Tuesday, December 29, 2015

last BBT post for 2015 - Building Blocks Tuesday

Ah, the last Building Blocks post for the year....

One would think that I would have something new to share, to celebrate.  But indeed, I haven't been working on any blocks this week.  So instead, I will share a blast from the past, this modern maple block that I made for a bee mate.

Modern Maple block in Orange


These maple blocks are so easy and fun to make.  I have been wanting to make myself a quilt of them ever since, but never really got around to it.  Perhaps 2016 will be the year?  Or perhaps I will wise up and have my bee mates make me most of the blocks for a quilt.  Now that's a plan!

I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year!  What are your plans?  Have you made any resolutions or intentions yet?


What blocks have you working on this week?  I would love to see.  Link up your fabulous blocks.  You put a lot of hard work into them - show them off!  This free linky will stay open until the first Monday of next month, but I will repost it every Tuesday until a new month starts.


Quilter in the Closet

Rules:

1) Please link up only to the page in your blog showing your wonderful blocks, not just the blog homepage.  Flickr and Instagram pictures are also OK.
2) Make sure to put your blog name as the description so people know where they are going or the name of your block!
3) Please grab my button and post it in your blog post or sidebar.
4) Visit other linky participants!


Thanks for reading,

Jen




Saturday, December 26, 2015

Happy Boxing Day and a sale

Hi everyone!  If you celebrate Christmas, I hope you had a lovely one.

Personally, I am barely recovered.  At some point on Christmas Eve, I determined that there was no way that everything was going to get done, and I just let it go.  I had to for my sanity.

Oh Christmas Tree


It turned out to be a good choice.   Lizzy didn't mind that I had 40 more inches of binding to go to finish her quilt.

binding Lizzy's quilt

I was able to finish it up last night after we got home from the in-laws, and she was able to sleep under it for Christmas.

Other things did not get finished.  I am still quilting Deb's mini.  Of course, I chose to quilt the crap out of it instead of something easy.  I am nearly finished, thank goodness!

Before I go, I wanted to let you know about two things going on today. First, on Twitter, there is a Boxing Day Sew In.  I'm not sure who the official hostess is, but it is fun to tweet a few pics or sentences about what you are working on, and add the hashtag #BDSI, then check out what the other twilters are doing today.

Secondly, there is still a huge sale going on at Craftsy.***  Today is the last day for great deals on classes, but it is also the first day that the supplies are on sale for a week.  The supplies turn out to be a great deal when they are on sale!  I always buy a few yards of Kona Cotton Solids.  I don't know if you have noticed, but the online prices for Kona have gone up by nearly a dollar a yard.  The sale price at Craftsy is pretty decent.  I've also picked up a few quilt kits in the past that were practically a steal!

I admit that I have been very lackadaisical about reporting all the sales this year, as I took a bit of a break from Craftsy myself.  But last week, I logged on to find a whole bunch of new interesting classes.  The one I purchased was the follow up to the first Jacquie Gering's class.  The new one is called "Next Steps With Your Walking Foot".  I am already excited to try out some of the new walking foot quilting patterns she demonstrates in her class!  There is also a Quilt as You Go class taught by Marti Michell that looks worth checking out.  There are also a handful of new free motion quilting classes that I may peruse today before the sale ends.

So, if you didn't quite get enough quilting things this holiday, perhaps you should treat yourself?  Or, if you are looking to improve your skills for the New Year, maybe a new class is the way to go!

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to get back to blogging!  I know many people have switched over to Instagram entirely, but I still like reading posts with more than one sentence.  Is it just me?


As always, thanks for reading!


Jen



***This post contains affiliate links.  If you PURCHASE something after clicking one of my links, I may be compensated.  However, my recommendations and opinions are my own, and I give those freely without compensation.


Craftsy





Thursday, December 24, 2015

Binding away - Building Blocks Tuesday

It has been a flurry of activity around here!

Not only have I had a team of painters in the house trying to finally slap some color on the walls, but I've been binding, and binding, and binding!

Binding in progress

There are several Christmas miracles in the final stages around here, but no blocks for this week.  How about you?


