Quilter's Block......

.... and not a new one.... no I mean the kind where you come to the point in your quilt's journey when you know it is not going to work.  You are convinced that this is it.  You have wasted all of your time, your fabric, your money.  Yes, it is a quilter's disaster.

Yes, I have quilter's block. 

I am worried.  I am not sure it is going to work.  I am pretty sure that I am a complete failure when it comes to my newest obsession!  I will never cut another piece of fabric again.  

Okay - thank you for letting me vent.  I must get back to my sewing room and bust this quilter's block.  

Night Goggles Anyone?

Oh my.... where has the time gone.  I think I did a piece on this once before.  It is already 11:00 p.m. and I am just getting around to this post and taking pictures... the worst time of day to take any decent pictures too!    

Finished the first month's block on the Secret Garden pattern by Marti Mitchell (called Five Flying Geese) and I am very happy with it..... Okay, well, let's just say I am not going to rip it apart and fix the one little area I am having a problem with!  And the problem is not from the template or the pattern.   

Have my second month's kit, pattern (the block is called Mexicali Rosie), already washed the fabrics and am ready to go.....  well.... am ready to go on the tester block first. Wonder what color combination I will go with?

See that little lovely yellow mat?  That wonderful little new toy tool which I believe will make cutting the pieces for the second's month block a bit easier!  

It is a 7 inch rotating cutting mat made by Fiskars!  You can see the larger one I have all the way over to the right - it is a 12 inch rotating mat and sometimes it was a little cumbersome to reach around it - especially once I starting turning it!  Don't get me wrong - I love that larger rotating mat too!  

Soooo excited to try that little yellow guy out... hopefully tomorrow or Sunday.  

Getting ready to work on Steps 4 and 5 on the mystery quilt - Undercover in Houston XII by Debbie Caffrey.  This one has been more challenging than the last mystery quilt - but that is one of the many reasons I am loving this quilt journey.  

I really need to step away from the quilt magazines because I have found a couple more quilt patterns that I want to tackle and I am thinking of joining the Tablerunner of the Month Club at my most favorite quilt shop in the world.....  because the tablerunner for March is just way, way, way too cute for words and it incorporates another technique... and... and.....  

(Okay - I will take a breath now) 

I really think I need to stand in front of that little adorable sign that my sister gave me for Christmas.....  every single day...... repeat what it says and try to make it my motto............

.................or keep wearing the night goggles!  

Linking up with Saturday Show Off Party and The Creative Home Acre Hop

Buttons and Burlap

While cruising around on Pinterest - I found that burlap has made a HUGE comeback.  Heck, I see a lot of it on the blogs that I so love to read.....  All of that burlap brought back memories of the cute little banners we made as kids.  I bet you remember too.  The ones where you would use yarn and the running stitch to create hearts, houses, birds, your name.... then you would pull some of the strings off around the edges so that your banner would have a ragged look.  A little sleeve would be put in the top to go around a dandy dowel rod - then some more yarn to make a hanger....   I bet you are remembering now!  

I recall that I use to pretend that I was such a great little seamstress with my carefully placed running stitches.  I remember that I would daydream as pulled my stitches through that I was on the prairie somewhere putting together a quilt (yes the love and desire to quilt started that far back for me).....  

So after looking at all the lovely blogs where everyone is decorating their houses or mantels for Valentine's Day - I thought I should at least try to create something special for the holiday.  I will confess that I really never decorate for any holidays other than Thanksgiving and Christmas and sometimes Halloween.  Silly isn't it...  

So seeing all the fun and creative items that everyone is creating with burlap - I thought I would give it a go.   

I got out my old wreath from a couple of Thanksgivings ago......  

(Another confession - I just threw this wreath together to have something on the front door - not one of my favorites!)  It was with complete joy that I tore off the old flowers and ribbon....  no regrets whatsoever.....  

Oh how I love these colorful buttons.....  I cannot resist buying a bag every time I come across them.....  They add a little punch of color and texture to everything.  

So I wrapped the old wreath with some strips of burlap - easy as pie - just pinned them into place.  Cut out hearts from the felt and burlap and then assembled them all together on the wreath just using straight pins to hold them into place.  Added a burlap hanger and just like that........

Isn't it cute?   

Buttons and Burlap.....  bringing back great childhood memories and creating a colorful, joyful and loving welcome at my front door.  

I am joining Pink Saturday over at How Sweet The Sound, A Favorite Thing , The Creative HomeAcre Hop, Show Me What You Got and Saturday Show Off ! 

Hot Flashes and Quilt Construction

Even though the temps are beautiful outside..... I have been feeling a little - well, how do I put this?  Warm? Steamy? Hot Under the Collar? Well, no.... just flashy....  Oh wouldn't it be nice if flashy meant that I had a fun little skirt on with gems and rhinestones?  Little red shoes all glittered up?  Lots of makeup and big 80's hair.... 

Of course not.  In my case it means: uncontrollable, without notice, bouts of sweaty and heated moments.... where you lose your breath for a time because it is just so darn hot.  Opening a window and letting in the cool air helps - until your hubby comes in and tells you it is cold outside!  "Well, yes dear, it is.....  that is why it is open!"  (This is all said in my head - not out loud... at least not today) 

So during the rush of heat which overtakes my every fiber - I have been working on John's Quilt top.  I am pretty pleased with it because (a) it was the first one I have done where the blocks were on point, (b) no sweat marks anywhere on it and (c) most important - hubby loves it.  He loves the colors and the simplicity of it.  I even have him convinced to let me put the focus fabric on the back!  

I still need to put about a 2 or 3 inch border on - which I will do in the same beige fabric (but I have to go to my favorite quilt store and get some more - oh darn) and will bind it in the blue fabric (the little squares - as my pictures are not true to color!) 

And I also learned how to put my name on the pictures!  

So back to work for me.... I need to work on the BOM and still need to finish steps 2, 3, and 4 on the mystery quilt.  

So while I have a hot flash....... I will just open the window and turn on the ceiling fan..... and make the sewing machine go at full speed!  

Template Love

I said it!  I am not so scared of templates anymore.... actually I think I am in template love!  

I did a trial run on the Block of the Month for Jan/Feb.... Yep I took a very smart lady's advice.  I pulled some reds from my grandmother's stash of fabrics and starting cutting. I must confess I was a bit tentative at first - but once I got going... it was not so bad.  Not bad at all.  

  

I am happy with the "test run" ..... It truly was so easy to put them together!  (This is where the template love started to bloom..... I could not believe how well the pieces fit together.....)  Made a couple of mistakes - but no worries.  I think I know how to fix them for the "real" block.  You see, the mistakes were made because of my pure excitement and utter lack of patience - I really really really wanted to see how the block would turn out.  So much like new love - isn't it.  

I had fun with the colors too.  I am learning to step outside of the box and away from "normal" combinations. 

I also finished two afghans for church.  In fact, the first one has already been blessed and given away!  

I like the purple, green, cream and brown combination....  

This is has lots of bright colors!  I am working on another one with some of the same colors - but a different pattern and am adding bright white to it.  It is fun to work with the really bright wowie zowie colors!  

So back to the templates I go.... I want to nurture this young love.  

Sharing with Sunny Simple Life and Faith Grace and Crafts and Elizabeth & Co.  (first time I've linked up with other blogs---- another first accomplished!)