Sampler Blocks

Day 25 of Blogtoberfest.

Yesterday I exchanged several emails with Terry of Terry's Treasures.  I told her I had over 100 orphan blocks in a UFO bin.  She found that hard to believe.  But it's true.  These are the blocks that I made several years ago when I was posting and making the Friday Block Party blocks.  I did that for about 3 years, so you do the math.  I didn't make a block every single week and the ones I did make are all different sizes and colours.  I dreamt about these blocks a few weeks ago.  In my dream I couldn't find them and wished I had put them together.  I think that is what I have to do now.  They shouldn't be left languishing in the bottom of a bin.  Here are some of my 12inch blocks. 

 I have more of them!  Possibly enough for another quilt.  Maybe I'll put some sashing in between them.  What do you think?

Not Much Progress

Yesterday I finished a block from last week's Friday Block Party.  It is called, "Friendship Scrap Block" and is made out of triangles.  It's a 12inch block.  Although it was not terribly hard, some of the pieces didn't line up as I would have liked them to.  I don't think I will make any more of these.  This one will be added to the 12inch blocks and hopefully one day I will make a quilt out of them.

This morning I just couldn't get myself started.  It was dark and gloomy outside and I had been out late on Friday evening.  I took a short nap and then decided to 'make' some fabric.  I got a few pieces sewn together. but it just wasn't doing anything for me.  So I changed directions and made some small 9-patch blocks.  That is the block which is featured on the Block Party this week.  (see my sidebar) These little blocks measure 3inches when completed.  They are for my 'Oh My Gosh' quilt.  The original OMG quilt uses even smaller blocks, but my fingers and eyes don't like to work with blocks that small.  This quilt is fun, but it will not be done for a long time!

I also want to work on a UFO quilt that I started three years ago.  If I can get it done by August I will enter it into our guild's Quilt Show in the fall.  I hope I will feel in the mood for that tomorrow.  Have a great weekend everyone!

Working on my Blocks of the Week

I am trying to catch up on the Friday Block Party.  I still have several blocks to make.  Today I finished the birds for week 20.  If you like these blocks and would like to make your own, just go to the Friday Block Party link on my sidebar.  There are lots of really nice blocks there.  And if you should want to join us in making these blocks, just let me know and I will send you an invitation so that you can post and show your work.

Here are my Blue Birds of Happiness.

This was the first one I tried.  It's not quite perfect, but it will do.

This second one was much easier.  Since this bird is done on a 5 by 5 grid, I decided to make mine 10 1/2 inches square without having to add any strips on the outside.  The 5 by 5 grid means that you can divide this block into five by five sections.  If you make each section 1.5inches (including the seam allowance) the block will be 5 inches finished.  If you make each section 2 inches (including the seam allowance) the block will be 7 1/2 inches and if you make each section (like I did) 2 1/2inches, the block will be 10inches.  Hope this makes sense.

Blocks of the Week

Just wanted to show you some of my latest Block Party blocks. This first one is 'Honey Bee'. It is a 10in. block and it was last week's block. This week's block is called 'Pieced Tulips'. These are very easy to make. The instructions make a 9in. block. Because most of the blocks that folks are making are 10inches, I changed the centre strips and made a 10in. block. The centre strips are cut 2 1/2in. by 4 1/2in. The centre square is 2 1/2in.

Now it is a 10inch block.

I was having some more problems with my sewing machine. I couldn't figure out how come my pieced units were too big for the straight un-pieced strips. I measured several times and just couldn't figure it out. Until I looked at the needle. It was in the centre position, but in my machine that was a little to the right of centre. So I moved the needle position to the left of centre and got a better seam allowance. But it still isn't perfect. I am not going to take my machine in to have it fixed any more. Ever since the top jammed, I have been having problems. I think they are unfixable. Maybe I should be looking out for a new machine. Any suggestions?

Spring!

OMG! I haven't posted for a week! It's been busy around here. I seem to be forever dusting something!

