Checkerboard Block - Laurel Ridge BOM

The April directions for the Laurel Ridge BOM came out a few days early. This month, we'll be making the Checkerboard Block. I was a little nervous to make this block since it looks complicated. After making 4 blocks, I found out it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. These blocks finish at 5" square.

I started out by cutting everything first. (I don't always do that!) The squares are made by sewing long strips together and then cutting down. The triangles are added to the start of each row as well as the other side of the 4th row square. After sewing the 4 rows together, I trim the ears off the triangles. I sew on the floral triangle and my block is complete! Not as bad as I was thinking! I have to make a total of 32 blocks this month. 

I Like Thursday #268

It's time for Thursday likes! Please visit LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Color to link up with more blogs posting fun likes. My two cats, Lily and Molly, don't always get along so I always like seeing them sitting together and not fighting. I think Molly is jealous that Lily is in the little house but Lily is just staring right back. No hissing or flying paws! They actually stayed like that for awhile. Quite surprising!!

I bought these cute Easter fabrics a few weeks ago. I think I might make a table runner. I doubt I'll have it ready for this Easter but the fabric was just too cute to pass up!

I made this banana cream pie last week and it was very tasty! You can find the recipe here. It uses a ready made graham cracker crust so it's quick! I hope you like it as much as we do!

This is the latest paper pieced block for the Frightful Fun Block of the Month. The background is actually much lighter than the picture. This one took a while to make but it's wasn't too hard. It measures 12.5" X 24.5". I'm waiting for the next installment of Laurel Ridge from The Quilt Show. I heard it will keep me busy most of the month!

 Have a great weekend!! We're expecting a rainy weekend. It's better than snow!!

Frightful Fun BOM Update

I'm not sure why but the April blocks for Frightful Fun are already up! I made these blocks in an afternoon. These are quick and easy! (Which I love!!) They finish at 6" square. I used a different orange for each block but all the other fabric was the same.

These are the rest of my blocks before April was released. I love using the different color backgrounds. This is one of the most fun quilt projects I've made. Such fun!!

Quilted Log Cabin Star

 

My husband and I both had doctor appointments in Boston on Thursday. We got there early for my appointment but then had to wait around for 1PM for his. It's nice not having to go into Boston twice but it certainly makes for a long day! The traffic was awful when we were ready to come home. I've been sewing and quilting but didn't go on my laptop once! I did finish the Log Cabin Star. I really like how it came out.

Here's a closeup of the quilting. I have the binding all ready to go. I went to the quilt store for the binding fabric and bought a few more things as well! I can never just buy what I need when I visit a quilt shop. There are too many nice things that I just can't leave behind! I'll post pictures when I decide what I'm going to do with my bonus purchase!

Quilting Log Cabin Star

 I started to quilt the Log Cabin Star table topper. It measures about 36" X 31". I had a backing left over from a previous project that has lots of pink in it. I thought it would work out well. I found a batting that I had had for years. I don't usually use polyester batting but I thought it would be okay for a table topper. I found it easy to quilt with after the 2 blocks I quilted. I quilted arcs in the center diamond. I quilted small arches, candy ribbon and wishbone in the three layers surrounding the middle.

Since this top isn't very large, I decided to float the top and not pin it to any leaders. I think it's small enough to be okay to do this. I'm so used to pinning! I figured I would get outside my comfort zone and try this method. This piece is made of 12 diamonds so I don't think it will take too long to finish. Now, if I could just find some fabric to bind it with! I'll have to go through my stash.

I Like Thursday #267

It's time for Thursday likes! Please visit LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Color to link up with more blogs taking part in I Like Thursday! I finished these cross stitch pieces a few weeks ago but it took a while to add a border and quilt them. I finally finished them up this morning. I just have to sew down the binding. The one on the left is about 10" square while the other one is 9" square. I'll be displaying them as soon as they're done. It's not too warm today but it does feel more like Spring. I actually quilted these two on the long arm! I used the same backing so it was quick to load and finish them up.

Speaking of spring, look at my Christmas cactus! It has so many new little leaves growing. I think it happened overnight. So exciting for me since I don't have a green thumb. 

Here's my Alaska quilt. It's all washed and bound. I put in 2 color catchers when I washed it. It seems to have done really well. Although I prewash my fabric, I still am unsure if anything will run in the wash. I also used a wool batting which is supposed to show off the quilting well even after washing it. My quilting is still very visible. I've had some quilts where the quilting is hard to see after that first wash. It must be from shrinking, not sure. 

Have a Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Toil and Trouble

I finished the latest block released for the Frightful Fun BOM. I was a little nervous to make this one. The bird looked difficult to me, especially the eye. The eye is about 1/2" square and then each corner gets a tiny triangle to make it look more round. 

I'll admit that I had to make the eye twice before I got the hang of it. The pieces were just so small. The second one looked so much better than the first one.

I also wanted a fun accent piece below that charcoal grey of the cauldron. I was lucky I found this Tula Pink in my scrap box. It was perfect!!

I decided to make the moon yellow at the last minute. I had another fabric all picked out that had stars in it but changed my mind. I'm glad I went with yellow. I was a little nervous to sew on those "legs" but it all worked out! The designers do a great job with these patterns. 

I'm all done for this month and am waiting for the April release of the next patterns.

I Like Thursday #266

It's time for Thursday likes! Please visit LeeAnna to find more blogs taking part in I Like Thursday. I kept hearing a weird noise while in my kitchen. Both cats came running and I saw them staring at this little guy! For some reason, this squirrel likes to climb the window screens in my eating area. He actually licks them!! I'm not sure why. I've noticed he comes a few times per day. I even caught him licking the vinyl siding. I suppose all species have their crazy members!!

I finished this cross stitch project last week also. I used rick rack but I need some other sort of trim. 
Any suggestions?? I used to like looking around JoAnn's but the one near me has been picked over. There's nothing worthwhile left. It's sad these stores are closing. I'm not sure where I can buy notions like these. Maybe Michael's?? I'm hoping some quilt shops add to their inventory.

This is my second attempt at Stanley Tucci's Zucchini Pasta. You can find the recipe here. This one seems a bit more authentic than the last one I tried. I made the zucchini this morning and will let it sit in the fridge all day. They recommend overnight but I forgot about making it last night. I have my cheese all ready to go! I can't wait to try it!!

Our prompt this week asks us what we wanted to be when we were children. I always wanted to be a teacher. However, at the time, teachers couldn't find jobs. It was always my dream to have my own classroom. I changed to pharmacist since I had volunteered at the local hospital and they put me in the pharmacy. It seemed like a good job and I was always interested in science. I think the favorite part of being a pharmacist was teaching the pharmacy students that rotated through our department. I guess I combined teaching with my pharmacy career as best as I could.

Have a wonderful weekend! I'm enjoying to see our snow melting. It's been a little bit warmer and it also rained. So nice to see grass again!!

Halloween BOM Frightful Fun

I've been working on my Frightful Fun BOM since I'm all caught up with the Laurel Ridge BOM sponsored by The Quilt Show. I finished quilting this mini last week and added the binding over the weekend. I'm sewing it down by hand while watching TV.  It measures 18" X 18". This was a great way to review my paper piecing skills before I started the larger project.

These are my bone blocks. I decided to stick with black and white although many of the other quilters added all sorts of colors. I like using just 2 colors for the 6 blocks. They measure 6" square unfinished. These blocks look easy but each block is made from 23 pieces! They always take longer than expected. My next block is the witch's cauldron! I'll post pictures once that one is finished. More to come!!