String Blocks I made for Quilted_With_Love Yahoo group swap

I have finished the string blocks for the Quilted_With_Love Yahoo group swap that I am participating in. I'm swapping 3 sets of 4 blocks, and will receive 12 blocks back.

Next week I will need to start on the string blocks for Stashbuilders Yahoo group swap that I am also doing. In that one I am swapping 2 or 3 sets of 12 blocks. So will either get 24 or 36 back, depending on how many sets I end up doing.

More January Happy Blocks done

Finished Teresa T's Happy Blocks last night! I love her Valentine's Day themed 6.5" centers and had to go dig through some of my Valentine fabric to border them! Also, thought the earthy toned 4" centers were pretty cool!

Green Bargello (Update 2)

Wow, after 28 months of sitting in a ziplock bag, in various stages of completion, this project can now be considered a "flimsy" instead of parts of a top, waiting to be finished! Although, it will probably remain a WIP (Work In Progress) for awhile until I figure out if I want to add borders or not. It sure did feel fantastic to sew that last seam together!

Today I was able to get Teresa T.'s 15 Happy Blocks done for January, and have been working hard on the Green Bargello UFO.

I'll post pics tomorrow, but, now I need to finish a little more sewing before I hit the hay!

Bee Pieceful Jan 2011 Block for Jennifer

Bee Pieceful Jan 2011 Block for Jennifer, originally uploaded by ScrapHappy-Quilter.

She has collected bug fabric for a long time, and chose a Spiderweb block for us to make this month. We added a few of our own scraps also! This is the first time I have made this block, although I've sure thought about making it many times. We used this tutorial String Spiderweb from Bonnie Hunter to construct the block. I like the outcome, and could sure use up some more of my scraps!

Green Bargello (Update)

I started this quilt top way back in Sept 2008. Shortly after I found Bonnie Hunter's website Quiltville.com When I first seen this pattern, I had to make it! Her method of making it seemed like something I could do, and so I printed the pattern off, and went shopping for fabric. I got all the strips cut, 1 set of 28 strips sewed together and one set of six subcuts sewed together for the first panel. Then frustation took over the feeling of happiness. I soon figured out that, it sure wasn't going as easy as she made it look. I had trouble matching all the seams, and kept having to rip out more stitches than it seemed like I was even sewing. And then, I found other patterns that was easier and more fun to make, so I grabbed a big Ziploc bag, gathered up all the fabric, the instructions, and all the parts I had been working on, stuffed them in there, zipped it shut, and labeled the contents. Without realizing it, I had just started something that would soon turn into a very bad habit! Yes, I had just officiolly aquired my first UFO! (Unfinished Object)

How was I to know, that it would be months before I even looked at that bag! And, in the coming years, many other bags and boxes also joined it in the back of the closet.

In the years since then, I have learned many things about making quilts, that I didn't know back then. Some of those techniques, helped me drag that ziplock bag out several times, re do a lot of the work, the right way, and up until today, had brought the quilt top to atleast 1/2 done!

This week Stashbuilders a Yahoo group I belong to, started a week long sewing bee. I chose to work on this quilt top. I have gotten a lot accomlished today! I started the day off, with 2 completed panels consisting of six subsets of 28 blocks. Another six subsets cut but not sewn together, for the third panel. And, 28 3" X 20" strips to sew together, cut into 6 subsets and then sew them six together for the last panel.

I chose to go ahead and sew all the strips together first, then got them subcut.
Next I started sewing the 6 subcuts that I had done already together. Lots of seams to butt together, pin, and align properly. I did grow weary a time or two, and had thoughts of going on to another one of my goals that I had listed for the sewing bee.
But, then, I decided that I really needed to stick with this until I got the panel done. And I am really glad I did.

I now have 3 completed panels, and the six subsets to sew together for the last panel of the top!

I took some pics of what I started with, and some of my progress today as I sewed.
the first several pics are of the first two panels, the sub-cuts, and the 3" X 20" strips. The rest is what I did today!

Stashbuilders January Sewing Bee

My Yahoo group Stashbuilders started their January Sewing Bee this morning at 12:00 AM. All week quilters thrughout the world, will participate in the week long event! Everyone works on their own project, at their own pace, when they can. We posted goals that we want to complete during the week. The goals didn't have to be actual sewing, as long as they were sewing related. There are lots of prizes for participation also! I have already won one of those, for being the first poster on the board for the sewing bee! Now the anticipation starts as I wait for the mailman to bring me my surprise!!

Mine goals that I chose to work on were three of my UFO's "Green Bargello", "Scrappy Double Irish Chain", and "Purple Passion". To sort, cut, and put away, heaps of scraps that have accumulated in the 2 drawer stand under my cutting table, and go through my huge bag of batting trimmings, cut some down into usable pieces for little projects, etc.

This morning, I plan on working on the "Green Bargello". I have two panels of the top done, 1 set of 28 strips sewn together and cut into tubes for the third panel, and 28 strips to sew together for the fourth panel.

Because of the bitter cold, and lots and lots of snow we got last night, during a major winter storm, that was more like a blizzard, our Church services were canceled this morning, which means I can get more done today, than I thought! So, I'm off to sew!