Seeing RED!

We are getting to the end of January which has been designated "RED" with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge and for Tiny Tuesday. I did complete my Bow Tie block for Tiny Tuesday and it came out super cute. I also kept it scrappy -- the knot is a different red fabric than the bow.

So far my background fabric is working out just fine with the first four blocks. Pshew!

I also managed to use up a bunch of red scraps for Scrap Happy Saturday. I've been working on my first String-X block for this as well as stringing along with Lori of Humble Quilts and with Moda Strings. Of course, I still have red scraps, which is a good thing since there are five Tuesdays in January. This means there will definitely be another Tiny Tuesday red block.

Back to String-X ... This block is a FREE Bonnie Hunter pattern which I'm hoping works out with RSC19. It was really fun putting together all these reds and I liked the way Leena used alternating colors to create hourglass setting blocks. I'm using a light gray and dark gray as my neutrals. Here's a picture of my big completed block. I believe it's 14" or so. Can't remember exactly right now and I don't want to get up to measure it.

I think the hourglass blocks will be subtle but enough to notice ... or at least that's what I'm hoping for. I did edge-stitch around this block since this is a year-long project and I wanted to protect the integrity of the seams. What do you think? Red enough (hahaha!)? Too busy for your taste (which is the impression I got from my sister)?

Here's a quick update on my cross-stitch project. Coming right along but oh! so slowly.

Surely I'll have this done by Easter!!! Lol!

Linking up with Em at Scrap Happy Saturday, Movin' It Forward,Tiny Tuesday, and String-a-Long with Lori @ Humble Quilts.

Retreat Happiness

Short post because I'm at quilt retreat. YAY!!!

Tiny Tuesday was the most adorable little kitty block that finished at 4". I added my background border and here she is.

Adorable!!!

This is also the first meeting for the Bloom SAL. Check out the other Bloomers HERE. Looks like we're off to a good start. I prepped the pieces for the first three blocks. After all, I was off to retreat and figured I'd be able to work on them there. I got the pieces "basted" down and have started the applique. Here's a picture of the three prepped & basted blocks.

Since then, I've already appliqued the first block completely and started the second. I'm hand appliqueing them and really enjoying the process.

Before leaving, I did manage to finish up this little wool applique pillow.

Linking up with Angela with Scrap Happy for Tiny Tuesday and Cheryl at Gone Stitching for Bloomers SAL and Wendy at Sugarlane Quilting for FNSI

Happy Scrappy (and Snowy) Saturday

Started to write up a post yesterday but decided to sew instead. I feel like that was a good choice. With the snow storm due to arrive yesterday, I told Mom to come up a day early rather than get stuck at home. Another good reason to sew as much as I can while I had some time.

 Tiny Tuesday #1 finished.

Tiny Tuesday #2 done too!

This morning while everyone was still sleeping and more snow was falling, I sat at the sewing machine and got these beautiful 1-1/2" HSTs sewn & trimmed. I also cut the inner borders and cornerstones.

 They will be getting sewn on my embroidery project.

I also prepped and sewed the pincushion that was included with my Primitive Gatherings kit. I think it turned out lovely!

And just because I don't have enough irons in the fire, I started an April cross-stitch project.

While Sarah was visiting over Christmas, she and I decided that I should start the April one so maybe it'd be done on time. Plus I seem to do better when pushed with a deadline. The principal at the school I used to work at in Hawaii gave me a mug that said, "I work better under stress." I remember asking her why she gave me that and she said she noticed I could really get my act together quickly if I had a time limit. I think I like the angel ornament she gave me one year for Christmas better which she said she gave me because she thought of me as her angel. Hung that ornament again this year and thought of her.

That's enough winding down Memory Lane for today. I'll leave you with a picture of my back deck ruler this morning.

And now you know what Fred is up to this morning. UGH!

Linking up with

• Angela at Super Scrappy
• Em at Em's Scrap Bag (Movin' It Forward Monday)
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A New Year Means New Projects

2019 has arrived and I'm trying not to jump onto too many sew-a-longs. We all say that and then something happens -- we get sucked in! Ugh!

This year's sewing trend seems to me to be string quilts. Bonnie Hunter adores string quilts and recently came out with a new book called "String Frenzy". Tons of string quilts. Her  blog includes several free patterns for different string quilts as well. Then Moda Fabrics announced that a group of their designers were starting their own string quilts and that it would be a loose group with no real deadlines. I was thinking I'd join in and scoured Bonnie's patterns -- yes, I would make a String-X quilt and give a string quilt a go. I'm currently hooked in with Lori at Humble Quilts and others. Care to join us?

Earlier last year I saw quilters joining a group called RSC (Rainbow Scrap Challenge) where a color is nominated for the month and everyone digs into their scraps to make blocks and at the end of the year you have a beautiful quilt. Sounds like a good plan to me since Heaven knows I have scraps. January's color is red. I figured I could tie the two groups together -- a String-X quilt that has blocks made in the colors chosen by RSC. Perfect! So far I have two of the four string strips done.

The only problem is: I thought RSC merely chose the colors and it was up to us to decide on what block(s) we wanted to make. Wrong! There's actually a quilt that we can make together. This year's RSC Sampler Quilt is composed of small, 4 1/2" blocks, one per week. Half the blocks are set straight and the other half are set diagonally. It's a really cute lap quilt. Tempting .... And wouldn't you know the very first block is a string block!!! Yes, I jumped on this one too and here's my block for the week.

The dotty fabric is going to be my background fabric. We need 3 1/2 yards so I dove into my stash and came up with this. Great! No trip to the fabric store for background fabric.

Gone Stitchin', another blogger, put out that she would like to start a Lori Holt's Bloom QAL and was anyone else interested. I like Lori's quilts and I've been wanting to try one of her quilts using her applique technique. Yup, jumped on this one too! My templates arrived in the mail today. I dug into my stash and came up with these fabrics. I think it'll be a good start. I love these feedsack fabrics!

Getting back to last year's projects, I did have a productive (for me) week regarding the Dresden Quilt Workshop quilt. I completed three churn dash blocks. I need to get going on some flying geese and obviously more dresden plates. Hey! I'm getting there! Here are my blocks.

Suzn Quilts (designer of the Dresden Quilt Workshop quilt) recently posted a picture of a new quilt. It's a Christmas quilt that has these Dresdent blocks again in but also words and embroidery. It's beautiful! She's considering making this a workshop quilt and you KNOW I'll be joining in. I hope it's not until later in the year. I seem to have enough projects going again and this is after I was trying to be strong and not start anything more.

I did finish the embroidery on Kathy Schmidtz's Spring. I'll need to press it and sew on the borders. There's also a little mini quilt that hangs in the middle that I need to sew. Will probably work on this during an upcoming retreat if I can find some coordinating fabric.

The background fabric is actually white. We've been very cloudy lately so the picture is muddied.

Linking up with:

• Gone Stitchin' today
• Humble Quilts
• So Scrappy
• Movin' It Monday

Table Runner Club meets Tuesday morning. Better get that project wrapped up today!