Odds & Ends

My menagerie has a new addition, Mr. Hippo. (Clever and original name, right?) He was designed by Juliet at The Tartankiwi, and will be released shortly.

Why did I need a hippo? If you remember Mr.Elephant, you might realize that he's been a little lonely pinned up to the wall, all by his lonesome, ever since October. I hope that if he has a friend, others might join him, and someday there may be a whole zoo of animals pieced together into a quilt.

I used the same batiks to bring some continuity to the two. Yes, I realize batiks aren't viewed as the most modern material, but they are pretty, and I got a little bit carried away at an inventory reduction sale so it's time to consume.

Unrelated to my growing animal population, I've sent away one Super-Sized Scrappy Tiles Block. At 24" square, it's a big one! Cheryl Brickey of Meadow Mist Designs asked for a scrappy, monochromatic look in her favorite color, blue.

I've received my quilt top back from the Modern Quilting Facebook Group Round Robin. I love all the fun details everyone added.

I'll be back soon with some insights from Quilt Con, so don't be a stranger!

I'm linking up with:

Bee Blocks - January

Kerrie Porter of Pretty Lady Baby requested straight-forward 9-Patch blocks for this month. For the Hope Circle of do. Good Stitches, she wanted monochromatic blocks in purple, pink, yellow, or green.

To create blocks that will finish at 12", I cut nine 4 1/2" squares for each block. These came together delightfully quickly. It actually took more time to decide on fabrics than to do the sewing.

Christina Biro was up this month for the New Quilt Blogger Bee. She has a full-fledged tutorial for her requested block on her Wips & Tuts blog. Just make sure you make the bottom row of geese go to the left instead of the right.

Instead of doing half square triangles, I opted to create flying geese units using the no waste flying geese method. While not difficult to sew, this block does require some generous cutting time.

They are pretty though, and it's going to be a lovely quilt.

2014 Recap

Let's look back on 2014, shall we? I joined a Round Robin through the Modern Quilting Facebook group, which was a first for me. I've enjoyed the experience, which has been a nice challenge and full of fun surprises.

Online bees have been another fun way to learn new skills without building upon my UFO collection. I participated in the Stash Bee, New Quilt Blogger Bee and the Hope Circle of  do. Good Stitches.

Also, I finished some things! Hooray for that. It's easy to forget my completions given the shameful amount of incomplete projects lurking around my sewing room.

I'm looking forward to what I hope will be another year of plentiful quilting opportunities.

Bee Blocks - December

This month's Impov Wonky X blocks for the Hope Circle of do. Good Stitches were familiar territory after my addition to Paula's Round Robin quilt. Ellen McKee requested orchid and teal similar to the colors in the Art Gallery Indelible line.

This month's Impov Wonky X blocks for the Hope Circle of do. Good Stitches were familiar territory after my addition to Paula's Round Robin quilt. Ellen McKee requested orchid and teal similar to the colors in the Art Gallery Indelible line.

Stephanie Palmer of Late Night Quilter instructed the New Quilt Blogger Bee to create Anna Maria Horner feathers in jewel tones. She asked us to include some white strips and a charcoal shaft. The background has been omitted since she plans to hand appliqué them to her quilt top.

Pam Wilde of Sewing Wilde offered an alternative tutorial. Meredith of Olivia Jane Handcrafted also has a tutorial to lessen fabric waste. If paper-piecing is more your style, Alyce of Blossom Heart Quilts has taken the pattern that direction.

Personally, I cut the pattern pieces out of freezer paper, which I used as a foundation, as in paper-piecing. I cut the finished pieces 1/4" from the edge of the templates so I could turn the edge under using starch and my iron.

Have you made, or are you considering making, either of these blocks?

Bee Blocks - November

Heather Flegel asked the Hope Circle of Do. Good Stitches to create Half Square Triangles with Stitch & Flip Triangles. I began with four 5" chartreuse and Kona white Half Square Triangles. Then I added stitch and flip triangles to the white halves in her selected color scheme. All the other 9" blocks with have monochromatic centers surrounded by white, with Stitch and Flip Triangles in assorted coordinating colors.

Jill Fisher of Pie Lady Quilts asked the New Blogger Bee to create two improv trees using the tutorial at Pinkadot Quilts. There were no size parameters, and due to the free-pieced nature of the process, every tree will be unique. Jill requested a low volume background.

My greatest challenge wasn't the improv piecing; it was putting together the pieces after my children decided it would be fun to toss them into the air like confetti. At least my directional birds gave some indication as to how the pieces should be reassembled. Next time I do slice and insert, I'm doing a single slice at a time.

Bee Blocks - August

As for the Stash Bee, Sarah Nunes, who blogs over at Berry Barn Designs, asked for a red, low-volume white, and blue half square triangle block for this month's Stash Bee Hive #3 block. It's still in four pieces because she wants to scatter all the members blocks for more evenly dispersed scrappiness. You can check out the other blocks created for the Stash Bee on Flickr.

I have joined a new bee formed from participants in the New Quilt Blogger's Hop at Plum and June.

Lin March over at Lin's Quilts is our queen this month. She requested 9" nine-patch blocks using white and brights.

Cath Hall, author of Wombat Quilts, asked for Arkansas Traveler blocks for this month's Hope Circle of Do. Good Stitches block. Lee, over at Freshly Pieced, gave a free pattern for this block as part of her Summer Sampler Series, which has a Flickr group.

I had been wanting to make this block for a while; it's so beautiful. Honestly, I think I've got that ambition fully out of my system. The instructions were clear, but the creation of these blocks requires many steps and a decent time investment. There are several opportunities within the process for things to go awry if you aren't careful. Many seams come together in the center of the block. I'm not certain of the best way to coerce this intersection to lay flat, but I suspect it involves a mallet and some extreme force. Cath's color choices were yellow, orange, and gold with a light gray, scrappy background. View more Hope Circle blocks on Flickr, if you so desire.

I'm off to the post office.
Update: Cath finished her quilt. Check it out!