Bear Update

The month is half over, but the Bear is not nearing completion. I was hoping to have the top completed and the quilting started by now.
After reading the comments last week, I put in a sashing row below the word Killarney, as that was the popular suggestion.  I sewed 5 more bear paw blocks with sashings and am ready to attach it to the top. The next step is to add sashings on both sides and the centre will be done.
This quilt pattern is from the MOD Bear Paw QAL at Sew Fresh Quilts, and the last border is a paw print pattern that goes all around the quilt, so that's what I'll be cutting out to sew this weekend.
To see what other quilters are working on this week, hop over to the Sew Fresh Quilts link up and see Lorna's new adorable fox quilt pattern.

Blockheads Update

It was an easy block to sew this week.
This is block #15 called the T Block.
I used 4 different fabrics to emphasize the T shapes. I like how this finished block does not look like it's component parts.

Here are my 15 blocks on the design wall, with the T block put on point.
I am liking the look of some dark red background blocks.

Wonder what we are making this week?
Hop over to the Moda blog to see the block of the week.

Temecula Sew Along

Here are the first 4 blocks for the Marvelous Mini Monday 12 week sew along over at Temecula. 

The top ones are "Jacob's Ladder" blocks. It's ordinarily an easy block to make in regular size, but these ones took an embarrassingly long time to make. I described them to my friend Diane as "sweet", and after making her blocks, she described them as "stressful". Yes, both adjectives are accurate! This is precision sewing at it's finest with the completed blocks measuring 4".
This week's block is a framed pinwheel... I'm off to the sewing room!

Design Wall Monday

Clarissa is on the design wall this morning.
This is block #15.
I try to make each block a little bit different and I like how a few well placed hourglass blocks give this one a diagonal emphasis.

Here are all the blocks together on the design wall. I wanted to see what they would look like all smushed together with no sashing space.
I miss the sashing space!
I think my goal is to make 5 more blocks.
Total # of pieces = 2,160
To see more design walls, hop over to the link up at Small Quilts.

Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to the weekly hand stitching party! 
Get out your needles and thread, and join hand stitchers around the world who are benefitting from the process of creating something with our own hands. 


Here is an interesting quote I came across this week:

“Making is part of being human, yet as a society we are suffering from the effect of increased screen time and the lack of real fulfilment that often accompanies that.  Most needlecrafts are fairly accessible and require only basic skills and minimal outlay to achieve very rewarding results.  The rhythmic, repetitive moments necessary to knit, sew or crochet are proven to have therapeutic benefits and improve mental health and emotional wellbeing, increasing serotonin production and inducing a natural state of mindfulness.”

 Polly Leonard, founder of Selvedge magazine quoted in an article called "A stitch in time saves stress down the line".

It was encouraging to read that more people are recognizing the benefits of hand stitching, and that the interest in needlecrafts is growing in some parts of the world.

This week I finished the hand applique on my XX block, and put that in the mail.

I am now stitching the very last embroidery block for my Life is Beautiful quilt. Yes, I have been dragging my feet (or hands!) on finishing this. It has been such a fun project and I'm sad that this part is almost over. I always save the words for last since this is the most fun for me to stitch. 

Do you save the best to last?

Best Dad Ever!

And speaking of the best...
Happy Father's Day to my Dad! 
It's hard to find a photo of him without a grandchild snuggled up to him, but I did find one and here it is. Notice the pen in his pocket just in case he has to write something down?!? LOL
I sure won the Dad lottery!

What are you hand stitching this week? Link up your blog post below and share your project with us... we love to see what you're stitching!

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Scrappy Saturday

Finally I had some time in the quilt studio to get to work on the yellow scraps. Can you believe there is only one more Saturday left in June? I had to make some progress with my RSC projects!
I made another Circle of Squares block (pattern here) not even realizing that I had already made a yellow block for this project. Oh well, now I have 2 yellow blocks! I used up some scraps left over from my En Provence mystery quilt. 

Here are the 11 circle blocks on the design wall. The top right is the new block... and the bottom left is the yellow block from last year. 

To see more RSC yellow projects, hop over to the weekly link up.

70273 Block in Remembrance

It's my birthday today!
I am celebrating by making a block for the 70273 Project. Have you heard about that already? 

It's a huge undertaking by Jeanne Hewell-Chambers to commemorate the lives of the physically and mentally disabled people murdered in 1940-41. You can read more about the project here. She is collecting blocks and quilts to create a display that will travel internationally.
I worked for many years with differently abled adults and wanted to contribute in my own small way to this project. 

My block is being made in memory of a little boy who was born in 1974 with spina bifida and hydrocephalus. It was thought that he would likely not survive after he was born, but remarkably he lived for 35 years.  He was one of the first babysitting jobs I had, and certainly my most challenging job due to his special needs. He taught me so much about the challenges that some people endure. He was my teacher, my "ring bearer", and my dear friend.  

I'm sending this block to be a small part of the 70273 Project in memory of my friend David, who was considered "disabled" by the world, and had he lived in Germany in 1940 he would most certainly have received the dreaded XX. But this fragile boy grew up to be an inspiring man who knew how to fully love others, how to be a true friend... and without fail, he remembered to call me every year on my birthday. I will miss that call again this year.
If you feel inclined to make a block for this project, perhaps in memory of someone who is/was not a perfect human specimen and suffered from physical or mental illness, the details are here. Thank you to Jeanne for undertaking this huge project which reminds us of the value of differently abled people, with the hope that we do not repeat the atrocities of generations past.