What blocks have you working on this week?  I would love to see.  Link up your fabulous blocks.  You put a lot of hard work into them - show them off!  This free linky will stay open until the first Monday of next month, but I will repost it every Tuesday until a new month starts.


Quilter in the Closet

Rules:

1) Please link up only to the page in your blog showing your wonderful blocks, not just the blog homepage.  Flickr and Instagram pictures are also OK.
2) Make sure to put your blog name as the description so people know where they are going or the name of your block!
3) Please grab my button and post it in your blog post or sidebar.
4) Visit other linky participants!


Thanks for reading,

Jen




Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Christmas miracles - Building Blocks Tuesday


Another NY Beauty in progress

I am not saying that I have my mojo back; rather, I've been forcing myself to spend a little time at my machine this past week.  I'm finally at the quilting stages of this NY Beauty Circle of Flying Geese mini for poor, patient, Deb, who has been a saint by waiting for me to finish this mini.  I'm almost done with the SID and trying to decide how I am going to quilt the rest of this one.  It will take a Christmas miracle to get it to her in time for the holiday, but I am going to try.

What blocks have you working on this week?  I would love to see.  Link up your fabulous blocks.  You put a lot of hard work into them - show them off!  This free linky will stay open until the first Monday of next month, but I will repost it every Tuesday until a new month starts.


Quilter in the Closet

Rules:

1) Please link up only to the page in your blog showing your wonderful blocks, not just the blog homepage.  Flickr and Instagram pictures are also OK.
2) Make sure to put your blog name as the description so people know where they are going or the name of your block!
3) Please grab my button and post it in your blog post or sidebar.
4) Visit other linky participants!


Thanks for reading,

Jen





Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Another Velvet Star - Building Blocks Tuesday

Hello and welcome from Crazy Town (not to be confused with Funky Town).  December is always downright insane.  It almost takes the joy out of the holiday.

This week I am sharing the other star block that I made for Green in the We Be With It Bee.

Velvet star

This is the Velvet Star pattern that I came up with for a paper piecing class I taught over the summer.

Speaking of the We Bee With It Bee, sign ups for January - June are open for this bee and several others that are run by Mrs. Pickles at Mrs. Pickles Garden.  She has several bees that might fit you, including a bee just for our Canadian friends.  I've been in one group or another for a couple years now, and it is a great group of ladies.  Check it out.


What blocks have you working on this week?  I would love to see.  Link up your fabulous blocks.  You put a lot of hard work into them - show them off!  This free linky will stay open until the first Monday of next month, but I will repost it every Tuesday until a new month starts.


Quilter in the Closet

Rules:

1) Please link up only to the page in your blog showing your wonderful blocks, not just the blog homepage.  Flickr and Instagram pictures are also OK.
2) Make sure to put your blog name as the description so people know where they are going or the name of your block!
3) Please grab my button and post it in your blog post or sidebar.
4) Visit other linky participants!


Thanks for reading,

Jen







Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Another 8 Carat Star - Building Blocks Tuesday

I'm sorry for missing last week.  My quilting slump continues and I was busy with family in town for Thanksgiving.

By the way, thank you for all your advice about getting over my slump.  It seems the most logical thing to do is just to wait for it to pass, as it will likely do.

I have made something!  Here is one of the blocks I made for the We Bee With It Bee for November.  Green asked for any paper pieced star with a dark background and high contrast stars.  I'm not sure if I really accomplished the high contrast thing since I chose some higher value reds and yellows, but hopefully the colors themselves stand out against the dark grey.  What do you think?

8 Carat Star

This is the 8 Carat Star pattern that I came up with** for a paper piecing class I taught over the summer.  **By "came up with", I mean that I drew it up in EQ7 from scratch.  Given how easy it was to arrive at this pattern, I do not dare claim that I am the only one that could possibly come up with this arrangement.

And before I forget....Speaking of the We Bee With It Bee, sign ups for January - June are open for this bee and several others that are run by Mrs. Pickles at Mrs. Pickles Garden.  She has several bees that might fit you, including a bee just for our Canadian friends.  I've been in one group or another for a couple years now, and it is a great group of ladies.  Check it out.

