Betsy's Blessing Tutorial Part Two

Hello Everyone,

In between working on the BOM for Marcus Fabrics, I've been working on Betsy's Blessing.  I still haven't decided how big or small I'm going to make this cutie.

You have to make a lot of strip sets, and half-square triangles for this little block.

I have a basket full of parts and pieces to make another 20 or so blocks.

Here's a tutorial to make the little sashing stars.
 

You will begin by cutting the following to make the sashing units.  

Cut a strip of yellow that measures 5" x width of fabric.  Then subcut it into 1-1/2" sections.

Cut a strip of red that measure 1" x width of fabric. Then subcut it into 1" squares

Draw a line on each one of the squares from corner to corner.  This is your stitching line.

Stitch directly on the line.

Trim the corners off 1/4" from the line.

Press each corner toward the red.

Now do the exact same procedure on the other corners.

Click HERE for the link to the first tutorial to make the blocks.  They are easy blocks to make, and you can use up a lot of scraps in the making.  I am only pulling fabric from my stash of Betsy Chutchian designs.  They all work so well together.

I don't know what I was thinking, but I decided to migrate the bookkeeping for my business to the online version of Quick Books on January 1st. I've been using the same software for 10 years.  You know that phrase about teaching an old dog new tricks?  Well, I'm not sure that it applies to this old dog.  I've been glued to my office chair for hours at a time.  I think I've finally got it figured out, and actually like the power of the new system.  The only problem is......when I loose my Internet connection, I'm up a creek without my accounting paddle.

On another note, I called our health care provider, and now we have an appointment to get the first installment of the vaccine.  I am so excited to get this process started in the next couple of weeks.  When I called, I was on hold for 2 hours and 10 minutes.....it was worth the wait even though I had to listen to the recorded message about 1,000 times.

I hope you all have a great weekend.  Since everyday seems the same here in the mountains, everyday is the weekend.

Soon,

Lynn

Happiest of New Year's to YOU!

Hello Everyone,

Today I'm going to dig out one of my many UFO's, Betsy's Blessing, and enjoy working on it again. I will be churning out Churn Dash blocks while I'm watching the College Football Bowl games.

I love these little blocks!  I'm only using my stash of Betsy Chutchian fabrics, since they all work so well together. I put a little tutorial together which you can locate by clicking HERE.

So, dear readers, 2020 is now in our rear view mirror, and it's time for a reboot.  What lessons did we learn from last year?  I learned many things about myself, and I'll bet you did too.  I learned just how dear friends are, and I'll never take their hugs and smiles for granted ever again.  We've all had to learn to smile with our eyes, now that half of our faces are covered up.

I always knew how dear my family is, but now I profoundly realize just how loved they are.  I miss giving and receiving their hugs.  I miss seeing the interaction between all of them during family gatherings.  I miss it all.  When our son was dealing with Covid, there were many days filled with worry for his return to good health.  He is doing fine now, and so far, no other family members have contracted the virus.

I learned not to schedule every day with workshops, lectures, classes, and vending at quilt shows.  In 2019, I was always packing, and preparing to leave for an event.  I think I was gone more than I was home.  I have enjoyed being home for the past 9 months.  Yes, my income has taken a huge hit, but my piece of mind and happiness is priceless.  My Etsy shop has really kicked into high gear, and it has filled the financial void.

Next year I'm planning on hosting four Sew'n Wild Oaks quilt retreats.  I just have to walk down the street to Snowflake Lodge and I'm there!  Yes, there is a lot of planning involved to make it successful, but once that is done, I'm good to go.  I've missed the retreats soooooo much.  They are the happiest of times for all of us with so much laughter, sharing, eating, and yes, a lot of quilting!

Today, the first day of 2021 begins a new journey.  It's up to us to make it the best journey yet. It's up to us to see the best in everyone, be more tolerant, give more, and expect less.  We need to practice patience and civility.  Enjoy simplicity, and create harmony and peace in our homes. We can do this!  Our story begins at home.

Happy New Year!

Soon,

Lynn

 

Betsy's Blessing Blocks

Hello Everyone,

I put about 30 of these little blocks together last week.  It is a very simple Churn Dash block using only scraps from my bin full of Betsy Chutchian fabrics.

