Tag Archives: Crop Circles BOM
Crop Circles delay
It’s been crazy around here. I just realized today that tomorrow is the first Saturday of the month – YIKES! – the day to post the next installment of Crop Circles. Well, heck, it’s not written up yet. I’ve been busy working on some new designs for a Hoffman Fabrics fabric line so that has taken precedence. But emailed those off tonight for approval so I’m hoping in the next few days to get the next installment of Crop Circles posted. So stayed tuned – it will be coming and will remain up for a full month for download.
Defrag quilt
I’ve worked a couple nights this week for a couple hours and here’s the pile of blocks so far for the Defrag quilt. Just four more to make and I can start playing with the layout.
And here’s the latest sock finished last night. Good thing I bought two hanks of this yarn since this pattern eats up a lot of it compared to other socks I made. But the pattern stitch makes it thicker and it will be nice and warm next winter — once I get the second one made. 🙂 This one has taken a bit longer to make because I usually don’t carry the stitch pattern across the top of the foot but decided to and kept messing up. Plus I’ve been busy piecing and appliquing in the evenings. Only half of a Crop Circle block to finish the applique on and I’ll have all the center blocks done.
See that lovely circle of red in front of the state capital (which I cut the dome off of in the photo). It’s tulip time!
Here they up close – isn’t that a gorgeous color combination.
Friday’s Quilting Accomplishments
Great progress has been made on the large charity auction quilt today. Main blocks are joined with their pieced sashings. I wasn’t so sure I really liked the border I had originally drawn shown here. So played with a bit more and changed it just a little – the background print would have looked really chopped up in the first border so here’s the EQ rendition with the actual fabrics I’m using and the border change. Besides I love that green print fabric so wanted to use more of it; it’s got flecks of the purple color it it. I’ve just got the plain border and the pieced one left to add.
But turning on EQ really sidetracked the rest of my night. First there was this month’s installment of the Crop Circles BOM to finish writing up. Then I had to play with the Crop Circle design a while because I’m trying to figure out if I want to make my final border scrappy or all one fabric. Still undecided on that.
The I pulled up an old design I hadn’t finished to tweak a bit. But while looking at that block, sit inspired a different block design so had to skip to a new project to draw that one up before I forgot what the idea was. Now, 5 hours later…. yes I said time slipped away….(as did the design once when I was cleaning out reject blocks and accidentally deleted the one I wanted to keep and had to start over again. I hate it when I do that!) But in the end several new potential designs.
I really like the look of the old quilts that are made up of four large blocks. The auction quilt above is based on that sort of layout – however that one mostly ended up as four large blocks because one block is made up of so many different strips ghat I didn’t want to be sewing skinny little strips or I’d never get it done so they were based on an easy size strip to sew and figure the math with.
This is the latest four block quilt I’ve been working on this evening – or should I say morning since I just realized it’s after 2 a.m. 🙂 Its theme is timely since the spring flowers are just starting to pop up and bloom here. The colors remind me of crocuses. I haven’t decided if I’m enamoured with the border yet so will do some thinking on that tomorrow.
There’s a few more designs I’ve made some progress on but I’ll save those for another day. I’ve got to head out for breakfast with a friend in just a few hours so I’d better go to bed. 🙂
Don’t forget if you are doing the Crop Cricles BOM – April installment is posted.
Denise
March Crop Circles
The March Crop Circles pattern has been added and is ready for download.
Here’s the Sea Squall socks. I ended up needing to use more than one hank of yarn and now I see why if you use more than one they tell you to switch between the two – the foot of one sock – yes it’s not just the photo it is lighter in color since that’s where the second hank was used. But, it acutally is much more noticeable in the picture than on the foot. They are very comfy and warm.
Here’s the next sock in the works. They will be a birthday gift for my sister.
One is now finished and if I finish the second this weeked I’ll be back on track with my one pair a week goal.
Now to get a mini quilt finished so it can go out in Monday’s mail and get another quilt cut out.
