Almost there!

This is just a quick post to share two more blocks I finished for my Park Bench quilt.  I just have one more block to sew and then it is time to start getting them up on the design wall and cutting all the low volume pieces for the background.

I have really enjoyed taking my time and sewing a couple of these big hexies every month. 

Using the Hex N More and Sidekick rulers makes cutting these shapes a breeze.  Each time I get them out, my mind is flooded with so many quilt ideas!

I always enjoy seeing how fabric placement has such a drastic effect on how a block looks.

Here is a reminder of what the quilt will look like.  I bought this kit for a song on Craftsy.  While they no longer have this kit available, they do have the Gravity Block of the Month kit by the same designer (Julie Herman of Jaybird Quilts).

I am hoping to get the quilt top finished by the end of the year so I can quilt it up in January.  Because this is one of my bucket list quilts, I want to be able to take my time quilting this one and not feel rushed.  Right after the holidays, my life always slows up a bit....Thank goodness!

Linking Up:
 

Blossom Heart Quilts

QuiltStory

Sew Fresh Quilts
Freshly Pieced  

My Quilt Infatuation

BOMs Away 

This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, at no additional cost to you, I may make a small commission, which I appreciate so much!

Oh Scrap! : Sampler Progress

It has been such a busy week for me so I was only able to get a couple of hours of scrap sewing in...
Isn't that sad!?!

 

 But in that short period of time, I was able to complete two more blocks for my scrappy sampler.  The blocks took just minutes to sew but the hunt for the perfect scrap seemed to take forever!

(Sorry about the poor nighttime photo.  I promise to share some better ones soon in a post all its own.)

So I will be really curious to see what all of you sewed last week with your scraps.  

I am in need of a fix!

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Now it is time to link up and share what scrappy projects you have worked on this week.  Here are the details for linking up:

• This linky party is for any scrappy project - It can be in-process or a finished piece.
• You can link up your blog post (not your homepage please) or Instagram photo from the past week that features your use of scraps.
• If you are linking to a blog post, I ask that you link back to my blog somewhere in your post. So if you are writing about scraps, just get into the habit of including a link as there will be a linky party available every week!
• If you are using Instagram, please use the hashtag #ohscrap.
• This is a party so remember to socialize and comment on the posts of others.
• Following my blog is not necessary but it sure would be great if you do!

<a href="http://quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54Z8EyMCoCg0j1sBoz_APBotiRQveh32vQoL2dCSO4nQFAi8du60IuUCQp3Hb18vGD8IrM0W6_vmuufImGcr4Pf2Ve2dNIWd5LbQJfyDTRjtcekT6coT7c2nSCOG_9dvjiKGVAnuTN70/s1600/Oh+Scrap+Button.jpg" alt="Quilting is more fun than Housework" width="125" height="125" /></a>

So if you love scrappy projects, feel free to grab my button for your sidebar or posts and get ready to share all your wonderful projects from scraps.  And if you have a great idea for using scraps and would like to be featured, feel free to contact me!

An InLinkz Link-up

Linking Up:

Love Laugh Quilt

Patchwork Times

Cooking Up Quilts

 

Is it in the Stars?

I have been searching for years for a good star pantograph.  I have purchased countless and have never been over the moon with they way they look on quilts.  I recently placed an order for a few more pantograph designs and thought I would give another try at finding the perfect star.

Once I received the pattern, I needed to try it out on a quilt.  I thought a recent quilt of mine would work perfectly so I found some time this last week to quilt it up.

Once again, I am not that excited about it.  The pattern is a great one and I am sure I will use it in the future but it just isn't the "perfect" go-to star pattern.  The search continues....

The good news however is that this means I finished up this festive little quilt.  It is made using my Wiggle Time pattern and goes together Oh. So.Quickly.

 

 All of the printed fabrics were gifted to me - including the backing fabric.  All I had to pull was the navy solid.

I used up some of the leftover scraps to make a fun detail on the back.  I thought the stripes needed to be broke up a bit.

My initial plan was to donate this one but I now need to hang on to it for a bit.  I might need it for a class and/or a gift.  It still might get donated, but just at a later date.

If you like the pattern, it (and my other patterns) are still on sale until the end of September.  

And if you know of a great star pattern, please share!

Linking Up:

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

TGIFF

Fabric Frenzy Friday

Richard and Tanya Quilts

Crazy Mom Quilts
Sew can she

This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may make a small commission, which I appreciate so much!

A Bit of Housekeeping

First off, I want to thank everyone who participated in the Quilty Orphan Adoption Event.  It was great to see that about 14 unfinished and unloved projects found new homes and many are once again being made for various charities across the US.  I have plans to hold the event again next March so keep that in mind if you become uninspired with a project you are working on.

I have been quite remiss sharing the new items that have entered my stash.  Some have been from giveaways or prizes for participating in a blogging event and I always like to recognize the wonderful bloggers and generous sponsors. So here goes....

Back in July, I won this Airmail layercake from Melissa at Happy Quilting.   Melissa was one of the first bloggers I started to follow and I still enjoy reading her blog.  This layercake was a prize on her Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Days.  It was sponsored by The Scarlet Thread Quilt Company.

I have already sewn this up into a quilt that is waiting to be quilted.  I am hoping to get it published either in a magazine or as a pattern so I can't share it quite yet.  But maybe I will try and share a sneak peek soon!

Also in July, I found out I was one of the winners of this Mixology Fat Quarter Bundles sponsored by Massdrop for the Scraptastic Tuesday link up.  Leanne at SheCanQuilt hosts this event every second Tuesday of the month.  I still haven't broken into this one yet but ideas have certainly been percolating.

