WIP Wednesday

I have a fourth block done for my Rainbow Dear Jane. I did traditional piecing for it but had considered some kind of Paper Piecing but there were just to many units.  I think I did pretty good with this block. I was forever measuring and trimming. 

I have a few more pink blocks to finish up before the end of the month. Then on the weekend we will see what colour is for February. 

I am machine quilting this sampler for a customer. I forget how much sampler take to quilt. Forever changing threads and designs. I hope to get it done soon, it is turning out really nice. So that what I am working on this week.

I have added today's post to Freshly Pieced WIP Wednesday and Canadian Needle and Thread Network.

Valentine's Day Hearts

On Friday I lead a group of kids and their parents in a little sewing craft. We made hearts with craft felt and buttons. This one was made by my Brother's little boy who is 8. Wow, I was impressed with how he did and all the other kids too. We had both boys and girls and they each had a parent to help them.

We had snack time too. That was good.

 I did not get all of them in the photo but this was most of them. They are planning to give them to some kids in the far north. It was a fun evening. We are planning to do tie dye T shirts in the spring.

Advanced Agility Dog

On Sunday, Lex and I had an Agility Trial. We did great. We passed our 3rd Advanced Standard class and earned our Advanced Agility Dog of Canada. We now have to move up to the Standard Master level class.  We also passed our 3rd jumpers and have to go in the master jumpers class too. One of our other classes we were .67sec over the time. He was sniffing some and taking up time and it was just a little too much time. 

Ok I had trouble here with my photo. The top photo is untouched, but Lex has flaming eyes. The bottom one I gave a little try at fixing it but it looks like a cartoon. Crazy dog eyes in the flash. What am I to do. Let me know which one you like. 

Design Wall Monday Jan 28th

I got my third block done on my Dear Jane. C9 Jane's Tears, I did some reverse applique and did not take long. I have added a Dear Jane page to my blog. You can see what I am planning.

To see more Design walls check out Judy's Patchwork Times.

I have been working on using up my Pink scraps for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2013. January is Pink. Wow I did lots. I have a few more days to finish up my Pineapple log cabin blocks and I may do a few more sprout blocks. You can see my three little Dear Jane blocks on the top left. Then under them is the butterflies. Next are four heart blocks that measure 8" and two Crumb blocks that measure 6". Under that is the sprout blocks. Then 44 spools made using Bonnie Hunters challenge for Leaders and enders. On the Far right is four Pineapple log cabin blocks. Two are done and two still need a few more strips. Under the spools are 16 patches. Under the Pineapples is a block I am going to call 'Around About', I plan to add around and around it with each of the rainbow colours we work though.

Pink Scrap Saturday - Last one

I got two Dear Jane blocks done this week. I started with pink because January is Pink. D4 Crystal Star is on the left and C5 Eye of the Cyclone is on the right. I was very sick with the stomach flu and had no energy for anything so I organized my Dear Jane. I am felling much better now, thank you all. I plan to work on the blocks at my own pace and do some for the colour of the month or here and their  I am not really using scraps but I do not need to buy fabric and will use mostly stash fabric. I am hoping to make a Dear Jane page on my blog. 

There are many more pink blocks to check out over at Soscrappy. Come and join us on the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2013, even if you only do one block a month. You will have a pretty Rainbow quilt ready to quilt at the end of the year. 

I got four more butterflies done to add to the other 20 I did two weeks ago.

I started doing 16 patches last summer (when we did Purple I think). I would like to make four more for a total of 9. I still have a little time till the end of the month. Note, one square is not like the others.

More Bonnie Hunter Spools as Leaders and enders. I had 26 done and add this 18 for a total of 44 pink spools so far. I have a few more to finish the month up.

No, not another quilt really. I just had to make a few 8" hearts. Not sure what I will do with them. I just had to make them.

Now this is a new quilt. It looks like crumbs or poverty piecing but it is the center of a "round about" quilt. I am calling it a "Round About". I am going to add to the outer edges of the quilt each month. It may have the look of a very large log cabin in the end. Maybe. We will have to see how it looks at the end of the year. I am not squaring it up and already is a little wonky. I hope it will look more wonky soon.

This block is called Scrappy Sprouts. I found the block back in October and saved the pattern. Today I just got my first two blocks done. I found the pattern at Tracy Jay Quilts. She had asked  for blocks but I did not send any. I was thinking I might add a flower of something to the top. Not sure yet.

So she had been working on the quilt and guess what. She just got the quilt top done and showed it today Scrappy Sprouts top.

