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Monday, June 29, 2020

Mini Monday - Mickey says... RELAX!!!

Welcome to another edition of Mini Monday!!  I shared the starting point last week, but...


Thanks to Nann @ With Strings Attached, I made progress on this "Mickey says..." mini made from leftovers from last week's Big Blue Scrap Basket and these free-hand drawn letters:



The making...

I did some "made fabric" LAST year, but didn't find it until I was loading the dark blue scraps into my latest Quilted Scrap Basket:


The smaller slab was used for my Pineapple Pieces block and the larger piece was used in the making of Skinny Bin Deluxe, but I still had a good sized chunk leftover from the making of Big Blue.  I arranged the (paper) letters...


... Then chose fabric scraps and cut:


Next, I pinned the letters in place, since I didn't use fusible:


Once at the machine, I did a straight stitch around the edges of the letters, through the batting and backing...


... And prepared to add the quilting:



First, by echoing the beginning, middle(ish), and end of the word, as the spacing didn't allow for more than that...


... Then, by outlining the shape of the word.  Multiple times:


In the photo above, you can see that the quilting was followed by squaring up and prepping the binding.  While below, the completed mini is shown, ready for gifting:



The delivery...

Before leaving for the party, I took a quick shot with the lily blooming by the mailbox, even though the lighting didn't show the true colors like the photo above:



YOU might have seen the other gift in Friday's Design Floor Friday post.  Today, I'm sharing the second part of the gift.

Love, love, LOVE the recipient's "Oh!  Look at this!" reaction:


The retiree, with her gifts:


The masked maker, with the retiree and her gifts:



These gifts were DrEAMI projects.  I'm SEW excited to be able to link-up with Sandra @ mmmquilts.

Why, Joyful???

Because of these reasons:
  1. I chose to DropEverythingAndMakeIt!!!
  2. I actually remembered the link-up this time.
  3. PLUS, I made the deadline for joining in.  (Always the challenge for me.)
Whooping it up with Sarah
@

and

Cynthia
for

Until next time...
SEW much fun!!!
at 12 comments:

Saturday, June 27, 2020

ScrapHappy Saturday - RSC20 - Week 26

Welcome to Week 26 of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!!  Some of the RSC Quilters are scrambling to finish up their PINK scrap sewing.  Some are already done.  Me?  I fall somewhere in between.

Let's see how this week unfolded...

SUNDAY - This weekend, I concentrated on cutting...


... And sewing one PINK Scrap Buster Challenge block:


You may or may not notice that my block isn't constructed as a modified Double 4-Patch like the Square Dance pattern linked above.  I had some trouble with fabric placement when making my first block earlier this year.  My friend Libby @ Hillside Quilter suggested that I try her method.  (Thanks again, Lib!!)  Her directions worked like a charm (once I remembered to be VERY careful about laying out the pieces during the assembly process.)

MONDAY - When loading up my new Dark Blue quilted scrap basket, I found two scrappy panels which must have been made during LAST year's Dark Blue month for the RSC.  Oops!  I could have used them as a jumping off point last week.  It just so happens that I have a couple of projects that these can be incorporated into:



But first...

I had a Mail Call Monday post to release and then I needed to play catch-up on a few charity projects for my Weekly Quilt Group.  These fabrics were chosen last night...


... Cut out this morning...


... And sewn up before lunch:


This afternoon, I chopped up the blocks and switched the pieces around in order to put these pieces back together again by Thursday:



TUESDAY - I stayed up REALLY late last night!  At O-dark-thirty, I released a new edition of Tidy Up Tuesday.  YOU won't want to miss it!  (Hint:  Be sure to read all the way to the end.)

One of the two projects that I alluded to in yesterday's entry is this Pineapple Pieces block, another thing that needs to be finished by Thursday:


WEDNESDAY - I released a new Wonderful Wednesday post early this afternoon and then played around with the larger pieced panel that I found while loading up Big Blue with scraps...


I'm thinking of trying a new-to-me basket pattern.  Check out Friday's entry to see what happens.

THURSDAY - ZoomBEE LIVE!!!  It was SEW good to see everyone in person NOT on the computer:




FRIDAY - Today, I met my friends for ZoomKNIT...


