Fresh Sewing Day

For some reason, Fresh Sewing Day slipped my mind until I flipped the calendar to September !?!? Really, how can it be? I'm not ready to call summer over - not quite - but seriously, it's getting close, isn't it? Lily's Quilts hosts Fresh Sewing Day, and I love to join the linky party and see what quilty happiness my fellow quilters have found.

I have really enjoyed the sewing I've done in August. I finished up Kaleidoscope and my Summer Sampler - both of which I've written posts about {see Kaleidoscope here and Summer Sampler here}. And I've already showed you photos in bounteous quantity. But in the spirit of the day, I'll show you one more - my most recent finish and I think the one that was the biggest stretch for me. With the mucho paper-piecing and the working with solids, I confess it challenged me. But oh was it fun! I got serious pleasure just looking at the blocks on the design board, the basted quilt on the deck, and the finished quilt tossed over the banister. About as much pleasure as hubby did sneaking in pictures of me! "The quilt, honey. Take pictures of the quilt!"

Before I had a chance to publish this post, I realized Fresh Sewing Day participants have recently switched to posting a mosaic of the previous month's projects. So I've added one of mine . . .

1. 4x5 bee Q3-Beehive 10, 2. 4x5 bee Q3-Beehive 10, 3. 4x5 bee Q3-Beehive 10, 

4. 4x5 bee Q3-Beehive 10, 5. 4x5 bee Q3-Beehive 10, 

6. sample block for 4x5 Modern Quilt Bee (Q3-Beehive 10), 

7. "Afternoon Snack" table runner, 8. Kaleidoscope back, 

9. Kaleidoscope complete!, 10. Summer Sampler complete!, 

11. Block #11 ~ Rocky Road to Kansas, 12. Kaleidoscope folded

W.i.P. Wednesday

Time for a W.i.P. Wednesday report!

Completed projects
I had a fun finish this week - my Summer Sampler.
{complete post with pics here}

Ongoing projects

Charm squares for the Color Wheel Charm Swap were sent off!

Cappuccino Bali Pop Quilt - still piecing the bali pop strips.

4x5 modern Quilt Bee blocks - in progress! This 'project with a deadline' has been giving me some anxiety - the hardest part is deciding on a block! Seeing what's going up in the flickr group can be very intimidating! But, thankfully, I decided on a block last weekend and started sewing! Five blocks are done {love them!} - hope to have the sixth done yet this week and all in the mail this weekend. The block I finally settled on was an adaptation of "Planetarium" from Elizabeth Hartman's book, The Practical Guide to Patchwork. This is a great book, and I am glad for the inspiration I found in it for the 4x5. (You'll also find plenty of inspiration on Elizabeth's blog, Oh, Fransson!) 

sample block in my colors

Upcoming projects

* For the Love of Solids project.

* Stash quilt - zig zag quilt. 

* Shades of Grey.

* Quilts for our siblings.

On hold for a while

Block-a-palooza quilt along needs basted and quilted.


Don't forget - there's more w.i.p.s to see over at Freshly Pieced!

A Summer Sampler

Little did I know when I chose sunny, citrus colors for my Summer Sampler that this little bit of summer would be so deeply appreciated. Honestly, I've found more summer in the making of this quilt than in the weather outside my home.

After piecing the backs of my last few quilts, I decided to finish this one with a simple lime-and-white dot. That and a KONA Chartreuse binding complete the summery look.

Overall, this quilt was a bit of a challenge. I had done very little paper-piecing before, so for most of the blocks to have at least some paper-piecing required some serious determination. This is also just the second quilt I have done totally in solids, so I was always second-guessing my color placement. And, my blocks didn't all finish at the same size, so I worried about that for a while. But framing them in white and then trimming them turned out to be a perfect solution. I debated over colored cornerstones, and again over adding a border, but I really like how the blocks seem to 'float' on the white background. All in all, a very fun summer quilt-along.

Linking up with {Sew} Modern Monday . . .

Friday Night Sew-In

Last night was Friday Night Sew-In, and it was all about my Summer Sampler! First off, she needed to be basted, and thankfully, it was a lovely evening, which allowed me to baste yet another quilt on the deck!

And then, of course, it was on to quilting.
Spray out the bobbin case.
Wind a couple of bobbins with my new Aurifil thread.
Install a new needle.
Screw on that walking foot.
And begin.

W.i.P. Wednesday

Here it is - W.i.P. Wednesday already!

Completed projects
Yay for a small finish - the Afternoon Snack table runner for my mom. {see here}

Ongoing projects

I finished my top for the Summer Sampler Series Quilt Along!

I am really loving it, and am anxious to baste it (I know!) and get quilting. The back is pieced - a simple lime with white dot; binding will be KONA Chartreuse. Hope to have a completed quilt to show you before long!

