Finally Digging in the Pink!

I made myself sit down and play in my pink scraps today for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge .... what fun!!!

Introducing Fantasia!  

This block is inspired by a quilt I saw on Pinterest made by Leanne at She Can Quilt.  She calls her quilt Butterflies, but she says the original block found in Barbara Brackman's Encyclopedia of Quilt Patterns, is called Fan Quadrille, designed by Mountain Mist.  What a quaint, old-fashioned name!  Makes me envision a fancy ballroom filled with colorful ladies and gentlemen, all dressed up in their finest and dancing very properly to some very dainty music, 18th century-ish.  But this quilt will not be at all old-fashioned, and I'm not thinking it will be very proper or dainty either.  I'm thinking it will be more along the lines of fun and sassy!  And so I've renamed this quilt Fantasia.

Don't you love all the different pinks in this block?  My pink scraps are very limited and I have to admit I was really tempted to bring out the fat quarters and cut some pieces from them.  But I am determined to make all my RSC13 projects strictly from scraps, with the exception of unifying backgrounds, sashing, etc.  After all, this is a SCRAP challenge, right?

This was not a particularly easy block to make, so I'm glad I only have to make one a month.  I had planned to simply cut some squares and some drunkard's path blocks.  But as you can see from the initial layout below, that didn't quite work out....

The circles are too circular, and there is no smooth transition to the square blocks.  See the difference in the reconstructed block below?  The upper right corner is now a smooth curve, much better than the too round section in the bottom left corner....

In order to cut those smooth curves, I got out my handy-dandy Quick Curve Ruler designed by Jenny over at Sew Kind of Wonderful.   I really love this ruler!  It made very quick work of cutting these curves, and I was able to cut all the pieces at one time!

Of course, I had to recut new pink pieces, and I cut them a quarter inch larger to give me some wiggle room on sewing the curves.

I was able to salvage the white corners thankfully...

After sewing them together, I trimmed the section down to 3-1/2" square to fit the block.  You may notice that the white section is just a smidge (that's a word isn't it?) short of the 3-1/2", but I kept that in mind as I put them all together and it worked out fine.  For future blocks, I'll cut the white squares a little larger too before I make the cut for the curves.

Here's the first "fan" with nice soft curves, laid out and ready for sewing!  :*D

I think I will enjoy making this block now that I have worked out the kinks LOL!!!  I'm hoping it will make a fun, bright, happy quilt.

Next, I started on my Crossroads blocks.  This is also a pattern I found on Pinterest, created by Amanda at Threadbias blog.  She has a tutorial for this if you like the block and would like to make one, or two or a dozen.... they are like candy - too good to stop at one!

I dug into my 2-1/2" strips bin to see what I might have in pink for this block....  hmmm, not much!  But look at that wonderful Supergirl fabric!

It's a shame that iconic "S" wouldn't show up in this block, so I'm saving one strip of it for another project.  I plan to make four of these little blocks in each color so that there will be a lot of variety of color in the finished quilt at the end of the year.  They go together very easily.  Don't these look fun?

Next week is the last Saturday for pinks, and I'm planning to work on my Lone Starburst blocks then.  I talked about them on a previous blogpost HERE.  Then, if I have any pink scraps left over, I'll cut them into squares to go in my precuts - unless I decide to get crazy and make more blocks ;*D

Be sure to go over to SoScrappy to see all the other lovely PINK projects in process for the 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge this year!

Hugs & Blessings,

Teresa

=^..^=

This and That on Thursday

There is a new Angel watching over me  ....

Because our family unexpectedly had to change their plans and not come to Tennessee for Christmas, we had to do some creative brainstorming to get my gift from our son and daughter-in-law in Raleigh out here.  Of course it was a surprise so I didn't know what was inside, but we were told it couldn't be shipped because it was "Very Fragile".  Finally, it arrived this past weekend, and I opened a huge box to find this treasure, all securely bubble-wrapped inside.....

An angel!!!  And cats!!!  I ask you, could it be any more perfect?  

This beautiful girl is over 20" tall and very heavy!  She is a Jim Shore creation called Garden Angel, and I think it is intended to be used outside in the garden, but there is no way this girl is going outside.  She is currently reigning over the sewing studio ;*D.

I had never seen one this large.  That box on the left is a rechargeable battery box that fits inside the base at the back.  During the day, I can leave that open in the sunlight and it will charge the batteries so that at night the diorama in the angel's skirt lights up.  It's really beautiful all lit up!  Todd and Nikki said as soon as they saw her they knew she had to be mine.  I really like the way they think, don't you?!?  =^..^=

As for what the Garden Angel is currently presiding over in the sewing studio...

