Block of the Month Progress

I finished another block from Sun, Sand, and Sea Block of the Month. This was block 10 - "Making Waves" - and it was designed by Amy at Sew Incredibly Crazy. You may find her post here and the pattern here.

If you have followed my blog long, you may already know I love hand embroidery, but still consider myself a novice when it comes to machine sewing. I am doing better with getting my seams to line up, but clearly need more practice...

I only have one more block to make from this BOM before I can sew the quilt top together! This BOM has been so fun that I decided to participate in the It's a "Wild" Life BOM being hosted by Sew Incredibly Crazy and Friends this year.

Block 1 "Maple Leaves" was designed by Amy at Sew Incredibly Crazy. You may find her blog post here.

The pattern is available here at Craftsy. It is free throughout February.

Thank you for visiting!
-Renee

You may see the other blocks I made for the Sun, Sand, and Sea BOM here.

Sun, Sand, and Sea BOM 2017 - Block 8

Block 8 of the Sun, Sand, and Sea Block of the Month was a challenging one for me. 

Finding a color scheme that would work for the flamingo and still fit with the orange and black theme of the quilt was a little tricky, but I think I pulled it off.

As much as I loved the border option using small squares of various colors of fabrics, I felt this border option in the directions would fit better with the theme and with the other blocks I have made.

"Beach Boy Freddie" is adorable and was fun to work on! This block was designed by Carol of Just Let Me Quilt. You may see her post sharing this block here and the pattern is on Craftsy here.

I used ThermOWeb Heat-n-Bond Lite to attach the appliqued pieces to the block and then secured each piece by hand with the buttonhole stitch and 2 strands of matching DMC floss. The straw was hand embroidered with a stem stitch.

I have 2 more blocks to complete for this quilt top. You may find the blocks I have completed to date on the Sun, Sand, and Sea 2017 BOM page at the top of my blog or by clicking here.

If you are interested, Amy and her friends have organized another Block of the Month for 2018. The theme is: It's a "Wild" Life. You may find the schedule of designers here and Amy shared a post with supplies you will need for the BOM here. Each pattern is free the month it is released.

Thank you for visiting!
Renee

More Happy Mail!

Look at the wonderful mail that arrived from ThermOWeb yesterday!

As some of you know, I am participating with my first quilting block of the month.

Amy at Sew Incredibly Crazy and some of her very talented blogging friends offered a Sun, Sand, and Sea Block of the Month.

(Here is a link to the blog posts at Sew Incredibly Crazy. 

And you may find my blocks here.

Joan at Moosestash Quilting has finished here quilt and it is here!)

ThermOWeb is one of the wonderful companies sponsoring the Sun, Sand, and Sea Block of the Month.

In October, I won a drawing after completing this block and entering it in a linky party.

ThermOWeb sponsored the drawing and I won all of the goodies shared in the first photograph.

The timing was perfect, as I used the last of my roll of HeatnBond Lite to complete this block. 

 I want to thank ThermOWeb for sponsoring this block of the month. I love their products! 

I also want to thank each of these bloggers - not only for being so talented - but for being incredibly sweet and supportive. 

They have made my first BOM experience SEW much fun!

Amy at Sew Incredibly Crazy

Carla at Creatin' in the Sticks

Carol at Just Let Me Quilt

Joan at Moosestash Quilting

I also encourage you to check out the 2018 BOM. 

The theme is: It's a "Wild" Life.

Details are here and each block is free the month it is released.

Thank you for visiting!

-Renee

This is day 16 of the 31 Day Blog Writing Challenge hosted by www.muppin.com.

You may find more details and other participating blogs here.

November 2017

November has arrived. 

In just 2 months, we will be greeting the year 2018.

Progress with my October goals:

The list of October goals may be found here. 
Click on any photo for a larger view.

A clutch purse was created with my May CQJP 2014 block. This was my August 2017 UFO Challenge project. More details are in this post.

Sun, Sand, and Sea BOM Block 9

"Bathing Beauty" was completed! The blog post is here.

This is my progress on coloring the Pure Prairie Bouquet digital stamp from Power Poppy for the September pencil class through Kit and Klowder.

This is a lovely design, but I may set it aside until after the holidays to finish. The classes take some time.

Other October Accomplishments:

This fabric postcard was created for a swap. It was yet another finish, as the cross-stitched pumpkin has been sitting in a drawer for about a year. The blog post is here.

This small zipper pouch coin purse was added to my Hand Stitched Treasure Etsy Shop. The blog post is here and the Etsy shop is here.

