Round 4: Merry Christmas Eve, Eve

Celtic Solstice
I did it!!!!!!!  I completed both Clues #3 & #4 for Bonnie Hunter's Celtic Solstice Mystery QAL!  I have to admit that I am still behind on Clue #2, but tonight I am not dwelling on that!  You will notice that all the fabrics are pretty much the same instead of the super-scrappiness that I showed in Clue #1 previously.  Well, that is because I decided to make a second small sized quilt.  I am making the scrappy one for myself and this one I plan to make for charity.  By using the yardage I am able to not only clear out more space in my fabric cubbies, but it's great practice for me in using the Inklingo system.  I cannot begin to tell you how much easier these steps are with Inklingo, but I still need some more practice as I have had a couple jams when I was being impatient.

BOM's AWAY

Do you remember the practice blocks I made a several weeks ago HERE?  Well I finally turned the practice blocks into a baby quilt top!  It will only be a 40" X40", but it helps me jump start a goal I have for 2014 to start using up the random BOM's that I have laying around as well as my orphan blocks which might be left over from other projects or tester blocks.  Right now I am signed up only for one BOM at my LQS for this next year because I want to make a farmer Wife Sampler Quilt over the next 2 years!

This block to the right is a practice block for Mid-November's BOM from my LQS.  Unfortunately I was in a rush so I majorly messed up the actual block when I attempted it before practicing, so I decided to turn back to the practice blocks before I gave it another go.  I made 9 of these blocks now which I will also turn into a baby quilt once I figure out the sashing (should I go with the white or another color?).  I am sure I will share more on that project next year, haha!  I have been just waiting to say that!  These have been projects I have completed working on the mystery quilt which I affectionately called my "pause projects" instead of "Leaders/Enders."

A Little black Rain Cloud

Now I am going to reward myself with a large cup of Hot Chocolate with whip cream on top and some more episodes of The Deadliest Catch!  Thank you all for stopping by today!
*\o/* Cheers
Shanna
I am linking up to:
Celtic Solstice Link-up #4 with Bonnie Hunter@ Quiltville
Design Wall Monday with Judy@ Patchwork Times
BOM's Away with Lyn @ What a Hoot Quilts
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Leaders, Enders, and a Little Progress

I have been a little quiet this past week..part of it has been some health issues, but most it has been Bonnie Hunter's fault!  I say that part in jest as she has been truly wonderful to us all in sharing her free patterns and developing a mystery quilt, also for free for her followers.  I have finally completed Clue #1 and it only makes my excited for the next clue.  I have to admit, last year I struggled a lot with jealousy over how quickly everyone seem to be handling the steps for the Easy Street Mystery; their fabric and their points were perfect.  It was silly to feel insecure about my own work, but I didn't really know anyone (but Mary) who was making the quilt.

This is a close-up of the border fabric that I bought for the mystery, which is inspiring my color choices

This year I am approaching the mystery quilt differently.  I joined up with 3 different groups, the facebook group has been by far the most encouraging group of people I have ever been grouped with.  For once I was finding that instead of feeling like a failure or being jealous, I was rejoicing that a nice guy and his mom got their blocks done first (It was really sweet, he went over to his mom's to help her cut out her block parts).  I was enjoying the sharing of pictures, colors, questions, and conversation about random stuff.  One of the really sweet people who I have met through other places on the Interweb, organized a spot for people who were in need to provide their addresses so those who have more fabric than they know what to do with, could share and they could then take part in the mystery as well.  Through this process thus far, I met a new fiend who not only lives in my area, but she frequents my LQS, and we are making plans to get together for lunch one day soon.  There is something about quilting in a community that changes the whole dynamics of everything!

There are about 115 block of each; I miscounted but I thought ti would be good to have extras!

Leaders & Enders

It has been asked what we are working on in between our clues for this mystery.  I am working on a baby quilt from the Modern Patchwork, Spring 2013 issue.  It has mini-skinny-pluses in alternating background and print blocks.  This is actually a very fun project, although I have to admit that I changed the size of the pieces I am working with from the ones requested to be cut.  There happen to be perfectly square blocks already cut out for The Dancing Stars quilt (Amy Ellis) that were extra, so my blocks will be quite smaller.  I think this works out better because I can showcase many different fabrics that might fit in the colorway I have selected.  The fabrics come from 2 different Kate Spain lines, and some prints from Connecting Threads as well.  My thoughts at this point is to make one pair of blocks per fabrics, but not assemble the quite until next year, this will allow me to add more fabrics as I add to my stash or have left-overs from other projects!

Adapted from Happy Baby Quilt, from Modern Patchwork Spring 2013 Issue

Thank you all for stopping by today!

