NYB Simplified

Here is my first block.

6 1/2 inch block

Last night was our first quilt guild meeting of the year.  Linda J Hahn was our speaker.  She gave an excellent trunk show of all the quilts in her book and is a very funny lady too!

Today was the workshop, but I wasn't sure if I could make it with vacation and all so I didn't sign up.  

I had bought this book months ago when I decided I really wanted to make a NYB one day.

As you might recall, paper piecing and I don't get along.  So after a successful newbies class on the subject last year through the guild I got all excited, bought the book and then just as quickly was distracted!  

This morning I thought I better give it an attempt.

  This 6 1/2 inch block took me 2 solid hours.  I messed up 3 times and then turned the book upside down -and wallah I could do it.  I sewed right on the printer paper that I had.  I'm going to head out now and see if I can find some EQ printable foundation that Linda recommends-it doesn't have to be removed.  We felt her quilts after the lecture and you can not tell there's anything in there.

I also want to get a 9 1/2 inch square ruler. 

I need rotary cutter blades too- 45mm and 28mm.  Last night while I had 5 minutes before I had to leave to pick up Libby (she finally decided to try the guild!) I changed the blades on my cutters---none of them worked well.   I hate doing that 

little job.  I'm afraid of those things.

*******

fun times, fun times.  Life is Good.

Design Wall Monday

My strings and stars top has the inner border on now.  I just chose a fabric from my 2.5 inch drawer and used that. And the 3 outer string borders I already had made are on too!  I need to piece the rest of the 4th string border and this will be a flimsy.

After looking at the 'leftovers' quilt for Kids blocks I had up in a previous post, I decided there was too much going on. 

So I pulled out the red blocks and a few others and cut the blue batik for the solid blocks and now I can get 2 more Quilts for Kids from the leftover blocks-much better use of my fabric and much nicer to look at.

This is looking like a really busy week (again).  I had way too many 'irons in the fire' so last week and this week will be more of getting that under control before my head spins off.

So I only need to hand sew the binding on these three:

Sorry about the glare.

The binding is done on the Corn Toss runner, last night at 11pm- tonight is guild so just got that finished.

I have a lot of quilting to do-it's the time of year.  

I am so thrilled with this.  

I want these shoes~!!!

Check out other design walls here.

If at first you don't succeed...

...go out to lunch with a friend and her little granddaughter, visit a quilt shop.  

And then you will be ready to tackle

"the witch".

The background is way more orange than this washed out picture, same with the outer border. 

She's a little wonky, but then again she is a witch. 

"Fixing" her wasn't as difficult as I thought.  But then I was doing regular block unsewing and re-sewing not paper piecing-much more in my comfort zone.  

I almost want to make another one......ahhhahahahaa! 

Meghan and Paul wanted to know what I was going to do with it-make a pillow?  I said I thought a little wall hanging and got some static, good nature d of course but still,  about 'another wall hanging'.  

sigh. (they're right) 

 I think I will make it into a pillow.

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I finished hand sewing the binding and label on Irene this afternoon.  I actually thought it was already done, oops!

I love the sun light on it.

OH MY GOSH!

This must only happen to me!! 

 OH MY Gosh

.Let me start at the beginning.

Last night I began paper piecing a little Halloween witch.  I have looked on-line for a picture and can't find one so look in this photo and you will see the pattern picture.  

See it up there in the right corner?

OK, so it took me (and I am NOT exaggerating, an hour+) to do that one little section that looks like the witch's hat -it's below the pattern picture in the photo above. 

I sewed backwards, I ripped out, I sewed correctly but instead of trimming off to 1/4" I forgot to fold back the just added piece and cut the whole thing off and was just left w/seam allowance.  I ripped it off and did it again.  I sewed a piece on correctly-going in the right direction (yeah) but then when I'd press it out I would only have a smidgen of a seam allowance at the outside of the block or where another piece would align. 

Have I completely lost you?  I know I've lost me.

So that picture above was how I left my sewing table last night.  

And no I did not sit and drink heavily the rest of the evening :). 

This morning was a new day, all fresh and lovely.  I have (had) a smile on my face.  The plan, which I thought was a dang good one, was to sew this sweet little block together and take pictures as I go so I could  post about it.  

This is the first seam I sewed. It is wrong. The orange should be on the left side.  I ripped it out.

Now it is correct. The orange piece (#1) is on the left and the black piece (#2) is on the right.

What I should tell you is I thought about this seriously... before I sewed it.  I was sure I was right-and was FLOORED when  it wasn't.

I think this picture is OK-just so proud I got it together.

 :)

And now for the big reveal~

TA DA!!  

...wait do you see it??? 

And I'm not talking about the fact that the edges aren't squared-I was just going to square it up as best I could.

Yes, is she an anorexic witch?....

 or could it be that the triangle piece under her hat (behind her arm) SHOULD BE BLACK!!!

Oh for goodness sake.  

I'm frustrated.  But not too badly. I KNOW I am directionally challenged and I'm actually amazed that it looks like a witch at all.

 So what to do, what to do...well I am going to un-sew some more and try to salvage this.  

I am not looking forward to it but I will try.  

BECAUSE:  

IT CAN'T BE THIS DIFFICULT!

I can not be this...what?

Slow, bad, dumb, challenged?  

I don't want to paper-piece a bed size quilt, I don't want to paper piece ever again.  But I want to finish this little project and be happy with it and be able to say. 

 "Yes, I can paper piece but it's not my cuppa tea."

I WANT to learn this technique.  But I want it to be easy!  

Aha, there it is.  

I don't want to be challenged today, am I in a rut? Am I too comfortable? Is that a bad thing or a good thing?  Hmmm, a lot to think, food for thought as they say

....hmmm.

And speaking of food, as I was getting ready to sew that little witchy-poo together, Libby called.  Would I be able to have lunch with her and her sweet little granddaughter and then travel to a quilt shop for a quick fabric fix? I most certainly would!

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Here is a picture of the four (yep 4!) Quilts for Kids quilt pieces I cut out last night.  

Mindless sewing-it's a good thing.

  

But  a sewing challenge is good too. 

Thanks for listening. 

I'm going to have a little giveaway and no it will not be that little witch! :)

What's it going to be?

One of my little jack's quilts....a finished one tho' I promise!

Leave me a comment and I'll draw a name  on Saturday, if I remember. And if I forget, I'll do it on Sunday...

Fun times, fun times. Life is Good! 

Edit: Drawing is now closed.