A quick little post.

I do have a newly finished quilt to share... but that will have to wait until I have time to actually formulate a decent post for it! 

Until then I'll show you guys a bit of my progress on another project. Some of the members of the online forums for the Chicago Modern Quilt Guild are having a little mug rug swap. I've been paired up with three different people (thanks to the spreadsheet guru Ebony!). This is not a blind swap - which is weird for me (it's actually my first non-blind swap!). So I can't really share all my progress or sketches etc. or else it'd give it away for my partners! I'll just share a little bit.

A little peek at Rachel's mug rug.

My goal in joining swaps is to pursue something a bit more challenging or different from my normal projects. Mug rugs are great for this since you only really make one block. This time around I'm working on perfecting a block that's troubled me thus far. My attempt this time turned out much better than my previous attempts (I actually read the directions... I hate following directions!). I'm really liking the color palate and it's pretty awesome so far if I do say so. This one is for Rachel.

A little peek at Ebony's mug rug.

Next is a mug rug for Ebony. She's the only one I was partnered up with that I have a better grasp of her likes and dislikes. That makes it easier but also harder. For hers I'm trying to think outside of the box using texture and color. There may just be some tiny piecing going on there too - because I can't keep myself from the tiny. The fabrics thus far for Ebony's mug rug have been chosen mostly for their pattern/shape. I'm really liking it so far but don't know where else I'm going with it.

Finally I have a sketch and a great idea for Terri's mug rug... but I haven't gotten started on it yet. :) More on that later!

A little start...

The Scrappy Mug Rug Swap is starting up again (round four can you believe it??!!) And I had an immediate idea for my partner. I figured I'd give some half square triangles (HST) a try -- ok well quarter square triangles since that's the way I deemed easier (I don't have a quilting needle plate on my machine... so those tips of fabric get caught down there every time. Quarter square triangles = no points to sew into). I broke into my scraps from my bee month and used some of my absolute fav. fabrics (AMH Good Folks) and some solids. Here's my start.

I've got so much more to share here, having finished two quilts and a pillow that I haven't shared in full yet... but it just seems like the time isn't here to do that (not to mention that I have to do some photo editing since the pictures were taken during the rain this weekend).

So, I'll leave you with this picture, of my little girl being all punk rock on the trampoline at my sister's this weekend! Hope you all had a great Easter!!!

Just a little update...

My endeavours of raising money for the Sewing Summit is on hold for another week or two... I just realised that the Summit is about 9 months away... so I probably can't make a clear decision about it for another two months, otherwise I could (hopefully), potentially be either seriously pregnant or having a baby at that time. As life is though, we've been trying for too long without success for me to hold my breath about being pregnant instead of being at the Summit. We'll see. Have I ever mentioned that TTC is just no fun anymore. I should have about 3 sets of twins by now for all that we've tried!

Enough of that sob story.

I actually did some sewing today. A very little bit. My mom is in town and she sleeps in my sewing room (on an air mattress poor thing). Since I sew mostly at night, it just doesn't happen with guests. Just now (during nap time) I managed to finish cutting fabric for my bee month (thanks Katy for sending me some much needed Kona grey!!). It's official I'm sending too much fabric. I didn't know how else to allow enough for my bee members to pick their own colors/order. So whatever, I'll use up those scraps forever and love it! I also finally sewed my practice Dresden to some white fabric so I can start embroidering on it. :) That was my little bit of sewing!

On a great note, I have all my bee fabric ready to send (need to type out instructions), All my envelopes are addressed. My mug rug (s) for Mug Rug Swap III are finished. My birthday gift for my friend Michelle is finished. I feel accomplished even though I didn't do much!

Hopefully I'll have some sweet stitchy embroidery to show tomorrow! Have a good Sunday!

Mug Rugs... again. lol...

Here are my idea sketches for this round.

This week we got our partners for the third round of the Scrappy Mug Rug Swap over on flickr. I love making these little things since they take so little time (compared to a big quilt), so I can try out a lot of new ideas.

I decided to try doing a fishy on my mug rug... but that meant I'd have to learn (properly) how to paper piece. So I looked around and found this pattern, which I actually measured and reproduced on a paper since our printer isn't working. The finished block is... 8" long? Definately too big for me! 

The next day I took a little time measuring and scaling down that paper pattern (of course it could have been easier if my printer worked). In the end I had this little guy who measures at about 2" x 1"!! I made my "paper" pattern out of light weight fusible interfacing. I didn't have any tracing paper to trace the pattern with it seemed to work, and bonus, no need to peel that paper off!

Here's the littlest one... made into a pincushion since after adding the border I determined that I wasn't so sure my partner would like all that purple.

more about the pleated mug rug later!

Here's the one that made it into a mug rug! This guy is about 4" long. I used colors a bit more inspired by my swap partner's likes. There will probably be some embroidery and/or hand quilting going on there too. Also, I'm thinking of adding some free motioned bubbles. 

Like the fishies? Check these out!

Check out Sew Modern Mondays Here!

Mug rugs, and bee strips...

They're all over my sewing area!

I have nearly finished cutting fabrics for my month of {Sew} Beautiful Bee (February)... I didn't buy enough Kona Ash... so I'll have to return to the store first!

Today we recieved our partners for the Scrappy Mug Rug Swap 3. So I got right to work attempting some paper piecing which would have to be scaled down by about 200% ...

If my partner bites on it and leaves me a comment I'll continue...but I don't think it's my style enough for it to turn out amazingly. I may incorperate one tiny fishy in there... we'll see. Paper piceing is a little annoying - only since I am not very practiced at it! 

If my partner doesn't love it here are some of my other ideas: