making mini's...

9-patches that is. :-)

Holly had a really good question about these mini blocks so I'll try to answer it for this post. The mini 9-patch swap is a year-long swap run by Bingo~Bonnie. First we did the blues and browns; next up are oranges and reds. I got all my strips cut out for 6 sets of each color. Guess you know what I'll be sewing on for a while! :-) Round 3 will be greens and Round 4 will be yellows and purples. By the end of the year, I should have a rainbow of these little guys to use however I want. I've been looking at lots of different quilt patterns... do I want to use them all in one quilt? or use them for cornerstones/sashing for a number of quilts? It's a really hard decision to make! I guess time will tell! :-)

Happy Stitching!

Mini 9-patches...

Remember the mini 9-patches I sent away a few weeks ago? I got my swapped blocks back! :-) (you can click on the photo's to make them bigger)

That is 60 blue 3.5 inch unfinished blocks and 60 brown 3.5 inch unfinished blocks. :-) Whoohoo! The next round is oranges and reds. I'd better get healthy so I can get sewing!

Catching up...

This is what I did over the weekend. Swapped out the teal/brown blocks. We did stars in the teal/brown colors with the block maker choosing her star patterns. There were paper-pieced stars and regular pieced~ whatever the participant was comfortable making. We got lots of lovely stars! I know everyone will have beautiful quilts from this swap. I need to get to the PO to get them mailed back to their owners, but I've been sick with the 'crud'. Nasty head and chect cold. :-( I don't dare drive anywhere until I can breathe a little better... I needed to set up 2 extra tables to get all the blocks out before I started swapping. It pretty much took all day, with little family interuptions here and there. ;-) I can hardly wait for the ladies to get their blocks back and hear about their reactions!

Have a happy day!~

Mail!~

Whoohoo!! Stephanie over at Hualapai Quilter was organizing her books and discovered a surplus. I was the lucky winner of 'Tried and True'! :-) The moment I saw the cover, my mind started working. :-)) I don't know what it is with me, but I always want to make the quilt that I see on the cover of a book! Does that happen to you too? ;-) I'm off to enjoy my new book.... Thank-you Stephanie!! :-)

Those Pink and Brown Pineapple Blossom Blocks...

It seems like it was a long time ago (was it really January ?) when I showed my first pink and brown Pineapple Blossom blocks, but the day to swap is here! Yay! One of the biggest problems with hosting a long-term swap is that there is always a high drop-out rate. For one reason or another people sign up thinking the due date is so far away that they will have plenty of time. It's never as far as you think! I ended up with 7 loyal swappers who made between 8 and 24 blocks each. This photo shows the swap in progress. I don't think I'll ever tire of swapping, no matter the challenges. Maybe I do it for the challenges~? Now I have a pile of blocks with so many different fabrics I never could have collected this many pinks and browns on my own. :-) ...and that is the beauty of a swap. ;-)

Happy stitching!~

More teals and browns...

I think I love this color combination! :-) Either that, or I have so much of it I need to use it! LOL These blocks are from Jinny Beyer's website. They are called the Seaside Star variation. They are not paper-pieced, and there are no set in seams, yet they look complex! I love it when a pattern does that! :-) Teal is a funny color... I've asked at different quilt shops and have been shown bolts of 'teal green' and 'teal blue', and everyone has an opinion as to what 'teal' is. I can't decide which I like better, the bluer stars or the greener. I think, I like them both! ;-)

Happy Stitchin'!

It's Friday!

I love Friday's! I look forward to the slower pace of weekends... although some weekends are not so slow! ;-) Some weekends I look forward to Monday's, for a little peace and quiet. LOL

Today I just puttered around the house, and those are my favorite Friday's! I finished up all of my blocks for a swap. We are swapping teal and brown star blocks. I made the Maryland Star from Carol Doak's 50 Fabulous Paper-Pieced Stars book, the Sweden Star from her Mariner's Compass Stars book, and I found the Seaside Star variation on Jinny Beyer's website. I made 6 of each star for the swap. They each presented their own challenges. I'm not a speedy paper-piecer and it seemed like the Sweden Stars took me the longest to do. The Seaside Stars are not paper-pieced and although complex looking, they were not too difficult. Just the kinda break I needed. ;-)

Hopefully I'll be able to play in my flowerbeds this weekend... another favorite of mine. ;-)

Have a happy weekend!