Catching up...one by one

My Skill Builder We Can Do It Sampler quilt along as gotten not along :) ha! I am 3 weeks behind, but only 2 now :) That's a tad bit better :0 I got the Breaking Out block completed yesterday! I love using Miss Lori's way of making these flying geese blocks. You can find her tutorials over on http://beeinmybonnetco.blogspot.com. She's an amazing teacher! I really like how it turned out- and so PINK too!! Now 2 more and then I'll be back on track! Whew!

Warm Cool quilt along and Zig Zag updates...

I have all my hst's finally sewed, trimmed, ironed, and ready to lay out for the official "design" of the quilt. Just to find time when there is floor space and time enough to do it now :) I am going with a centered diamond pattern, so it should go together very quickly. I am nervous about making sure they all get sewed the right way once I put them in rows- I will have to be very precise in my stacking :).

Then my zigs and zags are getting sewn and pieced together with the solid Kona basil. It is looking pretty schnazzy! When I get the first row done, I promise a photo :) Lots going and lots in the works!

Hi Ho a Dairy oh...

My first 3 Farmer's Wife blocks are DONE :) YAY!! It feels so good to finally get started with the months of planning I have been doing :) I am working on them in order, but only doing the ones right now that I can do the "math" for and rotary cut. I will go back when these are all done and work on the others as templates or paper piecing. I have quite a big list of those that I can do with math and started with #1. Here they are...

#1 Autumn Tints

#3 Basket

#4 Basket Weave

I am working on more orange and yellow at the moment. I love the colors I chose (red, pink, blue, green, orange, and yellow) and am so excited about all the pretty blocks to come!! I am officially "in" and am hooked! So fun!!

Supernova Beginnings...

I have been so anxious to start this quilt, but with the others I am working on, I just haven't had enough time. I finally made some time and am so excited with how nicely these huge blocks come together! I love the scale of the blocks and the variety of prints you can use. I have two blocks done- of the nine- and the next one ready to be pieced.
I must admit, I wasn't too crazy about my fabric choices on the first, only for the reason that I am making a "sunset" colors quilt, and the blues came out a little too strong. That's ok, because the second block turned out exactly as I had pictured in my mind for this quilt. I think the blues will just blend in once I get all the blocks made. I can hardly stop making these blocks so I can see how the next one will turn out. You use a wild formula of which piece in your chosen series goes where, and they wind up looking a bit different than you think they will initially, on paper. But that's the fun and surprise of it. I am loving it!!

I am so thrilled that Lee made this quilt along available over at http://freshlypieced.blogspot.com/ so I could have my perfect sunset quilt!! It's my favorite time of day, you see. So have a happy sunset today- I am excited to get my tangible sunset finished soon!

~

PS- been switching around rooms in the house the past 3 days- almost have a little space for me (half of a room, but I am sooooo grateful for that half) and my sewing! Yipee!!

Take Two

You know how things can just eat at ya- well, that's what this butter churn block did all this weekend. It didn't have enough contrast and I just had to make a new one to get it "right". The old one will become a matching pillow, I think :) Much better--- ahhhhhh.

Then, I have all my thread spools in an antique sewing chest. I love it- it was my Grandmother's, but it is overflowing and I can't find colors I need when I need 'em. So I found these at Joann's , with a sale, of course, and also an extra 10% off coupon! Love a good deal! Fabric is about the ONLY thing I buy that's not on sale :). And I go nuts when it is :). hehe. So these are now hung in my bedroom (I would so love a sewing room - someday) and it is so fun to see all the colors smiling back at me. I can find the color I want now too- added bonus!

Working on lots of quilts this week- hoping to also get the binding handsewn on my Bottled Rainbows quilt- almost there. I finally figured out I wanted to use Annie's Farm Stand to make the Farmer's Wife quilt, but all the prints I want are over $300. Yikes- definitely not within the budget. I've called all my lqs, and none carry that line. Shoot! We'll see what I come up with :)

My last 4 blocks- woot!!

I almost squealed as I finished up the last of my Bottled Rainbow blocks- can harldy wait to set them all out and see them together :)!!! EEPPP!! I'll have to make a bigger joining stitch cause my squaring-off wasn't as perfect as Rachel's :) (http://www.stitchedincolor.com/) But that's ok, I am adding a sashing anyway, so it will all turn out lovely! I am so happy I took the plunge and went applique crazy with the "image" in each block- it really became a family quilt that way!
Without further ado--- the last blocks---

Chartruese block- we play LOTs and I mean LOTS of board games around here- some of our favorite family time. So a board game had to be on a block. This one was kinda tricky for me to get the picture in my head that I wanted to be on the fabric. It turned out better than I planned- there are 4 game pieces, dice, a curvy path, and of course, home! Love it!

Then the aqua block- I still need more blues, but this one is not as noticeable ;). Another favorite thing is backyard family baseball games, so this block sports a homerun baseball headed to the sky (top right corner).

The berry block is obviously a cupcake- however, we are not huge fans of cupcakes per se, but we ARE huge fans of chocolate cake with as much chocolate iciing as possible :) Thought a cupcake would be cuter than a 9x13 pan ;) hehe!

Then finally, the jade block has a hammer hiding in it. I have lots of building creative minds around me, and the sound of hammering is a wonderful sound to me- thus this block's design.

By now, I've wound up with too many favorites to list- it has been a really fun project!! I'm grateful to Rachel for the inspiration!! There you have it- all done and ready to lay out all together- I am so excited- off to see my rainbow :)

Two more down...

On to two more Bottled Rainbow blocks :) The pink and basil green blocks- these ones are really fun!

Along with having a purse freak, well, um, make that 2 purse freaks, in my house, I also have one that LOVES shoes. The fancier and sparklier the shoe, the better! Oh yes! So the pink block, which is also a girl's favorite color, had to be adorned with the SHOE :). I didn't want to go sparkly, but fancy was great, so the shoe (a pump heel, of course) got a purtty little bow on top. I like it and love all the pink-ness in the block- it makes me smile!

Then the basil green block really makes me smile- another favorite- funny how it just happens that way... The boys in my house love cars of all kinds- beginning with Hot Wheels. So a race car had to be in the mix- it popped up in this block! I love how the camo turned out to be so perfect to highlight the car. It makes me giggle everytime I walk by it! And fondly think of wonderful memories!

Only 6 blocks left- gotta get back to sewing- appliquing two more today :)!! Yipee!

Pacific and Dark Purple Blocks

More blocks done- gotta catch up the posts about them :). This time I would up with another block that has color pops- so sad that I didn't have enough of the Pacific color fabric. Guess that's a really good excuse for me to get some more blue- hehe! So on to the blocks--

The blue has a book hidden in it- it's a narrow, horizontal book. My kiddos still can't see it very well, but it was how the fabric worked best, so that's what it is! I like the color pops, even though the saturated blocks are fun. Now I have one to match my green- HA! I adore the castle peeps that is the cover of the book in this block- I had a dear friend send me some scraps, and I about passed out when I saw Castle Peeps in the box! WOW- it's my favorite print on the block!

Then the dark purple block has a flower in it- daisies are my favorite so it mimics them. I didn't have enough scraps of this color either, but I think it turned out well nonetheless :). It is so fun to watch the pile of done blocks accumulate and see the beautiful colors all together! Love it! They make me smile- I am itching to get them all done and pieced :) Then I have to figure out how to do the back- have some crazy fun ideas!!

Red and School Bus Orange/Yellow Blocks

Ok, first off, why in the world is this Kona color called "School Bus"?? Huh?? It's orange people- and NOT the color of a school bus! Too funny- it makes me giggle every time I see it! I call it by it's offical name when I look at it- yes, I talk to my fabric, don't all "normal" people do that?! ha! So, on to the blocks, off with the tangent :)...

This Bottled Rainbows quilt is too fun! I love looking at all the beautiful blocks. They make me smile to see how many people can make so many different styles using the same idea. Sometimes I think I'm weird because mine are so different, but as I stated previously, I think outside the box and like to give things some flair. So here's my flair- a picture in every block :) And that's how I like them, so weird or not, it's me and what will mean a lot to me years down the road, when the kiddos are all grown and with their own families :).

The rich red block was easy- My littlest is obsessed with purses, so there had to be a purse somewhere, and red spoke to me! I love how this one worked out, with so many little fussy cut animals, and forest things. Another favorite!

The School Bus orange/yellow, whichever it is :), was fun too. I have a different little who loves rainbows. The quilt is right up his alley, as far as colors go, but I knew I had to throw a rainbow in for good measure, so here it is :). It was crazy cutting all these curved pieces, but oh so worth it! I love it too!

Now I have 6 done, and only 10 to go- faster, faster, faster! I wish my machine would sew double time! :) Dreaming...

Dark Blue and Tangerine Blocks...

I have been working like a mad woman to get these Bottled Rainbow blocks done- I really push for 2 a day because I know life will get in the way :). Sor far, I'm doing pretty ok, though. Here's the latest two...

The dark royal blue color- we are big mountain and skiing fans at our house, so it was destined to have some mountain ranges on it :) There are two ranges- it makes me smile to just look at them. I won't even ride a ski lift- too scared of heights :) but those that live in my house would stay at the resort 24 hours a day! Love it! So the mountains are perfect!

Another thing we are crazy about around here is biking- I even have a pink beach comber bike that I love to ride :) It is great to be together and be outside! And feel the wind in your helmet :) So the tangerine had to have a bike in it! Ta-da!

It's fun to figure out how to make a design and how to work around it. I really like how the blocks are turning out and think it will give it more of a "our family" feel. That's a good thing- just like sunshine, rainbows remind me of the joy during the rain :) LOVE!