This is a really sweet Teapot Mug Rug I made for a friend "just because..."

Back in September, I was working on this Dots to Dots Blog Hop project...

... and my friend Candice saw this little teapot in progress 

..... and she said, "Oh that's so cute!  You can make one of those for me!"  

And so I did!  

Candice is always bringing us baked goodies from her kitchen to keep our energy levels high during sit-n-sew, so I thought a little mug rug would be a "sweet" way to say Thank You!  She was really surprised when I gave it to her - I think she liked it!  =^..^=

And I hope you are all excited about the Dare to Dresden Blog Hop that is starting next Thursday over at Madame Samm's!

My day will be January 29, and here is a sneak peek at my inspiration fabric for this project ....  YUM!!!

I have been really working hard on this project to be sure I do it justice, and that is one reason I have been away from blogging for so long.  I hope you will forgive me when you see the completed project.  :*)

And last but not least, Easy Street is coming along - slowly but surely.....

This picture is not the best - it is a very cloudy, overcast day, so I apologize... to you and to the quilt.  Such gorgeous colors deserve to shine, right?  Hopefully I'll get a better picture next time :*)

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=

The Stash & Stitch Report - 1/6/13

I have decided that this year I will post a "Stash & Stitch Report" on Sundays, which will include my Stash Enhancement Report to link up with Judy over at Patchwork Times, as well as any progress made on my Slow Stitching projects which I enjoy linking up at Kathy's Quilts.

For the "Stash" part of each report, I will continue to share fabric additions and finishes - don't we all love eye candy! - but I will no longer post yardages purchased versus used etc.  This girl just wants to have fun and not feel guilty about whether I'm adding too much or not using enough stash :*D

I don't have any additions this week, so that part of today's post is pretty darn easy.

But I do have a finish!

This is an older picture in different lighting so the colors look different....

My poor Blue Pineapple Blossoms quilt has been folded up in my sewing room ready for its binding since March.  And today I got busy and got 'er done!  You can read more about this fun quilt HERE if you are interested.  This was a class taken with Bonnie Hunter in Alabama several years ago.  What fun that was!  We are looking forward to Bonnie coming to the Music City Guild this spring.

I'm really late in joining up with Judy for her Get It Done party for January!  Here is my list:
1.     Binding on Pineapple Blossoms - DONE!
2.     Complete piecing Easy Street mystery top
3.     Complete writing up the pattern for my Stitchery Keeper
4.     Dresden Blog Hop project

I've also been busy doing a little Slow Stitching this week.  My current Promises and Borders block got some attention while watching tv a few nights this week ....

And  I made a couple of luggage tags with these cute little paper-pieced sewing machines - 

I hand embroidered some names at the top (shhh!  it's a secret!) as well as all the little details on the machines.....

Aren't they just the cutest little things!!!  I found the pattern on Pinterest.  It is designed by Megan at Monkey Beans blog, and she is sharing the pattern free for the sewing machine if you would like to make one too :*D

And I also stitched down this gorgeous plate on the next Blue Collection block...

It fits in between the bowl of peaches and this yummy aqua vase, which will be next to go under the needle.  The vase has much more aqua in it than it shows here.

I really enjoyed preparing the pieces for this block using my new favorite method - the starch method!  You can read about how I fell in love HERE if you want to know more about it.  I also wanted to show you the iron stand I picked up in Gatlinburg for the little applique iron.

I was having a hard time keeping the iron in a safe place and off the floor.  But this stand works perfectly - it made the whole process just that much more enjoyable :*)

In other news, Gypsy wanted me to be sure to let you all know that she is feeling much more herself and happy to be on the mend!  She thanks you all SO much for your kind thoughts and prayers =^..^=

Here she is back to one of her favorite habits - drinking from a slow stream of water in the bathtub.
Can you tell that she is a little miffed that I am taking a picture instead of turning on her water????

And last - but certainly not least! - did you notice my new blog header picture?  Well, that was painted by none other than MY MOM!  She was so surprised when she saw that I had made it my header LOL!  I'm thinking she's pretty talented with a brush, right?  That's a bird with personality!  Mom knows that I love cardinals, and she told me I can have this picture if I promise to make her a small quilt just like it for her standing frame - I told her "Heck yeah!  It's a Deal!!!!"

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=

Linking up with:

1st Scrap Happy Saturday!

