My Cheddary Secret--Doll Quilt Swap

You may recall I was making 3.5 inch churn dash blocks and posting about them for my version of  Cheddar in the Churn/Cheddary Churn Dash and then the little blocks went awol.  That was because I decided to participate in the Kathleen Tracy Yahoo Doll quilt group's doll size quilt swap....it didn't take much thinking to decide that I should make this little quilt for my partner (and one for me too!)!  I hope she likes it--I had to keep it a secret because I didn't want her to catch on that one would be for her so I stopped mentioning this little quilt as I worked on it. 

Yesterday (July 8th) I had a short morning shift at work, so after working out and talking on Skype to Nancy for a bit I got to making these quilts.  I should mention that I first saw the pattern and was inspired by a photo (I have shown before) of Lucy in the Netherland's little quilt.  I then looked online and found a similar but smaller quilt from Sugarland Quilts on American Vintage Quilts page but no pattern.  The best I can figure, the original pattern came from the Temecula Quilt Company's small quilt kits but I could find no place to purchase the pattern! I would have done so happily since I am a pattern follower, but no luck!  

Becky wrote out a pattern for me, but I lost it for a time and so I made the blocks the wrong size, then I tried again with 3.5 inch blocks...I decided that size worked great and then found Becky's pattern (she had snapped a picture of it and resent it to me!) and discovered that Becky had drafted it larger than I went with and she figured strips to do the rows of cheddar.  By this time I had studied the picture and realized I could use setting triangles to make it easier (and somehow it winds up looking like a zig zag!) so for the FIRST TIME EVER I figured out a pattern!!!  Talk about getting out of my box.

It helped that I found Bonnie Hunter's helpful page for Putting it "On Point" and realized that since my blocks were 3 inches unfinished I could use 5.5 inch side triangles all the way down my rows and 3 inch corner triangles at the tops of the two rows where there is cheddar.  Talk about easy peasy, Bonnie has taught me so much!  So here are a few rows...

And a few more rows, I LOVE it already!

Cut off the half blocks (does anyone else have a hard time doing this?  I have saved the other half for some wonky something or other down the road!

I had originally made three blocks of each fabric thinking I would make three of these, but with the deadline looming for mailing out my swap I decided to make two--I needed eight more blocks so after putting the first quilt together I made nine more.  There is one different fabric in the second quilt top, but other than that they are all the same.

Here is number two all trimmed up..

It is funny how after they are sewn I look and realize I could have mixed the blocks up better but overall I am happy with both these Cheddar in the Churn doll size quilts. 

I picked an indigo colored fabric for the backing and decided to wash it in the sink before using it--I wound up with blue fingertips!  Luckily it came out this morning when I washed my hair!

Here they are spray basted and pinned.

 I started out quilting with my featherweight with a blue thread on the back, but you could see the blue on the front.  Picked it out and changed machines to the Husqvarna Viking and used blue on the back again and had to pick out again.  Switched to cheddar on the back and had much better luck.

 I decided to quilt zig zags, looks like Charlie Brown's shirt on the back!

 It is coming along on the front!

 More zigs and zags!

 Trimmed though not squared yet.

I decided on a dark green binding for my partner Barbara's quilt.

 Binding on!

 Label on!  I sure hope she likes it!

 And here is the pair together!  It was a very relaxing day quilting and binding these!

Happy Fourth of July--Red, Red and Red!

 Today I spent several hours organizing all of my red scraps by size and then cutting my red lozenges!  I will be linking up with SoScrappy's RSC Challenge later today!

 I sewed up Nonsense for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge--I did not have enough of the background fabric so I did what Bonnie would do and just grabbed another.  Looks fine to me!

 Here is Stripes, super easy...my kind of block!

 I sewed up a few more tiny churn dashes.  Found this nice red while organizing my scraps and reds!

 Becky came over and it was fun to catch up and sew...the other weekend she had to cancel and it seems like it has been forever!

 Also sewed up Starz which was really fun and I know I have a pattern for a larger one somewhere, now I am not afraid to make it!

 Here is Becky's sweet little doll quilt top she made today.

My June NewFo

I didn't think I had actually started anything new in June so that I could link up for the NewFo Challenge, but I went back through my blog and realized I started my Cheddar Churn Dash this month!   WHOOT WHOOT!

 This picture was in a magazine--Bonnie's friend in the Netherlands's had a quilty photoshoot.  I fell in love with this and could not find a pattern anywhere!  Becky helped me (ok she did the whole thing) come up with a pattern.  You may recall I lost it and guessed on the size of the churn dashes and made a whole bunch at 6.5 inches before I realized they were WAY too big.  So this month I started again with 3.5 inch blocks.  They are so cute.  Many of the fabrics are from the estate sale I went to a few months ago.  That crazy lime one was June's fabric.

