Tuesday, October 6, 2009

A Little Bit of This and That .........


Last Thursday I blogged about my plan for juggling several quilting projects at once, a first for me. (click here for original post) I came up with a plan of breaking down my Faceted Jewels project into several mini projects in an effort to relieve my anticipated stress over working on it, my BOM, and the monthly Schnibbles. Lisa D (aka Stashmaster) left a comment saying she always works on her quilts in this way, with one little difference. She said she cut the entire project, made a test block, made all the pieces, then the blocks, then the rows. MADE A TEST BLOCK, yikes, I was so focussed on breaking everything down into little bits it never occurred to me to make a test block!! What a great idea,(thanks Lisa) especially since I'm resizing all the blocks. So that's what I did today.


This is test block #1, I'm very happy with it. It will be nice to have a block to admire while I make the pieces for the remaining 16. I was a little worried about throwing off the contrast with my resizing but I think I'm good. This block finishes at 9 inches, the pattern finishes at 12. (It's the kind of block that looks better from a distance.)

On another note.....

This is one of my favorite Halloween decorations, my daughter made this for me well over 10 years ago. I'm always sad to pack it up when Halloween is over.

And finally.......

A girlfriend and I have a fun little gift exchange . When one of us travels, we pick up a gift for the one who stays home. The fun part is that the surprise must fit in this little bag! We've exchanged all sorts of funny little things, bracelets, knick knacks, ornaments. I have just as much fun trying to find something to fit in this little bag as getting something from it.

It's just one of those things that got started accidently but has turned into a tradition.

Last week my girlfriend went to Hilton Head, South Carolina and brought me back these.....





Pink Halloween Socks!! How perfect is that!!
I'm a fan of pink. Not overly so, you wouldn't know if you walked around my house that I have a thing for pink, I hide my passion well, except for the pink polka dot luggage. Mostly I just throw it in when I can, but I really like pink. I also like fun socks so it's the perfect combination for me. I'm not sure who thought to make pink halloween socks but thank you girlfriend for finding them and bringing them home to me!


6 comments:

  1. AAAAH!! Those are the best socks EVER! I too have a hidden passion for pink....and my socks...well let's just say I'm one of the few people who enjoy getting socks for Christmas because my family always gets me fun socks. I think it was originally meant as retaliation for either not giving a list or my picking out the annual pjs/boxers that is a tradition in the family, and everyone getting something they found funny.

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  2. Glad I could offer a helpful suggestion! I love your test block, and yes, it is inspirational to look at that block (I find, anyway) while you are assembling the rest. Love your pink socks - very cute! Have a fun Tuesday in your sewing room!

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  3. Very cute socks! I've never seen anything quite like them... pink halloween socks!

    AND your test block looks great... what size is it?

    AND of course I love your cross-stitch... being the halloween nut that I am!

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  4. I'd like to offer one suggestion to the efficient method of cutting all the blocks at once and then making a test block. Although it slows me down, I like to cut the test block first and sew it before I cut them all. That way, if I make a goof in my calculations, I can correct it before I cut all the fabric. I love your test block too. It's going to be a gorgeous quilt.

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  5. Your test block came out great. What a good idea for breaking down a project. I'll have to remember that.

    I like the tradition you and your friend have. What a fun idea. And I love pink. Especially this month. I have been wearing pink every day so far this month (my friend's challenge) and hope to be able to continue. There will be a lot of repeats in my wardrobe that's for sure.

    Have a great day!!! (a few days behind in my blog browsing)

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  6. You have to make a test block!!!! That way you get rewarded, seeing how great the blocks are. And you are encouraged to buckle down and get the rest of them done. I always make a test block and hang it up for inspiration.
    Those are the cutest darn socks I ever saw.

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