Got my CQ block pieced

I signed up for a CQ for ME challenge that Nicki is hosting on the HGTV quilting board. There was a catch though. We were all sent the same 2 fabrics and 1 motif that we had to incorporate into the piece. We could make what ever we wanted with it. I decided to make a door hanging for my SIL. I did have a hard time at first trying to figure out how I was going to make the teal fabric work for me because I personally like things a bit country, but turns out that the bright teal fabric made the perfect rooster tail. The other fabric was the sage green silk that's in the background. I haven't done any stitching to my block yet but plan to do quite a bit. I'm not sure if I will make the deadline of Jan 1st because I'm over 2 months behind. I'm not giving up though, it's better late then never. I do have a vision in my head of where I'm going with this but you know how that goes, once you get stitching, LOL!!! I see a sunflower in there, maybe some morning glories and some barbed wire on that fence and well we'll see...Here's a few pics of my block I finally got pieced today. I just noticed that part of the tail looks black, but it's not it's just a deeper shade of the teal. I don't know why but my camera makes most darker colored fabrics look black. Maybe I should start taking my pics outside......

More sewing

First I want to thank you all for your nice comments on the scrappy quilt. It's not exactly my pattern or anything I was inspired by a quilt I had seen on creativechicks bogspot. I just loved hers and knew this would be a great way to use up some of my scraps. I got my top finished it just needs a strip of the white sewn across the top and bottom. Usually by the time I finish one I'm sick of looking at it but this went together so fast I still love it, LOL.
Remember this quilt. I don't have a pic of the finished top. It had a wide border of the red print. I was planning on quilting some of the tops I have finished this year. I was going to start with this one but it can't be found. We looked and looked for it. I searched high and low. Practically tore the place apart, but no quilt. After telling my daughter whom I had made this for, she came over thinking she would find it. I tried to tell her I went through everything 3 times it's just not here. She couldn't find it either and it broke her heart. I guess it somehow got thrown out when we moved. I always fold my tops to where the seams are on the out side, so it probably looked like a bunch of scraps just laying around. But you know how the story goes no one knows nothing. It's just gone, at least until we maybe one day come across it. In the meantime I start her a new quilt. I have another bundle of Tula Pink's Flutterby fabrics that are pretty similar that I had saved to make a braid quilt with. They are some of my favorites but I guess I'll use them to make her another top. I found one that I really love over on interchangableparts blog. She made it using Tula Pinks nest pattern. I really like how hers turned out. I also love the merry-go-round quilt she made. I'll have to give that a try one day.
So, I gave up my great idea of quilting all weekend and decided to go ahead and piece her a new top before I started quilting all these. I no longer have room for both my big tables set up at the same time so I have to either piece or quilt. My little EZquilter has to set up on a table and I just don't have room to keep it out all the time now. But luckily it's easy to set up. When I bought it I had attached it to a big board to keep from have to put screw in my table and boy am I glad i did Now all I have to do is get it and set it on top ANY table!!! If I had of attached it to the the other table (I no longer have room for) I would have been in a pickle and had to go back to tugging those BIG quilts i like to make through the machine again. I've done enough of that to know it's not an easy task. I don't guess I've ever made a small quilt other then the 2 baby quilt I made and I hand quilted one and did quilt as you go on the other. Now I do love making mini's. But I have to say when I make a bed quilt I make it BIG, real big! I have a hand quilting frame I use sometimes but mostly I like to machine quilt mine, because it takes me forever to finish one hand quilting.
Well, I did get started on my sister tumbling block lap quilt. It's my first ever lap quilt and Y-seams. I've always been a bit intimidated by Y-seams but I gave it a try and they aren't difficult at all. Then after making some of the blocks I thought how am I going to piece all these rows together. So had to see if I would be able to join those zig- zag rows together. I used the same method of pivoting as I did on the Y-seam and it went rather well and the seams lay nice and flat so I guess she'll get her tumbling block lap quilt after all. She choose the Metro Goes green fabric line we had seen when we went to Mariette to meet up with Some of our quilting friends form the board. They didn't have enough, so I thought maybe since we were soon going to the retreat and would have the chance to go to Keepsake Quiltshop I could find some there, but we didn't find it. As soon as I got home form the retreat I googled around to see if I could find some since I knew she loved it so much and she just didn't see anything else she liked as much. I was lucky enough to find it so I got them and some of the dots for the backing and strips for the binding.

Margw, Here's a pic of the block construction. It's pretty simple. Sew two 9" squares on the diagonal to make 2 big HST. Then just add a 3.5" square on opposite corners and sew on the diagonal. Here's what the block looks like. Then here's how I layed them out to get that top.

All it took was a pep from Beck and some scraps.