What blocks have you working on this week?  I would love to see.  Link up your fabulous blocks.  You put a lot of hard work into them - show them off!  This free linky will stay open until the first Monday of next month, but I will repost it every Tuesday until a new month starts.


Quilter in the Closet

Rules:

1) Please link up only to the page in your blog showing your wonderful blocks, not just the blog homepage.  Flickr and Instagram pictures are also OK.
2) Make sure to put your blog name as the description so people know where they are going or the name of your block!
3) Please grab my button and post it in your blog post or sidebar.
4) Visit other linky participants!


Thanks for reading,

Jen







Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Going through the motions - Building Blocks Tuesday

Have you ever lost your quilting mojo?  I have been in denial for a while now, but I think I've lost mine.  It's happened before, but I can't remember what happened to snap me out of it.  I am just uninterested in quilting or sewing right now.  I've had a few hours strung together over the last week, that normally I would take full advantage of and sew the entire time.  But instead, I just went into my studio and stared at the possible projects to do and had this feeling of "blah".  It's not so much that the projects themselves were "blah", more that I just couldn't muster the momentum to do anything about them.

I tried to get started on a few things, but I kept finding other things that held my attention better.  I mean, I even chose HOUSEWORK over quilting!  Something is clearly wrong with me.

Alpine block for Janice

One of the things I did make was this Alpine block for Janice in my Bee Hive.  Once it was complete, I promptly left the room.  I have a bunch of other bee blocks to try to finish up for the month, but I am struggling to be motivated.

Have you ever been in a quilting or crafting slump?  What did you do to get over it?

What blocks have you working on this week?  I would love to see.  Link up your fabulous blocks.  You put a lot of hard work into them - show them off!  This free linky will stay open until the first Monday of next month, but I will repost it every Tuesday until a new month starts.


Quilter in the Closet

Rules:

1) Please link up only to the page in your blog showing your wonderful blocks, not just the blog homepage.  Flickr and Instagram pictures are also OK.
2) Make sure to put your blog name as the description so people know where they are going or the name of your block!
3) Please grab my button and post it in your blog post or sidebar.
4) Visit other linky participants!


Thanks for reading,

Jen




Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Patience required - Building Blocks Tuesday

I am not the most patient of people.

I used to think I was pretty reasonable with regard to patience when I was younger, but now I recognize that it was more apathy than patience.  Then, I had children, which tests what little patience I actually have intensely.

Why do I bring up patience?  Well, it just so happens that gardening requires a bit of patience, which I am already in short supply.  It has only been a week, and I am lamenting on the fact that NONE of my plants are growing.  Not one single leaf has broken the soil that I have been meticulously watching, watering, etc.  "A watched pot never boils", you say?  Well, I have expectations!  I pre-sprouted several of my seeds before planting them in the garden, and I would have expected those seeds to show some signs of life by now.  Sigh.  No patience.

About the only exciting things that have happened in my garden this week, was this visitor.....

Untitled

And, something climbed into the garden bed (through the chicken wire) and stole one of my sweet potatoes right out of the dirt.  Luckily, I have a few more sprouting inside that I can plant in its place soon.

OK, so this is a quilting blog and has any quilting happened this week?  No.  Not really.  I did make two of these draft stoppers things.  For some reason, the contractors took off a bunch of our thresholds for our doors, and we've had some pretty strong (and cold) winds blowing in.

Untitled

I am not certain that they are actually stopping the draft completely, but they do at least stop small pebbles and other debris from being blown under the door and across the room, so I guess they are doing something.   I stuffed them with some batting trimmings that I had saved (I don't know why!, but hey they were handy for this) from trimming off the edges of my quilts in the past.  I stuffed them pretty good, so they have a nice weight to them.  I have several more doors that require these things, but I ran out of trimmings and haven't decided what to stuff them with instead.  The gap under the girl's bathroom door is so big that I'm a bit worried that I will open the door one morning to find a snake in the house.  Yes, these are the things that keep me awake a night.

I am hoping to get a day of sewing in tomorrow, but we will see what actually happens.

What blocks have you working on this week?  I would love to see.  Link up your fabulous blocks.  You put a lot of hard work into them - show them off!  This free linky will stay open until the first Monday of next month, but I will repost it every Tuesday until a new month starts.


