Another Year of Schibbles July - The Big Reveal

Earlier this month, I mentioned that the Schnibble this month was our choice.  I had three all ready to go...

So, which did I choose?

None of them!  LOL!

Now, I did actually decide on Cindy Lou Who with Pure.  But as I was sorting through the charms I realized the colors weren't going to work with this pattern (which I will save for just the right charm pack - I know it'll come along).

But, I really wanted to work with Pure, so scoured my Schnibbles Patterns and Carrie's two books - Another Bite of Schnibbles and Schnibbles Time Two and settled on:

Bennington

And love the combo!  I started out doing a scrappy version...

But then decided to color-coordinate the "circles".  I wound up having to make a couple more blue blocks, but in the end I'm glad I went this way.

And the backing is another great find from the Fabric.com clearance section and it's from the Pure line!

This will make a great quilt for a baby boy.  I'm seriously entertaining thoughts of hand-quilting this one.  Maybe I should go take my temperature - LOL!

One August 1st you can check out the July Schnibbles parade on Sinta and Sherri's blogs.  I'm excited to see what Schibble everyone chose!

Oops, I Did It Again...

Sometimes I just can't resist starting something new.  I know I really should get started on my brother's wedding quilt...but two of these layer cakes that have been sitting on my shelf for a long time caught my eye last week...

Sultry by Basic Gray

I've been saving them to make this quilt...

Short Story from Schnibbles x Two

I thought I needed a quick quilt for someone who did me a big favor so took the opportunity to start this quilt (it does not take much of an excuse-LOL), but I wound up giving something else.  But I had started the quilt and I really, really love this fabric so I'm going to keep going.  Besides, these blocks are so much fun to make!

First, I realized I needed a new ruler.  I couldn't believe, among the umpty-zillion ones I have, I didn't have either of designer Carrie Nelson's suggested rulers - either an Omnigrid Quarter Square Triangle Ruler or the EZ Companion Angle.  So, I made a quick purchase of the Omnigrid (no real reason why I chose one over the other - maybe because the Omnigrid can make 12" blocks and the EZ only 10") and I was ready to go.

I cut my strips...

I think the fabric in this line is so pretty...

Then, after sewing the strips together, I used my handy-dandy new ruler to cut the wedges...

And you put them together like this..

Cool block, huh?  Then you trim it down to the perfect size after it's sewn together - I love that!

This is the fabric I got for the back from the clearance section of Fabric.com...

I'm definitely keeping this one for me!

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We're back in business with this Blogger thing.  Thanks, friends, for cluing me in to the fact that Blogger doesn't like Firefox.  I'm using Google Chrome for writing posts and it's working fine.

Swoon Block 8

I'm almost at the finish line now.  Here's number 8....

I can't believe I only have one more block to go! Then, I'm going to start Swoon #2!

I just received my Sunday Morning Quilts Bee blocks for July ...

I love these blocks that Shannon made for me - there are so many great fabrics in here. I spy some Central Park, a little Pearl Bracelet, Castle Peeps and some DS! I need to get started on my slab blocks for next month - August is green, so I'll need to channel my inner Kermit!

(PS - Blogger has been giving me fits - I've got a bunch of blog posts I've been trying to write and it is just not cooperating - with either my text or photos. It was like pulling teeth to get this short little one posted. Hopefully, I'll get this figured out soon! Grrrr.)

This and That...

I wasn't incredibly productive the week after we got home from NC, but I've done a little of this and that...

That Sunday I got the itch to use some scraps to make some round potholders (I saw them on someone's blog and unfortunately can't remember whose - I have that disease, you know, CRS!)
So I pulled out my Habitat Scraps and made these (but I forgot to use the heat resistant batting, so be careful - Ouch!)...

Then I decided to make a few more Granny Square blocks...

I'm now up to 13...

Eight more to go and I'll have a quilt!  By the way, have you seen the Great Granny Square quilt along that Lori Holt of Bee in My Bonnet is hosting?  They are super-sized Granny Squares.  If I hadn't already started this quilt, I'd definitely play along.

I also received this in the mail...

I was thrilled when I found out I won this pattern from Sinta Renee (of Pink Pincushion blog fame - and co-host of the Year of Schnibbles quilt alongs). Hubby, being a  Brit, loved it too!  I'm having fun choosing just the right fabrics to make this!  Take a look at Sinta's version of this quilt - just fabulous!