Progress was made on my Crazy Quilt Journal Project (CQJP) 2017 March block. 

NOTE: You may sign up for CQJP 2018 November 1, 2017 - December 31, 2017. Find the rules here and the registration info here.

November Goals:

1. Finish embellishing this Christmas stocking for my son. Some progress was made in September and shared on Instagram. (#10 on the APQ 2017 UFO Challenge, selected in June.)

2. Add a label and a hanging sleeve to this "Sealed with a Kiss" quilt. This is a smaller version of the pattern in the book Hearts Aplenty by Lynda Milligan and Nancy Smith.

3. Frame my Heaven and Earth Designs Santa and the Mouse Ornament cross-stitch based on artwork by Scott Gustafson. The chart is retired, but a similar chart is available here - it is a quick stitch of this piece of art. (#9 on the APQ 2017 UFO Challenge - selected in November.)

4. Finish "Beach Boy Freddie", the September block of the Sun, Sand, and Sea BOM at Sew Incredibly Crazy and Friends.

5. Finish the October Sun, Sand, and Sea BOM from Sew Incredibly Crazy and Friends. (Due to Internet issues, it has not yet been shared on Amy's blog, but there is a sneak peek at Moosestash Quilting.)

6. Sew the second border on my "Hearts Askew" quilt and stitch around the appliqued hearts. The pattern is from the book Hearts Aplenty by Lynda Milligan and Nancy Smith.
I found the fabric and finished the first border in October. (#3 on my APQ 2017 UFO Challenge List - selected in October.)


7. Finish my Kit and Clowder October Pencil Class. So far, I have printed the stamp onto paper. The Special Edition Snowman and Penguins digital stamp was designed by Crissy Armstrong specifically for this class and is only available a limited time at Whimsy Stamps, so this link goes to their digital stamp collection - not directly to this stamp. It is incredibly cute!

8. Finish Christmas gifts to share on the 1 X-Mas Item a Month Blog. In October, I made progress on two mug rugs featuring the "Snowman" digital stamp from The Paper Shelter.

Top 5 Posts Viewed in October:

1. Red, White, and Blue Handbag - link found above or here

2. October - link found above or here
3. 2017 CQI Halloween/Autumn Fabric Postcard Swap - link found above or here

4. CQJP 2017 March Block Motif 5 - here

5. Sun, Sand, and Sea BOM - Block 9 - link found above or here

Thank you for stopping by!
-Renee

Sun, Sand, and Sea BOM 2017 - Block 9

"Bathing Beauty" is block 9 of the Sun, Sand, and Sea Block of the Month hosted by Sew Incredibly Crazy and Friends.

This block was designed by Amy at Sew Incredibly Crazy. You may find her post about it here and the pattern (which is free in October of 2017) may be found on Craftsy, here.

You might have noticed, I have not yet finished Block 8. I had a hard time figuring out how to add "Beach Boy Freddie" to the quilt so it would fit with the color scheme. I was not sure pink would fit in with all of that orange and black. And I was already worried about how stark the green on "Mr. Crabby" stood out.

I think I found fabrics that let Freddie rock the orange and black. And, I worked in more of the green fabric so Mr. Crabby will fit in better. I still need to hand embroider around the applique and piece the border.

This is how the blocks look together right now.

I look forward to seeing what the ladies designing the blocks for this BOM have lined up for us next month!

Related Posts:

Blocks 1 & 3 - here

Block 2 - here

Block 3 Progress - here

Block 4 - here

Blocks 5 & 6 - here

Block 7 - here

Photos and links to each of the blocks may also be found on the Sun, Sand, and Sea 2017 BOM page tab at the top of the blog.

Thank you for stopping by!

Renee

October 2017

Wow! September has already gone and October has arrived. 

October is one of my favorite months because pumpkins are finally in season and I love the harvest moons this time of year.

Progress with my September Goals:

My list of September goals may be seen here. 3 of the 8 goals were completed. However, I did finish up a few more crafts that were not on my list.

The crazy quilted under-the-sea block I embellished turned out to be too large to make into a glasses case. So, I finished it off as a wall quilt and added it to my Etsy shop. You may find the blog post here and my Etsy shop here.

Block 7 of the Sun, Sand, and Sea Block of the Month is finished. I just love "Mr. Crabby", designed by Amy of Sew Incredibly Crazy. The blog post is here - it includes a link to the pattern for the block. 

(Joan of Moosestash Quilting has shared a photo of the first 9 blocks together. You may see them here.)

