No Agenda Saturday

This weekend has been wonderful.  It's the first Saturday in a long, long time that I didn't have anything particular to do.  I didn't have a deadline or somewhere I had to be or anything specific on my agenda.  I had no agenda!!  It has been a wonderfully relaxing weekend.  Yesterday, I got up (okay, couldn't sleep in much - got up at 7:30) Decided I wanted a coke (don't have any soft drinks in the house) so I went to my favorite Stripes and got me my favorite mixed drink - coke and diet coke mixed in one cup.  Their breakfast platter was calling to me so I purchased one along with a newspaper.  I can't tell you how long it has been since I have purchased a newspaper because I don't even remember when it was, it was that long ago.  (okay, maybe a month ago)  I quickly looked through - not much in our paper - and looked to see if there were any estate sales that day.  Sure enough there was one.  So, taking my breakfast and my coke, I set off to go to the estate sale.  Got there in plenty of time to sit and enjoy my breakfast in the car, with the windows down and the cool morning breeze!  It was delightful. 

The last estate sale I attended, I purchased three metal file boxes that I plan on re-painting (have finished one) and when I was going through the big one I found $80.  That's right, eighty dollars!!  I think I paid one dollar for that box.  I also found some really old postcards that I need to put on e-bay.  They were all wrapped up in plastic so they are in really excellent condition and they have the one cent postage marking on them.  It will be cool to find out if they are worth anything.  So, my $79 profit from that box may grow a bit.  However, I usually go to estate sales to see if there is anything to add to my collection of cut and pressed glass serving pieces.  I picked up three bowls for a total of $5.41.  Not a bad haul! 

I finally went by Hobby Lobby and got me a new cutting mat along with some Kona Espresso fabric and a few remnant fabrics on clearance.  My intention was to work on some new projects.  Instead, I got on the computer and played a few games and answered some e-mail and tired myself out!  Just in time for a long, long nap!!  that is what these Saturday's are for, aren't they?  Napping??  I needed it and really deserved it.  Needless to say, since most of you know me, I didn't get into the studio (sewing room) until later that night.  Here are some things I worked on last night. 

My quilt group is doing a round robin and I added my border to Gerrie's quilt top.  I don't have picture of how the top looked before I got it. Wait, I will be back.  I am going to try to crop it and see if I can show you what it looked like before I added my border.  Be right back . . . . . .

Here is what it looked like when I got it.  The center star was made by Gerrie.  Liz put it on point by adding the strips around the star along with the orange, turquoise and black/brown fabric.  The next border is to be triangles.  I drew out some flying geese on the sides and thought that would work to continue the black/brown fabric making it look like a box.  Then I couldn't decide what else to do, so I used the orange again along with a similar background batik - there wasn't enough of the original fabric in her box to use the same background batik and here is what it looks like now . . . . . .oops, it replaced the original picture with this cropped one, just a second, while I download the original off the camera again .  . . . . . . .

I really like how the orange looks like boxes on point with turquoise squares inside.  This is looking really great!  I can't wait until Saturday to see what everyone else did with their triangles.  And, to see how my little quilt is progressing! 

The next thing I worked on was the color challenge from 15 Minutes Play.  Victoria is posting a new color each week for you to play with.  I was behind, since I haven't read many blogs lately and didn't know about this until Friday.  I chose to use my own favorite pattern for each of my blocks and use the Kona Espresso that I got at Hobby Lobby for my background.  Here is the Mauve block:

It is the only one all put together.  I may off set the rest of the blocks and have them share some of the squares so there isn't sooo much solid brown squares.  I may change my mind later and decide to finish each block and then put them on point with some sashing, but at this time I am leaving my options open.  Which totally explains why the next two blocks look so wonky.  They aren't totally sewn together, but you can get an idea about the colors.  Here is the Ochre:

And the Avocado:

I can't wait until Wednesday to get the next color to use in my blocks.  In the meantime, I will work on the April Challenge from the Modern 8 Create blog.  I am not one of the 8 members, but it is fun to see what they are doing and try my own version of their challenges at home.  (not that I have been able to do much before now, but I always enjoy seeing what they do)  Here are their rules from their website for the challenge.  Go by there and see what everyone is making.  It is a lot of fun.  I have only gotten to rule number one and am going to work on rule number two right now.

April Challenge “Rules”

1) Take a photograph. Take a picture of something around your house (inside or out makes no difference).

2) Crop it to pull out a section that is nearly unrecognizable as a “thing”.
3) Interpret this portion of your picture into a quilt.
4) Size is totally up to you. Make it a size you’ll love and want and use.
You can use any colors and fabrics you desire. You can embellish or not as you see fit. Use any technique that’s fun for you (or try a new one you’ve been wanting to play with).
 from http://modern8create.blogspot.com

This is a picture of a metal picture frame with magnetic dots that hold the picture to the metal.  I hardly ever have a picture on it since I love the art of it just the way it is.  So, let me go play with the cropping and I will be back. . . Once again, I am leaving you.  This is a great time to get yourself that cup of coffee or take a bathroom break.  We will meet back here in just a couple of minutes.  See you . . .

