Thursday, December 31, 2015

Year-end stuff - 2015


Before the New Year begins -

I usually have a bunch of year-end cleaning up to do -

Business stuff -

And blog stuff - ;))

Last year I had some posts that I never got around to posting -

So I posted one last one -

To catch up -

And get on with it -

So I could PLAY some more - ;))

I still have the Business Stuff to do -

But that will have to wait until January - ;))

And this year I don't have any posts that I never got around to posting -

So I did some tidying up and re-arranging -

And THIS caught my eye - ;))


It's Mill House Inn -
By Joanna Figueroa, Fig Tree & Co for Moda
-

A Layer Cake -
Two Charm Packs -
And one Turnover - ;))

It's been in my stash for years -

Waiting patiently for me to re-discover it - ;))

NEW YEAR -

Another NEW PROJECT -

What's not to like?? - ;))



HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE!! - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -



Monday, December 28, 2015

Design Wall Monday - 12/2815


DESIGN WALL MONDAY -
Check out all of us who link up with Judy L. -
At Patchwork Times on Mondays.
We have some awesome stuff on our walls!
Well, THEY do - ME - not so much sometimes - ;))
===



On my wall today -

The Christmas blocks -

BEFORE -


DURING -


And -

AFTER - ;))


It's A TOP!! -

All together now - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -



Saturday, December 26, 2015

Behind the seams -


Hope everyone had a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!! - ;))

I spent some time playing with this -

A table runner - 3 x 2 -



And this -

A table topper - 6 x 6 - ;))


I thought that I had 48 blocks -

And could make a top 6 x 8 -

But I miscounted and only had 42 -

So I had to "make do" - ;))

The table topper is coming together nicely -

The two columns on the right are sewn in sets of two -

And the left column is already in sets of four - ;))


So far - I haven't had to match seams for more than two "grid" strips per set - ;))


The center set will have four "grid" strips to match -

And then the two long seams between the columns -

But that's no big deal - ;))

As most of you know already -

I MUCH prefer to sew blocks into TWOSIES -

Then FOURSIES -

Etc. -

Than to sew long ROWS of blocks -

And have to match ALL of the seams -

On ALL of the blocks -

EVERY single time - ;))

AND my TWOSIES/FOURSIES system came in VERY handy -

When I was putting together the runner -

Which will help explain the title of this post - ;))

So here's a bit of the "Behind the seams" -

For your entertainment - ;))

===

IF I had sewn these blocks into ROWS -
And then tried to sew the rows together -


The two blocks on the left would have matched -


And the two blocks on the right would have matched -


But those two guys in the middle -

Well - they're not even close - ;))


The top one will match the one on the left -


And the bottom one will match the one on the right -


But they sure won't match each other - ;))


They're off by THIS much on each side - ;))


But wait!! -

The right side of the top block is a STRAIGHT piece -

With NO SEAMS TO MATCH on the block next to it -

And the left side of the bottom block is a STRAIGHT piece, too - ;))


SOOOOO -

I matched the seams on the two middle blocks -

To each other - top and bottom -


And trimmed the sides -


And used them like that - ;))


I don't think that anyone will notice -

That the blocks in the middle -

Are a bit narrower than the others -

But I DO think that they might notice -

If the seams didn't match -

And I kinds like that now they do - ;))


FUDGING to the rescue - haha!! - ;))

And I can always trim down the outer blocks -

If it bothers me later - ;))

Oh - and in case anyone is wondering why they didn't match -

They were originally intended for another pattern -

And I changed my mind -

And had to "make do" - ;))


That and the fact that my 1/4" seam allowance decided to take a vacation -

So one end strip is 1/8" wider than the other - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -



Friday, December 25, 2015

Merry Christmas - 2015


For the past few years -

I have shared a beautiful Christmas Card -

That I received one year from a dear friend - ;))

It is one of the most beautiful Christmas Cards -

That I have ever seen -

So I wanted to share it with you -

Again this year - ;))

Please click - HERE -

And -

Have a Very Merry Christmas!! - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -



