15 minutes play...BumbleBeans Inc.

I heart playing with fabric!

2012-02-14T09:07:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you who love playing with fabric.

I made these hearts with strings but they could be constructed with made fabric too.

They're just a big L set on point

Here's the whole thing, measuring 8.5 by 19 inches.

January New'Bee Blocks

2012-02-11T11:43:00.000-08:00

Katherine, thanks for your patience. I finally got two blocks completed for you. Here they are...

They are in the mail. Hope you like them.

Starting Triangles

2012-02-10T17:49:00.000-08:00

sitting on the design board just waiting for me. maybe after lunch on this grey Saturday afternoon.

Another triangle block

2012-02-10T14:31:00.000-08:00

I am determined to get this right. Here is my second attempt.

Scrap-bee quilt finished

2012-02-10T10:15:00.000-08:00

Here's my scrap-bee quilt all done. Thanks to all the scrap-bee players for sending along their fabulous blocks last April. Not only do I have a wonderful quilt, but I have a great story to tell about how this quilt was made!

A closer look at some of the blocks I received. This quilt will be on display at our local quilt show this coming May!

Cheers,
Mary

a couple more cuties

2012-02-10T06:48:00.000-08:00

I have to say, the beauty in play is that you start to look at things in a new way, when you force yourself to try a new palette.

Already I can say that I am looking at aqua blue in a new way, and can see how beautiful it can be as a neutral! my goal is to keep the brights minimal and use as many scraps of blue in surrounding the brights... The foundation color( aqua blue) is more a part of the quilt than it might have been if it were all one fabric....

It's the little discoveries that matter.

I hope you play today!

Playtime!

2012-02-10T04:54:00.000-08:00

2012 has been b-u-s-y! I needed some playtime, some serious playtime. Putting together these improv blocks is definitely helping my psyche. And it is also helping to diminish my uglies!

What if I....play.

2012-02-09T10:26:00.000-08:00

So you know me, I am always thinking about Color and how to challenge my regular choices...
I keep coming back to, " why do i have TWO cubbies of BLUE fabric when I rarely use blue?"

So I thought of a quick challenge, I could try using BLUE, the color I seem to avoid.

(what color do you avoid?)

I chose 4 STRONG colors, Green red royal blue and purple,
and chose a light blue to surround them.

I selected the without thinking to much about them, And I sewed them together any which way.
Then I made sure that I had a light blue color all the way around the four scraps.

Here you can see how I put it together... Every block I make will be different.

I like the idea of the Contrast and the varied shape the scraps made.

Can you select a color you avoid?

And try the same technique? One little 8" block, 15 minutes to play. That's it.

I Would love to see you all give a go... Maybe we will feel better about the color we avoid afterwards!
I think it may make a dent in my BLUE stash too! More room then for my favorite reds and yellows! LOL!

Post and share your play time!

I challenge you to one block.
Maybe it will be like potato chips, can you make just one?

can't get enough of them

2012-02-08T16:58:00.000-08:00

Triangles galore blocks, that is. Just thought I'd show the latest two. I have one more cut and partially sewn, 8 more with fabric sorted, and a whole stack of fabric waiting for review. I'll be making this block for a while. It is a wonderful way to experiment. My camera isn't picking up the colors well...

background of dark points is an intense grape- purple.

background of dark points is a brownish maroon.

Intuition Quilt; it's finished!

2012-02-08T09:46:00.000-08:00

My Intuition Quilt, “Listen to your heart”, was finished and wrapped up about half an hour before my daughter came over to celebrate her birthday. It was rather early in the morning, before proper daylight, so please do excuse the bad lighting.

I love everything about this quilt, and even though I would like to keep it for myself, I love it even more because my daughter is so happy with it. The corners are square and the sides are straight so pictures actually do lie sometimes.

The colours look more correct with the flash on, that doesn’t happen too often, does it.

It is heavily quilted using a walking foot and 3 different varigated threads

It has an appliquéd heart made from self made fabric.

and 3 different fabrics in the binding; one on the top,

one on the sides

and one on the bottom.

I know it has taken me forever to finish this quilt, but I have enjoyed every single piece of fabric and stitch I have put into it. Thank you, Victoria!

Fractured crumb blocks!