Also, I was so touched to receive this in the mail recently...

I made this block for Beth's (of Love, Laugh, Quilt) charity quilts for a local Veteran's Hospital.

It was a pleasure to be a part of this project and to receive such a special thank you was the icing on the cake!  It has a special place on the bulletin board in my sewing room.  Thanks, Beth!

So, this weekend, I'm making up for the no quilting of last weekend (let's hope this weekend is MUCH quieter!)  I'm getting together with some quilting buddies for a day of sewing, eating and shopping tomorrow and I can't wait!!

Not What I Had in Mind for the Weekend...

I was going to be sewing all day...hubby was going to make a wonderful meal of braised short ribs and we were going to have it with a nice bottle of wine and watch a movie tonight.

Instead, hubby went and had a heart attack this morning.  Luckily, they caught it in time and he's doing fine.  We went right to the ER this morning when he came in early from his Saturday flea marketing and said he was having bad chest pains and his right arm was tingling...classic, right?  Except he's been having chest pains when he exerts himself for the past two months and we were told it was just pleursy due to allergies.   Um, wrong diagnosis.  We didn't think much of it since Ken's only 56 and has no history in his family of heart disease.  Now we know, chest pains are nothing to fool around with at any age.  So, they put 3 stents in his one artery which was 99% blocks (the culprit today) and he'll get some more on Monday in another one that's blocked 70%.  I'm thinking Ken's going to need to change his diet (I'm sure the breakfast sandwich with sausage, egg and cheese on a croissant this morning didn't help).

So, I'm home alone tonight, really wishing we were sitting down to our lovely dinner, but at least we'll have the opportunity for MORE lovely dinners now.

We returned last week from our short trip to visit my Dad in his new digs in NC.  They have a little piece of paradise there in the middle of nowhere....

It pretty much looks like this everywhere you can see...

But, it's a looonnngggg drive.  We left on Monday afternoon and were making great time.  Hubby says "I think we can drive straight through" and by Roanoke, he's re-thing that - LOL.  So, we decided to stop at a nice Ramada Inn.  We walk in (and believe me, folks, this is par for the course with us) the woman says "honey, you won't find a hotel room open for miles around".  Apparently, we were the only ones who didn't know that part of VA had been without power for days and it wasn't expected to be back on for days yet.  She probably wondered what rock we crawled out from under.  So, we drive and drive and drive some more and found the Ramada in Wytheville, VA had a room.  You know what else Wytheville, VA has?

Score!!  Hubby saw that Sew What Fabrics/Batiks Etcetera was in town and we hung around until 10am on Tuesday so I could do a little shopping.  What a fantastic store!  I know they do a big on-line business too.  I could have gone crazy, but only walked away with this lovely FQ bundle of Hometown by Sweetwater...

Stopping at the quilt shop made me a lot more amenable to stopping at the AAF Tank & War Memorial Museum in Danville, VA on the way home!

And you know all of those hexies I was going to make while we were gone.  How many did I make?

That would be a big fat ZERO!

July Schnibble of the Month - Which Will I Choose?

It was announced that the July Schnibble of the Month would be one of our choosing.  Oh, the choices!  I have both Another Bite of Schnibbles and Schnibbles Times Two, and many single patterns.

I also have three Schnibbles patterns that either I've kitted up myself ... like these two...

Hot Cross with the beautiful Patisserie by Fig Tree...

or Pure by Sweetwater paired with Cindy Lou Who...

I just missed the Philly Modern Quilt Guild's "Project Pure" challenge a couple of years ago...when I joined the Guild, they had just finished the challenge and I've wanted to make something with this line since then.

I also bought a kit online from Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe (sometimes I so wish I lived in Oregon to be near this quilt shop) featuring the beautiful Glace line by 3 Sisters paired with the  Winter White pattern...

  Hmm, I don't know if I should choose one of these or something completely different!

Have Hexies, Will Travel

We're getting ready for the big road trip to visit my Dad in middle-of-nowhere-North Carolina.  He moved last year and we haven't been to visit yet.  When we figure out where he is, I'll let you know - LOLOL!
I can't do that looonngggg car ride (I hate riding in the car) without some stitching. So, I'm taking my box of hexies with me...

This is what I've gotten done so far...

I should get a LOT more done during the 9-1/2 hour trip to and from!