March Check In…

Fields and fields of amazing Texas wildflowers are popping up everywhere. But wow, March felt like ZOOM gone.

My long arm tension control has been giving me a headache soooo I didn’t get anything quilted….BUT…I did get three string tops finished.
Nix that off my scrap challenge list!

Which is your favorite?

This was my first time “stringing along” and it was “ADDICTING”. I tried the Missouri Star 10” papers. Although her video says to tear the paper off after the block is complete, I would recommend waiting until the sashing is put on otherwise the blocks become very stretchy.

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My random Scrap Attack goal for April is…
Sock Monkey fabrics. Perfect timing for the Hands2Help Challenge! Hmmm, what will it become?

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My goals for the 2018 Scrap Attack Challenge

1. Make a string project – (March) 3 tops completed for charity – waiting on quilting 
2. Make a strip project
3. Use novelty scraps
4. Use  batik scraps – (January) top completed for H2H charity– waiting on quilting
Free tutorial HERE


5. Use red scraps – (February) quilt completed for Bright Hopes Charity
Get my free pattern HERE

6. Use blue scraps
7. Use red, white, and green scraps together Ho,Ho,Ho
8. Use food fabrics
9. Use pink and brown scraps
10. Use black and white scraps
11. Use a rainbow collection of scraps
12. Use scraps with the GO butterfly die
13. Use sock monkey fabric – COMING IN APRIL
14. Use dottie scraps
15. Piece backs for UFO tops
16. Use geometric scraps

Sew something fun this week!!!

Hands to Help Sign Ups and More

Daylight Savings Time and all I can think of is I’ve lost an entire HOUR of sewing time!

Today is sign up day for the Hands 2 Help Challenge. Drop by Confessions of a Fabric Addict blog and sign up. Then pull out those scrappy bins and create. It’s that simple.

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Why not “double dip” your effort and join the Scrap Attach Challenge while your making your H2H quilts…

I’m busy working on my March string blocks…80 to be exact …and… Gasp! I’ve never made string blocks before. How have I missed this fun band wagon all these years?!

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I can see! I can see!

I’m sooo excited this weekend hubby added LED ceiling lights to my sewing room.

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This year the Quilt Qwazy Queens blog hop over at Seams to Be Sew Blog has an UFO theme. Woot! That starts March 15th.

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My goals for the 2018 Scrap Attack Challenge

1. Make a string project – March project coming soon
2. Make a strip project
3. Use novelty scraps
4. Use  batik scraps – January top completed – waiting on quilting - going to H2H

Free tutorial HERE


5. Use red scraps – February completion – Donated to Bright Hopes

Get my free pattern HERE


6. Use blue scraps
7. Use red, white, and green scraps together Ho,Ho,Ho
8. Use food fabrics
9. Use pink and brown scraps
10. Use black and white scraps
11. Use a rainbow collection of scraps
12. Use scraps with the GO butterfly die
13. Use sock monkey fabric
14. Use dottie scraps
15. Piece backs for UFO tops
16. Use geometric scraps

 

Have a great sewing day!

Christmas Gift Input Needed…

Well, it’s that time of year again. My sewing room looks like the house flipped over and spun around a few times. Do you get many requests for holiday sewing?

I recently got a photo of my teenage nieces shower curtain with a request to embroidery some hand towels.

I found these designs at Embroidery Library. Their stuff always stitches out so nice.

Do you have a teenager? What do you think….cool or creepy? I thought they were really cool but hubby says they’re creepy.

I’m going to redo the wolf and tiger on different color towels. Maybe a rust and silver or rust and white. The wolf’s eyes need to be changed back to amber. The blue is too weird.

This and That

Making a bit O’ progress. I keep thinking of the Little Engine That Could …. I think I can, I think I can. LOL.

We had some visitors in the mist this morning. They looked so cool sitting on my favorite dead tree. They’re some big birds!

Bonnie Hunter is in Town

Today Bonnie Hunter was visiting the Greater San Antonio Quilt Guild. She was a lot of fun and her quilts were just awesome to see in person.

Several of my sewing bee friends took the afternoon workshop and of course we had a giggling good time as usual. We worked on Scrap Crystals from Bonnie’s More Adventures with Leaders and Enders book. That’s the project behind us.

The itty bitty piecing was a bit outside my comfort zone but I plugged along….

and plugged along….

and proudly finished a block.Woot!

If you ever get the chance to take a workshop with Bonnie Hunter don’t miss it.

 

Random Bits

I’ve been busy designing my spring classes but I did get some personal sewing time in this weekend.

This is a Christmas gift. I don’t usually go for panels but I fell in LOVE with these fabrics. The pattern was Dream Weaver by the Creative Sewing Center. I haven’t quite decided what to border it with yet. Any ideas?

Here are two Garden Party Wristlets by Michelle patterns. Aren’t they the cutest little bags!!!

And my pincushion swap arrived. It’s a wrist pin cushion. I LOVE it!!!

Enjoy you day!! Don’t let the upcoming holidays stress you!

Hands2Help

If you haven’t checked out the Hands2Help Challenge yet you should. You can still join in this wonderful project and make a quilt for charity.

Your quilt doesn’t have to cost you a lot of extra money. We all have a scrap pile stashed away somewhere that can be put to good use.