I have one more laid out to sew.

Heart Pins Done

I got something finished this week. I needed to do some samples for a class with kids and their parents for a Church group. Wish me luck. My Brother asked for my help. How could I say no. He is my computer geek and has come to my rescue a few times. I thought Felt Heart Pins just in time for Valentine's Day.

I used craft felt and peril cotton thread and lots of trims. I have know some of the kids and parents will not have sewn much so I hope all goes well. I think about my brother sewing and laugh.

I have three different stitches I have done for the outer edge. There is just a little bit of stuffing inside. The plan is to add a little trim of lace, netting, or cording to the heart then add buttons and beads in a cluster.

I have added today's post to Crazy Mom Quilt's Finish Up Friday, and Can I get a Whoop Whoop.

To keep them low cost we are using large safety pins on the back. I do this before we do any sewing.

I am feeling better finally but now I have a sick teenager. Thanks You all for you Get Better comments. It is good to know you have friends out there thinking about you. I had trouble doing any kind of sewing for days so you know I felt crappy.

Dear Jane Adventure Started

You all know I have been crazy for Rainbow quilts the last while. I have decided to do a Dear Jane Rainbow quilt. Angela over at Soscrappy has started a rainbow Dear Jane and I am going to join her. My rainbow is a little different then hers. I also found a blog with some tutorials for each block over at That Quilt. I have owned the book for years and knew I would never make it in the older reproduction fabrics. Doing it in rainbow bright colours will be so much funner.

Here is a start to a first block. I am starting with Pink, as Pink is the colour for January Rainbow Scrap Challenge. As we have just a few days left I will not get all the pink done. I may not follow the colours each month very well but we will see. Now to get this block stitched.

Just My Luck (not)

Thanks for all you kind comments for me yesterday, after my fall. You will not believe it but now I have the flu. I can not keep anything down. I hurt, look and feel like the undead. I guess I am in for a few more days of rest rest and more rest. No sewing today, I do not feel good enough. Now you know it is bad.

Enjoy the photo of Lex, my Chessie. Last month we had a photographer come and take photos of our agility dogs for the wall were we train. I just love the big brown dog. We have had so much fun learning agility together. He will keep me company as I get well. Sleeping at my feet, even now.

Sunday Flowers

I had a very busy couple days and really need rest. Yesterday I fell backwards on the ice, like a cartoon character, two feet flying up in the air. Well I fell on my back and hit my head backwards. I did not sleep well and I am hurting today. I do not like to complain but I am feeling old and bruised. I am sure I feel better in a few days. Nothing broken, lucky this time.

I sat around lots and got out some hand stitching. I got three little Hexagons flowers done. In part I am working on them for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2013. I started with some blue ones last August while camping.

 I have added this post to Kathy's Slow Stitching Sunday link. Go see what others have been working on by hand.

This is the tin box lid I use as a tray for these little babies. I expect I will  get a few more done before the end of the month.

Pinky Scrappy Saturday

I have always loved Pineapple log cabin quilts. I started to see a few rainbow log cabin blocks over at A Quilt and a Prayer Blog. I just loved what she was doing. I had to make some too. I got two blocks completely done and started two more.

It is just so cute. They will finish at 6" and the pink blades are 1/2" finished. I can use the 1" strips or larger. I am also using Black Kona cotton for my triangles.

I started by drawing it out on graph paper and making a few copies. It is paper piecing so it goes slowly but wow!

Do not forget to check out Soscrappy's link for more pink scrappy goodness. And for more about the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2013 check out the RSC13 link. Please join in the fun. Next Saturday is the last pink Saturday but you can hop in at any time. Maybe just make one block each month. 

I have inspired my mom to start. She is sorting her scraps by colour and is planning to do something Rainbow. She travels and her sewing is not so consistent. But I hope to show off some of her blocks now and then too.  

This week I also got done two Crumb (poverty piecing)  block at 6". I did some 4" block last year and man these seamed so big. I had to do lots more work to get the extra 2". I think I like 4" better. We will see if I do this size or go back to 4". Also, I am unsure of the black and white part from a Cat. It sticks out.

I got 14 spools done this week. I think I am up to 26 pink spools this month all in Pink. If you do not know about the spools leaders and ender challenge you should go see Bonnie Hunter at Quiltville. I started last them summer.