2012-02-08T06:58:00.000-08:00

I was playing around with some scraps, when I discovered this new way to use crumb blocks!

I had made a few blocks and put them on my design wall, with the idea of sashing each little block with a solid fabric and making a small quilt. But, after putting sashing on three sides of two pieces, I happened to place them next to each other and I got a whole new design idea.

*Note* You'll see me using "square" and "block" interchangeably ... they're the same to me!

Add sashing to opposite ends of your squares, then begin to pair them up by twos. For now, just ignore the relative size of each square ... we'll deal with that later. If they look good together, they're a pair!

I think a rectanglular shape works really well for this pattern.

Basically, you add sashing to opposite ends of your squares, trim them even, pair them up and add sashing.... I put a full tutorial on my blog - enjoy!

Linda

My attempt of Victoria's PDF pattern

2012-02-06T16:01:00.000-08:00

I decided I needed to try the triangle block that Victoria posted. It took a little more than 15 minutes but it was fun to try a challenge. My points are way off but for a first time I think it looks ok.

To make the paper patterns to sew the fabric on , I traced the pdf that I printed. My printer stopped working for some reason and I only had one copy so I had to trace them. I do not have a light box but I have a sewing machine table that has a clear inset for my machine. Here is how I 'made' my light box. It worked great. I guess out of necessity comes invention..

PDF

2012-02-05T15:30:00.000-08:00

Paper piecing PDF is here click here

Triangle's Galore
15" block

Triangles Galore... another try... success!

2012-02-05T12:09:00.000-08:00

While Victoria and Jackie were beavering to create and test the paper piecing pattern for the Triangles Galore Block, I was ~~stubbornly~~ doggedly determined to figure out why I had problems with my first effort and what to do to avoid them. After all, some people were able to make the block just fine, while others reported problems.

Here's a picture of what caused my problems and hence ballooning center of the block. Note that upon sewing, the bottom (center bottom) triangle ends up wider than the three top sewn triangles. This happened because I matched the points of the three top triangles and sewed the seam. With that seam, there goes 1/4 inch on each side as far as the overall width is concerned.

To fix this, I decided I needed to know where all the seams intersect. I measured 1/4 inch on all sides and put little hatch marks at the intersect points.

Then I pinned the pieces AT THESE POINTS before sewing the seams.

This little step made all the difference. The triangle pieces were off set just enough that they lined up perfectly with the bottom triangle when it was sewn on.

The finished block. No trimming down of the block required! Whew!

If you should want to do the traditional piecing method, instead of paper piecing, it is very much worth your time to do the above step.

Bias edges will stretch easily, so pinning carefully and careful sewing will help keep those problems at bay. Try not to make mistakes and rip out the threads. Repeated unsewing will stretch the edges. That is how I got the "wee bit of ballooning" when I finished my first block for the last time.

Hope this helps!paper piecing pattern for the Triangles Galore Block

CLICK FOR Victoria's FREE paper piecing PDF HERE

Wonky Log Cabin Style blocks

2012-02-04T20:24:00.000-08:00

I have all these ~~stupid~~ really nice shirts that have been cut up for two, count them TWO, quilts already. They are in boxes ready to go to retreat and get sewn together. But I STILL have all these shirt pieces and the pile doesn't seem to be going down any bit. Why doesn't my favorite $14 a yard material do that?

So yesterday I decided to test a few log cabin like blocks with the bits and pieces. Nice.

I made more today. Sixteen more in fact. I do need two additional ones but I think i can do those tomorrow.

Too dark

Too light

I wanted to see what kind of background would look good. So I got out several and made my choice. I am thinking to set them wonky like, but I may work out some shadows. I keep seeing the blocks in my head with shadows. (I keep seeing the block in shadows in my head) Hmmm. Oh, In my head, I keep seeing the block with shadows....that's the correct grammar! LOL.

I think I can work this out.

This orangy yellow was perfect!

Just right

Does this look like a shadow to you? I want it to look
like it is floating!

Shadow?

glen

Tried again, paper pieced style

2012-02-04T20:00:00.000-08:00

Jackie is here with me this weekend, and I asked her to go over my block as she is an excellent paper piecer. I figured she would be the one to test my pattern and see what's up... We took my exact pattern, made it into a paper pieced template, and made each unit.

