Look who tried paper piecing...and Survived!

This paper pieced flying geese block has been one of my favorites for a long time.  (There are a million beautiful versions of it but this one and this one are personal favs!)  I've just been too busy too chicken to actually try it.  That is one of the great things about joining a virtual quilting bee, though. You are forced to step out of your comfort zone more often than not.  

I was a wee bit scared when Sheetal announced it as her pick for our May Bee Vintage Block.  But I dove in...and I'm happy to report there were no tears, no bad words, and only minimal amounts of seam ripping involved.  Not bad for a first attempt.

I actually made this red + white version as a tester to the vintage sheet one.  I am going to use it in my quilt club anniversary quilt.  I think I've mentioned that I'm asking for red and white blocks for that project.  Won't that be so pretty?  I think so...

The Last Blocks

As the year comes to and end, so too, does my quilt club's anniversary project.  

Here are the last of the blocks I made for the ladies.  

 A dresden for Nancy, flying geese for Connie, and red and black for JoLene.

 

   

And here's Kae's finished red, white, and blue quilt. Isn't it fun? 

So far she is the only one who has even put her blocks together, let alone finished her quilt.  The rest of us are either waiting for remaining blocks or slacking. :)  I am in the waiting group...

Overall I think everyone is pretty happy with this project and the blocks they received.  I imagine that next year there will be completed tops popping up at our monthly meetings.  At least that's my hope. I'm excited to see how they all come together.

As for 2013, we are brainstorming ideas for a new group project.  Any suggestions?

 

DQS 13

Nothing like another round of the doll quilt swap to stir up some anxiety and excitement.  I don't know why this swap makes me break into cold sweats, but it does.  And yet, I signed up again...

1. DS Quilts Mini, 2. Sunday Stash #115, 3. What I've been working on, 4. Ellsworth Kelly quilt - spontaneous color, 5. DQS9 - Done!, 6. Nearly 20 Months Later, 7. Quilt layout?, 8. Chicopee Chevron Quilt for FLiQS Swap, 9. finished!, 10. Boy Churn Dash quilt, 11. DS DQS 3 - Hope Valley Irish Chain, 12. Work Quilt #2 - Detail, 13. Modern Mini Quilt, 14. All done!, 15. three and six lap quilt, 16. Doll Quilt Swap 12 Front

Here is the mosaic I made for this round.  My pics are a bit different than last round, a bit random even.  So let me explain why I chose these particular inspiration pieces:

I am currently obsessed with orange peel quilts.  They, along with double wedding rings, are on my quilting "bucket list".  Polka dots in any (or all) colors make me happy.  I like flying geese, simple solid quilts, traditional blocks made modern, hand quilting, and bright pops of color.  Denyse Schmidt fabrics are a personal fav right now.  And I am jumping on the text fabric love bandwagon.  

There you have it. My likes summed up in one little mosaic.  

What would your mosaic say about you?