Quilter in the Closet

Rules:

1) Please link up only to the page in your blog showing your wonderful blocks, not just the blog homepage.  Flickr and Instagram pictures are also OK.
2) Make sure to put your blog name as the description so people know where they are going or the name of your block!
3) Please grab my button and post it in your blog post or sidebar.
4) Visit other linky participants!


Thanks for reading,

Jen




Wednesday, November 4, 2015

One is the loneliness number - Building Blocks Tuesday

Whoa! Another Tuesday disappeared.  Actually, I was hoping to have something to show you today, but fate had me working outside the last few days instead of in my sewing room.  I HAVE spent most of this morning working on Deb's NY Beauty Circle of Geese.  I had forgotten how fiddly the center circles could be.  After sewing most of them several times, I've decided to make a small redesign and hope it goes better.  I get so few sewing days at the moment, that I don't want to spend all my time sewing in frustration.

All that to say I have no new blocks to show you.  I would like to share a mini that I received this summer right in the middle of my move.

I got this beauty from @modernstitchinmama on Instagram as part of the Cotton and Steel mini swap.

Cotton and Steel mini received from @modernstitchinmama


Just look at this gorgeous stitching!

Cotton and Steel mini received from @modernstitchinmama


I have definitely had quite the run of good luck in swaps this year!  However, I sure am glad that I didn't sign up for any this half of the year.  I can't even seem to get poor Deb's quilt done very quickly.  I would have been black listed for sure.

I realize I always seem to be whining about not having anytime to quilt.  While that is true, you may be wondering what I have been spending my time doing.  Honestly for several weeks there it was mainly spent moving furniture around.  No lie.  The flooring guy wouldn't always tell me what the agenda was for the day until he showed up.  And most of the time, I would move all the furniture in a room to one side while he floated the floor, then I would have to move all the furniture over to the other side of the room so he could finish the room.  This back and forth was repeated again when it was time to actually put in the wood flooring.

At this stage in our remodel, I don't often have to move furniture around, but I do spend quite a bit of time directing new tradesmen around.  I feel like just when I get going on a project, I have to stop for an hour to show the counter guy where all the vanities are going, or the electricians which lights I need replaced, or just talking with my general about options for laying out the tile in the bathroom.  By the time I get back to my project, it is time to pick up the kids.

While it isn't true this week, I have also been spending quite a bit of time with Reagan, our newish puppy.  I try to take him on daily hikes.  No, they aren't just walks around here - we have hills!  He is a big boy, so I try to hike for about an hour each day to keep him happy and tired.  There may also be some play time and training each day too.  He has learned "sit" pretty well, and we've been working on "lay down"

I've also been building a garden.  Building, you ask?  Yes, building.  I brought home a pile of redwood (the west coast version of cedar) a few months ago.  I spent some time over at my sister in law's using her miter saw to cut everything to size, and was about to put a massive raised bed together when we had all that 100 degree plus weather.  Needless to say, all my seedlings died, and it was just too hot to be lugging a bunch of lumber around the yard.  Last week, things cooled down a bit and I was able to get the bed built.  Over the weekend, I hauled a whopping Sixty-six 50 lb bags of soil around and filled it.  My back was pretty sore.  This week, I finally got my rabbit fencing up around the bed, because to say we have a lot of bunnies around here would be an understatement!  Also, the dog kept digging in the planter and I needed to keep him out as well if I hoped anything would grow.  I started presprouting some of my seeds today, so I hope to plant them in the bed by the end of the week.

Now, some of you might be wondering....isn't it a little late for a garden.  Probably, yes.  I spent nearly all summer dreaming of the awesome vegetables that I would grow the moment we moved into a house with a yard.  Once that actual moving in occurred, reality set in.  Not only was I busy with all the stuff above, but it was so hot around here that I doubt much would have survived.  Plus, we are on significant water restrictions, so even if something didn't die from the heat, it was sure to die from lack of water.  So, I'm trying out a fall garden.  I planning a mix of regular summer vegetables like tomatoes and green beans, but have mostly cooler weather loving lettuces, winter squash, peas, and broccoli.  According to the internet, I should only expect one day of frost for the winter, which might be more because of the "El Nino" predicted, but I'm going to take my chances.  These frosty days are likely to happen more towards January or February anyway.  And thanks to a couple of pre-"El Nino" showers, the rain barrels I put under our eves are nearly full and will likely keep filling the more rain we get this season.  So yeah, I'm doing my garden now.