... And then released a new edition of Design Floor Friday in the afternoon.  Once that was done, I headed back up to the studio to begin work on my PINK Picket Star block:



But...

... I soon remembered that I had a phone call to make.  Time melted away into the words and stories of LeeAnna @ Not Afraid of Color.  What an enjoyable way to spend any number of minutes (or an hour and a half!) getting to know one of my blogging friends better.

SATURDAY - Can someone PLEASE explain how the weekend could possible have rolled around again?  It seems like yesterday was Monday and suddenly it's time for Angela's LINK PARTY over on So Scrappy!!

Until next time...
Scrap SEW safely!!!
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Friday, June 26, 2020

Design Floor Friday - Skinny Bin Deluxe

Welcome to another edition of Design Floor Friday!!!  It's been a busy week leading up to yesterday's ZoomBEE (LIVE and in person.)  I had fallen a bit behind with our group projects, but the time had come to catch up on all of that.

There were charity blocks to complete...

Using tutorials found at Shabby Fabrics, I made a Disappearing 4-Patch on the LEFT and a Disappearing 4-Patch With a Twist on the RIGHT:


Pineapple Pieces blocks for a children's charity available through North Carolina owned and operated Pineapple Fabrics:


... A party to prepare for...

I decided to make this Skinny Bin from Kitty @ Night Quilter as a gift.  Suffice it to say, instructions are merely a suggestion.  Mine came out about an inch taller than the tutorial size - and that was AFTER cutting it down a bit!  That's how it came to be known as Skinny Bin Deluxe:


These scrappy "Made Fabric" panels (shown on my design floor below) were used to create the Pineapple Pieces block (top) and the Skinny Bin (bottom):


In case you were hoping for a better look at the Skinny Bin, here is the gratuitous garden shot with one of my specimen lilies purchase on a field trip to the local-ish daylily farm before it closed to the public a number of years ago:



As well as, a party to attend...


Our guest of honor, all decked out in celebration attire:


It was a fun day and our retiree was SEW surprised as she opened her gift:


I realize there aren't as many "action shots" as I normally include in a Design Floor Friday post, but the time crunch had me focused on the project instead of the process.

SEW...

I missed a number of photo ops during the making of my Skinny Bin.  For those of you who like that sort of thing, I apologize.

Sharing with Alycia
for

and

With Cynthia (on Sunday)
for

Until next time...
Celebrate friendship!!!

Waiting to get this party started!!
Masked, socially distant, and within the guidelines for outdoor gatherings.
Special thanks to Deborah, DeeDee, and Ella for planning this event!
(Organizers not shown above.)


at 12 comments:

Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Wonderful Wednesday - Pathway to Something New

Welcome to another edition of Wonderful Wednesday!! This post is a little different than most.  There's no completed project to share with you.  At least, not yet.

You guys, I am SEW excited to tell you what I just did!

The morning started off normally enough.  It was grocery day.  We had a BIG order this week, so much processing ensued.  Once that was done, I sat down to visit some of my favorite quilt blogs, as well as having a look at today's projects from my fellow participants in the Stitching Sunshine Blog Hop hosted by Carla @ Creatin' in the Sticks.  My day was yesterday and you can find that post HERE.

So...

The processing groceries was NOT the highlight of my day!!

What WAS the BEST part of your day, Joyful???

Patience, dear reader.  I'm getting to that.  Special thanks to Sarah @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict, who reviewed a brand new class for her readers.  Literally, I went straight from her blog and signed up for the class.  I couldn't resist!  I just finished up watching the final video and started writing this post.

Go there!!  She's offering a coupon code.  :o))

Anyway...

Back to the class.  Trust me when I tell you, I don't take very many classes.  I've been quilting more than 25 years and simply don't have the desire to sit through a class to start ANOTHER project when I already have quite a number of UFOs.  This was different!

It's Christina Cameli's NEW pattern The Pathway Pillow and it's only available with the purchase of her new class, filmed in her very own home with the help of her 11 year-old daughter, Ellery:


Now, I know what you're thinking and you CAN see plenty of home grown videos on YouTube, but this is different.  Seriously, they did a fabulous job!  Very professional (while introducing a comfortable amount of comic relief just to lighten the mood.)

