2015 Block Lotto

Sophie of Block Lotto has asked us to brain storm for her of what to do for Block Lotto in the coming year.  This is not what we are going to do but what we might like to do.  We all have ideas and this is my way of letting her know of the things on my wish list.

Should the blocks be all the same size?

I don't think so - I'd like to try a quilt with odd sizes and how it comes together as in

Sue Garman's Yuletide Joy as seen here

but with a more intersting border.  Does it have to be Christmas theme?  No. How about traditional blocks, or raw edge applique or a mix of the two.  Or how about a house quilt with trees and flowers, fences, kites, etc?

Let's make it scrappy so as we send blocks to winners, they will blend with everyone's.  

Whatever Sophie decides I know I will like it.  She does a great job of challenging us when making blocks. It's great fun.

Design Wall Monday

Made my block lotto blocks for the month - 1/2 yard there. You can see my numbers on the right sidebar. On my wall are same said blocks.  These are the ones for my sampler that Sophie is hosting. At the end of the year we'll have a mod quilt.

What's on your design wall?  I'm linking to Judy's Patchwork Times, Anything Goes Monday, and Lyn's Bom's Away.  Go enjoy the eye candy.

Design Wall Monday 3/10/14

Posting early - have the possibilty of Jury Duty this week.  And it's my busiest week of the month!

First my stash report.  I used about .12 yard to make 4 BOM blocks for my Guild's 2014 BOM.  It's a mystery this year.  Then I used another .1 to make leaves for the Hexie piece.  Still to sew those on.  I used another .12 to finish my bead on a string blocks for Block Lotto.  Then, I used a yard's worth of nine patches to finish a charity top.  Finally, I donated 3/4ths of a yard to the Thrifty Corner. This weeks total is 2 yards out and zero in.  Year totals on right sidebar.

So once the beads were done, I was able to put together my first module for the Mod Mod Qal at Block Lotto (button on left sidebar).  It will be on my design wall for most of the year as I make the other three modules to complete it.

Wish now I"d made the beads with all white backgrounds, but done is done - at least for now.

What's up on your design wall?  I'm linking to Judy's Design Wall Monday and Lyn's BOMs Away!

Stash Report and Octopus!

First, if you're here for the giveaways for my 5th Blog Year Annivesary, go here.  Five great giveaways end Thursday, midnight.

Octopus?  Octopus agave that is.  Coming home a recent Sunday from mass, my DH and I noticed that the   octopus agave planted stree side was sending out a stalk.

We were both quite surprised because his older brother isn't showing any signs of doing so.

This one really looks like an octopus. He's twice the size of the other.

I've been inside the better part of the last two weeks. Imagine my astonishment this morning again coming home from church, I see it's grown to near 12 feet.  We believe it will have yellow flowers and then maybe bulbils (small plantlets). Then DH will dig it out as that's the end of them, once they bloom.
And here's a bouquet from my poor neglected garden:

Maybe next week when it's suppose to warm up and this cough is gone, I'll be able to go out there and do something.

Now for my stash report.  Used a fat quarter for that napkin you saw in the Applique Tuesday Post, and another for this month's Block Lotto block (that's really a dark green in the center). 

 I also used 2 1/4 yards for that receiving blanket and a 1/2 yard for the background of the hexie piece I'm working on  for a total of 3.25 yards out.  I'm linking to Judy's Stash Reports on Patchwork Times.  See you there.  Oh and new numbers on right sidebar. Not bad for week 9 of 2014.

FMQ on Friday

I finished my placemat/table topper with some free motion quilting:

I used Leah's brick like design for the patio floor and just doodled or stitched in the ditch for the rest. It was fun.  Here is the front:

 

I'm calling it Red in the Garden. The lady block is this month's swap block at Block Lotto. I always wanted red hair. Go figure.  Linking up to Leah's FMQ project. You can see lots of great FMQ there.

Oh, the Learning Curve in attempting LE!

or the latest good/bad of quilting.  I made my compass - you saw it on a past post.  Next step was to attach a circle with the 5/16ths dots on it.  I cut my background square, drew the circle and position of the dots, tried some of the dots - worked okay - I was surprised with the needle turning.  Here is my saving piece of equipment that made it possible to answer the question:  How do you applique such a tiny dot?

Yes! - A magnifier.  I remembered I'd gotten this from my neighbor.  You put the strap around your neck and balance it on midriff.  Makes what you're working on 2 times bigger than it actually is.  I don't know the power, but it did the trick and did 8 dots as a start. HOWEVER, once I tried to reverse applique the  circle to the compass - the compass was too big!  And I couldn't tell around the edge if I was sewing it with the right seam allowance.  Arrgh.  Plus the dots wouldn't line up right.  Ready to throw in the towel, I took out the reverse applique (only a bit over a 1/4th of it done before I saw the pending disaster), and drew with my drawing compass an exact 8" circle on freezer paper for the unfinished compass. Then I found the exact center of my compass, and ironed the FP to the Compass. I then cut off the excess fabric from the side where I had very generous 1/4" from point tip to edge.  Then what?!  After some pulling out hair and gnawing of cheek, I decided to just pretend it was 4 joined drunkard's path blocks and sew the seam with my machine. Sort of success -

I forgot to mark the 4 quarters of the circle and at the last one had a little fullness to contend with. Ay de mí!  By taking out a bit of the first quarter circle seam, finishing the seam and then ironing and starching the circle - I got to the above. But now it looks too flat to me!!  It's going to be a longgggggggg 18 months - but I'm learning new things.  That's my good/bad of quilting for this week.  I'm linking to Block Lotto to  commiserate with other quilters.