Sew Sunshine

Okay so I failed last month. Time to get back on the horse or just try to cross my fingers and toes that my back holds up this month. I plan once again to finish my QAL Modern Medallion quilt over at www.sewkindofwonderful.com  I did manage on the last day of August to sew the blocks together. Now I need the back and the batting and the idea of how I am going to quilt it.  Wish me luck I think I am going to need it!

Wow September already. I will tell you that August was sort of a blur. In a nutshell, I hurt my back early in the month and was not able to sew ...at all! No cutting out just dreaming of what I wanted to be doing and making.  Near the end of the month I was spurred out of my sewing hiatus to make a quick gift for my great niece on her 3rd Birthday. :) I was reading blogs and came across an idea someone made (sorry I didn't bookmark so not sure who this was) to make a little handled tote.  I modified the tote to my own crafty idea. I wanted it to be a travel tote for my great niece to carry her art (whatever that maybe) or books etc. She is blessed with many grandparents who love to have her visit and so I thought this would work great.    Front pocket and velcro closure to the bag keeps everything together.  Zipper pocket for markers (dry erase crayola makers inside)   Inside ruffle elastic straps to hold dry erase board or drawing pape...

Here is is the 5th of August and I have accomplished very little. Didn't even get a July report card up.  All I can say is sometimes you have to do what you can do and nothing else matters.  So with that said, I 'am' going to put up a goal for August and hope all things work out. I have been working on blocks in the  Over at  Sew kind of Wonderful Medallion QAL . So far so good. Still have some decisions to make but here it is: I am going to go with this for my    for August. I really want to make myself come up with something for that negative white space. I need to sometimes ''force" myself to be creative to get something done and we will see if that happens this time.  Linking up with  Shanna of  Fiber of All Sorts  and Melissa of  Sew BitterSweet Designs   HERE

Okay, I am just going to say right up front that this challenge was very hard for me. I am not really into red, white and blue and when you think of "Independence" that sort of goes hand in hand.  So...I decided not to do this challenge because nothing came to mind.  This morning (yes the night before the challenge is due) I decided to try cutting into a fabric group of fat quarters that I have been hoarding for way too long. I decided there are so many other ways of thinking of independence so why not go for it.  July Challenge and linking up with   Project Quilting by Persimon Dreams : "Magnolia Day" 9" x 19" I have three coordinating fabrics of this Magnolia fabric that I love and never wanted to cut it up. I just posted to another blogger today that when you hold onto those fabrics we love, the spell it has over us can be broken when you decide to cut into them  and what you make from them you might fall in love with too.  This is so t...

I am hoping it is something like riding a bike, tying your shoes or boiling water.  I think "sewing mojo" needs to be nourished as much as possible but sometimes life just happens and there is nothing you can do about it.  Earlier this month I had a strange neck injury that I had to baby. I was on such a sewing high the last few months that when this hit all I could do was walk around and look at all I wanted to be doing.  Then a family member got sick and my focus had to change again. In order to keep any kind of mojo I tried not to let it all get me down.  Good thing 'we' quilters know the importance of seeing and touching our favorite fabrics for therapy and comfort.  :) After much study of my project goal for the month of July with  A  year of Lovely finishes at Freshly pieced and Sew Bittersweet designs  I finally just took my own advice and jumped in to the project and ended up with a "Lovely" finish for July. My goal was to figure out ho...

Since my turn on the New Bloggers Blog Hop tour sponsored by Beth at Plum and June HERE  , I wanted to update you on some info going around on the use of the Frixion pen I like so much.  Lee at  Freshly Pieced  (click link for info)  did some testing along with a couple links by some other gals in her post.  I did a bit of my own testing and found the red pen I have been using on white and snow kona to work just great. Ironed off, washed and frozen and no shadows or lines coming back. Not sure what the reasons for the inconsistency we are seeing but I felt you needed more info before you tried them or not.  On to WIP for me.  Working on the Sew kind of Wonderful Medallion blocks. Got all the blocks (16) together but thinking I might add the diamond to the corners. ?? The diamonds Jenny @Sewkindofwonderful added look like this:  HERE Still working on Retro Rubies quilt. I want to get it sandwiched today and start ...

I am so so thrilled to say that my Retro Rubies Quilt top was picked by Alyssa of  Pileofabrics  as the PileoFabrics choice award. Winner Winner! I did not win the public choice but I am still so happy! Quilt top for Retro Rubies QAL Decided to go with the black background for the back but add some of the scraps. I will also try my hand at adding some of those in the front in bits on the borders. We will see. Still undecided about quilting but think clear thread might be the way to go on the front with black on the back. ?? Just so thrilled about getting picked by Alyssa! :) New Blogger Blog Hop update: This week the group of bloggers on the New Blogger Blog hop sponsored by Beth at Plum and June blogspot are Hilltop House Creative Works Sew Happily Ever After Christa Quilts Wonderland by Alyce the crooked banana Caroline's Craftiness Sassafras Lane quarter incher There are some great bloggers on the hop so please stop by some or all.  ...

" How do I love thee...oh Retro Rubies             Let me count the ways....... " "I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of Being and ideal Grace." ~Elizabeth Barrett Browning I am so.......loving this quilt. I think it will be a wall-hanging when done because the colors I used fit into my living room so well. After only a few (really numerous) mistakes it is coming together but for the back. Not sure if I want to go with an organic looking back I found or just plain black with my one block on the back. As a wall-hanging it really makes no difference.  Any suggestions? I hope to work on the quilting today. I need suggestions there too please? Linking up with Alyssa over at PileOFabrics qal. What a fun fun quilt she designed. I want to do it again...and again! :)

Since it is only the 3rd of July and I already have a finish, I am going to talk about that first.  I recently checked out the book " Modern Quilts from the Blogging Universe" published by Martingale.  Angela Nash over at mythreesonsknit.blogspot.com made the StarFlower quilt design and I loved it. Here is mine:   I used a few fat quarters and white kona. The finish is 60" x 60" approx. and I straight line quilted in white Aurfil. My biggest machine quilt yet.  Love the 'tweet street' backing too.  On to my WIP for this week in July:  Linking up with Lee at  Freshly Pieced  hosted today by Stacey at  The tilted Quilt . Stacey is a fellow New Blogger on the New Blogger Blog hop.  For my entry in the Blog Hop go  HERE  and that will lead you to other New Bloggers this week.  I am trying to get my Retro Ruby quilt done for the QAL finish tomorrow.  Um....this is where I am as of right now. Yikes Batman!!!...