Sorting my 4-patches

I have signed up for the 4-patch swap on the www.quiltvilleswap.com on Yahoo groups.

I have 10 sets of ten blocks finished. All using Downton Abbey fabrics.
The swap hostess wants all the blocks pinned and added to a larger baggie.
Here are my sets.
I am thinking this will be very difficult for her to sort and no way for the swappers to ID their blocks.

Here is my idea: presort my ten blocks into unique sets before mailing. That way my name is in the package and the sorting is done for the hostess.

I am only trying to help and not to interfere with her hostessing.

And I am supporting the fight against breast cancer. I bought this lovely pink add a quarter ruler. I use this for paper piecing. Love the ruler. And I love pink!!

Today is a perfect day for sewing. 40 mph winds...light snow...-2 for the low tonight!
I am making barbeque spareribs, our garden green beans and baked potatoes.

Physically I am getting better day by day. Turns out I have microscopic colitis.
After a month of not being able to leave the house for "leaking" poop. I have had a colonoscopy with good results. But the month of no food getting absorbed has cost me 17#'s, very low potassium level (2.8) and a thyroid condition. I was not able to carry all the packages for the swaps because lifting anything caused leakage. Getting old sure sucks.
But I love my new doctor. She is "Indian" with long brown hair and a lovely accent. I have never had a woman doctor. I like her quiet but firm manner. I am thinking of making her a brown shawl with size 10 crochet thread. She would look lovely in it...

XOXOXO Subee
Happy Valentines' Day

Making your 4-patches the same size.

Scrappy 101 asked me what my 4-patch size is. She says she is getting different sizes as she sews.

Here is what I do:

My 4-patch is 2 1/2" unfinished.

Since I did not cut the swapped squares there are always a few that are either too large or too small.

I have a measuring tape applied to the edge of my sewing cabinet. Mostly I can eyeball what a 1 1/2" square looks like. If the two patches are not the same size I lay them on the measuring tape. 

Too big is easy to fix with the scissors. I trim it .

Too small is another matter. I line up the outside edge of the too small square with the correct size square. If the difference falls inside the 1/4" seam I simply sew it that way. If it does not I throw it away.

XOXOXOX Subee

Sorting my 1 1/2" squares from 10 years of swapping on the Postage Stamp group.

Sorting my 1 1/2" squares from 10 years of swapping on the Postage Stamp group. I admit it. I am a hoarder of major proportions. I save almost everything as I may have a need of it later. Dear Hubby has broken me of saving plastic containers. But when he wants one I remind him of his teachings. HA!

I watched 10 episodes of Season 1 of Boardwalk Empire as I sorted my hoard of scrappy postage stamp squares. The bottom container here is full to the brim. (But there are more that are color sorted. I will explain later.)

The top round basket has only neutrals. We need to swap some of these this next year too!!

 Closer view of the neutrals. I had somewhat sorted them a couple of years ago. That little plastic basket fits right into a gallon baggie keeping them clean and together.

My first sorting venture. They are all below this...forgot to take a photo. I am making 16 patch blocks of all close in value patches. This warms my OCD heart. And the sorting is a humbling experience. You need a really good light.

Here are the first blocks made before I started sorting all the color squares. I wanted to see what these little blocks looked like. Love the blocks and love making them.

I made 5 blocks before I decided to just sort all of the squares. I filled a wastebasket three times with plastic bags. I also came across some sets that were sewn together as we used to swap them when I first started. They were difficult to swap as the thread always broke creating a mess.

And here is a birthday quilt for my Granddaughter Arika. Birthday is in March.

XOXOXO Subee

Quilt for Great grandson Lucas

And I had two panels...so what did I do? I made two quilts!!!

And folks we have evidence that Lucky and Bess are more than just our pets. They must like each other too!!!

And on a sad note. I have resigned from all the swaps I have been hosting for the last few years. (5?)
I need to regroup and spend time on my house and stop buying fabric. I always felt as if I needed to play more than once in these swaps and money was spent. I have great fabrics here and need to use them up.
XOXOXO Subee

Feeling free

After coming home from the WONDERFUL Project Linus retreat I felt as if I had been reborn.

