QuiltMouse

I cannot believe that tomorrow is December 1st!  What happened to the last 11 months?

Countdown has begun for Christmas – only 25 more days, and my To Do List is through the house, out the front door and down the block!

This is a hard time to blog about anything, because so much of it is ‘hush-hush’ and ‘Do Not Open Until Christmas!’ What if I just post pictures of fabric?? Suffice it to say I have a number of flimsies made that now need batting, backing, quilting & binding.

Add to the sewing projects, there is the shopping, decorating, wrapping, shipping, and cooking that needs to be done. Oh, and did I mention there are a number of birthdays and an anniversary all in December?!?!

I recently went to visit a friend in SW Virginia, and we spent a week stitching and visiting. Here are two pictures from her back porch.

Early Evening:

Sunset:

The first evening I made something quick and simple – a Christmas Candle Mat made from the 10-minute table runner pattern, only in mini size:

Another project I did was a pillowcase for our Grandniece, Mikee Belle, her birthday was Thanksgiving Day:

Happy Birthday!

I’ve cleaned my sewing space, and put everything back in it’s place so I’m ready to get some serious stitching done. Let the sewing begin!!

Quilt Mouse

Today is the Last Day of the Blog Tour featuring Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Vol. 8 to be released November 19th.  But don’t despair.  I’ll post my final five tested blocks on Tuesday.

All this week the Quilty Pleasures Blog has invited us to a sneak-peak of some of the blocks.  Join us as we see so many fun blocks. Friend Quiltmaker Magazine on Facebook and you can see these and other blocks.

Each day the Blog Tour previews 3 pictures of Blocks and shares links to the Blogs of several of the Block Designers. 

Click on the Designers to visit their Blog to hear them tell about their Block & thoughts behind the design.  Many Blogs will give you a chance to comment and win a copy of Volume #8 or other great prizes.

Today’s Featured Designers:

Please follow the instructions on their posts to be entered in their giveaways.

• Kay Mackenzie **
• Mickey Depre
• Jenifer Dick
• Ann Weber and Joanne Rowicki
• Arlene Neely
• Cindy Wiens
• Kathy Wylie
• Sandy Fitzpatrick
• Cheryl Lynch
• Sandi Blackwell
• Deb Johnson
• Julie Herman

My Tested Blocks

My group tested 13 of the 100 Blocks.  We randomly received patterns and didn’t know (and had no choice) as to which techniques we would be testing.  All Blocks finish to 12” square (12-1/2” unfinished).

Kay Mackenzie – Block #708 – Basket of Oranges (Applique)

This is a cheery block.  On her Blog, Kay shows some variations with different colors for the basket.

This was my very first block that I made after my shoulder surgery in May.  I used Steam-A-Seam2 Lite to trace the shapes.  I still wasn’t moving very well and I had the help of another quilter in preparing the the templates.  Thanks Mike!  Her help allowed me to get back to work a bit sooner.

Have you been enjoying the Blog Tour?  I hope you’ve taken the time to visit the various blogs and maybe picked one or two blocks you may want to make.

I’ve seen several that I did not test, but will make.  One is especially nice for this time of year, but I may not get it made in the next month.

This block is called “Shine a Little Light” by Sandy Fitzpatrick and is Block #740 on page 43.  I think this would make a very nice wall hanging to add to my Christmas Decorations.  Maybe for next year?

Another block I didn’t test but may have to make, just because of it’s name is “Arkansas Whirl” by Mickey Depre and is Block #719 on page 32.

This is a foundation piece block and looks fun.  Wonder how it would look making 4 blocks with borders for a wall hanging.  Love the colors.  Can anyone guess why the name of this is of interest to me??

Well, that finishes all the blocks that I tested that have been previewed or featured on the Blog Tour.  Join me next Tuesday, and I will post pictures of the final 5 blocks that I tested. 

Don’t forget, this issue will be available at quilt shops, news stands, and on the Internet directly from QuiltMaker this coming Tuesday.  Get a copy and get stitching!

Quilt Mouse