Let's Book It and August ends

  My Let's Book It project was a carry over from July.   I did the quilting this month.,,,,..click here to see the feather wreath post.   For a simple runner using the Hot Dish Chain pattern, it took me long enough!










 I also have a Let's Book It project from the end of June that got set aside.   Very little progress has been made as I just could not get my motivation to work on a big project.  I have tons of squares marked.....I just need to sit and sew to make some headway.









   In the meantime.....I continued with  another project for a gift.  We can class it as another Let's Book It because it is from an older article from a magazine.  I began it as a leader/ender project....here.   Here are a few of the bands of small bricks ready to be joined with white strips.

  Those are my three....and I do have the rail fence variation quilted and ready for binding.  It will get done next month.







 Oh, wait I forgot those tool rolls....LOL.....they consumed the last few days.
 
  August was busy enough with  a couple of family visits, and a trip to Michigan to see our daughter and the Dream Cruise on Woodward. And the visit to the dentist for the cracked crown happened.

 
   That means September is arriving, and I know it was just May!   One great thing about September is the return of this...Pumpkin Spice coffee from the Fresh Market.  Yum!   I pulled out a new mug rug and my favorite cup  in anticipation of my favorite evening brew.
 



I'll be enjoying a cup as I get going on my September plans.

• Binding the rail fence variation.
• Sewing triangles for the Birds in the Air project.
• Continue with the leader/ender gift project.
• De-cluttering the magazine pile....it is way to large and needs to be reduced.  I feel the need for a project using florals/watercolor/value, so I am on the hunt for ideas.  Ripping pages out of magazines is therapeutic too!

Linking with Vroomans Quilts for the Let's Book It project.  Be sure to check it out.   Happy stitching.

Let's Book It / July

  Time to report in for the Let's Book It Project.  Needless to say, I got distracted this month and did not get finished on my quick and simple project.  I decided to make a table runner from the Minnesota Hot Dish pattern.  Easy enough.  Yet my brain fog set in, and  my math skills disappeared, which lead to being short on the required cut pieces.  This lead to the detour of developing a Project Cutting List.   Rough month, right?
 
   From a great little booklet on Minnesota Hot Dish styles......you can create 2 different looks from the placement of your fabrics.

  



  One version creates a pinwheel effect, and the second develops into a chain.  Guess you know which one I like.   I chose fabrics from the scrap pile in an assortment of blue, purple, and green tones.

  My runner of three large units got pieced--finally--and pinned.  Thankfully, finishing is not required for the Let's Book It project!  Sharon is just enabling us to begin something from our stash of patterns/books/want to dos.  It's a great way to experiment with some new ideas.

  Quilting on this one will happen in August. Did I really say August.....already?
I may not get much else done as there are a couple of family visits and a trip on the schedule.    A few small projects will probably get thrown in again.
Happy stitching.

Project Cutting List

    My week started well.  I felt like I got things accomplished.  I even managed to fit in time to put new liners in all the kitchen drawers.....it was time for that spongy liner stuff to go.  And I was cutting fabric for 3 table runners and throwing in pieces to the basket for the new leader/ender project.
   By Thursday I was ready to begin some piecing.  By Friday afternoon, I was thinking my brain went on vacation somewhere without me!  And this morning I was convinced of it.
 

   This is the culprit!  I picked up this booklet at quilt guild from the donations table.  a whole booklet of ideas using the Minnesota Hot Dish pattern.....like the quilt I did last year.    This handy little booklet is from their Shop Hop a few years ago....even recipes included.  I decided to switch to a table runner using this pattern for my Let's Book It project this month.
   So somewhere along the yellow brick road of cutting, those evil winged monkeys descended and fogged up my brain.  Or is it that I was turned into the scarecrow?  Anyway, I was piecing along quite nicely, and I did not have enough sections cut for the print on the second round.  And then, I did not have enough background cut for the fourth round.......how did I do this?  All this stopping to cut and piece new sections was slowing me down and making me crazy.
Enough!
 

Project Cutting List

    I realized I had only cut enough pieces for eight blocks on some sections and 10 on others.....and I wanted 12.   Looking at the notes and marks I made in the book, I could tell that I had really jumbled things up.  Since my vision,  concentration, and general acuity is  really the culprit, I decided a little help is required.   I re-vamped my project cutting card  for future projects and hopefully will avoid more mistakes / delays!   I printed up 3 or 4 of these on card stock to have on hand.  Working from a  small cutting list is easier for me than sorting through a  list in small print  in a book.

   I am sharing this here....just in case you need it....and so I can always find it.    Now to finish up those few blocks.
Happy stitching.