"The Family Reunion"

      Back on Thursday when I decided to work on my Snow Days quilt I couldn't find one of the embroidery units so I had to search in my old sewing room downstairs.  I keep a lot of kits and extra fabric down there...  Well, I found the piece and then I happened to pull down one of those project boxes that wasn't labeled and could not believe what was in it.  There were some patterns and a pile of fabric. 

I'd just been talking to my friend Michelle about her "Hot Chocolate" BOM that she picked up again last week after a long time too.  I'd remarked that I thought maybe I "dreamed" that I'd done it and after a lot of searching thru my room I couldn't find it with other BOM's.....How it got on top of an old sewing machine is anyone's guess. 

      I was really excited thinking I could put my "Hot Chocolate" project together too....  I started texting Michelle pictures of the 2 blocks and we realized that I had a different snowman project called "The Family Reunion" and coincidentally, it was a Pearl Louise Design as well, and put out on the market around the same time as the Hot Chocolate.

      I collected up my fusible, found a nice blue/snow background fabric and started tracing today.  I'm going to redo the 2 I had done a few years ago because I think I like the background fabric I have now.

Here are the 3 blocks I've finished so far....

     

 

"Easy Street-Step 6"

I am enjoying this journey on "Easy Street" so much!  I don't think it's because the steps have been easy, but I think the colorway just grabbed me from the start. 

I had one of those sleepless nights last night so as I was sitting in my sewing room doing a little embroidery at 4AM I saw the post go up for Step 6 but I knew I wasn't starting any cutting then....I waited till I'd gotten a little sleep, had some breakfast and even a quick trip to the quilt shop before I pulled out the fabric and got to cutting.

I had a few WOF strips and some fat quarters so I cut all the WOF up and matched them up with the odds and ends pieces so I got a nice variety.  Of course I didn't get all 128 the first time...Oh no, I had to go back and cut 8 more units and with a lot of luck on my side, I got the remaining units with 1 to spare  :)

I'm looking forward to Monday's accelerated step 7......

Here are my 128 black and white units and my 5-1/2 inch squares cut and ready for assembly........

Looking for 2 Fabrics

Do you ever find a fabric or two that you just love and want to use it but you don't want it to run out?

Well, when I started this "Easy Street" journey I found these 2 fabrics on Etsy or somewhere and have cut into them and used them in every step of the mystery but now I'm noticing I don't have much left of either and my search online has not produced any  :(   

I want to do Bonnie's "Orca Bay" sometime in 2013 and want to use these in that too....

Anyone out there in blogland have any of either they'd like to sell or swap? 

I have a stash that is huge AKA Obscene  :)

The top is chickens with black dots and all I know is it's by Fabrictraditions.  The ottom one is little bistro tables and I think the designer is Jackii Jones.  The line was called "Paris...Now" I think but I'm not finding anything.....

HELP!

Peggy

"Snow Days"

No, we're not having snow YET but rumor has it we're going to get some in the next couple of days.....

Me, I could wait for the snow to come on Tuesday but that's just me.  You ask why Tuesday?  Well, I go back to school on Wednesday and could enjoy a couple extra days off...ya know?

Anyway....My 2013 UFO list is made and ready to post this weekend but I decided that I had to pull the "Snow Days" project out to work on.  It was #1 on my UFO list and although it's totally NOT me, I was almost paralyzed at the thought of pulling the pile of blocks, fabric and embroidery units out.    Did I mention that this is totally not like me to be so apprehensive?  Well, I was!

 I did get lucky though....One of the girls I did the BOM with had posted a picture of one of the troublesome areas "for me" to the yahoo site we'd set up to show each other our progress so I took it "One step at a time, small sections, not just the big picture" and guess what?  That worked!!!

So, it's up on the design wall and there's only 1 small opening so all I need to do is pull some small units that are already made out, connect them and then get crackin assembling the center. 

I cannot believe I just let it all go since July 2010!!!!

It's almost embarrasing!  

Oh well, I'm not gonna talk about it anymore, just get sewing and hopefully be done before I have to put it on the 2013 UFO list.....

Last Finish for 2012?

I'm thinking this MIGHT just be my final finish for 2012.....ALTHOUGH, after careful inspection of my calendar, I see there are 5 more full days of 2012 left so who knows!

I've had this bundle of Riley Blake fabric called "Pieces of Hope" since at least July but I did purchase them knowing I was going to assemble a quilt with them before December was over. 

This is a special bundle created especially for "Autism Awareness" which happens to fall around March or April every year.  I researched and found that it will be in April of 2013 so to raise some awareness and money for our newly created Autism program in the school I work in, I am assembling a quilt for them to raffle off.

