Wonky Stars Revisited...

With thoughts of finishing quilts in my head lately (see this post) I decided to go through my stuff and make a list of quilts started and not anywhere close to being finished.  Works.  In.  Progress.  There's a list (that is not complete, by the way) on my sidebar, which I guess I've been ignoring.  Oh. My. Gosh.  It's crazy! 


I must get at them.  Right?  I have a few big projects that I am dying to get at, but my head is full of all this other stuff.  The 'waiting to be worked on and finished' stuff.  

So, without further ado...

Here's the first one.  Last year,  I was in an Aqua and Red Block Swap.  When it was my month, I asked for wonky stars...and I got them!  Aren't they awesome?  (I actually received 19, so I'm guessing I didn't photograph them all???)

This wonky star quilt is one of the ones that got off to a good start and then I let it sit.  I was even super organized with it...all the squares of fabric are cut and stored in a bin.  It takes no time at all to make one wonky star.  So...why have I let it sit?

Who knows.  It really doesn't matter right now.  Cuz, I do have a plan! 

I need 64 blocks for the front and 3 for the back.  67.  If I put in a little time here and there and make a wonky star...or two...they'll be done in no time at all!  In fact, since making that plan, I made 8 of them!   

 
Now I only need 40.  I can deal with that number.  

How about you?  Do you start projects and then get distracted?  Or, do you finish one before you start the next one?    


Have a restful Sunday evening!




"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Bee Block and Stars for Baby...

The weather is unseasonably warm, which is absolutely fine with me!  In the high 40's...in January!  And, no snow.  I do wonder what that will mean for the next few months.  It's a bit scarey.

My aqua and red bee block swap continues after a month off.  Here is the block I made for Sally.  She was so nice...sent all the pieces cut out and also sent along complete instructions with colored photos!  This was a very quick and easy pinwheel block to put together for her.

I started a baby quilt yesterday.  Should have been done last week, but I just didn't get to it.  A baby girl quilt.  Pink, but not too much 'in your face' pink.  Ya know?  So, there is a lot of white surrounding the pink not-too-wonky stars.  I've only got blocks made...am in the middle of deciding where to go from here.

That's all I have going on right now.  

Almost time to go squeeze into the big easy chair with the brown boy and watch one of my favorite shows.  

(That would be Hawaii 5-O.) 

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."Jeremiah 29:11

Pinwheels...Everywhere!

In my Aqua and Red Block bee,

Karen asked for pinwheels...

lots of them.

This was the specific block

she asked for.

We could either do the block

with 16 mini pinwheels,

or a combo of mini & larger pinwheels.

I opted to make one larger

pinwheel with 12 minis...

I really like how it turned out.

And, I believe that I

mentioned this before...

Maureen (coworker) and I bartered...

hours of cleaning for a quilt.

I started on the quilt today.

She is going to give it to her

15 year old granddaughter.

I think it is going to be awesome!

I love how this first block turned out...

makes me excited to do more!

Going to take a little break now...

figure skating is on.

Edited to add:  got 4 pinwheel blocks done and am calling it quits for the night.

Have a good and relaxing Sunday evening.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."Jeremiah 29:11

Flower Girl & Bee

My granddaughter, Kaylynn, 

was flower girl for her Mom's wedding
this past weekend.

I had to share the photos that were sent to me...

 

Beautiful {sigh} just beautiful. 

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We're ahead in our Aqua and Red Block Bee...

this is October's block.

Christine asked for a 10.5" unfinished

block with hst's using this layout.

I chose to make mine totally symmetrical.

I rather like it.

Today is Friday...last workday of the week...have a good one!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11

On the Second & Third Days...

I've mentioned the 'aqua and red bee'

block swap that I'm in...

and I've posted photos of blocks

I've made for others

(here, here, here, and here).   

Well, August was my month.

Time for the 11 others to make blocks for me.

I was totally inspired by this

aqua and red wonky star quilt.

Isn't it fun???

I love it!

The link to its Flickr page is here.

So.

I asked for wonky stars in 9" finished blocks.

I'll have a total of 18 from my swap group...

which means I need to make

a whole lot more myself!

But, that's okay...

wonky stars are fun & easy to make.

Go here to see the tutorial.