I finished my first pencil coloring class through Kit and Clowder and had so much fun! The digital stamp for the class was "A Little Bit Grumpy" from The Paper Shelter. My blog post about it is here.

Other September Accomplishments:

I finished a tutorial: How to Make a Crazy Quilted Artist's Trading Card (ATC). Find out more about the Crazy Quilt Quarterly 2018 ATC Swap here. This was a 3 part tutorial: Piecing the ATC, Embellishing the ATC, and Finishing the ATC. (Links may be found below with the list of top viewed posts in September.)

I know several people living outside of the USA wish they could participate. You might be interested to know that Wilma is organizing a Halloween/Autumn Crazy Quilted Fabric Postcard Swap for members of the Crazy Quilt International Facebook Group. The group may be found here, and the deadline to sign up is October 5th and postcards need to be mailed by October 14th. (I signed up to make an Autumn themed postcard.)

I made my first Etsy sale! I do hope the new owner likes it. :)

This zipper pouch was finished and added to my Hand Stitched Treasure Etsy Shop. The blog post is here. The shop is here.

I also finished off the last two mailbox fabric panels that I colored back in February. They will be shared on the blog soon. (The February post may be found here.)

October Goals:

1. Make a wall quilt with the blocks from a Crazy Quilting International Heart Round Robin. (This was #2 on my list for the APQ 2017 UFO Challenge and was selected as the May project.) You may see all of the blocks here. 

2. Make progress embroidering this Christmas stocking for my eldest son. (#10 on the APQ 2017 UFO Challenge, selected in June.)

3. Create a purse with this block from the Crazy Quilt Journal Project (CQJP) 2014. (#5 on the APQ 2017 UFO Challenge, selected in August.) You may read more about this block here.

4. Work on embroidering my CQJP 2014 December block. (#7 on the APQ 2017 UFO Challenge, selected in September.)

5. Create "Beach Boy Freddie" - block 8 of the Sun, Sand, and Sea BOM designed by Carol of Just Let Me Quilt. You may see it here, and there is a link to the pattern.

6. Create "Bathing Beauty" - block 9 of the Sun, Sand, and Sea BOM designed by Amy of Sew Incredibly Crazy. You may see it here and there is a link to the pattern - which is free throughout October.  

7. Create a wall quilt with my CQJP 2017 January block. (You may read more about this block here.)

8. Sew the borders onto "Hearts Askew" quilt top, and stitch around appliqued hearts. The pattern is from the book Hearts Aplenty by Lynda Milligan and Nancy Smith. (#3 on my APQ 2017 UFO Challenge, selected in October.)

9. Complete my 2nd coloring class through Kit and Clowder. This month's class features the Pure Prairie Bouquet digitial stamp (found here) from Power Poppy. I have completed the first video tutorial so far.

10. Make a gift to share on the 1 X-mas Item a Month Blog.

I will be sharing photos of my progress on Instagram (here) and on my Hand Stitched Treasure Facebook page (here).

Top 5 Posts Viewed in September:

1. Crazy Quilt ATC Tutorial Part 1 - Piecing - here (Wow! This is already the 3rd most viewed post of all time.)
2. Crazy Quilt ATC Tutorial Part 2 - Embellishing - here
3. Crazy Quilt ATC Tutorial Part 3 - Finishing - here
4. TAST Stitches 64 and 99 - here
5. Pink Zipper Pouch - here


Thank you for stopping by!
Renee

Sun, Sand, and Sea BOM 2017 - Block 7

The August block for the Sun, Sand, and Sea BOM was "Mr. Crabby", designed by Amy at Sew Incredibly Crazy.

Isn't he adorable?! Every month, I find myself in awe of the creativity shared for this BOM.

On September 1st, I shared this photo with the fabrics I planned to use. After cutting the fabrics and setting the pieces in place, I was not happy with the red/yellow/orange fabric. So, I used a cloud fabric instead.

The other fabric choices were based upon the colors used in the pattern. After I pieced the block, I realized I have yellow and green fabrics touching on a quilt with an Oregon State University theme. An OSU fan in my life declared this block might spontaneously burst into flames as a result. I laughed. (Yellow and green are University of Oregon colors and the two teams are rivals. Please do not tell the OSU fans in my life that I cheer both teams on...) 

Here is how all of the blocks look together. 

Now to see if I can finish "Beach Boy Freddie", the fun flamingo designed by Carol of Just Let Me Quilt, before October 1st.


