Who knew a needlebook could be so much fun!!

These hexagons were the start to a needlebook I made for the July Rapid and Tiny Zakka Swap (RATZ Swap). The group is an offshoot of the Doll Quilt Swap group on Flickr and swaps a little something each month (like key fobs and magnets) with a Zakka style in mind. This is only my first month to join in, but I couldn't resist the needlebook project!

After I received my swap partner's name, I just started making several .75" hexies without an exact plan in mind. I ended up choosing 20 and stitched together 4 columns of 5 hexies. Still no plan, but as luck would have it, I had just purchased Tacha Bruecher's book, "Hexa-Go-Go", and in it she makes a lovely needlebook using hexagons.

Since I already had a hexie panel put together that was different from Tacha's, I needed to make a few minor changes, mostly to the measurements, but I thought her directions were easy to follow and I had a good time making it!

Marilyn

Vacation Getaway

AKA "Women's Weekend" was a lot of fun! There was much laughter and conversation and great food and shopping...it's no wonder I'm already looking forward to next year! We could see IKEA from our hotel room so it made sense for us to begin there. Sensory overload and some fabulous purchases!

The weather was delightful and a nice break from the stifling temperatures we left in KC. A trip to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden was a lovely way to enjoy it too.

I often found myself thinking there was an "Alice in Wonderland" feel to several of the sculptures/gardens.

We also did some local shopping in St. Paul. I loved the mix of restaurants, apartments, older homes and shops all on one avenue...especially the older houses that are now shops!

And of course, Mall of America.....

And whatever the reason, on this trip, I seemed to have a fascination with lighting fixtures and other ceiling decor, so I'll leave you now with a couple of them.....
 

Marilyn

Gotta Have a Tote Bag

Women's Weekend is coming soon. It's our annual getaway--my two daughters and me, just the three of us--and we always have a wonderful time! This year, we're taking a shopping trip, specifically to IKEA, but we're open to other spots that grab our attention too!

So I say tote bags for all, and thanks to this tutorial, we're set.

I wonder how many times we can fill them...

Marilyn

Check Off One "To-Do"

So, one of the items on my summer break to-do list was clean up the craft room! The last time I had a major go-through-and-toss-away session with this room was three and a half years ago when I painted it. How bad could it be? Well, a week's worth of days over the past two weeks and many trash bags full, bad. But I was in the mood! And it felt good! Any sewing during that time was hand sewing (mostly hexies), but I did manage to recover my chair. It had gotten a little sad looking--10+ years and mega hours at the sewing machine will do that to a chair;) The fabric was some I had stashed away for pillows that never got made and I think it turned out to be just the right match for my chair.

I've received all of my Alice in Wonderland bitty blocks...
 

Aren't they adorable?! I added a teapot and teacups that I got in the Teapots & Teacups bitty swap and, of course, The Mad Hatter...

I'm looking forward to getting these put together.....and, hallelujah, I now have the space to get that done;)

Marilyn

A Little Catching Up

I worked on a few smaller projects this week--things that were in the works that just needed to be finished up...ahhh, that word, finished!

Nikki, a friend in the KC Modern Quilt Guild, is very active with the Quilts of Valor project. Her group issued a QOV Firecracker Challenge for 12.5" star blocks to be used in sampler quilts. It's been a while since I've made a wonky star block and now I remember how fun it is--lots of possibilities.

I needed to print out some more paper pieces for my ongoing hexagon project. I make 1 inch "hexies", but I noticed there were .5" pieces available for printing also. Having seen these tiny hexagons--they're adorable--I wanted to give them a try. Not bad, but I think I'll stick with my big ol' 1 inchers!

And, just today, I finished this embroidered Mad Hatter, using a Wild Olive pattern.
 

Considering all of the swaps I've particpated in, I've been lucky. Maybe a couple of times, there's been a swapper who didn't follow through--I know, not nice, right? The flickr Bitty Block group is especially good about following through, but it looks like one of the people in the "Alice in Wonderland" swap isn't going to "be nice". And the bitty she said she would make is the Mad Hatter...well, I just don't think you can have a group of "Alice" anything without the Mad Hatter, so I made one for myself! I'm expecting one more block, the Cheshire Cat--coming from Australia--and when it arrives, I'll post pics of all of them--they're really cute!!

Marilyn

Trying Something New

When Weeks Ringle spoke to the KC Modern Quilt Guild last month, I was quite taken with the quilts she showed us.....the few that I photographed that evening (below) were just a handful of the ones we saw.  Beautiful!

Weeks even passed the quilts around so we could touch them and see them up close.  She talked about her quilting background and process and technique--all fascinating.  Binding the quilts was one of the things that caught my attention--it is a one-step machine sewn binding--and it turns out there are directions for this method in the latest book out by Weeks and her husband Bill Kerr, Transparency Quilts.  It also turns out that I recently purchased their book when I learned that Weeks was coming.

Now, in the past, I haven't had much luck with bindings sewn down by machine.  Granted, I haven't practiced much, which is probably one reason it ended up looking so sloppy--especially the back since you're stitching it down from the front.  But this method made sense to me, more than others had, and I wanted to try it.

I decided to whip up something small and quick, a mug rug (8.5" x 7"), then started on the binding.  You use a bias tape maker (although the fabric strip doesn't have to be cut on the bias), fold it in half and iron it,

slip it over the edge of the quilt, pin and stitch.

It felt a little fiddly at first, especially around the corners, but the directions are clear and easy to follow. I think it looks pretty good on the front...

...and on the back.

By the way, have you tried these Wonder Clips? I preferred the straight pins for this project, but I use the clips on my binding when I'm hand stitching it to the back and I love them!

Marilyn

Seriously?!!

I can hardly believe I won these...

A full fat quarter bundle of Zen Chic's "Juggling Summer" and "OHO" quilt pattern--an absolutely lovely surprise from a giveaway on bon bon atelier's blog!!  Bon Bon has a beautiful shop right here in Kansas City......and to them I say, THANKS SO MUCH!!!

 

Marilyn

Soooo, my last post was in December.....

and much has happened since then.  But what do you say we pick it up again with where I am right now.....




These little (3.5") blocks are for the June Bitty Block Committee "My Garden" swap. I used a pattern from Sublime Stitching for the tomatoes and a couple of text fabrics that seemed fitting to the theme.  I love their embroidered faces;-)

Summer break (from childcare for our 2.5 year old grandson, and since January, his new sister--now 7 months old) started this week--and I've got big plans to finish lots of projects before I start up again in early August!  Many of them involve bitty blocks from other fun themes the last several months.....so stay tuned!

Marilyn

Happy, Happy, Happy to You!!

Since my last post, I've enjoyed some fun sewing and crafting (and I have photos of those projects which I hope to show you very soon), but this is a glimpse of what's mostly been going on the past month...

...and more to come. Family and friends, that's what it's all about this time of year:) I hope you're enjoying your days and doing all of your favorite things too! Best wishes to you and yours this holiday season!!

Marilyn