I don't know what I pushed, I played with all kinds of editing buttons, but the background looks really yellow now.  It's a wonderful medium gray in the original form.  Even though I like this, I am not sure that this is what I want to do.  I may have to play with this some more or possibly take another picture of something more normal.  That may be the trick to the entire thing. Using something so normal and then closing in on it to make it look different.  I am off to play with this some more.  No, I am not coming right back this time, so finish that cup of coffee and go check out the two blogs I linked to and try your hand at these two challenges. 

New SWAP!!

I have come up with a great idea for a December/Christmas exchange.  For now, I am calling it The Stocking Swap.  The premise is very simple, you make and stuff a stocking, then swap it for someone else's stocking in December.  Simple! 

"But that is just so boring." 

 "We've done that before."

 "Why would I want to participate in that, especially since it's January." 

 I know, I hear your comments even as I type this.  If that is all there was to it, then I would agree whole heartedly with you.  Yes, it's a stocking swap, but it's more than that.  It's a game and a challenge and you will get back a wonderful stocking full of surprises. 

"Now, putting it like that, I  am a little more interested, tell me more."

The game will be ongoing throughout the year and at the first of December you will send me your mailing address, (don't worry, I don't expect you to remember that far in advance,  I will post on the blog when to send it to me)  At that time, I will put the name of everyone who is playing, in a hopper and randomly assign who your swap person will be.  (This way, only the people who are playing will make the exchange.  You will definitely get a stocking and not get shafted if your "partner" decides to drop out)   You won't know until it is time to make the exchange who you are making your stocking for.  You may get a stocking from person B and send your stocking to person E.  (So you have to be prepared for shipping costs if for example you live in California and your swap person lives in Virginia.  However, your swap person may live next door to you, you never know.  It all depends on who is playing)  Similar to the Blocks of the Month "game" there will be something to add to the stocking every month.  You will know what the addition to the stocking is before you start, so if you get behind, you can catch up or even work ahead if you know you are going to have an extremely busy month.  It all has to be finished by the exchange day in December. 

Okay, this is sounding interesting.  Since I am going to know what I need to put into the stocking each month, I can work ahead if I find the perfect item. Or, if I get really busy during the summer months, I will still have a couple months to make those items I didn't get done during July.  I'm with you, now what? 

Now is the time to let me know if you might be interested so I can get a preliminary count of who might be joining in on the fun.  If you want to wait until you know exactly what you will have to do each month, I understand.  Sometimes it is better to be cautious than to just jump in feet first.  My next post will have all the directions, etc.  I am just trying to narrow down and finalize the list.  I hope this interests you and you join in on the fun with me.    

Nighttime sewing - Challenge block gone awry.

 I got out of work early last night and found some time to sit and sew.  I decided to make the newest block of the month from 15 minutes play.  I read through all the directions and started in to sewing.  Cut out some reds/pinks/oranges/purples for my flower portion and rummaged through the scraps to see what I could use for the leaves.  There were some greens and blues, but not in big enough strips so I just sewed them all together to make that 7 inch square that was needed.  I cut out my background - going with the darkest gray on this one.  Got the leaf elements done, made the stem and now it is time to square up and put this puppy together.  Decided that it would be easier to make my squares with a 6 1/2" square ruler so I got it out, cut all the squares the same size, sewed it together and it went together like a dream.  One of the easiest blocks to make.

  

I was happy with the look - even though the stripes on the leaves are going differently than what I wanted, it was still okay. I put it on the wall with the other blocks and . . .


 

It's a lot smaller than the other blocks.  What could have gone wrong?  I did everything right so something was off.  Maybe the sizes.  No, 6 1/2 and 6 1/2 sewn together is 12 1/2 so that was correct.  What could be wrong.  WELL, let me tell you.  That 6 1/2" square ruler that I thought was 6 1/2" square?  It is only a 6 inch square ruler!!!!!  Why would I have one like that in my stack of rulers?  I know it's an old one and I even thought last night while I was cutting that I needed to get a new one since this one was looking all ratty tatty and the edges were a bit sliced, but still, you would think I would know better than to make that big of a mistake.  I was too tired to do anything about it last night and after sleeping on it I may just leave it smaller.  I am going to "sash" this quilt together anyway, so the "sashing" around this block just needs to be a bit larger.  Who knows, I may just have one or two more mess-up-small-size blocks to go with it. 

You may be asking yourself why I put "sash" in quotations like that and it is because even though I know this quilt will need some separation between the blocks that sashing provides, it may not be a typical sashing.  So, I put the word sash in quotes to show that it probably won't be a single strip of fabric and the blocks may not be set in straight rows/columns.  I don't have an idea in my head how to put this quilt top together because we haven't done all the blocks.  Who knows what else is in the works for this block challenge.  It has been fun making all the blocks though.