Happy Stitching Friday!

 Today I had the day off work and I did a bunch of cleaning and organizing (mostly of papers, patterns, etc.) in my quilting studio.  Then I decided I should make a few bags because I want some fun zip up bags for various projects that will go with me to Wisconsin when we go the end of July.  I did the blue one first and wasn't happy with the fact that I had too little blue on the bottom and too much flower on the top (leave it to me to try to adjust a pattern--I need to just stick to what is out there!) so I then made the second one.  I put the zipper in backwards on that one and after I noticed it continued to finish it thinking it would be functional and not THAT noticeable.  I wanted the dimples to be the lining so it had to go that way...well umm a zipper doesn't function from the outside if it is on wrong (in case you are not as dumb as I!) so after mulling it over and realizing I did not happen to have another PERFECT colored zipper to just start over with, I took the zipper off and put it back on correctly.  I am amazed that I was able to do that without taking the entire bag apart.  Yay me.  Loving my peachy octopus bag now!

 I then thought I should get to some "real" sewing and started to work on clue three of the Lazy Sunday Bonnie Hunter mystery.  I can't tell you what a humdinger of a clue this one.  I had already put together the four pink star blocks (and have 20 similar blocks to do that don't have the green in them still!) so today I marked all the hst lines and sewed 78 tiny blocks with the diagonal one way and 78 more with the diagonal the other way.  I have been cutting this quilt myself (imagine that) but Kathy helped me cut more because I was about half short from when I just cut til I got sick of it!  So in the tote above are the pieces for the twenty blocks and that will be up next so I can be done with these!

Kathy is also ahead of me on the log cabin blocks for 35th Ave. Kaleidescope of Kolor...she had some seam allowance issues (due to getting the machine serviced, the guy reset things and she didn't think to double check needle position!).  She added an extra strip on all sides so now they are slightly bigger than needed so it is all good.  She also cut my strips so I need to get to those soon too!

I have also finally been working on my embroidered elephant that I started at the PHXMQG last month.  One of our members Danny taught a class based on a pillow she had done for show and tell at a previous meeting.  Lots of us fell in love with it and needed our very own elephant!  I barely got started in the class (but learned about a half a dozen stitches) and didn't find any time to get going on it all month.  Then at our most recent meeting several people had brought their elephants in progress and that got me all excited all over again so finally,  I am really enjoying it and thinking about what I will embroider next.  I volunteered (along with twenty or so other folks) to do some embroidery for Jane over at http://janesfabrics.blogspot.com/ with her thread.  It came in the mail and has me thinking...I even ordered two books (I am a sucker for books!) to inspire me further--but first the elephant.