Row By Row Linky

This Row Along was a most exciting adventure for me. 

It was the 3rd time I participated in any type of blog hop.

It was the first time I have designed more than "just a block" to share with others.

Marian Pena did so much to organize this Row Along. She had the help of Amy and Bea.  

Here, now, are the projects I designed using various blocks and rows. 

My Welcome Spring banner
is 44" wide by 46" long.
I paper pieced the airplane from Carla at Creatin' in the Sticks
and added my own cloud design.
Carol at FunThreads Designs designed the butterfly.
Darlene at Quilt Shop Gal had a cute bird to sit on my fence.
After a long winter, the squirrel is a bit skinnier than Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts
had designed, but he fits nicely in the space on my fence.
The paper pieced chicks and grass are from Jennifer at Sew Hooked.
 I designed the birdhouse in EQ7 as a paper pieced block.

My vine is wide rick-rack, glued down with permanent fabric glue.

I used "silk" flowers from the craft store which I took apart 

so I had single layers of petals. 

I glued them down on top of the leaves that came with the flowers. 

I glued some beads in the center for a bit of glitz.

I had some pebble fabric for the chicks to walk scratch in. 

I finished the quilt with mitered borders and blue binding.

I want to thank my longarm quilter, Michelle Fialek, 

who does such a wonderful job of making my quilts look spectacular. 

I  made a bed runner for the queen bed in our guest room. 

It measures 60" long x 23" wide.

Again, I used the butterfly from Carol at FunThreads Designs. 

I searched EQ7 using the notecards to find other butterfly patterns

that I appliqued with fusible web. 

I used my fence block pattern with appliqued flowers and leaves on the vines

and yo-yo flowers on the fence posts centers.

The grassy area was made after reading about the filler rows 

that Bea from Beaquilter and Anneke at Stof genoeg shared.

The binding was a fun multi-colored flower fabric that had all the

 colors from the bed runner in it.

Below is a photo taken straight on so you can see the design better. 

I have more projects in the works and will post them as I finish them.

Get my block free HERE.

New York Beauty Blocks

 


I was very happy to have sewn these 2 New York Beauty blocks for the Gridster Bee swap today. For the last few months hip trouble has made anything including sewing difficult. Today I could sew! These were the first New York Beauty blocks I have ever sewn.

I used Electric Quilt to print the paper piecing patterns. I used the patterns available in the EQ7 Block Library.

I also sewed some of the scrap blocks for the Scrap Dance Mystery Quilt Along at From My Carolina Home. One never knows with a mystery quilt, so I hope the blue and white scraps I'm using will make a great king size quilt for our room.

Have you ever sewn a mystery quilt? Were you happy with it?

Are you participating in the Scrap Dance Mystery Quilt Along? 

Island Batik Blog Hop

My quilt top went to the longarm quilter the other day.

The New Beginings Blog Hop started on January 10 and runs until February 1. 

February 1st is the day I will post my completed quilt. Here is a little peek.

I have been following along daily with the Ambassadors' posts. There are some very nice quilted projects, some patterns, and some giveaways! 

Check it out if you haven't done that yet. 

Begin HERE at the Island Batik Blog Site. 

You will find all the links there. 

Quilt Projects in Progress

The last 2 tree blocks arrived on Saturday for my Mid-Century Modern Bee swap. 

I then made two more blocks to complete the quilt top. 

I have an idea for quilting. I am thinking of leaf motif in the green blocks

and swirls in the blue blocks. 

I sent this pillow to my niece. 

She had a sweatshirt that I felt was too thick to use in the t-shirt quilt.

I had to add an extra piece of sweatshirt fabric to the top where the neckline was cut.

I wanted to center the logo. 

I sent it off to her and hope she likes it when it arrives. 

Back to work on my New Beginnings Island Batik Project.
Happy quilting!

New Beginnings Blog Hop

The New Beginnings Blog Hop with the Island Batik Ambassadors began on January 6. 

The newest fabrics (released at Fall Market in Houston, TX) have been used in projects by the Ambassadors. The list of project posts for you to view is listed below. My project is on the last day, but here is a peek at what I am doing with the Merry and Bright fabric line. I will have a giveaway on my post, so check back on February 1. 

