Snip.Sew.Send.

Wonky Stars are FUN

2010-07-26T13:15:00.001-07:00

Wonky Stars for Rebecca SSS2
Originally uploaded by Clicky the Moose

After one false start I was able to make four wonky maverick star blocks. Way back when I first saw these blocks, I knew I would love making them, I just never got around to doing so. I am so glad you asked for these, Rebecca. I loved making them. =]

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

2010-07-19T09:09:00.000-07:00

This month begins round two for Snip.Sew.Send. Unfortunately some of the ladies had to step out due to life changes but they will be missed! Now there are only seven of us and we will make two blocks so that we end up with a total of 14.

July was Lula Dahl's turn and she requested wonky stars. The sky was pretty much the limit on what we could do with them. I decided to make one a bit normal and one that was not.

First up is the so called simple one. I say that because it gave me a lot of trouble. It is funny how a simple block can be the problem child while the more complex one was easy. The issue with this block was due to me sewing at one in the morning. I know, bad zonnah for sewing when tired. Always a no, no. But for the record I could not sleep :( Also, I had to get creative with the blue fabric to make it fit the block and I used every last piece of it!

Did you notice the star was rotated? I also copied Anne's star block and put muliple fabrics in the points.

Next, is my favorite. I love this block and think it would be interesting to see a whole quilt made out of it.

I hope you like it Rebecca.

SSS Road Trip

2010-07-15T11:24:00.001-07:00

Again, still catching up on some belated blocks. Anne, I have yours all finished and ready to send back to you.

I love road trips. I always have. Growing up we would drive to our vacations whether it was "up north" to my grandparents house or out to Cedar Pointe for some camping and roller coasters. As an adult I still love a road trip. Dirty (my boyfriend) and I have plans to drive out to a big VW show in California.

This block was inspired from my love of a road trip. I used MapQuest to plot out the routes I would take from my house to visit all of the SSS bee members. Each leg of the 7818 mile trip is represented with a different strip of fabric. I wrote our initials to mark each member, but smudged it in the photo. That's why it looks like part of the block is taped together.

The green part was fused on the white background, then the strips were appliqued in place and stitched over a few times. I also added a VW bus (or maybe a camper) from my highly coveted remaining scraps of this fabric.

And did you notice? The person by the bus is holding a map! =]

SSS Quilt I

2010-07-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

I finished putting together my SSS I quilt top. It is lovely! Thank you so much, everyone! All your blocks turned out amazing!

I'll post a picture of it when it's complete. It's the perfect lap quilt for cozy nights on the couch. I'm thinking of hand quilting it? Any ideas? What about ideas on what color binding to use?

Also, I have a lot more scraps left over than I anticipated...I am never going to use them all so I offered them all up to you on our Flickr group, but just in case not everyone checks that...do any of you want some scraps from this quilt? They're all usable. If more than one of you wants them, I will split them up. Just let me know! I'll give you until next week to let me know and then I'll ship them out to whoever wants them. :)

Thanks again ladies! I love this quilt and will treasure it for many, many years to come.

A map of my childhood

2010-07-08T10:56:00.000-07:00

Anne requested "Map" blocks which we could interpret as loosely as we wanted, and she said the same goes for technique. I really hope mine's okay... it feels pretty loose!

This is a map of my neighborhood as a child. We lived on 40th Avenue South.

My house is at the bottom of the cul-de-sac (Jeff is my brother). There were a number of families in the neighborhood with kids-- those names penned in the houses are theirs. There was always lots to do in the 'hood... playing ball, dance parties over at Stephanie's house (thus the music notes), climbing into the treehouse over at LeighAnne and Johnny's, or racing down from the top of the cul-de-sac on our bikes and big wheels (I'm not so good at drawing those-- but I tried!).

There was often baseball action too-- home plate was always in front of our house, the pitcher would stand on the blue reflector in the center, first base was the ever-present truck, second was the manhole cover, and third was at the mailboxes. When I was little, we also had a cat named Sammy... she's hanging out near Ben's house.

I used a number of techniques in this one, including some that were new to me.

I started by using a Pigma pen to sketch out the cul-de-sac and things I new I wanted to embroider.
Then I colored in sections with crayons (using Carrie P.'s tutorial for coloring on fabric as a guide).
Next I used fusible web and did the "Sketchy Stitchy Applique" technique, as described at Bloomin' Workshop. I really loved how that worked! The look really appeals to me, and it was so simple to do.
Then I went through and embroidered all over the place, mostly with two strands of floss, but sometimes with one.
Lastly, I finished the trees. I used two different colors of green thread and threaded both of them through the needle on my machine (so two threads were going through the needle). Then I freemotion stitched the treetops. Using two threads gave it a nice thick look, and the different colors gives them a little more dimension.

Overall, I'm really happy with how it all came together. The only bump in the road was my inability to do math. The block is supposed to be 10.5" x 14.5", including 1.5" borders. Mine ended up 12" x 15". Whoops. I'm really hoping that Anne won't mind it being a little big, or trimming it down and ending up with slightly narrower borders. I blame my baby-brain! (I wonder how long I can get away with that excuse?) :)

I can't believe it has already been a year of Snip.Sew.Send.! I've had so much fun making blocks for all of you fabulous bee buddies, and I've learned a lot too. This virtual quilt bee really gave me a chance to push myself and try some new things. It has been fabulous! I'm looking forward to participating in another, once life settles down again.

Thanks so much, ladies!

Tragically Late...

2010-07-05T18:16:00.000-07:00

...but made with the sincerest of apologies. I am so terribly behind on making bee blocks. It is disgraceful. Rebecca, here are 3 (well, 2 1/2) blocks for you. I misread the instructions and two of the blocks are only 9". One more was started, but I didn't have enough long strips to finish it.

I received your SSS2 fabric Saturday. The plan is to finish those this week, too. I'm going to send them all together if that's OK with you.

These colors and fabrics are so happy and cheerful together! =]

Film and Thread

2010-06-26T12:27:00.000-07:00

Anne from Film and Thread asked us to make a block with the theme of maps. She said it could be loosely interpreted. My first idea was to do a treasure map but that was quickly vetoed when I thought of this block which plays of her blog title.

Everything but the border was hand stitched because to me inset seems are easyier to make by hand then on the machine.

The block went together smoothly until I got to the end I realized that I made it too big and that adding a 1.5 inch border would make it bigger than asked for. I emailed Anne and she was very nice and said it would be ok. Then when I went to add the borders I once again made a math error and made the border to small! This whole fiasco sums up this month for me. Oh well, in the end I love it. It is so fun imagining something in your head and seeing it come to life.

