Design Wall Monday

I had an awesome week in the sewing room!

A 6 year old UFO was unearthed and the last 6 blocks were cut and kitted,

ready for project #1 at retreat in less than 3 weeks.

Since I was already sidetracked with Garden Party,

I started sewing my blocks into 2s and 4s.

I'm setting this one straight so it goes together pretty fast with chain piecing. 

This was going to be retreat project #1 but now it will be a flimsy show and tell instead.

Now I need to kit up project #2 and #3

I know what I want to do so they won't take long.

I will continue quilting Jamestown Landing.

After my weekend Quiltathon, I'm anxious to get this one finished.

It won't be finished today but will be soon.

I'm so close to catching up with the 2018 UFO Challenge numbers!!!

 Then I notice today's date. LOL

Oh well, I'm close, no panic here.

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Design Wall Monday

I've been watching Anina of Twiddletails on Instagram as she's sharing her Garden Party progress.

Soon I was chasing an old squirrel. 😎😎😎

I got mine out to lay out a few blocks just to see.

(I'm laying this one out straight instead of on point like my red one.)

I had planned to take this to our retreat that's coming up in a few week but

once I pulled it out, I just had to make a few blocks.

Soon I had my remaining 9 patches complete and started framing them.

I love setting up the next Triangle Gathering block for my leader/ender.

When I sew on my framing strips, I work in groups of 10.

Sew until one side is finished on all 10, 

grab a l/e to make progress on that block too.

Win, win!

Of course I had to make a Diamond Tile block from Bonnie's Addicted to Scraps column.

Are you sewing along?

Read her details here. 

I have a few more cut and ready to sew.

You all know I'm not starting any new projects, right?!?

Bahahaha

I'm headed over to have my morning coffee with Blogland friends at 

Small Quilts and Doll Quilts Design Wall Monday.

Enjoy your day~

Design Wall Monday

Last week we went to the beach for a few days.

One afternoon we went for a drive along the ocean.

In Washington, you can drive on the beach.

It was super windy and rainy but that's fine with us.

Because we were only there for a couple of days,

I just took a cutting project to work on besides my knitting. 

I needed to cut more half square triangles for my newest leader/ender project.

Last year, Lisa Bongean shared Triangle Gatherings.

I printed off most of the patterns and I'm glad I did.

They are no longer available on line as she is publishing them in a soon to be released book. 

I love using my Marti Michell template for cutting my HSTs.

I just snip off that dog ear as I'm cutting them out.

I took pictures with my phone of a couple of my completed blocks 

but for some reason unknown to me, my phone and blog aren't syncing up. 

I'll have my tech guru work on that for me.

Why did I choose this for my new leader/ender? 

Because a few weeks after Jamestown Landing was finished,

I found a bin with oodles of blue and neutral HSTs that I had forgotten about.

And I am in Use It Up Mode!

Since each block uses 16 HSTs, 

and I have lots of blue and neutral strips from swaps,

this was the perfect project.

I already have my quilt designed, 

using these blocks with cool connector blocks.

Speaking of connector blocks,

 I decided to pull out my Garden Party #2 connector blocks.

These poor things have been shoved away since last September.

Since we are headed back to the beach this coming weekend,

I will take these and my new l/e with me to work on.

I love sewing at the beach in the evenings while we watch a movie or 2. 

Or all day long if the weather is nasty!

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Small Quilts and Doll Quilts Design Wall Monday.

WhooHoo, I figured it out all by myself!  

I lay the blocks out on my little design board.

Then sew them into quarters, 

then in half, then the whole block.

When it's finished,

it goes into the page protector in the notebook.

I think I have blocks 9, 10 and 11 layed out ready to stitch.

But I might hold off until I have more variety with the HSTs.

Design Wall Monday and Retreat Report

Last week was my final retreat for the year. 

I had plans, lots of plans.

I worked and worked, chatted and laughed!

My first project was to make this table runner for my friend for Christmas.

I just need to add the buttons to the intersections.

Ramona showed it last week on this blog post and I knew it would be the perfect gift.

Then she sent me the link for the tutorial.

Thanks Ramona!

Next I worked on bow tie blocks for another table mat.

Insert my sad face here when I did bring enough of my background to finish the blocks.

And then I cut for another table runner and the fat quarter I wanted to use was all cockeyed crocked!

It was so bad! 3" bad!

I have the charm squares cut and ready to go so I'll find something else that will work with it.

It wouldn't be a retreat without a Whoopsie or 2.

Next project--UFO #8 for August from Patchwork Times UFO Challenge.

20 Garlic Knot blocks were from a block swap and I made 28 more.

We layed them out and arranged them and pinned into rows at Binding Friends last week.

The sewing went pretty fast.

