A Week of Blocks

Happy May!  As it's the beginning of a wonderful new month..........Why is it wonderful?  Two reasons really, one is I'm Queen Bee for hive 2 in Stash Bee this month, and second it's my birthday month, as well as my wedding anniversary, my husbands birthday, and of course the weather is warmer and it is spring.  So yes, it's a wonderful month.

It's a good time to review my last months list, so here is how I did:

Make Post and mail Bee blocks Done

Finish Canadian Bee blocks Done

Fabric postcard for swap 15th APRIL Done

Finish the backing for Circles, layer, quilt, and bind

Mystery Quilt, quilt, and bind. Done

Backing and finishing two cushions

Tutorial for next month’s bee block Done

Finish the design wall Done

Label two minis and post Done

Make two blocks for sampler quilt. Done, three made!!!!

I can't remember the last time I had such a good month and I am well pleased, and on top of all that started the backing for Circles too, so all in all I am very happy with my month.

Don't worry, I'm not going to bore you with all the details of this months list, I'll keep that for next week (giggles).

Want to see how I'm getting on with circles backing?

This is the panel which goes down the centre, I just started stitching all the leftover pieces of the colours together.  I had a length of the wine coloured solid and the panel is to make it wide enough for the back.  I added some pieces of the wine colour in.  It still needs some work yet but it is so hard to go back to something you have abandoned, even if temporarily, or not.

This is the block I have requested as Queen Bee for Hive 2 at Stash Bee.

Coverging Corners.  It's a free pattern by Ashley at Film in the Fridge,  you can find it here.  Colours?  Red and yellow and pink and green, purple and orange and blue……… I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow toooooooooooo! But as you know I'm a big fat LIAR, ‘cos I can’t sing a note!

These are all the blocks I have made.  The background is white, although the tutorial is for a 12 inch  block it's one of those blocks which can be up or downsized, mine are 15 inches finished which will make the perfect size lap quilt for me.  The centre block varies in size, and the corners converge to make lovely patterns, and every one will be different.

I can hardly wait for the little envelopes to start coming through the door, it will be like getting lots of extra birthday presents.

I was at my quilt group last weekend, it was rather quiet as some of the girls were away for the holiday weekend.  Maybe that's why I had such a good day, work wise that is, and got SIX blocks made.

 Ok then, they were six inch blocks and I did choose the simpler ones from Tula Pinks 100 Modern Blocks book, but even so I was more than happy, and it brings my total to 9.  I'm only making these at my monthly quilt group so progress will be slow but I'm finding them very enjoyable to make and I don't have to think 'what am I going to take this month'.  It's a limited fabric selection and colour scheme, all the fabrics are from the one range, although I have since added the last two fabrics from the range.

When I read the book through before I started I realised all the blocks appear to be made from pieces 1 1/2, 2 1/2, and 3 1/2 inches wide, so before I started I cut a strip of each fabric in each width so I just have to cut a piece off the strip which made it a lot faster.  I'm finding there is the odd piece at 1 or 2 inches but I just cut a a piece and trim it down.  Doing it this way I am aiming to use up most of the fabric before I cut more and this way I can keep an even balance of each one.  Thats the theory anyway.

For all you lovely ladies and gents (have to be politically correct and although I don't usually get comments from any gentlemen that doesn't mean to say I don't have any male readers, and if I have then you are all very welcome) and especially those of you who commented on the tidiness of my sewing room

here is my normal working area, although if fairness two of those boxes and two tins are filled with uncut scraps which I often turn around to find strewn across the floor.  I'm sure it is not me in my frantic haste to find the right scrap I need, maybe those gnomes are coming to life and causing chaos when my back is turned................

Lastly I want to tell you of my disaster.

Remember my lovely little fabric postcard Spring Moon I made for the swap?  I got the name and address of the lady I had to send it to earlier this week and although I was sending it 'dressed' as I am concerned about damage to a 'naked' card, I still addressed it and wrote a little message in Pigma pen.  I decided to run the iron over the back to set the ink...........and you guessed it, I scorched the card.  As you can imagine I was mortified, I only had the iron on the fabric for a couple of seconds.  It would take me ages to make another, time I didn't have,  and she was waiting for it.  So. as it was only a light scorch to one side of the back and the card was otherwise perfect, or as perfect as it was when I made it, I decided to send it anyway with a note of apology.

My iron?  In the bin, I can't risk it happening again.  It is a small travel iron which I have had for quite a long time but it has had very little use until I finished my sewing room over Christmas, I think it must get very hot then regulate itself but I'm not taking any chances and I'm getting a new iron, until it arrives I am using my normal iron.

It's been a strange week for me and I'm behind in my emails and reading, so sorry if I haven't replied to your last comments or popped over to say hello, I will be catching up over the next few days though, so please don't give up on me.

Until next time
With Smiles from,
Kate x

Linking up to:
Midweek Makers
Needle and Thread Thursday
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop
Finished or Not Friday
Devoted Quilter hosting for TGIFF