I am linking up to:
Celtic Solstice Link-up #1 with Bonnie Hunter@ Quiltville
Design Wall Monday with Judy@ Patchwork Times
BOM's Away with Lyn @ What a Hoot Quilts
Fabric Tuesday With Heather & Megan @Quilt Story

*\o/* Cheers
Shanna

It's Just a Tale but I am Rather Attached To It...

Well, It's Monday again, I swear this day just happened a week ago!  Monday usually means movie Day for Miss Z while I catch-up on laundry and ironing (It's the movie we shall not mention, again).  I can hear the dryer cycling and I believe Pooh Bear is about to sing again, but our washer is broken today so I thought I would sneak over to the computer to update my blog.  I meant to post on Saturday what I accomplished from the "Friday Night Sew-In" but you know things happen!  Thankfully I can chill in my PJ's when the USPS guy comes to pick up the Traveling Stash boxes, well at least for the people that have sent me their mailing information.

Let's see, what did I accomplish?

1.  I finally finished the last two sets of blocks for the Easy Street Mystery Quilt.  I still need to lay out, assemble the quilt and decide on borders before the top is completed.  I don't have binding made for this one yet.  This is the main item on my design wall this week!

9-#1 blocks

4-corner blocks

2.  Completed the backing, sandwiched and spray basted the Time Warp Quilt (the one in 30's repro prints); the binding is ready to attach when stitching is done.  I am waiting for thread to arrive in the mail.  I promised a friend that I would give the Aurifil thread a fair shake so I needed White thread for this quilt.

3.  Made my extra Zig Zag blocks into a throw pillow cover.  I did not get to the quilt itself though for prepping.

Front

back

4.  I cut more fabric for my Holiday Happenings table runner.  All I had to start was a pile of four-patches for the project, so I am happy I am getting somewhere with this project.  I will post a picture of this project on Wednesday.

Thanks for stopping by!

I am linking up this week to:
Design Wall Monday with Judy@ Patchwork Times
BOM's Away with Lyn @ What a Hoot Quilts
Anything Goes Mondays with Marelze @ Stitch By Stitch.

*\o/* Cheers
Shanna

***For International followers I am having a giveaway specifically for you! Please stop by THIS post for more information!***

A Little Further Down Easy Street!

I will get this finished, I will get this finished, I WILL GET THIS FINISHED!!!

The Clock is ticking in my ear, counting down the time I have left to complete this project.  I have given myself two more weeks to get this quilt completed and you know, it just might be doable!  Bonnie Hunter writes a fantastic Mystery Quilt!  Here I am at the tail end end putting together the blocks and I still cannot quite figure out what the quilt will look like when it is finished and that my friend, is the sign that it is a good mystery or I royally messed up my blocks, so let's hope its the first one!  I have signed up to join a "Honey It's Done" Class at my LQS which runs from 6pm to 11pm on the 23rd to give me that extra push towards completion, the night before I also plan to hide in my bedroom/crafting room for Friday Night Sew-In.  Hopefully my family understands my desire to complete some items.

So let me show you how much I have done in the past 7 days:

8 Side-Setting Triangles

4--Block #2

What remains to be done:
9-Block #1
4-Corner Setting Triangles
Assemble the Quilt Top
Sandwich the Quilt
Top-stitch Quilt the Quilt
Decide if I am keeping the Quilt
Tag the Quilt
Bind The quilt
Start Prepping for the Next Mystery!


When I was separating the blocks for the remaining Quilt blocks I realized that I need 4 more mini-blocks of each type, so I plan to dig back into my scrap stash  and see if I can come up with some fabrics that run in the same families.  Somehow I missed the 4 corner blocks, which turned out to be missing some blocks which are part of the count to be made.   I think the count was off because I decided to make exactly half of the blocks, but I think more are needed to make the lap quilt square.

I am linking up today to:
Design Wall Monday with Judy@ Patchwork Times
BOM's Away with Lyn @ What a Hoot Quilts
Anything Goes Mondays with Marelze @ Stitch By Stitch.

*\o/* Cheers
Shanna

PS** It turns out I have had very good luck recently, so I am having a drawing for FOUR more traveling stash boxes!!!  Please consider letting it visit your house.  Check out my post (with pictures) HERE, leave a comment on that post to be entered in to win it (US Residents only, sorry).  There are 2 more delicious boxes being given away, to find out more about those boxes click over HERE, and to read about the guidelines go HERE.  I will pick a winner early Saturday Morning.

***For International followers I will be having a giveaway specifically for you starting November 18th. So please be looking for it!***

"I'm Just a Little Black Rain Cloud..."

