Design Ironing Board, Door, and Table.

My design wall still holds the Civil War blocks that I showed last post with no progress. 

  So today I am featuring my design ironing board, design door, and design  table.

The ironing board holds Orca Bay.  I am getting close to finishing the top now.  It looks like swiss cheese because I decided to replace some of the lighter pink string blocks with medium or dark ones.  The lighter ones were kind of washed out.  Luckily I made a few extra in medium /dark during that step.

The design door holds the almost finished border strips.  I forgot to make the hourglass blocks for the center of the top and bottom strips, but that won't take long.  Again with luck, I had enough cream colored scraps for the triangles.  Not much variety but enough to finish.

And on the design table are some crumb blocks.

Why did I make these this weekend?  

Well, because on Friday, I talked to a quilting friend about using "crumb" scraps to make blocks and usable fabric, so the technique was on my mind.  Then on Saturday, I was digging through my small scraps looking for some possible 2" leaders and enders.  Then I just started to play around a little. 

Do you like to play with little scraps or do you throw them away?  

 I learned about this from Bonnie Hunter, Jo's Country Junction,  and Bumbles Beans 15 minutes play but I haven't made a whole quilt out of crumbs. Yet. 

This is where I was getting my small scraps.  A recycled animal cracker plastic container from Target.   

It usually sits on the table by my cutting mat, very handy and fun.

     

These are the 2" leader/enders salvaged from scraps.

Linking with Judy at Patchwork Times Design Wall Monday. 

 Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit everyone else linked there.  I always do.

Susan

WIP Wednesday

Today I am linking with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced for the first time!  I love to visit Lee's blog on Wednesdays to see some interesting Work in Progress.

 I continued to fool around with the Orca Bay mystery quilt.  Happily my motivation for this quilt came back over the weekend.  But I ended up ripping out some of the progress. I have been thinking of a name for it besides Orca Bay. 

 "I must be crazy" Bay   "What was I thinking" Bay   "Crazy but it was so much fun" Bay.  

 Just kidding, of course.

 So then I went back to the Civil War blocks.  Three more finished.  

I put them on the wall to see what I think. Well.  I don't really know.  I can say this is not my favorite project But I am glad that I didn't just quit all together.  These are on the wall in reverse week order, not the way I will put them together. That is for another time.  It really helps to see these in pictures on the computer.   A good way to proof read I guess.  Only wish I had been looking at pictures over the past year.

Thanks for letting me show and tell.  Hope you will come back again. 

 Hope I will have something more to show next time.

Susan

Design Wall Monday

Maybe I should title this post.... Not Orca Bay.

This week I had a motivation issue with my Orca Bay Mystery quilt.  Putting it together is just not as fun as sewing all the little pieces for each clue.  It is going together fine... well, fine if you don't look at the missing points.  I am not too worried about that really, I think I just needed a break from it.  So I took it down from the design wall but didn't put it away altogether.  I know better than to put it away because that is how UFO's happen.  I do not want this on next years UFO challenge list!

Anyway,  I have been sewing a few other things.

 The next row on the flannel Triangle Trips top.  It is flannel so I would like to have this done this winter.

And more of the Civil War blocks.  I think there are a few more from last summer that I missed but still want to make.   I will finish this one when it's UFO number is called.  I hope.


In between, I continue with scrap leaders/enders as I need them.  Here is the first finished block.  These will go together for a charity quilt at some point in time.

My son Adam went back to college yesterday and now it seems the holidays are really over. That means back to the routine.  Except my quilting machine is away at the "spa" for it's vacation.  I am looking forward to getting back to work when it returns and is all refreshed.   Meanwhile I plan to keep piecing and maybe a little housework, too.

Linking up with  Patchwork Times Design Wall Monday.  I would like to say that I am going to sew now but I will be visiting the other blogs to see what everyone else has been sewing.

  Thanks for visiting!

Susan

Orca Bay Design Wall

Thank you to everyone who commented on my last post and gave me your thoughts on my
Orca Bay Mystery layout choices. 

  I like Bonnie's layout in her colors.  But with my colors and fabrics,  I decided to go with the alternate layout.  I am not trying to be different, just trying to work with what I ended up with when I used different colors.  I guess that is part of the mystery, too.   I missed getting a new clue on Friday and the Monday Mystery link up this week. Looking forward to  February's link up.  I hope to have at least the top done by then.

  This is how much of the Orca Bay Mystery I have actually put together.
 All the steps are finished except for the border parts.  

Here is my design wall with more blocks laid out.

And, I am so happy because I found a perfect backing fabric in my stash!

Have you seen the news about Cordova, Alaska getting snowed in with 15 ft of snow.  That is where Bonnie took her inspiration photo for Orca Bay.  Mrs. Dilly Dally has been blogging about it and it has been on the national news. Let's hope they get some relief soon.

Today I am linking with Judy at Patchwork Times for Design Wall Monday (yes, I know it's Wednesday).  Even though all I have been talking about is the mystery, I am interested in and inspired by all the posts linked there.  Judy picked quilt # 5 for the UFO Challenge for this month.  I think I will continue to work on Orca Bay and switch it with #5 on my list. Sounds like a good idea, right?

I also am linking up with the Small Blog Meet at Lily's Quilts for January.  It is a great way to
 get to know bloggers like myself who have fewer that 50 followers.

Please go over to these blogs and enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by. Now I want to go sew.


Susan  

Orca Bay Mystery Monday

On New Year's Day,
Bonnie from Quiltville gave us what we have been waiting for...the finished design for the
Orca Bay Mystery!!
  I love it.  It's really beautiful!

Here are a few of my blocks laid out on the design wall to get a feel for what my version will look like.  Of course it looks different but I love it, too.

Bonnie's layout

I also tried it the opposite way with the green strings along the lighter star and 

the blue triangles along the darker star.  

What do you think???

Alternate layout

Still some sewing to do on step 5, 6, and 7.  

Still piecing

I'm not sure if I will be doing the same border as in the pattern because I don't think I have enough of the neutrals left.   I want to use more green scraps so I am going to have to play around and see what I can dream up.

Today I have been reading all the link ups about Orca Bay. I thought I sewed a lot.  Some gals are already finished with all the steps and have their tops assembled! And they look terrific.
  I also like seeing what else everyone is sewing in addition to the mystery.  

Thanks for visiting me and be sure to visit all the blog links at http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2012/01/mystery-monday-link-up-part-7-8.html and http://www.patchworktimes.com/2012/01/02/design-wall-monday-january-2-2011/

Wishing everyone a Happy and Healthy 2012,


Susan