30/30 Sewing Challenge

For the month of March, I participated in this fun challenge hosted by 

Sarah @ Berry Barn Designs

The idea was to spend 30 minutes each day for the month of March

 sewing something that I have been wanting to sew "just for me"

 but have been putting aside for other quilting goals
and to make things for others.

I took this as a time to reflect on the fact that sewing is my "happy place" and 

every time I sew I should be "sewing for fun" 

and not feeling stressed to meet a certain goal or commitment 

or level of success that I have set for myself.

In short, I wanted to put the fun back in sewing
and the happy back in my happy place.

I started here 

and tossed out a few rules and decided to try sewing

with no set list of things I wanted to "accomplish ..."

Then I picked up some fabric for a blog hop project for which I was feeling

 a form of quilter's block.  It was not so much that I had no ideas. It was more that I had too many ideas and could not settle on one. None of my ideas felt good enough.

So I started cutting and sewing with a vague image of where I was going and just enjoyed experimenting with the pretty fabric.

I did some more "just playing with the fabric" sewing Here

I was using precuts, a charm pack and a jelly roll, something I do not use a lot. I have a preference for nice big pieces of yardage that I can cut and know there is more if I need it.  This past year has necessitated a smaller fabric budget and sewing from my stash so the option for nice big cuts of fabric are more limited.

This is what my finished Ruffle Blog Hop project looked like.

This may be my favorite finish of the year!

It makes me happy every time I see it.

Then I sewed some fun scrappy blocks that I am swapping with my quilty bestie,
 Dorian @ Ridge Top Quilts
just for fun.

These  x & + Blocks are fun and easy to make and I enjoy sewing and swapping and Dorian and I have a very relaxed attitude about getting these done and in the mail,

but I was way behind.  I never sent my February blocks and time was running out on my March blocks. Once I started sewing, I just kept going and made April's blocks, too.

So I am actually ahead on this one!  Yay, me!

For fun, I joined in the March Mystery Weekend @ The Quilt & Needle
 that I usually sew every year but was going to skip this year because I  was "too busy."
I love these fabrics and this pattern and I am sew happy I joined in.
I actually had to stop myself at "about" 30 minutes a day on this one or I would not have gotten some other sewing commitments done at all last month.

Pictures of this finished top coming soon!

Then to add to the sewing fun, I decided to join in the
Triangle Quilt Along @ The Sassy Quilter
I started with these fabrics.
This week we are sewing the triangles into rows.
I am picking up a lot of tips about sewing with triangles.

Today I am linking up with the finish party at

30/30 Finish Party @ Berry Barn Designs

There are some pretty fun projects in the links!

Even though this challenge is over I am going to continue my habit of sewing a few minutes each day on just a fun project that I want to do as I also sew the ones I need to do.

Thanks, Sarah, for helping to put the fun back in
"sewing for fun".

:) just keep sewing :)

:-)

My New Temporary Design Wall

This is my new (temporary) design wall.

As my regular readers know, I have moved (temporarily) to my old dining room

 sewing space as my sewing room is occupied by one of my sons.

  I do not mind sewing in our living area, but apparently 

I became very spoiled by having had my own space where I was able to "spread out."   

So ... I seem to be extending my sewing space further by branching into the adjoining living room.  

I am now calling this quilt in the making
"Anything Goes With Gray"
in my head.

One of the things I liked most about my sewing room was that I was finally able to set up a temporary design wall and this was so useful that I had been making sewing room improvement plans to make a permanent design wall.

I now cannot sew without some kind of design wall.

So with the help of my hubby I made a new temporary one by putting a large piece of batting over our big entertainment wall bookcase in the living room.

Yes, there is a television behind these

  Friendship x and + Swap Blocks.

I had to play catch-up on these blocks, which I am swapping with my quilty bestie,

Dorian @ Ridge Top Quilts.

These are my February, March and April blocks.

I shall actually be ahead for once!

I really need my design wall for these blocks ~~~>

My Spring Frolic Quilt In Progress

Here are some of the other blocks.
I really have  a difficult time stopping myself when my
 "30 minutes a day of sewing for me time" is up
when I have these fabrics in my hands.
I have so many projects to catch up on that I have to keep to my self-imposed limit
so I can get everything accomplished.

I will get this spring quilt done.

And Spring Will Come ... soon, I am hoping. 

