AND THE WINNER IS ...

ME!  One of my favorite blogs to read is cauchycomplete!  I have been following her wonderful quilt designs for about two years now. Her artwork and quilts are full of emotion and are thought provoking! Her art will definitely give you BIG food for thought!  
She ran a giveaway in May promoting Sherri Lynn Wood's book,
"The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters - A Guide to Creating, Quilting & Living Courageously" and I won!  This wonderful book arrived a few minutes ago!!!  Wow!  It is really packed full of great information and wonderfully beautiful quilts!
Visit Sherry Lynn Wood here!  
Thanks Chawne ! ! ! You ROCK!!!!! 

I can hardly wait to begin this new adventure!

MAY PROJECT - Through the PRISM CHALLENGE

MONKEY WRENCH  -  One of my favorite blocks is  the challenge block for May!  Here is a couple pictures of my project.  My block features the color ORANGE.  

The color choice for my Monkey Wrench block is ORANGE by Cherrywood.  The companion fabrics are by Lonni Rossi. 

I drew (4) pictures on freezer paper and even attempted to make a paper piecing pattern -  the paper piecing pattern was a bust!

The paper piece pattern was too big!

So, instead of the pattern making I decided to cut up the drawn design as I did when I made my wonky pot holders last year.

Freezer paper design cut apart for piecing!

paper piecing the parts!

Voila!  Finished and picture on a cloudy day! But finished!

"WRENCHED"

MACHINE PIECED...MACHINE QUILTED...HAND QUILTED
20" x 20"
Hand Drawn Freezer Paper Pattern

MASTERPIECE

Or just a "F_ _ _ king" mess! 

So, there's this awesome quilter and pattern maker Yvonne - quiltingjetgirl who is doing some extraordinary work and making her own patterns! I loved her latest pattern,  Transparent Triangles so much that as soon as she made it available I purchased it. My sole desire was to make a smaller (miniature version); a version small enough for a tote bag.   Bags are really my focus right now!      So, using 1.5 finished THANGLES to make all the half squared triangle blocks and following the piecing directions according to the pattern I made (4) four blocks.   When all four blocks were joined, they simply were not the same sized blocks and of course do not fit together.  The outside seams (pressed into submission)  are uneven at best!  

These "chopped" seams now mean lost points when sewn into a seam!

REASON #1

My Bernina 830 has been in and out of the shop. Initially, she went for the check up that it is programmed by the maker into the machine!  Since then she had to return because whoever "checked" the machine "up" did something to the tension that causes the bobbin thread to accumulate under the throat plate and of course the machine stops sewing. So basically every 20 to 30 stitches, threads must be cleared in order to keep sewing! 

REASON #2  The carefully selected colors really do not "shade" as I expected them to or as they really need to for the "transparent" effect !!!  Seriously, I did copy the fabrics on the printer using the Black setting so as to determine the color order!  Not a really good selection after all! 

REASON #3

It looks like I just plain ol' SUCK at piecing!!! I painstakingly pieced these blocks, carefully measuring the 1/4 inch seam!   APPARENTLY. NOT!  See this wonky seam - made even wonkier by attempting to force seam matching by wetting and pressing!!!! NO! BIG NO NO!   I know this, this not my first rodeo or even the 10th!!! I've never been thrown so far off the mark!

Yes, I'm in tears because this tote was made to be a gift but she is a precision quilt maker and all of her seams match and are perfect! Her quilting is extraordinary!  It is obvious that she is a perfectionist!  Oh well, if you are reading this, you know that this attempt at making a miniature is an "EPIC FAIL" !!!  I'm not sure that I possess the necessary skills to continue piecing quilts!

Taken outside!

Happy sewing?@$!!#!

April VACATION. TIMES. BOM

Pat Sloan's free block of the month (BOM) continues with the April block, "The Penny Arcade".  After so many years of quilting and sewing "straight" lines, I am always surprised when somehow a block (all on its own) manages a curved or crooked finish! How does that happen? Yes, I practiced making the perfect 1/4 inch seaming; marked the machine with tape and on and on. Why is there variance in the seaming (AND) why oh why must I sew a (SCANT) 1/4 inch seam?  What the freak?  I spent many dollars purchasing rulers and NONE  of them have that measure -a scant 1/4 inch on them! Perhaps I need a metric calibrated ruler??? Whose idea was it to sell us the "1/4 inch" seam and then turn around to say that it is the (non-measurable) SCANT 1/4 inch seams that makes perfect finished measurements? Hey! I loved Maryellen Hopkins's idea of  your own " PERSONAL PRIVATE MEASUREMENT"!  Just saying!!!

Well, I am posting that imperfect  block; however, it will have to be redone so that it will measure an accurate 12 1/2 inches square.  I really cannot abide chopped off points on triangles and such. 

So if you're still with me here at this point in my rant, here is where I ask YOU if you really sew SCANT 1/4 inches OR do you sew 1/4 inch seams OR are you like Maryellen Hopkins-use YOUR OWN PERSONAL PRIVATE MEASUREMENTS?????

ALL OF THE BLOCKS TO DATE!

happy sewing and no "curved" squares! : ) 

  

Pat Sloan's String Bean Challenge

My version of the March/April Challenge

"Eat Your Fruits and Veggies"  by Pat Sloan cut at 2 1/2 inch strips according to pattern directions

A few. Unknown 2 1/2 inch strips added

Flimsy 50 by 62 

I'm looking around now for yardage of any of this fabric line so I can add a six inch border. The backing will all one piece of a coordinating fabric,  probably an orange-red.

"PRIMARY CHARM" - PROJECT QUILTING CHALLENGE 6 !

PRIMARY CHARM

Here is my completed quilt, 26 x 26 inches charm quilt for the "Isn't That Charming" and just in the nick of time too!  

The challenge is to use all 5 x 5 inch squares to construct a quilt.  I used 90 charms from these assorted charm packs _ Windham Fabrics "CITRUS"; Kona Solids and Denyse Schmidt solids, and "HONEY HONEY" 

Here are some pictures of the process.

charm packs!

36 charms sewn together for a start and if you look closely you can see the first 4 cuts

Finished top with the striped charms added!

I thought the reassembled top needed a little something to "pep" it up, so I pulled out my Dresden ruler to make some points!

Top with the Dresden plates

Now, that Dresden center needs something else for a center point!!!

Charms sewn together and cut at 2 1/2 inches and then reattached end to end for the binding...

Here is a close up of the bit of quilting!

Thanks for visiting!  Have a "Charming" day!

Vacation Time! PAT SLOAN 2015

Tuesday  ...   picture of  the one block of the month that's done and up to date!