I'll put a tutorial together this week for the sashing section.  The sashing finishes at 1".  The little red stars are going to twinkle across the wall hanging or tabletopper.

I can see an entire bed quilt comprised of these cute blocks.....one of these days.  I have only 6 more blocks to put together to make this complete.  I like to occasionally make a small project to add to my collection of designs.  This one is going to be as sweet as it can be.

The blocks are on display on the island in our kitchen.  Mr. Joe made this from a tree that was harvested just down the street from us.  He spent weeks sanding and staining.  It is a huge slab of tree, and I love it!

Those of you who have been following my blog know that my twin granddaughters are involved in FFA.  This year, at the online FFA auction, we bought one of the pigs they raised. Since we bought an entire pig, we had to buy a freezer.  These are the most expensive pork chops EVER!  Who knew how hard it was going to be to buy a freezer.  Did you know they are in short supply due to the pandemic?  The earliest we could have one delivered was the middle of November.  So, we bought the floor model at a store about 45 minutes away from us.  I wanted an upright, but the one we found is a big, honkin' chest freezer.  The arrival of the freezer meant we had to clean the garage and make room for it.  We soon discovered that when you lean over the freezer to get something from the bottom, it would be easy to tip over and end up in it!  If you don't hear from me in a few days......check the freezer.

We drove out of the county last Friday to pick up the pig at the processing plant about 2 hours from the cabin.  This was the biggest outing for us since March.  We discovered there's a whole world out there that actually seemed quite normal.  On our journey, we stopped by Cloth and Quilts in Hilmar, CA.  Ann finished making the shop sample of my "Christmas Ribbons" quilt, and they have a couple of kits left HERE.  You could have this one made in time for the Holidays.

It has been insufferably hot here in the mountains as we are in the grip of a days-long heat wave with no end in the foreseeable future. Yesterday is was downright scary with the wind and the heat.  We are in the peak of fire season, and we are holding our breath until the rains come.  We don't have air conditioning, so we exist like two slugs sitting in front of the fan.  Luckily my sewing room is the coolest room in the house, so I tend to spend a lot of time in it. Mr. Joe visited me often. If it is as bad today as yesterday, I may be checking out spending some time in the freezer!

This week I'm setting sail on my "Crossing the Pond" design.  I made huge headway last week, and hope to again this week.

Soon,
Lynn

Cutie Patootie Blocks

 Hello Everyone,

It was a great day yesterday making these cute little blocks.

By the end of the day, I had a nice pile of thirty blocks.  The HST, and strip sets were already made.  I just had to sew the blocks together.

I cut, and made some sashing sections, and I like the look.  I'm going to stick with this setting.

 It's my turn to cook this morning for our mini-retreat of three people, so I have to scoot and tie my apron on. 

Soon,
Lynn

Mini Retreat Preparations

Hello Everyone,

What do you think of this cute little block that will finish at 4-1/2"?

This block came about when I started preparations for a mini retreat next week.  I got out my collection of Betsy Chutchian fabrics which I call my "Betsy Bin".  I like to keep certain collections all together in one place.

I started selecting fabrics for the triple Churn Dash block, and started making little components.  All of Betsy's fabrics work so well together.  I can mix and match from my fabric assortment, and know it is going to work.

I love to begin with a center that has more than three colors.  In this center I see red, blue and brown, so that's what I selected to create a frame around my center.

Next Monday, I'm going to post a tutorial with the cutting directions and construction for this little block.

I'll be experimenting with different setting options in EQ software, and post suggestions.  So you will get to choose what you want to do with the blocks if you decide to make them.

This little project came about when I wanted to have something small to work on at a mini retreat next week.  My big, Sew'n Wild Oaks retreat with 36 quilters was supposed to start next week at Snowflake Lodge.  Well, as you can guess, that was cancelled.  

To fill this time with something fun, my sister is going to come up to her cabin which is only a mile from mine, and we are going to have a mini retreat.  A couple of friends from our "social bubble" will be joining us.  I needed a small project to work on, due to space issues.  This little project is going to fill the bill nicely.  So tune in next Monday and throughout the week to watch my progress and check out the tutorial.

Soon,

Lynn