 I was trying to get a picture with one of each colorway but whoops, got two of the one of them!

Linking up with Cat Patches for the NewFo linky party, check out what everyone else has been starting on over there!

Farewell to Yellow and More

 I finished up the last of the yellow lozenges and a few other rainbowish ones that I had also cut along the way so I now have a total of 320 done at the half way point.  My goal was 405 so with six colors left to go I will easily pass that by!  All my yelllow Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks are done too and I am ready for the next color!  Linking up with SoScrappy!  We are halfway through our rainbow and this week we will post the first half of the rainbow, so be looking for that!

I got the binding on my Ring around the Hexies quilt.  This is really one of my favorite quilts.  Hand sewing the hexies, piecing those gorgeous Bonnie blocks and the quilting is great!  Ros is so talented and knows just what I want even when I don't!  Thanks Ros!

 Here it is hanging above the bed (which wasn't made so it isn't in the picture!).

 Last night we watched "How to Train Your Dragon" while sewing a bit and I made these three little churn dashes.  I am getting quite the stack, they are really fun!  Today is our work "picnic" and we are all going to see part two of the movie and then to Oregano's to eat.  Tomorrow sewing with Becky and the other Kathy (and maybe Barb), the last two I haven't seen in forever, so should be fun.  No idea what I am going to bring to sew, thought maybe the long forgotten Hawaii Sunset

which I FINALLY got out.  I cut the remaining blue strips and attempted to figure out the angles needed for the cornerstones/side triangles.  GRR.  Not as easy for me as I would like.  I also discovered I didn't cut the remaining green squares (why of why didn't I?) so I have plenty more cutting to do!  I think it might be too frustrating to work on while gabbing so I may need to prep something else tonight or drag out a WIP that is easier!
Oh in WW news, I lost 1.8 this week so almost to 43 pounds.  People are actually stopping me and asking me what I am doing so it is noticeable finally! :)

Saturday Sewing :)

I made another Wild and Goosey block today--one more and I can add the bottom row to the rest of it.  I need to get back to making one of these every weekend so that I can get it done, each block takes about an hour and I love paper piecing!

 I decided to dig through my odds and ends bin and found some leftover strips way back from when I made A is for Adaminaby and pulled them apart to make these nine patches.  Another mug rug.

Linking up to Slow Stitching Sunday since I hand bound this little mug rug!

 This is the flagstones block again, I really think it is cute for a mug rug and love how fast they whip up!

 I also made up more of the tiny churn dashes.  They are rather adorable and addicting!  I plan to sew them to some cheddar in a zig zag setting when I get enough variety.

Cheddar Churn Dash is Started--Again!

 For dinner we made one of my favorite healthy meals--chicken fajitas!  We buy carb balanced tortillas and have all these veges with some chicken on them.  They are delicious!  I should also mention I lost 4.4 pounds this week, so all my extra efforts paid off!  I have started doing the elliptical in the morning and at night and the bike at night and occasionally also in the morning.  I am doing close to two hours of exercise a day and maybe not minding it so much!

After a late dinner and our exercise, we decided to sneak into the sewing room for a bit.  You may recall that about four months ago I made a dozen or so churn dash blocks which I thought I could use for my cheddar churn dash quilt...however since I could not find the pattern that Becky had drafted me based on a picture we saw I guessed the size way too big!  So these little churn dashes are 3.5 unfinished.  I will be making lots more for variety and will lay them out in a zig zagish layout.  It will be a doll sized quilt for my collection.  I have been dreaming about making this one for a long time, so it is about time I get to it!

Other Retreat Happenings :)

 Becky and I did make it out for two good hikes while we were at our retreat.  We were on a mountain and it was quite a climb for me!  The view at the top was really pretty, but I hope next year's walk will be much easier for me!

 This is the bedroom we stayed in.  I was in the bed on the left.  Love that there are quilts on all the beds, the place has three bedrooms upstairs with as many twin beds as will fit in the room.  One of our gals was not able to do the stairs though so she and her good friend slept on the pull out couch downstairs and Becky and I had this room to ourselves.

 Here you can see everyone at work on the morning of the second day I believe.

 Here is my first stack of lozenges!  This morning I am planning to cut more out before work, because I am out of bricks already!

 I also got a dozen churn dash blocks made--6 inch size.  They were supposed to be for my Cheddar in the Churn type quilt, but I think I may make some in 3 inch size for that instead and these may wind up elsewhere.  Have not decided yet.

 Here is our whole group:  Becky, Brenna, Marque, Tila, Me, Nikki, Mary Ellen and Sally.  What a fun group of ladies!