Sugar Sack Quilts

I won a give-a-way from Glenna Hailey at Hollyhock Quilts! It actually arrived at the end of last week, but my DD#2(a high school senior) had my camera all week for end of season soccer games and prom. This is a lovely book full of wonderful projects that have me itching to be stitching! I photographed it with my one authentic feedsack, and two packages of cotton rickrack that originally sold for 13 cents a piece. My two favorite patterns from the book are Stripping in the Garden and Hearts and Flowers, okay, my three favorites, because I love the Sail Away quilt too! DD#2 really likes the Happy Scraps quilt, I've pulled out my 30's reproduction fabrics to figure out a plan! Thanks so much Glenna, I am really enjoying this book!

Design Wall Monday

This little quiltlet is a Schnibble pattern called Mon Ami. I wanted it to be low contrast, but I think it turned out no contrast! I've had this fabric in my stash for a while, its called Winsome, by Nancy Halverson. I am going to use the small check as the backing, and bind it with the small dots. I want to do some simple hand quilting and have it ready to use by Easter. Go by Judy L.'s blog and look at all the other design walls - you are sure to be inspired!

Brown monochromatic blocks

I am a few days late in posting these, but I have had them done since last week. Check out Judy L.'s blog for more monochromatic inspiration. I love the way all of these 6" blocks are turning out - I think when I put them together at the end of the year they will look awesome! Now if I could only make the same progress on my UFO list...

Design Wall Monday

Today, I have the green leftovers from Carolina Christmas assembled. It still needs a border of the same yellow fabric as the cornerstones. My plan is to bind it with the green stripe fabric used in the sashings and border. I was so lucky to have received bits and pieces of Sarah's leftovers from her CC quilt - the pieces have added so much variety to my projects! Check out other design walls at Judy L.'s.

Design Wall Monday

I haven't done much sewing in the past month because I aggravated a chronic lower back problem, and sitting was no longer an option! However, I did catch up on all the ironing, file a lot of paperwork, gather all our tax info, and cut out three quilts from scraps/stash. When I finished my Carolina Christmas flimsy, I had many pieces and parts leftover. After moving them aside once again, I decided to find a way to use them. This first quilt is made from leftover red/background HSTs. I just needed to cut out bricks and setting triangles for this one, a pattern by Judy Martin called Picket Fences. I cut out two different sizes of sashings for the green leftovers for quilt #2, and after adding in some different colors of Christmassy type fabrics, I cut out a third quilt for a Lynda Hall pattern called Last Rung on The Ladder. I am back to sewing, but I haven't touched my UFO for February or March. Sidetracked, but sewing, and I'll take that any day over not sewing! Head over to Judy's to see all the great projects out there in blog land.

Design Wall Monday

Here are my monochromatic blocks for February. I love making these, the hardest part is stopping! I have pulled out a lot of FQs to cut additional pieces for the UFO challenge, it is one I am excited to be working on-it uses some of the smaller blocks from a 9-patch exchange organised by Julie. Stop by Judy L.'s to see more design walls.

Reasons or excuses?

I wonder what the difference is between reason or excuse? Sorry to be away from blogging for such a stretch. After 5 years of study and formation, my DH was ordained a Permanent Deacon of the Catholic Church on Saturday, and that involved a lot of my time for the past month or so, culminating in out-of-town guests, and a big celebration. Throw into that same time frame 2 birthdays, resuming my part-time winter job, cleaning my house, making curtains for the dining room, making a dress for DD #1, making an outdoor flag, and having the kids home for a week because of snow and ice, and you have your pick of reasons or excuses!
I did not finish my UFO for January, but I completed 12 blocks. This quilt is just not floating my boat, but I am still going to get it together (a much smaller quilt than originally planned), and get it off my list. I am going to set the blocks together side-by-side, add a small border of background fabric, and buy another fabric to add a larger border.
After I straighten out my linen closet (mostly empty because of all the sheets and towels coming through the laundry), put away all of the remnants of the party, and clean off my sewing surface, I will be more than ready to start working on violet blocks and UFO #10.