I thought I would share my butterfly block with you on this, the first official day of Spring. The block is from this week's Block Party. It's easy and I think I will make more of these some day. We have rain today, but that's to be expected in the spring. Right? My crocuses are beginning to bloom and you can see my snowdrops on my header. There are a lot more out right now, but I don't feel like going out and getting wet. Last Friday I saw my first robin on the lawn. And this morning I heard them 'talking' to each other in the rain.


The kitchen is coming along nicely. The painter is in today to give everything its first coat of paint. I am staying far away from the kitchen. The smell is getting to me.

Camping in the Living Room

My sewing machine is home again! I am still not completely happy with the way it is sewing, but at least it works. They didn't charge me anything for fixing it this time. I wonder what that means? Maybe they did something wrong last time.

I finished the frog block from last week's Block Party. It's not totally symmetrical, but I am not going to change it.

I also worked on and finished this week's Block Party block. It's called 'Flying Squares'. It is a 10in. block. Since I don't feel as if anything is flying in this block, I am changing the name for mine to 'Global Unity' because it reminds me of the photo of four hands representing different cultures.

And just to let you know that my kitchen is still 'in progress', let me show you a couple of photos. The window is gone! I will have more cupboards there. This room has a sky light, so I really don't need a window and there was nothing to see anyway, except for my neighbours brick wall. I am going to make a couple of stained glass panels for the doors above the sink. They will be nicer to look at. The outside wall has been insulated. The electricity and plumbing have been roughed in and pot lights installed. The drywall panels are next. I have yet to hear from Home Depot about the delivery date of my cupboards. But it won't be long now.

It is strange to be without a kitchen. It feels as if we are camping in the living room. Our kitchen table and chairs are in there - also the fridge and microwave. All we need now is a big tent.

Scottie and McTavish

This week's pattern on the Friday Block Party is 'A Scottie Dog'. I made two of them. One is in reverse so they can look at each other.

Today is Wednesday, I Think

My day has held a lot of stress for me. I had to meet with my financial advisor to figure out how I will survive on my pittance of a pension for the rest of my life. He thinks he can do something for me, but I have been hit hard by our tax man. It seems I paid too much into my RRSPs and now I have to pay them back- the tax that is. This is going to take a huge chunk out of my new kitchen fund.

Then my DD phoned me to tell me that she was in a car accident on her way to work this morning. She is okay, but the car may not be. The couple that ran into the side of her car are okay too. Can't blame this on our winter. We had the most beautiful day today. The sun was shining and the temperature was not too bad. There was no ice or snow on the roads. DD thinks it was her fault.

I have been waiting for the guy from Home Depot to call me regarding my kitchen cabinets. We are supposed to okay the deal and order them tonight. Then the destruction work will begin. I'm dreading that. Just more stress.

I decided to make my own pattern for the paper pieced camel on the Block Party this week. I am not very happy with the way he turned out. But maybe amongst many other blocks in a child's quilt he will look okay.


And something I told myself I wouldn't do.... I fell for the cuteness of the Henrietta BOM. (You can find it on my sidebar) I decided to machine applique the blocks so that they would not take too long to make. I still have to finish them.

I have no pictures of my hexagon quilt. I misplaced one of the fabrics and spent most of my day looking for it. The good part is, I got my sewing room tidied up. And I found the missing fabric, so I will have lots to work on this evening, while I stay up late to watch 'Off the Map' at 10:00pm.

You Gotta Have Heart

I posted this block on the Friday Block Party this morning. Since I hadn't tried it out before I posted it, I thought I would give it a try this morning. I don't know what I did wrong. It may just be my machine. This old Jeans Machine does not do accurate 1/4in. seams. The pattern called for templates - which I hate! So I measured the templates and cut my fabric accordingly. The squares are 1 7/8in. The triangles were cut larger and then trimmed when the center of the block was complete. I had to make the strips around the heart larger than stated in the pattern. My block just wasn't big enough. Then I cut the block down to 10 1/2in. square.

More Mug Rugs

We have beautiful sunshine today. But it is extremely cold. With the wind it feels like -25C. It kind of takes your breath away. I just stuck my head out for a moment to throw some peanuts to the squirrels. Oscar thought he wanted to go out, but he changed his mind once he got to the door and felt the cold. Smart cat. And smart me too! I decided to make this an indoor, sewing day.

But my sewing machine is still at the shop. It has been serviced, but I can't pick it up until Saturday. So for now I have been playing with my fabric. I have had to use my old Jeans Machine (White). The seam allowances are not very accurate and it feels like driving an old truck instead of a quiet BMW. But it was okay for making these string hearts. I think I will make a small wall hanging using them. I'll finish it on Saturday when I get my machine back.
I also made a mug rug with one of the blocks. I have sandwiched it, but will wait for my Bernina to finish it.

And last, but certainly not least, is my chicken block for this week's Block Party. I designed a paper piecing pattern for it. Then I added the strips on the side. The chicken part measures about 6 inches square. This will also be finished next week.

Ellie the Elephant

Here is my elephant block for week 2 of this year's Friday Block Party. Just click on the party icon on my sidebar and it will take you there. The instructions for this block were very clear, yet I still paper pieced mine. I can't help it. I paper piece everything if it can be done that way. It's a 10-inch block and I think I am going to make a baby quilt with the 10-inch blocks this year.

I have been sitting in my solarium today, enjoying the snow, the intermittent sunshine, the squirrels and Mimi. We had about 8cm of snow last night. Not enough to even bring the snowplows out. But it made for a nice white backyard. The squirrels have been running around through the snow on the fence and roof, driving Mimi almost insane! As soon as she saw my camera, she jumped down and hid under my bed. What's all that about? She probably thought she was doing something bad because those squirrels really were a tease.

I was able to complete the block for this week's Block Party. It is a 12-inch block called, 'Wagon Tracks'. It looks like 'Jacobs Ladder'. This block comes with many names.

It's a beautiful day here in the neighbourhood. I think I will take a ride on my scooter and go to the store to buy few things I still need for our Thanksgiving dinner.

My Weekly Block

Day 2 of Blogtoberfest. Is it only day 2? It feels like a month has gone by already. I hope I can keep this up. I am also hoping that this daily blogging will return my zest - my energy, my interest, my spirit, my gusto - back to me!

Have you noticed? I have not finished anything this summer. Only started lots of new projects. I want to change that. I want to work on my UFOs and get something out of the way each week or at least each month. I am hoping that I will have to finish something each day so that I can show you interesting things.

This is this week's block - again, just an orphan block - not a whole quilt. This block is called 'Chain'. It is this week's block on the Friday Block Party. If you are not familiar with the Party I will give you the link here. Or you can just click on the Friday Block Party on my sidebar. I'm inviting you to put on your party hats and join me. I seem to be the only one out there lately and I feel as if I'm talking to myself. If you want to join in, I will send you an invitation and then you can blog and post your blocks on the Party site.

Back to the block. As I said, it's called 'Chain' and it's a 12-inch block. I hope I can break the chain, that seems to be keeping my creativity down, with this block and with Blogtoberfest. I decided to use some of my black and white stash. I have been collecting them, but I have not done anything substantial with them yet. Okay, Okay. I hear ya. I won't start anything new with them. I'll keep them safely in my black and white bin. See you tomorrow.

Leaves

Now that fall is here, my mind is on colourful leaves. Bright reds, oranges, yellows. browns and purples. So here is a block to celebrate Autumn. You can find it by clicking on the Friday Block Party on my sidebar. It's called Ozark Maple Leaf and it is 12 inches square.
Happy Friday everyone!

Two Blocks from the Friday Block Party

I managed to get two Block Party blocks done. The first one is called 'Cups and Saucers' and it is a 9 inch block from week 36. The pattern is from Quilter's Cache. You can click on the Friday Block Party logo on my side bar to get it. Sometimes Quilter's Cache has bizarre instructions for making the blocks. In that case I usually just make them the way I think is best. But for this block I followed their 'quickie method' to make the flying geese units. It worked like a charm. I just love the red fabric. Don't you? It's from America Samoa. Barb sent it to me a while back. Thanks Barb. It really makes this block zing!
The next block is from this week (week 38) on the Block Party. It's called 'Grandmother's Puzzle'. I really like this block, even though I am not a grandmother yet. It was quick and easy. Just a few HST and some 2 1/2inch units. It is a 10 inch block, so I used batiks. I must look for the other 10 inch blocks that I've made to see if I have enough for a quilt. If anyone is interested in joining the Block Party, just let me know and I will send you an invitation so that you can post your blocks on the site. Hope everyone has a terrific weekend - the last one for this summer if you live in the northern hemisphere. Of course, if you are 'down under' you are looking forward to summer. (sigh) A large flock of robins came to my garden today. There were so many that I could not count them all. I guess they are getting ready to fly south - a sure sign that fall is close. And a very noisy Blue Jay came to see if there were seeds in the feeder. It's the first one I have seen since last spring. There were no seeds in the feeder because I planted some Morning Glories at the bottom of the post and they have taken over. It's probably good that I am not feeding the birds right now, otherwise they may decide to stay too long and not be able to make it all the way to warmer weather before it turns too cold.

A New Project

This is the block from this week's Party. (Go to my sidebar) It's called 'Louisiana' and it's a 12inch block. I don't like doing pinwheels very much. I just can't seem to get them pointy in the centre. I think I need more practice.

I just love the quilt that is shown on the Quilters Cache site for the Louisiana block. The pinwheels are scrappy and that's right up my alley. So I made a few more blocks and hope to make that little quilt on the QC site. I figure if I do one block a day for the next two weeks, I will have enough blocks for a lap quilt. So that's my plan - along with all the other projects I have on the go at the moment.

See that little white paw in the bottom left corner? Yep. You guessed it. That's Mimi.

Flowers on Thursday

I finished the three flowers I made for this week. I'm only one day late. That's okay, isn't it?

I also finished another Block Party block. This one is called 'New Waterwheel'. It is a 9-inch block.

Now I have to find a photo of Mimi on a quilt so that I can enter the Pets on Quilts Show that SewCalGal is hosting. That shouldn't be hard. Mimi is always on my quilts.

Not Even a Single Flower.......

No flowers were completed this week. This one still needs a centre.

And these are just parts that still need to be sewn together.

I did finish one more block from the Friday Block Party. This one is called, 'Album'. It is a 12inch block - very easy and only took me about half an hour or so.

I don't know if you noticed, I photographed the first flower on one of the Castor Bean leaves. This plant is huge. I grew this plant from a seed this spring. It is over 6 feet tall now and the leaves have close to a 3-foot span.



This plant is highly poisonous and should not be grown where children are present. Since I have no children around any more, I like to grow Castor beans for the wonderful tropical feeling they bring to my garden. When I was in the Dominican Republic a number of years ago, I took a safari tour. We came across a whole field of Castor Beans. I asked the tour guide about them and he told me they were not toxic - only the seeds were. Castor oil is made from them. But I don't very often listen to what I am told and I like to find things out for myself, so I learned that Castor Beans are considered to be one of the highest toxic plants in the world. The toxin is called, ricin, and it is found in every part of the plant. It can cause severe digestive symptoms. A single bean can kill a child. They cause diarrhea which can lead to dehydration. Castor Beans are in the spurge family - Euphorbiceae. The beans are not real beans.

Family: Euphorbiceae. Genus: Ricinus. Species: R. communis.

Common Name: Castor Bean

A Storm at Sea

This is the block I worked on yesterday afternoon. It's called 'Storm at Sea' and it is a 12 inch block. When I was finished (it took me a long time to do), it was 3:00pm and we were in the middle of a rain storm - too dark to take a photo. It is not much better today. The sky is a sort of yellow colour that indicates more rain.

This block came from Quilter's Cache. I decided to paper piece this one because some members of the Friday Block Party had trouble with the downloadable pattern. I found that the pattern was not correct, so I got out my drafting paper and made my own paper pieces. The block came out at 12 1/2 exactly, so I know it's right.

Squares Within Squares

I finally got around to doing one of the Friday Block Party blocks. This one is called, 'Squares Within Squares'. It's a 12inch block. I really like how it turned out. It took me all morning - between doing some chores and other things. So glad it's done! It wasn't the easiest of blocks to put together. I guess pinwheels are just not my favourite blocks to make.

I still have 4 or 5 blocks to make in order to be caught up. Best get back to my sewing room.