Another Surprise, More Options

While working at the house computer last night, I noticed a bit of red fabric peeking out of the pile of junk mail that no one wants to deal with.  Of course, I ignored the junk mail and tugged on that piece of red fabric.  Much to my surprise, another heart block materialized!

Wow!  I now have 9 blocks to work with instead of 8!  This opens up a whole lot of options that couldn't be considered before.  I mean, what can you do with just 8 blocks?  A linear wall hanging or valance?  A table runner?  A tote bag?  Two chair covers?  Eight mug rugs or coasters?  Four placemats?  A border on a girl's skirt or jumper?  A sewing machine cover?  Two armchair caddies?  Eight eyeglass cases?  Four tiny tote bags?  Eight apron pockets?  Four doll-size jumpers?  Eight pin cushions or needle keepers?  A dog jacket or four (depending on whether you're dealing with a German Shepherd or a chihuahua)?  A teddy bear or two?  Four Christmas stockings?  Two valentine keepers or notebook covers?

What can I now do with 9 blocks?  Now I can make a lap quilt or a baby quilt or a square wall quilt or a uh, uh, .... 

Lol!  I guess the options didn't increase all that much in reality.  Nine just seems so much easier to work with than eight.

Spring Cleaning Surprises

During the cold months, I spend just as much time in my shed as needed to cut, sew and press a project.  Everything taken off shelves or out of drawers or boxes simply gets tossed on a table or the back of a chair or any other surface that isn't walked on.  So when we had a bit of warmer weather last week, I began spring cleaning in my sewing shed and I found a few surprises!

Surprise #1: My First Ever Foundation Paper Piecing Project!

I have no idea how this got buried on my sewing table.  Nor do I know why I never sandwiched it.  Perhaps because it's a bit wonky?  The hearts are 1" blocks, so the entire top is rather small.  I made it about 15 years ago.  Maybe it's been waiting around all this time so it could become a Kindle cover!

Surprise #2: Funky 4" Heart Blocks
I made these heart blocks about 4 years ago when I was experimenting with glue, various machine stitches, and cutting out applique shapes using paper-folding techniques.  Along with 7 square blocks, I found a rectangular block and some 2.5" strips of heart fabric.  No time like the present, right?  I sat and sewed the strips to the blocks on two sides, log-cabin style.  (I needed a break from cleaning, anyway.)  For the other two sides, I tried some scraps from a current project I'm working on.

Right color, sort of.  Wrong scale, definitely.  The funky flowers compete with the appliqued heart.  So I rumaged through my nearby box of test fabrics (fabrics I use to test blocks, techniques, etc.) and came up with this:

Better scale, lighter value.  From a distance, it looks pretty good.  I think I'll stick with this one.  What I'll do with the finished 8 blocks I haven't a clue!

Surprise #3: The Aqua Project
I also found a stack of 9-Patch blocks made of a variety of coordinated aqua fabrics:

Along with these, I found a stack of plain aqua blocks, some 2.5" strips of aqua fabrics and a half-yard cut of white-on-white.

I remember working on this last summer before my mom's emergency hernia surgery.  What was my plan for using these blocks?  I haven't the foggiest idea!  Any ideas?

Watch Those HSTs - They Can Be Tricky!

I was hurrying a bit while sewing this month's block for the Home on the Range BOM.  It was cold in the shed and I wanted to return to a warm fire soon as possible!  Anyway, I guess I wasn't paying close enough attention to my sewing and I ended up with a block unit that looked like this:

instead of like this:

Needless to say, I spent more time than usual last month frog-stitching (rip-it, rip-it)!  When all was finished correctly, like this:

I decided to play with my accidental design in Electric Quilt to see what it would look like.

Hmm.  Interesting light and shadow effect.  Not my usual everything-perfectly-symmetrical block, but it's still a pleasing design.  Does it deserve a name of its own?  I don't know.  For now, it's just Bucking Bronco Variation.