Retracing My Steps

2010-06-13T12:31:00.000-07:00

I loved Anne's map idea and for this one, I thought it'd be fun to retrace my steps around the country. I grew up in Minnesota and if you follow the arrows around, you can see that I moved to California for college and during college spent time living in New York City and then outside Philadelphia. After returning to California, I moved back to Minnesota and then to upstate New York where I am now.

It's kind of crazy to see where I've lived on a map like this. I hope Anne likes how it came together.

I also can't believe this was my last block for this bee! It's been a great year and I'll post pictures when I get my quilt put together. Thanks to all of you lovely ladies!

Map block for Anne

2010-06-09T11:27:00.001-07:00

Growing up, my father had a small airplane and he used to take us up in it. I always loved looking at the landscape and seeing how the different fields and farms looked like little contained boxes and were all different colors. Even though I didn't think of this as a typical map, I kept coming back to this idea, so I just went with it.

The blue is supposed to be a body of water and the rest are different "crops." There's a little sailor in there too. I have also been working on hexagons lately and decided it would be cute to throw them in as some little "landmark" or key code type things. There's a sail boat, an anchor, mushrooms, a bee, and a rooster (what farm is complete without a rooster?!).

It isn't perfect and it certainly doesn't look like a typical map, but I hope Anne is happy with it anyway! :)

PS. My friend suggested I do a map of 1943 Europe and sent me this link as a guide. He wanted me to make sure I included every single arrow. I vetoed that idea, as you can see. A little too complicated for my taste. ;)

Round 2 ~ RTG (aka Ready to Go)

2010-06-08T20:24:00.000-07:00

I know we aren't quite finished with the inaugural round, but we do need to get the schedule set for Round 2. If you are participating in Round 2 (so far it is Zonnah, Anne, Rebecca, Lisa, Gretchen, Tina and me) please choose which month you would like us to make your blocks*. Just leave a comment on this post. If a huge issue comes up where two ladies want the same month, I am sure we can work it out.

Monthly Schedule (check back for updates)
July ~ Rebecca
August ~ Tina
September ~ Lisa
October ~ Anne
November ~ Gretchen
December ~ Zonnah
January 2011 ~ Adrienne

*Rebecca and Anne suggested keeping Round 2 smaller but make two blocks each. I didn't see any objections, so for Round 2 we can either make 2 blocks for the month or put a little extra into one block such as embellishments, more intricate patterns or extra large blocks, etc. We'll make it the fabric sender's choice. =]

Pinwheels in green

2010-06-03T14:47:00.000-07:00

I was excited to find some time last week to go into the quilty room and actually use my machine! It gave me a chance to make my May blocks for Rebecca. She sent an array of fabulous greens for me to work with.

I enjoyed making it so much, I had to make a second...

It was hard to send these off, as I really love the look of them. But I did keep one of the scraps of leftover fabric to use in my Jane Stickle quilt. That definitely made it a little easier to give them up (and it will be so cool to have a sort of SSS memory/keepsake in my Jane). :)

I'm really excited to see how Rebecca puts these together as all of the blocks I've seen so far look so cool!

Orange Pinwheels for Rebecca

2010-05-31T09:53:00.000-07:00

I loved working on these blocks for Rebecca. I got orange and I'm really excited to see this quilt come together since it looks like she had a great vision.

Snip.Sew.Send - May

2010-05-17T20:55:00.000-07:00

This month for Snip.Sew.Send, it was Lula Dahl's turn. She asked for log cabin blocks with a pinwheel in the center and sent tons of fabric which was nice! This is what I came up with.

I need to say that I am in love with this block and had a hard time mailing it off today but alas I did. I am going to keep this color combo in my head because I love it, the bright yellow with the muted orange.

Thanks Lula Dahl for letting me make this for you :)

Happy, Springy Blues

2010-05-05T05:12:00.001-07:00

Snip.Sew.Send. April ~ Springy Blues
Originally uploaded by Clicky the Moose

I finally got to sit down with Midge and put together this block. It went together so easily and I am embarrassed it took me so long to start.

=]

Round 2?

2010-05-04T08:15:00.000-07:00

Zonnah started a discussion in the Flickr group asking about the possibility for round 2. Check that out and let us know if you'd like to take part in round 2. I'll keep the "official" list over there.

Quick Notes (let me know if you object to any of this or would like to add something):

Keep 12 members total
Round 2 will run July 2010-July 2011 (skipping December 2010)

Yay (it's almost May!)!

2010-04-22T19:18:00.000-07:00

I used the same title in a Flickr post. Forgive me!

I'm so excited that my month is next! I just sent out all your packages today! I re-posted directions with a little bit extra wordy-ness on Flickr just in case you lose your directions or maybe they weren't clear enough. And here are some examples. Let me know if you have any questions!

I have had so much fun doing this! I was very skeptical, nervous, and worried when Adrienne first asked me to join because I didn't know if I'd be a) any good b) could commit. But this has turned out to be so awesome! I'm so glad to be apart of this bee and hope we can continue another year! Thank you so much ladies!

I got orange too!

2010-04-08T09:11:00.000-07:00

I loved making this block. Something out the simplicity of it just made me happy. And the colors were nice too! One of the strips she sent me was just a little bit too short, so I substituted a fabric from my own stash that had similar tones (the bottom strip). Hope you like it! I really want to see all of these colorful blocks together!

Easy :)

2010-04-07T19:28:00.001-07:00

April is Heather's month for Snip.Sew.Send. She had a block picked out for us to make and all we had to do was follow the instructions. She sent me these pretty orange fabrics.

Happy aqua

2010-04-06T10:04:00.001-07:00

Heather sent me a pile of happy aqua fabrics to use in her block.

The instructions were very straightforward, the block went together quickly, and I love how it turned out (such pretty fabrics!). However, I'm a little worried because the block isn't 13" square as the instructions indicated it should be. Mine ended up 13" x 12.75". :(

I checked and re-checked, and it seems like maybe the cutting instructions in my direction sheet were a little off? The last piece needs to be cut a quarter-inch wider-- 5.5" x 13" (instead of 5.25" x 13")-- in order to make it work out correctly. Meep! Since I don't have any extra fabric to fix it, I'm really hoping that Heather will be able to make it work.

Pink & Yellow

2010-04-03T14:43:00.000-07:00

I'm coming in a little late with Tina's block, but life has been a little crazy with work and then adding the wedding, I just got a little behind. Sorry!

I loved the pink fabrics that Tina sent, but I didn't have quite enough to finish the last square, but I hopefully she has more pink at home.

Heather's instructions were really straight forward and although I normally enjoy the challenge of doing something new, it was perfect to have something simple (thank you!). After listening to an episode of "This American Life", I had this block:

Hope you are all having a good weekend! I can't believe we've been doing this bee for almost a year already!

