Kindred Spirit Sewing

Looks like a mini Happy Block with a border twist.

Makes me happy ... :-) 

It is called "Peek A Boo" and is Block 16 of the 

Canadian Quilter's 52 Blocks in 52 Weeks

I have been sewing a  Scrappy Version of this quilt 

and will continue to make blocks for that one, too.

This is a new quilt start.

This Fat Quarter Bundle, panel and green print fabric just arrived today

to brighten my day.

I have been eyeing this fabric in the "Coming Soon" section at the

Kindred Spirit Fabric @ Fat Quarter Shop

This bright and happy collection is by

Jill Howarth for Riley Blake Designs

I also pulled an aqua dot from my stash as a possible background white. 

I fussy cut these pieces for this block.

I will be going back and making the first 15 blocks and continuing on

I will be sewing both versions of this quilt for the quiltalong.

Anne of Green Gables is one of my favorite books from my childhood.

I like the PBS production of this with  Ella Ballentine as Anne,

Martin Sheen as Matthew and Sara Botsford as Marilla. 

I am a traditionalist when it comes to screen versions of a beloved book.

Looking forward to sewing more blocks.

:-) 

Make Two Blocks ~ Feel Better in the Morning

These are Happy Blocks.

I have been having a bad eye day,

bad day healthwise all around really,

and have not gotten much done.

I needed a  pick-me-up.

So I sewed me some Happy Blocks. 

I first made this block to swap long ago

when every morning 

I grabbed a cup of coffee, turned on my computer and logged in 

to visit with my quilty friends at the once mighty, now defunct

Block Central Forum

... long  before I ever had a blog.

This is the earliest blog post that I can find about

Happy Blocks,
by that time the forum was already gone
but the friends got together elsewhere.

I made and sent and even won many Happy Blocks.

Very often they went into quilts I donated,

spreading their happiness to others.

Here is how to make a Happy Block:

Here are the cutting instructions for making this 8.5" square block.

I press all my pieces and the sew opposite sides.

Press.

Repeat.

Then I press my blocks ...

 I pressed seams open.

I used to press seams outward,

but I know this way they will fit with any other blocks.

Then  I trimmed up my blocks to make perfect 8.5" squares.

Fabrics are an older Fig Tree Quilts line called "Fresh Cottons"

These blocks are for a winner takes all swap in May

in a newly made swap group that includes many of my long time

Happy Block Swapping Friends.

Hoping I am the lucky winner

but I will be just as happy to send them to a friend.

These blocks are like potato chips.

Bet you can't make just one ... ;) 

More Quiltalong Fun ~Seaglass Beothuk Star

I am joining this quiltalong fun ...

Beothuk Star Quiltalong

This fabric is

Seaglass by Nancy Rink for Marcus Studio 37 Fabrics

I found this fabric in the most unusual quilt shop

Following The Quilting Bee

... which is a quilt shop on wheels!

This was a vendor parked outside the
Hannah Dustin Quilt Guild Show
As always, we enjoyed the show.
Pretty quilts!

These are the goodies I found
which came in a handmade reusable T-shirt bag!
I love it!

Version 3 of
 Beothuk Star Quilt Fabric Requirements
calls for 6 fat quarters and a background fabric
and these are the ones I am thinking to choose.

I like all of these so much though,
I may tinker with the fabric placement
to use all eight of these fat quarters.

While I am deciding I am will cut the background  ...

This soft blue grunge type fabric is from

Shades by Riley Blake Designs

The color is "Dream" which is shades of denim blues.

Are you sewing along?

Saturday is Scrappy Happy Day

This is my take of Block 15 for the

Canadian Quilter's 52 Blocks in 52 Weeks

Blocks may also be found and posted
 Here on their Facebook Site

Although aqua month at the 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge @ So Scrappy

is coming to a close,

my scrap stash of aqua fabric is low.

Sew I did some retail therapy at my local quilt shop this week

and came home with this nifty stack of aqua fat quarters.

It was fun to search their shelves looking for aqua.

The third fabric up from the bottom is my idea of a true aqua.

Maestro was showing the aqua fabric love.

Looking forward to a new month of fabric color adventures.

The hubs and I are going to a nearby quilt guild show, the

Hannah Dustin Quilt Guild Show

This guild always has a nice show of quilts.

If you are in the area tomorrow, 

it is well worth a stop and see.

Happy Scrappy Saturday!

The Right Katitude

Four Katitide Blocks for four birthday friends.

I cut a few of these and put the in baggies and then follow my own

Katitude Block Tutorial

My personal katitude is a gray today.
It is raining and cold.
The windows are closed.
The heat is on.

I am still waiting for my long arm.



Katniss looks confused and is saying, 
"What is happening here in our favorite room?"

While I am waiting I am packing up and moving out everything in the old sewing room
so there is room to set up my new baby.
This photo was taken late at night a few days ago.
I have since packed all the loose stuff on and in the old left behind youth drawer unit.
It will probably not fit in the room after the long arm is set up.
I have many plastic bins filled with stuff that I hope will fit back into the room somehow.

Yesterday, I stopped by my local quilt shop from which I purchased the long arm.
They have the machine but the frame will not arrive until about May 1st.
I am counting the days.

