a start

4 patches are all sewn using the Billie Lauder "two at once" technique. I finished doing the four patch swirl thing with the center seams this morning and then sewed and joined enough blocks to establish the diagonal chaining effect. I am going with a 5 x 7 8 inch block set so looks like 25 more blocks and 5 more rows to go. But I am setting it aside again to sew on the FAB giftie, probably tomorrow.





The fabrics I needed for two projects arrived just before lunch. I did the last bit of cutting for the giftie and then cut the replacement muslin for the Bird Brain block I need to re-do. All marked and ready to roll when I feel more inclined than I do at present.

I am very low energy today mostly because the sinus headache I have had for like 4 days now is still hanging around. As much as I love spring, I could do without the congestion, sneezing and headache deal. My eyes feel like two burn holes in a blanket and I just want to give in and go lay down. It is a little muggy and the barometric pressure is doing weird things which is not helping the aching head. UGH!

almost a finish

DJ says "you are missing a block" when I held it up for him to see. I reply "I know. Remember when I told you that I messed up trimming that one down and I have to make another?"

You know, I am tempted to count this as a "finished to flimsy" After all the missing block WAS done and would have been sewn in there if I hadn't messed up and/or could tolerate the lack of seam allowance.

For today, I am going to work on the 4 patch diagonal components that I had been piddling with a month or so ago and set aside. See the picture in this post. This is one of my scrappy bag challenge pieces for Bama Belles and #9 of 11n11.

#10 which also is part of both challenges would be the triple rail blocks I was working on at the quilt meeting was last seen HERE almost a month ago. We meet on Tuesday and that will be my meeting project again. It will be done at some point, no rush. I guess #11 would be those Puss in the Corner blocks I also have in the progress. No shortage of things to sew around here!

When I get tired of sewing and ready for some handwork, I will applique some tulip stems on the April Button Up. Yep, that is the day's action plan. When the fabric comes for the giftie, tomorrow or Saturday I'm guessing, I will get in gear with that project as that is a deadline piece and I need to allow for mailing time as well.

sew. sew. sew

First you cut, cut, cut.....and then you chain yourself to the sewing machine and sew like crazy, LOL.

At left, the Gordian Knot from my quilt class. When I stopped sewing on Saturday with two halves of the top. (it's on point) That elongated rail section is the last piece to be added when you go back to finish off the partial seams. Today's goal is to finish this top up.

Pattern source: Gordian Knot designed by Mary Whitehead. Our teacher said Mrs. Whitehead had drawn up the designs before her passing but died before she could include the assembly instructions. The teacher spent 4 years figuring out how THAT part was done for the 9 designs. This is knot #1.

I started this pile of Triple Rail blocks on Thursday using scraps from the Belles scrappy challenge container. By Sunday afternoon I counted them up while I pressed the final seams-- 80 blocks separated out by color groupings. I had some left (22) from my last quilt of this type. Just how many did I need for straight sets anyway? I made 8 more, LOL. Depending on whether I want a border or not it would take 77 or 108. A whole quilt hiding in that little scrap box, in other words! Some of the "singletons" are sewn up as well into 4 Ashcombe panels. It is the equivalent of two blocks worth if I cut a center strip to assemble them. I set this all aside for a meeting sewing project.


I showed you the two bands that could be for either RR crossing of Grandmother's Scrap Bag on Friday. Since that post, I made a total of 8- 3-D bowties blocks. A few are on the design wall. I need 35 for an on point set and have a total of 12 on hand.

I also made 2-Puss in the Corner blocks from the nickel squares. The Belles and I made a ton of these blocks using the Billie Lauder Quick Trick method for uneven nine patches. I had to refresh my memory on how to do it, LOL.



And then I finished off the evening by making some string blocks. Had I hit my own scrap basket a bit more, I could have kept stitching for days but these used up most of the odd bits from the Belles Challenge scrap box---plus some longer strips from my 1 1/2 cuts to cover the longest required lengths.

Obviously I will need quite a bit more of these. 35 total blocks if I just sash and cornerstone them. BUT I am considering treating them as a HST and making a "Kitchen Sink" version. I could have sworn that I had a picture on the blog of one of those but can't locate it now to link back. Guess you will just have till I find one of my mom's in the WTIL gallery pages or an old Belles version from the photo archives.

Because we are about to turn the calendar page on the month of February, I swapped out the wall hangings and seasonal decorations this morning. I think the March Joined at the Hip (JATH) quilt of the month should be next on my reward list along with a completion of the Spring "In Season" quilt!! For the base unit of the JATH can hang up there naked, LOL.

It is hard not think it is spring already when we had an overnight low of 62 degrees, albeit with rain and storms on the way in sometime today. The daffodils have been out for a week and the neighborhood Bradford Pears are opening up like popcorn. I have seen a few tulip trees out on my drive into town as well. Our camellia bush will be next provided we don't get the beginning blooms zapped by a late winter frost.

So the Gordian Knot finish is today's project. Then I want to swap out machines and start something else. Even though I want to do those two reward projects I just mentioned, Sheila and I are sort of challenging each other to start on the 4 patch diagonal chain quilt I showed HERE. We have been emailing back and forth about it. She will hit some squares she had set back for this quilt and I will hit the nickel squares with a goal of donation sized quilt for me.

The birthday girl FAB also has a plan for us to sew for her bday party. It would use 2 1/2 inch strips and we would do the Jelly Roll 1600 race, I guess. Date has not been set but I DO have a pile of the required strip sizes in my Belles scrap box plus an overstuffed container on the shelf that could be raided.

Looks like I am going to be busy--------but that's the way I like it! Hope you find something that captures your attention too.