Very recently, these two items came in the mail.  The Modern Neutrals layercake I picked up on sale from Craftsy.  I love the mid-century feel of the collection by Amy Ellis.  And I was just notified that my name was drawn for a gift certificate from Gotcha Covered Quilting.  I thought I would use it to get a backing to go with the layercake.  Now I just need a plan.

Thanks to SewBitterSweet Designs and Fiber of All Sorts for hosting A Lovely Year of Finishes.  I was one of the August winners.

September is my birthday month so I bought myself a little present in the form of this big stack of fabric from the Good Neighbors collection (designed by Amanda Jean at crazy mom quilts).

I have no idea what I am going to make but I am very tempted by all of the pincushions I am seeing in the Good Neighbors Pincushion Party Blog Hop going on right now.

...and there are giveaways so go check it out!

Another big giveaway going on right now is the Craftsy School Supplies Giveaway where a lucky winner will receive a mystery box full of supplies from the category of their choice (art, cake/baking, sewing, quilting, knitting or crocheting) and a class of their choice.  Wouldn't that be nice to win!

In my sewing room, I have been having a hard time focusing on one project.  Right now there are pieces for about a half dozen quilts scattered around my machine, all being worked on at once.

 And this Bear Claw quilt is what has me a bit stuck.  I can't decide between a light or dark gray solid for the sashing and the pieced border.  I am leaning toward dark...

 Off to go sew and ponder a bit more!

Linking Up:

Sew Fresh Quilts

My Quilt Infatuation

This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may make a small commission, which I appreciate so much!

Oh Scrap! : Scrap-A-Palooza! Quilt #18 Part One

Inspiration for my scrap quilts come from so many different places.  I have been thinking about starting another Scrap-A-Palooza quilt and toying with the idea of making a sampler quilt.  This weekend when I went to put some scraps away in their color tub and found many of the cool colors too full to close, I knew it was time to move forward on the project.

 Looks like this scrap quilt will be blue, turquoise, purple and lime!

One of my favorite resources for blocks is Judy Hopkin's Around the Block series of quilt books.  They have been around for a while and if they are no longer in publication, you can probably pick up used copies at a great price.

Each book has hundreds of blocks.  And for each block, you are given cut sizes for 5 different block measurements. Just pick the size block you want in your quilt and thumb through all the pretty blocks and all the quilt math is already done for you!

I have been wanting to make a sampler quilt that has an Irish Chain feel to it.  In other words, all of the blocks have an X shape to them.  And I think I will keep the background scrappy too.  So I have thumbed through the book and marked pages with the blocks I like.

Of course, right off the bat I fall in love with this Rosebud block.  It didn't really meet my criteria of an X block but I will get it in the quilt somehow.  The center square is supposed to be the background color but I thought the little print looked cute (and got me closer to an X - see how I do that!).  All of my blocks are going to measure 12 1/2" and I plan on making 25 total blocks.

I will be sharing blocks and their layout on the design wall as I go with this one.

Okay, your turn!  What have you been sewing with your scraps!

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

Now it is time to link up and share what scrappy projects you have worked on this week.  Here are the details for linking up:

• This linky party is for any scrappy project - It can be in-process or a finished piece.
• You can link up your blog post (not your homepage please) or Instagram photo from the past week that features your use of scraps.
• If you are linking to a blog post, I ask that you link back to my blog somewhere in your post. So if you are writing about scraps, just get into the habit of including a link as there will be a linky party available every week!
• If you are using Instagram, please use the hashtag #ohscrap.
• This is a party so remember to socialize and comment on the posts of others.
• Following my blog is not necessary but it sure would be great if you do!

<a href="http://quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54Z8EyMCoCg0j1sBoz_APBotiRQveh32vQoL2dCSO4nQFAi8du60IuUCQp3Hb18vGD8IrM0W6_vmuufImGcr4Pf2Ve2dNIWd5LbQJfyDTRjtcekT6coT7c2nSCOG_9dvjiKGVAnuTN70/s1600/Oh+Scrap+Button.jpg" alt="Quilting is more fun than Housework" width="125" height="125" /></a>

So if you love scrappy projects, feel free to grab my button for your sidebar or posts and get ready to share all your wonderful projects from scraps.  And if you have a great idea for using scraps and would like to be featured, feel free to contact me!

An InLinkz Link-up

  

Linking Up:

Love Laugh Quilt

Patchwork Times

Cooking Up Quilts

Freemotion by the River

A Scrappy Finish

One way I organize my scraps is I put all of my 2 1/2" leftover strips into one bin.  These include leftover bindings and jelly roll strips.  When the bin starts to get a little full, I make a quick donation quilt using this Scrap-A-Palooza method.  I never quite know what the quilt is going to look like!

 This time the quilt was really eclectic!  Lots of solids, stripes and dots and it seems I have been using gray a lot for bindings lately.  I don't often make scrap quilts with no boundaries in color but it is a fun experiment to just let the quilt happen.

 I found this rusty orange leaf print in my stash for the backing.  I had no recollection of buying it.  When I told a friend about it, she said "I gave you that!" with a big cheesy smile.  She knows I always find a home for the unloved - I think she snuck it in during a visit when I wasn't looking.  

I do have to admit, I think it looks great on the back of this quilt.

Here are a few more I have made over the years.  Each one is fun in its own way.

 

 

 

This will be my fifth quilt being linked up with Quilts in the Queue for the 100 Quilts for Kids event.  (My goal is six this year.)  A local organization called Bags of Love is getting a big stack of quilts from me this year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Linking Up:

 

My Quilt Infatuation

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Fabric Frenzy Friday

Richard and Tanya Quilts

Crazy Mom Quilts
TGIFF
Quilts in the Queue