things went well yesterday...

I started adding the logs to the maple leaves yesterday. The pattern calls for one more row of logs. But I like it with just the two.

These were stacked up while I think.

This only needs one more seam and the corners added. 

Then borders, still thinking on that one.

We are still in blizzard warning. Not much snow has fallen. But the NW winds will pick up and we will be falling back into the cold arctic air. I will mostly stay in and sew some more.

in the middle of all kinds of things.....

My cousin called me tonight. She told me I hadn't blogged since the panda bear at the end of December.

Really?? I checked. She was right.

I couldn't believe it.

I finished making maple leaves. It will be a log cabin type setting. I am in the middle of adding the logs. But I put those aside to work on....

A t-shirt quilt for Crispy's girlfriend. 

I ran out of interfacing for the backs. Another project on hold. 

Although I could start making the columns with what is ready.

Or, here is something else to work on....

The tea-towel quilt. I have thought about this a lot. I think I have a plan now.

Just can't bring myself to cut and commit. 

Then there is always my contracted braille class.

At the rate I am going it will take me a couple years to finish this.

I love doing it, but it really takes all of my concentration to get the lesson ready to mail.

Then I am on pins and needles waiting to hear from the instructor. 

I've been doing pretty good, so far. My lowest grade is a B+,

I always think...this will be the perfect assignment....but no, I mess up something.

We are in a blizzard watch. I was totally unaware of this until I talked to my cousin.

It is also the weekend. One or more of these projects will get worked on!

Christmas and the Celtic Solstice Mystery......

The paper piecing project...

Tractor joe calls our niece Amanda Panda. So, just days before Christmas, I was paper piecing. As I worked on it, I was absolutely sure I would NEVER do it again.

It is confusing.

And messy. But I kept going. 

Here is the finished mug rug. I think it is about 8 by 10 inches.

(the free pattern is here)

It is supposed to be a 6 inch block, but when I printed it....

it was more like 8 inches square. This was okay, some of the sections are so small!

Amanda loved her panda, and as the pain of this subsides....

I may even make another one someday.

The Money Tree....

I wanted a tree to dispense dollar bills that I had taped together into a roll. Only I had no idea how to make one. I opened up a box of never used Christmas decorations...

Found an angel to use instead.

This was for a 20 something nephew. He had the biggest frown of confusion as he followed the directions on his gift.

Just in case he only lifted the tag, I wrote "the dress, not the tag"

I cut a slit in the tube so the rolled money would pull out. He pulled about 10 bills out right away. I told him that I should have added "as needed"  so he re-rolled them and put them back in place.

I think he liked it. 

The mystery continues....

(intro to the Mystery quilt)

We are at step 5 with Bonnie's mystery. I am still sewing that step together.

I had a few done, so I played with all the sections.

This could go in a lot of different directions. I'll just wait for the reveal now.

And hopefully finish up Step 5 today.

tea towels.....

Sophie is having a tea towel challenge.

(click here for link to tea towel challenge 2014)

When it first came up, I wasn't sure....All I could picture were the tea towels with calendars on them. I had NO idea there were tea towels that didn't have calendars.

I found one online that I really loved. It was $20.00. 

Wow...... did I want to spend that much?

For a towel???

Then I found these retro looking ones. 

They came as a 4-pack. I thought they were adorable.

(and cheaper)

I could use one and give the rest to my middle son for Christmas. He needs kitchen towels and loves to fish. But when they arrived they were in a fabric envelope. I cut that apart....

I plan on making some mug rugs from it. He will also get all four towels.

It will be nice practice for the real towel.

The challenge towel,

the one I really love....

After thinking and thinking, 

I ordered it.

The Iowa tea towel. 

I thought about using old embroidery and cutting it up,

I have thought about using selvage edges,

But now I don't know. I have time to mull it over, not a lot, but some time yet.

bags and the mystery quilt......

Last weekend I painted on canvas. I put a white wash over this yet. It needed to be a little softer I thought. Then I cut it up into three sections......

This was the first finished bag. I have one more that needs handles yet. 

And one more piece of canvas that can be sewn into a bag.

Also last weekend I started the Bonnie Hunter Mystery.

click here for INTRO PAGE and links to steps so far

My colors are different. Using red instead of blue. Using yellow instead of orange.

The backgrounds are all whites to creams.

Step Two...the green is blue and the yellow is orange in mine.

I have no idea if these colors will end up working. Time will tell.

I'm in the middle of these chevrons. Hope I get them done today.

bindings finally done.....

It is cold and windy, so outdoor pictures were done quickly. 

Under the roof (out of the wind) out back. Tractor joe agreed to hold them all up one at a time. Now I wish he had put on better shoes. You can see that his slippers have a hole.

New slippers are on his Christmas list. His sister will get this quilt.

I have been calling this one mini-me. It is made with left over Block Lotto blocks. I wanted it a little bigger so I made some blocks, but didn't use plaids. It is for my cousins grandson. It is just like the one I made her last winter.(a picture of hers is here)

Last, but not least, is the scrappy trip. It is a wedding present for a nephew that was married last summer. We thought we were in a group gift. Then AFTER the wedding we found out there was NO GROUP gift. We were on our own. Last winter I thought about making them one, but never got it done. So, they end up getting a quilt after all. 

This is the third scrappy trip I have made. I love this pattern by Bonnie Hunter!

I am so thankful that the bindings are done! My least favorite thing to do!

birds....

I have been going back and forth on projects. With a day off from work, it was time to sew bird blocks together and make a center. Right now it is 42 x 54.

Both the birds and big hearts are block lotto patterns.

(low volume hearts, click here)

and

(for the bird directions click here)

No, I didn't win these. I had made my blocks for the drawing, and then kept on sewing more birds because I loved them. I will put a narrow black border on this and them some blue and red nine patches will go in the border. 

The little red hearts are basically 4 patches with the four corner triangles added. 

One more cup of coffee and then I will think about what to work on today.