Cotton Robin round 4

If you've been reading along as I've recounted the drama (ha!) of the Cotton Robin, you know that I was wonderfully excited to be able to participate. It's always fun to jump in the deep end of the pool (holding your nose, of course), and that's sort of how I began the Cotton Robin: last minute, hoping I didn't slip up, and just a little anxious. 

Since I was so last minute, I didn't have time to think. Good. It meant jumping in no matter how cold the water. Two colors left on the work table volunteered their services and we were in business. This above was my block. Yay! I really liked it--improvisational, bold, something of a watery color in there. Just fun. Anyone could do anything. I even tossed in the tiny bit of left over fabric.

Then I had the chance to look at the Cotton Robin blogpost on which every one of the blocks were posted. They were all so.... quilty! I wanted to cry. I desperately wanted to get my little blue block out of there! Why did I ever consider this? I know I'm too different to do these things. Then I did cry. Quite a bit, actually. But remember, I cry a lot. Sometimes I cry because I cried. Well, often. So you get it now? The internal drama of bipolar disorder can be overwhelming...and managed. Thank goodness I had remembered to take my medicine.

When I calmed myself down, I considered my options: 1. write Julie and beg her to undo the magic of managing the robin so people would forget about me; 2. write everyone and try to explain my block, or what I was thinking, or how I'm different. And I considered the consequences: #1 was not fair to Julie. She had put in great time and effort. Plus, I'd made my own choices. #2 seemed confusing, long-winded and overly dramatic, of which I'd had enough. I chose #3 which was to let go of the feelings of inadequency and see what transpired. There was the possiblilty (albeit slim) that it could be interesting and fun.

I just went on with my little life of living and teaching and retiring. Beautiful little quilt tops came, and I did my best to interpret and add to the story, and then the little quilts left. Finally my own little block, which had grown into a beautiful little quilt, returned home. 

Oh my! I cannot imagine that it could be better. It's perfect. And look at the quilting. Perfect. It's all just perfect. Tears? No, just happiness. Although I didn't complete the quilt or work past the beginning block, I'm counting it as a finish. It is, after all, finished!

Sunday Quilt Inspiration: HONEY

Yes indeed, honey and honey bees! (of course) Starting with little honey-colored fabrics, accessories, even a honey covered barn...

You know it...honey-colored, honey covered, honey bee, honey everything in the way of quilts.

Lots of honey on Pinterest, y'all. Go take a look!

Quilty 365 for February

I'm not sure I should even write February since it's the only month in which I've made circles. But this will keep alleviate some confusion.  (Okay, maybe.)  I actually announced that I'd decided to become involved with Quilty 365 on Feb. 13, but the first date of making the circles must have happened around the first. 

Since those dates, I'm made a few circle blocks. I chose to use some woven plaids and solids that I've had for quite some time now. 

At first I sewed plaid circles onto the solids. After I announced that I'd been sucked in become involved with the project, I decided to switch up the game and put solid circles on plaid squares. I wanted to mix it up just a little. 

Turns out that I made way more this way than I intended. Way, way more.  Big blocks with big circles. 

Small blocks with small circles. A few stripes. Some odd plaids that aren't regular wovens, but plaids none-the-less. Way more than I intended wanted.

There we have it. Well, I don't know how many, exactly, there are. I haven't counted. (yet)  I'll just say lots of plaids and still far from 365. However, the chances of maybe catching up exist since most days I sew two blocks. I have sewn as many as four or five some days a time or two. 

Linking up with

March Quilty 365 Linkup at Quilty Folk 

A finish,and a finish, and a finish!

Yes, three finishes! Remember that I joined a bee for a year?  I was to send a block a month every month for 2015. I was pretty good in keeping up with my monthly blocks until October.  Happily, I managed to get blocks to the monthly queens within a few days of the deadline. Some months I sent the blocks off early!  

A couple of bee members visited one month in the summer when we worked on a difficult block, played on the long-arm, and generally had fun.

French Roses block

Then October happened.  First there were issues with the pattern, and I waited out the math problems: I could only make matters worse.  My plan was to complete two blocks during the Thanksgiving break.  

However, in November I was deep into my own world of confusion trying to figure out how to get Building Blocks to cooperate with my plan. (That's the quilt that became two, and both were seeking independence.) 

Dealing with two additional blocks?  No way!  I sort of ignored everything in my life except EOC testing at work and Building Blocks at home.  And ah, the stress-filled exhaustion of teaching.

Christmas holidays finally arrived bringing with it three bee blocks, which were all giving me the evil eye.  I tried to look away from the guilt and shame of being so late, but eventually I had to face the horrible truth: I am a bad worker bee.  

Snowflake block

Fully rested (thanks to a wonderful Christmas break) and completely finished with Building Blocks woes, I began with the easiest block, French Roses, (see above) and finished quickly.

