My Festivus list!

Three things to be happy about:
(1) straight teeth
(2) overalls
(3) a foosball match

In a nutshell, the "Festivus" celebration was born on the Jerry Seinfeld show, where George Costanza's father wanted a celebration "for the rest of us."  He'd get a Festivus pole and gather the family around and berate them for their failures during the year.  The poorest performer would have to carry the festivus pole of shame.

Well, I love Christmas and I don't celebrate Festivus, but I thought it would be a fun name for this post.  Throughout the year I started things that for one reason or another I didn't finish; I don't mean UFO's, that's a whole different category!

So, this is my Festivus list, or "things that I dropped like a hot tater."

First up - Inspired by Toefeather, I wanted to make a 4-inch block every day for a year, then I'd have 365 blocks to make into a quilt.  Clever girl!

Seemed easy to do and it really is, but that daily block became a group of weekly blocks, then there were no blocks at all, doh!   After I made 35 blocks I discovered I wasn't sure I liked how they all looked together and I dropped that idea!  I'll make one more then set them in a quilt with sashing in between.

Another one - a slashed 9-patch block using African fabrics. 

Sounded like a good idea and the single blocks looked great... but when I placed several of them together on my design wall - yuck!  Not my idea of an attractive quilt.  If you stared at it too long it'd probably knock you down!

I could take the ones I did and set them with some kind of sashing (w-i-d-e sashing!) I suppose, but I'll not be making any more of these rascals!

Here's a good one - South of Baltimore!  I was using scrap yardage to make the flowers and leaves.

This actually should be considered a UFO because I can finish it by simply making two more blocks and setting them in a gigantic four-patch.  The blocks are 16" square so they'd make a nice wall hanging.  At this point I can't remember why I dropped this one - UFO!

And last but not least - my stash report!  Where did that go? Well, I found it tedious to try and figure out how much fabric I was using every week.  I stopped my wild fabric buying several months ago, I don't even look at the emails from Hancocks of Paducah or Thousands of Bolts or eQuilter (why haven't I dropped off those mailing lists??) and I think I've bought less than two dozen yards this year, so maybe the list did have some effect!  How much fabric did I use this year?  I have no idea but I know I used some, so that's a good thing!  So that's my story and I'm sticking with it!

If you had a quilting Festivus list, what would be on it??  I'd love to hear your hidden secrets!  Have a great Friday - sew forth and sew on til later!

This and that

Or I should say "this, and that new project."

Is there a secret button you push when you have enough projects??  Does a red light go on and you hear a beeping sound?? 

I didn't think so...

I've decided to join a few friends from my guild and work on Baltimore album blocks (not to be confused with my South of Baltimore blocks!)  from the Rose of Sharon Block Book by Sharon Pederson. 

These block designs are winners of the EQ6 challenge... did any of you enter the challenge?  Your block might be in the book!

We'll each pick the blocks we want to work on, then meet once a month or so to support each other.  I haven't decided which ones I'll do yet, but the book has some pretty interesting choices...

I also haven't decided if I'll do a traditional quilt or a table runner, or something else entirely. 

I'm not normally a hand work person, but it wouldn't hurt to brush up my hand piecing skills.

I haven't posted lately but I've been working on this and that "behind the scenes"... stuff I can't show you yet.  The red and white challenge I'm in will be unveiled in December, there's another project I'll show you next month and another in November.   

Meanwhile, I found this little test block that I did some time ago...

It's been so long that I can't even remember when it was, but chances are really good it's been a few years!

I't a log cabin style block; I like what I started with the colors, except that green batik-ey piece in the top corner.  I may start slicing and dicing my African fabrics (is that yet another project??) and see what turns up.

And then meanwhile, I'm really enjoying being retired!!

Sew forth and sew on til later!

South of Baltimore

I'm glad everybody enjoyed sharing our cookout yesterday, I wish you all could have been there with us.  Kathy, I'll be sure to sit next to you when crab-eatin' time comes  LOL.  Debbra, save the date for next year!

Lately it seems everywhere I turn I either see Baltimore album blocks or I hear someone mention Baltimore album blocks.  Since I've been playing on the 15 minute blog,  I wondered to myself, "what would scrap yardage look like in a Baltimore album block?" 

So... I drafted a Baltimore album-type block using lids from three different sized containers to draw the flowers; I thought I'd try flowers, just to see if I liked doing it.

This isn't from any special pattern, it's off the top of my head.

Then I pulled some red and green and yellow scraps and sewed together a few pieces to use for the flowers and leaves

 

I decided to use a brown rather than green fabric for the stems, for no particular reason ...



phooey, it's off-center.  oh well



I ironed fusible web onto a large piece of brown fabric and cut 1/4" strips, then fused them down on a 15-1/2" background square.

Now ... before we go any further ... I know this is not the "traditional" way to do a Baltimore album block so don't y'all get mad at me!  :O*( 

I traced the pattern pieces onto fusible web, then I pressed the fusible to the back of my scrap yardage.  I cut out the pieces and stitched them onto my background square using a raw-edge applique.

Ta-daa!  A "South of Baltimore" album block! 

This won't win any contests but I actually like the way it turned out; I'm going to try out a few more designs! 

Now that I look at it, maybe 15" is a bit large?  I wonder if I used a 12" background and made the pieces smaller...

Sew forth and sew on til later...