Laundry list of excuses......

I could go through a lot of reasons why it took me so long to finish this quilt....

* Pregnant - and it's hard to quilt while you are sleeping

* Millions of drs appointments - See Pregnant Above

*Broke Machine - Now twice, and I have put it in the corner to think about what it's done

*Vacation - Went to Boston and New England - I was busy eating chowda

Home Renovation - My kitchen is a hole where a kitchen used to be

Now that you have pictured your favorite excuse here is the quilt

This is the March quilt for the Nurture Circle of Do.Good.Stitches

It should have been done by the middle of May

Little late, but it's done!!!!!

And once I finished quilting it I had to beat off a horde of mosquitos to get the picture.

The rain has been something else and now our backyard is a breeding ground for pests and mud.

And just to top off the list of things to do right before you have a baby I am thinking about getting an English Springer Spaniel puppy to go with the one I have. They will be a matched set!

Linking up to Finish it up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts

Going through withdrawl....

My machine is on the mend. It is at the shop getting fixed and tuned up. Before I broke it I was able to finish up these two tops. 

This is the top for the March Nurture Circle of do.Good.Stitches, Triple Irish Chain pattern is an old but a goody. I love how it turned out.

Here is the top again outside in the spring sunshine.

I finished up this baby quilt top for the newest little peach. I couldn't get it to lay flat. It may not be as square as I had hoped. I figure the quilting will smooth it out. 

Linking it up to Finish it up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts

March Do.Good.Stitches Nuture Circle Quilt

It is my second turn as quilter for the Nuture circle of Do.Good.Stitches. My first go round was last August and we created this fun quilt. If you are so motivated to make this block you can find instructions here.

I have been on a kick working on my Triple Irish Chain quilt in recent weeks.

I figured since it is March I would continue with the Irish theme and my obsession with this classic pattern. I have a shameful amount of blue fabric in my stash and scrap bin so I decided to go with blue as the color pallet for this quilt.

To begin we are going to cut our fabric for the two blocks we will be making for the triple Irish chain quilt. I have decided on a scrappy theme for this quilt to make it more stash friendly. You will need to raid your stash or scrap bin for white or low volume fabric, light-medium blue fabrics (blue and white only) and dark blue fabrics (blue and white only). 

White/Low volume

1  -  10.5" x 10.5"

4  -  6.5" x 2.5"

17  -  2.5" x 2.5"

Light Blue - Medium Blue

24  - 2.5" x 2.5"

**Additional Note** Some of my fabrics did not read with as much contrast from the white fabric in the final block. Make sure to select blues that have good contrast from the background. 

Dark Blue

20  - 2.5" x 2.5"

Then we will begin assembling the blocks according to the following diagram. 

Block A

Lay out your 2.5" squares and sew together the 7 squares in each row. Once each row is completed press the seams. Rows 1/3/5/7 will go in one direction and rows 2/4/6 will go in the opposite direction. Once you have pressed your seams sew each row together with the seams nesting,

Your finished block A should look like this. (14.5" x 14.5")

Block B will be assembled using the following diagram

To begin assembly of this block take each 6.5" x 2.5" rectangle of white fabric and sew a dark blue 2.5" square to each end. Press the seams toward the dark blue fabric. I will refer to these as a side unit.

Take two of these side units and attach a 2.5" light blue square to each end. Once you have sewed the light blue fabric on press the seams toward the dark blue fabric, These are now top units. 

Take your 10.5" square of white and sew on a side unit to opposing sides. Once you have completed press your seams toward the side units. 

The final step is to sew the top units to the two remaining sides of the 10.5" white square. The seams should nest. Once you have completed sewing press your seams toward the top units.

Your completed Block B should look like this. 

In the end you will end up with two blocks that look like this. They should finish about 14.5" square. Please do not sew together.

Once completed please send to

Dhia Peach
519 Smith Road
Fremont, Oh 43420

Linking it up to Freshly Pieced WIP Wednesday

Arrrrggggg I found some booty....

I was cleaning up last night. Technically I was searching for fabric to go with this quilt I finished up for my step daughter Gabby. I am looking to make a coordinating pillow case. It is hard to believe that with all the fabric I have, I don't have the right fabric. Or at least I don't have a large enough chunk of blue or red to make a pillow case. I am pretty sure I can find some in my stash but maybe I am being toooooo picky. I am getting no sympathy from my husband on my fabric stash woes. 