(After I made the last 3 blocks that I needed.)

Next up will be to quilt it and bind it with a scrappy batik binding.

Then I pulled out my Garden Party #2 Blocks and worked on them the rest of retreat.

I am almost finished with them.

Retreat started Thursday for me so I spent lots of time quilting the secret project before I left. 

I'm almost ready for binding and gifting and sharing.

Here is my favorite snag on the road into retreat.

The rains and winds knocked all the pretty orange leaves off the trees.

I take a picture of this at every retreat. 

I love this old snag!

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Design Wall Monday

Wahoo, wahoo, wahoo!!!

Midnight Flight is finished and headed to my bed today.

I started this quilt in May at a retreat with Bonnie Hunter.

I am thrilled to have it finished.

My friend Jane quilted it.

I told her I wanted gold thread and swirls and to just do her Jane thing.

I love what she did!

I have been working hard on trimming up the scraps.

I am pleased to report that the backing extras are cut to usable sizes and put away.

Each retreat I stop to take a picture of this snag.

It's on the road into Royal Ridges.

I was a bit disappointed that the leaves weren't all orange yet.

Maybe they will still be there when I go back in November.

Like this photo from November 2015.

I worked on the secret birthday project until all the blocks were complete.

They are now stacked and pinned in rows thanks to help from friends.

Next up was Garden Party #2.

I just took posy block kits and I think I completed 30 more blocks.

These are so fun to make.

All the while, leader and ender Oklahoma Backroad blocks were being made.

I think 21 more blocks were completed.

I'm almost ready to lay this one out for real.

Retreats are fun.

Retreats are energizing.

Retreats are exhausting.

Retreats are special.

I get to spend hours sewing with one of my daughters and a bunch of my friends.

Today is catch up at home day.

Lots to do!

Hubs was lucky and harvested a deer on opening day so today is processing day.

And when that's over, you'll find me in my sewing room.

See what others are working on at Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts.

Design Wall Monday

The only sewing that happened this past week looked like this.

I made parts of 9 patches, 

lots of parts and pieces, blocks and framed blocks.

All for Garden Party #2.

Except that one piece by the Tootsie Roll! 

That is my Oklahoma Backroads leader/ender.

 2 more blocks went into the l/e box.

(***The advantage of blog photos is seeing where you need to unstitch.

That dark green on the left is sooo wonky!)

After last Monday's blog post, 

I packed my car and headed to Crystal's house to stay with 4 kiddos while they vacationed.

Let me tell you,

after 4 days, I was one tired Gramma!

But we had lots of fun.

Saturday I spent most of the day in my sewing room.

At the end of the day,

I had a good pile of pieces and parts sewn.

In my basket I have 30 framed 9 patches,

30 more waiting to be framed and

the bed of my machine has a lot more ready for the next steps.

These tools are usually on the bed of the machine.

I call them the tools of my trade.

I buy the seam rippers and thread snips in bulk from Amazon. 

I can't live without my reverse tweezers for pulling threads.

The stiletto is the skinny extension of  my chubby finger!

Bonnie shared the instructions on her blog here.

Funny story...

I was shopping at Winco one day after she posted this.

I always buy canning lids when I shop there.

As I was getting my lids, out of the corner of my eye,

I saw packages of the turkey lacer things.

Marked down to 25¢ for a package of 8.

I don't remember how many packages there were.

I took them all.

Lots of friends now own stilettos. 😉

Design Wall Monday posts can be found at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts.

Oh my, there are some fabulous pictures there and I can't wait to go visiting!

Design Wall Monday

It's time to work on Garden Party #2.

This is from our retreat in May with Bonnie Hunter.

I haven't opened the box since May 22. 

After finishing Midnight Flight, 

I decided this is my next get it done project.

I have all the flowers kitted up ready to sew.

I decided to do the 9 patch chain blocks first.

Since I'm changing from Bonnie's original setting,

I need more blocks.

No problem, these are so fun to make.

I have my bins of parts to pull from

and everything else is already cut and ready to sew.

I have a retreat coming up pretty soon.

When your granddaughter sends you a picture of a quilt from a store

and she loves the colors and wants one kind of like that for her 18th (gasp) birthday,

you get busy.

I'll be making Quiltville's Scrappy Trips.

Found in her free patterns section.

I have a big bin of black and white strips but no aqua.

I ordered a strip set from my friend Judy at SewFunQuilts on Etsy.

Miss 18 is going to love this. 

Yesterday I sat down with my strips and made up block kits.

Each set is stacked in the order I want them sewn together.

Oh yes, I have a retreat plan.

Scrappy Trips first, then work on Garden Party flower blocks.

I think this will be enough to keep me busy for the whole retreat.

That's my plan today. 😉

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