No Longer Singing the James River Blues . . .

I finished up James River Blues!

I really should give this quilt a new name, but sometimes, once you start calling a project by it's given name, it's hard to come up with a good nickname.

I sure enjoyed working on this quilt. Most of the time I like a challenge when I'm sewing. I'm retired and appreciate a little cerebral stimulation during my day. But sometimes I also like to sew simply for the fun of it, and that's what I need the last two weeks and this project fit that need perfectly.

I didn't even struggle with my #1 scrappy rule, no like fabrics touching. I guess because I had so many different fabrics.

This is Lifetime Quilt #74 and my 10th finish this year.

I used the pattern James River Blues by Paula Barnes for Bonnie Blue Quilts.

This quilt finished at 72" x 72" and has approximately 1,728 pieces.

I can hardly wait to see this top quilted, I think it will really bring this project to life.

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My Basket is Full . . .

Wow, I can't believe it's Friday already!

I've had a week of juggling car repairs, jury duty, doggy daycare, and my running schedule.

But I also have a basket full of James River Blues blocks! I should have a flimsy come Monday.

We're in for a wonderful fall weekend here, I'm ready to sit back and enjoy it.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend too!

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JRB and Winners!

Can you hear it, it's the sweet sound of contentment emanating from my sewing room.

It's like a retreat, except it's going on in my sewing room, no drama, no math, just simple sewing and trimming.

I'm ready to make some James River Blues blocks, everything I need is right here. I'm making 144 blocks and have decided to make 72 blocks with a random assortment of browns and blues. Of the remaining 72 blocks I plan to make 36 all blue and 36 all brown.

I think this will help with the scrappy look I want when I'm ready to throw 144 blocks on my design wall to get that perfect combination. (You know know rule, no like fabrics may touch!)

I sure enjoyed reading all the Schnibbles comments on my last post. Bec suggested using Sweetwater's Hometown for Full House, I like that idea and may just copy it! And I think Gretchen said what I was thinking but just couldn't put into words, " They are so addicting and a perfect way to get a wonderful fabric line out of your system. You know those lines that you just gotta have but don't really need a big quilt made of it."

Thanks for stopping by and sharing your Schnibbles stories with us. We are a wonderful assortment of Schnibbles lovers, I'm pleased to be in such wonderful company!!

I'm also glad to know that a few folks agree with me when it comes to the name on this pattern, I may have to start an official campaign of some sort, stay tuned for updates!

So here are the winners:

Nancy E who has made 6 Schnibbles and left a comment on 9/9 at 5:55 am.

Paulette at Sweet Pea Quilting and Creations who has made only 2 Schnibbles, even though she has plenty of wall space. I think there are more in your future Paulette. Paulette's comment was left on 9/9 at 9:05 am.

And

Kristen at Meadowbrook who is struggling with Honeycomb but not giving up on Schnibbles! Kristen left her comment on 9/9 at 6:44 am.

I'll let you know what Schnibbles they pick!

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James River Blues Update . . . .

So I'm plugging away on James River Blues by Paula Barnes for Bonnie Blue Quilts. I'm enjoying the drama free fabric decisions and the fact that I can just sit and sew, no thinking, no planning, no math. It's very relaxing.

Although I do have to admit, most of you know me better than I know myself.

The first thing I did when I started my project was to make my test/inspiration block. I always make one block to double check my math and get a feel for assembling the pieces before cutting out all the fabric.

Well, when I got that block together it was a shade too big for my liking, so I shrunk it down an inch. I know, I know, I told you I wasn't going to make any changes, but you were right and I just couldn't help myself.

So here are some strips, waiting to be cut and pieced to make around 300 four patch blocks.

And here's my stacks of pieces for my hst units. I'm using the Easy Angle by EZ Quilting to cut the units, I don't think I'll ever go back to drawing that line down the middle of a square and sewing on each side of it. I do however still make the units bigger and square them up, even though they come out fairly perfect using that tool every time, I don't think I'll ever give up on that.

Now that summer's over and I'm done traveling for awhile, I'm hoping to make some serious progress and complete 3 more projects this year. Each year I have a goal of making 12 quilts, one per month. I don't know why, there's nothing special about the number 12, but that's a goal I set each year and last year I missed it by one, I think I'm going to make it this year, James River Blues will be my tenth finish for this year, it's looking good!

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Next Up . . . . .

So here's a project that's not red and I don't have to design . . .

Last fall I picked up a kit for this quilt at Pieceful Heart Fabrics in Lisle, Illinois. It's what I would call a "good old quilt". Not a company quilt, not a show quilt, not a put on the guest room bed quilt, just a good old throw on the back of the couch, let the dog lay on it quilt.

The pattern is by Paula Barnes for Bonnie Blue Quilts and is called James River Blues. I've seen this pattern kitted in other shops, but always with scrappy blue fabrics, I really like the looks of this pattern with some browns thrown in.

I'm normally not a kit person, but when I do buy a kit I usually end up adding and subtracting so much fabric that my project doesn't end up looking much like the original. After a summer of red and white math, red and white mini quilts, and red and white fabric, this is just what I need, no changes, no thinking, just easy piecing.

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