F-11

This one is called On Target.  It was sewn this summer but needed to have the little wedges appliquéd.  Next?

LS-3

This is left side number 3 and is called Connie's Brownies.  It was sewn already, I just made the appliqué bits.

Speaking of appliqué bits, I am a bit behind on the hand sewing.  Maybe I should pack up the machine and grab a thimble?  

J-12

Rebecca's Basket went together likety split.  The handle will need a bit if stitching of course, but that will happen soon I am sure.  I missed my opportunity to head out, it is dark now.  My own kids are out trick or treating.  Getting them up in the morning will be such a chore.  Poor Kurt is hanging in tough as a single dad, it isn't easy doing it all.

J-5

This one is called John Jacob's Windmill.  I still need to appliqué down the little corner bits, but I will move on for now and come back to it.  I was thinking about going out to explore and maybe get some food, but I am still full from lunch and feeling pretty cozy in my room here at the hotel.  Maybe later.

H-8

The sections were done for this one quite a while ago, but the center needed to be appliquéd together.  I did that last night while watching Cloud Atlas on my I-pad.  What a strange movie.  We made good progress today on our questions and should be done tomorrow before lunch.  They want to make sure we are all gone before people start rolling into town for the big Georgia Florida game on Saturday.  

M-5

This one is called Mother's Point.  I will admit that I dug through the bin looking for one that was easy peasy.  The picture showed a four patch sashed by white on four sides but the diagram showed only two sides.  Now that I look back at the book, for patches are roatated differently, but I think I like mine the way they are.  I think I'll settled in for a little handwork now.  There isn't anything on TV, but HBO to go is working great on the hotel wifi.

I-9

This one is called Chase a Myth.  It was paper pieced in three sections.  Easy enough, but it seemed to take a long time.  It was a slow and steady day of reading test questions.  

RS8

Right side 8 is all appliqué.  I think it is the last one for tonight.  I am going to settle in for some handwork.  Yeah!

I-1

Ralph and Nelda's Wedding.  This one was super simple traditional piecing.  Wish they were all this quick. 

I-7

Mac and Muff was paper pieced with more itty bitty appliqué.  I thought a 5 inch square of yellow would be enough.  Way too close for comfort.  Next?

H-4

This one is called Abbeys Eye.  Paper pieced with a wee appliqué diamond in the middle.  Hotel solo quilt retreat.  

Home Away From Home

I just finished with a long day of test question editing and am ready to settle in to some Dear Jane blocks.  I am so glad I decided to bring my sewing machine along.  Definitely looking forward to a nice relaxing evening.  My girlfriend Meisje was my sub and all seems to have gone well while I was away.   

Design Wall Monday

I couldn't decide for the longest time what project to take along on my upcoming teacher get away.  Finally, I decided to take a look at my Rainbow Scrap Challenge Dear Jane.  I was surprised at how close it was to being done.  Ignoring the triangles for now, there aren't so many center blocks to worry about.  So my bags are packed as well as my little baggies of Jane bits.  Tomorrow will be a marathon of a day getting sub plans finalized, teaching a regular day, piano lessons for Sydney, Academic Team and finally a drive to Jacksonville.  I'd better get some sleep!

Last Black Saturday

I've been chipping away at the last little bits of black for the past few Saturdays.  I'll be sure to finish them off today to make way for the brown of next month.  How are your black blocks looking?  Use misterlinky below to keep us up to date on your projects.
While planning the end of this years scraps, I have already started to plan for next years challenge.  Do you have any favorite colors you want to see featured?  Leave me a comment so I can consider new options as I plan ahead.  On that front I have SUPER exciting news!  I got an e-mail last week from Vicki Welsh, who makes lots of luscious hand dyed fabric.   She blogs over at Field Trips in Fiber and sells beautiful hand dyed fabrics and she wants to sponsor the Rainbow Scrap Challenge next year!  She will be sending some fabric goodies our way for a monthly giveaway.  How fun will that be?  Nothing makes using up scraps more fun than more fabric to spice up the mix.
I'm headed out of town for 4 days this week.  4 school days away from my classroom!  I'll be helping out on the committee that writes the state mandated end of course exam for biology.  Days will be packed full of reading and editing questions, but in the evenings -- I'm taking my sewing machine for a little quality creative time.

