A Fairy Tale House for Nettie

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Goodness!  This December 2010 block is so hard to part with!  I want to put a border around it, add piping, and then sew it into a pillow cover to put on my bed.  If my daughter was young, I would definitely want to make the little house quilt that inspired Nettie.  So darling! 
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So, ladies, I have completed the 2010 One Block Over Bee -- a little late, yes, but I am so pleased to have been part of the group.  The link there will take you to my own OBO flickr set where all the blocks I received in January 2010 and the ones I sewed throughout the year are listed.  I learned quite a bit about piecing blocks and going freestyle.  I also discovered the great quilting stitch options on my most awesome sewing machine.  Of course, the golden option was finding the 1/4" stitch that solved almost all my proper seam allowance problems just in time for the flying geese projects!  Thanks again for inviting me in last year (and this new year as well), Doris, and thanks X5 for the last half of the year members' patience as I got off track.  

Looking forward to 2011!  I'm already so thrilled about receiving back the Meadowsweet blocks.  I do believe I will hire out to get the sashing finished and then the quilting done soon, so I can enjoy this quilt both visually and snuggle-wise as I cozy up under it during the fall/winter of 2011! -- michele    

June? July? August?

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Does anyone really know what time it is, or what month for that matter?  The days slip by, and I lie in bed at night trying to remember what items were crossed off my list in the previous 18 hours. 

Autumn's wonky block is finished and ready to join its companions.  Can you see the trees in there, Autumn?  I was too afraid to embellish and ruin, however, you might consider running some ric-rac or a buttonhole stitch around the trees to make them stand out.  You could even add a button star at the top.  Right!  I have so many ideas now that I'm finished with the block and am ready to post. 
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I still have some cherished Figgy Pudding from last year which I thought melded with your fabrics.  I really love your spotted red fabric best though.  Can't wait to see the finished quilt! 

Doris, I broke out the paper piecing last night after packaging Autumn's block.  We'll see how far I get before I lie back down in the bed tonight!   

Pinwheels, Stars and Wonky, Oh My

Here is the January block I made for Michelle at Calico Daisy.

As you know, she wanted a pinwheel inside a star, so I was happy to have the Feb. 2010 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting for reference. Such a cool idea for a block!

I was excited to finally try out my quick quarter tool (thanks to Sherri for the reminder that I had one). You just line up the slotted center of the tool with each corner of a square, draw two lines on either side of the tool, and sew along those lines, giving you a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Cut down the center, in between the two lines, and you get two triangle squares (see center pinwheel above).

Here is the February block I made for Heather.

As you know, Heather requested a wonky log cabin block, as wonky as we could get. I've never made a log cabin block or a wonky log cabin block, so I followed the directions from Quilt Dad's quilt-along posted last fall. I hope it is wonky enough for Heather's taste! I hope you will be able to trim this block, Heather, or add to it to match the size you need.

Both of these projects involved blocks or techniques I hadn't tried before, so they were great fun! -Terri

Sunshine in the Cabin

February block for Heather....I gotta say, 16.5" is a BIG block size... I kept adding strips to this and thought I'd never get to 16.5". But Heather, it's a fabulous big block size with these wonky cabins! I'm calling mine "Sunshine in the Cabin", as I started by fussy cutting one of those great sunburst floral motifs out for the center...
It looks wonkier in reality than it does in this photo for whatever reason... LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your color choices, Heather! I had no problem finding fabrics in my stash and scrap basket to add to this (we have very similar fabric tastes, I think!) This will be a lovely quilt, no doubt!