Super Mega Post

Lots of things to share today.  First, here are my The Aqua Umbrella quilt along blocks so far.  I'm using various Bonnie & Camille fabrics.  I bought a few specific prints to use, but I've been adding some others as I'm going along.
Week 1
Week 2 
Week 3
Next, here is the bag that my daughter made using the fabric she got at the AQS show.  We used a free tutorial and got what we paid for on that one.  She's happy with it though.  It's pretty massive.  We added some pockets inside.  The last picture is the best representation of the colors.


My garden is suddenly out of control.  It's like a jungle.  It looks like I should have a ton of cucumbers (maybe literally).  I harvested our second and, I think, last batch of lettuce last night. We must have planted it way too late.  Last year we had tons of lettuce.  Of course, most of my lettuce didn't even come up this year, but still.  I'll try again in the fall when it's cooler.  My dill and chives didn't come up either.  Not sure what's going on with those.  

I made some more Quilts for Pulse blocks, bringing my total to 14.  I will pool these with blocks my fellow guild members have made.
I actually had a paying sewing job this week.  I machine embroidered this shirt for one of my husband's co-worker's kids.
While my daughter was at camp last week I taught my son to sew.  He made two pillowcases using the hot dog/burrito method.  He's pretty good!  He did learn that you have to be super careful of brushing against the iron while you're working.  You can see his burn near his wrist in the photo below.


I also finished up my B&C barn quilt swap and will mail that today.  No sharing until she receives it though.  As a reminder, I will be posting a tutorial for how to make it at that point as well.

I've gathered quite a few more funny photos, so look for one of those on Friday.

Today I am hoping to finally figure out the block I'm stuck on for my Fig Tree Mystery BOM.  Once I figure that out, I can move on to last month's blocks and hopefully get caught up before the next group arrives within the week.




365 Challenge Week 25

We started the week with an option of two blocks for the start of winter/summer, depending on your location.  I made both so that I could "work ahead."
June 21/Dec 21
June 21/Dec 21
June 22--I had to make this one twice since I had a cutting error on the last step, squaring up.  Boo.
June 23--a nice, easy one
June 24.  Just realized I made the center wrong.  It was supposed to be a pinwheel.  Oh well.
June 25--love this block!  It's Wyoming Valley.
June 26--I accidentally reversed the color scheme, but I really like how it turned out.
June 27





Funny Things #26

I've seen the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile several times, but I've never seen the Planters Nutmobile before!


I think it looks like a brown storm trooper from the front!

Quilts For Pulse

My guild is making blocks for the Quilts for Pulse (#quiltsforpulse) movement headed by the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild--details here.  Here are the blocks I've made so far.  I need to go through my fabric stash in the basement to find more solids.
I need to re-iron that lower left heart.  It got bent in the stack.
The heart block is a free tutorial from Allison of Cluck, Cluck, Sew.  It has several size options.  Find the tutorial here.  The 10" block size is what I am using, and it matches up with some free patterns:

Stefanie of sew fabulous has a love + love pattern available at Cotton Bliss.  It is currently free.  This pattern uses the 10" Cluck, Cluck, Sew block as its base.

And Amanda at What the Bobbin has a free paper piecing heart pattern in several sizes available too.  Scroll down the page to find links to the 12 inch and 10 inch blocks.

In other news, after my long arm malfunctioned last week, my iron went up in a crackling, popping, smoking display on the same day.  It was less than a year old.  :(  Since it would cost more to send it in under warranty than to buy a new one, I bought the same one.  It's a Shark brand in case you're wondering.  I really like it, and at $30 or so, not a horrible replacement cost if the new one burns out too.

I am binding my Bonnie & Camille barn quilt swap and working on the extra too.  I will show those soon and plan on making a free tutorial for the block I made for the swap.  I want to wait until the recipient gets it, so it will be a few weeks, but it will be posted here eventually.

While I've managed to stay current on my 365 Challenge blocks, I am a bit behind on my Aqua Umbrella QAL.  Hoping to get that rectified today.  I will try to share those blocks next week.  I am still hopelessly behind on my Fig Tree Mystery Sampler BOM since I'm stuck on one of the blocks.

My daughter made a messenger bag with the free anime fabric she received at the AQS show.  I'll share that soon too.  My son wants to learn to sew, so we are going to make a pillow case.  I need to get caught up on my blocks first, but hopefully that will happen within a week or so as well.

I also need to spend some serious phone time chasing down some help for my long arm.  

365 Challenge Week 24

Still caught up!  Yay!  Here are this week's blocks:

June 14--couldn't get it to line up, didn't really care
June 15--I like this one.
June 16--probably should have used a different pink.
My iron caught on fire on this one.  No joke.
June 17--an easy one! 
June 18--I like this one too.
June 19--something different.
June 20--don't like this block.  Didn't want to make it.  Made it anyway.

Last Handmade Birthday Swap Gift

The birthday girl has received, opened, and acknowledged her gift, so I can share what I sent sooner than I planned.  She had mentioned that she would like a mini Sew Together Bag, and she also likes Fig Tree Quilt's Farmhouse line, so that is what I used.  I used a mini charm pack to make the outside of the bag.  I quilted a simple crosshatch on it.
Front
Back

Inside I used some more Farmhouse prints, along with a red polka dot from Strawberry Fields Revisited and the aqua cherry print from Avalon (all Fig Tree lines).  The mini differs from the full size bag in that not only is it narrower, it only has two pockets inside instead of three.  If you already have the Sew Together pattern, you can easily find the mini directions with a simple Google search.
I added in a fun "choose happy" zipper pull on one of the pockets inside.  Thankfully the birthday girl liked it as much as I did. 

Here's everything I included for her:  the bag, three mini charm packs, a mechanical pencil (because I love mechanical pencils; weird, I know), a Frixion pen, some Wonder Clips, a spool of Mettler (my current favorite for binding), some pins, scissors, glue pen refills (also something she indicated she'd like), and some milliner's needles (my favorite for EPP).
I also included some sidewalk chalk and crayons (not pictured) for her kids. 
So I am now finished up with all the birthday swaps.  Nothing left to do but wait for all mine to roll in next month.  I am excited!

In other areas, the veggie garden is now completely finished for the year.  My lettuce is still struggling, but everything else seems okay.  The herbs haven't come up yet, but all the new beans are emerging.  Rabbits/deer/turkeys are wreaking havoc on the flowers, but it has been worse before.
Some big toms (and a flamingo!)
I'm trying to quilt my big pineapple quilt from last summer.  Suddenly my Juki is vibrating so badly I can barely quilt.  And the vibration is causing the stitch regulator to malfunction.  SIGH.  I did start the Aqua Umbrella QAL.  I still need to stitch my Barn Quilt swap, which is due in two weeks.  And I really want to make some heart blocks to contribute to the #QuiltsForPulse movement.  Broken hearted over this and Christina Grimmie and all mass shootings.  How many will it take before we can get assault rifles off the streets?  Peace and love.

365 Challenge Week 23

I'm so happy that I am caught up on these blocks again!  And I want to reiterate that making these blocks, even though it is tedious some days, is really helping sharpen my piecing skills.
June 4
June 5
June 6
June 7
June 8 
June 9--hooray for simple blocks!
June 10--The finished HST are 1/2".  Pretty proud of this one.
June 11 
June 12
June 13--by happy accident I got all the corner triangles going the same way!