Girly time!

2010-03-30T16:36:00.000-07:00

Phew! I just made it! (I cannot believe that it is already the end of March!) I loved all of the pretty pink and aqua fabrics Tina sent.

It was a lot of fun getting my girly on for this one! Such a treat! I hope you like it, Tina. :)

May-tree-osh-kah

2010-03-26T14:07:00.001-07:00

Snip.Sew.Send. March ~Tina
Originally uploaded by Clicky the Moose

This was a really great day to put this block together. My sewing room is all windows (it used to be a balcony/porch), the weather was warm, the sky was blue and the sun was shining. It was like being outside, but without the bugs. (Don't fret, I did spend some time outside sewing binding and knitting. I can only take so much of the bugs.)

I liked the bright, Spring-y colors. Tina, your daughter is going to love her quilt. =]

Cross posted at my blog.

Fun, Fun, Fun!

2010-03-16T18:28:00.000-07:00

I have to say I am pretty proud of myself because I used almost all the fabric Tina sent me :) The scraps in the corner was all that was left and it is slightly bigger then twelve inches! It was really nice being able to work with pink for a change. Thanks Tina for this opportunity. To see more snip.sew.send block click here.

Pink Squares for Tina

2010-03-13T20:15:00.000-08:00

Once I got over the initial urge to take that little kerchief girl square for myself (too cute!), I sat down and got started on this block. It was completely improvised at the sewing machine, just cutting and sewing layer by layer, and I really love the way it looks.I used some really skinny strips, which I think is becoming a signature of mine, and I tried to include some little suprises. It ended up being just over 12.5 inches, but can easily be trimmed down or added to if need be. Enjoy, Tina! Headed your way on Monday.

Four more blocks for the city planner

2010-03-04T12:29:00.000-08:00

Making wonky little houses and trees makes me happy so I was looking forward to making these blocks.

I first made this purple house. I saw Kris likes purple and so do I. Every girl should live in a house painted her favorite color. A fat, little gray kitty is poking his head through the striped curtains. The curtain fabric is from a pair of capri pants I loved, but Dirty said looked like curtains. Now they are. This is the only one I could get to 12.5".

Next was this little wonky building. I imagine it as the local fabric shop. I hope it is bright and mellow enough. I am a little iffy on the mellow part of it.

It needs a little greenscape so there are two trees, too. The one on the left reminds me of a little kid's drawing. The right one is good for having a picnic under on a warm summer day. =]

Welcome to the Neighborhood

2010-02-28T20:03:00.000-08:00

February was Kris's month for the Snip.Sew.Send bee. She wanted little trees and houses and, I must admist, I was totally intimidated by this block! That's why I kept putting it off. It was silly of me, though, because it was a lot of fun to make.

The tree is based off of the flower tutorial that Kris posted on her blog a little while ago. I didn't have enough fabric to complete the block, but Kris can add more fabric to it when it arrives.

The house is my favorite. It's a dog house! And just in case you couldn't tell it was a dog house, I appliqued a little dog onto the block. So there you go. If you recognize the colors, I used the scraps from the fabrics I used to make the Zakka pillows. I love these colors. Love them. Hopefully Kris will like them too.

This was fun fun fun. I think I need one of these neighborhood quilts now!

House party!

2010-02-26T15:53:00.000-08:00

I really loved the idea for Kris's Snip.Sew.Send. blocks this month. All of the examples she put together in her flickr gallery are so fun. But I was a little worried because this kind of block is just so not my style (or so I thought) and rather out of my comfort zone.

I knew I wanted to make some trees (because every neighborhood could use trees!). But then I was stuck. Fortunately, the deadline loomed ever closer helping me to get off my duff and just do it.

These were so much fun to do!!! I actually ended up making 3 blocks (well, nearly 3... I ran out of background to frame out the tree blocks-- hopefully Kris won't mind finishing them up). I'm sorely tempted to keep the little house, I'm so happy with how it worked out.

Here's a close-up of one of the trees:

I think the little kitty may have spied a birdie up there!

Based on the blocks I've seen so far, this is going to be a really fun quilt. I can't wait to see how they all come together.

I hope you enjoy your blocks, Kris!

Pink and Green headed your way, Mama

2010-02-11T15:55:00.001-08:00

Robin's idea for her quilt blocks was awesome. I got to make the green and pink blocks. The goal was to make one straight log cabin and one wonky.

For the straight green cabin I tried to put the fabrics in shade groups light, medium, bright and dark. The middle block is a faint-ish floral that I really liked. It had all the shades in it and was perfect for the center square. Then I spiraled out using one strip of each shade as I went around. I put a star on the fabrics from my stash.

The final strip on the right is a fabric Chen sent me at the beginning of this bee. I thought it was a good addition.

Next, I worked on the pink block. This one was going to be wonky and as soon as I opened the package from Robin I knew the bunnies were going to steal the spotlight of this one. They are so flippin' cute. I LOVE making wonky log cabins and didn't really plan ahead much other than the bunny in the center. The dark pink stripes are from my stash. I didn't notice them jumping out quite as much until I cropped the picture. I hope it settles in.

Robin~Although I made these last weekend they are still in the envelope addressed and ready to go. I kept forgetting to take them to the post office with me. They are now in my bag and (as long as I don't space out again) they will be on the way to you tomorrow. I'm not blonde, but I sure can act like it sometimes. =]

Floating Bee February Block

2010-02-08T18:32:00.000-08:00

I was so proud of my little February block! It was difficult and challenging for me. I had to rip a few seams, I'll admit. So, when I asked my old roommate if he wanted to see my quilt house and he said, "The only House I want to see is Dr. House MD on Hulu tonight." I couldn't help but roll my eyes. So, I told him I'd give it some Vicodin and a shot of vodka before I took its picture. After I showed him he said, "Well you weren't lying about it being crippled and needing Vicodin." See if I ever show him a quilt block again.

I then showed my boyfriend and he asked if the bee was a flag. When I explained that it was a bee, he asked why it was floating in a block of green. Boys have no imagination! I told him not to sass me and went back to cleaning up my sewing mess.

I'm never showing them my quilt blocks again.

I like it anyway! And I hope Kris does too! :)

2010-02-04T11:42:00.000-08:00

This month for Snip.Sew.Send was Kris's month and she wanted small houses. Well the first thing that came to my head was a barn. Even though I think this barn is cute, it is far from perfect or exactly what I imagined it would look like. I do need to warn Kris that it is very thick and I am sorry for that, call it poor planning.

January Block

2010-01-30T14:01:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! I am finally posting to the blog! I wanted to post before, but never did get around to figuring out how. Turns out I hadn't even accepted the invite to the blog. So smart!