I saw the bright quilt on the left in this picture below on Pinterest.  I searched all over looking for the pattern or even the person that created this quilt, to no avail.  I have the pattern shown on the right and KNEW I could adapt that pattern to look like the brigtly colored one so I cut, made the blocks and then it sat for 2 nights while we celebrated Christmas.  I came back to it today and I finished it. 

My blocks are each 6.5 inches unfinished.  I used 2.5 inch strips to create the alternating unit and came up with a quilt you might consider a lap quilt, it measures 42-1/2 X 55. 
I do have a red and orange from the bundle that I could add a 3-1/2 inch border around but was wondering if I need the border?

I have the white background with the large dots for the backing and one of the stripes for the binding......

Peggy

2013 UFO CHALLENGE

A few BFF's and I have decided that with the new year coming that we need to finish up some old UFO's.
Of course, if you go back to my December posts of previous years you'll see that I pretty much do this every year but I don't always manage to accomplish the goal  :)      HOWEVER, this year the word "Obscene" has cropped up in my conversations not only with my friends but in my head...you know those conversations "WOW, this has been sitting here since when?  2007?  Oh my....and you have how much red fabric?  WHAT? it fills a 10 gallon rubbermaid bin?  OH lordy!"  You know those kinds of conversations!
So, hence comes the 2013 UFO challenge to myself!

I pulled out the 2 bins of projects, pulled the 20 or so projects and put 9 on the list.  I had to be realistic and not pull out 1 for each month....I have a wedding shower to plan, my daughter's wedding on April 27th, hopefully a small vacation with hubby,  I have monthly BOM's and "want to do" projects (not only UFO's), and oh yeah, I have a full time job, kids to feed, laundry to do and sleep.  I know, I know, sleep is over rated but I seem to need a few hours each night  :)

Here's a UFO I found in the bin that is actually FINISHED as far as I'm concerned. It's a round robin that I did I swear in 2007-2008.  How bad is that that I can't even remember when I did it and I don't have any notes or emails of who or when I worked on it.

It measures 42-1/2 X 59 and I think it's a perfect size for a little girl and I don't think it needs a single thing added to it...NOTHING!!!  So, today I will go thru my backings and find something that will be nice with it and put it aside ready for quilting......

I'll be posting my UFO list on my sidebar and marking when each one gets done.  The list is in no particular order but I can tell you that # 1 will be my "Snow Days" project.  I've been talking about finishing it for weeks or has it been months?  WHATEVER...It's getting done 1st!  I will show pictures of the projects before and when it becomes a finished UFO....I'm keeping it real and keeping myself accountable!!!

I'll take a picture of my SNOW DAYS after I get my design wall cleaned off.  I'm working on a quilt right now that will be for the "2013 Autism Week" in school.  I donate one quilt a year in school that our multiply handicapped children walk around and sell tickets for one lucky recipient.  This year I bought the cute Autism fabric and I'm in the process of assembling the blocks for that.....Show and tell on that in a day or two.

Peggy

Great Day

It's my birthday and I had a great package from one of my BFF's.....  Hubby ran right out to the Home Depot and bought me a curtain rod/quilt hanger and had it hanging within an hour.  I love the wall hanging and as you can see from the picture, it's right next to my computer, ironing station and sewing machine.  I will think of Michelle each and every time I walk into the room and see it  :)  

Step 5

I came into the sewing room around 7PM tonight not expecting I'd get much done. 
I started to draw lines on my little squares and kept thinking "geesh, will I ever accomplish anything?"  It took about an hour I'd estimate to make one block.  At this point  I realized that if I didn't  FOCUS that I'd never get anything done so I hunkered down with my 2 inch purple blocks and my 3-1/2 inch turquoise blocks and I sewed and pressed until I had all 64 blocks done......

Now, it's time to head to bed because tomorrow is another busy day.


Peggy

Christmas Quilts

   I've been on a roll lately with smaller quilts for little ones. 

  

   We had a small shower in school on Tuesday for one of our teachers who's leaving in January.  I'd promised her when I heard she was pregnant that I'd make a baby quilt for her.  I didn't ask her what she wanted, I just dug in my 30's bin and made a Bricks & Stepping Stones quilt from all different scraps. 

She absolutely loved it and told me afterwards that she actually has some feedsacks that she inherited when her mom passed away a few years ago.  I never know if these young mothers like the 30's or if they want something more modern but this time it worked out nicely. 

