Wonderful Wednesday - July's Sew/Craft Friends-zy

Welcome to another edition of Wonderful Wednesday!!  I'm here to report on the Sew/Craft Friends-zy event that took place over the weekend.

Our fearless leader was not with us because...

She was at Sister's Outdoor Quilt Show:

Photo Currently Unavailable!!!

Others of us made our way to Raleigh, in spite of her absence.

Denise was the first to arrive and was already sewing when...

... Joy showed up and started working BEFORE noon:

Patti was all set up, but nowhere to be found:

Lois strolled in not long after and got busy right away:

Lisa joined us after her morning walk.  Look!  She added borders:

Here's a border for...

... This lovely UFO:

Lisa also brought along another old project to figure how to accomplish what she had planned for the "Falling" Pinwheels:

Joy quilted this quilt for the Carolina Hurricane Quilt Project.  It was made by a member of Brunswick Quilt Guild:

After the last thread tails were buried, she switched to PINK trimming for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge...

... And gave a big Thumbs Up when she discovered this stack of pre-sewn bits in the PINK scrap bag:

Lisa's first project was a sewn glasses holder for the visor of her car:

Britt had an errand to run, so she moseyed in just before lunch with this wonderful Pecking Order quilt top to share:

What IS the artist up to this month???  Broom people:

This shirt just couldn't pass twice without a photo:

Before lunch, Joy pulled out a Quilt for Kids kit from her Guild:

The simple pattern is made of strips and squares:

Denise finished her first project:

Get a load of these adorable koalas!!  All of those yummy eucalyptus leaves are making me hungry!  We're heading to lunch:

Armed with full bellies, we are ready to tackle more of our To Do lists...

Denise began with an echinacea block:

Britt got busy making more squares for her sister's quilt:

Ah!  There's Patti and she is armed with a batch of Bowl Cozies:

Another block will soon join this pretty PINK one taped to the window:

Lisa laid out her applique borders:

Everyone weighed in on what they THOUGHT she might have been planning:

Britt searched for just the right fabric...

... To add balance to the blocks laid out on the design floor:

Lois was the 1st to leave, but finished the third block of three today before packing for home:

Denise's 2nd echinacea block is done and added to the window:

Our liaison had computer work for a musical presentation:

The artist painted signs for a charity event:

This is the pattern that Britt is working on.  Original artwork will be subbed for the applique:

She brought another project in case she got stuck:

I told you this was a QUICK quilt!  See?  The top is DONE:

Sorry!!  I just couldn't resist a photo of Denise's darling bag before she bugged out a little early.  She's got a hot date:

Patti is making progress on her Bowl Cozies:

Lisa is contemplating the use of 300+ berries that her past self made: 

She made a template for the corner flowers on a larger scale:

Britt suggested the following berry placement:

Lisa's nearly completed quilt top:

It looks like Joy made some good PINK progress...

... Until you put her hand in the frame:

PINK scraps, PINK Lady apple, and a Thread Catcher full of PINK snippets:

Then it was time to switch gears, again:

Sorry, RSC Quilters!  This project features orange, lime, and purple:

Lisa also took a left turn.  Now, she is busy with Falling Pinwheels:

Then came the question, "What was I thinking?!"  Alas, no one had an answer for her.  Not even her Future Self knew how to proceed:

Today's efforts were pieced with a bit more negative space:

More broom people joined the crew...

... And another one was in the works at the very end of the night:

Although, our numbers were down and the Scrapbookers were conspicuously absent, a good time was had by all in attendance.  If you spot any errors in this post, please be kind.  It's late and I simply don't have the energy for more careful edits.

Until next time...
Craft the day away!!!

Mail Call Monday - Hand Delivery

Welcome to the next installment of Mail Call Monday!!  This week's edition shares the scrap bags delivered at last week's Quilt Bee meeting.

First time EVER that the gift scraps were pressed and neatly folded into the baggies!!!