Anyway, here is what I did for Robin's log cabin block. (Please ignore the damask around the quilt block...it sort of matches, but it isn't apart of the block. It's just my ironing board cover.) I hope she likes it!

purple!

2010-01-28T18:33:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited for Robin's quilt. I got purple, my favorite color! Here's what I came up with

Hope you like it!

I just packaged up all of next month's packages, so watch your mailboxes soon!

February Houses!

2010-01-26T05:46:00.000-08:00

Next month, I'm hoping to have you help me create a tiny houses quilt inspired by the one above by Ingrid Press. It's been all over the web, but I just love it and I think it might be the perfect wall hanging for a completely bare wall in my living room.

I'm going to send out just the background fabric (Kona Cotton in Sand) and I'd like you guys to use little bits and pieces from your scrap pile to make houses, trees or other buildings. I would love a finished quilt that has a kind of bright, but mellow color scheme (I know, completely contradictory), so I think variety is what's going to best achieve that. I'm not going to send fabric until later this week, so let me know if you'd rather have me send you scraps in your package.

I've posted a bunch of inspiration photos in a flickr gallery here (these are ideas for the houses, but also give you a sense of the types of colors that I'm thinking about for this project): http://www.flickr.com/photos/kskovy/galleries/72157623192255774/
Here's a link to a tutorial on making wonky houses: http://quiltville.com/tonya/houses.shtml/

Finally, size:
I'd like the houses/trees/buildings to be around 2-4" in an unfinished 12.5" block. If you want to make more than one block, go for it and don't worry if you can't sash both/all of them. I can always complete the blocks when they get to me.

I'm so excited to see what each of you create! Thank you!!

p.s. I'd love it if you could post your pictures on the blog so everyone can see.

I Am Seeing Red

2010-01-19T09:06:00.000-08:00

It was Robin from Crafty Musings turn this month and she wanted a log cabin block. She said it could be traditional or wonky so I did a little of both :)

Yellow

2010-01-09T16:18:00.000-08:00

Would you believe I've never made a log cabin before, much less a wonky one? Yes I realize it's one of the simplest and most basic blocks but I've never done it....

I decided to make it wonky because I fell in love with these wonky squares. I don't have much/any yellow in my stash so I stuck with using what I got but I used a bit of every piece so it's pretty scrappy and definitely sunshiney (is that a word?).

I can't wait to see the rainbow put together!

January Rainbow

2010-01-02T15:15:00.000-08:00

Happy 2010!!!

January is my month for Snip.Sew.Send. Woo hoo! Since I'm having a baby in April, I thought it would be fun to have you help me make a baby quilt. We aren't finding out the sex of the baby (I tell you, the suspense is killing me!), so I'm going with a sort of gender-neutral color scheme: rainbow!

These are my fabrics:

I've sent a different color grouping to each of you, and welcome you to include fabrics from your own stash if you are so inclined. I mailed them out on 12/31/2009, so hopefully your fabrics will be arriving soon.

I'd like 9.5" log cabin blocks. They can be traditional or they can be wonky-- I'm looking forward to some variety, so do whatever strikes your fancy.

As for potential layout, I'm kind of torn between a couple of options.

This one appeals to me because of the open center. I could to some kind of applique, or a spiffy quilting motif. But, it is a big expanse of white for a baby quilt. So I may end up trying something simpler like this:

Any thoughts?

I found some pretty nifty pictures in flickr and a couple of other blogs that inspired me that you may want to look to for inspiration as well:

Rainbow Cabins
Rainbow Block Quilt
Wonky Log Cabin Rainbow Scrap Quilt
Color Wheel Quilt
Wonky Log Cabin Inspiration mosaic

And here are a few tutorials, if you are looking for some guidance (I'm sure there are lots more too!):

Traditional Log Cabin Block and Variations
Tallgrass Prairie Studio: Wonky Log Cabin Tutorial
Quilt Dad: Wonky Log Cabin Block
Quilt Dad Wonky Quarter Log Cabin Block
blempgorf: Advice on Making Wonky Improvisational Log Cabin Blocks

I can't wait to see what y'all create!!!

Thanks!

Planning can indeed be helpful

2009-12-02T17:39:00.000-08:00

November was Gretchen's month. She sent a beautiful array of fabrics and asked for 2", 3.5", 6.5", and 9.5" square-in-square blocks. Her plan is to create a quilt inspired by Kaffe Fassett's "Jewel Squares" design.

Here is what I came up with:

I really wish that I could have made more of the larger size blocks (9.5" and 6.5"), but because I didn't go into my block-making with a plan, I just didn't have enough fabric. I cut various widths of fabric and then kind of built my blocks randomly. I didn't waste fabric, but if I had planned ~~better~~ at all, I could have made at least a couple more 6.5" blocks and fewer small ones. On the bright side, this seems like a design where the small blocks will definitely be useful.

Judging from the blocks others have posted in the flickr group, it definitely looks like this is going to be a spectacular quilt!

December is a break month for this group, and then my turn comes up in January. At this point, I still have no idea what to do. Hopefully, I'll have a plan soon! Because, as these blocks have reminded me, having a plan can indeed be helpful.

I can't measure

2009-12-02T13:21:00.000-08:00

Or maybe I can't measure, do math and cut accurately. That's more like it.

Gretchen, these are on the way to you. Like everyone else in the bee has said these were addictively fun. My measuring sucks, apparently, because I tried to make a 9.5" block, but couldn't work it out. Also the bottom right one is only 6" (I didn't have strips long enough to go around to make it large enough). Maybe you can use it as a base for a 9.5" block? I also tried twice to make a 2" block. Disastrous.

Surprisingly I really liked how the fabrics worked together. Surprising because if Gretchen had just told me about the color palette I would have thought she was crazy. I think the brown, orange and teal look so cozy and inviting together. My favorite is the top left and the small brown and teal one. This will be an awesome quilt.

For Gretchen from Kris

2009-11-22T11:01:00.000-08:00

I love the fabric Gretchen sent and I had a ton of fun doing these blocks. I think this quilt will be spectacular! Here are the blocks I made (6.5" and 9.5"). I meant to make some smaller ones, but just couldn't help myself and kept making them bigger :)

Addicting

2009-11-21T20:40:00.000-08:00

Well, I must say these squares were quite addictive! I decided to paper piece them so that it would become a mindless activity. It is nice not to think every now and then :) Gretchen sent so much fabric that I decided I would make a layout that would be nineteen inches by nineteen inches if sewn together. There are a total of 30 blocks. On some of them I really did use the last bit of fabric, so those will be a little shy of the unfinished size, sorry. If they are too small for you Gretchen feel free to add to them.

So sorry!