Design wall Monday
What’s on the design wall — well the big “M” quilt for my nephew is still up there but now that the table is cleared off there’s hopes of getting it layered to start quilting on soon. But here’s what’s been added just yesterday. They are snow globe blocks from a swap I hosted and here’s the ones I got from the other swappers. Some are wintery scenes and others are various landscapes but they all look so cute as snow globes.
There’s a few more of my own I want to make to add with them since some of the ones I was going to k eep of my own met with that horrible slashing incident the other night. 🙂
Don’t forget if you are making Crop Cricles, the February block comes down next Saturday … going going gone.
Here’s Janet P’s February blocks and if I know her (and I do) she’s chomping at the bit for the next month’s blocks. 🙂
And what was waiting for me when I got home – the last of the yarn purchases.
Yes, no more yarn shopping even tho I’ve got free yarn to claim at one of the shops since I’m such a good shopper. But what fun is it to claim the free stuff and not buy just a little more – I shall wait (yes Judy I said wait) 🙂 My goal is to wait until July and I’ll claim it as my birthday gift to me (and buy just a few others I must have). LOL
The two little groups of four hanks are for a particular pattern where you switch between the four in a group so that the color gradually changes across the sock. It will be interesting to try those out ( and wind those little buggers into cute little balls).
Lastly, in honor of National Quilting Day coming up this month, don’t forget it will be another Justquiltin Weekend. Info and yardage estimates can be found here.
CROP CIRCLES and missing blocks – the final word
Well after clearly stating on the BOM page nearly five months ago my rule that the blocks would be up for a month, taken down when the new months’ block replaced it, and past blocks were not available, and repeating that in a separate post to clarify, I continue to get many emails and comments this week requesting and practically demanding them. Demanding may be a misinterpretation – it’s prone to happen when you are simply reading emails and not actually speaking with a person – so they are open to interpretation by the reader but to me that is clearly how some of them are coming across.
All the rules for this BOM were posted three months before the first block was ever posted. Nearly 1,000 people downloaded that first block. WOW! I never imagined such a response. This design was originally done for an on line quilting group who is also doing it simultaneously as it is posted to the blog and hope you enjoy the pattern. I decided to also include it on my blog so others had access to it and not just our list members. However if I had know what a headache it would be, I may have decided against it.
Many websites and blogs offer FREE patterns — yes remember they are free, it’s not like you’re missing out on something you paid for — and they offer them for a limited time (just as I have chosen to do) and once they are removed they are no longer available. Some places choose to sell them after they are taken down. I choose not to. Just like you can choose what blogs to read or not to read, what patterns to make or not to make, I can choose how I wish to make MY patterns available on MY blog. I have no control over other websites that posted a link to my blog stating the BOM was “new” – they obviously missed finding it before it started. I have no control over when you find my blog, so you may have missed the first month’s block. If you don’t think that’s fair, you’re entitled to our opinion but to quote the old cliché – who said life was fair. I don’t think it’s fair to have to keep answering the same questions over and over. I have much more enjoyable ways to spend my limited free time.
So that’s it – end of discussions regarding missing blocks. Anymore emails requesting them will be ignored, please don’t post any more comments requesting them or telling me it’s not fair – they will not be approved, be deleted, be ignored, or you’ll be sent to the spam file.
On a far more constructive note – if you’ve missed the first month, or miss any month(s) along the way, there are still many options available to you if you wish to make this project. When we get to the layout of the quilt – you should easily be able to figure out what blocks you’re missing and what size they need to be to fit in. You can repeat some of the other blocks, come up with a design of your own – they’re just simple circular designs so any circular design would fit in nicely, or put in a plain block and plan some gorgeous quilting design to set it off. Use your own creativity and imagination and add it to the project.
Finally, I’m reminded of a favorite saying some friend and I use with each other when one of us is being whiney…time to put on the big girl panties and get over it. 🙂
Great Balls ‘o Yarn!
Remember all that new sock yarn I bought – my own personal crusade to get the economy back on track – or at least that’s my story. 🙂 Well I spent many hours last night keeping the ballwinder and swift busy winding all those hanks into balls. I’ve still got two hanks left to do of the newest stuff but here’s what I did last night.