Here is Lex on a walk. Lex and I have had a very busy weekend. First we had a workshop in agility with Kathy Keats Friday night. We just loved it. Then we went to our agility league Saturday morning. And after that we went to Dog Docks for the afternoon dip in the pool. We did three actives in 24 hours and got 6 hours sleep. We hardly had time for eat. I will be going to bed soon.

Finished Fabric Friday

I got my snow dyed fabric washed out and photos taken. I had nine 1 meter pieces of fabric but really did not like one. It still needs washing out. Here are the eight finished ones. 

I have used Kona PFD fabric to dye these days.

I swirled this one in the snow before adding snow on top or dye.

 Not crazy about the one above, may over dye it or just chop it up.

I have added this post to Crazy Mom Quilts,  and Richard's Linky #50's and Confessions of a Fabric Addict

I love this blue one.

I have a very busy weekend full of dog related actives. Tonight I have an Agility workshop with an out of town teacher, Saturday is the last day of Agility fun league and then I may go to Dock Dogs at the Pet Expo. Not sure if I will enter Lex or just go and watch. My dog habit is costing me so much money I am having to buy less fabric.

Snow Dying

As we have had a little warm spell and the snow was melting yesterday. I thought I would snow dye some fabric.  I also got the timer to work and took a photo of myself knelling by the fabric.

It was sunny and warm yesterday, just look at the great blue sky we had. No sun today just grey.

I hope this one turns out. I placed the fabric with a spin and have laid out the fabric with a plaid like pattern.

I am off the wash the nine pieces out now.

I have added this to Freshly Pieced WIP Wednesday and Needle and Thread Network WIP Wednesday.

Pink Scrappy Saturday

I finally got to do some patchwork sewing on Friday night and some late today. So I got started on my Pink scraps. I am planning to do the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2013. I did great at keeping up last year. Please check it out and join me on using up the little bits of fabric.

I came across a row by row this fall and kept it in mind. It was week #2 over at Bee in My Bonnet that I found the butterflies. I love adding in White as my background and keeping the body of the butterflies in black. I really love Row 4 Apples and cores. I will have to find some way to use the apples.

I got 20 done. I thought I would start with the butterflies because they use large pieces of fabric. The Butterflies measure 4 1/2" unfinished.

I have also done 9 spools. I started this midway thought last year. They are a leaders and enders challenge from Bonnie Hunter.

I have added today's post to Soscrappy Linky Party.

Design Wall Monday Easy Street

I have been able to keep up with the Bonnie Hunter Mystery Easy Street even if I did not post much the past few weeks. To see the Monday Linky party that Bonnie is hosting Click Here. I know there are a few in other colours. I just love the colours she used and was not going to change it. I now wish my grey was darker. It would show off the chain running thought the quilt better. My aunt used very different colours and used Black not grey. So her chain really shows. Her web site is Smiley Quilter. Seeing my aunts quilt makes me what to change my four patches all to black and not grey. What do you think? Should I fix it? It is a small fix and I would not have too many blocks to unpick to get it fixed.

I have also added today's post to Judy's Design Wall Monday Linky Party.

I am still machine quilting my show quilt. I plan to get it done and photos done so I can enter it in the Canadian National Juried show. I have to get my entry in the mail no later than Friday. I will be doing tons of hand stitching tonight and the next two days. I can not show you the quilt till I know if it got in or not. Sorry.

Pink Scrappy Saturday

Happy New Year everyone. Today is the first Saturday of the Rainbow Scrappy Challenge for 2013 over at Soscrappy. I am jumping in and doing the Rainbow Scrap Challenge again this year. I just love it. This month our first colour to work with is PINK. I got my scraps sorted well last year and I have to keep on top of it again this year.

This past week I just spent a little time cutting and preparing kits for some Pink spools (to the left) then I have a block in mind that needs 2" squares and Triangle so the stacks on the right are sorted out with that in mind. So far I have not sewn any patches yet.

I have been very busy this week. We cleaned many parts of the house and took bottles back, a load to good will and a load to the dump today. We still have more to get out of the house. I also have been machine quilting my entry for the Canadian National Juried Show. A photo and entry is due very soon. I hope to be done the machine quilting on Sunday and start the binding by Monday and be ready to take photos by Thursday at the latest. Sorry I can not show you.

I have also been working on the Easy Street Mystery with Bonnie Hunter. I just had to do it. I love the colours that she was using this year. Here are my piles of yardage.

And here is the box with all my units done. I got this far by New Years Eve and was able to sew a little more. There is a link on Monday to show off how far we all got. I will have some blocks done to show off.