I did some retail therapy.
I found some aqua fat quarters to add to my meager aqua month scraps
 and this colorful and bright
Quilts & More Summer 2019 Issue
There are a lot of nice projects in this issue.

Liz, the owner gave me the package of Handi Quilter bobbins as a gift while I am waiting
for my new baby to arrive.
I am going to go in for a lesson next week on an Amara 20" as
my skills on loading machine need work.

Sew things are looking up.

It is brighter and happier in my reclaimed dining room sewing corner
and the kitties and I are settling into our new happy place.

Maestro, who just rolls with life says,
"This is all good."

Nutmeg says, "Play with this pretty aqua fabric today.
You will feel sew much better."

Good plan.

We are linking up today with the friendly felines
@
Feline Friday @ Sarah Did It

May you have a happy quilty day today!

I Like Thursday ~ Week 9 ~ The Little Things

Our flowering plum tree is blossoming.

So are our forsythia bushes.

This yellow blooming clove currant bush is filling the air with its sweet scent.

The Easter Lily gifted to us last Sunday is full of blooms.

The pansies in the window boxes are happy to see some late day sunshine.

It has been a very rainy, foggy, cloudy week.

When the sun breaks through everything seems so much brighter.

It has been a week of mixed blessings.

All blessings are welcome and received with gratitude

Life is good.

Since today is Thursday,
I will be sharing the blessings of the life and times of the

I Like Thursday Bloggers @ Not Afraid of Color

Happy Thursday!  

The Eyes Have It

The eyes in this  Pinkerville By Tula Pink fabric

are sew realistic.

This kind of artistic talent always amazes me 

because I do not have the skills to draw.  

I dabbled in oil painting once when I was much younger 

but could not make the paints show what I was seeing.

My quilty muse has helped me to see quilts before I sew them

and sewing a straight line has helped me 

reproduce a reasonable image.

Sew fabric is my medium and quilting is my creative outlet.

My Pinkerville quilt is mostly still in my head

but I am making progress.

This quilt was   Started Here.

It is for a reveal next month 

so I cannot show much more yet.

My Riley Blake 12" Tailor's Clapper has been

helpful pressing down the seams of this one.

I only recently started using a clapper and it does help reduce

use of my iron,

which means there is less chance to distort the fabric.

I have been looking for ways to improve my skills

and make my blocks flat and the correct size.

Another helpful tool for this is this

Alex Anderson 4 in 1 Essential Tool

This works wonders to press seams with 

crisp clean ;ones that leave no fabric in the seams.

My blocks have had less distortion and more true to size

since I started using this when finger pressing.

I received this in my

Sew Sampler Monthly Subscription Box

in February and it has been in constant use since then.

It is not something I ever would likely have purchased.

I have received more than a few such items over the past two years 

I have been receiving these surprise packages.

Originally it was a gift subscription,

but now I renew it every year

because I love surprise packages

full of quilty goodies. 

Many others do, too, which is why there is now a waiting list.

April is the start of a new year of Sew Sampler boxes

which means a new yearly BOM pattern is staring.

I cannot show more yet.

Many of you many still be waiting for your boxes to arrive

and I do not want to spoil the surprise.

It has been rainy and foggy and damp here again

with some breaks in the clouds.

Hoping for some sunshine today.

May you have a happy quilty day ... :) 

Homemade Wool Pressing Board

This is my new Homemade Wool Pressing Board
It is 51" by 17" 

Recovering my home made pressing board was part of my sewing space renovations.
I made this board several years ago and posted it
 DIY Ironing Board Here
It was longer, then.
I cut the boards down to fit the space between my computer desk
and the outer wall of my dining room
when I moved my sewing space to that corner.

I bought this 

Wooly Felted Ironing Board Cover

This one is 20" by 54"  and  1/8" thick. 

and it was the least expensive one I could find.

I found it at Here @ Fat Quarter Shop

After I posted my first photo of this someone suggested wool felted fabric.

I found some here Wool Felt Fabric at Joann's
but I cannot attest to its quality as I have never used it. 
It would have been wider but the cost would have been similar to 

the Wooly Felted Ironing Board Cover that I used. 

I am happy with my purchase.

It worked well

It came with these clamps and elastic to attach it to the back of the board.

I removed the old fabric cover and left on the cotton batting 

and Warm Company Insul-Bright ,

which is just stapled to the boards.

The boards are tongue in groove pine boards from a home supply store

and they are also stapled together.

Here is the back of my newly recovered board.

I used the clamps and elastic that was in the packaging 

to stretch and fasten it.

Then, since the pad was only a few inches wider than my board

and was sticking out, I used

gray fabric 2" wide gaffer's tape to secure the long edges of 

the wooly felt to the back and make a nice smoothly rounded edge.

The board is not secured to the top of the storage cube unit.
I put down large reused piece of rubberized shelf liner
under the board and that works well to keep it from slipping.
This way I can easily move the board to the table when I want to press a quilt top, quilt,
long yardage or anything that needs to hang freely over the edge of the table.

I am very happy with the results.
Best version of my homemade pressing board cover ever!

This project is part of my 

   My New Quilting Adventures ~ Started Here

More moving and making room

and doctor's appointments 

happening this week.

More Quilty Adventures Soon  ... :-)