Back to Bees - January Block for Mo Stash

It is good for me that I joined two bees this year as well as a mini quilt swap.  It has given me deadlines and forced me back into quilting and posting...it was actually very cathartic to make these two blocks for Melissa (aka Grohsie on Flickr) from the Mo Stash bee that I belong to.  Her month is January and she chose this tutorial for a Patchwork Wheel from the blog Don't Call Me Betsy.
As I have very little blue in my stash, it is a good thing I have participated in some recent swaps so that I could do her chosen palette justice.  She is planning a bit of an ocean theme so I threw in the starfish and water bubbles.  The tutorial is very straight-forward and the blocks together form a kind of hidden star, which is fun.  I look forward to seeing her completed quilt.

Hard times and Quilting as Therapy

Quite frankly, I don't have the words to express what I wish to convey today. 
 I wasn't sure when I'd be ready to write this post.  As a general rule, I try to keep this blog positive, mainly about my quilting projects and not interject much personal.  But somewhere along the way I became friends with several of my readers and the outpouring of support when some of them found out about my family's recent loss caused me to rethink that rule.
I feel very blessed to be married into a kind and generous, loving family and it has never been clearer the love that they and I share for each other than through the recent experience of the loss of my husband's much younger brother on Christmas Day.  He was only 24 but lived life fully and completely with so many wonderful accomplishments and such a profound effect on everyone around him.  I had known him since he was 2 years old and he was the brother I never had, such a beautiful little boy who matured into such a great man.  My son adored his uncle and learned so much from his example. We will miss him greatly but are assured of his place in heaven as he was a strong Christian in belief as well as deed.  Matt, you will be so greatly missed, yes, I wish I had the words...

Final block for Sew.Bee.Create

Ahh, bittersweet...this fun block is Broken Herringbone for Joelle.  The tutorial can be found here.  This was a good tutorial and her fabric choices are beautiful....this will be a gorgeous quilt.   This is the last of Sew.Bee.Create as it is not continuing next year.  Melissa invited me and a few of the others who wanted to continue into vacant spots in her other Bee, Beejeebers so I look forward to meeting the rest of them and continuing with a few old friends and some new.

What a Fun Surprise :)

 I got this fun package in the mail today from Gail from the blog Shedding the Wolf.  She had a giveaway during the Holiday Lane Pillow blog hop and I was lucky enough to win it!  Measuring cups shaped like nesting dolls..."Matroyshkas Made to Measure", lol!  She also put in some candy cane kisses my son immediately stole and some pretty fabric pieces...thanks so much Gail!!!

 I had commented to her that I thought my Grumpy Man nesting doll would dig a playmate...he looks out of his league though, doesn't he?

I got him when we went to Disney World when I was a little girl (umm...a "few" years ago)....no Disney princess souvenirs for me, not when there were grumpy old men for the taking!!

I have started to border my Hello Sun blocks...I am using the suggested layout that April gave us with star points.  I am using 6 1/2" x 3/12" rectangles and 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" squares though, not sure if that's what she meant in her instructions, I emailed her but haven't heard back yet.  The way I'm doing it yields a 12 1/2" (12" finished) square.

The Last Mr. Sun Block

I am sure going to miss this guy!!!  Have enjoyed April's QAL immensely and am sorry it is at an end.  If you hurry you can still find the patterns here but I think she will be taking them down soon.

I also finished the Grandmother's Choice block from this weekend, number 15 called Centennial: New Zealand's Victory.

This is a pretty block but I am going to have to watch those points when I start to sash it...a bit close on a couple of them this time!!

The weather around here is still muddy and rainy but I hear we may see a few snowflakes later this afternoon...

Happy Mail

So I received a fun book from a giveaway given by Francine at MochaWildchild .  She had the misfortune of getting fooled by an updated cover photo into buying the book twice from Amazon and was kind enough to share her duplicate.  There is one pattern in the book which caught my eye that I may work into my to-do list in the New Year called Dancing Squares.  Thanks Francine!

I have also been working on this Creeper guy to put on a journal for my son...I guess he is a bad guy from the game Mindcraft...

Grandmother's Choice BOW 14 done

This is Block number 14, Brides Knot, of Barbara Brackman's Block of the Week Grandmother's Choice commemorating the struggle towards women's right to vote.  The patterns can be found on her blog here.

And here are rows 1 and 2 completed...only 5 more rows to go!!

Sorry for the horrible photos, the weather around here has been unseasonably warm (and muddy) and rain has been in the forecast rather than December snow...easier on the car tires but not very scenic to look at...I think that if it wasn't for the somber nature of this QAL (and all these history lessons on what it meant to be a woman living in a time of few personal rights) I would have to start nicknaming this quilt Peanut Butter Jelly Time...the colors are really striking me that way as I make more and more blocks...I really think the quilt is coming out too dark even though I am using Kona Snow for most of the backgrounds but again, I guess it's fitting as we reflect on the lessons Barbara is sharing.