Progress on a New Project

Wanna see what I've been working on recently but couldn't show you yet... above are 4 blocks I worked on and made last week.

This isn't a top secret thing or round robin... I just didn't want to show it on my blog until Crazybout'quilts received her package in the mail from me. I wanted her to see them in person first. :) And she emailed me yesterday and told me that my blocks for her had arrived!!! Yeaa! ...and she loves them! so Double Yeaaa! now I can share! :c)

I forget when it was actually, but a while back, (I think Dec. '08) Crazy and I came up with the idea to swap blocks just between us. We both wanted something scrappy and rather easy to make. I suggested the My Blue Heaven pattern only we are adjusting it to finish up at 8" instead of 12.

I took photos of my progress along the way.. and after seeing all the photos of neat and tidy stacks of projects in blogland, it really kept me on my toes to make my work neat and presentable too :P LOL

Our pattern uses two sizes of HST's. Small ones that finish at 2" and larger ones that finish at 4". Pretty easy don't cha think? ;O) That's the plan Stan!

and I'm making mine the old fashioned way - draw the diagonal line and sew 1/4" from it on either side... and thanks to my (WORTH IT'S WEIGHT IN GOLD) Bernina Foot #57, it makes sewing them a breeze! I just line that little blade looking thing right down the line I drew and sew on both sides. zip. zip.

If you own a Bernina and do not have a foot #57 - go get ya self one! You will never regret it!

Here's a pile of the smaller HSTs. I didn't repeat any of my fabrics for my first sets of blocks. When I cut them apart they will yield 2 of the same... one for my blocks and one for Crazy's.
oops not such a neat photo - excuse all the clutter... but those large HST's already cut and ready to press are laid out pretty neat don't ya think? and that bowl to the left of them... well those were my OREO's until Nora spotted them and helped herself to them. :/

I really do miss my ironing board in here with me in the dining room... but I've been to lazy to carry it downstairs. So instead I'm making due with this travel size. I just lay it up on the table and my dining room table is large enough I can have this ironing surface and my large cutting mat on one side of the table and sewing machine and laptop on the other side.... Here are the large HSTs ready for squaring up. I do think a rotating mat of some sort would come in handy but for now I just make do with setting them all up and going one by one trimming two sides on each and then turning them all around and repeating.when I'm done I'm left with these little slivers of fabric. so I use one of these baby brushes with the fine bristles to sweep them all up into a little pile and clean off. I got this extra one at the dollar store marked down 50% from $1.00

and here below are the fruits of my labor... two blocks to share with Crazy'boutquilts (top) and two identical blocks for me to keep. (bottom)

Well, whatda ya think? Pretty scrappy ea?.......and to show you how fun they are look what happens when you thru two of them around... Ta-Da!

And a few months ago when we were shooting back and forth emails, planning and scheming up this whole swap idea... Crazy'boutquilts used her fancy smancy EQ program to draft up these sketches of what our quilts might turn out to look like.

but then we decided on this second version - of making all of the larger HSTs out of blue fabrics with mixed white and cream backgrounds... ooough - even more scrap-OH-lishious!

and apparently while I was secretly making my blocks for her last week - she was also doing the same thing!!! Because when I emailed her telling her I had mailed her a little something she replied with a "me too." So my blocks from her should be arriving any day now!!! I can't wait to see them and share them with all of you.

Love from Texas!