Cappuccino Bali Pop "Light & Shadow" - progress! I started piecing the bali pop strips (basically 2 1/2" jelly roll strips) - this step will take a while, but at least I've started!

Upcoming projects

* 4x5 modern Quilt Bee blocks.

* For the Love of Solids project.

* Charm squares for the Color Wheel Charm Swap.

* Stash quilt - zig zag quilt. 

* Shades of Grey.

* Quilts for our siblings.

On hold for a while

Block-a-palooza quilt along needs basted and quilted.

Head over to Freshly Pieced to see this week's w.i.p.s!

Finish it Up! ~ The Finale

When Meg of Fashioned by Meg began the Finish it Up! challenge in June, I had high hopes of finishing the three projects on my list - three sounded pretty reasonable. I promptly joined two quilt-alongs and several swaps. Nothing like complicating things from the get-go! 

So here's the list I've been working on:
1. Dream Big Finished!*

2. Light and Shadow Bali pop quilt Cut out*

3. Gentlemen Caller Finished!*
4. Kaleidoscope Finished!
5. Summer Sampler Series Top in progress
6. Afternoon Snack table runner Finished!
(*indicates my original Finish it Up! list*)


But at least I have four finishes to show for myself:

1. PWSC #6, 2. Dream Big complete!,

3. Kaleidoscope complete, 4. "Afternoon Snack" table runner

and a near-finish.

Summer Sampler blocks framed and ready to stitch into rows!

So all in all, it's been a productive summer! Thanks, Meg, and everyone in the flickr group for all the encouragement and inspiration!

Summer Sampler!

I must say I am pleased to have finished all the blocks for the Summer Sampler Series! I approached Block #12 slow and steady and all fell into place quite nicely!

So . . . here are all 12 blocks!

I'm planning on framing them all in white and then trimming to match, as they aren't all currently the same size. The framing should take care of those little differences. I was thinking of adding colored cornerstones, but I'm leaning away from that now - thoughts? Same with a border. Still a possibility, but probably not.

I did buy the end of the bolt of this yesterday, and am planning on having it play a part in the back - we'll see!

Finish it Up!

Another finish NOT on the Finish it Up! list - go figure. Kaleidoscope got finished up (see here) and pretty much made my week.


1. Dream Big Finished!

2. Light and Shadow Bali pop quilt 

3. Gentlemen Caller Finished!
4. Kaleidoscope Finished!
5. Summer Sampler Series
6. Afternoon Snack table runner


The Summer Sampler is coming along nicely. Wow, I did not anticipate as much paper-piecing as we've done. I confess it's not my favorite technique (last night's block was a doozy!), but the results are sure nice. But I have 10 of the 12 blocks done, so I'll get a breather soon. I'm starting to mull over how to finish this citrusy quilt - if you have any ideas, please feel free to share them!

Oh, and I have some swap-news. In today's mail were my charms from the I-Spy Spoonflower fabric swap hosted by Gen X Quilters!

Fun little prints - from trucks and rain boots to bicycles and sushi, little French bunnies and animated sandwiches, fruits, and veggies. Quite a varied little selection here, all delightfully custom printed fabric created at Spoonflower.


Well, the sewing room is calling, so I better pay attention. There's more to be done!

W.i.P. Wednesday

It's W.i.P. Wednesday again already!

Completed projects

Dream Big is all done, though photos of front and back are being saved for Gen X Quilters' Summer Fair: A Quilt and Recipe Show. The show starts today, but due to W.i.P. Wednesday, I'll be waiting until tomorrow to post. Quilts and recipes - that's right up my alley!

Ongoing projects

My Kaleidoscope quilt top is done and basted. I love how it is turning out! Last night I made the binding and quilting it is next on my agenda! 

The Summer Sampler Series Quilt Along is along coming along nicely! I finished block #7. I loved the blocks on flickr that had each star triangle in a different print fabric, but considering I was working with solids, I went ahead and made the string block. I really like how it turned out, and the pieced triangles were especially fun to make.

Afternoon Snack table runner and Cappuccino Bali Pop "Light & Shadow" have been started, but not much progress has been made. Once Kaleidoscope is done, I'm planning on facing both of these projects before I get totally wrapped up in bee blocks and swaps.

Upcoming projects

* Stash quilt - zig zag quilt. 

* Shades of Grey.
* For the Love of Solids project
* 4x5 modern Quilt Bee blocks

* Quilts for our siblings.

On hold for a while

Block-a-palooza quilt along needs basted and quilted.

Be sure and head over to Freshly Pieced to see more W.i.P.s! They are so inspiring!

Lucky Me!

