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Tracy of Fiber Babble, I hope you're out there!! I've been trying to reach you. Please send me an email.

Have a great day!!

A Little Surprise!!

The other day in this post, I wrote some instructions for my 4-to-9 block. I had one name picked out but wasn’t sure which layout I preferred for that name. Gene left a comment saying that he really liked the first layout best because of its symmetry. Tracy said the second block was her favorite and that it looked like little people hugging each other. So true, I had not even noticed it!!

So here they are -

Sliding Number Puzzle

AND

Quilt Fulla Hugs!

Now that these two patterns are OFFICIALLY named I want to thank both Gene and Tracy for helping with the process. But I cannot leave out Pat! Thank you Pat for being the first to comment on the original post and for sending Gene over to have a look.

Now if the three of you would please, please, please send me your snail-mail addies, I would like to send a little gift out to each of you!!

Be blessed!!

Project Progress…

My April UFO may remain a UFO for a bit longer. But I can say that it has officially become a flimsy and is no longer a pile of cut pieces waiting to be sewn together. This is an older Joann’s BOM that was sold in pre-cut monthly kits. I forgot to buy binding and backing at the time, so had to go and pick that up today. Here is a picture:

Earlier I mentioned that I had finally started cutting out hexies and here they are:

Aren’t they cute?! I am using the hexagon ruler from Fons & Porter. My strips are 2-1/2 inches wide and I have quite a bit of 30’s fabric left over to use for this project. This post has the link to the tutorial I plan to follow for sewing my hexies together.

FQ’s from the Sew Mama Sew FQ swap are starting to come in. I will share a picture once they’ve all arrived. There are definitely some beautiful fabrics showing up here!!

I’ve also made some progress on the Chimney Sweep swap being hosted by Nancy at Patchwork Penguin. Here is view of the piles by my sewing machine:

But all of this progress has come at a price…my controller pedal has decided to develop a short. I’ve ordered a replacement. But since I don’t know how long it will take to arrive I have pulled out “old antique”. After a bit of crud removal, oiling, adjusting, and replacing of the needle, I fired her up. SHE RUNS!! No fancy stitches and everything is manual…but SHE RUNS!!

If anyone knows anything about this machine would you drop me a line? I cannot find a date on her, she’s a Belvedere Adler, De Lux Family Sewing Machine, made in Japan. She has her own little sewing cabinet/table and only knows how to sew a straight stitch. Her colors are green and cream. Later I will post a picture of my other old antique…she’s a Singer.

So with “old antique” put back into service, progress will continue…

Be blessed!!

p.s. later I will reveal the results of the quest for pattern choices and names for the 4-to-9 block.

Sliding Number Puzzle

The 4-to-9 block reminds me of the sliding number puzzle. Do you remember those? They were just a little plastic tray with number tiles that you would slide back and forth until you managed to get the numbers in order.

Start with four 4-3/4 inch squares of fabric. I chose four bright pieces. Charm packs work very well for this. Just trim the blocks to the right size before sewing them together.

Sew these into a simple 4-patch block. Your 4-patch block should be exactly nine inches square. Next cut your 4-patch block into 9 three inch squares. This can be done very simply by making two vertical cuts, one at the 3 inch mark and one at the 6 inch mark. Now make two horizontal cuts, one at the 3 inch mark and one at the 6 inch mark.

Let the fun begin…start rearranging your blocks until you find a pattern you like. There are lots of possibilities so play with it a bit. After you have arranged your blocks, simply sew them as you would any 9-patch block. It is so easy!!

Here are several combinations I found:

I’m not sure which I like best!!

Which ones do you like?

I’m Soooo Confused

Winter…spring…winter…spring…winter again – WITH SNOW! Wow what a wild season this has been so far. The weather man says to blame it on “El Nino”…he may just be right. Whatever the cause, choosing what to wear to work each day is a challenge. Thank you God for whoever invented layers. Today it is wet…really wet and it is my last full day at my old job. I start a new job on Monday, a half hour drive from home. It is EXCITING, it IS SCARY, but it IS the work of the Lord and an answer to prayer!!!

I have been working on several different projects: a few swaps and a few quilts. My April UFO has gone from being a pile of pieces to a flimsy and is now at a stand still again…I need to get backing and binding…so it may remain a UFO…at least for a little while. My second QFK quilt kit arrived the day before yesterday. The fabric is soooo cute! And yes I have started cutting out hexies. I found a ruler that helps you cut several different sizes depending on the width of your strip. I found a method for piecing hexies by machine that it oh-so-easy. AND I have the best assortment of 30’s reproduction fabrics. PERFECT!!