2009-11-21T15:51:00.000-08:00

So I got behind, really far behind actually on my bee committments and I'm truly sorry. I finally dug out my fabric, sewing machine, cutting mat etc last weekend and finally found time to work on my blocks today. Thankfully my month was October (I love all the blocks I've gotten so far!) so I didn't have to worry about it but September was still looming over my head.

But not anymore!!!!

The task was stars and I immediately knew I wanted to make a wonky one because I love wonky stars :). From there the red, white and blue color scheme seemed best fit in a flag block.

I don't normally use batik fabrics but I really like them in this block.

Since I was on a roll I also knocked out my blocks for November. My goal, is of course, to avoid ever getting behind again!

Gretchen asked for squares in squares and I have to say these blocks were quite addictive!

"Can you believe it's already August?"

2009-10-29T16:35:00.000-07:00

I almost cried when I re-read Zonnah's card and realized that it's almost November. Yikes! I was terrified to do these curves since I've never done them before so I wouldn't let myself finish any other bee blocks until I completed this one. I used a pattern from Purl Bee for Curved Seam Pillows , and shrunk the pdf by half. It worked out pretty well and the instructions on the site were a great intro to curved seams. My picture definitely suffered from being in the bright sun - the shadows are making those puckers look worse than they actually are (although there's no denying that they exist). Learning some new skills, such as curved seams, was why I joined some quilting bees, so thanks, Zonnah, for the challenge - and enjoy! ~Gretchen

Shot cotton love

2009-10-29T16:30:00.000-07:00

Have you seen those gorgeous shot cottons from Kaffe Fassett? I thought I had, but let me tell you-- a computer screen does not do the fabric justice. I had not been so up close and personal with the fabric until Nichole sent some Thunder to use in her block this month. I had heard people describe it as iridescent looking, but didn't really understand until now. It really is. WOW! LOVE I'm telling you!

Nichole requested a big block (16.5") with 1 to 3 individual flowers surrounded by the fabulous shot cotton background. She said she loves bright, bold colors, so that's what I tried to do:

It was a fun block to make. I started by cutting out my flowers and then measured them to see how big they were. Then I used graph paper to help me figure out the sizes background pieces.

I have a feeling that Nichole's blocks are going to create a spectacular quilt!

Thunder is one of the best color names

2009-10-28T16:06:00.000-07:00

First, the purple shot cotton Nichole sent us for October is delicious.

I didn't think I had a lot of flowers in my stash, but I was able to find several. These three looked best in the Thunder field.

Amazingly, the block when smoothly and that scares me. I checked and double checked the instructions so I think I am good on that end. It was fun to arrange and rearrange the flower placement. I decided on this so that the flowers were further from the center, but still kind of balanced. By the way, the littlest flower on the bottom right isn't that close to the edge. Some of the side got cropped out of the picture.

I am really interested in seeing the finished quilt. The block should be in the mail tomorrow! =]

October

2009-10-23T05:48:00.000-07:00

This months snip.sew.send from Nichole was a bit of a challenge for me because I don't have a stash. I do have leftovers from all the quilts I have made but none of those had flowers in them. I did have the floral print from my month but it did not go with the purple. So I did some begging and got these flowers :) My favorite is the yellow one. This picture really does not do it justice but it looks really good with the purple. I had a lot of fun fussy cutting and doing the math to make the block.

Liberty Gardens for Nichole

2009-10-15T18:36:00.000-07:00

I also made two blocks for Nichole. For the flowers I dug into my stash of Liberty fabric. The shot cotton was so nice to work with and the blocks were very simple to assemble. I hope she likes them! I know the pictures aren't great, but I'll post some close-ups of the flowers on my blog. One of them isn't even a flower, it's a dragonfly . . . but I still think it's pretty.

I also posted a picture of all of my September blocks together. I'm still waiting on a couple more and once they all come in I'll post a picture of all the blocks and post it here. I think they look really great together. Thanks again, Ladies!

With apologies for lateness...

2009-10-12T20:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I finally completed September's Snip.Sew.Send. block. Sufficit to say, I'm late. I have already sent some profuse apologies to the ever-gracious Lisa, and I should have her block in the mail to her on the morrow. Yay!

Lisa sent a variety of fabrics: red, blue, and green batiks, red and white prints, and some solid white. She loves scrappy quilts, and her fabrics really reflected an eclectic and fun style. Her block requirements: include each of the different fabrics in the 10.5" block, and include at least one star.

Sounds simple, right? Sigh... not for me. I felt overwhelmed by the array of fabrics and I just couldn't envision anything that seemed "right." But then one day, I ran across a post in Kathy Mack's Pink Chalk Studio blog that inspired me. She had recently made a wonky, free-form star block called "Maverick Star" AND she included some links to tutorials on how to do it. Perfect!

I used the Quiltville tutorial for "Maverick Stars!!!" and followed it pretty much to the letter, except that I used 2" squares instead of 2.5" (because I wanted smaller stars). It worked great. But then I kind of got stuck. I didn't have enough of the blue or green fabrics to make more stars, nor did I have enough of them to fill-in the surrounding areas (though that is what I had hoped to do). But I did have lots of red. So, I put red four-patches in the corners.

I think the result is kind of festive-looking in a crazy, scrappy kind of way. And I like the vibrancy of the red four-patches. I also like that I was able to push myself out of my comfort zone to make this. It is maybe not aesthetically perfect (at least, not to my mind), but I think it has a certain charm to it. Hopefully, Lisa will think so too.

Flowers for Nichole's Garden

2009-10-11T10:08:00.000-07:00

I had a lot of fun with the gorgeous fabric Nichole sent. When I read the instructions, I really didn't think I had many flowers in my stash, but when I looked, I found a whole bunch. I picked a few that I thought coordinated best and I hope it works for your vision, Nichole! I made two blocks and used just about all of the fabric you sent. :)

Midnight in the Garden

2009-09-30T05:51:00.000-07:00

Alright ladies I'm sorry I'm behind! As previously mentioned my husband and I are in the middle of moving and I just haven't been able to get my fabrics organized and sent out sooner.

A field of flowers quilt, originally uploaded by filminthefridge.

The idea is relatively simple, although I am asking you to dip into your own personal stashes a bit to help me out. One of the things I've wanted to do for a long time is to redecorate our bedroom in deep purples and grassy greens and I thought a "garden quilt" would be a great complement to that scheme. Unfortunately I don't have enough different floral prints to make an interesting quilt so I'm hoping you will share some of yours. I'm going to be sending everyone about half a yard of "Thunder" Shot Cotton and ask that you each make a 16.5 in by 16.5 in block that contains 1-3 different flowers. The flowers can be any size but I ask that like the inspiration quilt above you cut close around the flowers to eliminate as much of the background pattern as possible. You can use whatever color or type of flower that you like as long as it coordinate with the purple. I also ask that you not center the flowers in the middle of the block as the idea is to create the impression of a random field of flowers.