Aren’t they pretty! Now the downside of hanks versus balls is now they take up much more storage space so I need to find a home for them. But so far, I’m managed to finish a pair of socks a week for the last three or four weeks. Not bad. Course there’s more winding to be done since I know there’s several more hanks of yarn in the yarn basket stash. But wouldn’t these make a pretty display stacked on a shelf with all those colors?
Course what’s not shown in the photo is the very first ball I wound – didn’t realize the ball winder wasn’t connected together quite right and it’s a wonky looking thing! 🙂
Here’s the pair I finished Friday night – made from one of the newer yarns. The biggest decision is which yarn to use next. I know what pattern – I’ve been wanting to try Sea Squall Socks from Knitting the Perfect Pair by Dorothy T. Ratigan. The leg has a really neat looking pattern is actually stitched on straight needles around the leg before continuing as normal in the round on the foot. Should be interesting.
Speaking of pretty… just look at these gorgeous January Crop Circle blocks made by friend Janet P — it’s going to be a gorgeous quilt. Thanks for letting me share them Janet!
Here’s my sewing progress so far today. Top section of the M quilt is sewn into rows and attached. One side section is already sewn so now onto the bottom . I’m hoping to have the top finished by the end of the weekend.
And lastly, there was a little cooking and baking going on here today. Here’s my first attempt at focaccia bread with met with a few obstacles… like no rosemary in the spice drawer so substituted sesame seeds on top which I really like anyway – and then not a drop of olive oil to be found. When did I use the last of that?! But I did have olive oil spray so sprayed it with that. It tastes yummy but would be better with the actual olive oil drizzled on it instead of sprayed — next time. It will accompany the homemade french onion soup, which turned out scrumptious, for dinner tonight.
Now back to those quilt rows.
Denise
Crop Circles – Past Month’s blocks
I’ve gotten many many emails, both through comments and private email, asking if the January block for Crop Circles can be emailed to individuals or purchased. I am glad to see all the interest in the pattern and hope to see photos of the finished project or blocks that those working on this pattern are making!! However, as clearly stated on the Crop Circles page under “Dos and Don’ts”:
♥ Once a block is taken down, it is no longer available. DON’T ask to have it emailed individually to you – that will not happen.
My patterns on the blog are available free of charge – the only thing you need to remember in order to use them is get it when it is available. Each block remains up for a month before it is taken down. I don’t sell the patterns once they are taken down — that’s way to much bother from my end and I don’t want to deal with sales taxes and all the other reporting issues that must be dealt with in selling items. If I’ve written the pattern and made it available in pdf form, it will not be made available as an EQ download file. And emailing them to individuals is far too time consuming. From past experience, if people know they can still get the pattern emailed after the fact, they are even less diligent about downloading the patterns during the actual time frame when they are available, resulting in even more requests for individally emailed patterns. I simply don’t have time for that – it would cut into my valuable quilting/designing time, which is limited since I do work full time, so my own quilting time is relegated to the weekends. As quilters yourselves, I’m sure you can understand why I’d rather be quilting than emailing files or tracking sales info. 🙂
Denise
Design Wall Monday
I got most of the “M” quilt up on the design wall (ran out of wall along the bottom) and yesterday got the section on the left sewn together. So there is some progress. (ignore the messy table at the bottom of the photo) 🙂
Another pair of socks finished this weekend. It’s my own secret delight to look all business like in my blue suit today but peaking out underneath, these socks. Well not entirely secret since there’s several gals who know I knit socks so when I kicked off my boots in the coat closet and walked stocking footed to my desk to get my shoes, they got rave reviews.
Update note: if you’re doing the Crop Circles BOM, friend Janet P – eagle eye – caught an error – I forgot to have you cut one square that is used in this month’s installment. An updated page is loaded but if you have already printed it, rather than waste the ink, just mark the correction listed in my note added to the BOM page. I also got an email question as to fabrics left over after you cut all the instructions for February. No, you are not done cutting fabric yet — we haven’t cut any of the border sections, just what’s necessary for the next couple of monthly installments. Border cutting instructions will be coming when we get that far.
And lastly, there’s three new EQ6 files available for download. See the “More EQ” page at right.
Enjoy!
Justquiltin with Denise Russart 