I’ll post more details and pictures later. Oh I just remembered that I promised instructions on making the 4-to-9 patch block…I better get that written!!

Have a great day!!

Something Nice

Bonnie over at Quiltville’s Quips & Snips is a recent benefactor of someone “Just being nice”. If you go read her post you’ll get a glimpse of the magic that can happen!!

Enjoy!

I’ve Done it…Just Because

Doing something nice just because you want to will give you a wonderful feeling inside. Now I don’t mean the kind of wonderful feeling that comes from hearing thank you from the receiver of the gift. And I don’t mean the kind of nice that gets other people saying “Wow, she’s so nice”. That kind of nice can easily turn into being nice for the sake of what you get back from others in return for your niceness.

The kind of nice I’m talking about is when you do something for someone who can or will never say thank you. There is a certain sense of well-being and of doing the right thing that comes with it.

There are so many opportunities to just be nice.

So here is my thought: Do something nice…just because…not because you have to…not because it is expected…not to get anything in return…JUST BECAUSE!

But here is the trick: NO ONE can find out it was you!! You must remain anonymous. You must not be seen. You must bless another without any possibility of return.

Go on…I challenge you!! And when you’ve done it will you come back and tell me? Not the details…just tell me you did it! You cannot imagine how good it feels!!

I’ve done it.

I Goofed!

I thought I posted this but now I can’t find it…so here it is, my finished QFK quilt. It has already been sent back and I’ve ordered another kit. These make up so quickly and they’re fun!! If you’re interested in helping out with the project to provide Quilts for Kids, go to the Quilts for Kids website. You can learn all about it and under the How to Help link you can request your own kit!!

Have a great weekend!!

Do You Know What’s Special About Grandbabies?

This is…

Misty Fuse Giveaway

Bradie over at A Quilty Kind of Girl Designs is giving away 5 Yards of Misty Fuse. She’s has also provided a wonderful tutorial showing how she uses it to baste her quilts…read “no more pins”. This sounds positively wonderful. I use safety pins to baste my quilts and while the actual pinning isn’t too horrible, they become a nuisance while machine quilting…you know, stitch, stitch, stitch, and right while your motion is going great you have to stop and remove a pin…ugh!! I would love a chance to win some of this miracle baster and give it a try in one of my projects. If you would like a chance go on over to Bradie’s blog and join in on the fun!!

Blessings!!

A Sweet Giveaway

Over at The Noble Wife, Jacquelynne is having a sweet giveaway to celebrate her new pattern Love Me, Love Me Not. Visit her blog to get in on the fun.

A Swap or two…

Nancy over at the Patchwork Penguin in hosting a swap. You can choose between using Civil War or 30’s reproduction fabrics. It’s going to be great fun. To sign up you’ll need to leave a message on her blog or email her directly. Hope you join us!!

I’ve been participating in another swap with Cecelia over at Sew Quilty. While the swap is closed to new entries, I wanted to share the blocks that I am swapping. It is a no-sew Red-White-Blue swap, therefore it was only necessary to cut the fabrics and package them to ship.

Here is the block I swapped with all participants:

And the block for those who wanted to do a second one:

I’ll share more when I start receiving my blocks.

Have a blessed day!!

A Hexagon Tutorial…worked like a charm….

I found this video tutorial from Kaye Wood for making hexagons…I am fascinated by them but haven’t been brave enough to give them a try. Yesterday I was working on a block from an old UFO…number #10 on my list and I thought to myself… “hey, I bet that technique will work for this block!”

Here’s the block, and yes it worked like a charm…

See those corners on the green block…they’re beautiful…and I didn’t have to work hard at them at all!!

Here’s the back of the block. If you look very closely you can see the two seams that are sewn all the way across and the two that “don’t cross”.

Thanks Kaye for the great tutorial!!

I will try a hexagon soon!!! I will!!

Happy Easter!

I want to take a moment to wish you all a Happy Easter!

This is such a wonderful time to reflect upon the true meaning of Easter, without which we would all perish. Christ came to this earth, born a man, He lived and breathed and ate among us, He taught us amazing things, He loved us deeply.

He was loved by many and hated by many…in the end He was crucified, His body poured out for us, but His love never died. As promised He rose on the third day. As promised He has given us eternal life.

As cruel as His death was, as miraculous as His resurrection is, even more amazing is His gift to us…that if we believe in Him and invite Him into our lives, confess our sins, confess Him as Lord…He gives us the right to be children of God and eternal life to live forever with Him!

He is Risen…He is Risen Indeed!!!

Blessings to you all!!