How can quilt blocks do that?

There are moments when everything about a person in my life comes flooding back.

I made these beauties for the lovely jigs1354 in the {Sew Bee It} group.

How can these blocks bring up so much?

I've said a few times before that my grandmama has been a huge inspiration for me during my quilting adventure. I went to college where I could visit my grandparents during holidays. It was kinda making up for the years that we lived too far away from one another when I was growing up. And all the things I've learned from my grandmama and my grandpapa is unbelievable.

They bought a farm after "retirement" and I never worked two people work so hard. Irrigation, farming caring for animals, crafts galore, welding, and many other things. These two people have worked way harder in retirement life than I ever have just making a go. 

In college finally lived close enough so I could go visit these two wonderful people during holidays. When I did visit, I was put to work. I actually loved this and I think both grandparents knew it!  I could finally put in a fraction of the effort that they put into their everyday.

I would go between the shop with grandpapa and in the house with grandmama with whatever fabric project she had going on.

In the shop, I assisted Grandpapa with his calendar frames assembly that he sold at a local shop.  These were beauties!  I was not allowed to use all the tools but he taught me how to use a few of them.  Over the years I might have helped put together 30 + frames. Yet my wonderful grandpapa made at least 20 times as many from start to finish. Oak & pine frames in a variety of stain colors and waxed finishes.

In the house, I helped grandmama with her fabric projects that she sold to the same local shop.  Now let me just say that I came by the fabric stashing legitimately people!  When I was in college, grandmama was past the quilt making business, dolls + clothes, and I think the stuffed bears in appliqued clothing. At that point in time grandmama made appliquéd sweatshirts.  These beauties were intricate! I traced, ironed, cut, and re-ironed pieces for HOURS!  And again the hours I put in was nothing compared to the many hours she put into these before shipping them off to sell.

I have to admit, slowly, that I've learned so much from my family and that YES I can do anything.  I've had the basic training to do pretty much anything. And the stubbornness that if I don't know something . . . to learn it to keep moving forward.

So, how again can a simple block bring back so much? My grandmama made me a lap quilt when I was around 10 years old . . . one of the few items I have to remember her by. This poor lap quilt is tattered from the years of love but still sits in my closet. It also is a log cabin pattern. One of these day's I'll re-create it.

  I hope these blocks will one day create many other lasting memories as they have stirred-up in me while making them. ♥

WIP Wednesday 6.20.12

It's been awhile since I've linked up to Lee over at Freshly Pieced.  With my brain absorbing  the changes of life including but not limited to: my laptop dying, on-line bee's ending, garden needing to be tended to, summer coming at us like a lion where my step-daughter will be back and forth visiting her mother. 

It's time for me to link up again to Works in Progress (WIP) Wednesday with Lee over at Freshly Pieced. I haven't done this for way too long but it's time to take account again.

Finished projects:

- Clean sewing area - seriously it's amazing to see the floor again!  I of course didn't bring in a new trash bag so small pieces of fabric are already starting to gather.

- Bee Blocks!  I'm finishing up my bee commitments but still have a few going on.    I ran out of fabric - gasp!  But more is making it's way to my mailbox as we speak.

Oh did I show you this one yet?  The Orange you Glad bee I was able to sew for The Pewter Acorn


Everything was cut so well I didn't even blink and this block was done.

New projects:

- Packaged up bee blocks for July for the awesome bee group {Sew Bee It} - the last time I'll be mailing out for myself in 2012.

- Wedding wall-hanging for my fella's peeps.  I'm doing a New York Beauty!

Active WIP:

- Pay it Forward items
- May Bee Blocks: Bee a Lone Star(burst)
- June Bee Blocks: Bee a Lone Star(burst)
- Layer Cake quilt-top {hanging on my design wall . . lalalalala}

- Knitted Socks ~ my first pair baby! I'm even on the second one.
- Knitted baby blanket for Lou

Back-Burner WIP:

- Postage Stamp quilt.

- PJ pants for fella

- Twice as Nice quilt top

- Threadheads quilt-top
- Aqua and Red (Round 1) quilt-top
- Waiting for blocks for: Aqua and Red (Round 2), Sew Modern Bee, and Aqua and Orange - then all of these will are offically back-burner WIP's too!

This week's stats:

Finished projects - ~3

New Projects - 2

Currently in progress - lalalalala

Hope all is going well in your neck of the woods. 

