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Bow tie blocks were the 2011 quiltville mystery leader/ ender challenge, and Bonnie's first. She did hers with cheddar fabric, I believe. I wanted something a little brighter. At the time, I had a bunch of scraps that were polka dots, and so, it began.  With the 2022 announcement, I realized I didn't have a great finishing success record. I think 2 out of 12. But, I started all of them. I decided to try finishing one this year instead of starting a new one...... so far. It was an easy choice, start with number one. Remembering my ...

Just a little fun with triangles. I had a pile on the sewing table and rather than put them in "the bucket", I just made a few beauty baskets. And yes, I dug some more out of the bucket and made a bigger mess. But, I was a happy girl.

I have a little more done on boho heart.

section 2 top

I  am linking to:

midweek makers  

wednesday wait loss

oh scrap ...

I have 5 quilts I am actively progressing on, but, every now and then, I slip in a few blocks for fun. I have been concentrating on my hunter's star blocks as leader/ enders. Each block takes 3 passes.

So, I have neglected my official leader / ender project -fish school/go fish. I have missed them. I did just a few so that they would not feel too abandoned.

go fish leader/ender challenge

easy breezy

I ...

 March is here already, and, so far, it is coming in like a lamb which means it will leave like lion. I have a one monthly goal for March. I have the top ready for shine, and, I want to quilt it and bind it this month. I started this pattern in January 2020 as part of the rainbow scrap challenge. After I started, I was smitten.  It is a free pattern offered on moda bake shop. It will be nice to get it finished.

I just needed a little light sewing. It's easy to pick up some of my "growing" projects and just sew. I don't have to look for anything or read the instructions or scratch my head. And my pile "grows". I sure like sewing with shirt material. It feels so nice.

anvil block

more easy breezy blocks

I need goals and plans, but, sometimes I just need some meditation sewing. I enjoy picking up 2 pieces of fabric and sending them through the machine.

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oh scrap sunday

 I started this leader/ender challenge with quiltville in July of 2016. My friend Lucy, my daughter, and I swapped hourglass blocks all year. The top was done in September 2017. It has been waiting in the 'to be quilted' closet until this year. Now it has a chance to shine as a completed quilt. There are over 3000 pieces in this quilt. It was such fun to get a new package in the mail with new hourglasses. And fun again as they were sewn into the top.

This also completes my one monthly goal at elm street quilts. And ...

I have neglected my sewing projects lately, and I wondered if it was because I need to do a little more recreational sewing. It has to be fun or who wants to do it. Setting goals is still a great idea until it seems like work. SO, I grabbed a bit of my work in progress sewing and made a few snails trail blocks using recycled shirts. I used all the pieces I had cut. It felt good to just sew.

still making easy breezy blocks in 1 1/2 in

I am still trying to work out a workflow for the leader ender project from quiltville - go fish. It seems difficult to isolate what part is leader/ender. I guess there are just several stops along the way that can be used that way. If I used sewing the hsts as the leader/ ender, I would never sew enough for a quilt.

First, I cut strips from scraps that are 2 1/2 x 9 1/2. I can get all the hsts for 2 from that piece later. I have cut a few by color with the rainbow scrap ...

Here is my 5 quilts progress report.

1.checkered past -I have sewed a sashing to the right side of all the blocks. the next step is to join the blocks into rows using the sashings. I got this far at an open sew saturday.

2. fish school - this is a year long project for the quiltville leader/ender challenge. I have made a goal to sew 10 blocks before I can move on to the next quilt. I finished the 10 and added a few more.

3. scrappy mountain majesties - I have made additional blocks for an old ufo ...

While I was shopping at Joann fabrics, I ran into an old high school friend. The fact that she was in a fabric store told me why we were friends. haha.  We haven't seen each other in 10 years. She is still the the smart, funny, sweet person she was all those years ago.