A field of flowers quilt front, originally uploaded by filminthefridge.

Hope that makes sense! I'll include a diagram with your fabric which I plan on sending out today!

Scrappy Star for Lisa

2009-09-29T06:08:00.000-07:00

After brainstorming different blocks, I settled on a version of the Galaxy block in the book(let) Miss Jump's Favorites by Linda Brannock. None of the pieces were intended to meet up exactly or be perfectly symmetrical which really plays to my strengths.

The outer squares and quarter circles were stitched together by machine. The star and inner two circles were stitched by reverse applique. Then the two sections were stitched to each other with reverse applique again.

The block is a little wonky, a little scrappy and a lot hand-stitched. I hope it looks quirky and fun rather than sloppy. I really liked using all the different fabrics and found this to be a really creative and fun challenge. Thanks, Lisa! =]

P.S. Lisa, please, please do me a favor. Don't put my block next to Zonnah's. Even though we used similar techniques my stitching doesn't even compare to hers! Thanks, you're a doll! ;]

Stars for Lisa

2009-09-20T12:07:00.000-07:00

Here's my block for Lisa at Blue Dress. I love scrappy quilts and wonky stars so I went with something with lots of pieces. I hope you like it!

Stars In My Eyes

2009-09-18T13:39:00.001-07:00

This month Lisa from Chemistry Couture sent out some fabric with the requests of scrappy, stars, and 10.5 by 10.5 blocks. I have never done scrappy and when I completed my block I am not sure if it classifies as scrappy. I am actually quite nervous that it might not blend into the rest of the quilt. Lisa, if it does not let me know and I will gladly make another. Besides the scrappy part, I am in love with this block and how it turned out. All of the stars are reverse applique and was pretty easy to assemble. Hope you like it? Oh and is this a Fourth of July quilt? :)

Zonnah's got curves

2009-08-30T15:44:00.000-07:00

{Plan A, which didn't come to be}

Zonnah asked for 7.5" square blocks with curves and circle featuring the floral print and the red as an accent. I sketched out several blocks, but decided on this half flower. It was inspired by a magazine ad for a spa in Savannah. I used the freezer paper method to piece it and colored the paper with colored pencils to see how the finished block might look.

{The block that is}

Somehow the block ended up 7.5" tall but only 6.5" wide, thus the orange strips flanking the flower. This was my first flat work with curves. I've sewn curves in garments, but this was a lot different. Zonnah, you really stretched my skill on this block and I was very happy for it. I hope you like it!

2009-08-29T21:17:00.000-07:00

September. It's my month for the quilting bee. I've changed my mind a million times over the past few months . . . what to do what to do. I picked out the fabrics a while back and a lot of them are batiks, which I've never really used before. I like the mix of red and blue and turquoise and green, I just didn't know what to request from these Uber-talented ladies. I've finally decided on something, though! I am asking my fellow Quilters to make me any kind of block they want, there are only two rules. Number one, try to use each kind of fabric I send (I'm sending each person, like, eight different large swatches . . . hey, I LOVE scrappy patchwork and this quilt qill be no exception). This might be tricky, because while I love jumbled up randomness, I know some people like things to be more simple and ordered, and too much fabric might go against their artistic sensibilities. I'm sure everything will work out, though. Number two, please put at least one star somewhere on the 10.5X10.5" block. The stars can be pieced, appliqued, embroidered, five-pointed, six-pointed, 25-pointed. Whatever you come up with! I think it will be awesome. I can't wait to see how it all comes together. Let me know if you have any questions, and have a wonderful month! ~Lisa

Geese on the brain

2009-08-12T13:38:00.000-07:00

After the last couple of months of doing everything at the last minute with no small amount of stress (I swear, I'd blink and then the month was gone!), I decided I needed to try something different and finish my block before the end of the month. Crazy!

August is Zonnah's month and she requested a 7.5" block that included circles and/or curves. I've had flying geese in my brain lately (in more ways than one, maybe!) and I decided to try and get them out of my system.

Inspired by this and this and Gail Garber's book, Stellar Journeys: Flying Geese and Star Quilts, I drew this block.

Then I used freezer paper foundation piecing to create the geese (a la this fabulous tutorial from Twiddletails).

This was my first time trying this technique, and I was super happy with how well it worked. I can see why many prefer it to traditional paper foundation piecing-- no dulling of the needle and no having to tear paper away!

I decided to go ahead and applique the geese onto the background. This may not have been the best decision because I had a very difficult time trying to position them (I did them needleturn, using freezer paper on top) and there was a lot of bulk in the seams. I had to do a couple of the points twice before I was happy with them. I suspect it probably would have been easier to just do some curved piecing. Live and learn!

The points are still not perfect, but I'm feeling okay about them at this point and I am happy with the overall look of the block. Hopefully, Zonnah will be happy too!

I heart circles!

2009-08-09T13:27:00.000-07:00

I really liked that Zonnah challenged us all to circles. I pieced a circle and used fusible interfacing to applique the circle. I figured that would be easier with all the seams around the edge. I hope she likes it!

A block for Chen

2009-07-28T19:43:00.000-07:00

July is Chen's month and her instructions were to just go for it. How could I not be inspired?

I received 6 strips of fabric, ranging in size between 3 and 5 inches wide and then 18 to 22 inches long. Eeep! That's not a lot of fabric to play with. (There goes that idea for an applique block! Not enough to to really piece a background and have any left to applique... close, but not quite.) Fortunately, she sent along a couple of links to check out for inspiration, and in one of those I found a link to Andover Fabrics' free quilt designs. It was there that I finally found my muse:

I drew from the Sugar Snap Quilt design and scaled down the blocks to create a 12" block. It was only after I stitched it all together that I realized I had created a sort of nine-patchy look in the way I placed my fabrics. Funny how that worked out!

It's a simple block, but I was happy to find something that I could use all the fabrics in and that could easily accommodate the fabric pieces I was given. Hopefully, Chen will be happy too!

2009-07-24T21:00:00.000-07:00

I broke the rules. I used white on the outside of Chen's block . . . but I couldn't help it. As soon as I read the words "please don't use white on the outside of the block" I got the image an incomplete block in my head. Just the corners of a block with a big strip of white in the middle that would blend in with the sashing when the quilt is finished. So thats what I did. A big ole' diagonal strippy block with white in the middle. I used some solids from my own stash to compliment the pretty fabrics and I think the final product is simple but nice. And of course if the white on the outside bothers Chen she can add a strip of something to the outside of the block to frame it in :)

I've really loved looking at everyone's designs for this quilt. You guys are so creative!!!