Thursday, December 24, 2015

Merry Christmas Eve - 2015






Jingle Bell -

Jingle Bell -

Jingle Bell -

Rock - ;))

===

Yeah, I know that I posted this last year -

But I couldn't resist posting it again -

Hope you don't mind - ;))

===

Merry Christmas!! - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - Santa’s coming -



Monday, December 21, 2015

Design Wall Monday - 12/21/15


DESIGN WALL MONDAY -
Check out all of us who link up with Judy L. -
At Patchwork Times on Mondays.
We have some awesome stuff on our walls!
Well, THEY do - ME - not so much sometimes - ;))
===



On my wall today -

Some more Christmas blocks - ;))



After I put them up on the wall -

I got to thinking -

That they looked a little like -

My Quarter Log Cabin blocks - HERE -

SOOOOO -

What if??????? -

I re-arranged them a little bit - ;))


I have quite a few more blocks to make -

And I will have to do some more re-arranging -

To even out the lights/darks and colors -

But I LIKE it - ;))

What do you think?? - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -



Monday, December 14, 2015

Design Wall Monday - 12/14/15


DESIGN WALL MONDAY -
Check out all of us who link up with Judy L. -
At Patchwork Times on Mondays.
We have some awesome stuff on our walls!
Well, THEY do - ME - not so much sometimes - ;))
===



On my wall today -

Two Christmas blocks - ;))


Not much progress from last week -

But SOME progress -

Is more than -

NO progress, I guess - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -



Monday, December 7, 2015

Design Wall Monday - 12/7/15


DESIGN WALL MONDAY -
Check out all of us who link up with Judy L. -
At Patchwork Times on Mondays.
We have some awesome stuff on our walls!
Well, THEY do - ME - not so much sometimes - ;))
===



On my wall today -

Some Christmas blocks - ;))


They were supposed to become a "Basket Weave" -
(Keepsake Quilting Pattern #6460 - HERE - apparently no longer available) -

A straight set of alternating horizontal and vertical blocks - ;))

But with the first batch of blocks back up on the wall -

It looked like a pretty boring layout -

And it didn't do much to show off the beautiful Christmas prints -

SOOOOO -

I took two of them -

Put them right sides together -

Marked a diagonal line down the center -

Sewed 1/4" to the left and right of the diagonal line -

Cut them apart down the center -

And got this -



MUCH better - ;))

I could try to make a little path -


Or make some big squares -


Or a bunch of other things - ;))

SOOOOO many possibilities -

And SOOOOO NOT boring - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -



Thursday, December 3, 2015

Throwback Thursday - LEFT-HANDED QUILTING - Cutting Qtr Square Triangles

EDIT UPDATE -

Since posting this post -
I designed a LEFT-HANDED ruler to cut HST and QST -
LEFT-HANDED!! -


No more Flippin' rulers!! -
I call it a LEFT-EZE™ Rule -
Check it out on my other blog - HERE - ;))


=====

Another Throwback Thursday -

A re-post some of the stuff that I wrote a while ago -

That you may or may not have read -

So here goes -

The following was originally posted on 10/09/12 - ;))

===

LHQ - Cutting Qtr Square Triangles

I was looking though some old photos -

And found these -

I couldn’t remember why I didn’t post them -

Along with my LHQSQ blocks -

Then I realized that they were the wrong size -

BUT -

They are perfect for showing how to cut QST -

With a Companion Angle ™ Ruler -
by Darlene Zimmerman -

LEFT-HANDED - ;))

Follow the directions on the ruler for the CORRECT strip size -
That’s where I messed up - I cut the strips the wrong size - ;))

Cut two strips and layer them right sides together -

Start at the RIGHT end of the strip -
And cut UP the LEFT side and DOWN the RIGHT side of the ruler -


Rotate the ruler -
Moving it to the LEFT of the one you just cut -
And cut UP the LEFT side again -


Separate your pieces -


Lay them out -


Sew them together -

All done - ;))


===
===

So that's it for this Throwback Thursday - ;))

