Block o' Monday

Yes, it's the first Monday of the month.  That means it's Block of the Month Monday.

I didn't spend much time on my BOMs today, because I got to spend my day helping a friend shop for a new sewing machine!

I did complete the first block of my 2012 Designer Mystery from Fat Quarter Shop.  The fabric for this year's mystery is Vintage Modern by Bonnie and Camille for Moda.  I love the red and aqua colors!

The first month's block was designed by Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs.

It's called "Laundry Days," and I am very happy with the instructions.

I used my Bloc Loc ruler to square up the half-square triangles, and the points match perfectly!

Tune in tomorrow for a tutorial from Susie of Susie's Magic Binding -- you'll love it! 


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Halfway through 2012!

Today is halfway through 2012, and I'm more than halfway to my goal of 52 quilts this year!  I'm putting the borders on #38 today.

This collage only shows 16 of my 38 quilts for 2012 -- and none of the six I have quilted myself on my Mega Quilter.  Every one shown in this collage has been finished and given away.

Linking up to Lily's Quilts Fresh Sewing Day.

 

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Up and Down

It's been an Up and Down week in Colorado, what with the fire evacuations, evacuations lifted, re-evacuations and constant worry about the Waldo Canyon Fire.

While I was in Southern Colorado at the beginning of the week, I finished three quilt tops.  My favorite is this one, modeled by my friend from the deck of her "cabin."  (I say "cabin," because it's a really nice mountain home, not really a rustic "cabin" at all!)

 Oh!  Sh-- he-- and da--!!

Do you see the mistake?

Yes:

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Leap Year Schnibbles

It's an ugly week in Colorado.  Since Saturday afternoon, the Waldo Canyon fire west of Colorado Springs has burned more than 15,000 acres, destroyed an unknown number of homes and displaced several thousand residents.  Containment is not expected until mid-July.  Although the air in my neighborhood has been very smoky, we haven't been evacuated.

I was lucky to be invited to the cabin of a friend far south of Colorado Springs, where the air was not smoky and we were in no danger of being evacuated.  We spent three days sewing, drinking wine, and admiring the spectacular view:

I pieced three tops during our "mini retreat."  My June Schnibbles quilt is the only one I have pressed and photographed:

 "Leap Year" is made with 5" squares from my large collection of charm squares.  Rather than cut them down to 2" squares, I went with 2 1/2" squares.  My quilt finishes at 43" square -- just right for the next new baby, don't you think?

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Payette Lake Sunset

I finally have all the blocks for my spring Mystery BOM complete.  And guess what it looks like to me?

That's the sunset over Payette Lake in McCall, Idaho when I was there for Granny's Attic Quilting in the Pines.

I used batiks from my collection for this mystery quilt.  The background color is actually a very light blue-green.  I'm very pleased with the way the colors play together.  There will be another border when I get the blocks sewn together.

Because it's a mystery, I can't tell you the pattern name, but I'm calling it Payette Lake Sunset.





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Friday is Fun Day

Today kicks off the Heart of Colorado Shop Hop.  Seven shops in southern Colorado are participating with the theme "Games People Play."  Each shop will have a unique block and setting, free demos, games and prizes.  Let's hit the road!

My friend, Mary, has a cabin in the Sangre de Cristos mountains of southern Colorado and she invited me to a mini-quilt retreat next week.  So to say "thank you," I made her a hostess gift:

It's a sewing machine cover!  I  got the design from "ihavetosay's" June Sew-along.  You can make one, too --Randi will post the tutorial on Monday, June 25.  I couldn't wait, so I figured it out from the photos.  I think it will be easier with the tute!

I got the "Keep Calm and get the Seam Ripper" from Pinterest.  I tracked it back to Lisa at Stuff Mummy Makes. She posted the sign in many colors, and you can click on it to get one of your own.

Of course, I had to add the "MyAuntMarthaMadeIt" label, which I bought from gutentags on etsy.

Hope she likes it!



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WIP Wednesday - Christmas in June

Not to alarm you, but do you realize there are only   days until Christmas.

When you get your heart re-started, take a look at some early Christmas prezzies I started working on:

Doesn't Esmerelda look fetching?

And yes, that is a Christmas tree peeking over her shoulder in the first photo.  She lives in the storage room, since I rarely do fashion sewing anymore.

These scarves are absolutely the easiest thing on the planet to make.  They start from this yarn:

 

Which I bought at Table Rock Llamas for about $10 per skein.  I used the crochet method, even though I don't really crochet.  Both took less than one episode of "Sherlock."

And I have two more things to put away on the "prezzie shelf" in my closet!.


PS Linking up to WIP Wednesday.

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