When we finished each unit, we trimmed it to size.

Then we joined each unit by pinning exactly at critical intersections:
EVEN when you traditional piece this block you must PIN at these points.

THE TRADITIONAL PATTERN I POSTED IS CORRECT.

TOP CORNER,

CENTER POINT,

BOTTOM POINT. see arrows.

Stitch line.

Press seam open, then join next unit and repeat the pinning process.

Once you have 4 units together, join the OTHER 4 and join your two halves,

matching at the critical points. Press seams open.

We tore the paper off, and laid it down and shot this picture...It lays flat... This has not been pressed.

Kathy mentioned, to cut two squares at 5 1/2" and cut once so the corners are not on the bias.

I laid the corners on overlapping the edges, and trimmed afterwards so they would be perfect.

There she is... (It's a "she" of course) ;-)

And all the beauties playing nicely....

If you choose to try this method,

PAPER PIECING PDF IS HERE
also above click tutorials... ;-)

PIN PIN PIN ! most important!

The paper piecing adds stability while piecing.

Although we did the paper piecing method,

we used the original template to draft the piecing, so both methods work.

Feel free to use the method you are most comfortable with,

but the first method I had shown you, realize it is BIAS piecing, which can be difficult.

triangles galore... finally

2012-02-04T06:27:00.000-08:00

I finally put together a triangle star following Victoria's tutorial. I have to admit I had problems and despite my best efforts, the center section puffed up. I took it apart and measured it again and again. Somehow, the central green triangles I used were too big for the top triangles, so I trimmed them down and tried again. That worked. I got it together. It is still a wee bit puffy in the middle, but passable for liberated me. Here it is.

I have another set of triangles cut out for another star... I love the look of this block. Hopefully this next effort will go together with NO problems.

Thanks to Victoria for a fun block design.

A little bitty quilt?

2012-02-03T14:55:00.000-08:00

I was fooling around with crumbs in between my neatening up sessions, and I put a few blocks on the design wall just to get them out of the way. I kept glancing at the blocks as I was sorting fabrics and cleaning, and I thought to myself "I wonder ... can these be a tiny little quilt just as they are, if I just framed them with sashing?"

I think so! My thought is to give each block some kind of shape, then sash them and decide on either a vertical or horizontal layout. I can use the little finished quilt to practice my free motion quilting!

More later, when I get it done.

Linda

more hearts

2012-02-01T05:39:00.000-08:00

Here you go Sherri! I made a couple cutie hearts for your FEBRUARY new'bee block (tutorial here), and will send along the extra bits to make more.
I'm sorry I don't have much WHITE in my stash! I had only these few pieces to make some borders...

I'll get these in the mail today...

Another heart

2012-01-31T16:56:00.000-08:00

With February only hours away, scrappy hearts are appropriate. Sherril has asked us to make them for the New'Bee block of the month. Lots of fun.

Here's mine. I hope she likes it. It will be in your mailbox soon, Sherril.

sigh. hearts!

2012-01-31T06:10:00.000-08:00

Ahhhh, Hearts!

Can we all just make hearts every day??

You can't have a bad day when your making HEARTS!!!!

I pulled this fabric out my scrap bin, and realized when I went to press it flat,
that it had once been cut out for me to make a little dress for my baby girl!
She's 11 now, nearly 12!!

Lovely memories....

Let's all break out in song!

Memory!!
All alone in the moonlight
I can smile at the old days
I was beautiful then
I remember the time I knew what happiness was
Let the memory live again ...

da da da da da ....

(Your lucky you can't actually hear me sing!)

OK, I'm off to make another heart!... weeeee!

More Sparkle!

2012-01-30T06:29:00.000-08:00

I had the chance to work on my Scrap Bee quilt when we were snowed in the other week here in Seattle. I actually had this almost finished as a throw size, then it just yelled "Queen!" so I, of course, complied.

My photo is a little crooked; my design wall is actually straight. I'll be adding 2 more rows of stars, and I think I may be missing them from 3 Scrap Bee players (my count may be wrong... I was not doing a precise job of tracking my mail over the month of December!) If you have one in your sewing room for me, I would love to include it!