Mail Delivery

2009-07-20T16:18:00.000-07:00

It is August and my turn :) The finished quilt will be for my sister. I have already informed her how it was going to be made by 11 other random people that I have never met. She just looked at me like I was a crazy person. Lol. I would like the theme to be circles and or curves. Get creative and make whatever you want. I would like the size to be 7 ½ by 7 ½. The floral is the dominate fabric and the red is just for an accent. Please just use the fabric provided, if you need more or made a mistake just let me know and I will send you some :) You should be getting your fabric soon since I sent it off today!

Chewy Strawberry Nougat Centers

2009-07-09T18:06:00.000-07:00

{Chocolate Lollipops with a chewy strawberry nougat center}

At first I thought I would slightly alter a pattern I found in a quilting book, but once I received the fabrics I had to rethink things. I agree with much of my hive in that the patterns and colors really called for bigger swatches of fabric. With my first choice I would have cut fairly small pieces and I think it would have taken too much away from the fabric themselves. However, I will use that idea in the future mainly because I thought of two or three hilariously ridiculous names for the pattern. Forget about that now.

In the end I chose to steal a design I saw in another quilting bee. It is based off a classic quilt block, Kansas Dugouts. Going with the theme, I think they look like donuts or high class chocolates with chewy strawberry nougat centers.

{Measure twice, cut once is totally lost on me}

OK, I am a very "fly by the seat of my pants" girl and didn't really plan and check everything out the way my Girl Scout Leaders probably taught me a million years ago, but this lets the brain work and clean up the cobwebs that have collected in the nooks and crannies.

I had the other three print fabrics traced and cut when I tried the template on this last print. It didn't fit. I thought about cutting the strip in half, in using it as the little triangles, of searching for more of this fabric, but in the end I just made up the difference with what was available and I am glad to say that every last thread of this print was used to make this portion of the block. Hopefully the pieces blend in with the print.

Is it bad etiquette to point out blunders? But is this really even a blunder? Honey, I hope you don't think so because I think its frugal and resourceful. =]

For Chen from Kris

2009-07-05T18:26:00.000-07:00

While driving back and forth to Philly this weekend, I got Chen's block done.

I loved the fabric! I'd been thinking of doing this design for a while and her fabric seemed like it would work well. I ended up doing the majority of the circles using freezer paper since I was going to actually applique them in the car, but one is done with fusible interfacing. Both methods seemed to work pretty well and I'll probably use them both in the future.

Yup, that's a shot from the car. :) Jon (my boyfriend) thinks this block looks like "mass scattering from the center of the universe"... I thought that summed it up pretty well.

p.s. How great are Chen's return address labels!?

Candy, Candy, Candy

2009-07-01T20:29:00.000-07:00

This months block was a fun one. Having open range with such beautiful fabric was a dream come true. The block size was new to me. I am used to five inch square blocks, lol. This felt like I was making a mini quilt. For this block I had something in my head that was a cross between a dresden plate and one of the Dear Jane blocks I recently did. I took out my graph paper and pencil then went to work. Most of the block was pieced together in the method Robin just posted about for her June block. The curved white pieces were not in the original design but when I got to that part there was too much going on and I needed to break it up and so in came some white. The hardest part for this months block was fitting a pattern to the amount of fabric I had. Not total fabric but the individual pieces. For instance the big corner pieces I could not have cut out of the smaller prints if I had wanted to. While talking about the fabric, it was such a good idea to send everyone different fabric. I first saw Nichole's block before I received my fabric and was planning a block based on those fabrics, only to open my envelope and see different prints. I am not complaining for I LOVE the fabric I got. Anyhoo, this was fun and I am excited about next month, my month. Here is a sneak peek of the fabric for August.

How many ways can you make a block?

2009-07-01T10:57:00.000-07:00

My name is Robin, and I am a procrastinator. But-- I got Adrienne's block done and sent off on time, so I don't feel too bad about it!

I've been enjoying reading how some others went about making their Hop, Skip, Jump-inspired blocks for Adrienne, and thought it would be fun to share yet another way one can go about it. This is how I did it:

First, I drew a 6.5" by 12" rectangle on freezer paper, subdivided it into wonky sections and numbered them.

I cut it all apart.

I ironed the freezer paper pieces to the right side of the fabrics and cut them out with 1/4" seam allowances. (Since she said she wouldn't mind, I also couldn't resist adding a couple of fabrics to the mix she sent).

I used a pin to help hold the pieces together at the top corner (because freezer paper is slippery), and then stitched the seam. I worked left-to-right.

Here it is all stitched together.

And here is the completed block, trimmed and ready to go!

This first month was a lot of fun-- I'm really looking forward to the months ahead! (I just got Chen's fabric for July... oooo...yummy!)

Chocolate Lollipops in July

2009-06-28T15:38:00.000-07:00

I happened to have a clean sewing table (I think we all know how rare an occurance that is) and didn't feel like starting another large project so I decided to tackle July's block a little early.

Earlier in the day I started making a giant bento box for a baby playmat or quilt but ran out of white fabric so I had to shelve the project for another day. To make it I doubled the size of the template pieces that came with the pattern and I liked how it showcased the larger prints I was working with in that project.

But I was curious how it would look in the original scale and since July was an anything goes month I decided to make one fourth of a bento box for Chen. I stuck with the original scale of the pattern as well as the original concept of alternating light and dark prints and really like how it came out.

Chocolate Lollipops for July

2009-06-22T20:09:00.000-07:00

In my opinion, chocolate is good anytime so why not July. For my month, I have chosen the Chocolate Lollipops line by Anna Maria Horner. I love this line! I have been hoarding this for quite a while and I believe it's time to finally cut into it. I would love for you lovely ladies to help me create a beautiful quilt with it!I am asking each of you to make a block of your choice. The great thing about these quilting bees for me is the creativity that everyone puts in their own blocks. I love looking at a block and seeing someone else's handiwork. I'm constantly amazed at all the talent of others. Some blocks may be simple but their arrangement of the fabric used make the block stand out. And then there are the blocks that are just jaw dropping and I can't imagine ever being talented enough to make a block to equal it. I'm involved in three other quilting bees also ( I know, I have issues with self control!). My months in two of them have passed and I now have two beautiful quilt tops. Since everyone chose and created their own blocks, I can look at a block and know exactly who made it and I love that! Here's a peek of two of the quilt tops:

I'll be sending out my packets in the next couple of days with instructions on the block size. I guess it will be like Christmas in July for me when I start receiving my blocks back :0). I can't wait!!!