I started going through my fabric drawers pulling out all my Civil War fabrics.
I love them so!!! Then I lost my mojo. But I did put them all into a plastic container. They are no longer scattered through my stash.

The only Mojo I have is making Project Linus quilts. But I did whip out a Hello Kitty (Minkee backing) for GDD Caitlyn's January birthday.

I have quilted two more quilts for PL.

The panels were given to current PL members. I was gifted a panel just before the retreat. The Bunny quilt was finished and donated at the retreat. The Bear quilt was finished here.

I have been wanting this print for eons. I remember when it first came out. I bought 8 yards. I will save it for a special quilt.

I started this quilt at the retreat. It was a Mystery quilt which I love doing. I finished it here. Still need to quilt this one.

Wonderful snowstorm this weekend. It was so bad that Hubby had to drive me to the specialist this morning. A lovely lady doctor. I felt comfortable with her from the moment we met. I have never had a female doctor before.

XOXOXOXO Subee

A lovely Fall day

Our pine trees have grown so much that I had to go to the end of the driveway to take this picture. I prayed no one saw me as I was in my indoor clothes that one may call pajamas...
These colors on this tree just makes my heart sing.
I have an entire tote full of Fall fabrics. Trees, leaves,acorns,grasses are all in there. This is a problem for me as I want to make the perfect quilt from them but do not want to use them in error. Sigh.....

I used a link on Face Book and bought this pattern last night. I printed out the 13 pages...yes thirteen pages. I prefer to work off a chart not lines and lines and more lines of abbreviations. Anyway I started this last night and finished it this morning. I lost my place a few times. And since I need to make 35 of these motifs, I need to use stitch markers. But I am loving how it looks. The next motif will be much smoother. I am using Caron Simply Soft in Victorian Rose. This yarn is so soft and wonderful but it splits all the times. I have made 8 Corner to Corner afghans for Christmas presents using this yarn for the last few months.

XOXOOXXO Subee

October sewing...looks like I am really back now!

I have been at the sewing machine for three days in a row. Well actually one day was just cleaning the machine and changing the needle.
I started slow. I was not sure how I would feel. I have been denying myself the sewing because I was in mourning for my cat Macy's death. A death that I made the final decision on. A death that I had to carry out. A death that seems to have broken me a bit. But a death that could not be avoided. A death that was a mercy for her. A death that I had to assume the broken heart for myself to help her.
Enough...I am better. I am.

I got my little Leader & Ender container out and sewed all the 3 1/2" BowTie blocks together. This was all I had prepped. I have more cheddar 2" squares cut but no more calicos cut. I am guessing that this will be all it will be and will get it sewn together tomorrow. Then I look at the two extra blocks on point over there and my head is designing. Hummmm...maybe I will wait and look at them for awhile.

And before I sewed I moved all the furniture out, used my new Shark Rotator vacumm, washed the windows and the curtains and then put all the sewing furniture back but in Winter mode. I am facing the picture window again. I cannot do this during the Summer as the sun is way too strong and I have this issue with bright light in my eyes.

I won a gift basket through FaceBook. I had to go get a prize form notarized and was thinking maybe I had won a longarm machine. But no, a few days later a box arrived that was full of goodies! One of the goodies was a white box that had 6 spools of SO Fine threads. How did they know that is my favorite bobbin thread??? I even have the color charts and have the numbers checked off that I have purchased. A couple of the colors were ones that I have but hey!!! A gal can never have too much thread. Thanks so much APQS!!!!

And I also sewed on this monster of a green quilt. I used the free Sister's Choice from Bonnie Hunter's website. (www.quiltville.com)
There are no repeats of greens in all the blocks. I need to get the backing made and then off to the quilter lady with this one.

And there is Maggie Mae helping me. She LOVES those measuring tapes. I have to keep them in the drawer. She loves to bite them. She is scheduled for her Lion cut on Wednesday.

And here is the Lucky kitty helping me. The trick is to lay on anything Subee seems to be picking up. Could be the book. Could be the tray could be the blocks she is hiding.
XOXOXO Subee