My design wall is in my living room, and this is making me smile & dance a little every day. Thank you Scrap Bee-ers!

We heart Hearts!!

2012-01-30T04:57:00.000-08:00

Kathie at inspired by antique quilts is getting into the HEART theme! How cute are these??

using up the bits

2012-01-29T18:08:00.000-08:00

I have great scraps left over from my Tiny Dancer quilt... So I sifted through them tonight to play with the bits and bobs I cut off to make my "WORD" for the year...

Then I got out some perle cotton and did some chain stitching to quilt it...

My little reminder for the year that:

I am ENOUGH,

I have ENOUGH,

and I am worthy ENOUGH... For whatever life offers me.

Enough.

Period.

Have a word that sums it all up for you?

Stacey's BOM quilt

2012-01-29T07:00:00.000-08:00

Stacey is finishing up her BOM quilt, (Tutorials are in the top tab TUTORIAL link)

you can see more pictures of it at the flickr group.

Have you been over to the FLickr group?

Add your quilts and PLAY so we can all OOH and AHH over them!

THANKS! Looks great Stacey!

http://www.flickr.com/groups/15minutesplay/

The second try

2012-01-27T20:10:00.000-08:00

I had whined a bit last week to Victoria about being unable to make this block without it being all out of kilter. I tried it again, and this time it worked just fine. I used the same orange fabric I'd been using with my BOM blocks - and since I have a LOT of it left, I've got to work on a way to get this large block together with the smaller ones. I'm thinking it could be in the center, and the others could go around it. We'll see. I'll just have to play.

Tiny Dancer

2012-01-27T12:30:00.000-08:00

TINY DANCER

61" X 74"

Victoria Findlay Wolfe

THANK YOU NEW'BEE PLAYERS for my DECEMBER BEE BLOCKS!!!!

I just finished putting this quilt top together, and danced the whole time doing so!
(Tiny Dancer, means for once, it's not a king size!)

I'm going to put this Michael Miller BLUE/green Sandi Henerdson,

Secret Garden on the back...

Have a super weekend, I'll be over here doing the happy dance!

New'Bee February Block

2012-01-27T11:05:00.000-08:00

New’Bee FebruaryBlock

HopefullyFebruary’s block will be simple for you……because you get to design it! (With three requests).

1) Make a heart block from made-fabric

2) Somewhere within the heart, have a predominate "spot" ofa solid bright red

3) Have the heart bordered with “white-ish”made-fabric.

Here’s an example:

Your creativity iswhat counts. The block may be

· Anysize

· Theheart may be any shape

· Useany colors (multi-colored made-fabric or monotone made-fabric) for the heart –as long as there is a predominate "spot" within the heart that is bright red

· Heartis bordered with “white-ish” made fabric

If you would like to make one like mine here is how I put it together:

Make two (2) 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" Flying Geese

Sew together to make a strip

Make one (1) 2 1/2" x 8 1/2" Made-fabric Rectangle

Make two (2) 4 1/2" Half Square Triangles "Blocks"

Sew together to make a strip

Place strips for sewing.....and then sew strips together

Then if you would like to put a "white-ish" border, don't worry about the size as I will cut it to size or add to it.

But remember, you do not have to make this particular heart. The main thing is to have a predominate "spot" of a solid bright red in it.

I look forward toseeing what you create!

Playing Among Stars

2012-01-27T10:09:00.001-08:00

I have my first star block finished . . .

And I must say . . .

I'll be making LOTS more of these!

I want an entire quilt of them. An entire LARGE quilt of them!

Thanks for the idea/pattern/nudge, Victoria!

New Bee Block

2012-01-27T06:38:00.000-08:00

I'm cutting it a little close, but I was finally able to finish Kathy's block.

It was a fun one to make. Hope you like it:)

One for BUZZ

2012-01-26T11:16:00.000-08:00

So, the last few years I have been making quilts for my aunts. Aunt M, got one two hers ago, Aunt J got one this past year, then my uncle BUZZ chimed in and said "where's mine?"

So. Even though Uncle buzz has had a history of quilts becoming..ack...outdoor objects!... I grabbed my scraps and whipped up a quick easy quilt for him...fully expecting/knowing that this quilt may end up as a horse blanket....

Yep. I said it...