That meant I could face the snowflake block was applique, it made sense to go there. I created my pattern--which I thoroughly enjoyed--and when the block was finished, I was thinking what pretty pillows it would make.

Scary block (just teasing, I really don't know the name)

On to the final block--the one that required math--and when Rich came in an hour later begging to go out for supper, I was finished! A few photos dropped into Facebook and we were on our way. Breathing a happy smile.

Until we return home fat and sassy!  A FB note.  A gentle reminder: don't forget the last step.  Last step?!!!  I'd left off a step? Oh darn! I sure did. And it looks so good, too.
I can only say I must have been very hungry for Mexican salsa! Today I opened the envelope, and added the triangle pieces to increase the size to 17" so now all three envelopes can go out with the mail.  

And this worker bee can hold her head up (almost level) again.

Linking up to 

Finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts

Modern Monday Surprise

I woke up with a migraine on Saturday, took a second dose of Zomig on Sunday, and had hopes for relief on Monday. No cigar, as the saying goes.  But the migraine was better, so after sleeping for an extra six hours this morning, I decided that moving around might help and went into the studio.  

Apparently pain is a stress-reducer or brain activator or something, because I've been dreading making the four cathedral windows blocks for my August modern bee queen....yes! last month!  Much of it was the dread of figuring out what, exactly I was supposed to do.  I just couldn't wrap my head around the pattern.  

When you're a visual learner and pictures don't click, it's gruesome. The one thing I did get were the dimensions of the block: 17 1/2" square.  After that I was bummed.

But there was this nagging feeling that something I'd done before (maybe five years ago?) was similar.  Turns out it wasn't but it enough to get me to sit down and figure it out.  What I had to do was fold the fabric so that I could envision the outcome.  

In the end it was easy and took all of four seconds and a couple of minutes.  The four seconds was the folding part.  

So, August is done.  Finis!

That inspired me to work on the September block: a maple leaf block of oranges. Brights, solids, scraps... whatevers would work. So in about 10 minutes that was done.  

Except, oops!  Wouldn't you know the points are perfect?  And it's the middle row that was in wrong, so both seams had to come out. But I did have a migraine, so let's just go with that, shall we?

Là, finis aussi.  

Not a bad migraine Modern Monday after all!  Even if I did leave a bit of an orange mess behind.  

Just kidding.  It's Labor Day...so I had to show some work ethic!
Here's hoping yours was good, as well!

Quilters' Play Date

I've met a couple of quilters online by joining first the Louisiana Traveling Quilt Bee.  Soon after I joined the Bee Great Quilting Bee.  I've already finished the quilts from those bees and written about them: you can read about the resulting quilts by clicking on the title links. And here.



Of course, there's lots of emailing and chatting when you're in a bee.  After all, someone has to keep track of what has happened and what is going on.  During one of those conversations, I decided to invite my bee mates over for a play date.  Two ladies took me up on my offer, and on Saturday I had company over. 


Except I never really considered them company in the formal sense of the word.  I felt that I already sort of knew them since we've been chatting and sewing together for a while.  But, we had never met in person. I did stalk them on Facebook, but I assume they stalked me, too. Isn't that what everyone does?  

So, on Saturday Kelly and Erika arrived. We hugged and said hello and visited a bit.  Uhm, a while.  Actually, we talked a lot! but we made a plan--work on the July block for our bee queen, have lunch, work on individual projects and share quilts along the way.

Good plan!  Except the blocks were harder than we thought.  And we got confused.  The directions (I've decided) were written with two choices but that's not clear.  So we started with one option and followed directions right into option two, which cut fabric that had been cut correctly following directions in option one.  Arrgh.  Don't be fooled by the smile in this picture. It was stressful at times. In the end, we figured it out. 

I'm using the term we loosely, though.  I did no math.  And I didn't pick up the cutter or the clutter.  I just sewed.  Erika saved my hide on that one. I told her I want her to visit on a regular basis: she cut, she pressed, she organized the blocks.  

Really!  All I did was sew.  Half-square triangles.  Flying Geese. Nine-patch (finally).  Well, I talked, too. But you know that!  

We finally got the block finished and I helped Erika set up a small quilt on the long-arm so she could play.  

She had such a pretty little quilt!  We talked and figured out what she could do and then she played.  And love it!

Look at her beautiful smile!  This is her small quilt almost complete.  She doesn't have much to do at home.

At about the time that Erika finished her small quilt, Kelly completed her bee block.  So we celebrated.

And so, all three block are finished.  I had a few seams left on my block, but it didn't take long to wrap those up.  Now to get them into the mail tomorrow.  Then to load a fresh quilt onto the long-arm and get that one out of the way.
What are you working on this week?