Getting back to normal... maybe.

It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks!
I sent out fabric to two bees and a swap....





 

Wooh! My living room floor is clear again and I am done trekking to the post office with laundry basket full of squishy envelopes.

I won't be hosting another swap round right away (I promised hubby at least a few weeks of postal normalcy) but it was a huge success and I want to thank everyone who participated.

Just look at the beautiful variety we came up with!

And somehow I did manage to get a bee block sewn for someone else in the fabric frenzy.

This block was super easy, and only required two 10" squares each of the print and the background.
I like the movement of the dots in it, don't you? Here is the full tutorial if you would like to check it out.


I don't love the color on its own, but it will look great with the other fabric Susan has chosen.

How has your June been? Are you getting into summer craze or summer laze?

1000 ( x 8 ) words

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I don't know who 'they' are, but let's say they are right.

Here, in "8000" words, is why you haven't heard much from me here in blog-land.

In addition to sewing I've been getting fabric and instructions out as June host for 3 groups!

The lady behind the counter at the post office has no idea what's in store for her tomorrow ;)

I have to say, May kicked my butt- the heat and stress made for a very cranky, unproductive vibe for alot of the last few weeks. 

Fortunately, I got to clear my head a bit with a 26 mile bike trail ride along the Lehigh Gorge last week.

Here's to an equally productive (and hopefully less stressful) June!

WIP Wednesday (2/15/12)

This will be a quickie WIP update - I've gotten alot done, but I don't have much time to tell you about it right now. 

Here are some photos to show you what's been going on behind the scenes here.

I got the Mini Quilt clipped and read to be bound. Here are some wonky houses and itty bitty circles .
You'll get to see more of when it's done

Moody Blues Bee/Dead Simple QAL Working on my layout now - the ladies from the MBB did a fantastic job with improv piecing!(no pics of this yet) ... 

and got I got 2 blocks made for Melissa, who asked for wonky stars in aqua and red.

I got a log cabin pumpkin done for Lisa

I took part in the OYGB orphan bock challenge- from oprhan to tea wallet, in less than an hour!

 

Stalled out on this one, I have to find space to do the piecing , here are the 4 quadrants to the center square.

...and off I go to the next appointment. What a whirlwind of a Wednesday!

As usual you should check out every one's works in progress at Lee's!

a Light Bulb Moment (and dusting off the DSQAL fabric)

We get excited about projects, sign up for swaps and bees and quiltalongs and those quilt endorphines pump like crazy (or at least mine do).

And then real life happens...
.... you live a year with a partially re-covered couch

.... your halloween wall hanging gets shoved in a box unfinished around thanksgiving

.... your dead simple pallete sits teasing you in a corner

The word keeps turning and you wait for things to settle down.

Please tell me you know the feeling??

Then sometimes there are happy moments of epiphany that balance out those moments. Like this:

Moody Blues Bee member Cristina is having a 'life happens' month. She was having trouble getting a block and fabric ready for her month , and said she was thinking of skipping her month. 

That broke my heart! Skip a month? That's no fun!  

And then I had an a-ha moment.. 

...that out-of-sight but not out-of-mind Dead dimple pallete flashed in my brain.

 ..the quilt I have been having a flickr love affair with flashed in my brain.

"Fact or Fiction" quilt by Karen of Blooming Poppies

Cristina and I have swapped months, I am queen bee this month, and have recruited the fine ladies of MBBR2 to have a hand in making my first all-solids quilt and my first improv pieced quilt!

I've sent the ladies the following:

   

Quilt math hurts my brain, especially this improvisational stuff. So I've asked them to make 6.5" and 8.5" 'bricks' of  (almost) any length with the fabric they receive I will string the bricks together.

I'm literally shaking with excitement! I am trying something new, using my much adored dead simple QAL fabric and Cristina will have plenty of time to prep for her turn as Queen bee. WIN WIN WIN!!

And the cheesy side of me loves that this group of talented ladies will be making 'bricks' to help me build my quilt. It’s going to be great to see what they all come up with!

What are your thoughts on improv piecing? Love it or hate it? Never tried it or old news?

I've linked up.. hop on over (if you haven't already)!

WIP Wednesday 10/05/11

I skipped the last 2 WIPs (I was in the midst of an apartment cleaning,

 job searching and wiping boogery noses (my own and that of a 6 month old)).  

Stupid life getting all up in the way of my blogging, sheesh. 

Moving on, here is what I've been up to this week (and the 2 before it):

Finished Projects

1. It's not technically a project, but I didn't get to take a proper photo or thank Kati from the Blue Chair while I was in my sudafed haze.

So here is a belated but heartfelt THANK YOU to Kati! She did an a-maze-ing job of organizing the color wheel charm swap this summer! I received my envelope, did a happy dance and immediately started playing with them on the floor. 

Rainbow therapy. It works wonders :)

New Projects

My first swap was such a warm fuzzy success that I signed up for 2 swaps this week.

1. The first is the Modern Christmas Tablerunner Swap 2011 being hosted by Susan.

 

That's my inspiration mosaic (as posted on flickr). 

We find out who are partners are tomorrow or Friday, ahhh!!

2. The second is the Moody Blues Bee. It is a virtual bee with 12 quilters, spread over 6 months. Each month 2 member sends out fabric to the other 11 quilters along with information on what type of block to make. Those 11 quilters complete the block and return it by the end of the month. The theme this go around is scrap busting. It doesn't start until January 1, so I have plenty of time to get some other WIPs done before it starts.

3. Stockings for Kids - Okay. I have a confession. I can't resist sewing for a good cause. I've done Quilts for Kids, and recently made these 4 blocks for Sarah's endeavor, Quilting for Kids.

Lyanna is gathering volunteers to make a stockings for foster children to give them something they can call their own this holiday season. How sweet is that?  I'm jumping on board, are you?

You can read the story here.

Progress

1. Dead Simple QAL - Remember this pile of fabrics?

Well, as you may know, I picked a palette and after much deliberation, I have a game plan! 

2. Across the Sea QAL - I hit a major productive road block on this one.  I had a pile of blocks just waiting for their seams to be pressed open for longer than I care to admit.  
Now it has inner borders (pictured below) and 3 of the 4 outer borders. 

Did I make the deadline? Nope. Am I lovin' what is done though? BIG Yes! 
And that makes me happy inside :)

No Progress

1. Scrappy Friendship Quilt
2. Quilt with No Name
3. Sewing Room Pencil Holder
4. Thomas the Tank Train Bag
5. Log Cabin Flag Quilt (partially quilted)
6. Quilts for Kids (2 quilt kits) 
7. Needle Case
8. The Great Couch Re-cover

What have YOU been up to? 

Have you been thinking of holiday sewing projects lately?
 Have you gone on a fall cleaning frenzy? 

This week's stats:

New projects - 2

Completed projects - 1
Currently in progress -10