SoHappy for ScrapHappy Saturday

 Some weeks are a slow painful plod, some are a series of ups and downs, and some are just so full that you get to the end panting.  This was a doozy of a week!  Goodness.  All full of good stuff, but SO much of it.  I fell asleep at 8 last night and it felt really good.
So here I am, all rested and refreshed, ready to do something fun!  My "dark" jar seems to have more brown than black, but I'll see what I can find for my tiny black nine patches,  

I have quite a collection so far, but not many for this month yet.  I have been catching up on the months I missed this summer.  I'm  not sure why it is so relaxing to sew these itty bitty blocks, but it really is.  How about you?  Lots of dark blocks to share?  Use misterlinky below to show us your stuff.

ScrapHappy Saturday Shadow Play

I made a bunch of strip sets last weekend from my little collection of 1 inch strips.  A few of them were even black.  I really though there would be a chance to iron them and start sub cutting during the week, but that never seems to happen.  I am now tweeting to my biology students though, and I published a new video on prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.  The first quarter ends next week so I will be spending some time this weekend making sure all the loose ends are tied up.  First though, there is an OM meeting this morning, a matinee of the school play this afternoon and a flag football game.  How are your scraphappy projects going?  Use misterlinky below to share your progress.

Twins on Tiny Tuesday

Forgetting where you left off is one of the problems about picking a project back up after a long break.  I kept thinking this block seemed familiar, but in my own defense, there are a lot of blocks that are based on tiny nine patches made with one inch strips.  So now I have two of Granny Weaver  block J-6 and will pick one for the final quilt.  I am leaning toward the one on top, what do you think?  The extra bits are all ready to be used in more tiny nine patches that will someday turn into a Birthday quilt or maybe an Omigosh.  Someday.... not a soon someday though.  

Mini Monday

Please don't fall over from shock and amazement.  I worked on my Dear Jane quilt this weekend.  I think the last time I sewed a block was probably in June before Mom died.  It is so easy to get out of the habit of working on a project, and when the momentum is gone, picking up the pieces again can be hard.

 This one is H-10.  It is called Ben's Bowties and it is paper pieced. It looks like there are 26 pieces in there.  Easy enough as far as this quilt goes.

Here is Sydney with the finished block.  Just look at how long her hair is getting!  Everything around here is crazy as usual.  Anna is in the school play and getting ready to start preseason conditioning for Lacrosse.  Ryan is loving flag football almost as much as Lego robotics.  Sydney, well she still has piano lessons though gymnastics have been lost in the shuffle lately.  I drive around a lot, but it all seems to work out in the end.  

I Sewed!

It seems like ages since I actually made anything.  Time and energy finally coincided today and I have all of the bits and pieces ready to go for H8 from my Dear Jane quilt.  I just need to prep the center for reverse applique and I will have a nice excuse to settle down for a little hand work this afternoon.  Usually I'd find something on TV for background, but ours seems to be stuck on football 24-7 these days.  

Dark Days

Black can be a difficult color for a lot of people.  Getting decent contrast can be a challenge as there never seems to be enough variety to see lots of differences.  I like to think about it as more of a background than a focus color.  I do enjoy how other colors pop against a dark background though.  This is a crumb quilt that I made a few years ago that was supposed to have an Amish feel.  It went somewhere else though during the process though.
Have you started to ponder your dark scraps yet?  Don't be afraid to try, after all, they were only scraps to begin with.

A New Month Already?!

Its pretty bad when the only way that I know a new month has dawned is that I get friendly e-mails from blog friends wanting to know what the new color for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge will be.

We've spent most of the year focusing on the bright and happy end of the scrap bin.  The dark and shady side of your stash is about to get a workout.  I know some of you are resistant to the shadier hues, but they really do add a nice contrast and grounding to your finished projects.  So think black and gray. Just right for October, right?