Friday, January 6 – Hop Introduction!
Island Batik 

Monday, January 9 – Coastal Mist

Stone Cottage Quilts

Tuesday, January 10 – Dotalicious
DelLillians
Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting
PamelaQuilts
Inchworm Fabrics

Wednesday, January 11 – Drizzle
Webster Quilt

Thursday, January 12 – Fifi and Fido + Happy Hounds
Mary Mack Made Mine
Quilting Affection

Friday, January 13 – Fresh Catch
Bejeweled Quilts by Barb

Monday, January 16 – Glowing Embers
Purrfect Spots Designs

Tuesday, January 17 – Lake Life
Freemotion by the River

Wednesday, January 18 – River’s Edge
Ark Angle Creations
Jennifer Sewing

Friday, January 20 – Blushing Blooms
Desert Bloom Quilting

Monday, January 23 – Gone Fishin’
Maria Michaels Designs

Wednesday, January 25 – Surf and Sand
The Patchwork Pearl
Beaquilter

Thursday, January 26 – Twilight Blush
KISSed Quilts

Friday, January 27 – Happy Harvest
For Quilts Sake

Monday, January 30 – Jolly Holly
Kauffman Designs

Tuesday, January 31 – Frost
MooseStash Quilting

Wednesday, February 1 – Merry and Bright
Patchwork Breeze
Sally’s Quilting Corner

New Year Quilt Projects

I finished 2016 by sewing together the tree blocks I got from my bee-mates in the Mid-Century Modern Bee in November. One set is in the mail and on it's way. I will add another 2 blocks of my own. I am very pleased with how my concept for this wall hanging turned out. Each member did improv cutting and sewing to create a tree with blue background and one with green background. I have a few quilting motif ideas I am tossing about in my head.

The past year has been wonderful working with the ladies in the Mid-Century Modern Bee. But it is dis-banning. However, one of the members started a new bee called Gridsters. I am looking forward to creating with some of the former members and some new quilters this coming year. In fact, our first block for January's Queen Bee has been requested--a New York Beauty. This is a block I have never made, so I think it will be a bit of a challenge.

I have been busy with projects this new year. 
I began on New Year's Day with the Merry Mayhem Mystery Quilt. This is a free, yearly mystery quilt. It begins at 10 AM EST with the 2nd clue (sewing). The 1st clue is cutting directions given before January 1. Every hour a new clue is posted and we quilters progress with the project. I have participated for 4 years now and have enjoyed each project. Here is the small quilt top I finished this year.

And during the past few days I have been constructing a T-shirt quilt for my niece using her college shirts. She knows it is being made and I have consulted with her on her ideas for finishing and quilting motifs, so I feel fine posting it here. 

What have you been working on this first week of the New Year? 

Resolutions for Crafting

The topic of Val's Tuesday Archives today is New Year Resolutions. Her email prompted me to write this specific post. I have been thinking, as I am sure many of us do when the new year arrives, what can I do differently? My major stumbling block to what I want to do is my disorganized craft area. Taking a bit of time here, I have written my New Year’s Resolutions. I began today, tidying up after working on my niece's t-shirt quilt blocks. Now to form that habit! 

So, thank you for taking time to read my "goals" and I plan to fulfill them as the year goes on. 

• Have fun creating. Sometimes I feel like I am pushing myself to create. That is when I know my muse is hiding, or it is time walk away for a bit. There are also other things that interfere in my creative enjoyment. And, that leads to the rest of my list of resolutions.
• Be organized by using a planner. I have plenty of spiral notebooks to use (from the daughters’ days in high school and college). I know I need to keep track of when the BOMs are posted, so I don't miss a pattern. What do I want to accomplish for the month, week, day? When I was teaching I had a lesson plan for the entire week. It kept me on track. I need that in my creative life, too.  
• It is OK to get rid of somethings. I have made so many projects using minimal materials. I now realize yards of fabrics are not needed to make quilts. Storing yards of fabrics takes up space that could be better used in a more pleasingly decorative manner. (Hubby is all for me minimizing my crafting footprint outside of my designated space!)
• Tidy-up my craft area before quitting for the day. The next day my tidy work area should tell me I am ready to create.
• Post blogs at least once a week. Of course, more posts are fine, but I feel bad when I go for a few weeks without blogging.
• Share a monthly project giving step-by-steps and/or downloadable instructions for others to create with me. This is why I began blogging -- to share with others. And I appreciate others sharing with me. We all learn things. 
• Revamp the list of blogs I follow. I have not been consistent in checking many of my favorite blogs simply because I have them bookmarked here or there. I don’t have a master list.
• Post more of my projects to Instagram. From all I have read, Instagram is the newest and fastest way to share with others what is happening.  One of my goals is to let others know about my patterns and projects. I will get my Instagram link on my blog page.

Now, on to Val's Tuesday Archives to read what others have resolved to do in 2017. 

Happy New Year!