Connie, me

I have more fish finished as a leader/ender. I don't know how I want to arrange them in a quilt. Right now, I like this one best.

I have no idea what the color of the month is for October and the  rainbow scrap challenge at so scrappy. So, I will share a few fishies that I have used as leader/ enders this week. Surely, somewhere in there is the color of the month.

Our guild's quilt show started yesterday and it was full of some really great quilts. I have 6 quilts in the show.- Allietare, over the river, ode to Joey, Aunt Eliza's star, smith mountain morning, Lucy's baskets.

I haven't taken pictures yet, but hope to do that today.

 I ...

I have been working on finishing some old ufos to the 'to be quilted' stage. I am ready to stop making borders for a little while. It was time for some soothing sewing and making a little progress on the shirt anvil blocks. I really like these. Using shirt fabric is one of my favorite ways to make quilts. The cotton just feels so nice.

forever easy breezy blocks

I am linking to:

midweek makers  

wednesday wait loss

needle and thread Thursdays ...

I have orange tiny houses for the rainbow scrap challenge at so scrappy. I may have 2 rounds of oranges in the box already. But every year the scraps are different. And, it will take forever to make enough tiny houses  to make a quilt.

leader/enders

I am off to guild open sew today and a jelly roll ...

I really believe my creative process has helped me throughout my life to provide for my family and to give me the confidence I needed to face struggles. I am so grateful for great role models and teachers. I love learning new skills and information. It makes life an adventure. I hope you all get your sew on or whatever you enjoy doing.

I have the last sections of sea swept together. I can start to see it as a quilt. I need to join sections and see what it looks like in my fabrics. I am very excited.

I have a new infusion of scrap triangles to work with in the future. My Friday group donated these lovely scraps to me and there are many aqua and teals in the bunch. That will have to do this week for the rainbow scrap challenge at so scrappy.

treasures

The bag on the right is from my Linda friend's sea swept quilt which is done, which I quilted last week, while I am still piecing mine.

Otherwise, I am making little bits as I get bored with the bigger bits of piecing.

wedding ring

go fish

I am linking ...

I did the top 5 rows of carolina chain earlier. and now, I have assembled the bottom 5 rows. They are the easiest and shortest so of course, I wanted to do them first.

the setting triangles are dark blue

 I cut Carolina chain in 2017. It is from the the book addicted to scraps by Bonnie Hunter. It was also in the quilltmaker  magazine, June/ July 2010.

I have been using easy breezy 1 1/2 inch squares for the leader/ender project this week. I am having more trouble picking out of a bag of 1 1 ...

I had finding a back on my list for this Christmas Sparkle quilt. When I did the math, I was surprised just how big it was. I had been " encouraged" to add another row and a border to it by my Quilty friends. It didn't look so big at the library where I laid it on the floor, but in a home it was huge 110 inches long. I really don't want another Christmas quilt that big, so, I cut off the bottom row again, and I am putting it together as a smaller quilt.

I had the ...

Hooray ! I started assembly of my sea swept quilt at my Friday quilt group. The left 4 snails trails are sewn together but, the rest are only webbed together to check and secure placement. It is really cool. I came home, and I am doing some of the pinning watching TV in the evening. 

meanwhile, I am back to sewing easy breezy blocks but using 1 1/2 inch squares and strips as leader/enders while sewing other blocks.

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For the go fish leader/ender challenge from quiltville, I have more fishies cut and ready to sew together. I look forward to seeing how they will look. I still have to look at one of them I have done to be sure I get the angles right. I am sure by the time I finish a gazillion hsts, I will get them right through practice.

Such a fun block to make. And I hope to empty my 2 1/2 inch squares bin, too. After I cut them, I can leave them for awhile and still get back to ...

It's a top. I made this crayon quilt using the colors of the rainbow scrap challenge at so scrappy last year or the year before. Then, I decided I wanted to make something different for the border, so it took longer than expected.

the grass and the wind were a problem