I took the fast easy approach to this quilt, and really just whipped it up...Like, maybe an hour for the top assembly and quilted by check...

Oh well, it's the thought that counts right?

It's kind of manly right? ;-)

makin' fabric

2012-01-25T13:43:00.000-08:00

PLAY HAPPENS...

Crazy Love

2012-01-25T06:54:00.000-08:00

Inspired by Victoria's 15 minute Heart quilt seen here. I used my Sew Bee Wonky group to help me make a bunch of wonky hearts.

I got some real beauties back.

I'm adding a few of my own.

As I have tons of fun playing with this quilt in progress.

LISTEN TO YOUR QUILT

2012-01-24T12:37:00.000-08:00

I did a bit of foundation piecing.

I made some fabric and unmade it.

Cut and recut.
Sewed and unsewed.

Would have thrown it in the fire if we hadn't had visitors that evening.

Then I listened to the quilt.

Take out the orange stripe.
Give me some of your best fabric from the box labelled "Use with caution. Last pieces of precious old fabric".
And, especially, turn me round.

Then I got this.

Listen to your quilt.

more stars!

2012-01-24T12:18:00.000-08:00

Making a few more stars for my NEW'BEE quilt... This 5 pointed star was a challenge! Y seams curves etc... I will get around to the post on y seams soon... I haven't forgotten...

This morning before jury duty I whipped up a block of made fabric, then cut it into 4ths...and

....Came home today and whipped one of them into a STAR with some slashing in orange... Love it!

I believe one is still coming in the mail! So I may have enough when it arrives to finally make a plan for this quilt... Right now they are all smooshed together on my wall. Thanks New'BEE players!

I LOVE MY BLOCKS!!

my bee block for Kathy

2012-01-24T09:06:00.000-08:00

Kathy I am sorry to be so slow getting this block done for you. I did not think I would be able to do this one. It looked so complicated and that is why I kept putting it off. Last night I sat at my machine with my scrap bin and dove right in . It was not difficult at all to make. I think when you put these blocks together you will have an incredible quilt! I hope this one will be ok for you.

I will get it into the mail this week.

hugs from south Louisiana
beebee

New Bee Block for Kathy

2012-01-22T23:50:00.000-08:00

This block will be in the mail on its way to you tomorrow Kathy.

I wish the picture was rotated one turn to the left....just turn your head to the side and you can see it in that view, okay Kathy?

Janet

BOM WINNERS!

2012-01-22T15:07:00.000-08:00

Beth's Quilt, 1st Place

Thanks to all who played along on the BOM quilts! It was so fun to see all the different ways the blocks got interpreted! Allie choose her Favorite and all of you people voted also. First was also Beth's quilt, and 2nd and Third places, are below! CONGRATS to all for beautiful unique quilts!

Allie Said: I choose "C"! I love how the essence of each block is showcased by the way it's background disappears into the overall background of the quilt, with the sashing just minimally there....and the border is stunning.

Beth wins Allie's Pretty Crazy Pattern, and a "squishy", which is a zip lock bag of embellishment goodies.


Ellen W's quilt, 2nd.

I love Ellen's BOLD choices of Red and Yellows with eh Black and whites. I like that she also broke up the borders to add another scrappy element!


Deb G's quilt, 3rd place

I love that Deb pushed even further then just sashing her blocks.

She CUT and SLASHED them too which gave them a complete new meaning!

Nice job!!

A book, and APQ earbuds from PAT SLOAN

Send me you address ladies! And we will get the goodies in the mail to you asap!

BOM quilts revealed!

2012-01-18T04:58:00.000-08:00


"Good-Bye My Fancy" by Victoria Findlay Wolfe

Time for A quilt show!

Here are 12 quilts and quilt tops that were made using the 15 Minutes Play Blocks of the MONTH tutorials listed in the tutorial link above.

Using made fabric, the starting point of this site, we made blocks inspired by the fabrics we made. Keeping in the 15 minute routine and asking questions as we go along.... taking time to think about, How can I set them differently then I always do?

What new color combinations could I try?

What new technique can I try?

Each time, taking baby steps forward, asking questions to find a way to put together a quilt top that is new and unique to each of us. Being aware of the things you ALWAYS do, Finding a way to break out of those habits, and see what other possibilities and steps could be taken.