 So I was digging in the last couple totes of fabric and crafts that I haven't yet put away and I unearthed some buried treasure, or booty if you will. Some time ago Moda came out with charm packs that were 2.5" square, they called them candy. I got the bright idea to start a swap and call it I want candy. The idea was that you would get 5 partners and you would send each 50 2.5" squares that you had cut from your stash. In the end you would end up with 250 different fabric squares to play with and enjoy. About the same time there was a quilt floating around the interwebs called a scrap vomit quilt.

http://poppymakes.blogspot.com/2012/10/drunk-quilt-scrap-vomit-and-tova.html

Although this is not my puppy dog, it is a very cute English Springer Spaniel much like my dog Turkey. So anyway the craze for candy was in, I hosted a swap, and was cutting 2.5" squares out of all my fabrics. At some point the hype died down and I put the squares in a shoe box for a rainy day when I decided what to do with them. Yesterday I stumbled upon the box in question.

Holy scrap! That is a lot of squares! The timing couldn't be better as I am currently working on a triple Irish chain quilt, which turns out to be the basis of a scrap vomit quilt.

So I will be adding these to my quilt of scrappy goodness. But in the meantime I saw something shiny online and decided to try one or two blocks. It is a great way to use up my scraps that are less than 2.5"

Paper pieced Wild & Goosey Blocks. Just like that another WIP is born.

Linking up to Confessions of a Fabric Addict and TGIFF

The creature from scrap lagoooooon

I can't decide if I love this project or hate it. I have been cutting my scraps into 2.5" squares and using them as leaders and enders on my machine. I had no business starting another project with several still needing to be finished up. There are some old favorites in these blocks and some really ugly questionable fabric choices. A find walk down fabric memory lane. I am trying to make something useful out of all the scraps I have horded over the years. Maybe I should have picked a color scheme, but maybe the lack of structure is what makes it fun. The blocks patchwork blocks are 49 2.5" squares with no duplicate fabrics in each. The white blocks have 12 2.5" squares along with the white pieces. I am going to have to find a source for the large white squares outside of my scrap bin. Finished blocks are pretty chunky at 14.5" We will see how it ends up.

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

Showing my stash who's boss.....

          When we moved back to Ohio and bought our new house I was able to snag one of the bedrooms for a craft room. Over the past year I have painted, decorated and selected furniture. I am now kicking my fabric organization into high gear. My husband said he is putting down his foot and I can't buy any more fabric until I get all my fabric unpacked and put away. The nerve!!!!

           In malicious compliance I spent most of the weekend folding fabric, adding to my scrap pile and putting it all away. My fabric addiction will not be stopped. I still have a long way to go but at least I am making progress. During my fabric folding fiesta I was taking breaks and cutting my scraps into a few specific size pieces. I've decided to fold fabric to 6.5" x 11" pieces. The only exception is large multi yard pieces that are too large to cooperate. Anything smaller than 6.5" x 11" goes to the scrap bin.

            From the scrap bin I have been cutting down 5" squares if the piece will allow, anything smaller than that I cut into 2.5" squares. So I have two growing piles of squares that will be easier to use for scrap projects. Anything that is smaller than 2.5" and larger than 1" goes into the bin I will be using for small scraps and strings. I figure this way I am more likely to produce projects if the squares are already cut.

     I am not sure what the 5" squares are going to be used for

These are headed toward a leader-ender project, eventually ending in a triple irish chain quilt. Some fabrics I love, some are so ugly I wonder how they ended up in my stash.

 The 2.5" squares get paired up and are used as leader enders

These squares will end up 7 squares by 7 squares. I am trying to use all different fabrics in each block. 

Other than sorting and cutting squares I have been working on the February block for my Do.Good.Stitches circle. This is a wonky block which is turning out pretty good. I am not so comfortable with the wonky process but I am trying to enjoy it more. The request was for solids but my stash is lacking in that area so I tried to pick prints that were tone on tone or at very least read as one color.

In the end the block should look like the picture below. The instructions for the block are here if you wish to make this block at home. 

Another project I accomplished while I sifting through my fabric this weekend was my first completed pillowcase. I am making these to package the quilts I made for my stepdaughters. I learned the technique on my last trip to My Very Own Blanket workshop. I still haven't put a pillow inside. I guess I should before I count this a success,

 Here is a detail shot of the cuff of the pillowcase. I find I have a shameful number of colors of this same fabric pattern. I love this Art Gallery fabric print!

 I am linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced and Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts