What does August bring again?

Seems like things are going a wee bit slow but so fast at the same time.  It's the time to gather fresh fruits and veggies.  A freezer is full and the garden hasn't started producing what it does yet.

My last few weekends not only has these beauties . . .

25 pounds of Walla Walla sweet onions in the freezer.  Yes they say onions turn weird in the freezer but I can't tell.  It's so convenient! 

 I also am the one of the two queen bee's in my Aqua and Red Bee.  These ladies so rock!  Many of them were willing to make me two blocks.  Once these return I'll have an entire top ready to go.Once I figure out the sashing.

Here's a photo of the fabrics being sorted to ship out.  Ohhh pretty. 

I'm taking a beginning quilting (machine top stitching) class this next month. . once this is done maybe this will be my first experience (after lots o' practice)

I have to say these are pretty darn fancy pictures from my new Droid 3 phone. .oh la la!

Mug Rug - check. My first handmade item swap - check

Mug Rugs. . such wonderful projects.  They are small and take less time. . right .. nooooooo.  I signed up for Sew Happy Geek's Mug Rug Swap v.2 way back when.  I was so lucky to get a wonderful partner that loves everything.  So the world is wide open.  :)  Easy right?

All that runs through my head is an episode of the show Radio Lab called Choices. How am I ever to choose what to do?  I needed something simple, fun, but something that my partner may love.  Here's what I came up with.

A wonky star because it's all the rage.  I added the border down the right side because I HATE wasting fabric.  Look it totally matches.  :)

The quilting was a new experiment for me.  This totally adds to the effect of a quilt or a mug rug.  This is yet another reason why I haven't finished many quilts.  It's the commitment of it all.  I didn't feel comfortable using a colored thread and I couldn't bring myself to handstiching. . so I tried this.

The back are the cute cups I purchased for something just like this.  I have more of this and other 'coffee' stuff just waiting for mug rugs!



The binding is something else.  I used Very Kerry Berry's Single Binding Tutorial .  And look it totally worked.  Not only did it work but I HANDSTITCHED the binding on. . eep! I'm a rockstar!

I know that it's not perfect but it's so perfect to me and I hope my partner adores it too.  For being my first mug rug ever  - I'm proud!

Mid-Summer 2011 Summer Projects Check-in and WIP Wednesday 8.10.11

Did I say that I love lists?

Yep - love them.

I had to resist some awesome fun things going on around me.  Although throw a bee at me, mug rug swap, or another bloody QAL - and I'm in.

Right - where was I . . . 

yes - lists rock!  

 I made this list while it didn't feel like summer.  That was a whole 3 months ago. . pfft.  At the time these felt like very reasonable goals.  Especially when I don't have my 11-year old stepdaughter and I have all the time in the world.

NOT

I did join in Fairy face Design's Summer Sewing Plans.

I posted about it HERE

Here's a recap of how I've progressed through my list:

1. Dresden Plate fabric for bee.  Uhhh not sure right now.

2. Finish {Modern 12} quilt top. . nope still hanging on my design board

3. Sliced Coins QAL quilt top .. nope still in a neat cute pile

4. Knitted sweater for a gf's baby girl. . . no but I've looked at it a few times.

5. Summer top for me. . nope

6. PJ Pants for fella. . lalalala I can't hear you.  {That's a no}

7. Summer Dress for gf's baby girl . . YES!  See my previous posts here or here

Ohhhh Pretty dress!

 


8. Postage Stamp Quilt. . don't even want to see this

9. Choose blocks for my remaining bee's.  YES!  I've done most of this. 

I even whipped up a test block for a bee next month.


10. Birdie Sling .. sigh - no



 
11. Baby quilt . . no but I got 2 blocks worked on.  Yippee!




Wow. . well for only 11 things I've not touched as many as I hoped just 3 months ago.  But this list is grand and does remind me of my WIP's.





How are your summer plans going?

I'm adding this blog post the lovely Lee's WIP Wednesday

Go check out the other amazing things happening
around the craft world.

Halfway done before it even starts

So apparently being late with a few bee blocks in June flowing over into July and even hyper boosting me into August.  It's helped that 4 amazing gals get me their fabrics even before August started.  And I got to it. . yeah!

I finished a few blocks and a few cute things on the side.

Aqua and Red

Both this bee's gals sent their packages!

First Jacque requested a mixture of smaller wonky stars.  The packages came all prepared with no guesses.  There are the two blocks I made for her.  

I really enjoyed making smaller than I'm used to blocks. 

Second guiltyquilter wanted some grand flying geese.  I so keenly started cutting into the fabric without thinking.  Le'sigh.  Thankfully I had some matching white fabric. 


I whipped this up and I always use scraps to keep the chain piecing going on my machine.  

So why not just make another matching block.. . :)

Orange you Glad

This bee has the most talkative gals I've seen.  They are super sweet.   This month, Grendelskin, requested for our hive to work on a Happy Zombie block from the Quiltmakers 100 quilt blocks Volume 2 #115.  

Thankfully my girlfriend came over for a quilt day when I broke out this block.  She was completing her Geese in the Park quilt top from Freckled Whimsy. She talked me through the no waste flying geese blocks that I didn't see the included instructions for until the block was done.  

A lovely quick and easy block.

Sew Modern Bee

I also got to make My Fabric Obsession her blocks for the month. She has a great tute for this as well.  These were super fun! 


Here again I made a mini block from the scraps.

These are some seriously adorable blocks!  I so can't wait to see this finished.

I even dove into one of my own projects before the weekend was over.  But alas Monday is here again.We'll see what I can get done this week.

I'm linking this post up.

Go check out the other amazing things happening

around the craft world.