Sew Sunshine

Yeah...two finishes this week! There is nothing like a finish to boost your spirits.  Linking up with  Crazy Mom Quilts Finish Friday "Like Rain" is my A Year of Lovely Finished for October. I am ahead of the game for a change. :) 4 - 24" blocks sewn together in a diamond shape. Love those big blocks, don't you? This is from Modern BOM 2 (for July...better late than never) by Sew Mama Sew  HERE . I stewed over this one and how to put it together and I ended up just loving it. I had so many odd shaped scraps that I just sewed them into the back to use some of them up and I think it looks like I did it on purpose...okay, let's go with that! This is a super easy block quilt that my local quilt group did as a day project. We all helped and were able to make 11 quilt tops for charity. Then I did two from my own fabrics and I took this top to quilt. Turned out really cute. It was so windy when I took the picture that it stuck to the fence...a b...

Really trying to make an effort here. I got out my July block for  SewMamaSew  BOM and am going to try and do it for my October finish.  I have failed the last two months so I am going to go with something very easy.  Here is my "Like Rain" block so far: I have 4 blocks made and need to decide how to sew them together and then make a backing.  If you have followed along with me I am trying to make a 4 block charity quilt from each BOM.  I am behind a bit but hope to catch up as I love this big 24" blocks so much.  The weather here has been dreary and rainy the last few days. Cooler temps should make me want to get to sewing so I am going to try.  Linking up with  A Lovely Year of Finishes -Oct  with Fiber of all Sorts and SewBittersweet designs. 

I have been MIA for quite some time. I have things going on with me that has made it hard for me to get much accomplished. Right now I am just so excited that I have been motivated to do a single thing!! Last week I saw this free pattern from Tula Pink called "Pineapple Slice" and I just had to try it. I am going to link this up to Amanda  HERE   for Finish it up Friday! My goal was just to finish the table-topper top but I have it FMQ'ed too and almost done with the binding! Whoopieeee!! I think this might end up being a Christmas present so that makes it even better that my slump is sort of broken! ;) Bonus today! In the mail I received a package of these little wonders that I won from www.Pinmoor.com on FB last month. Can't wait to try them out. Linking up at  http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2013/10/a-complete-set.html

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.  ...