I asked (read bribed)...
and most of the group agreed

to make 2 blocks for me.

I've gotten 12 of the blocks back...

6 more are coming.

Here are the 12...

Aren't they fun?
I'll show the other 6 when they all get here.

 

In other sewing news...

I put together the backing

for the wonky charms quilt

(which I showed here)

and will get that

basted/quilted/finished in the near future.

I traced out block 9 of the 'snow days' quilt.
Look for that to be completed
sometime soon.

Remember the cracked tree limb?

Well...it fell!

Through the fence and onto the patio!

Julie saw it at noontime today...

called our landlord and he came down

right away with his chain saw.  

Didn't take long for it to be all cleaned up!

Thank you, Julie and Curt!

The fencing is back up now, too.

It's a bit damaged...

somewhat 'wrinkled'...

but it will keep the dogs contained.

Have a good rest of the day.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11

Red & Aqua Strings...

It was a pretty quiet day around here.

It rained part of the day.

I read.

I stitched on block 6 of the 'Snow Days' project.
(it's a small block and it's almost done!)

I took a nap.  

I put together these two blocks for the

'aqua and red block swap' that I am in.

Shanna asked for 2 string blocks
to be made using this tutorial.

They were fun to make!

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 August is my month...

for those in the swap to make blocks for me.

When I get them back, I will post photos.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11

Bees, Dolls, Strawberries and Fights...

 Not much going on today.

Gonna hurry up and get this out of the way...

I messed up.

I didn't do the 'measure twice, cut once' thing.

So...you'll notice that these plates have no centers.

Erin (the one they're for 

in my aqua and red block bee swap)

told me not to worry.

Just send them back

and she'll put the centers on.

I hate when I mess up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I finally decided on a pattern

and fabrics for the DQS11!

(see the button on my sidebar)

Some of these are civil war reproduction fabrics.

Others look good together with them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Watched this dvd today...

I really enjoy Mark Wahlberg...

not this movie so much, though.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Had one of these today...

That's two alcoholic drinks in 12 days.

I think my sister is a bad influence.

I normally don't have two drinks in 12 months!

That's all I have!

I'm going to sit quietly and stitch on my 

snow days block 5 for the rest of the evening.

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Stay cool!

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might. - Ecclesiastes 9:10

Almost Monday...

It's early evening on Sunday.

Time to sit and relax

before the work week begins.

What have I been up to?

Well, for one...

I've been steadily working on 

block 5 of the Snow Days quilt.

It's a larger block than the previous 4, 

so it's taking longer.

But, it's getting there.

That's what I'll be working on

for the rest of the evening.

Other projects have been

started and finished.

Three in total.

Can only show two right now, though.

The first is another red tote. 

Are you getting tired of seeing red?

I kinda am.

The next one I make will not be red.

Promise!

I had this one mostly made

and decided it was too small for Sally.

So, I made her another one.

The one I gave her is shown here.

This one measures 9 x 11 x 2,

which I decided might be just

the perfect size for

taking a walk in the park.

So, I finished it

and will be gifting it soon.

 My sister, Joyce, wanted a library book bag

for her grandson, Trent.

His birthday is in a few weeks.

I put this together for him today.

Measuring about 12 1/2 x 11 inches,
it is lined...and has a small pocket
inside for his library card.

The other finish will be shown sometime soon.

I had my first grilled burger of this year!

ohman, was it good!

Last night, Julie and I were invited

next door for supper.

YUMMY!!

Hamburgers, potato salad,

chips and salsa, grilled squash,

and strawberry cake.

It was really nice to have some 
social time and to think about
something other than sewing.

August is my month in the

aqua and red block swap.

I'll be busy getting my

fabric ready to mail out.

More on that at another time.

Hope your weekend was great!

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might. - Ecclesiastes 9:10

Bee Blocks, Paper Piecing, Next Project...

I never get as much done as I think I will.

Or, even as much as I want to.

I often make lists of things to do.

I seldom stick to the list.

There is always something that comes up.

Sometimes, I decide that I just plain

don't feel like doing what is on the list.

Ya know?

So.

I had a ton of stuff on my list

for this 3 day holiday weekend.

I accomplished about 1/3 of it.

Am I upset about that?

Nope.

I had a great weekend.

That's what counts.