Why am I so chatty today?  I don't know.  I guess I'm lonely.  Talking to contractors and the dog all day doesn't really count as being sociable.  I also feel like I've been neglecting the blog a bit for a while because I haven't had much going on in the quilty realm, and haven't really shared anything personal in a while.   I hope you don't mind.

What blocks have you working on this week?  I would love to see.  Link up your fabulous blocks.  You put a lot of hard work into them - show them off!  This free linky will stay open until the first Monday of next month, but I will repost it every Tuesday until a new month starts.


Quilter in the Closet

Rules:

1) Please link up only to the page in your blog showing your wonderful blocks, not just the blog homepage.  Flickr and Instagram pictures are also OK.
2) Make sure to put your blog name as the description so people know where they are going or the name of your block!
3) Please grab my button and post it in your blog post or sidebar.
4) Visit other linky participants!


Thanks for reading,

Jen




Tuesday, October 27, 2015

the lost Tuesday - Building Blocks Tuesday

There must be something wrong with me (well, other than the obvious things).  I just can't seem to remember Tuesday.  I have Monday under control, but then I'm lost.  Tuesday just feels like all the other weekdays.  Perhaps it is because I haven't been making very many blocks to show off lately.  I seem to do my bee blocks in spurts, usually at the beginning of the month, and then I just work on whatever is highest on my priority list.

I clearly need to remember that Tuesday is a day to celebrate!  This Tuesday, I want to share one of the Bee Hive blocks I made for Janet.  She requested Alison Glass fabrics for the X of this Tic Tac Toe block, and wanted low volume text prints for the corners.  I am shamefully low on text prints at the moment, so luckily she fancied this little measuring tape fabric.


Tic Tac Toe block for Janet


I think it turned out pretty striking, don't you?

Hopefully, next week Tuesday will not be lost in the far corners of my mind.

What blocks have you working on this week?  I would love to see.  Link up your fabulous blocks.  You put a lot of hard work into them - show them off!  This free linky will stay open until the first Monday of next month, but I will repost it every Tuesday until a new month starts.


Quilter in the Closet

Rules:

1) Please link up only to the page in your blog showing your wonderful blocks, not just the blog homepage.  Flickr and Instagram pictures are also OK.
2) Make sure to put your blog name as the description so people know where they are going or the name of your block!
3) Please grab my button and post it in your blog post or sidebar.
4) Visit other linky participants!


Thanks for reading,

Jen





Sunday, October 25, 2015

Beauty of Freedom - Blogger's Quilt Festival entry 2

Welcome viewers from the Blogger's Quilt Festival at Amy's Creative Side.  If you are new here, feel free to look around!

Thank you for considering my "Beauty of Freedom" for your vote in the Large Quilt Category.

RW&B New York Beauty Quilt


This quilt was a UFO forever!  Shortly after learning to paper piece, I couldn't wait to try out a New York Beauty pattern.  I cut out all my fabric and got about half the blocks done before moving on to something new and shiny.  It was only with the encouragement from the ladies in my Lazy Bum group (a group dedicated to motivating you to finish UFOs) that I dug out this project and finished it.  I'm so happy I did.

RW&B New York Beauty


A dear friend of mine, Debra Claypool, helped me with the quilting.  My tendency to want to quilt the daylights out of everything I make, has really delayed a lot of my projects.  Without Debra's help, this quilt would still be in my UFO pile.  Instead, it was recently auctioned off for charity.

Blue Jay Quilt Walk 2015 auction

I submitted it to be auctioned off last month at the Blue Jay Quilt Walk in Blue Jay, CA.  All of the proceeds from the auction benefit nearby Camp Paivika, a camp for moderate to severely handicap people (not just kids).  It really felt great to not only have this quilt finished, but to see it go to such a worthy cause.


