Tuesday Archives - The First BOM

It's Tuesday which means it's time to take a look back at early, or even pre-blogging projects by linking up with Val's Quilting Studio for:

This week's theme is Boys and BOM.  Other than My Guy, we don't have any boys in the house, though I guess at some point Drama Teen will start dragging home a few boyfriends.  Thankfully, she's decided that boys aren't worth all the drama at the moment and she's not all that interested in them.  I'm sure that will change at some point.  

So since Boys is out as a theme, it will have to be BOM.  Looking back through my blog posts I realized that there are no posts about my first completed BOM.  Sometimes I forget that I've been quilting a lot longer than I've been blogging.  

That first BOM was started not long after we moved back to Oklahoma.  A few months after we moved back someone at work told me about a quilt shop the next town over.  So I signed up for their 2007 BOM which required 1930's reproduction fabrics and used block patterns that had been published in the Kansas City Star.  To be honest, I'm not a fan of the pastels common in the 1930 reproduction fabrics, so I had a hard time picking out a color palette for the BOM blocks.  I finally decided on red and blue. Thus was born the 1930's Red, White and Blue quilt (such an original name I know).

Block patterns from the Kansas City Star
Setting self designed

After not being so thrilled with the 1930's reproduction fabrics, I was surprised at how much I liked the finished quilt.  This one resided on our bed for a few years, but it was never a favorite of My Guy.  Now it resides in the closet only to be pulled out for the sofa bed when we have company.  

That's it for my walk down memory lane this week.  Check out all the other archival postings over at Val's Quilting Studio.  

Let's Book It Challenge - April 2014

Progress in the sewing room has been slow this month, well really for the whole year.  But at least it hasn't come to a complete stand still. Back in February I started a project out of the December 2013 American Patchwork and Quilting Magazine, Poinsettias Allure.    

Poinsettias Allure designed by Judy Blok
from the December 2013 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting

I subscribe to a lot of quilting magazines, but rarely make a pattern from them.  So the Let's Book it Challenge hosted by Vrooman's Quilts was an obvious way to encourage me to make a few projects from all those magazines and books which are gathering dust just sitting on the book shelf.  Poinsettias has been my leaders and enders project for the last month.  Since I've not been sitting at the sewing machine much the last couple of months, there's not much progress.

Nineteen of the 76 half square triangle blocks are done.  At this rate, Poinsettias may end up being my only "book it" pattern this year.  Well, probably not, I've got a few other projects picked out that use patterns or books.  I just need to finish a few projects so there is room to start something new.  

Check out all the other challenge projects posted over at Vrooman's Quilts.  

Monday Design Wall - A Purple Butterfly

The weekend at home was much needed.  Most of Sunday was spent in the sewing room, not that you can tell it by the small changes in my design wall.  But not all the time was spent sewing, almost as much time was spent on cutting fabrics and pressing newly washed fabrics.  It was nice to just putter around for a bit.  

I'm way behind on the sampler blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  I cut fabric for a couple of those, but didn't finish piecing them.  I did get this month's butterfly block completed. 

 Scrappy Butterflies
Block is available in EQ 7 Block Library

About half of the half square triangles needed for this month's Inverted Star block have been cut and stitched.  Hopefully by the weekend, I'll have more to show for my solo retreat.  

That's it for me this week.  Check out all the other design walls posted over at Patchwork Times.  

Stash Report - Weeks 16 and 17 of 2014

I'm enjoying the luxury of a complete weekend at home.  It seems like we've been running since mid March.  Between volleyball and other family obligations, there's not been a weekend to just play catch up.  I did that yesterday.  Laundry is in reasonable shape, the house is much cleaner than it was.  Today, My Guy is on his way to Montana and Drama Teen is heading out in a bit to go horseback riding with a friend (assuming the storms hold off long enough).  My plan is to spend the day getting reacquainted with my sewing room.  I've not spent much time there the last few weeks as my stash report demonstrates.  

Used last 2 weeks:  0.26 yards
Added last 2 weeks:  0 yards

Used in 2014:  7.07 yards
Added in 2014:  75.05 yards

Net stashed in 2014:  67.98 yards 

I've not been spending much time in the sewing room because it's been so pretty outside.  Plus Drama Teen has a wildflower project due in a couple of weeks so she and I have spent a number of evenings walking down country roads so she can collect her specimens.  Even when it rains, it's been nice to be outside listening to the raindrops.

All the rain has made everything pretty lush.  We are due more rain today, but those will be much stronger storms than we've had to date.  I've got one eye on the radar as tornadoes are in the forecast for late this afternoon.  Which reminds me, I should go check out the state of the storm shelter before I begin my solo sewing retreat.  

I'm going to go do that.  Then I'll grab another cup of coffee and check out all the stash reports over at Patchwork Times.  

Tuesday Archives - Borders and Birthdays

I've been having a problem with the "blahs" coupled with a bad case of "too much" (work, cold weather, teen drama, etc).  In an attempt to break that viscous cycle, I was looking for some new avenues to challenge my current status quo.  I've been seeing a few posts for the "Tuesday Archives" hosted by Val's Quilting Studio.  

So this week I'm going to play along and take a look at past posts for birthday's and borders.  

In looking the blog archives, the only birthday post I could find was one for My Guy from last year.  I had meant to blog about Drama Teen's birthday this year and didn't.  Now that she's a "mature" young woman, she doesn't want sleep overs or birthday parties.  Instead she's opted for a day of ice skating with a few friends.

I have action shots of the event, but they all ended up blurry. DT is in the blue jacket on the left.  This was birthday number 15.  How do they grow up so fast?  

Now for the border part.  When I discovered blogging, I didn't jump right into it my hosting my own blog.  I started out writing posts over at Connecting Thread's "Quilt With Us" community.  It seemed to be an easy way to dip my toe into the whole posting thing.  I wasn't sure that I had that much to say.  While I was part of that community, I participated in a BOM.  I don't normally do pieced borders, but it made such a dramatic setting, I really wanted to make this one.  

  

I've never blogged here about this quilt.  It's one of my favorites.  I love the blue and yellow color scheme and the border frames the blocks nicely.  The pattern is by Amy Heaton and is available at  Electric Quilt's My EQ Boutique.  If you look up the pattern, you'll see my version as one of the examples at the bottom of the page.

For more recycled posts, check out Val's Quilting Studio.