Another Flimsy completed

Sophia's quilt top is complete. I hope to be able to complete it with the quilting by the end of February.  Why does February have to be such a short month?  I think it turned out really adorable.

I had planned on adding the heart row to the top and bottom of the quilt but to fit an even number across I ended up making them almost 7 inches high and it was just too much to add to the overall size of the quilt.  I really like the color scheme, not quite the traditional colors you would think of but I just love the royal feel with the purple and blues. It is now 42 x 51 3/4 inches.  The blocks are a set of paper piece patterns by Kristy from Quiet Play. Her patterns can be found here.



I've been a busy little bee over here and made a few bee blocks this last month to prove it. Since they belong to a secret project I can only show you one but it certainly does make you smile right?

It is a free pattern that I found at Piece By Number and I think I'll have to add it to another upcoming project that I'm still working on the design of. 



I also got block Two done for my Sew Simplicity Block of the Month. I now have three of these BOM blocks done.

Keep Stitchin'

RSC block and GO HAWKS!!!

I have decided to add another monthly block to my to do list.  I really shouldn't as I find they do put a damper on me completing or even my ability to start new projects but I love seeing everyone's Rainbow Scrappy Challenge blocks come together each month and let's face it I am beginning to feel I will never be able to quilt up all my scraps and stash in my lifetime so it's a great way to put a dent in it even if it is a small dent.

January has us using those blue scraps so I set to work sorting them all out and in the end used a few scraps from my shelf as well to be able to cohesively pull this block off.  Since the majority of my scraps are from paper piecing they are generally too small and not enough of any one color left to just use my leftovers.  But over 80 percent of the block came from my scrap bin so not a bad start.

I am choosing to do the Circle of Friends block by Katie Wells found in the May 2014 issue of American Quilter.  I have been wanting to do a Storm at Sea quilt for a while and I really like the updated look of this block and all the little pieces allow for lots of scrap choices.

I am not sure how this will play out when each color block comes together but I am willing to find out.  I know I should have used a common white background for each block and just had the center use the color for the month but that is not the most effective way to use up that month's color scraps so I am going all in with the monthly color and just switching up color values, light, medium and dark.  My favorite part of the block is the circle it creates each time so it will be fun to see each of these in the different colors each month.

In December, my friend Karen from The Recipe Bunny blog who I  joined the PMQG with gave me this set of 8 napkins and the cute little box to keep them in for my birthday since I didn't make it to the November meeting which landed on my birthday.  Along with the napkins, she gave me this awesome ale, which is not only a local Portland ale, it is great!  Loved the oatmeal flavor which is very distinct in this brew.  Thanks so much Karen!! Your gift was very appreciated and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I enjoyed the beer a few week's ago in our new Seahawk glasses and as I have been sitting here blogging about it biting my nails and rooting our team on against the Packers today on our way to Super Bowl 49, I am estatic to find that against all odds we are on our way to the Super Bowl again!!!  At least the Seahawks are, I will be on my way back from California and will be needing to find a motel room to watch the game in!!! My husband thinks we should head to Reno instead to watch the game. We will definitely be somewhere south but we will be watching loud and proud!!! GO HAWKS!!!

January Happenings

January has found me busily sewing away every chance I can sneak in a few minutes.  My most recent finish...umm new start...is the first block for Janeen's  Ocean BOM 2015 over at Quilt Art Designs.  Janeen is a crazy talented pattern designer.  I simply am not capable of resisting her patterns.  I recently downloaded Quilt Assistant and gave designing a beehive block a try and trust me it was not only, not that easy, but a total flop. While it looked ok, it did not print out alright and I will have to go back to the drawing board with that one.  I think I can learn this but it is going to take some time.

Thankfully, Janeen has mastered this skill and I enjoy tackling her blocks and look forward to the next one each month.  They take a few days, a couple hours at a stretch each time, but the outcome is always worth it.  This month's turtle block had me searching my stash for a while and I think some of my fabric picks were winners...some not so much.

While I love his head and front legs and love the batik with the purple plus signs on the edge of his shell, I wish I  had chosen different fabrics for the rest of his shell. The back leg would have been better maybe matching his front legs but then again if the fabrics had been better on his shell maybe I would like it the darker value.  I think the med green with the lines on the shell just don't work.  Maybe if it had been everywhere on his back it wouldn't be too confusing but for me his shell is just too jumbled with the fabric choices I made.  It sure would be nice if there was a way to audition the fabrics before sewing it all together.  I lay them out on the table in the general order of their construction, but in the case of the print with the lines, you just can't see the way it will play out when you cut it up and jumble it back together.

