b(l)ogged down

Where has the time gone? We are already in the second week of May, and I haven't blogged one word! I haven't even published my new pattern yet. Shame on me! I am b(l)ogged down with life. Yes, LIFE! The spring and summer months are really busy for us which leaves little time for blogging and sewing. Somewhere, I have to make a compromise...so, I have chosen to sew more and blog less. I will still (try) to post a helpful piece on organizing your sewing room and show what I have sewn throughout the month, but simply less blogging.

This is my Atarashii Block for my Quilting Bee. We are all making a sampler for our 20th anniversary as a group. Many of us are presenting a block or technique that will be set into the quilt.

I am a little undecided about this technique. I like to find shortcuts and make the work simpler. Since I already worked on the cathedral window pillowcase earlier this year, I find this technique a little fiddly and time consuming. Yes, I critisized.

On the day this block was presented in at our quilting bee, I took along other fabrics - the ones not being used for the sampler. I just wanted to try out the technique and wasn't sure if I was going to put it in my sampler. Sometimes, I am too controlling. This was a good decision, because it uses a lot of fabric. I wasn't really happy with the result, so my friend Katrin lent me her book from Atarashii where I found this kaleidoscope block. It is not as bright as I would have liked, but it is still in line with the technique and fabrics for my quilting bee sampler. I hand-sewed the circle flaps down. "Wenn schon, denn schon."

I have been working mostly on my "Cattinkas Hasenbach Challenge" blocks for Claudia Hasenbach's Apfelernte. I am making good progress and and very pleased with the results. There will be a lot of red thrown in for the next blocks which will change the look of the wall hanging. I am also playing with the idea of a new layout for the blocks. This will be a fun one for some appliqué stitching.

 

For the Block Lotto, I managed to mail off the old and finish some new blocks. These went rather quickly. We were supposed to use true blue, and this was the truest I could get from my stash. I really need more fabric. If you would like to send some, I would be happy to receive. ;-)

I also reworked some Mod/Mod blocks and added a few new ones! I also really enjoyed working on these blocks, because of the fabric. My color palette that I really enjoy working in for the last couple of years is this torquoise/orange/yellow/white (and sometimes gray) palette. In reminds me of springtime and warms me up. I still like my fall colors, don't get me wrong.

A note about the chevron block: the first time, I made it too small because my 1/4 inch seam allowance was too genreous. The second time, it was slightly too skimpy. I think I will always have this problem if I have lots of smaller block units to make a larger block.

I also joined up to the Jump Start! EQ7 SAL. Maybe I can can improve my EQ7 skills.You are never too old to learn. 

I will also be taking a class this month to improve my quilting. I just now have gotten comfortable with the idea of FMQ - free motion quilting. It is time to take it to the next level - just doing it.

You can always find my latest blocks and quilt on flickr.

Thank you so much for leaving comments. I really love to read what you have to say - whether good or bad, helpful or critical. ;-) Enjoy your day!