Thanks to Ruth B. for this thoughtful presentation.

Scraps.

Ready for use!!

Ruth passed around a bag of larger cuts, as well.  I added these three pieces to my daily dose of fabric:

Until next time...
EVERY day is a SCRAPPY day!!!

ScrapHappy Saturday - RSC19 - Week 28

Welcome to Week 28 of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!!  I'm hoping to actually do some PINK sewing this week.  At least a little bit.  Surely, I can manage that, don't you think?

We'll see how things go...

SUNDAY - Housework and I did it, I did it!  A little PINK sewing:

MONDAY - Hmm... Who KNEW?!?!  There are PINK flames on the Lego Star Wars X-Wing Fighter:

TUESDAY - An outing with the Junior Quilter this morning...

... Led to this fabric followed me home, thanks to Graylagran's recent purchase in another colorway:

This evening was the 1st of two meetings of my Nighttime Quilt Bee for the month.  Our venue must have gotten Angela's memo about July's Color of the Month because this PINK guy met us at the door:

... and the garden was a riot of PINK, as well:

Here's a shot of my PINK progress:

I finished this up last week, but it was still in need of pressing:

The task has now been accomplished... Back:

And... Front:

Now, Angela is enticing me with her Bear Paw tutorial:

Photo courtesy of Angela @ So Scrappy

WEDNESDAY - The Crepe Myrtle is blooming up a storm:

I did some PINK pressing this evening:

Even my nails are PINK... just NOT a shade that you might expect!

THURSDAY - I started my day with a visit to my Weekly Quilt Group.  I left a little early to meet a friend for lunch.  She was ALL about the PINK today!! Right down to her (rarely added) adult beverage with lunch:

After lunch, my girlfriend and I enjoyed an afternoon at the spa.  Nail spa, that is!  :o))

What color did you choose, Joyful???

As if there was any doubt...

And... I'm in the PINK:

My studio gallery wire is decked out in PINK, as well:

The quilt on the LEFT was a mug rug swap with Libby @ Life on the Hill blog and the one on the RIGHT was a thank you gift from Norma Bradley the Earth Quilt lady whom I assisted on a number of Artist in Residency programs around the Raleigh, NC area.

FRIDAY - I had planned on spending the morning at Knit Group started my day off right.  Instead, I stared at this PINK block on my Pecking Order quilt (trying to convince it to quilt itself!) 

Unfortunately, nothing happened.  Next week, this will HAVE to feature prominently on my To Do list:

Various activities balanced out my day.  The evening was spent gathering projects for tomorrow's sewing event.  A small version of a Beothuk Star QAL in PINK may figure into my task list:

 

Diann @ Little Penguin Quilts reeled me in with her sweet finish, but Mari @ The Academic Quilter pushed me over the edge with her fabric selection.  They reminded me of the scraps shown above.

Sandra @ Mmm Quilts! recently hosted a QAL and 18 wonderful quilts were made from the pattern.  I'm hoping to add another.

SATURDAY - You will find Angela's LINK PARTY for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge over at her So Scrappy blog.  (Surely, she'll get tired of staring out at the ocean long enough to post for us soon enough!)  Today is July's Sew-Craft Friends-zy, so I'll catch up with the other RSC Quilters tomorrow.  You go on ahead.  Especially if you like PINK!

Until next time...
Get SCRAPPY!!!

Spring/Summer 2019 (Ravelry) UFO Club

Welcome to the Spring/Summer (Ravelry) UFO Club post!!  If you have followed along for any length of time, you know that I normally release TWO posts.  One for the results of the session just ended and one for the session about to begin.  Well, I missed the the prior and am quickly running out of time on the latter.

SEW...

A combined post, it is!

The Spring 2019 UFO - The Results!! Participants MUST have listed (at least) FIVE projects. Photos should have accompanied the list. Sign-ups ended at midnight EST on April 7, 3019 and all qualifying finishes must have been posted BEFORE midnight EDT on June 30, 2019!!!