Have you found you've been in a design rut? Do you do the same thing over and over in your quilt making? Being aware of what you ALWAYS do, can help you to focus on one thing NEW to try that.

What's holding you back from trying something new?

How can you push your Quilt making limits further? Enjoy looking through these quilts, perhaps you will see some ideas for layout, different fabric choices, colors you might not have tried, and we hope it inspires you to Take a Chance... It's just a quilt, it's just fabric, cut it up and use it. ;-)

If you are playing with the tutorial blocks, please add the images to the flickr group so we can comment for you too! The link is always in the tool bar above. Enjoy the show!

The names have been left off temporarily as Allie Aller will be picking a favorite for prizes.

Do you have a favorite here? Can you find something in each you like? Or want to try?

Please comment, and let us know your thoughts. We look forward to hearing from you.

Terry P

Lisa M

Beth S

Maree

Miki W

Julie W

Em B

Alexis

Earamichia

Ellen W

Deb G

BOM's

2012-01-17T06:44:00.000-08:00

If you have your BOM quilt, or QUILT TOP together, please email me today or tomorrow with your image. I will put a post together of all the images so that Allie can see them. I know a bunch of you did not get them all quilted, so send me a picture of your TOP, or your completed QUILT. Thanks! - Victoria

String Stars

2012-01-16T06:02:00.000-08:00

I played with a box of solid strings and my 60 degree diamond ruler

to come up with a galaxy of colourful stars.

Thanks Victoria for your fearless example of working with Y seams.

It's not as hard as I feared.

Another Block

2012-01-15T17:32:00.000-08:00

I double checked again... just to make sure...

Here are my two halves...Your halves should lay FLAT and straight,

so that when you sew them together it is a straight line.

Triangles can be tricky, be patient and don't pull the fabrics...

When you lie your triangles together to sew, always line up your points.

Check you seam width.

Some machines sew slightly larger,

some sew slightly smaller...

I know my Juki sews smaller if I follow my foot....

I have to look at the lines on my plate for 1/4".

San-dee Bee quilt for Peg

2012-01-14T18:07:00.000-08:00

Attached is the photo of Peg and the lap quilt made from blocks from the 15 minutes play Scrap-Bee Quilt bee. The colors were wonderful, and she really liked it. The attendants have been going over the shapes with her, and the fleece keeps her toasty in the wheelchair. Thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for the support at a very difficult time for us. -- San-Dee

Some of the shapes that went into making this quilt.

Good things come in squishy packages!

2012-01-14T13:58:00.000-08:00

Look what arrived in the mail today!

A lovely, perfect block from my New'Bee friend, Jenny! I love the bright oranges, scrap pieced like crazy - and she also included the extra orange made fabric, which I plan to use for my project. Thanks, Jenny!

"Galore"-i-ous

2012-01-14T13:55:00.000-08:00

In my search to find something FUN to set off four of the Triangle galore blocks, I pulled out this Jane Sassaman print. I laid out a few strips to see if I would like it,

and instantly decided ,"Yes, it worked!"

Mitering the corners, so the pattern would wrap the corners like it was meant to be, was just the thing to make this start of a medallion lap quilt.

Usually I audition a few fabrics before I set something, But I can safely say, I pulled this Asian Blue print out, and...

Well, somethings are just meant to be.

One more row around? ...Maybe...
We'll see what comes next...

block tutorial here.

Got 15 minutes?
What will you try new today?

Have you tried mitered corners?

BOM meets Project Linus! Finished at Last..

2012-01-14T09:48:00.000-08:00

Thank you Victoria for encouraging me to complete this quilt in time for the 16th BOM quilt deadline - I've really enjoyed the whole process. I combined my Hybrid T- Rose BOM (x 2 plus a couple of mini ones)with some donated blocks for Project Linus to make a quilt for the project to be distributed locally in Derbyshire.
When I was wondering about how to put it all together you guys at 15 mins helped with tips and colour suggestions - so I added red and some navy - and its been a real joy to stitch as close up, these fabrics and colours are enough to make your heart sing!

I've quilted the rose in a 'liberated'spiral!

