I know what you must be thinking...

...hasn't she finished that yet?

This is a miniature version of Lisa Bongean's quilt shown here.

Obviously not (and these blocks obviously need trimming). Each of these 3 3/4" blocks (finished)  has 97 pieces and it is no small task (pun not intended) to put them together. After having not touched my sewing machine for 10 days, I finally got a couple more of these assembled. Eight down, four to go.

My little leaves (the larger ones finish at 3") are made and waiting to be put to use. They are looking pretty hairy, too. I must be neglecting the trimming lately.
I finally have a setting idea in mind, but don't know when I will make it happen--next Fall maybe?

The 4-patch is now a completed top. Gayle (The Middle Sister blog) was the only blog comment with the correct guess that the 4-patches finish at 1/2". She wins the prize--didn't know there was a prize, did you? I'll be sending Gayle a mini charm pack and a gift bag of my herbal soap. Congrats, Gayle!
I put a quarter on the flimsy in the photo so you could see how tiny the blocks are.
I threw this one together rather haphazardly, without much trimming (seems to be the theme here) or pinning. Turned out better than I thought it would, but there are some  pretty wonky spots.

This cupboard full of trays of soap is one of the reasons I haven't been sewing much. Fifteen batches of soap made and curing for holiday gift giving. Such a relief to have that done!! It is the only thing I have done for the holidays. I don't want to hear about how you have your shopping done and gifts all made.

Today DH and I took a little outing to celebrate an upcoming event. He took me to my favorite not-so-local quilt shop to the south of us (I have a favorite to the south and a favorite to the north). A 90 minute drive to get there, but we stop at a favorite ice cream shop on the way home and get the best coconut almond ice cream cones, so he is happy to go. 

Okay folks, that is all for today.
Until next time,
Janet O.

Scavenging, scrounging, and accepting hand-outs.

These lovely star blocks were passed to me a while back by Karen (Log Cabin Quilter blog). There are more stars than will fit on my design wall. 

They were half stars when I got them, because the pattern she had used to make them had you assemble the rows with half stars and the stars were completed when you sewed the rows together. I am not following the pattern, so I sewed the stars into full blocks. Apparently I wasn't careful enough, because now that I am squaring them up, I can't get them all the same size. I am probably going to need coping strips, so this is going to take time. I want to create  small cheddar stars around the cornerstones. This will be one big quilt! And there will be enough blocks left to make a lap quilt. Thanks so much for these lovely stars, Karen!

After making my miniature Kim Diehl quilt last month (which, BTW, I am naming "No Big Diehl"), I had lots of scraps that I set aside.  I scavenged more at Kim's class. After seeing what tiny pieces I use, people were handing me what they had planned on throwing away and asking, "Do you want any of these?" I did. : )

I used those scraps to make some Halloween and Christmas ornaments, and then some non-holiday colored ones. I finally got them to the point that now they just need to be stuffed and sewn up.

Of course, there were scraps left from the ornaments, and I couldn't just sweep them into the garbage, so I started making little 4-patches. I haven't sewn the blocks together yet. Can you guess how big these blocks are or how large this will be when they are sewn together? If you have some of these fabrics you have a clue. ; )

At the Carmen Geddes class last month, where we made the leaf hot pad afterward using the fusible product she was demonstrating, there was a point in our instructions where Kris (shop owner) said we could throw away the triangles we had just cut off. I think I gasped, or groaned (maybe both), and she added, "Or you can give them to Janet."
I collected a nice little bag of Fall colored batik bonus triangles that day. Using batiks from my stash, I am making them into small leaves. Still toying with layout ideas.

My 84-year-old mother is working on what she says will be her last quilt. She's not planning on going anywhere, she just thinks she has other things to do before her time here is up. As usual, I got her scraps once she had the quilt sandwiched in the frame to start hand quilting. There were a few units that she had assembled that she didn't use. I am trying to use those units actually sewn by her to make a few blocks.

There were a few HSTs, 3 complete and 1 partial hexie flower, and lots of trimmings from the piano key border of Mom's quilt. I'll be able to make 4 blocks like this if I complete the partial hexie flower. Just need to stitch down the hexie flowers on these two blocks. I seldom work with colors like this. Kind of fun, for a change.

All the wool on my Christmas "Lamb For All Seasons" has been stitched down. (This is based on the Old Glory Gatherings pattern from Primitive Gatherings.)














Until next time, enjoy the moonrise. : )
Janet O.