Quilt Stats:

Size: approximately 72" x 72"
Quilt Pattern: from an old issue of American Patchwork and Quilting (I am not sure which one as I recycled it)
Fabric: miscellaneous
Pieced by: Me
Quilted by: Debra Claypool


Thank you again for consideration for your vote!

And thanks for reading today,

Jen

Aprons on the Line - Blogger's Quilt Festival entry 1

Welcome Blogger's Quilt Festival viewers.  If you are new here, feel free to have a look around.

Thank you for considering my "Aprons on the Line" mini for this year's festival at Amy's Creative Side.  It was a lot of fun to make for my partner in the Spring Fling Mini Swap on Instagram.

Spring Fling Mini Swap item

My partner was a big fan of Lori Holt at Bee in my Bonnet, and I happened to have some of her fabric on hand.  Finding a pattern that would go with the vintage feel wasn't too hard either.  I had one of Eleanor Burns' books, Quilts from El's Kitchen (Quilt in a Day) (affiliate link).  It has some really cute blocks and projects in it.


teeny tiny hexy flowers

In case you are wondering, YES, those are tiny hexies!

Untitled


I can't imagine making a whole quilt from these size hexies, but some people do!

Thank you again for considering my quilt for the mini category.

Quilt Stats:

Quilt Size: approximately 17" x 19"
Quilt Pattern: by Eleanor Burns
Fabric: various Lori Holt
Pieced by: Me
Quilted by: Me

Thanks for reading today,


Jen

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Geese, floors, and minis - Building Blocks Tuesday

I'm late!

for Anneliese

Sorry about that everyone.  There has been a lot going on here at the house the last few days that has required my attention (and often my back muscles).

This week, I'm sharing these colorful geese blocks that Anneliese requested in my Lazy Bums Flying Geese Swap.  I pieced them together while working on Deb's NY Beauty Circle of Geese blocks.  I try to chain piece my paper piecing when I can, but in order to keep Deb's blocks organized, I only did one quarter of the circle at time.  I used Anneliese's blocks as little place holders between, and since they have far fewer pieces in the blocks, I managed to get them all done.

Speaking of the house, I am happy to report that I have floors in my studio!

I have floors!

If it were up to me, I would have had them put in this room first so I could hide out in here and play.  But unfortunately, it had to be one of the last rooms to be completed.   We only have half of 2 rooms left to go, but they can't be finished until Friday.  I am very much looking forward to that time!  Progress on the bathrooms continues slowly as we have had a few setbacks (hey, that's remodeling for ya!).

In the meantime, I've been setting up my studio whenever I get a chance.  Today, I attempted to decorate.

My wall of minis

I didn't expect it to be so hard to put up my minis on the wall.  It is hard!  They are all slightly different sizes and shapes.  I must have read half a dozen "How to make a gallery wall" tutorials and it still didn't really help me.  I don't really feel like I've done a very good job; but, I am ecstatic to have some pretty stuff to look at while I'm in the room.

As you can see, I've got my cutting table all ready to go.  I hope to get a design wall up later this week.   Tomorrow.....I just want to sew and forget all my grown up responsibilities.....at least while the kids are at school.

What blocks have you working on this week?  I would love to see.  Link up your fabulous blocks.  You put a lot of hard work into them - show them off!  This free linky will stay open until the first Monday of next month, but I will repost it every Tuesday until a new month starts.


Quilter in the Closet

Rules:

1) Please link up only to the page in your blog showing your wonderful blocks, not just the blog homepage.  Flickr and Instagram pictures are also OK.
2) Make sure to put your blog name as the description so people know where they are going or the name of your block!
3) Please grab my button and post it in your blog post or sidebar.
4) Visit other linky participants!


Thanks for reading,

Jen







Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Positive thoughts - Building Blocks Tuesday

I read a sign today that said, "If you don't have anything positive to say, then please be quiet."  Being positive is a struggle for me, almost as much as being quiet. LOL!

I will try not to bring this post down by telling you more of my new home woes; instead I will share a few blocks that I made for the lovely Katie, of Karma Willow Designs.

Bee block for Katie

 If you have never visited her blog, please do.  If you have been reading this blog for long, you know that there is a disconnect between what I think I can get done and what I actually have time for, but Katie inspires me to keep trying to get it right.  She is wonderfully organized and gets so much done (she is in a bunch of bees and swaps, so it is extra fun to see what she is up to).


bee block for Katie 2

Katie, I hope these blocks will fit in nicely with those you have already received.