Christina had prepared the class to be filmed for a Bluprint video, but a week before taping was when the big announcement was handed down.  They would be closing.  There would be no class.

I admire Christina for taking on the project in spite of the whole no more Bluprint thing.  The class is broken down into manageable segments.  Christina teaches you how to MAKE the pillow top.  She teaches you how to QUILT the pillow top.  She teaches you how to ASSEMBLE the pillow.  Christina has also included some great tips and tricks along the way.

Did I mention that she teaches you how to QUILT the pillow?!?!

That's right.  I just took a class with quilting great, Christina Cameli.  Right in my very own home.  On my very own couch!  Now, I just need to finish up this week's quilting projects so that I can give her techniques a try.

Until next time...
Be SEW open to learning!!!
at 4 comments:

Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Tidy Up Tuesday - Stitching Sunshine - My STOP on the Hop

Welcome to another edition of Up Tuesday!!  Anybody up for a bit of quilty fun?!  Visit the Stitching Up Sunshine Blog Hop with Carla @ Creatin' In The Sticks.  Even though I've got a TON of projects to work on, I couldn't resist signing up for this Blog Hop.  It runs from June 22 - June 25, 2020.  You won't want to miss a single post.

TODAY is my STOP on the Hop! This post has been in the works since the day I signed up.  Read through to the end then head off to visit the other stops on the Hop.  The following is a list of ALL the participating bloggers:


After signing up for the Blog Hop, I finished up the extra "Z" that I would need to round out the leftovers from my niece's baby quilt.  It WAS yellow, after all:
The top of Cotton, Baby! is now complete.  Baby arrived last week and his quilt will be next to be loaded on the longarm:


Carpe Nap pattern from Hunter's Design Studio

The "Zzz..." Pillow to go with it?  Not SEW much:
I decided that there were other more pressing projects to attend to first.  Kelli @ Seriously...I think it needs Stitches has bunch of cute patterns!  The one shown above is from her collection of National (fill in the blank) Day series, being added to daily thru the end of March this year.  We all know things got a little crazy about then.

More SUNNY yellow projects to share for the Hop...

Here is the baggie of pieces and parts leftover from a scrap bag that my friend Margaret gave me some time last year:


I made this YELLOW Quilted Scrap Basket for myself...


... And gifted one small quilted pin cushion at her Mountain House Quilt Retreat last September:


The golden glow off the lake was SEW relaxing:



And still other projects to MAKE for the Hop...

The evening after Carla confirmed my participation in the Hop, I quilted the two pieced panels from the baggie shown moments ago...

One with straight lines...

... And the other with arcs:


ONE quilted YELLOW Mug Rug complete...

...  And another also for gifting later this year.  Notice the Yellow Iris in each photo, too:


Will there be a Prize Drawing, Joyful???


You bet!!  If you've visited any of my Blog Hop posts in the past, you might have come to expect a little Giveaway each time I participate.  SEW...  I wouldn't want to disappoint anyone.  Read on to find out more.

This time, ONE of my Pin Cushions might be available for YOU!!

I started with an off-cut from my friend Maggie's Bargello project...

... And created TWO small pin cushion projects.  Here is the unstuffed Brick...


... Along with the unstuffed Stick:
All that remains is filling them and closing up the gap...

I'm saving that for another day.  One that is a bit closer to the giveaway date.  :P

Weeks went by and "another day" finally arrived...


Two layers of stitching closed the gap:


This photo below show the Stick's intended use:



 Make sure to leave a COMMENT with the word BRICK or STICK to let me know which gift you would like to win.  If you REALLY want to win...  Please make sure to INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL address, if you are a No Reply blogger.  Thanks!

ONE lucky winner will be selected by Mr. Random on Tuesday, June 30th @ 9 PM.

Drawing now CLOSED!!!

Thank you to Carla for hosting the Stitching Sunshine Blog Hop!  It brought a lot of cheer to my studio during a particularly dark time.  Be sure to check out today's other posts (as well as the ones remaining for the week.)  I'm sure it will be interesting to see the variety of projects created for the Hop.  I, for one, am looking forward to seeing how everyone chose to interpret the theme.

Sharing with Kelly
for 

 Until next time...
SEW a little sunshine!!!
at 38 comments: