Blocks and More Blocks

I've been busy constructing blocks for the two Bees I'm participating in this year.  Having never paper pieced before, it is forcing me to do something out of my comfort zone. While I've discovered I like the finished look achieved from paper piecing, I can't fathom making an entire quilt from these types of blocks. It would take forever and a day for me!

 
This wild colored block is for my Hive in The Stash Bee.  I think when they all come together, it will make an awesome quilt!

This block for The Bee Hive is called Wanta Fanta, and is seriously understated as a stand alone block. But once all the blocks are put together, they form the coolest, swoopiest design ever!  Hard to visualize with just one block, but it definitely works.

May is my month to be Queen Bee for the Stash Bee.  I'm still working on my sample to decide block to use.  Decisions, decisions, decisions.  I must say, I am enjoying working on blocks for others. It's fun to go through my stash and pick out colors I think they will enjoy, and then having the practice to make blocks that I would never have done on my own accord.

Time to get back to the sewing room!  Have you participated in a Bee Swap before, or now? How did you like it?

Quilting with a smile,
Barb

Bee Block, Log Cabins, and a Winner!

It's been a very nice long weekend for me.  I got to attend a sewing class, I went for a drive with my husband up into the mountains, and I'm finishing up some little projects.  Plus, I have selected a winner for the Grow Your Blog Giveaway.

The first order of business was to make up a block for my Stash Bee Hive 4 group #stashbee. This is a fun, modern block to construct. It was easy and I love the way the colors in the fabric played out. Queen Kathy wanted navy blue or dark yellow on one side, and modern neutrals on the other side.  Hope she likes this one - it's going clear to Australia! Super fun, fun!

The class I took on Saturday was to learn how to use the Curvy Log Cabin Ruler, created by Jean Ann Wright (former editor in chief of Quilt Magazine).  Jean Ann and her sister, Janet Houts, are now pattern designers, and Jean Ann has been having fun designing quilting rulers, too.

I didn't have time in class to get the other 'set' done. If I had, you could see how the curviness of the blocks comes into play.  In my block, the white background is smaller than the printed blocks. When put together, it gives an optical illusion of curves.  I need to make a mere 57 more blocks for my quilt, so I do believe this quilt is my long-term project!

These are 6" blocks, and four blocks make one larger block. Very scrappy!  I thought about doing each one the same, but that taxes my brain too much. So I chose to go scrappy.

Yesterday, I didn't sew or quilt a single stitch. Nope, not me. My husband and I drove up north about 60 miles to see how the Stanley Basin in the heart of the Sawtooth Mountain Range was fairing this year.  While our snow has melted in the valley (elevation 5,500 feet), there hasn't been too much snow melt up high.  We have a cabin that sits about 7,200+ feet, and the peaks are 10,000 or higher in these photos. So lots of snow in the high country. Which is a good thing for our drought-stricken state.

View from Galena Summit looking north across the Sawtooth Range.

This is the view from our cabin. Kinda hard to take, but someone's gotta do it!

The Sawtooths and Mt. Heyburn and McGowan peaks. Redfish Lake sits on the other side of the trees.

Oh! My winner!  It was a fun month to get responses from the Grow Your Blog Giveaway.  I met a lot of nice people and followed several new blogs myself.  When it came right down to it, the winner of four fat quarters of wonderful Kaffe Fassett Collection fabrics is:

Diane Wingo

Thank you, everyone, for participating, and thank you Vicki at Two Bags Full for hosting this event. It was a pleasure to participate!

I'm going on a road trip soon, so I have this strange sensation that Fabric From Far Away is calling my name. Perhaps there just might be some Stash Collecting in my near future?

Quilting with a smile,

Barb

Sewing Machine is Buzzing!

Happy New Year everyone!  I've spent some time this week coming up with My Plan for 2015.  I won't bore you with it because it's subject to change (always include that clause in your plans - helps alleviate stress, anxiety and frustration!).

It's a good plan, one that I'm happy with, and one that is workable without over-due expectations. I like it!

First off on My Plan for 2015 is to restock my Etsy Shop, Mountain Quiltworks, with microwavable hot packs.  This weekend I've been stitching and stitching and stitching. So far I've completed 30 hot packs, have another 26 ready to go under the needle, and another 20 or so waiting in the wings.

Then I need to make some more inserts for them. That's 3 little bags for each hot pack, or about 200. Wah, wah, wah :(

I do these marathon Sewing Days, and have a marathon Photography Day, and have a marathon Insert Stuffing Day.  It all adds up so that when I hear that "Ka-Ching!" on my cell phone for an order, all I have to do is ship it out. Sweet.

Making some awesome microwavable flax seed hot packs with this amazing Moon Shine fabric from Tula Pink!

Also, in my overall Plan for 2015, this tops my list.  It accomplishes many things, but primarily I feel good that a bunch of the fabric that is sitting around is sewn up!  And I have stocked my shop. And I can proceed with other endeavors.  That part is especially sweet :)

So what are my other endeavors?

Well, after experiencing great amounts of anxiety about signing up for too many BOMs and QALs, I have narrowed my sites to these:

1.  Finish the Sew Sweet Simplicity which I've been working on through the fall.
2.  Signed up for Moccasin BOM by GenX Quilters - love this pattern!
3.  Salivated over the The New Hexagon - Millefiore QAL  but I decided to just stalk them for awhile and drop my jaw in wonder of these quilters' great use of fabrics. Besides, in reality, I don't have time for this one!
4.  I'm part of the Stash Bee, Hive 4, for 2015.  First time out; we'll see how this goes. First block is a foundation paper piecing block. I have never done that before, but I guess there is no time like the present.
5.  I want to participate in O Scrap! by Cynthia from Quilting is More Fun Than Housework.
6.  I will continue to do A Lovely Year of Finishes. This helps me stay on track - thanks, girls!
7.  Really wanted to join the BOM by Pile O' Fabric. I still want to do it. But I think I have enough on my plate. (Hangs head.)
8.  See? This is good. I said "No" on two things I was really interested in. Off to a good start!

2015 will be my last Seminar Season in my Day Job as the executive director of a state-wide accounting association. I'll be officially retiring in June 2016, so I suspect somewhere along the way this year, I will be training my replacement and writing up Procedure Notes.  But then, guess what? I'll be 'retired' and can quilt to my heart's content. What a happy camper I will be!

Best wishes for 2015!
Barb