Membership (28):

SEND (3): 
doris7264: 1 completed project 
katyknitsnyc 
dulcetspins: 1 completed project

NO SEND (25): 
basketcase9702: 4 completed projects 
laceyspinner 
threadbndr 
siberspinner 
needleb: 2 completed projects 
monicarose51 
gathersnomoss: 2 completed projects 
amalberti: 2 completed project 
emaleena: 2 completed projects 
mairG: 1 completed project 
sockjeannieous: 8 completed projects 
GBKDalton: 2 completed projects 
jrnylst 
Picotine: 1 completed project 
just2Bjulie 
peregrineknit 
purplejen 
jrnylst 
seine1: 13 completed projects!!! 
mehitabel: 2 completed projects 
sfgwife: 2 completed projects 
aerieiris 
graylagran: 1 completed project 
bowie 
Peerpressure

Session Totals: 15 quilters completed 44 projects. 

FOUR of those 44 projects were mine!!  :o))

Each of the projects that I completed were fairly small, but they still count for a finish.  They were:

1. Commission Thread Catcher for Denise
2. SECU Event Table Topper
3. String-y Prize (Thread Catcher)
4. Altered Rainbow Commission Basket

Click the project names to visit the reporting posts.

Thank you to all of our participants.  Finishers or not!  You ALL make this Club a success.  Thanks also goes out to our cheerleaders!  That means YOU, if you left a comment here on the blog or gave words of encouragement over at the Quilters Knitting group on Ravelry.

Congrats! to Amalberti on finishing her 2nd UFO of the quarter, as the session came to a close. That final finish earned her the title of Queen of the Last Minute (a little bit early.)

Congratulations also to Seine1 who was our Rock Star for the session, finishing an unprecedented THIRTEEN (13) projects during the quarter!!

******************************************

The Summer 2019 (Ravelry) UFO Club - The List!! Participants MUST have listed (at least) FIVE projects. Photos should accompany the list. Sign-ups end at midnight EDT on July 7, 2019.

NOTE: The goal is to finish ONE item.  Any additional finishes are icing on the cake!  All qualifying finishes must be posted BEFORE midnight EST on September 30, 2019!!!

Here is my list for the quarter:

1. Pecking Order Quilt

2. Wedding Tee Quilt (2018)

3. Blooming 9-Patch (2018)

4. The Birthday Quilt (2017)

5. Grand Illusion (2014)

6. Rainbow Picnic (2017)

7. Blue & Green for Parrish

8. A-6 Mystery (2017)

9. IMPROV Scrap Swap (2018)

10. Sapphire Stars - A Scrap Club Mystery (2017)

11. Jack's Basket - H2H Quilt (2019)

12. Shrunken (Beothuk) Stars - Mmm..Quilts QAL (2018)

13. Lime/Orange/Purple, Please! (2019)

That gives me a baker's dozen.  Plenty of options to work on, as the mood strikes!  Projects small and large.  Also, projects in all stages of completion.  Photos have been included for new additions to the list.  All of the other UFOs can be seen by following this LINK.

Until next time...
Wish me luck!!!

ScrapHappy Saturday - RSC 19 - Week 27

Welcome to Week 27 of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!!  It's Transition Week, but the change will occur early.  Check Monday's entry because by the time you read this post, a new Color of the Month will be in effect.

SUNDAY - I did a little dark BLUE sewing (just to say goodbye to June's Color of the Month.)  I'm working on a NEW Quilted Scrap Basket to hold the overwhelming amount of scraps I found:

I also did a little bit of house keeping (in the studio.)  I emptied two scrap bags from friends.  The fabric bits have been sorted by color (and the icky feeling fabric got thrown in the trash!)

For those of you keeping track, I logged an additional seven HOURS ripping out stitches on my Pecking Order quilt.  (Add that to the three hours on Friday for a total of TEN HOURS!!!)