I’m going to be a guest blogger and share a new fun pattern. Here is a sneak peek. It’s going to have a rainbow theme, an easy applique and be super fast to make.

Keep an eye out!

Bitty Scrap Invasion….

Every time I turn around my bins of bitty scraps are filled to overflowing again. It’s an endless battle. Do you have this problem too?

First, I was thinking of making a scrappy Trip Around the World quilt. Then last night I found this fabulous scrappy star tutorial over on the Happy Quilting Blog. 

Ahhh! Isn’t this lovely. It would be much easier for piecing my little random bits together too. I wouldn’t have to cut them all into little squares first.

I was thinking of making a giant bed size star. That should put a dent in the bitty scraps don’t you think?

What do you do with your bitty scraps?

Sneak Peek…

I’m taking a break from playing in my scrap boxes…A.K.A. I missed my guild meeting and didn’t get any new puzzle kits to keep me busy. So, I wanted to share a teeny sneak peek at the pattern I’m working on. It will be another fun quilt for a little one and should be posted one day next week.

EQ7 sketch

Be sure to check back!!

January Finishes

Wow, has it been a month already. Time sure flies. Here is the recap from my “to do” list for The Year of the Finished Project over at Never Too Hot to Stitch.

#1 Wedding quilt – Still not finished

#2 Puzzle bag quilts & #3 Quilted Book - ALL DONE

 

 

 

February To-Do List 

 

Well, I have a million things on my sewing “to do” list for February  …..

 

 

#1 Wedding quilt – MUST GET DONE!

#2 Mini Art Quilt Swap

#3 Modern Mystery Round Robin Swap – add border only

#4 Bitty Blocks

#5 Stash Bee Blocks

#6 Finish homework for last EQ7 class

#7 Daughter requested a spring wall hanging

 

 

 

Sewing Onward…..

Breakfast Doodles…

During breakfast I was thinking of the scraps from my previous post. They made me think of a maze so here are two doodles that I did. What do you think?

Still Pondering….

Any Ideas…

I really need to start paying closer attention to the puzzle scrap bags I pick up. LOL. This ones a doozy. Really…. That’s exactly what was in the bag.

After pressing I have two stacks of narrow strips approx. 1 1/2 inches wide.

What quilt would you make with it?

All suggestions welcome.

Still Chugging Along….

I’m still chug chugging along on this wedding quilt. I’m starting to feel like the Little Engine That Could….I think I can, I think I can…

All the rows are finished and 5 of them are sewn together. It’s the biggest thing I’ve every made, a large queen, and is going rather slowly. But the colors are beautiful!

Have A Great Day!

Happy Color Day

Today I’m sewing happy colors. I’m working with fabulous batiks and have 6 of my 13 rows finished for the wedding quilt. At the moment they are just draped over the bed to keep the wrinkles away.

Happy Crafting Everyone!!

Linky Party…Join the Fun

Come join the linky party and get motivated to finish projects in 2013. It’s open to any type of stitched projects and is hosted by Never too Hot to Stitch blog. You can find all the details on her blog.
I don’t have many UFO’s as my mission in 2011 was to get them done but I do have a few delayed items lingering around the sewing room that need some motivation.
 

January To-Do List  for Funthreads

#1

I MUST finish a queen sized quilt using the Seattle Streets Pattern that was started as a wedding gift since the wedding was back in December. Ug. I’m a bad friend! I just got distracted with other fun little things along the way while waiting for the bride to make quilting choices and while waiting for fabrics to arrive.

My EQ7 layout with the fabric choices

Tutorial for the Seattle Streets pattern can be found on Laurie's Random Musings blog 

#2

Finish 4 puzzle bag quilts for my quilt guild.

Puzzle bag quilts are bags of random fabric scraps and orphan blocks that are to be made in to fun quilts for the local children’s home.

Why did they stall….hmmm….don’t know for sure. I just have sewing ADD:)

Puzzle bag #1 fabrics contains a story book panel and some pooh fabric

Puzzle bag # fabrics
contains a strange mix of 8 pieced blocks and 2 pieces of fabric

Puzzle bag #3 fabrics
contains 11 pieced jars and several strips of Hungry Caterpillar fabric

Puzzle bag #4 fabrics
contains 2 pieced starts and several scrap pieces of fabric

#3

Make a quilted book to go along with this story, A Book for Black Eyed Susan by Judy Young.

Our quilt guild loans the books and matching quilts (in this case a quilted book) to the public school reading programs.

Wish me luck!!!!

I might need people stalking and watching to get this all done.Hahaha.

A Book and A Quilt

This month I decided to try something different. Our guild has members design quilts that go along with books that have a quilt somewhere in the story. These quilt/book sets are loaned to schools as part of their reading program during the year.

So I picked up The Friendship Quilt by Susan Levin and Gloria Tracy. It’s a “show me how” set with a story book and learn to quilt booklet. How fun is that!

The story is about a classmate that needs surgery and will miss a lot of school. The class decides to make her a friendship quilt to let her know how much they are thinking of her. By the end of the book even reluctant Charlie learns that boys can have fun sewing. I LOVE it!

So, I started drawing applique doodles with my EQ7 and came up with this layout.

Here my design wall progress so far….almost done…..

I added trim, buttons and lace to give them more to touch while passing the quilt around. I put an alien in the ship and turned the heart in to a box of chocolates.

Happy Sewing!