I pulled out some leftover Block Lotto blocks last night.
I measured the leftover fabric and came up with a quick plan.
I had a little bit of fun playing with my sewing machine stitch selector and some variegated thread.
One more bag hanging. One more birthday present.
Only 2 more to go this week!
With Joy,
Sarah Vee
I finished my final blocks to contribute to this month's Block Lotto. I used up all of the cream scraps that I have! I would really like to win this month as I love this setting. And if I don't win? This quilt goes on the
I received this yummy mail from Kay Mackenzie. You can see the review I did of her new applique book here.
I've also been playing with holly. Or at least templates of holly. Which seems quite appropriate with our April snow. The deadline is quickly approaching to enter a block for the NEXT Quiltmaker's 100 Block issue - which comes out in November. Is that a big enough clue for what I was working on?! {a very early sneak peek at possibly nothing. ha ha!}
I've got two days off work in a row and plan to put them to good use!
This was my main design wall last night - it's full now but you'll have to wait to see what I'm making because
It's a quilt using my block that will be in the next issue of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks!!!!
I'm soooooo excited:)
Here's a peek at the fabrics I've picked out - although now I've replaced this green with a brighter, 'limier' solid. I will have the top made in time for the blog tour, not sure if it will be quilted! The fabric combinations I was playing with on this post, unfortunately won't work as I need some 1/2 yard amounts and most of them were fat quarters. But, I'm really happy with how it's looking now:)
You can find more info about the new issue at Quiltmaker's blog.
While you're there you just might recognize the blog of a fellow Monday Design Wall blogger:
On my little mini shammy design wall I have 3 modern clover blocks. This is April's Block Lotto block and I love all the setting possibilities. I definitely have plans to make some more for myself - if I'm not a lucky winner this month!
My Design Wall this week has these 6 cupcakes up for my niece's birthday present.
I'm challenging myself to make my nieces and nephew birthday gifts that incorporate their age this year.
The cupcake is a free pattern from Stephanie at Loft Creations that I couldn't resist using as soon as I saw it.
I think I'm going to make it a pillowcase. I have lots of the pink with small polka dots {thanks, sis!} to use on the back, or I might cut strips from several of the fabrics for the back.
This morning I also finished up two more blocks for January's Block Lotto.
I also made another Lady of the Lake block. It's been officially decided around here that I need to add another row of blocks - 20 blocks. A few ladies from Pat Sloan's Quilt Mashup Forum have generously offered to make some for me. Thank You!!!
This quilt will be queen sized and on my bed for July when we celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary! Here's a link to how much I had done before out anniversary LAST year!!!
That's after I finish my String Quilt and my Sew Modern Bee quilt. I'm trying to finish some quilts this year - wish me luck:)
Check out some more design walls for inspiration through the links at Judy's blog today.
With Joy,
Sarah Vee
My Design Wall today is holding up lots of works in progress.
On the left {behind Molly Monkey} are my string blocks for October. 1 more to go this week.
The Variable Stars are for October's Block Lotto. I can make 2 more max - the goldish square you can see on the bottom right is the centre of one more.
On the right is part of a large liberated Churn Dash for my Sew Modern Bee month. I need to buy some more white yardage to keep going. I mailed out my fabrics to my bee mates on Friday so I need to get busy putting my tutorial up for the churn dash. I need to complete 4 more large churn dashes. Here is a link that shows my plan for this quilt.
So, with all this busyness going on, I started to play!
I pulled these fabrics from my stash.
I laid them on top of this pattern to see if I liked how they played together.
I'm planning to make this little wallhanging. It's from my well loved, cover missing, Quilt Sampler 1998. Recently I have been more and more interested in primitive quilts. I find liberated piecing and antique folk quilts to be quite similar. The joy of colour is everywhere.
So, while I didn't start cutting anything, I do have a nice little pile of prints ready for me!
Check out the other design walls this week through the links at Judy's blog.
With Joy,
Sarah Vee
Three more variable stars for the Block Lotto.
I can add up to four more to maximize my chances for winning:)
My second October string block.
Molly the Monkey is STILL wondering about her neck stuffing.
Maybe during football I can stitch her back together.
A cottage block using Nanette's tutorial.
I'm going to ask my Sew Modern Bee mates to make these for my signature blocks.
With Joy,
Sarah Vee
My mom has been sl-o-o-w to catch on to email and the internet, but she does check my blog regularly. She commented I didn't have anything new up so I'm doing a progress report. For her.
The Lucky Charms quilt top is assembled. I need to square it up and quilt it. It may be staying in my house instead of being given away. I really do enjoy these soft colours and rarely use them.
Two Variable Stars {wonky stars} for this month's Block Lotto. Really quick and really fun.
My labeled tower of pieces and things
I made this house door hanging for my sister. It will fit down the linen closet door she is using in her new sewing space.