This has become my focused 

My 30/30 Sewing Challenge

and is a big item on my

My Quilty Bucket List

I have a new addition to my bucket list ~~~~>

This Triangle Quilt Along @ Sassy Quilter

A 60 Degree Triangle Quilt has been on my quilty bucket list for a long, long time
and this fun quiltalong was just the incentive to get it off my "To-Do" list
and onto my "WIP List."   A small step in the right direction.

Sew I have many happy projects to choose from
when I sit down in my happy sewing place.

... just keep sewing ...

Linking up with ...

What are you working on today?

I am always looking for more quilty inspiration.

:)

My Quilty Muse Frolics

My Quilt Muse has spoken.

My Hannah fabrics made themselves at home in my quilty corner and found some pretty Posh friends.

Here are my final choice of fabrics that I am sewing into my 

Spring Frolic Quilt!

Pattern Available HERE

It is still a mystery pattern right now, but I have looked at the final installment this morning.

I like mystery quilts ... sometimes.

I also like planned quilts and to listen to my own quilty muse.

 My quilty muse said "look before you sew this time." 

So I listened and I am very happy I did.

I would have loved the quilt if I had sewed it just as it was kitted as a mystery.

But I am going to love it even more now for having looked before I sewed.

I am making this as a new bed quilt for me and have splurged on fabric and I went spelunking through my stash closet to find the right two coral tone-on-tone fabrics

that my quilty muse wants to see in this finished quilt.

Since this is a mystery I will not be posting pictures here on my blog until the whole pattern is released.  You can see pictures of the beautiful quilts in progress
... (including my blocks) ...
on the

 The Quilt & Needle March 2014 Facebook Album Here

Some of these quilts have the same kit fabrics as my quilt will have,

without the addition of the corals.

They are all looking gorgeous!

I love this pattern.

Thank you, Jess, for this  fun frolic through the fabrics!

I am linking up with the ...

Click Here for Links to all the sewing in progress

Since this is a new queen size custom bed quilt for me,
it is my primary goal in this "sewing for me" project.
I have so many other projects and commitments that it will take me some time until I have it finished but I plan to work on this 30 minutes a day.
I hope to have the top pieced by the end of the month.

... just keep sewing ...

Think Spring!

:)

Just Keep Sewing

These are the fabrics that are on my cutting table this morning.

They are actually fabrics that My Music Girl bought sometime ago and left here for me to make something she requested last fall that did not get done before my eye operation and then "Sewing for Baby" took priority.  Since her life has taken a different turn and she has been nesting and getting ready for baby, the other project has been shelved.  I want to make something for My Girl so I have decided to sew them into a small special project that is a surprise.

Life has been "unsettled" in my scrapatch and I just have to carry on ...

one day ... one stitch ... one prayer ... at a time. 

I have been sewing ... 

I made five blocks this month for

Kevin the Quilter

for his 

QOV Block Drive 

Click Here For Info

Some more feathers for my quilt  

Feather Bed Quilt Pattern

from Anna Maria Horner

These are pieced according to the pattern.

Katniss says, "What?  No Ruffles?"

No ruffles on these, Katniss.

I like the original block pattern, too.

Well ... maybe I will ruffle one feather before I sew the top.

Time will tell ... ;)

My photos are a little gray and blurry.

The weather has been gray here.

Matches my mood ... unsettled.

My sewing corner continues to be my happy place.

I am sewing along 30 minutes of "me" time sewing with the ...

... and filling my Quilty Bucket with the

... and enjoying all the inspiration at




WIP Wednesday @ Freshly Pieced

Although it is stormy today, it is

a season of change ...

Spring!

... new growth ...

... just keep sewing ... 

~ <3 ~

Improv in the Scrapatch

 

An Idea:

 

Use these charms and background fabric and end up with a large block, about 28" by 18"

 

Cut and sew as I go.

 

 

Sewing

 

Making Progress

 



Pressing

 



The Block

 

To see where this is going, please visit again soon.

 

 

 

This is my 30/30 sewing of for today!

 

Click here for more details

 

This is fun!

 

Also linking up to day with

 

 

@

Freemotion by the River

and

Design Wall Monday @ Patchwork Times
 

:-)

 

30/30 ~ No Rules Sewing

30/30

playing with fabric ...

rulers and a rotary cutter in my hand ...

no rules ...

just an idea or an image in my head...

no pattern ...

(well ... unless I decide to use one)

no rules here

so I can change them anytime I want

my idea of sewing fun!

Sarah @ Berry Barn Designs

has started a fun new linky party

30/30 Sewing Challenge

So I am going to play  ...

... with the fabric!

My 30 minutes today was cutting these charms into random width strips
 and sewing them together is random order.

... just keep sewing ...

:-)