You can find a whole bunch of stuff -

About LEFT-HANDED QUILTING (LHQ) -

Including LHQ - ROTARY CUTTING -

On the pages/tabs at the top of my blog - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -



Monday, November 30, 2015

Design Wall Monday - 11/30/15


DESIGN WALL MONDAY -
Check out all of us who link up with Judy L. -
At Patchwork Times on Mondays.
We have some awesome stuff on our walls!
Well, THEY do - ME - not so much sometimes - ;))
===



On my wall today -

The Christmas test blocks -


From last week - ;))


This is my version of the -
Mirrored Kaleidoscope Quilt Pattern
From Nancy's Notions - HERE - ;))

These are test blocks -

Because I have neither the template -
Nor the pattern -
And tried to make it up from the photo -
And the description - ;))

I have enough for a small table runner -

But I highly recommend getting the template and the actual pattern -
Because - while my blocks will come out close -
They are not EXACTLY the same -

And -

I wound up with three extra "units" -


And - as always -

ONE set that managed to come up SHORT - ;))




Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -



Friday, November 27, 2015

Left-Handed Quilting - HST using the Easy Angle Ruler(TM)

EDIT UPDATE -

Since posting this post -
I designed a LEFT-HANDED ruler to cut HST and QST -
LEFT-HANDED!! -



No more Flippin' rulers!! -
I call it a LEFT-EZE™ Rule -
Check it out HERE -;))


============
Note - these instructions are written in LEFTISH.
If you are right-handed - just reverse the directions.
============

This tutorial will show you how to make -

Half-Square Triangle units that FINISH at 1-1/2” -

Using the Easy Angle Ruler™ -
By Sharon Hultgren -


And 2" strips - ;))

Of course you can make other sizes as well -
Depending on the size of the strip you use -

2" strips will make HST that FINISH at 1-1/2" -
2-1/2" strips will make HST that FINISH at 2" -
3" strips will make HST that FINISH at 2-1/2" -
3-1/2" strips will make HST that FINISH at 3" -
Etc. -
The technique is the same -

The strip size matches the marking on the ruler -

And the FINISHED size will be 1/2" smaller than the strip size - ;))

=====

FIRST CUT -

Layer your 2” strips - right sides together -

(I used a black strip and a blue with white polka dots - 'cuz they were handy - ;))

Cut the selvage off to straighten the RIGHT end of the strip -

Then starting at the RIGHT end of the strip -

Turn the ruler so that “Easy Angle” is reading from BOTTOM to TOP -

Line up the RIGHT side of the ruler with the RIGHT edge of the strip -

And position it so that the 2” mark is on the BOTTOM edge of your strip -

Then cut along the LEFT side of the ruler



SECOND CUT -

Turn the ruler so that “Easy Angle” is reading from TOP to BOTTOM -

Line up the RIGHT side of the ruler with the RIGHT edge of the strip -

And position it so that the 2” mark is on the TOP edge of your strip

Then cut along the LEFT side of the ruler -


Continue across the width of the strip


Sew the diagonal seam -


Press toward the black (darker) triangle -

And trim the dog-ear - ;))

The sewn unit should measure 2" square -
It will FINISH at 1-1/2" - ;))




Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -



Friday - November 27, 2015 -


Do you know what day this is?? - ;))

Is it the Day After Thanksgiving? -
And you ate WAAY too much yesterday -

Or -

Is it Black Friday? -
And you plan to shop until you drop -

Or -

Is it the day that Bonnie Hunter releases her first clue -
For this year's Mystery Quilt? -
And you can't wait to download the clue and start sewing -

Or -

Is it the two-week anniversary of the shooting in Paris -
That killed over 129 people? -
And you still can't wrap your head around why anyone would do that -

===

I know -

It's ALL of the above -

But -

Your first answer should tell you a little -

About your priorities - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -



Thursday, November 26, 2015

Happy Thanksgiving - 2015


Happy Thanksgiving!

Here's hoping that you have a very nice Turkey Day with your family!

And have plenty of leftovers! ;))




Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -



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