Spooktacular Blocks

The sewing table is cleared off – that really was my main goal in the sewing room so that I could swap out the Spooktacular Halloween Swap Blocks.  Swapping is done and they’ll get mailed back out later this the week of October 27.

Great variety of fabrics and blocks.  Here are some of them – just stuck up on the design walls in no particular order:

  and here are some more

  I’m going to have to find the storage tub that has the past Halloween swap blocks I’ve done.  Those are all appliqued and pieced and they had to be Halloween objects (as opposed to using Halloween fabrics)  — ghosts and monsters and witches and candy etc.   And then I can decide what I want to do with them all.

Thanks to the swappers who sent in these blocks — your packages will be appearing in a mailbox near you in the not too distant future.

Swap Blocks done

A relaxing afternoon spent in my sewing room and my swap block sets are now complete.  Here’s the last set.

  There’s two different center fabrics among the four blocks.  I didn’t have enough of either  and was using up scraps. On is all over candy corn print and the other is candy corn also but in the shape of stars.

Jack-o-lantern stars

It’s been a busy morning.  A couple loads of laundry have been done, hopped the bus to the grocery store so supplies are restocked, and have been busy stitching on my Spooktacular Halloween Block Swap blocks.

I just finished off a set of these Jack-o-lantern stars.

  The ghosties and pumpkins around the blocks are just a Photoshop picture frame but they were so cute I had to add them.  And I love the spider web in the upper left corner of the picture frame with the spider hanging down  It would be a great embellishment to embroider on a Halloween quilt – I’ll have to keep that in mind.

 

I need to decide one more block design to make.  My original plans did not include me running out of printer ink (which I still haven’t gotten to the proper store to get more) so I’ve nixed the paper piecing blocks I was going to make since I can’t print them.  So time to open up EQ and peruse the block libraries to see what I might like to make.  Then finally, after several weeks of it being scattered about the sewing room, I can pack up the Halloween fabrics for a while.

 

 

My swap blocks

I’ve been working on my Halloween swap blocks this morning.   I want to get them finished so I can put the pile of Halloween fabrics I have strewn  on the floor away.  I have several piles spread out of different projects I need to finish the cutting for so I can put the rejects or excess fabrics away.

 Here’s my blocks so far.  It’s had to see the focal fabrics from a distance.  The one on the right has ghoulies and mummies and werewolves and vampires in the center.

the middle group has this section fussy cut from a stripe fabric

And the ones on the left are brightly colored spidies.

I also just found this bat print that was stuck in with just the regular green fabrics — need to figure out what block to use them in.

Spooktacular Halloween Block Swap

There’s still time to join in the fun.  Click the button in the sidebar to find all the info.  I finally got Mel’s blocks added into the quilt layout.  Remember, this is just to show all the different blocks all the swappers have chosen.  They are randomly colored in by me and do not reflect the fabrics of the actual blocks or colors used – it’s just a visual reference because we’re all choosing different block patterns to use and so many patterns go by multiple names.

  The list of blocks follows the order of the blocks in the quilt layout from left to right in horizontal rows.

 

I changed up a couple of my blocks – some crazy person had added in a couple paper-pieced blocks in my row and I don’t really enjoy doing paper piecing (what was I thinking!) LOL  so replaced those blocks with different block patterns.

 

Check it out

  I’ve been filling in just a pain sashed quilt layout with the block design swappers are choosing for the Spooktacular Halloween Print block swap (click the Halloween button in the sidebar for all info on the swap)

But look at all the variety.  It will be fun to see what Halloween prints everyone uses in their blocks and where they place them — these I simply colored in however I wanted.

Wouldn’t you like to swap some lovely Halloween blocks?  Not due to me until October so almost 3 months to get a set or two or three done. 🙂

FSU (Fabric Stash Use) Report 713/14 and other Sunday happenings

Camp Loopy has had me busy sewing the past two months so I’m actually making some progress.  I just pulled out some backing fabric for my Camp Loopy 2 project and today it will get layered and I will start quilting so my tally stands at

 

 

Of course Camp Loopy has also meant buying more fabric but that’s the way it goes.  At least I’ve used more than I purchased!  And I’m getting in some quality quilting time which is nice for a change.

Do you have a stash of Halloween print fabrics you’re wanting to use?

   Follow the button in the sidebar that looks like this to the swap rules for my latest block swap.  TQP members, you can also find the swap rules in our yahoo group files.

My Camp Loopy 2 knitting project is done!  Finished it last night.   I’m going to wait to block it until closer to gift-giving time (after Christmas) because for now it will just be put in the cabinet of finished knitting stuff.  Besides, its way too humid for anything to block and dry properly.