I'm really looking forward to joining in on the Rainbow Scrap Challenge this year!  Last year I worked on my little Mini-Rainbow Pineapples.  They still look like this....

And I've made some of the rainbow flying geese that will go around the borders....

But this little quilt is a long way from being done!  Not to worry though, I have no intention of stressing out on this fun project.  I'll just work on it on Saturdays when I do the 2013 Scrap projects.

So this year, I pulled out all my pink scraps - and found that the pickin's are pretty slim!

So I added all the crumbs that remained from last year after I dug through them to make my pineapples, and there weren't many of those either....

All in all, the whole shebang barely fills the bottom of this little basket....

I had a lot of ideas pulled out to look over for this Challenge, and it was really hard to decide - I wanted to do them all!  But finally, I chose ones that would let me play with fabrics without worrying too much about matchy-matchy, and that would also use up a lot of scraps.  So here are the blocks that I finally decided on for my Challenge.  I won't make all of them each month, maybe just the ones that I feel like making on a particular month.

Please bear in mind that these are not my blocks, just pictures of blocks that I have pinned from Pinterest for consideration.

Lone Starburst - made by Curly Boy, pattern by Six White Horses
I like that each star point can be made with a different color!  And it's paper-piecing - LOVE!

                                                          Scrappy Butterflies - made by She Can Quilt

(I think an alien butterfly colony has hypnotized me!  I have no less than 3 Butterfly projects planned for 2013!)

Crossroads Blocks - tutorial at Threadbias Blog

And then, of course, I couldn't resist doing the kitties!

http://thangles.com/projectpacks/mamaandherkitten.html

I do love the play of color in this quilt, and hopefully I'll have enough batiks in these bright colors to make it work.  If not, this project may end up languishing in a project box even though I love it.

Go see what others are cooking up in PINK this month at SoScrappy!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=

Word for 2013 - LISTEN UP!

Last year, I chose ENJOY! as my Word for inspiration and personal direction throughout the year.  You can read my post about that HERE if you'd like.   I wasn't sure if I would even remember that determination to ENJOY a few months later - it seemed a lot like a resolution, easily spoken and then forgotten.  But I was surprised to find that I did indeed remember, and it helped direct my thoughts and actions quite often throughout the year.  I thought back on that Word frequently, and I made some different choices because of it - good choices, positive choices.  So much of my quilting and blogging journey last year was an exercise in pure ENJOYment!  I had so much fun playing in my sewing room, and I made some really wonderful new friends through blogging.  Oh yes, I did ENJOY much about 2012.

Now in 2013, I want to take that process a little deeper - 

I want to LISTEN!

I don't believe we can truly enjoy anything unless we stop and LISTEN beforehand.  Think about that!  In order to create beautiful art - quilts or any other form of art - we must LISTEN to what is in our hearts and create what we hear there.... right?

And can a friendship - or any relationship - really be enjoyed to its fullest if we don't LISTEN?  

I don't believe so.

I believe LISTENing is key to a happier, more joyful life - in every area of our lives.  And I must confess that I have not been as careful a LISTENer as I would like to be.  Sometimes, we can focus too much on the things we enjoy, rather than on the relationships that are critical to our joy in life.  I believe this is where I fell short of my goal last year.  I failed to ENJOY my important relationships as much as I really wanted to, and certainly not as much as they deserved.

I don't feel as though I have done my best this past year as a LISTENer.  I am sad to think that there have been times when I've been too busy enjoying, and I've neglected to stop and truly LISTEN.....

  

to my Lord ... to my family ... to my friends ... to my world....

This year I intend to spend much more time LISTENing and less time talking or doing....

And that must start with refocusing on quality time with my Lord.  

Blogging has taken so much of my time this past year that my time in prayer and LISTENing to my Lord has suffered.  I plan to get back to that place of hearing what God has to say to me before I step out into my days in 2013.  I read the following the other day in one of my devotionals....

"Those who refuse to listen to God prefer to go their own way - to trust in themselves.  

To be their own God."

There is no way I can live my life trusting in myself!  I am not that strong, or that wise, or that able....

So I may be doing less blogging this year - we will see how it goes ....

But for sure, I will be LISTENing to hear the wisdom God has for me throughout this year....  

And I will be LISTENing to hear the unspoken words in the hearts of my loved ones this year....

And I will be LISTENing to hear the needs of the world around me....

And I will be LISTENing to my own heart for the creativity that is longing to be heard and brought forth....

And I will be LISTENing to you!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=