Back to the Rainbows!

Before I share my rainbow scrappy adventures in PURPLE today, I have another "purple" project to share ....

I have my En Provence center together!!!!

Oh my gosh - I'm so excited!!!  I'm working now on the borders and hope to have a finished top to share next week :*)  But - since it was Saturday, I put that aside this morning and joined lots of my friends in the effort to tame our purple scraps :*)

One of my favorite blog parties has always been Angela's Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) which can be found over at her blog, SoScrappy.  Every ScrapHappy Saturday, she hosts a linky party where tons of scrappy quilters show off their stuff - rainbow-style!

I haven't been able to play along the past few years, but this year, I'm determined to carve out the time.  Actually, it's really more of a must because my scraps and crumbs runneth over!

You can see that my purple crumb jar is so full I'm having to just plop pieces on top of it!

At first I thought perhaps I would just do something with the crumbs this year, but then I remembered this pattern that has been in my "Really, Really Want to Make" file since, like, forever.....

This sweet quilt is such an ingenius design!  It's fairly simple, but looks really complicated.  The eye just roves all over it in delight!  It is called Geese Migration, and the talented Cynthia Brunz of Quilting is more fun than Housework is the designer.  My friend Libby from  Life on the Hill has been teasing me with her GM blocks for a while now, and every time I see one of her blocks I drool with envy.  Just yesterday, someone posted their completed GM quilt on Instagram and it was so gorgeous ... it was the last straw!  This is the year for me to start mine!

I decided to use my Marti Michell templates to cut the flying geese since I'll be making them one at a time.  Then I pulled out my purple scrap drawer and found lots to inspire me!

This is from a deconstructed shirt I cut up and used in a previous project...

And look at this one!  It is a sweet print from 2006 - which happens to be the year I really fell head over heels into the quilting rabbit hole :*)

The success of this pattern depends on the strategic use of blending color values together in the geese and squares.  This print gave me both a light and dark!

It was exciting to see the pieces all laid out for stitching up my first block!

 Rocky got on board with the project immediately =^..^=

This is not a great picture, but I'm in love with my first block!!!

Playing in my purple scraps was so much fun I just couldn't stop, so I pulled some purples and fuchsias and began to cut circles for the Quilty 365 Circles project that I started and left hanging last year ...

Aren't these yum???  Audrey over at Quilty Folk started this party last year.  She has since finished her quilt - and yes it's beautiful! - so for 2017, the link-up party can be found at Daisy and Jack Handmade.

This is another project that needs to get at least one day's attention each month this year.  I have maybe 50 done from last year, so lots more circles yet to be cut!  Then of course they have to be prepared for applique to the backgrounds....

You can read more about how I plan to do this project HERE if you are interested.

My time ran out today, but next Saturday I'll concentrate on my crumbs and try to tame them before they devour my studio LOL!!!

Hope you've had a lovely Saturday doing something stitchy :*)

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=

Linking up with the following FUN linky parties - check 'em out!

- Main Crush Monday

- Design Wall Monday

- Monday Making

Fluttering and Sparkling .....

This has already been a very busy summer - is it even officially summer yet?  Well, it feels like summer with the 90-degree days we've been having here in Nashville! 

Time for blogging has been hard to carve out, but I've got lots going on to share with you.  A couple of finishes, several projects in the works, and a few that are still in the design stage.  For instance....

This cuter-than-stinkin'-cute Tuffet Pincushion just happened to get made and now sparkles up the studio quite nicely .....

One day soon I hope to make one of those wonderful full-size Tuffets that I've been seeing in blogland, but in the meantime I bought a kit at Mountain Quiltfest to make this adorable little pincushion, and I couldn't be more smitten!  It was surprisingly easy and fun to make as well :*)

I started with lots of bright and happy scraps from my Kaffe and Philip Jacobs stash ....

Then I added a little bling ....

These are drawer pulls from the local hardware store.  You can get much more inexpensive ones of course, but I just fell in love with these sparklers and couldn't resist.  As everyone knows, I'm pretty much a lot like a magpie - a real sucker for anything bright and shiny LOL!

After a bit of a battle between my desire and my budget, I decided to splurge since the pincushion will be something I see and enjoy every day.

Of course, I have to keep it in a drawer except when I'm actually sewing because of this little guy....

Rocky helping me practice my free-motion feathers -
"Mom, make your curves nice and smooth, like my perfect little kitty toes ... "
=^..^=

He's pretty much declared himself King of the Studio, and if I'm sewing, then he's right there snoopervising, up close and very personal ....

.... dangerously up close!  And if there is even one pin in sight, he'll zero in on it and have it in his mouth before I can stop him.  I've taken to using one of those magnetic wands on the floor before I leave the room so he doesn't find a stray one.  Sheesh!!!

As for the "Fluttering" I mentioned earlier, here is my latest new start ....

In-Flight Monarch Butterfly
design by Debra Gabel @ Zebra Designs

I posted HERE in September 2012 that I had purchased these patterns and hoped to begin work on them.  2012!!!!  Sheesh again!!!

My friend Pat and I have been talking about getting together and playing with these blocks for well over a year, and every time we plan a playdate something comes along to spoil our fun.  She's already fused down 5 of her blocks waiting on me to get started!  This past week, we finally put a date on the calendar and refused to let anything stop us.  We had a lovely day!!!!

I used Lara Buccella's (BuzzinBumble) applique technique from her new book, Crafted Applique, and I just love the results.  No fraying edges, and I can tell that they won't fray even after I stitch them down.  Nice!  This is the perfect project for this technique, because there are lots of little fiddly pieces ...

Some of these stems are smaller than 1/8" wide!

The edges look a little rough, but that is because I used serrated scissors to cut the pieces and they grabbed the edges a bit.  With my next block, I'll use a sharp pair of sheers.  I'm really excited to finally get my first block done, and can't wait to start the next one.

One more project is not even really started yet ...

I've pulled these fabrics to make another See-n-Go project bag.  I was inspired by this amazing Kaffe Fassett print called Corsage ...

I'm going to be teaching some friends how to make this bag in a few weeks, so I wanted to make a new one to refresh my memory on all the little details.  Not to mention that I can't have enough of them LOL!!!  (If you would like to make a See-N-Go Project bag of your own, you can go HERE to find out how to get the free pattern!)

Finally, I have two finishes to share ....

My mini Fractured Seahorse has been labeled, bound and hung on its standing frame, and now graces our living room so we can enjoy it every day!  I chose this deliciously curvy hot pink that somehow reminded me of the Little Mermaid :*)

I like to sew the label into the binding so I only have to hand-sew 2 sides - and it's more secure!

And Calypso also got its binding sewn down.  I chose to do a small flange of the red in the fold of the binding to give a little pop of color between the border and the binding.....(it's not crooked, that's just the way it is draped over the chair arm).

This one also resides in our living room now as well - doesn't it look wonderful with our claret-colored furniture?

Finally, I thought you might like a quick peek at my current Design Wall ....

It's a hodge-podge of lots of little projects in the works.  Unfortunately, pictures on this wall are never great - the lighting is bad in that area of the studio, but you get the idea.
-  Top left - blocks for Cool Diehl, a set of blocks I'm putting together from a Kim Diehl design.  I'm using Kim's fabrics too and loving the way it is coming together!
-  Top right - a block gifted to me by my friend Carol Ann, waiting for it to tell me what it wants to be
-  Middle left - In-Flight Monarch Butterfly
-  Middle right - Whoooooo's Your Daddy?
-  Bottom left - a partial of my Diamonds are Forever
-  Bottom right - two See-N-Go Project bags in the planning stage

I spent last weekend sandwiching a couple of large quilt tops to be free-motion quilted on my domestic machine.  I started quilting one of them this week, but since I don't want this post to drag on too long, I'll come back and share some pretty pictures in a few days.

Happy Father's Day!!!!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=

Linking up with the following fun parties:
Design Wall Monday
Oh Scrap!
Let's Bee Social
Tuesday Linky Party
Scraptastic Tuesday