August Blocks

Can you believe it's almost August? That means it's time for another round of blocks. Without further ado here they are.

 You can get instructions here. If you have made any of these blocks and would like to share your version, I have set up a flicker group(see the side bar) and would love to have you join. I hope you enjoy these blocks!

Mug Rugs and Coasters

I've been using some pretty ceramic coaster for a few years. They have become way to attractive to my grandchildren and since they have sharp corners and are breakable, its time for a more child friendly solution. I considered silicone coasters but I think our dog would chew them to pieces, so quilted coasters and mug rugs are the solution. I wanted something fast and super easy so here's my first solution.

 Then I realized we use them mostly for coffee and the stains would show big time, so it was back to the fabric stash and sewing machine. Here's my final solution. They were so fast, fun, and easy that I thought you might want to make some. You can print a tutorial here.

 I've also made some progress on my new project. Here's what the original pattern looks like. Its from the book "Winter Rose" by Barbara Brandeburg.

 

This is my version. I put pinwheels in the corners and changed the applique. They are still more corners and an outside border to add, but I thought I'd do the machine applique first.

 Thanks for stopping by! 

A New Project and Thread Storage

Finally I'm starting a new project. I have a large blank wall in my guest room that is crying out for a quilt. I've always loved this quilt and have wanted to make it for a while and now I'm going to. It from the book "Winter Rose" by Barbara Brandeburg.

Since it's me making the quilt and I seem to have trouble ever making a quilt exactly as instructed, I will be making changes to both the applique and the piecing. Here's my fabric choices.

Karen from Sew Many Ways is hosting a linky party about thread storage. I love to do machine applique. My applique method is using a hand guided satin stitch. This requires many thread colors because I like to match my fabric as closely as possible. Here's a few examples of my method.

I have a tutorial for my method in the "Printable Tutorials" just below my header. Anyway on to thread storage...this is my current method.

It looks semi-organised right now, but this is not the normal condition and so I've purchased these. 

I just need to get them hung on the wall and I'm hoping this keeps things neater. I'm also wanting to get to Ikea and purchase a magnetic knife holder for my bobbins. I show you the changes when I get them installed.

Finishes!

Finally some finishes. First the quilt for my younger grandson is finally completely finished! I'm really happy with it and hope that he and his parents like it too. They've had to wait long enough!

 I also finished my Calendar Quilt top. I had planned on a more elaborate border, but after I put the first one on, I decided that I didn't want any more. With the each block so different and so many colors, simplicity seemed to be the best plan. I cut thirty one 2 1/2" x 14" white strips on the straight of the grain and twenty 2 1/2" blue printed squares for the sashing. My borders are 4 1/2" wide using the blue printed fabric and are also cut on the straight of the grain. I don't plan to quilt this one for a while but when I do, I will bind it with white binding strips.

I finally worked up enough courage to join and use flicker. Silly huh! I now have a group set up for you to share your versions of my Calendar Blocks. I would love to see any blocks you have made and any projects you have made using these blocks. They can be any project of yours or one made using any of the extra projects that I have provided. Please join and share your work! Just click on the icon below to join.

  This has been a very busy month so far. We had a wonderful Fourth of July shared with my daughter, my son and his family, and my sister's family. When my daughter is in town it means extended shopping trips because everything is so much less expensive here than in San Francisco. We had so much fun and she went home with some great bargains. I've also spent some time painting. You are going to say "What again!" Well me too! I'm through with all painting projects this year. I painted my bathroom vanity white and my old beat up cedar chest was antiqued. Here's the cedar chest finished and I am thrilled to have it looking good again. It makes me think of Mom and Dad who gave it to me for my last year at home. I think they would be happy with what I've done. The paintings are by sister.

July Blocks

Here's July's Blocks. They have a patriotic flavor, but a simple change of fabrics on the birdhouses or placing a different flag in the center of the star blocks could personalize these blocks to your area. Click here for instructions. I hope you enjoy them!

 I also promised you a sneak peak of some of the future blocks. Here are blocks I didn't use on my calendar. I'm assembling them into a quilt. I'm quite happy with the results. I'm hoping to get the entire top together soon. When I've done that I will give instructions for the settings and borders. 

There will still be two blocks per month so there are five more blocks that you haven't seen. Be sure to check back each month for the instructions. If your new to my blog, the instructions for past blocks can be found in the pages just below the blog title.