I nearly got carried off the herd of mosquitos when I walked two feet off the sidewalk into the grass to get this photo.  They just rose in masse from the grass so I snapped a quick photo and got back inside.    Thank goodness it rained a bit last night so I shouldn’t have to fight my way through the mosquitos to water the garden today.

 

I updated my Knit the Stash numbers.    The good news – nearly 11,000 yards knit so far this year (well actually more but that’s the finished project number – I’ve got a couple sweaters I hope to get off the needles soon)  and the other news – I’m not call it “bad” news 🙂 – just over 26,000 yards added this year.   Oh well – could be worse.    I’m hoping to get my Customfit KAL shell finished before it’s time to start the next Camp Loopy project.

Spooktacular Halloween Print Block Swap

I love Halloween print fabrics – here are so many fun ones that just make me smile.    And everyone should have a Halloween quilt or table runner or wall hanging.. or two or three.  If you think you’d like to join in this swap, click the button in the sidebar to get to the link to the information.  Please read it all to make sure you really want to sign up and then follow the sign up rules.

Sunday tasks

Today is the day for boring tasks — tho I’m losing interest in them rapidly and I have more to get done!

Even my Stashbusting report is boring — nothing in, nothing out.  I was hoping to at least get the binding made and stitched to a quilt I recently finished the quilting on but so far, not done.

I did my taxes – that was a long slow boring process since Turbo Tax was being obstinant about letting me delete a form I filled in in error but I finally outsmarted it. LOL

Now there most likely will be a bit of yarn buying with some of that refund money  – I always use a bit of it for random yarn buying tho this year will be different since I’m keeping a list of the yarn I want to buy (and have used great restraint in not doing so so far). 😉  I’ve got a couple projects I want to make that take a yarn other than what I have in the stash — most need DK or worsted weight and 98% of the yarn in my stash is sock yarn and what there is of DK or worsted there is not enough for the project.  So I’ve been making a list, waiting until a finish a few more things before a bit of shopping takes place.  Tho I may wait until the next quarterly project for the Loopy Ewe  (TLE) is announced to get everything all at once. While digging through the stash I did find this —

It’s Tosh Vintage – color is baltic and it’s lovely.  I’m going to remake the Drifted Pearls scarf (ravelry) which I had made for TLE’s first quarter challenge but it was not long enough with just one hank of yarn.  It will be very rich looking in this color.

The other exciting tasks planned for today — finish cleaning the kitchen so I can soak several things (shawls, scarf, etc.)  in the sink and then go lay them out to block so I can finally mark them done on my list of knit items.  And flip the mattress on my bed – always fun to do by yourself.   Maybe I’ll just go sit and knit! LOL

I’ve been playing in EQ a bit  (my reward for filing the taxes) and I don’t think I’ll use the setting for the lifesaver blocks I had posted the photo of from the design wall.  Every  time I go in there and look at it – it’s just not doing anything for me with the color families sort of diagonally grouped.  I think  I will have to set them with an alternate block layout I really like and mix the color all up.  I’m still playing with ideas but here’s the latest ones.

idea 1 – Do Not Pin

idea 2 – Do Not Pin

idea 3 – Do Not Pin

All of the borders I like for different reasons but I think I may be leaning towards my original no border version.  But I’m in no hurry to decide what I want to do since I need to make some more blocks first and decide on what color/fabric to use for the alternate blocks.

No border idea – Do Not Pin

Oh one other thing — I’ve gotten a slew of emails in the last week or so from people who have purchases EQ Stitch and have questions.  Sorry, I cannot help you.  I don’t have EQ Stitch as I don’t use an embroidery machine.  The best sources are probably the EQ help forums or the yahoogroup set up  by the woman writing a how to manual re EQ Stitch — all that info can be found on EQ’s website. Now to tackle another boring task or two….. then perhaps reward myself with some pumpkin pie! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh so colorful

Do Not Pin

Photo is a bit washed out from the flash but as you can see I have a lot of colorful blocks on my desigin wall.   About half were swap blocks and the rest ones I made from my batik stash.   I wanted to see what it would look like if  I used the red/orange blocks as sort of a divider with the blues & greens below and other colors above.  So stuck them up on the design wall that way since I needed to remove them from my living room floor. At least there are out of the way and while on the wall I can contemplate them when I’m in the sewing room, move things around, decide what size I wan to make the project  and how I want to finish it off – alternate blocks, sashing, straight set, etc. I need to go digging through the block storage tubs — seems to me there are other sets of batik on Kona black  blocks in there and maybe I can incorporate them all together in a project. Now the important question of the day — does a person really need something OTHER than pumpkin pie and coolwhip for dinner??  Yep I made pie but haven’t given dinner a thought.  But I think I did take some split pea soup out of the freezer and stuck it in the fridge to thaw so that might just be the thing to have.