Well, it's been a very fortuitous week for me! To start off, Susan of The History Quilter had a giveaway in celebration of her 100th post and I WON! Yesterday I received my winnings - a lovely panel, two patterns for use with pre-cuts and one for Susan's favorite "glam bag" (excited to try this!), a Clermont Farms charm pack, and a fat quarter pack of Riley Blake Designs Colorful Christmas Flannels. Wow! Thanks, Susan!! And congrats on your 100th post!

On top of that, Susan was kind enough to call out A Quilter's Table on her blog and podcast. Very kind. Do check out her podcast - it's fun!

Then, you already know I've been quilting along with the Summer Sampler Series. Am seriously enjoying it!

Well, it was a treat to be highlighted  in Swim, Bike, Quilt!'s mosaic yesterday. Revised post due to Kate's kind offer that I include her mosaic here! My block is #5.

click on links below for more information! 

1. Mosaic Block, 2. Summer Sampler Series - Greek Cross, 3. SSS8, 4. SSSQA Block #4 Flower Garden Path, 5. Block #4 ~ Flower Garden Path, 6. Summer Sampler Series Quilt Along: Flower Garden Path, 7. my favorite so far!, 8. Summer Sampler # 1, 9.Summer Sampler, Block 3, 10. S3 Block 1, 11. Block #1: Star of Virginia, 12. 13th July, 2011

Lastly, I received a fabric parcel from my favorite online vendor, and wouldn't you know, it was an incorrectly shipped order! Lucky for me, I was told to keep it with their compliments. I am happy to do so - two yards of Bella Solid Stone to enjoy. Nice!

All in all, it's been a very good week!

W.i.P. Wednesday

Welcome back for W.i.P. Wednesday! Don't miss out on Dots Swap! Go here for details and sign up (through Thursday), and then the swapping will begin!

Completed projects

Finished up 10 half-square triangle blocks for the Scrapbuster Swap, plus the 'thank you' mod tree block. Got all that mailed - yay!

Ongoing projects

My Kaleidoscope quilt along blocks are done, though I had a little 'incident' while trimming them tonight. I started squaring blocks to 12 1/2", and after doing 3 realized that my blocks really needed to be a tad larger to not cut off all the points when I pieced the blocks together. Not sure why, but as I went forward, I squared them to 12 3/4", to keep the integrity of those points. Needless to say, 3 blocks were now useless, so barring a change of heart and making more, my quilt will now be 4 blocks by 5, rather than 5 by 6. Oh well.

The Summer Sampler Series Quilt Along blocks are coming along nicely! I'm really enjoying making these!

Dream Big is done being quilted, but alas, still in not home. Hopefully Thursday.

Afternoon Snack table runner and Cappuccino Bali Pop "Light & Shadow" are still waiting for attention. I'd really like to have both of these done in the next few weeks!

Upcoming projects

* Stash quilt - zig zag quilt. 

* Shades of Grey.

* Quilts for our siblings.

On hold for a while

Block-a-palooza quilt along needs basted and quilted.

So there's my progress for this week! Be sure and head over to Freshly Pieced to see more W.i.P.s!

W.i.P. Wednesday

Time for W.i.P. Wednesday again!

Completed projects

Quilt #6 of the Prairie Women Sewing Circle is done. Yay. See the complete series here.

Ongoing projects

Still making half-square triangle blocks for the Scrapbuster Swap. There's alot of trimming and sewing still to be done on this little project. And this baby actually has a deadline, so I need to keep moving. But I have gotten a sample block done!

Whew! I finished my Kaleidoscope quilt along blocks! They overflowed my design wall, but here's some of them.

I joined the Summer Sampler Series Quilt Along hosted by Swim, Bike, Quilt, Fresh Lemons Quilts, and Freshly Pieced. I'm really excited about the citrus fabrics I'm using! The first block was a quick and easy one.

I finally cut out the Afternoon Snack table runner that my mom picked out. We're adapting this pattern by G. E. Designs. It's a quilt-as-you-go pattern, which I've only done a couple of times, but I think it'll go pretty quick.

Dream Big is still at the quilters. Anxious to see her again soon.

Cappuccino Bali Pop "Light & Shadow" is still standing by.

AND a new W.i.P. - a Dots Swap hosted by Rachel of Snippets of Sweetness and myself! Stop by tomorrow for all the details!

Upcoming projects

* Stash quilt - Sew Katie Did's zig zag quilt. After taking Katie's class last week, zig zag may move farther down my list, as I started a new hst quilt in the class. We'll see.

* Shades of Grey.

* Quilts for our siblings.

On hold for a while

Block-a-palooza quilt along needs basted and quilted.

That's it for this week! Be sure and head over to Freshly Pieced to see more W.i.P.s!