***** If you want to take a closer look at the quilts/blocks from my other two bees, they can be found here and here.

For Adrienne From Kris

2009-06-11T20:16:00.000-07:00

For snip.sew.send. this month, Adrienne sent vintage sheets she thrifted and some were hand dyed! These were new fabrics for me and it was awesome to work with something different. She requested Denise Schmidt Hop, Skip and Jump style blocks.

Following Zonnah, I figured I would share how I ended up accomplishing the task. If nothing else, it's a reference for me to go back to. This was my first time doing wonky free style blocks, so I followed the suggestion of another member of the bee on how to do it.

I cut all the pieces I was going to be working with a little longer than the height of the finished block (I cut to 7" to allow some leeway for a 6.5" block)

For each piece, I put the new piece on top of the other pieces that were already pieced. Here the orange piece is new and it's already been cut at angle from a previous step.

Then I decided how wonky I wanted the seam to be and cut both pieces at that angle (making sure to leave a little extra for the seam allowance.

Then I lined up the edges (right sides together) and off set them 1/4" so the pieces would still line up more-or-less straight after I sewed the seam.

After I had all my pieces sewn together, I trimmed the height to the appropriate length (here 6.5"), and called it good. Here are the results:

And an extra block that Adrienne said she's going to trim for another part of the quilt.

Method To My Madness

2009-06-10T15:54:00.000-07:00

Do you really think wonky is my style? I don't think so :) This block was a big push for me and although I did not follow the path of a true wonkier (is that a word?), I think I did rather well. I like to plan everything in my blocks so I decided I would not do that when choosing which fabrics went where. I literally closed my eyes a just grabbed. The only fabric I kind of planed was the floral because I wanted it in the bigger spots so it would be dominant.

So now for the method:

I decided I would paper piece the block. Here is the telephone book paper.

Then since my paper was not 12 inches long I cut two 6.50 inch squares.

Then I made my pattern on the squares.

Here I am piecing it together.

Right after piecing.

Then I had to sew them together. I know looks crooked but I swear it will come out straight :).

Yeah! It's straight.

And the end result.

My only complaint was the orange fabric did not come up in the pile as much. Oh and don't let the pics deceive you, there was a lot of seams that got ripped out because I am not pro at lining fabric up :P

I had so much fun doing this block and cannot wait till next months block.

Zonnah

June blocks are breakin' the law

2009-05-31T19:12:00.000-07:00

OK, maybe not, but I don't know all the in and outs of quilt legality. It won't be totally square.

Friday, I mailed the fabric packages to all you beauties. Included are the fabrics in the photo and a little instruction sheet. In short, I would like the blocks to be 6.5" x 12" (which is different then what's on the sheet, but I think 6.5" is best) and for them to be wonky horizontal lines similar to Denise Schmidt's Hop, Skip and Jump pattern. Examples here, here, and here.

This will be our grab and go quilt. We plan to take it to the beach, kayaking, fishing, on picnics, bike rides and Volkswagen shows.

The tulips, yellow and white are thrifted sheets. The purple, green and orange were original part of a white thrifted duvet cover, but I dyed them. In case you wondered, when Rid's Pearl Gray is mixed with Dark Brown you get this eggplant/amethyst purple not taupe-y gray. I really liked the color and thought it still worked with the other fabrics, so I added it.

I am concerned that there isn't enough fabric. I sent out even amounts of what I had, but if you don't have enough just make it as close to 12" long as you can. If you want to add in other fabrics from your stash I am good with that.

This is the sketch of how I think the final quilt will look:

{Front and back}

Please let me know if you have any questions. I can't wait to see all the blocks!

Welcome! Welcome!

2009-05-03T16:25:00.000-07:00

Yea! We are finally ready to get going and I can't be more excited.

I just sent an e-mail to all the members, so if you didn't get it, check the spam folder then let me know if you still don't see it.

Following is the block schedule and a little intro for everyone. I feel like this is a "new to the area" mixer and I should give a little conversation starter during intros:

June ~ Adrienne This is me, hey. I am in the midst of a zigzag play quilt and a whirlygiggle something.

July ~ Chen is working on a mess of 9 patches and whipping up some great pillows using Mendocino fabrics, which I love.

August ~ Zonnah is working on the Dear Jane quilt. Her hand applique blocks look fabulous. I love that she includes pictures of the backs.

September ~ Lisa just submitted a killer dress to the American Sewing Guild competition. So original. She also has great money saving tips while still stocking up on necessary sewing stuff.

October ~ Nichole posts great photo tutorials and other must-have info on her blog. So helpful in so many ways.

November ~ Gretchen just made a new dog bed for Stuart. I think he likes it, too.

January ~ Robin is working on four quilts including a Dear Jane, Playtime, Mod-Quilt Sampler and a coin quilt.

February ~ Kris recently returned from her sister's wedding and has been challenged to cut up but preserve her sister's (and mother's) wedding gown. She's looking for ideas, if you have any. Kris also created the banner and button for this blog. Thanks, Kris!

March ~ Tina has donated super cute owl themed bedding for her daughter's art program fund raiser.

April ~ Heather is finishing three, count them three, graduation quilts for loved ones. Her spring magic quilt has recently been completed and makes me want to take it on a picnic.

May ~ Rebecca has a vintage giveaway in progress right now. She's slimming down her fabrics and notions while increasing a lucky winner's.

June 2010 ~ Anne recently created a laptop cozy for her daughter complete with a funky elephant applique. I'm jealous.

One little request. When posting anything please try to use the labels I've started. They are pretty simple: first name-month. I think they should come up when you type in the first few letters of the first name. If we can keep the labeling concise I think it will be easier later. Thanks!

Please feel free to tell more about yourself in a post. Let me know if you have any questions. I will be sending out fabric and instructions in a few weeks. Yea!

=]

Snip.Sew.Send. The newest Virtual Quilting Bee

2009-04-21T18:45:00.001-07:00

I am starting a new virtual quilting bee called Snip.Sew.Send. It will run similarly to other quilting bees such as Common Threads, Sew Connected and Block Party.
Here is the low down:

Each month one member will purchase and mail fabrics to the other members. They will make a quilt block with those fabrics according to the sender's instructions. We'll have several weeks to complete the block and mail it back by the end of the month so she can complete the quilt. All the members will be invited to author on this blog so everyone can still enjoy the whole quilt making process.

After all 12 member have committed, I'll assign months by drawing names randomly, unless someone has a special request. I would like to have everything organized to begin by sending the first fabrics at the beginning of June.

The bee will run from June 2009 through the end of June 2010. I think we should skip December due to all the holidays,travelling and gifting crunch.

I am in the process of inviting quilters to join the bee. Check back in the next few days and watch the sidebar for a list of all the members!

Love and sunshine,
Adrienne =]