I'm linking this post to :

Who runs out of fabric?

I can not believe that I can actually run out of fabric!  

Seriously who runs out of Kona Ash?  That's right . . . this girl does.  Pfft.  Whatever!  I'll be needing to pinch my pennies so I can restock the basics apparently.  It's so hard as when I'm shopping I want so much more!

I am rocking and rolling on some super late bee blocks and about to finish them up.  .no light grey.  Here's one of the blocks that I can't finish.  

This is a pattern from this lovely lady!  This is super fun with all different kind of fabrics.

My paper piecing mode has started up again.  I'm pretty sure I'll be doing this for the rest of the month.  Maybe a New York Beauty for a wedding my fella is going to later this year.

Here is a block for a local gal in the New Bee on the Block group.

Some of these are fabrics I contributed to a local swap.  I might have to break out these swap fabrics to make something myself! It's fun to have a block that I can bust out in 10 minutes!

I have to applaud these ladies in the "New Bee on the Block" on-line bee group, they have made it though an entire year. . they are AMAZING! Even with some MIA members.

 Well off I go to pout about running out of fabric.  I will see if the budget will allow me to re-up my missing stock.  Of course it's helpful to remember my small couch in my sewing room with all of my potential up for sale fabrics. I just need to take some time to take lovely photos of the fabrics and yarns!  I'll get these up soon.

I'm linking this post up to 


and





 

 

 

 

Hope you all have a lovely start to another week!

Beep Beep. . changes ahead

I usually take awhile to get into new projects.
I'm a planner, which is not always welcomed by my family.
I have not planned this quilting experience at ALL!

It's been a pleasant surprise all of the things I've gathered over the last two-ish years. 

I've learned, I can sew!

Okay I knew this before but the techniques I've pushed myself into!

Besides patterns, which I can follow if I can wrap my head around it is something that I've known I could do.  But here are the things that I didn't know I could do!

Improv

Wonky

Paper Piecing

The one thing that I know for sure - I love sewing with others!

This is super apparent because of the many an on-line bee I've joined. 

While I'm not stopping sewing - far from it! I will be finishing my commitments of swaps and bee's.  I'll join an occasional swap, but for the most part my sewing time will be committed to other things.

Keep an eye out on where I'm headed next!

Sewing for Others

I'm finishing up my commitments of long-term sewing for others.  I do (thankfully) have a few more bee's until the end of this year.  This is super hard! 

A good bloggy friend of mine asked if I could make a few blocks for her. 
Oh course I said YES! 
She asked me to use her tutorial found here.

Look at the lovely fabrics she sent!

 

 

I finished these up in my mass of sewing bee blocks for May. That was a kick-butt and take names sewing day. 

My fella is right, I love seeing my work in other's people's finished products.

 

With slowing down my outside commitments to sewing for others, I'll be able to put together a TON of quilts with all of the blocks other's have sent me with my fabrics.  Go ME!

 

 

2 years ago

~Sad post ahead~

Well, it's been two years today since my father passed away from lung cancer.

I was so lucky to be down with him because of my job and awesome co-workers donating time so I could afford to be down there. My younger, most amazing, wonderful, and strong sister was also able to be there most of the time before he passed. I totally find that amazing with her job, husband, and 3 children being nearly 3,000 miles away.

So, two years ago my life totally changed and it was shocking (and still is) in so many ways. It took me months to even half-way process what had happened.   Grief is a weird thing.

Thankfully I had my cat, Simone Elizabeth. But my poor little girl was sick, she was sick before I left to be with my father, but she progressively got worse.

She was a very fickle little girl!  While she didn't let others near her, she let me do whatever I wanted, within reason, without much complaint.  She was mine and I was hers.  That's just the way it was.

Here she is letting me take a photo shoot of my first completed circular knitting project.  Maybe that was my first knitting project!

Doesn't she looked thrilled! 

And while I was recovering from my father's passing I started to get into quilting.  Here is my little girl helping me lay-out the second quilt I had cut out. 

Sad I haven't been able to touch this quilt since she passed away because it's still just too hard!

*sob*

I was so lucky to have Simone around for another 4 months. Then I had to go through another death.  The vet thought that is was some sort of cancer, stomach maybe.

There has been a lot of moments where I just have to step back with my Grandmama, Dad, and cat passing away! Each of them in such different parts of my life and each I have to morn in such different ways.

