Bee Blocks, Etc. * March and April *

April 3, 2019April 3, 2019 Elizabeth E.11 Comments

Bee Blocks, yes. But first:

Dream Big Bag_2

I recently asked Lisa to make me a tote bag out of a Dream Big panel by Hoffman. I ordered everything, and the bag turned out to be a good size, one that could hold a queen sized quilt, perfect for taking along binding projects. Dream Big Bag_1

I chose a summery floral for the inside (I like bright colors inside my purses/bags, so I can find things).

Dream Big Bag

Beauty shot in the flowers by the front door. Thank you Lisa, I love it!

March_2019 Gridsters

Now, here are my bee blocks for the Gridster Bee. Here are March’s blocks, requested by Marsha @quilterinmotion on Instagram. We used this pattern, and it worked up quickly.

March_2019a Gridsters

If you decide to make these, I’d suggest switching up the order–put #9 on first, then #8. It’s a sturdier constuction that way.

March_2019b Gridsters.png

But here’s the cool thing: her center will be four “straight” Flying Geese blocks, with our curvy ones being added to it, for lots of motion in her quilt.

April 2019_Gridsters Bee

Nancy who blogs at Patchwork Breeze, and is on Instagram @patchworkbreeze, asked for a patriotic block for a summer quilt. I guess it’s not too early to get started on the red, white, and blue, a good reminder to work ahead of the seasons and celebrations (anyone for Halloween quilts? Christmas?).

Finally, I decided to tally up what I accomplished last year, in terms of completed quilts. If you remember (or are hoping to forget), it was the Year of Frivols. So here’s the totals:

• Twelve Frivols
• Three Mini-quilts
• One Baby quilt
• One Small quilt
• Two large quilts
• One large quilt that will show up in Fall 2019 Simpy Moderne

Number Twenty

And for 2019? It’s hard right now because while I can sew the tops, I can’t quilt them myself. Quilts are only being finished when I can send them out. But here’s the list of projects so far:

• Plitvice (finished)
• Chuck Nohara quilt (binding being sewn on as we speak)
• Nameless other large quilt, being kept under wraps/headed for publication
• Home-keeping Hearts (top only at this point)
• Merrion Square–there are three of these small quilt tops in circulation, and are samples at guilds where I’ll be speaking
• Basket quilt is still on the design wall, as I audition borders.

When I finish them, I’ll catalogue them, above, on the 300 Quilts list.

Speaking Teaching Events
• Meet the Teacher for the Southern California Council of Quilt Guilds
• Utah Valley Quilt Guild, Utah–Trunk Show and Day-long workshop
• Valley of the Mist Quilt Guild, Temecula, CA–Trunk Show and Day-long workshop

If you are in Utah, they still have a couple of openings for the workshop on April 16th. If you are new to this blog (welcome!), you can meet me digitally in my Happy New Year post.

I leave you with a few shots of our California Superbloom. Happy Spring!

Gridsters · Mini-quilt · stitchery

Starry Sky Mug Rug

October 12, 2018June 9, 2019 Elizabeth E.15 Comments

Starry MugRug_4 Starry MugRug_3

This summer, my niece Abby, let me have one of her hand-thrown mugs, of which I was thrilled to get (I love hot chocolate). I meant to send her a little quilted mug rug in return, but that project seemed to get stalled for one reason or another. But last week, I decided not one more thing would be done until I finished it and sent it off. (Sometimes you just have to give yourself a little talk.)

I used the Starry Sky block pattern, by Kylie Kelsheimer ~~(a downloadable pattern from Craftsy). In this new version of her pattern, she has three sizes, and the 6″ size is perfect for a mug rug.~~ Note: It has been taken down from Craftsy/BluPrint.

UPDATE June 2019: The pattern is now up on PayHip, in three sizes.

Starry MugRug_1 Starry MugRug_2

My niece likes to go hiking, and lives up in the Northwest, so I used colors of purple mountains, green hills and aqua-and-blue waters. I bound it in navy.

Starry MugRug_5

I used an agate-stone looking print for the back, one of my favorites lurking in my stash.

It took me a couple of hours from start to finish. It’s a paper-pieced pattern, so all the star points are sharp and it goes together easily. I kept a photo of the block near me when putting the pieces together, to keep myself straight.

Screen Shot 2018-10-05 at 8.21.21 PM.png

I listened to the latest Bruno, Chief of Police book, The Resistance Man, and that kept me going. Then I ran it to the Post Office, and off it went. I hope Abby likes it.

A couple of days before I’d made Simone’s blocks for the Gridsters Bee, a wee bit late, but she forgave me.

And then I got right on October’s blocks for Joan, for the Gridsters Bee. She asked for a black-and-white New York Beauty block, with a touch of solid color. Hope she likes these.

Irish Women Sewing.jpg

I liked this old photograph of women sewing, found on the website for the National Gallery of Ireland, reminding me of my travels (I’m finally over the jetlag).

Perfection vs Good.png

Here’s your reminder: the perfect is the enemy of the good, Stephan Pastis style. As some long-time readers know, I believe in this quote and used to keep it on my syllabi when I was a teacher. Sometimes it’s good to just be *good,* and not strive for perfection. Hope that idea helps you “lead a sane and balanced life.”

300 Quilts · Quilts

Northern Star Medallion Top Finished

August 9, 2018August 9, 2018 Elizabeth E.13 Comments

It was a lot of mind over matter, but I finished the borders, worked out the measurements and sewed everything together. There seemingly was a big canyon between where I was last post and where I am now: getting it ready to quilt, but really, it wasn’t that hard once I settled down, stopped freaking out and followed Melanie’s advice.

I finished the Gridster Bee blocks for Linda for August. I like her idea of lots of churn dashes all the same size, but in a variety of fabrics. If you head to our hashtag on IG, you can see that Linda has already received some of the blocks.

The same night I finished the Northern Star Medallion top, I stepped outside to see this.

We drove up to the top of our neighborhood to see where the smoke was coming from–way over yonder in Orange County on the left bumpy mountain. California is burning up, and it’s only the beginning of August. When I first moved here 27 years ago, we only had fires in September, just like clockwork. Every year there would be one big one, and then it would be done.

Tonight the fire map looks like this and it’s not even September. Oh yes, we also have an earthquake map, a smog map, but we don’t generally have snow or flood or tornado maps, like some of you do.

This morning I had to have a couple of stitches taken out from a recent procedure, and the doctor was about to throw these into the sharps container. When I asked, he gave them to me. I washed them up and put them in my sewing supplies–those tweezers are great for grabbing the end of the seam of an HST to keep it from going wonky, and I’ll find a use for those scissors. Yes, I’m still sewing on my hexies. I think I’m halfway there.

Look at that yucky sky in the background–seems like it will be a good idea to stay inside and start quilting!

Gridsters · Quilts

Gridster Bee Begins 2018

January 19, 2018January 9, 2018 Elizabeth E.8 Comments

Carol kicked off the Gridsters this year, doing a little throwback to fall, for she said she wanted to make herself a quilt for autumn. She asked us to use this tutorial from The Cloth Parcel. I had fun finding orange fabrics that would work, and picked up some bold orange Grunge dots to work into the pumpkins. She had mailed us the navy Grunge for the background, and after I finished my first pumpkin, I found I had enough for another, so I sent two. These come together quick and easy, so if you are thinking ahead…or behind…it would be a fun quilt for fall.