Source

If you have ever watched The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh, you might remember Pooh Bear singing the title song of this post.  I assure you, I have seen this DVD far too many times so whilest I was working on this month's BOM for my LQS, It was all that rolled through my head.  Over...and over..and over again.  You see, I like to make tester blocks as to not mess up the very precise amount of fabric they give you to complete the block.  This past week I fell so in-love with the block that I plan to make the tester blocks into a mini-quilt wall hanging for our bedroom/super crafting area.  I am determined to make some items for our home this next year; I often find myself giving things away just after I roll the lint brush over a project.

BOM BLOCK:

TESTER BLOCK:

No, I have not yet trimmed up the blocks because I like to wait to trim my BOM blocks until I have all of the blocks completed, just in case I need to fudge here or there.  As far as the tester blocks go, I am am almost done with 3 more of the same block and then we shall see how to arrange them!  I am thinking of going with using some of the other scraps from making THIS quilt, they are fabrics all from the same line from Connecting Threads.  In fact they are currently having a super sale on all their basics so I am mulling the idea of grabbing more yardage of the Gray print in this project.

I am linking up today to:
Design Wall Monday with Judy@ Patchwork Times
BOM's Away with Lyn @ What a Hoot Quilts


I am also linking up, for the second time: 
Anything Goes Mondays with Marelze @ Stitch By Stitch.
*\o/* Cheers
Shanna

PS** It turns out I have had very good luck recently, so I am having a drawing for FOUR more traveling stash boxes!!!  Please consider letting it visit your house.  Check out my post (with pictures) HERE, leave a comment on that post to be entered in to win it (US Residents only, sorry).  There are 2 more delicious boxes being given away, to find out more about those boxes click over HERE, and to read about the guidelines go HERE.

***For International followers I will be having a giveaway specifically for you starting November 18th. So please be looking for it!***

Orange You Glad For the Color Orange?

On Saturday the whole family including my in-laws who were in for the weekend, drove over to IKEA to find a crib or toddler bed for Miss Z.  At 20 months she is just shy of 3 feet tall and her little play yard bed was not working for her any longer.  We quickly made our way over to the little kids' section upstairs to see what we could find.  Within 15 seconds of my husband putting Miss Z (too fast for me even to take a picture) she was already figuring out how to break out!  As we turned the corner we came upon rows of junior beds which are slightly smaller than a twin but longer than a crib/toddler bed.  Miss Z's little eyes went wide and her mouth made the perfect "O" as she literally ran to jump on the tester beds.  My heart was a little gooey puddle as she looked up at me hopefully, padding the bed and petting the bedding.

We went ahead and purchased her new bed with the idea that we would transition her over to the new bed over the next couple of weeks.  Grandpa and Daddy got the new bed put together this afternoon while she was supposed to be sleeping, but was singing in her room instead.  We scrapped the idea of a nap and just brought the bed into her room, which she quickly laid claim to as she sat upon it giggling.  I thought surely she could try napping in it, but she wanted to get on and off of it.  I sat her down on the bed, sitting down at the end while I explained how this was her new bed because she was going to be a big girl so the play yard was for when she was a little girl, but to be safe she needed to stay on the bed.  At bedtime that night we got her ready like normal, said prayers, brush teeth like every night, but this time she wiggled down from her Daddy's arms, ran to the new bed, climbed upon it and proudly announced "BED!"  We gathered her pillow and dollies, then she snuggled in to sleep and still was laying the same when we checked on her through out that night!

Above is a super awesome Bright Orange chair that both my husband and I are in love with that we saw at IKEA.  I would so put that in my livingroom!  We went to look at couches because we have not managed to buy a couch when we moved 1.5 years ago.  I would rather have the chair because its just so great and it would totally go with our bright green walls, right?!  For now we will continue to window shop.  Well it certainly would go with the triangle quilt I have been working on and off over the weekend.  I have to admit that I have gone slower with this project which has made it turn out better than I expected.  I was so overwhelmed by all the points meeting up that I ended up crying about it.  My husband came running in to my room when he heard my commotion.  I was crying "happy tears" I promised him as he looked at me dubiously.  This is definitely a project I plan to repeat, but perhaps with larger triangles next time.  The white fabric has a white print on it and I ironed the seams open.

I plan to slice off the edges to add a straight border of, you guessed it, Orange!  I am playing with the idea of an inner border as well.

Thanks for sticking with me during this wordy post!  I am linking up, for the first time, to Marelze's Anything Goes Mondays.  It had a lot of fun links shared so I decided to join the party!
*\o/* Cheers
Shanna

PS** I am having a drawing for passing on traveling stash box #2!  Please take a look HERE, leave a comment on that post to be entered in to win it (US Residents only, sorry).  There are so many other delicious boxes being given away, to find out more about those boxes click over HERE, and to read about the guidelines go HERE.