Do you Row by Row?

I'll be honest - I've been a nervous wreck.  Upon the recommendation of a fellow shopkeeper who also has a yarn/fabric shop, I am participating in the Row by Row Experience this year.  It's been a bit of work getting ready:

1) I had to design a row based on this year's theme, Home Sweet Home, and write instructions for it.  My row is Blue Ridge Sunset, depicting the view from my front porch - the sunsets, the Blue Ridge Mountains, the dogwoods in bloom. (To be honest, the sun COMES UP on the Blue Ridge Mountains and SETS on the Appalachian Mountains when you are at my house, but I really wanted blue mountains so I hope no one will take umbrage at the liberties I took.)

It's one thing to make something for yourself or a friend, but something else completely to make it for public consumption (and critique).  I'm nervous about what visitors will have to say about my row this summer.  I hope they like it, but I plan to wear my "big girl panties" to work each day and just deal with it if they don't.

2) I had to decide whether or not to order fabric license plates, and if so, which to get.  I'm happy with my final selection, two of which are also appropriate for the knitters/crocheters who visit the shop, and I'm having fun thinking up projects to make with them, like this drawstring project tote bag.

It turns out this was probably a good investment as I've already had people call and order the fabric plates from me.

3) I'm most nervous about the fact that I am more of a YARN shop than a QUILT shop.  I'm worried that folks will come in and see my paltry selection of fat quarters and Kona Solids bolts and be disappointed that they scheduled a stop.  The only criteria for shops was that you have all the necessary accoutrements for making a quilt - the fabric, the batting, the notions, etc - and I do, I just don't have a lot of any of it.  But, I guess that if they come, they are really coming for the row pattern and I shouldn't sweat it.  There are probably lots of quilters who also knit or crochet, right?  Breathe in, breathe out, and stop worrying about it, Erin!

4) I still haven't kitted up my row, although I have written the instructions as well as a spreadsheet that tells me how much of each fabric I need for each kit.  The hard part is done - all that remains is cutting and packaging.  I'll start that next week.

On top of all that, I have two weeks of kids'  summer camp starting on Monday.  Next week we are making Molas, the week after is Crochet Camp.  Those will be some long days - fun, but long.

So last night, I put aside my worries over the Row by Row and summer camp and just went to the sewing room to SEW.  My Strippy Scrappy Flippy Happy quilt needs just one more column of blocks to make it 5x7, then I'm adding borders and calling it done.  You would think my scrap bins would seem more depleted by now, but no.

I also put together 3 more of these colorful blocks for our Guild's comfort quilts project this month.  Since I can't stay at the meeting to make blocks with everyone else, I'm hoping to have a bunch of blocks to donate - or even a completed top - by next weekend.  I just can't quite figure out how I want to lay them out...

On the agenda for today is making a mini mola pincushion, working on my Westering Women block for last month, and making a couple more comfort quilt blocks.  Plenty of time to stress over Row by Row in the coming weeks.

Lounging & creating!

This was my the first weekend in about two months that I didn't have company.  While I LOVE having company, especially my family, I think it is considered poor form to hang out on the computer or in the sewing room when they are here, so I haven't had much time for either sewing or blogging.  But this weekend...

The view from my porch yesterday.  It was a glorious day, warm with a nice breeze, and I stayed put out there for hours, sometimes at the cast iron cafe table, but more often lying down on one of the wicker loveseats!

I spent yesterday on my porch: snacking, reading, knitting, counting my blessings.

Then, when the sun went down, I moved down to the sewing room and got to work.  I've been working on blocks for my guild's Comfort Quilts program - they are quite easy and addicting to make.

I'm also finding these strippy flippy scrappy happy blocks quite addicting, too!  I think I'll finish this row and then add one more full column.  After that, I'm thinking a thin, orange inner border and a scrappy piano keys border.

Look at all the violets that have arrived in the mail from my Block Lotto winnings!

And finally, I never jumped on the Granny Square Quilt Block wagon, but I've been wanting to try one ever since I first saw them.  Of course, I didn't want to have to cut all those individual squares, so this was my first attempt, playing around with sewing strips together and subcutting.  I still need to tweak my process, but I think there is a Granny Square quilt in my future.

It's been a wonderful couple of creative days!  I'm linking up with Oh, Scrap! and Monday Making.

A strip here, a strip there

This week I mostly worked on my Carpenter's Wheel quilt blocks at the shop.  This Sunday and Monday, I finally made it down to my sewing room at home, and knocked out a couple more Strippy Scrappy Flippy Happy blocks.

I love that the weather has been so lovely so I can take photos outside!

The project would go by MUCH faster if I weren't cutting scraps into squares as I go, but my self-imposed deadline to have my scraps under control is fast approaching and despite all the precut squares I've added to my bins, it doesn't look like I've made even the tiniest dent in my scrap bins.

I'm linking up to Oh Scrap!  She's planning a Quilty Orphan Adoption event for later this month.  I'll be participating FOR SURE!  My orphan block drawer is OVERFLOWING!

Winning!

Aaahh, what a glorious day off!  I started the day by sleeping in, and then laying about while I finished reading my book.  This one was Forget Me Knot by Mary Marks, the first in a cozy quilt mystery series.

This one was a good one!  I enjoyed the characters, the plot, the quilting, everything about it!  If you like cozies, I recommend this one.  I'll be on the lookout for the next 3 books in this series.

I also spent some time attacking my scraps, cutting some up into squares and using some to make 4 more Strippy Flippy Scrappy Happy blocks - I now have 9 and the design is starting to emerge.  Love it!

Finally, I checked email and learned that I won 50 Birds In The Air blocks from this month's Block Lotto!!  Woo hoo!  I know this means I'll have another UFO to add to the pile instead of blocks going out, but I love these blocks and am happy that they will be staying with me and getting 41 new friends to play with.

I hope you all had a wonderful day as well!

Strippy Scrappy Flippy Happy

Remember the string quilt block I made this weekend, inspired by this blog post/tutorial?  While chipping away at my prolific scraps today, I made four more!

She calls her quilt blocks "Strippy, Scrappy, Flippy, Happy"

My blocks measure 10.5" with a 6" wide center strip and 2" orange "ribs", whereas her blocks are 8.5" with 3" wide center strips and skinnier black "ribs", so the look is a little different but no matter.  I love it!  I have a feeling the finished quilt will be a bit RIOTOUS!  All that color!  All those lines going this way and that!

I remain on task with my sewing and organizational goals for the year.

• I've already started February's Block Lotto blocks, but can't reveal them until February 1 because I got a Sneak Peek at February's pattern.  Again, they are a great way to use up my scraps - I'm not going to the stash drawers for these fabrics but straight to the scrap bins.  
• I've been studiously cutting scraps into precut squares, averaging WAY MORE than my 15 minutes per day minimum of scrap cutting while listening to books on tape - it sure makes the time fly while doing a not-so-exciting task.  I finished the 4th Chief Inspector Gamache mystery, A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny, yesterday, and am now in the midst of Defending Jacob by William Landay.  
• I even remembered to get some new destash fabrics into my ETSY shop, from which I've been getting 1-3 sales per week for a couple months now.  I may just get myself organized and downsized this year, after all!

Back to work tomorrow, which means more knitting than sewing for a few days.  I'm so glad I had this long weekend to really dive back into my sewing room.