The worst part??

There're STILL more stitches to be removed!  Ugh.  LISTEN to the machine, Joyful!!

MONDAY - Good morning and happy July!  Angela hasn't made the announcement yet, but I believe the new Color of the Month is:

Before dinner, I released a new Mail Call Monday post.

Well, I was WRONG!!!

After dinner, I found that Angela threw me a curve ball.  You can read the color announcement HERE.  In the meantime, I'll give you a LITTLE clue.  The new color is:

PINK

That being said, Angela "gave me permission" to change the color to suit myself, but I don't really like to do that.  I'll work with the REAL Color of the Month!  At least, enough to say I did SOMETHING and then continue (with no regard to color) to work on with the plethora of projects that I am currently in my queue.  :P

TUESDAY - So (for me) ONE hour of stitching = ELEVEN hours of UN-stitching!!!  I put in one final hour to complete the job this afternoon...

IF...

I don't have to rip out the basting stitches from when I loaded the quilt and started out!!!

I'll have to check on that one, too.

Thank you to SueK for sending a video link for me from Linda the Electric Quilter!!!  It turns out my TOWA gauge is NOT broken.  While that is a relief, I still have to figure out how to USE the silly thing!!

SQUIRREL!!!

Angela linked a new Tiny Tuesday block today.  I found it after finishing (FINALLY!!) the ripping on my Pecking Order Quilt.  My good friend, Libby, wrote up this week's tutorial.

SEW...

Even though I haven't followed along closely with the QAL (too many other projects on the go), I just HAD to give it a try!

As you can tell by the photo  above, I'm STILL in transition mode.

WEDNESDAY - In order to share my PINK progress for the week,  I dug out the scraps that I have to work with.  Here is the basket and baggie of scraps that I found to play with during this month's Rainbow Scrap Challenge:

THURSDAY - Happy Independence Day to my readers in the USA!!  I hope you all enjoy a fun and relaxing time with family or friends:

Made for me by MichelleInSeattle in a Mug Rug Swap on Ravelry

Maybe YOU even found a way to celebrate

with a bit of

sewing time (like I did)!  :o))

Bonnie Hunter from  Quiltville announced the 2019 Leader & Ender Challenge.  You are encouraged to use small bits of time, along with fabrics from your Scrap Bin, to create a quilt in a year's time.  She added a new component this year by introducing a WEBBING CHALLENGE, as well.  Go check it out.

FRIDAY - Happy weekend!  I was thrilled to see that the first bit of PINK popped out on the Crepe Myrtle overnight:

SATURDAY - Today, you will find that it's LINK PARTY day over on Angela's So Scrappy blog.  If you are a BIG fan of PINK, then you aren't going to want to miss it.

Until next time...
Get SCRAPPY!!!

Mail Call Monday - TOWA Gauge Edition

Welcome to another edition of Mail Call Monday!!  After the mess I made of my Pecking Order quilt (I'm STILL ripping out stitching THREE DAYS later!), I decided it was time to order a TOWA gauge.  Google to the rescue!

Here's the backstory, in case you missed it:

This happened on Thursday...

The tension seemed (mostly) OK on top, but the photo above told another story.  Underneath, much of the stitching was laying on the back of the quilt (instead of being buried within the batting layer.)

By midday on Saturday a package had arrived:

Thank you, Amazon Prime!!

This is my new TOWA gauge:

Now, just have to figure out how to use it:

Oh!  And find out if it arrived damaged:

Notice that the lower disc/wheel/thingy is a bit skewed, where the upper disc/wheel/thingy is flat.  I have no idea if that is "normal", but it doesn't seem like it should be.

Off to consult with my fellow longarmers...

Or wait for YOUR response.  Please chime in, if you happen to know the answer.  Thanks!  I'm not sure that I will be able to contact anyone tonight.

Until next time...
Quilting is supposed relieve TENSION!!!
Not add to it!  Sigh.