Bloom Blocks & Baskets

 Since I picked up my Pfaff from the repair shop, I could get caught up on my Bloom Blocks for Lori Holt's Sew Along. I am not hand appliquéing them, but using my blanket stitch. I stitched up block 9 yesterday using some leftover scraps of gingham from my Butterfly Garden Quilt.

 I also stitched up all my other blocks I had prepped.

 I am trying to use bits from my scrap bins that are overflowing.

 The blocks are so cheerful and make me anxious for spring.

Speaking of spring, it was warm enough to sit outside and read my book in the sunshine yesterday. It was fun to enjoy the sun with the dogs. Today is supposed to be 10 degrees warmer and I picked up some steaks for grilling.

I did decide to make Pixie Baskets for all my fifth graders as end of the year presents. I dug into my stash and found material for all the basket exteriors. I will spend today cutting linings and batting for all 24 of them! Then, I can work on them gradually and get them all done before the end of May.

 I made all my units for the Scrap Dance Tango Mystery Quilt Along this week. I am making the lap size and still have many loose pieces awaiting the next instructions from Carole, for more info link from the button on the right side of my blog below my header.

Lori Holt posted a tutorial yesterday on how to make a Dresden Plate using her Bloom Templates. I made one for practice because I need to make some for my Down in the Garden Quilt. It was so easy! For Slow Sunday Stitching, I will work on more embroidery on Down in the Garden. Get inspired by other handwork here

http://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2016/03/slow-sunday-stitching.html

Butterfly Garden Top

 My Butterfly Garden Quilt top is together! This is a design from Lori Holt's Quilty Fun book. I am teaching all the blocks as a BOM at my local fabric store. For April, we will be making the butterfly blocks, so I decided to make the butterfly block quilt featured in the book as an example for my class. It has 91 butterflies and 18 flowers.

 Here are some of the butterflies up close. I used navy Kona from my stash as the background. I had barely enough with a 2.5 inch strip leftover.

 I thought it would be easy to find a navy with a white dot for the borders as was shown in the book. Boy I was wrong, but I did find a small scale gingham that gives the same effect. Plus, I love gingham--I think it is perfect! The fabric that I used for the butterfly bodies was something I found in my mom's stash, but the local fabric store has more. I am thinking of picking that up for the backing. It is pretty good sized 59 x 70 inches. I think I am going to keep it and use it as a tablecloth for my dining room table--my Fiestaware will look perfect on it. I think I will quilt it on the longarm because of its size and I want to practice with a swirl design.

 Yesterday, I taught my class how to make the sewing baskets. This was my example--so simple and sweet.

 I am plugging away on my Down in the Garden block 1. I intend to make some more progress on it today for Slow Sunday Stitching
http://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2016/03/slow-sunday-stitching-scissors.html

I am a huge Rachael Ray fan and subscribe to her magazine. I discovered a great economic and delicious recipe in her latest magazine--it is called a PBL (pineapple, bacon, lettuce) Sandwich. It has much more on it than just that--avocado, an egg, mayo, and I put pepper jack cheese too. My vegetarian daughter loved it minus the bacon and I also skipped cooking everything in bacon grease as the recipe called for. This was a big hit with everyone and will be a new go to at our house.

It is a sunny, spring-like day here. I hope to get out in the sunshine a little bit, but I also want to work on my Bloom blocks and get caught up with my Ugly Christmas Sweaters. So much to do and so little time--especially with losing an hour today!

Have a great week!

Butterfly Construction

 Anyone who has followed my blog knows I am a big Lori Holt fan. I have her 2016 calendar hanging in my sewing room, so when I switched over to March on Tuesday night and saw her butterfly quilt featured my wheels started spinning. I am teaching her Quilty Fun book as a BOM at my local fabric store and I have been trying to show my students some of the quilts featured in the book. For the month of March, we are making sewing baskets and they are pretty simple. In April, we are scheduled to make the butterflies. I decided to start on the Butterfly quilt. It has 91 butterflies in it. I had enough of the Kona navy background in my stash and plenty of brights for the butterflies and flowers. I started cutting!

I worked a bunch on these Friday night for FNwF

http://stitchingcubbyhole.blogspot.com/2016/03/fnwf.html

Here are my butterfly wings ready to be ironed.

 I shopped in my mom's stash--thanks Mom and found a perfect print for the butterfly bodies! The only thing I will need to buy will be a navy with white dots

and I should have this top made soon! 

I dropped my Pfaff off yesterday at our local sewing machine store for service and got some terrible news--they are closing in two weeks! I bought my machine there specifically because I could have it serviced locally. I begged the mechanic to add my machine to his queue--and he did. He is also going to look into opening his own repair shop locally--fingers crossed that will happen! Sometimes living in a rural area stinks...

 I managed to get my first birdhouse done for my Down in the Garden quilt this morning.

It was a good start for Slow Sunday Stitching. I will work on the flower and herb pots next. Check in here for more handwork inspiration

http://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2016/03/slow-sunday-stitching-in-ditch.html

I am heading into my sewing room to make a bunch of cheerful butterflies on my Singer Featherweight and binge watch Damages on Netflix.

I have a long week ahead three late nights with parent/teacher conferences and a meeting, but we get Friday off. Have a great week!