Overall, I think he will grow on me and I will be very happy with him.  While in Hawaii honeymooning, my brother and his new wife, saw lots of turtles on the beaches.  I loved all his pictures and they were all on black beaches.  I think I would like his head and front flippers if they were crawling up on a black sandy beach so there would be the needed contrast between his head and beach.  I do love the little turtles crawling on the beach in front of him in my beach fabric though.
I have this fabric in black but it has purple turtles on it...umm not sure. 

Unfortunately, I have a few too many other January things to create so I will have to put remaking this block off for a while but wouldn't be surprised if I give it another go in the near future.

I put together this block in the Sew Simplicity Series of Jacquelynne Steve's BOM.  It is block three in her series and I still need to make block two.

Lastly, I have been working on Mary's quilt top for the round robin that Bea Lee from Beaquilter has put together for us.  I get to make 10 -- 6 1/2 inch blocks to add to her top this month and have three completed and know the plan for the other seven. I will share a sneak peek of it when I get it done.
I love Mary's Bug Hut theme and it is going to be a lot of fun to add to this month.

Hope you are having fun in all your endeavors too!!!

Planning Ahead

For December, I worked on Carol's block in our round robin group.  It was challenging finding time to work on it but I just sent it on it's way to the next stop on it's journey and I am anxiously awaiting the block I'll be working on this month.  I can't be a spoiler and show you what I added until the swap is over in April but I can share a snippet.  Below is a sampling of the pieces I put together into the 6 blocks I needed to add to the block in December.  Carol's instructions were to only use fabric we already had, so I pulled these from my stash and got to work.  I am enjoying the challenge of deciding what to add each month and can't wait to see Mary's top so I can start scheming again.

 

In the meantime, like most folks I am trying to put my 2015 goals together.  Last year, I wanted to attack my UFO's with a vengeance and conquer at least half of them by participating in the Lovely Year of Finishes and although that worked great for January by February I fell off the UFO wagon.

 

This year, the Portland Modern Quilt Guild is going to have a program that involves a little friendly competition involving finishing our UFO's so hopefully I will be inspired to tackle these hanging projects thru this program.

 

I always say I am going to cut back on BOMs so I can devote myself to other endeavors, this year I am saying it again and so far it seems like I have but I am going to do a couple.

 

1.  I can't resist the Ocean BOM from Quilt Art Design that is designed by Janeen  you can find out more by following the link.  I love her message in the bottle block and this month's turtle will be a great start to a fantastic year again with her patterns.

 

2.  I will be doing the 2015 Skill builder quilt Technicolor Galaxy by Alyssa Lichner from Pile 'O Fabric

3.  I am still working on the Sew Sweet Simplicity BOM by Jacquelynne Steve's The Art of Home

4.  I am still needing to design and make the quilt I have long put off due to the lack of a plan for it,
that I am making for a family member for her graduation gift and I actually think I may have a plan I can wrap my head and heart around so I will need to get started on that soon as it about a year and a half overdue. More on my plans later when I have time to start on it---by February 1st I hope.

5.  I need to finish two baby quilts---one for a girl and one for a boy.  Both are about 50% + done and need to be done my late February and/or March at the latest.

6.  I really want this to be the year I try some Linda Hibbert patterns from Silver Linings Originals.  She has some great patterns that I would love to buy and she finally has them available individually to but so I just need to find some time.  I absolutely love her woodland animals.

7.  I want to make some pillow cushion covers for my deck chairs by summer and some pillows for
our trailer by summer, also.

Plus I am looking for just the right project for my ever growing stash of Kaffe Fassett fabrics.  My awesome daughter expanded by collection for Christmas by adding all these lovelies:

They look like this with all my other Kaffe fabrics I have been collecting.  Aren't they so pretty!!!

 

 

I am eyeing a couple tempting projects for them and hope to start one soon.  I adore her choices..the purples were very much what the stash needed...all her choices reflect my love of color and I can't wait to start playing with them.   I hope you are having fun planning out your new year and all the possibilities it will hold for you.

 

Hugs and best wishes for the New Year,