But two years since my world was turn up-side down.  I'm cherishing all of my moments I had with my Dad.  I hear his sarcastic, loving words of advice when I do stupid things.  And in reality I'm doing less stupid things while I get through and "grow-up".

Part of my growing-up will be an upcoming de-stash of some of the fabrics I adore but just know that it's not the right time for me to keep them.

Thanks for reading and hey you couldn't see all the times I had to stop and sob while writing this! As my step-daughter told me just yesterday - I'm just too emotional. Ha!

Beautiful May

Wow.  .are you ready for some blocks?  I can not believe how much I got out the door this month!

{Sew Bee It}

Shelly has jumped right into this bee after life hit a few of our members.  She provided some lovely blue fabrics and asked for a herringbone block [tute found here].  These were awesome to make.  These totally work - if you follow the instructions.  Thankfully a fellow beemate urged us to do that before I worked on these.  It's like magic people!

New Bee on the Block

I am started this bee almost a year ago now.  I'm stepping in the last two months as life has hit a few of the bee-mates.  mejbenz wanted wonky houses.  She sent a lovely assortment of fabrics.  Here is what I came up with. 

Oh and I made up a story for each. . .

This block is a wonky beach house.  Can you see the ocean, beach, dune, and reeds on the left side of the block?  And then the many funky houses that are at the beach this one with a wonderful pink door.  It's a tall place that you can rent anytime.  There are windows on the beach side of this place, you just can't see them. Let's go rent it and go beach combing.  

And for my second trick. . . a castle! 
I've always wanted to go stay in a castle. And why not here! This domed abandoned place has a huge moat with a retaining rock wall that still stands today.  This is only one snapshot of this monstrous place.  Sadly this castle has seen it's day but it's still fun to visit.

Orange you Glad

& 

Block Party

Funny that there are many overlaps with the gals I sew with.  This month Shawn was the queen bee for May in both of these bee's.  Here are her two stacked blocks. She has a quick tutorial found here.

I stepped in to make an angel block for Jacqueline in the other hive (yes there are 20 + ladies in this bee). The tutorial is found here over with Anna.  Let me tell you this block put me back in my place!  I am so sure that I'm soooo good and then a block like this steps in. My brain hurts from making this thing. I did prevail - eventually.  I hate to talk about how many times the trusty seam ripper was in my hand.  At least the fabrics were fabulous to work with and she included enough!

Aqua and Red

The last month of this bee with two lovely ladies and two fun blocks.

First up -
Granny Squares

whimbrella asked for these from this tutorial.  

 

And since these were pre-cut so this was super quick!

Second,
Anything circles

Julianne, she blogs here, asked for circles.  It's awesome to see the variations that people are coming up with.

I attempted a circle at first and it was all blah (blah = puckers, anger, and something way ugly)!  So I then ended up with this lovely.
This is HUGE so it can cut it down however she wants.

Bee a {modern}swapper

 

I'm doing a side swap in this bee with stayathomelibrarian. Her block came in the mail on Saturday.  I wanted to make hers before I opened her package up. I've never made a book block before and this one kinda made my head scratch. There is a little book of life is tucked in there.  If only I could find it! It's tucked right in between a book of sewing and the Little Miss Naughty.

Sew Modern Quilt Bee

The last month of this bee we worked on some fantastic garden fence blocks.  Seriously this is adding to a yellow quilt desire!

  

 

Blue Bellbird, she blogs here, provided these pre-cut. I had these done within 20 minutes of them walking in my door.  I held them hostage until today.  I didn't want to see them go!
 

We used this tutorial. These are so wonderful I might need to make something for myself from this. And these colors.. oh swoon!
~~~

I'll be late on one bee - the lone star(burst) blocks but I'll finish these up soon after my step-daughter goes to visit her mother this summer. The paper piecing is just not something I want to tackle at the moment.  But I'll get there!

Not too shabby for May, if I do say so myself.

Feeling left behind . . . but not forgotten

I know that some of my bee-mates are feeling neglected. But there is a way that I make my bee blocks - with love! I don't sit down and just trudge through.  This is an act of time and care, for me.

I finally sat down and finished a few blocks for the April bee-mates.

Bee a Lone Star{burst}

Templates from the talented Anna 

These blocks are for Sarah over at Bluprint Textiles.  

 

She sent us the awesome background print.

 

I'm loving this bee and seeing how everyone is using the same template but coming up with such different blocks, even in the same color pallets.

{Sew Bee It}

I was also late getting blocks to one of my favorite bee-mates Mary
 

I stitched up some garden lattice blocks, and used Mary's blog post to make sure I was stitching everything right.  Thank you for photos - these totally helped me out.