   AND.....at the shower while sitting with another teacher she was telling me how much her girls love the quilts I made for them when they were babies and another teacher kind of looked like "hmmmm my babies didn't get one".  I'd planned quilts for them, I really did, I even cut them out a year ago but never assembled them.  I always feel guilty when I see her and tell myself to come home and get them assembled.  Well, I went in to pull the kitted quilts out and realized I already had 2 alike quilts made, flannel backed and quilted.  All one needed was 2 short sides tacked down.  I got that done, wrapped them at 11PM last night and at 7am this morning as everyone was signing in I gave the quilts to the teacher....

I just grabbed this picture from the mama's facebook page.... Apparently the flannel backing is a hit and the girls love their new quilts.

I really enjoy making quilts and giving them away, so why do I procrastinate when it comes time to bind them?   GEESH.......

So, is everyone ready for Christmas?  I need 4 gift cards that I can get tomorrow, the dog needs a bath and I need to wrap Hubby's gifts, which won't take long, but other than that, I'm ready....bring on the 25th!!!!!

I'm off to work on Bonnie Hunter's part 5 pieces....anyone finished yet?  LOL

Easy Street- Part 4

I think that I've become "The Geese Queen".  Yes, this new Bonnie Mystery step called for 64 more geese with purple centers and turquoise/teal wings.  I got them done early this afternoon and then just before putting them away I realized Bonnie may have given us some advance assembly or cutting so I looked at the last page of instructions and there they were....assemble our 64 blue/purple geese with 64 of the white/purple geese from last week and voile......this is what you get  ----------------------->

So, now it's time to store this step away and settle in to do something else until Bonnie posts the next step on Friday.
And just in time.......Fat Quarter Shop hooked me up with my 7th Designer Mystery Block of the month.......Stay tuned for pictures of that.

Peggy

PS:  Is everyone done shopping?  I think I am!!!  I know it's hard to believe if you know me  :)    I'm usually shopping Christmas Eve.  I'm happy that I'm done and I'm all ready to wrap a couple of last gifts.

Starry Night

    Can you believe I've been doing this block of the month since 2011?  I know it's not been that long but when you're supposed to be doing a BLOCK A MONTH, I should have been finished back in September 2011....  BUT, I've made a promise to myself that I am taking 1 project off the shelf and not starting anything new until 1 old one is finished.  I'm giving myself 2 months per project to get blocks made, assembly done, quilted and bound....from start to finish!  I'm sure I could finish quicker but right now I'm doing 2 other projects that require attention...one is the Bonnie Hunter mystery, and I get those instructions on Fridays and the other is the Fat Quarter Designer Mystery BOM. 

     Here is the 12th block that I did tonight -------------------->
I absolutely love the fabric in this block!

     I see now that I need to assemble 13 Pieced Pinwheel Star Alternate Blocks!   That ought to keep me busy for a while  :)

    
Here are the 12 blocks....off to start cutting some pinwheel stars.....


Peggy

DONE

I'm obsessed I guess......

Yes, I'm done with step 3 of Bonnie's Mystery.
I had a nice selection of purples in my stash and an even larger
selection of the black on whites. 
I would have loved a little more of an advance step other than just 2 3 inch green squares but I'll settle for that.  I didn't cut them in half yet like Bonnie suggested.  I'll just wait and do that when it's time.

I guess now I have the remainder of the weekend to work on other projects  :)

Hope everyone has a great weekend.....

Peggy

Easy Street Part 3

No, I'm not done yet  :)  

I did see the instructions mighty early this morning but couldn't start cutting until I got home from work this afteroon.  I don't know about the rest of you doing this mystery, but I for one LOVE the colors Bonnie chose.  I can't wait to cut into my green's.

Here's all my parts cut out ............................


I also decided that before I went too far that I needed to make 1 block to be sure I got the size correct. 
Bonnie calls for an "Easy Angle" ruler but not being one to buy rulers other than your usual straight ones, I just cut mine the old fashioned way.  I like to know I have the right size before I go and make all 64!

Here's 1 made up...

Dontcha love it??????????????

Off to make the others now.....

Peggy

Easy Street Part 2

Was anyone else as crazy as me on Friday morning knowing we were getting step 2 of Bonnie's mystery?

I normally don't turn the computer on until later in the day, like 3:00 when I get home from work but here I am at 5:45 in the morning turning it on and printing off the instructions  :)   

I am normally making breakfast so I can get to work at 7am, but I gave up breakfast to get my step 2  :)

I didn't have much time to sew yesterday so I got the majority done today and am ready for linking up.....

(sure is a lotta black and white in this picture!!!)