T-shirt start!

The pile on the left are cut "oversized" and need interfacing fused to the back, the smaller pile on the right are cut and fused. That's 2 hours + of work time, whew! (doesn't seem like a lot to show for 2 hours)
I started cutting and fusing but the process was so slow that I stopped fusing and just cut.   Yep 2-twin nieces=2 quilts.

Another finish

I haven't officially made a 2010 'to do list' but this pillow is was on the unofficial list.  Old Man Winter pillow is now done and my new header-seems appropriate with all the snow and frigid air that's covering the country.

I also finished my January block for the Many Thanks BOM  I'm doing this year.

Today besides sewing, I organized.  I put everything for this BOM in one of those plastic project cases.  I'm also keeping the blocks for Shannon's BOM in there too.  Today she posted the layout for the quilt...very cool, you should check it out-not too late to join the fun!

I put all the finished Block-a-Day blocks (and templates so far) in another case. 
I'm now going to work on an "official list".  And then (drum roll, please) I am GOING TO GET THE T-SHIRTS OUT.  I am not going to bed tonight until I have them all ready to go--tomorrow I fuse and probably the next day, and the next..... :)  I'm so excited to finally have stopped the procrastination train. 
PS: It's still snowing here!

The view from my deck door

It's a lot of snow when you have to start shoveling the deck!  Mr. Otis stopped when I opened the door for him and gave me a look as if to say "it's deeper than me; I think I can hold it".  So I got the shovel and made him a path to the steps and a path to the birdfeeder...
the path to the feeder is for me not Otis! :)

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I get to look at this view when I'm at the computer.  Sometimes when I do I get a thick feeling in my chest; I am a very lucky person.  My life isn't perfect but it's damn good. 

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Block-a Day: Week One

Top Row: block #1 I really don't like, block #2 (top row middle) is turned sideways.  Block #3; after I fused and cut out the petal pieces I realized they were almost as light as the background, sigh, so I used a vibrant variegated thread to blanket-stitch around them-I like it.
Second row: block #4 is 12 1/2 ", then block #5 is only 6" (I think).  I really like the blue and orange. Block #6-blah and Block #7-was a piecing challenge but I like it. 
Right now I feel like I can do this-make one block every day.  I'm using scraps and fat quarters.  I think FQ are going to work better, I wasted time thinking I had enough of a fabric and then would be a teeny bit short.  I think I'm going to post every Friday with the pictures of the last weeks blocks.

This evening I finished sewing together the Boxed Squares baby quilt I started on Tuesday.

  This is a gift needs done by Feb.

I also worked on my Many Thanks BOM tonight (Jan) and cut out the pieces for the Old Man winter pillow kit.

Chubby Charmer Tote

I finally finished this tote last night.  It's for me! I repeat, it is for me!  The last 3 I made ended up not for me. I'm going to use it to lug my stuff to quilt classes.

My friend Libby and I went shopping yesterday to The Quilt Co., then lunch and finally Jo Ann Fabrics. It was a good day.  We were suppose to get together and have a sew/gabfest at my house, but she needed wide backing and a few things and we decided it was too cold and snowy to drag all her stuff to my house, so we shopped instead.
 
A few months ago I bought the One Block Wonder Book, but I was scared to make it all by myself.  The Quilt Co. has offered a class on it a few times last year and lo and behold they're doing it again. So we talked to Marsha, who will be teaching the class and we both signed up.  The class is 2 part and doesn't start until March, so I have time to get some other things done; like my 2 t-shirt quilts.    Actually, I bought a jelly roll of the Aviary line from 3 Sisters, I cut it up last night to make a baby quilt gift, no pictures yet, but I'm using the directions from Mary. I think it's going to be a lovely quilt for a baby girl.
Oh and my calendar finally came so I started my Block-a-Day.
It has been so long since I've cut out "patches" and put a quilt block together like this; I really had to think for a bit.  I'm just so used to following a pattern where I cut strips or use HST.  I haven't cut out a template for a triangle in for-e-v-e-r.  I have a feeling that will be changing this year, if I can stick to this BL-a-day thing.

Design Wall Monday

  I got the string blocks sewn together yesterday and it's to heavy to pin back up on the wall.  I need to add a border, right now this measures 54 x 72. I arranged the blocks for  a  color wheel effect going around the black and brown blocks in the center--that's about as artsy as I'm getting!  

I used up almost all of my light strips.  I have a ton of the different colored ones though.  I was thinking of another one but all  random darks with a light center strip...still letting that one simmer.

This evening

I made this little cutie.

It's called Mmm....Hot Cocoa.  It's the first of a BOM series from Patch Abilities. Libby (no blog) gave me the pattern and the matching hanger the week before Christmas, our LQS will be carrying all the patterns.  I used my scraps, even scrap batting, sometimes just a quick little project is just what I need to do.  I will hang it somewhere in my kitchen tomorrow.

We're doing this mini series, and Many Thanks BOM, which we plan on getting together once a month to work on the block and anything else we have going on and have a gabfest, we are still planning on doing the block-a-day with this calendar; I already received the companion CD but the calendar has yet to arrive.