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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.