Quilt Block #41

I always have to remind myself that patience pays off. I am frequently so eager to complete a project that I rush into it before it's ready. This block is a great example. I originally bought this light blue fabric to pair with another light blue fabric I used in Amanda's quilt and it just wasn't working. This dark blue fabric was a fat quarter purchased for my Cathedral Window quilt, and it ended up working perfectly!

Closing Windows

This is what the Cathedral Window quilt looked like last weekend:


This is what it looks like this weekend:


Only 15 more squares for the main part of the quilt, and 40 for the border! I made so much more progress than I thought I'd be able to make at one time! I haven't quite decided what I'm going to do about the border yet though, so I'm going to set it aside while I collect the last squares and work on Christmas ornaments for awhile.

Quilt Block #40

I got this idea from a Flickr picture. Originally I laid it out with the light blue in the center, but the effect wasn't quite what I had anticipated, so I switched it around and now it looks much better.

Quilted Ball Ornament Tutorial

Here's the ornament we'll be making today:

Materials:

• 1/4 yard, or a fat quarter, of the main fabric (pink in this example)
• 1/8 yard, or a fat quarter, of an accent fabric (green in this example)
• 3" diameter Styrofoam ball
• 1/2" sequin pins
• scissors
• ruler
• glue gun
• narrow ribbon (approximately 6" depending on preferred hanging length)
• 1 button with a flat back (preferably with 2 holes)
• sewing machine or needle and thread (or you can substitute glue - sewing is optional)
• iron and ironing board (optional)
  
• rotary cutter, mat, and ruler (optional, but handy)
  

Treasure!

Oh my goodness, joy to my little world! One of my quilting co-workers gave me these lovely fabric pieces for my Cathedral Window quilt! Since Joann's didn't have any jelly rolls or charm packs, I asked her yesterday if she knew if the local quilt shops carried them before I drove from shop to shop in search of them. She provided helpful input on what each shop might have, and then today she surprised me with these pieces! I am eternally grateful! This will be so immensely helpful, I am inexplicably appreciative of her thoughtfulness and generosity!

I've finally decided to join all the Cathedral Window blocks together. I've joined them in pairs and I was planning on filling in those windows before joining them further, as that would make finishing the windows much easier, but that limits my placement options. So I'll be busy this weekend!

Decorating

In an effort to tidy up my craft desk, I've hung up a couple of mini-quilts above my machine that were just laying around.

Thanksgiving Cards

It's August and I need to start thinking about Christmas ornaments! So far I have one idea that is specific to one person, and one idea that I don't really want to replicate too many times. My mom wants several of the design I made last year for her friends. And then there's cards! This is the card I made for Thanksgiving last year. The green paper is left over from my wedding album; the brown is from my sister's. The leaf is not a die-cut; I cut them all out by hand! (I think I only sent 6 or so.)