Right?

I did get some sewing in for

the 'aqua and red block bee swap'.

Lynne asked for sampler-type blocks.

I made two for her

(just cuz I could).

These are both 12 1/2 inch blocks...

Then, the dreaded paper-piecing block.

I was quite hesitant about this one,

never before having done paper piecing.

However, the video found here made me 

feel more at ease...like I could actually do this!

So, I did.

Let me tell you...

talk about time-consuming!

There are 4 sections to this block.

And, 2 parts to each section.

That means...8 parts to paper piece!

But, toward the end,

I was zipping right along.

 

I'm not sure if I'll look for 

paper-pieced projects to 

work on in the future.

But, I've now had the experience,

so it won't be quite so daunting

next time I run across it.

All that being said, 

here's the kaleidoscope pattern block.

It's not perfect, but I am quite happy with it.

 What else did I do these past three days?

*Ate my pint of ice cream.

*Ate lunch at Culver's.

*Sat in the front yard with Julie...

drinking our strawberry margaritas.

*Bathed Tag.

*Cleaned sewing room windows.

*The usual laundry, dishes, etc. stuff.

What's ahead?

Here are the makings of my next project...

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might. - Ecclesiastes 9:10

A Few Things Finished...

Ya know how sometimes you have an idea...

and it just doesn't work out?

The end product looks nothing at all

like what you had pictured?

 I've had plenty of those.

But, I've also had the ones that turn out

better than what I had hoped for!

This is one of the good ones.

I've made drawstring bags before...

back when my boys were toddlers.

A very long time ago.

Joyce asked for a drawstring bag

to give her grandson, Riley.

I had some blocks left from the quilt

I made for him last year...see it here.

I used 9 of those blocks to make the front of the bag
and used Kona cotton solid in Avocado for the back.

I found one (and only one)

turtle that I could use as a patch.

I put that on the back.

It is lined with another Kona cotton solid
- a light green - 

(can't remember the name).

Measuring 11.5 x 14.5 inches,

it is a good size for him to use

for hauling his stuff around.

I think it is dang stinkin' cute!

{grin}

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 In my Aqua and Red Bee Block Swap...

Bek asked for a 15.5 inch wonky star block.

I am really liking these red and aqua fabrics!

That's all I have to show for now.

Hopefully, this will be a productive weekend.

Have a great weekend!

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might. - Ecclesiastes 9:10

Coins & Bees...

I was able to finish a few things this week.

I made a coin purse for Joyce

that matches the purple tote

I made for her (shown here).

In the Aqua & Red Block Bee,

we have two blocks to make each month

for the next 6 months.

 We were given complete freedom with Carrie's block.

This isn't what I originally intended, but this

is what my block for her ended up being. 

 

Erin (Why Not Sew?), wanted a wonky star block.

Following this tutorial

I quickly put this block together.

Wonky stars are fun and easy peasy...

I love it!

 

I have another tote to make

and then I'll be caught up.

What have you been working on?

Aqua & Red...

So.

I joined a bee.  

Why?  Cuz they're fun.  

And, because I have nothing else to do.

It's called the 'Aqua and Red Block Bee'.

(See the button on my sidebar.)

I love the aqua/red color combination

and have yet to make anything with those colors.

When Erin, of Why Not Sew? started up this bee,

I quickly joined.

(You may remember Erin from the "we double rock swap"

she & I did 2 years ago...click here & here).

I have no red and aqua fabrics in my stash.
Really.
Well, perhaps a few pieces.
But nowhere near what I'll need.
I have plenty of time to pick some up here and there.

I stopped at my LQS today to
drop off my 'Just One Star' blocks (2!).
My LQS gathered a total of 44 star blocks
from its customers...woohoo!!!

While there,
I looked around to see what they had
for aqua and red fabrics.

I found these...

Yes, I bought them.
Are you surprised?
Don't be.
You know I have no willpower.
(Won't that red stripe make the best binding?)

I think that's a good start, don't you?

I have no idea what type of blocks I'll want...

stars or log cabins or what,

but that part doesn't need to be

decided for a few months, yet.

I also picked up one of these charm packs...

It's scrumptious.

It's for a future project.

That's all I'm going to say about it.

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might. - Ecclesiastes 9:10