~~~~~

With my new tires my budget is kinda beating me down the next few months. I immediately told everyone what was happening.  And the response was beautiful!  I don't want own anyone else's stuff but there is something to be said about communication.  And in my case it helped me feel better about a situation that I had little control over. I am learning from this mistake and trying new budget tactic.

If anyone is not in an on-line quilting bee and are interested in them, there is a lovely recent post about them found here.  I've learned so much about sewing and interactions.  Of course a bit more than I anticipated.

I'll post again soon about the May bee blocks that I have them all done and ready to walk out the door! 

May's supposed to be all about flowers

Recently it's been all about the rain!  It's so strange that the weather has been cooler and much more rain than I remember.

So besides the literal rain it's raining a bit in my life too.  Good and not so good. This spring season this year I've done a LOT and I'm super tired!

• I planted a garden & saved it from 2 frost warning nights.
• I've helped my step-daughter with end of the year activities including a dance and outdoor school which is basically camping for 4 days and 3 nights.
• Besides that other life stuff, I've had to scramble because the car needed some TLC.  This car stuff came in the form of HUNDREDS of dollars that I didn't have in the budget until the beginning of August.  Lalalala  

But it being my birthday it's all about the good things! 

I have new tires!  Ohhhhh!

 

 

I have my awesome family! ♥ Lots of love from everyone on facebook and friends but my sister and  mother spoiled me this year!
 
These lovely new pinking sheers!






Oh yeah and remember my whining in this post? 
Yeah, I wanted a blanket stitch  . . .

I

I can do that PLUS more!  A new sewing machine is so much fun.  It's a computerized Brother.  Right know it's name is "Ohhh brother" - since I only have a sister.

Can I just say this is the LIGHTEST machine ever! I'll gladly take this along with me on my trips - anywhere!  I may become the traveling seamstress!

I spent over an hour reading the manual, setting this beauty up, and sewing up a few pieces.  This is going to be a beautiful relationship.  Some of the perks I know so far: automatic back stitch, up/down button for the needle, speed control, a buttonhole foot and fancy blah blah, and the BLANKET STITCH! 

I have a few blocks to share but first I have to go play with my new sewing machine and then I'll have a whole lot more to share.

A whole month gone in other words April bee blocks catch-up

Well I must say that a whole month has whisked by and I'm wondering where it's gone! 

Sewing wise I was focused on my auction quilt and I'm so proud!

That came at the perfect time as I was Queen Bee for 3 of my (cough) few bee's I'm participating in.  I've been gathering a few packages every few days.  I'll blog about that sometime in the future!

As for what I was able to sew for others I had a few items.

Block Party Bee

 

These are made from some lovely vintage sheets.

I have to say that I am Mama Mac chose a lovely block for everyone to sew up. 

Orange you Glad

Marta requested these wonderful granny squares.  Seriously the best blocks eva!  That's why they are popping up all over the quilty blogs.

Aqua and Red Bee

Look at the lovely fabrics tinking along sent.  It was super fun to pick out any star I wanted and not to have a background like white, as I'm used to.

Bee a Lone Star{burst}

Templates from the talented Anna is to just fall over from.  I'm in awe of all of her work go check her out you won't be sorry!

 

 

These blocks are for Crandons. She wanted grey backgrounds and YUM!  I have to stop questioning my fabric choices as these are rocking all done up.

Sarah has given me permission to not stress about her blocks. . so here they are but I'm going to wait til I'm in the right mind-set to stitch them up. I'll show the finished blocks off when I finish them. 

I also have to finish up a blocks for the group I'm hosting {Sew Bee It}. I get to sew for one of my favorite bee-mates Mary picked yet another block that stretches me beyond what I anticipated. Black is such a lovely stark color.  Oh it's fun to sew for others!  But I'll also show that off later.

~~~

That's my re-cap for most of April. May is a bit more busy but that's another story for another time.

Hope you get to hear the whir of a machine soon!