don't seem to ever get around to, that it is starting to be stifling.

A lot of that is because my co-worker retired a month ago and as her replacement is yet to be announced it has left me very busy and working longer hours.  In the meantime, I savor any time I can get to the sewing studio and strive for some sort of balance between creating and family time.
Really what is so different about that...it seems to be the norm.... Ok enough sobbing from me.
Here is a little of what I've accomplished.

 

This month's Sew Kitschy block from Quiet Play

 

This was a nice little block to put together and is looking so good next to all the others.  Nice pitcher of lemonade in the garden anyone?  Or is that possibly a cold pitcher of beer!!!

 

 

I also have been having fun making Kristy's Happily Ever After set of Fairy tale blocks.  I hope to put them all together for a baby quilt this fall.  I just completed the Little Red Riding Hood block.

 

 

Yep, Brave Little Red Riding Hood is walking past a field of frogs.  I figured a little whimsy was all right seeing that the recipient is going to be a little wee one.

 

 

 

I started work on Cinderella this evening but Monday's are our favorite TV show's night so it is far from finished but Red Riding Hood is number five of eight patterns and Cinderella will be number six, so I am pleased with the progress that is being made on this set.  You can find Kristy's set of Happily Ever After Bundle patterns here for $10.00 or individually priced at $2.95 each. 

 

My Medallion Along Quilt top is current with the addition of May's flying geese around her.  I will find out Thursday at the PMGQ meeting what will be adding to it in the upcoming month. 

 

I also pulled off one of the few surprises in my marriage to this great guy by gifting him a Seahawks Super Bowl Jersey.  He was thrilled and looks great in it if I say so myself.  I also tricked him into cooking us breakfast over the campfire but NOT in his new shirt.

 

 

 

 

Hope your day was extra special, too!

 

And GO HAWKS!!!

 

Reading Time

Once again I had a blast picking fabrics to piece together this month's Garden Block from designer Janeen of Quilt Art Designs Garden BOM. This one didn't have any of the signature low volume that I have been including each month as the background of these blocks. I could have elected to put it in where the cobble stone path is but it just didn't seem right this month.  The girl in the garden is completed surrounded by the garden and that is how I decided this block should be.  I envision I will place her in the center with the rest of my blocks surrounding her. 

I thought the hammock would be an ideal place to feature a little low volume this month and I love the compass/ruler green fabric that I used as the lawn.  Such a beautiful sunny day in the garden spent reading a favorite novel looks like a fantastic way to relax.  The block may look a little wonky on the left but it isn't.  I just need to starch it up a bit so it lays down better.  I was just super anxious to share how my reading girl turned out!

I'll be linking this up over at Kristy's Quiet Play Linky Party.

Keep Stitchin'

To Tie For Dress

I picked up the To Tie for Dress pattern by Olive Ann Designs while in Idaho about a month ago to make for my grand-daughter's.  The youngest one, Jayda, I particularly thought would look adorable in it.  I don't particularly like sewing garments but this pattern appealed to me as it doesn't have any seams showing and is completely reversible.  I hate interfacing and collars and this pattern doesn't have any of that either.  You simply make each side, then put one inside the other, sew around the arm holes, neck and ties and then flip the sides out and finish the hem on the bottom, leaving all the seams hidden on the inside.  You can find this and other Olive Ann Design patterns available at Sew Baby.  Wait till the grand daughters find out nana can also make their dolls matching dresses from the pattern included with it.  I hope I find time to make those soon as I know they would be a big hit.

On one side, I used these adorable Acacia Tula Pink raccoons for the pockets.  One the other side I used this fantastic Kaffe Fassett fabric that I picked up with the pattern.  The pattern comes with the applique pattern for three giraffes so I put them on the Kaffe Fassett side as well.

Jayda looks amazing in it.  Of course, I am very biased...he hee hee

The blue in her eyes matches the dress perfectly!

I wasn't sure if she would need a size 2 or 3.

Probably should have made the size 2.  But I can tie it up higher so the neck and arm holes are in a better placement and she can get to wear it for two years hopefully.  The other side was a big hit with her, but of course those pockets were to her liking immediately.

I really didn't plan what to put on side two when I bought this fabric but the red stripes on the raccoon side makes a dramatic statement and fits this spunky monkey to a tee.

Of course, now I have a couple more of these to make soon for the other monkeys I adore.

Keep Stitchin'