Backed with bubblegum pink fleece and finally a binding of a recycled navy and white dress fabric

Mostly I've quilted in the ditch, but on these leaves I've quilted with some horizontal stitching - plus I picked out the stars and quilted around them

Wonderful mixture of vintage and new fabrics - my favourit bit is on some text fabric that mentions Tea Roses - I LOVE IT!!

So again, thank you for the inspiration - sorry there wasn't more more BOM's within it ...but I'm recycling ...what can I say??!!

Stash Swap

2012-01-14T08:16:00.001-08:00

I got fabric in the mail! What better mail days can there be than that?

My swap partner was Marian.

I told her my favorite color was red. She sent me all these . . .
There are LOTS of Civil War prints in this bunch. I didn't even tell her that I'm making TWO Civil War quilts and hardly have any Civil War prints in my stash, so these are going to come in really really handy!

Oh, and the best piece? Cowboy fabric, of course. How does everyone know? Heehee!Thanks, Marian! You were a great partner!

My version of Victoria's Triangle block

2012-01-13T15:16:00.000-08:00

I decided to try and make Victoria's block, and this is what I came up with. It did pucker some in the middle, but it is a function of my inability to sew a straight line and not the instructions. I started with bits and pieces of made fabric that I put together and added to. Then I pulled some fabric to go with it. It is a good thing I have good size scraps around. The yellow and the corner pieces are from the fabric swap we just did. For someone who loves warm colors, I sure use a lot of cool ones.

Vintage SCRAP Inspiration

2012-01-13T09:48:00.000-08:00

Some pics to INSPIRE you to dig into your scraps!

Keep making fabric, day by day, and one day ...

Inspiration will strike.

Perhaps it's a color...

or a pattern...

Be open to the possibilities!

Make something YOU!,

Be Unique! Make mistakes!

Try new things!

Create!

Have a fabulous weekend!

FIXED!

2012-01-12T09:06:00.000-08:00

OK, Here's proof I make my own patterns! I messed up! :-)

Yep! Math and I, we have a funny relationship... LOL!

I've made 4 blocks, two worked, two didn't...(Boy, that made my head hurt!)

The one I made last night, did something very weird... It puckered up in the middle,

as I noticed the halves where not straight.

So, I went back, and MADE the adjustment

in the pattern...

Feel free to let me know if I need to do anything else to it...

I made this DARK one, and it laid perfectly flat, BUT,

You know, I can goof too!

Left one puckered(old pattern), new one on the right, lays flat.(New pattern)

Like I said, Math + Myself, sometimes don't mix...and I am open to your suggestions.

NOTE: I already made the adjustment on the tutorial ( click here)

Stash Swap

2012-01-12T06:59:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I received this colorful, happy collection of fabrics from Teresa in Portland, Oregon. I love the prints, the batiks and the colors - I can't wait to add them to new quilts. Thank you so much Teresa for being my swap partner.

My try at the triangle block

2012-01-11T15:44:00.000-08:00

I tried out V's triangle tutorial and even though I like my block, it really doesn't lay flat. I know I messed up on cutting out some of the triangles, but thought I fixed them before sewing the block together. Looks like I missed a few for it to be so wonky. I am going to starch the whey out of it and then quilt, quilt, quilt for it to lay flatter. If that works, I may make a pillow out of it.

My DECEMBER Bee Blocks.

2012-01-11T10:05:00.000-08:00

Here's a shot of my BEE blocks so far... I have them up on my wall, and I've been playing with some, adding fabric, and moving them around... they will be up there for a while until I decide just how I want them to live.

I LOVE the COLORS, and how some POP forward, and some RECESS into the background a bit.

I think I may add a bunch of teeny tiny stars too like the few that are dotted in here already.

Thanks NEW'BEE's!

Fabric Swap

2012-01-10T17:11:00.000-08:00

When I got home today, a big squishy package was sitting on my chair. I could hardly contain my excitement! I had no idea what to expect, and I was really happy when I got the package opened and this is what I found. I love batiks. My collection was mostly on the cool side, so I am very excited to have all these wonderful warm bright colors to add. My mind is already churning about what I am going to do with all this loveliness. I just noticed that the beautiful piece of Amy Butler didn't make it into the photo, but I love it, too. Thank you so much, Mimi. I love the fabric.