Related Posts:
Blocks 1 & 3 - here
Block 2 - here
Block 3 Progress - here
Block 4 - here
Blocks 5 & 6 - here

September 2017

August flew by, didn't it?! Our family made a fair amount of progress with yardwork plans. The front yard is done. The backyard is a work in progress. We hoped to complete it tomorrow, but the temperature is supposed to exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit again this weekend. (Hmm... That sounds like a great excuse to work on crafty projects.) 


I do hope this cute little fellow decides to visit again soon!

Progress with my August goals...
I fear I spent the majority of my limited crafty time cross-stitching in August. You may see my full list of August goals here. 2 of the 7 goals I shared were completed.

#2 Complete a gift for a friend's daughter. I finished it on August 30th and will share it on the blog soon!

#5 Sun, Sand, and Sea Block of the Month Blocks 5 and 6 were completed. More photos and details are here.







Although the list of craft goals in my planner (shared in the photo at the top of this post) is 21 items long, I will not be attempting to finish all of them in September. However, I do plan to finish those listed below (and hopefully a few more!)

September Goals:

1. Make an eyeglasses case for my (empty) Etsy shop.

2. Create a wall quilt with the blocks from a Crazy Quilting International Heart Round Robin. (#2 on the APQ 2017 UFO Challenge, selected in May.) You may see all of the blocks here.

3. Finish embellishing the crazy quilt stocking I am making for my son. (#10 on the APQ 2017 UFO Challenge, selected in June.)

4. Create a purse with this block from the Crazy Quilt Journal Project (CQJP) 2014. (#5 on the APQ 2017 UFO Challenge, selected in August.) You may read more about this block here.

5. Embellish my CQJP 2014 December block and make it into a bag. (This is #7 on my APQ 2017 UFO Challenge and it was selected for September.)

6. Create block 7 from the Sun, Sand, and Sea Block of the Month hosted by Amy at Sew Incredibly Crazy. My fabrics are ironed and ready to go! Amy created this darling block. You may read her post about it here. There is a link to the pattern in her post.

7. Create the darling flamingo block Carol of Just Let Me Quilt created for block 8 of the Sun, Sand, and Sea BOM. You may see it here. There is a link to the pattern, which is free throughout September.

8. Complete my first coloring class through Kit and Clowder. (I subscribed to a coloring class. Of course, I am planning to incorporate what I learn into coloring fabric!) There is a Kit and Clowder Facebook Group that I joined and this weekend there is a fun celebration of 15,000 members. If you want to check it out, the website is here and the FB group is here. (I am not affiliated.)

Please note, I may be sharing sneak peeks of my works-in-progress on Instagram or on my Facebook page throughout the month.

Top 5 Posts Viewed in August:

1. August 2017 - here

2. Twilight Duel Update #21 - August 2017 - here

3. QS Red Hearts Update - August 2017 - here

4. Sun, Sand, and Sea BOM Blocks 5 & 6 - here

5. Fractal White Tiger August 2017 - here

Thank you for stopping by! I hope you all have an amazing weekend.

-Renee

Sun, Sand, and Sea BOM Blocks 5 & 6

Today, I finally finished adding buttonhole stitches to tack down the applique on Block 5 of the Sun, Sand, and Sea Block of the Month hosted by Amy at Sew Incredibly Crazy.

This darling block was created by Carol at Just Let Me Quilt. I used Therm-o-Web's HeatnBond Lite to adhere the applique to the block and then used buttonhole stitches to secure the pieces in place for future laundering. Stem stitches were used for the window panes and details on the lobsters. And, chain stitches encircled the middle window.

I really enjoyed paper piecing Block 6 for this BOM. The cute fish border was designed by Carla at Creatin' in the Sticks and the directions included options to paper piece or applique the fish. 

In the quilt assembly stage, I plan to add buttons for the door knobs on Block 5 and for the fish eyes on Block 6.

Now, I just need to make Block 7 - a super cute block featuring an appliqued crab that was designed by Amy at Sew Incredibly Crazy. Here is a link to a post on her blog featuring photos of each block and links to their patterns.

This is how blocks 1 - 6 look together. It will be such a fun quilt when it is finished! The ladies designing these blocks amaze me each month, making my first Block-of-the-Month experience amazing.

Related Posts:
Blocks 1 & 3 - here
Block 2 - here
Block 3 Progress - here
Block 4 - here

I am joining with Monday Stitchery Link Party #124 at Super Mom - No Cape! The free patterns available this week include some fun summer fruits. 

Thank you so much for stopping by!
-Renee