Wild Weather!
Oh my goodness is all I can say about this weather! Fortunately, we have just had a lot of cloudy days and a bit of rain here and there. Right now, we have sunshine which we haven't had in awhile. But, my family and friends in Texas are really suffering. I know its been awful for most of the country the last few weeks and I am hoping we get a break soon. My thoughts are with all of you.
There is still time before St. Patrick's Day to get our little St. Paddy's Banner made for display. Remember, there are six block foundations in each package so you have a variety of projects that can be made. The instructions are photo step-by-step so they are great for beginners. The instructions also include cutting sizes for every piece so you don't have to guess. They are a quick and easy project to make for display or give as a gift. And we also have a lucky Four Leaf Clover table runner that is a snap to make. Its perfect for using up green fabric scraps!
I have managed to finish up a few projects in the past week. I had an Easter quilt top that I made from a panel set years and years ago. Back then I went on a crusade to show that a person could make an interesting quilt using panels mixed with some well-placed blocks. I had pretty much forgotten about it but found it when I was going through the closet in the shop where I hang my quilt tops once they are ready to go on the long arm. Hidden in the back was this little Easter throw and it just hit me that the machine was empty and this was the exact right time of the season to finish it up. I got it quilted and now I am stitching down the binding. Should get it finished tonight. When the binding is done, I promise to post a better picture. The blocks that I used were Daffodil blocks and then I used a Dog Tooth Border that was from the print on one side and the yellow to match the outside border.
I have also been working on several other projects while getting patterns printed. My interest in half square triangle blocks and the multitude of designs that can be accomplished with them is still going strong. I have a queen/king going using five inch blocks for the center top and then after a middle border, another pieced border is in process right now using four inch blocks. I'm liking it so far.
The other HST project is the one that will be going on for ever! I think I showed this block before – it still has no name but I need not the 100 that I previously wrote that I needed, but 120! Each block has sixteen HST blocks that finish at two and a half inches. That is 1920 HST blocks! At least with our gang-sheeted foundations, in just a few minutes, I can sew up 24 blocks. I've been trying to get at least 3 blocks done each day.
In the last blog, I mentioned that we are remodeling and streamlining things around here so we have decided to close out some of our older patterns. We are currently gathering these up and will be putting them all on sale for 40% off. There are also some fabric kits that will be included in this sale. They will be posted on the "Sale" page on our website and no coupon or code will be needed and will be limited to the stock on hand. When they are gone, they are gone. We will continue to carry the blocks that are used in these sale items. We only have so much room here and we have quite a few new projects that will be introduced once we know what our show schedules will be for the remainder of this year. Its looking like there is a possibility of starting in early summer and we are really looking forward to it. Stay tuned for this massive sale.
I hope you got a chance to see our video on making our New York Beauty Blocks. I've had lots of comments from those that have watched it about how easy they are. The blocks I made in the video are a part of a large quilt that I started several years ago as demo blocks at a couple of quilt shows. While cleaning, I found the bag with all of the blocks in it. The entire quilt was cut and put away with each foundation folded around the cut fabric for that block. Every time I look at these blocks, I can't help but think of my Grandma and how soft and romantic they look. This is another one that I work on, trying to get a block or two done every day. And we got our New York Beauty Template sets in. They make cutting much faster and accurate.
We are waiting for word about our Covid vaccinations; I'm hoping its soon. For those of you that have already got your shots, I hope the reaction was mild and for the rest of you, I hope you get them soon. The sooner we do this, the sooner we can get back to normal and I am really looking forward to normal! In the meantime, stay safe, stay warm and stay healthy! HAPPY QUILTING!