In other news, I have finished all the paper piecing for Deb's NY Beauty Circle of Geese, now on to the curvy parts.

What blocks have you working on this week?  I would love to see.  Link up your fabulous blocks.  You put a lot of hard work into them - show them off!  This free linky will stay open until the first Monday of next month, but I will repost it every Tuesday until a new month starts.


Quilter in the Closet

Rules:

1) Please link up only to the page in your blog showing your wonderful blocks, not just the blog homepage.  Flickr and Instagram pictures are also OK.
2) Make sure to put your blog name as the description so people know where they are going or the name of your block!
3) Please grab my button and post it in your blog post or sidebar.
4) Visit other linky participants!


Thanks for reading,

Jen







Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Patience and a calm mind - Building Blocks Tuesday

The dust and banging continues around here, but in a way I welcome it as it gives me an excuse to hide out in my sewing room (to stay out of everyone's way, of course).  I've finally made some decent progress on Deb's mini, promised to her ages ago!

Circle of NY Beauty in progress
pattern by Better Off Thread

Paper piecing calms my mind.  It is not a fast process, but it is methodical and if you are half organized, you really don't have to think about it much.

Deb has been so patient with me, and I couldn't be more appreciative.  I feel terrible that I haven't gotten it to her as quickly as I intended.

What blocks have you working on this week?  I would love to see.  Link up your fabulous blocks.  You put a lot of hard work into them - show them off!  This free linky will stay open until the first Monday of next month, but I will repost it every Tuesday until a new month starts.


Quilter in the Closet

Rules:

1) Please link up only to the page in your blog showing your wonderful blocks, not just the blog homepage.  Flickr and Instagram pictures are also OK.
2) Make sure to put your blog name as the description so people know where they are going or the name of your block!
3) Please grab my button and post it in your blog post or sidebar.
4) Visit other linky participants!


Thanks for reading,

Jen







Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Cabins to Castle - Building Blocks Tuesday

The show was wonderful!  The weather was perfect.  Well, OK a little warm for my jeans, but absolutely beautiful.

The Blue Jay Quilt Walk 2015:

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And these are just the quilts that were on my side of the street (I was white gloving all morning)!

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The theme of this year's walk was "Cabins to Castles".  We were challenged to create minis in this theme.  Unfortunately, I didn't quite have time to make one myself, but my fellow guild members did a fantastic job.

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We had use of one of the storefronts for some of our smaller quilts, and since I am one of the members that really likes to make minis - I had my own wall!

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We even had an exhibition from the Mountain Fife and Drums!

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And let's not forget the Quilt Auction.  This was the first year that I was able to actually watch it!  Usually I am white gloving across the street, but this year I got to "Vanna" and help parade the quilts around during the auction.

Can you believe some of the quilts below were auctioned for under $100?

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Even so, we still met our goal of $10,000!  Every dollar went to Camp Paivika.

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My NY Beauty quilt, there on the right edge of the photo above, went for $240, so that is something!

And we had several quilts made my Tonee White.  There was some very active bidding on her work.  This one was my favorite of hers from the day.

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This awesome bear, made by Kim Everhart, raised over $500!  I think it is worth 10 times that, but hubby had me on a strict allowance for the day.  :(  I didn't succeed bidding on any of the quilts I wanted.  But, I will be better prepared next year!

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Now the fun is over.  Until next year!  (I hope you will consider coming).

This is what my Monday accomplished:


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What blocks have you working on this week?  I would love to see.  Link up your fabulous blocks.  You put a lot of hard work into them - show them off!  This free linky will stay open until the first Monday of next month, but I will repost it every Tuesday until a new month starts.


Quilter in the Closet

Rules:

1) Please link up only to the page in your blog showing your wonderful blocks, not just the blog homepage.  Flickr and Instagram pictures are also OK.
2) Make sure to put your blog name as the description so people know where they are going or the name of your block!
3) Please grab my button and post it in your blog post or sidebar.
4) Visit other linky participants!


Thanks for reading,

Jen