I made one house for each season using up some scraps. In this closer shot of the 'spring' house you might be able to see my free motion daisies in the sky. {click on the photo to take a closer look} I took the cue from the daisies in the fabric I used for the chimney. In the outer border I did two wiggly lines to frame the house blocks.
I used Nanette's cottage tutorial to make these blocks.
This month's Block Lotto block is houses too.
And Cherri House has a free house block out as well!
With Joy,
Sarah Vee
Two rose blocks for this month's Block Lotto. The blocks are 9 1/2 inches unfinished.
Check out the Block Lotto blog to see all the different colours of roses blooming. Guidelines to make your own can be found at the top left sidebar on the blog.
Remember my organizing to shop for more fabrics for my Sew Modern Bee month? This is a photo of what I came home with. I will have to start making some practice blocks to get ready - November is creeping up!
I'm working on a few things right now. A few too many, probably! I will get some more photos into the computer today and have more to share soon.
With Joy,
Sarah Vee
I managed to complete 4 fireworks blocks for the July Block Lotto. This was all of the black tone on tone I had in my stash. Does it count as stash if you buy it ahead of time for this specifically? Anyway, I've also run out of time so I will leave it at 4 and hope to be one of the winners this month.
There's always next month:)
I can reveal my July Sew Modern Bee block now that Nicole has received it. She requested 12 1/2 inch unfinished blocks with a circles theme. You can look back at this post to see some of my inspirations and tools I used. I think the coloured thread around some of the circles really helped this block.
Here it is before being sewn together:
Here is the another look at the sewn block {you can click on it to make it bigger}:
I blanket stitched around the centre circle with a bright pink thread, and around the little bird circles with turquoise. The rest of the circles I stitched with my neutral sewing thread leaving the raw edge exposed.
You can see the circle blocks Nicole has received so far by visiting the Sew Modern Bee flickr site.
With Joy,
Sarah Vee
My design wall is pretty basic this week. Just the necessities. Two of my July string blocks are now completed. I may get a chance to do one more this week before we head out again:)
These circles are what's left to attach to this month's Sew Modern Bee block. That's all of the sneak peek I can give you! Nicole wants it to be a surprise so I'll reveal once she reveals it on our bee flickr site!
There are lots of ideas being blogged lately about using up scraps.
Here are a few of my methods.
My string blocks are made each week from fabrics I've been using that week. When I started I had to reach into my strip bin to find enough. But it lives right under the cutting table,
So my strips and storage is always close. {The bin is divided with a piece of cardboard to keep foundation scraps on one side. And I will admit to another small bin of scraps beneath the strips that still need to be sorted} The fusible batting lives in there for now because I really want to try Gudrun's tree she did{called Sweet Trimmings} during LAST Fall's Cross Country Christmas blog hop! I finally found some fusible batting when I checked out a little gift store while we were shopping for a new car!
My liberated Churn Dash was made on the spur of the moment. It was easy because my scraps were already sorted by colour.
Some of my scraps end up in reused strawberry containers that I've cut the lids off of and put in the top drawer of my storage unit. I sort them by colour and it's a great place for me to find that one piece I need to add to applique. In this case, I enjoyed the challenge of using the scraps I already had sorted to make a bright, fun block.
June's Block Lotto blocks have given me the chance to use up some odd size scraps. These are ones that won't make 2 1/2 inch squares or larger pieces.
I store lots of my scraps in different reused strawberry containers. These ones have waste triangles, 3 inch strips and Christmas scraps separated from various projects. The middle bottom one is where I found my scraps for the baskets.
At one point I even went through and measured scraps to make more of Nanette's cottage houses. I noted the number of pieces and the size required on the sides of the bins. I do have some bigger pieces I should spend some time cutting for this project. I think some cottages and liberated baskets would be happy together in a quilt:)
I have a larger freezer baggie pinned above my cutting table. I put my selvages in it as I work. Once it's full and I"ve played with some, I dump them into this bin. It's getting full so I will have to do some more selvage projects again. I'm thinking of pulling out the Christmas ones to make a stocking.
Lots of scraps in lots of places. Even if you try just one, it will make play time that much easier.
This is my latest scrap cuttings. I am cutting 2 1/2 inch squares in the hopes of making a watercolour quilt someday. I have always liked them and felt I would have to start collecting a whole different type of fabrics to make one. Wanda suggested to just start cutting from what I have - and I'm happy to say I think I will be able to make my very own SEW JOY Watercolour quilt one day! I'm finishing up another quilt so I can start to keep these cut blocks sorted by colour on the tray I'm using. Maybe for my 40th birthday {wow! am I really going to have one of those} in a few years I'll have enough. It's either that or a 'real' applique quilt.
With Joy,
Sarah Vee
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