A Fun Club and Learning a New Skill

So I joined this club to learn more about making softies...since I had so much fun with elephants last year...
 

Wendi at Shiny Happy World just started it this year so this was the first shipment that I received for February...

A kit to make a bunny rabbit...

I learned how to make sculpted toes...and work with a cuddle fleece material that really does feel like the stuff they use to make the stuffed things you buy at the store...very soft!!

Cutie-big feet...

 Cute rabbit face...pattern suggested whiskers but I liked him better without them...rebel, yes I am...I also placed the ears slightly different than the pattern just to give him a different look.

 Bunny bottom...

Squishy Bunny tail...

True confessions, though...the material sheds terrible as you work with it...and I was a bit stressed about that and had to vacuum me, the bunny and my workspace a couple of times through the process...
The finished "guy" doesn't shed though...Wendi has since suggested putting the cut pieces in the dryer to help with the shedding but I haven't tried that and the thought makes me a bit nervous...hmmmm....funny it bothers me, as my workspace is far from neat and tidy!!
Also- this material stretches a bit more than the fleece I've worked with from JoAnn's so I was glad this wasn't a fussy pattern with small pieces.  
All, in all...it went together quick and easy and I am happy to have learned a few new tricks :)  Thanks Wendi!

I was able to gift this bunny earlier this week to a special young niece, Nicole and she has named her "Zinnia"...yay!

Click this link at the top of this post if you want to join the club...you have until the end of this month to get in on the next shipment in April...

Happy National Quilting Day

Did you celebrate today?  I had an opportunity to go to a local quilt show with my friends Linda, Elsie and Zonya...had a great time and picked up a few things from the vendors...

One was this pattern from Laundry Basket Quilts and the templates to make cutting it a snap...so, of course I had to sew one up and try it out...

 I still need to press it a bit and applique the circle down but, you get the idea...

My apologies to those that think Mr. Charming is creepy...I know not everyone is a fan of Tula Pink's Prince Charming froggie...but I am, lol!!

I found a wooden stiletto aka chopstick or skewer to be very helpful in pressing the 3d star tips on this block. 

There are great tips for sewing dresden blocks on Bunny Hill Designs site here.

PS-I also picked up this bee fat quarter and would love yardage but alas...no selvedge...anyone know what this is?

Green Tea and Sweet Beans Down the Drunkards Path

At least the sun is shining brightly today though it's still a bit chilly...it was 0 degrees when we woke up...the weather is changing daily around here now and we are back to 50 again tomorrow.  This usually leaves me to taking inside pictures but I thought I'd try a snow shot again with the next two blocks...

This is Drunkards Path from the Green Tea Sweet Beans quilt... we were to make 2 of them...

 They really do lay flat and square...it's the snow that's lumpy, really!!

 In case you want a tip or two on sewing curves...I know it's scares a few people...I use a technique I learned from Fons and Porter years ago.  First, fold a crease in each piece by folding in half...

 Put the "crust" piece on top of the pie slice shape and pin at the crease in the center...

 I would use at least 5 pins for this small size...

And, lastly...iron towards the "pie" piece.




A sidenote...several commented on the background fabric I used for the last applique block.  It is from the Collage line by Such and Such Designs Carrie Bloomston.  There is some here if you need it, lol!  It has been out awhile and is a little more difficult to come up with but Pink Castle Fabrics still has some.

So tired of Snow So Let's Applique

I think I may lose my mind if it doesn't quit snowing soon!  Ok, ok, that boat sailed awhile ago...but c'mon...this is just past fair.  Somewhere between 6 to 8 more inches fell today in the area...a bit hard to tell exactly with 30 mph winds gusting it about....I won't complain too loudly though as many are without power in the area and we are still blessed to have ours.

So what's a girl to do but sew, I guess...

This is Applique block number 1 in the Green Tea Sweet Beans quilt... 

 I used needle turn hand applique as the technique on this block and am happy with the result.  If you look carefully at the cover - this block is almost smack dab in the center.

 Snow. Snow...I don't love you anymore...

Green Tea Block Block 6 and a Group Outing

It is hard to stay away from this quilt... I have fallen hard for this pattern and have been sneaking in time to sew in order to keep making more blocks...as I mentioned earlier, it probably has something to do with the long winter and the spring feel of the fabrics and flowers in this quilt.

 Today, it was time for block 6 Churn Dash...we are to make 2 of them...this has to be one of my all-time favorite block patterns but I have never made one as scrappy as these are...I chose one of my favorite Tula images of the little girl catching butterflies for the center fussy on one. This is really a nod to my 9 year old self  :)

And, I was finally able to take outside pictures as the weather is much warmer today around 50 degrees...

 Lest you believe that Spring has come to Indiana...I present exhibit A...

 and exhibit b...

 And you can see that snow still dominates our yard.  I also can't believe I'm saying this, but the forecast calls for another 3 to 7 inches of snow on Wednesday...whaaaa?

We are thinking of digging the grill out of the snowdrift for dinner tonight though...

Another day, more progress on Green Tea and Sweet Beans Quilt

As mentioned earlier this week, I have started this quilt...and, as I expected I have fallen hard for this pattern and have been sneaking in time to sew in order to keep making more blocks...it probably has something to do with the long winter and the spring feel of the fabrics and flowers in this quilt.

Today, it was time for block 5 Double Pinwheel...we are to make 2 of them...

I really enjoyed making these and they went together fast and easy!  I am trying to follow Jen Kingwell's lead and do a mash up of 30's and 40's repro fabrics mingled with some Kaffe,  some Tula and AMH and other more modern fabrics.  I have noticed that the more blocks I make -  the more cohesive they look as a group (even though individually they look a bit like a mess)...I will try to get a group shot soon, it's been hard to do with the weather we've been having.

Green Tea Block 3 and 4

As mentioned earlier this week, I have started this quilt...

Part III is making 2 of this block called Lozengers...hmmmm, is that a cough drop per chance...how appropriate...

Part IV is supposed to be 3 hand pieced versions of this block with an octagon in the center which I switched up to a hand appliqued circle on top of a 6 inch X plus block instead...yes, I save my sanity for the important stuff and I think this looks very similar...For the record, I did make one the way the pattern called for...I just didn't like that I couldn't make it lie flat with all the bias stuff going on.  These are machine pieced and are laying quite flat...problem solved.

Green Tea Block 2

So I mentioned in this post that I have started this quilt...

 Part II is 16 Propellar Blocks combined for one scrappy cutie..

If you look at the book cover closely, you can see where this block fits in...I am really enjoying the process of making these blocks though I am machine, not hand-piecing them...they are quite small individually and I am trying to mimic as best I can Jen Kingwell's beautiful use of color.  I know that's what drew me to this quilt originally.  The colors remind me Spring is around the corner!