I was feeling a little down on Friday, maybe even a lot down but my sister called to talk about how she needs to get in gear and work on her to do list and next thing I knew I was feeling better and motivated to tackle some of those scraps. So, I broke out all those bits and pieces you end up with after cutting those strips to swap out nickels and coins. I always have those end of the strip pieces that don't quite measure up. That why they end up in the loose change pile. I found that most of the end pieces could be cut to 4.5" pieces with the least waste. I got to cutting and in no time at all I had plenty of 2.5"x4.5" pieces. Now I like the way brights look so crisp against white so I pulled some white from my stash and cut 2.5" strips and then sub cut to 4.5". I sewed all my bright pieces to white pieces, then pressed all those while watching some scary Halloween movies. Today I sat down to sew all those together into strips. Then got to crying which made it hard to see, so I took a break and went outside which somehow seems to cheer me up. I went back to sewing and wa-la, next thing I knew I almost got all my strips sewed, only 5 more to go. This is going to be a very bright and cheery quilt. Here's what I have so far. I plan to put a 2.5" of white between the rows. I really like how quick and easy this was to make. A the best part is I'm one step closer to my scrap busting goal!!!! I'm going to call it Loose Change.

It's been awhile

I just want to start by saying thank you to all of you for helping me through this difficult time. I'm doing well and have know that sewing and spending time with all my quilting friends is the best for me now.
I want to share with you a little mini I received from expatquilter in the Fall mini swap that Holee hosted. She did a fabulous job and i just love it!!
I would show you a pic of the mini I made expatquilter but I didn't get a pic of it before mailing but it's like the one I made for my sis except the blocks were 3" instead of 1.5"
Next is a little mini I made for my sister out of some very small 1.5"blocks I was going to use in the inchie swap but had a difficult time trying to put a binding on them so ended up sewing them all together and this is the result. This little mini measures 5x5". It's it cute. When my sister got it she she it was so much smaller then she had envisioned and she loves it.
Here's a quilt I'm working on for my daughter. I didn't really plan it out or anything. I just seen one someone else had made and knew I wanted to give it a try, so I guess that explains why I've run out of background fabric. I was hoping to have enough blocks to make it large enough but I guess I'll have to make some sort of border to make it a bit larger. I know I seen on SQ that you shouldn't put a border on just to make your quilt larger but Hey, I also heard there are no rules in quilting and after my visit to Handcocks today for more fabric, which they no longer have guess I'll be adding a border. I still have one more layer cake of the 9 patch blocks so maybe I can work with that. I open for suggestions on the border. I was thinking about adding 9 patch block all the way around but my other DD said to add a solid fabric. I have so much fabric now that I'm trying not to buy anymore until I use up some of this that I have stock piled.
I'm also working on a bear quilt for my DGS John and it still likes one more row of blocks. It's okay but I'm not sure I really like it or not. Maybe it will look better once it gets quilted. I'll show how it turns out when I get it done. I had also started my first tatted piece which I was working on when I wasn't able to spend time at home and sew on my machine. I was nearly done but had to lay it down and now I'm not sure if I remember how to. I'll have to send my sis a pic and see if she can help me figure that out.
I want to show you the gorgeous block I received from Carmellady in the CQ one block swap, hosted by Nickilee. I asked for french country and it couldn't have been more perfect. It is more then I had ever hoped for.
Gosh, while I'm at it I'll show you the blcok I made for Ely. She asked for fairies, pink, blue, yellow green and she even likes orange. I thought I was the only one who liked orange!! My sister painted the bird nest and sent it to me to make postcards with but I told her I had to have it for Ely's block so she didn't make me beg she gladly let me have it. She also made me the 2 tatted pieces, it's like they just belonged here. The 2 dyed lace pieces where some that I had got from Nickilee. I used the big one for the woodland garden floor. The yellow flower vine was inspired from Ivoryblushrose. I don't even know if she knows but I love her CQ. This is my second CQ, my first one drove me crazy and was just a disaster,but this one was a joy to make. I need to get started on the other CQ for me block. I think I have an idea of what I want to make I just haven't had the time to get it out and get started.

I spent most of the day yesterday cutting my scraps into squares to use as leaders and enders. Some people with this much fabric might have just tossed these bits of scraps but I just couldn't bear to part with them. I love scrappy quilts, plus I'll have bits of most of the quilts I made all in one. I didn't color coordinate them or anything. I've just decided to sew together what ever I pull out. I like doing this, you end up with a big pile of 4 patch blocks before you know it and when my jars of square starts getting low I just get my scrap drawer out and cut up some more. Maybe I'll win the battle with the overwhelming amount of scraps I have accumulated.

Oh almost forgot here's the mini I sent Susrina for the Christmas mini swap. It's about 13x14 if I remember right. My sis brought me the kit to make it when she came down. I was a little intimidated about try to paper piece something so small but it ended up going together pretty easy. I added some embroidery and beads to finish it off. You really can't see them but I did a few embroidered snowflakes with this thread that looks just like snow that my sis had gave me. I love that stuff.
Me and a few of the other girls from the HGTV board are all planning to go up and spend a week at my sisters in Ohio this June the week of the quilt show. I'm excited and June can't get here fast enough for me. We're going to have a blast. I know they have some great quilt, thread and bead shop so you know we'll be going to those.
I sure have missed all of you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MIA

I just thought I'd let you know that there was just too much going on for me this past month. I'll spare you all the details and just say some good and some bad. I do have some quilting things to share with you, that I managed to complete during all the chaos. Just don't have the time today, but I hope to get to it in the next couple of days. I can't wait to read all my favorite(your) blogs too and see what all you have been working on.