WiP Wednesday

Even though Freshly Pieced is taking a WiP Wednesday hiatus, I figured I will use it to keep motivating me. At least, I'll try. It always depends on how much sewing time I have, and lately I haven't had much. I did make these bitty bear paws though.

Stack of Paws

I like bear paw blocks, and I found that these were quick to put together - once I learned the secret to half-square triangle blocks. I always make them 2 at a time, but that always entails a lot of trimming. My quarter-inch seam is not perfect, mostly because I don't have a quarter-inch foot. Then I read instead of drawing a single line and sewing a quarter inch away, draw two lines one quarter inch away from the center line and sew along that. WHAT?!?! 

Drawn lines for sewing along. 

Oh my gosh. Eight perfect HSTs. All I had to do was trim the dog ears. It made my bear paws finish so much quicker! In no time, I had a stack!

So many paws!

One set of triangles makes two paws, and if you can make two identical or mirror image bear paws. I will admit, I thought I could use fabric that I don't love so much because I love the block itself. It didn't work out quite the way I wanted, but as these are part of a bigger scrap quilt, I think that it will all work itself out. 

2 mirror images. 4 footies!

Linking up this week to Lets Bee Social with Lorna. 

WiP Wednesday {Bitty Flying Geese Pinwheels}

Some Bitty Pinwheels - finish at 4" square

That's right, I'm still working away at my Quilt Maker's Bitty Blocks. They are one of my go to projects when I want to sew but need to get my mojo working. I like them because I'm challenging myself to use my scraps in an indiscriminate manner. Meaning, I grab a handful of scraps, pair them up, and use all of them. I don't pick and choose from the basket. Some fabrics I love, some have been banished to the scrap bin because I really dislike them but am too cheap frugal to actually throw them away. It makes for a nice mix, and some nice surprises.

Hard to keep all the points. 

I like the construction tips they give when making the smaller blocks. Like for the flying geese in these blocks they suggested not actually cutting away the fabric behind the stitch-and-flip corners. I think it works really well at this scale (1.5" by 2.5" unfinished) and it helps prevent wonkiness.

Some Liberty and low volume.

My favorite. I love the low on low volume. It's a Mon Amie French Words White (Kauffman), and a peacock feather print that I'm unsure about. 

In other news, I'm back at school. It's almost time for Science Fair, and I've been working really hard with one group. They don't have the best project I've ever seen, but they are some of the hardest working students, they are learning a lot about scientific inquiry, and they're just enjoying the process - even though sometimes I think I'm torturing them (or maybe they're torturing me)! Their project is about connecting mathematic ability with the ability to figure out a magic trick just by watching. Seeing them develop their scientific skills has been totally worth the long hours - but I still admit I'm going to be happy to get my weekends back when the Science Fair hoopla is over!

Stack of Pinwheels.

Looking forward to making more stacks of blocks over the next few weeks! Linking up with WiP Wednesday with Lee of Freshly Pieced. 

WiP Wednesday: Bitty Blocks are Back

So, as part of my commitment to blogging once a week, I figure I'll try and link up with WiP Wednesday or Finish it up Friday, depending of course on how productive I've been.

This week I started catching up on my bitty blocks. I made the houses from several months ago. Though not my favorite of the bitty blocks, I worked through them all. These are my favorites:

My favorite houses!

The bitty blocks are a fun project, and definitely got me motivated to sew again. I've got a few surprises coming up that I can't wait to share. For now though, here's a few more houses. They will finish at 3" square, and I made 16 of them. I left most of my scraps back in Massachusetts, so now I'm using my 'less loved' fabrics. I am a little apprehensive that I won't love the quilt in the end, but I have faith in the magic of scrap quilting. Also, I've got some ideas about alternative layouts, so I don't think I'll use the row method that Quiltmaker's Magazine suggests. 

Pile o' houses!

Love these fabrics!

Linking up to WiP Wednesday

Catch up before I jet off

So, I've been MIA for a bit. Life is pretty busy these days. I just moved out of my Brooklyn apartment and am currently storing my stuff at my generous parent's home. Today I'm flying off on an Eastern European adventure for the next 2 months. I'm taking this transition time and my meager savings and aiming for a life changing experience! We'll see how it goes. Needless to say, I haven't been spending too much time at the machine lately. There are a couple of things I can share though.

Several months ago I pattern tested the Star Jump Quilt for Jess of Elven Garden Quilts. It was my first pattern testing experience, and I really enjoyed it. I liked the pattern, was exposed to some different construction methods from my typical ones, and ended up with a gorgeous baby quilt top!

Quilt top in the snow!

Blowing in the wind. 

Fabric close up. Can't get enough of the Doe!

I was working on Christina's RTQ section at the time, and really fell in love with the vintage palate. I chose these great fabrics and used some Carolyn Friedlander Doe for the background. I love how it came out and can't wait until I have time to get back to sewing!

The other project I completed last month were my bitty blocks! They were cute little baskets. Sort of annoying to sew from time to time, but totally worth it! 

Some modern, clashy baskets. 

Some more traditional fabric choices. 

All stacked up!

Well, that's all I've got. I'll be back in a while, I hope. I enjoy blogging and the feedback I get, and being able to share my creations with people who appreciate them. Bye bye for now!

Bitty Block Quilt Along

Stack o' ties!

Somehow I ended up down a rabbit hole of blog reading, and came across the Quiltmakers Magazine Bitty Block QAL. I'm not sure why, but I got sucked in immediately. Usually I need to ruminate on new ideas for at least a week. This one I jumped into so fast that after waking the dog I sat down and made the first set of blocks.

These guys finish at just 3" (so they're 3.5" right now). I don't even really like bow tie blocks. But, I do love little blocks, and quilts made up of little blocks.

I see you!

The first Monday of the month they will post what you need to make. Each block will become a row, and the rows will eventually become a throw-sized quilt.

My plan is to use all scraps. From the scrap bin. No going into my stash. I'm not even really trying to match things up, I'm just looking at contrasts (light/dark, bright/soft, warm/cool). Hopefully this way I'll shrink that scrap bin. Plus, I think that it'll result in a nice and scrappy quilt. Usually I have too much control to allow things to truly become scrappy. It turns out most of the fabrics I use go together anyway (I hope!), so the overall quilt should be busy but somewhat cohesive. Hoping this new project doesn't distract too much from all the projects I'm trying to finish up right now!

Linked up with WiP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced and Scraptastic Tuesday with She Can Quilt