48 String Pieced Blocks

I finished all 48 of my string pieced blocks! I can't wait to start sewing them together.!

Here's 30 of them

I made a mistake here and there, but those were done on purpose so you could see what could possibly happen if you weren't as careful when sewing as I am.....

Just a little mistake! Ribbit!

Here is the last block being trimmed. I started with 11" inch muslin squares, then trimmed the finished blocks to 10 1/2". The best way to trim was from the back, centering the 45 degree line of the ruler with the center of the middle strip, not the corners of the muslin square. That way, if I was off center when sewing that first strip (never happens!) I could cut away the evidence.

I totally forgot to post my winnings from the Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaways! I received a charm pack and a beautifully made wristlet in my favorite lime green color from Wendy Moon Designs.

 Perfect for carrying a few things with me on the puppy walks, such as a cellphone and a few loonies just in case I spot the ice cream truck.

Sorry Noah. You can't have any ice cream no matter how much you bat your big brown eyes!

These pretty handmade cards came from Jill at Envirocraftiness.

Thank Wendy and Jill!

Well, time to sew those blocks together. (I'm kind of scaring myself with this productiveness).

Happy Stitching!
corina

FNSI Results

What a great FNSI!  For once I had everything prepared. Housework was done, sewing room was neat (I must have come down with something!) and my project prepped! I've got a feeling that I will be doing a lot of string quilts. They are so quick and easy. No wonder there are so many of them out there!

Strip pieced onto muslin. I love black, white and lime green!

I cut a block in 1/2 to see what it would be like. Interesting, but I'm going to go simple.

This is the layout I prefer.

12 blocks sewn!

 I took pictures along the way, after all, I did take the Process Pledge.

I'm using a 1 inch center strip. I marked a placement line on my muslin, 1/2 inch off center.

 

I place a couple of quick dabs of glue down the center of the muslin

 to keep the strip in position.

Add  2nd strip, lining up with right edge of center strip ( right sides together,).

Sew, then press open.

Keep adding strips until all the foundation fabric is covered. Trim block.

I think I'm going to have a SNSI sew in!

Happy Stitching
corina

Just Can't Throw Those Little Suckers Out!

I spent the weekend sorting through various containers full of scraps. Teeny strips, misshapen squares, remains of fat quarters etc. They are now in labelled containers. It's really hard for me to throw out those little pieces, especially the strips produced when making the first clean cut on a fabric. I've decided to try and use the pieces as they come. 
All the dryer sheets that I've been collecting (finally ironed and neatly stacked) are now beside my machine. The scrappy strips will also go by the machine and whenever I start sewing, I'll add a few strips to a dryer sheet. Maybe one day all those strips will become a quilt, maybe it won't be very pretty, but it could always be used as a dog bed!

I've already made my first mistake sewing on the strips. Before adding a new strip I would trim the previous one - I made a couple too short. Oh well, live and learn! The block doesn't look as bad as I thought it would. They will all be different. I'm determined not to be choosy, just sew them as I grab them. If they are narrow at one end, it doesn't matter, they will just be an angular strip.

A couple of weekends ago I was fortunate enough to take a class with Vicki Pignatelli on improvisational curves. I already had her book "Quilting by Improvisation" and was a big fan. She was the most amazing lecturer, teacher and just all around down to earth friendly person. The 2 days flew by! Now the blocks may not look like much yet, in fact the pieces are only pinned onto the foundation so far.

 Once I get a few more set up I will sew them up. My progress might be a bit slow (I think my project track record speaks for itself!) but I plan on finishing it sometime in the future and will post my results (hopefully the internet will still exist at that point in time!).

Happy Stitching!
corina

Duckling!

Tonight has been stressful. Coming home around 10 pm from our last guild meeting of the season I spotted a duckling desperately trying to get over the boulevard curb. Each time he tried to jump it, he fell back into traffic. I wish I could have kept driving, it would have been simpler, but I couldn't. I did a "Mario Andretti" u-turn (my friend calls any u-turn done at a speed over 5 miles an hour a Mario) and stopped the car. Now picture this - a crazed 6 ft tall blond woman wearing a fascinator running like a maniac down the boulevard with arms outstretched to stop the cars from hitting the duckling (it  HAD to be the night we dressed up in fancy hats at the guild!). The poor duckling was never going to make it over the curb. I don't know if I did the right thing, but I picked it up and took it into the car with me. My friend drove while I cradled the cute little thing. We searched the area it had been heading for to see if we could see the mom or the nest but nothing.

So now I have a duckling in a box in the kitchen. He's surrounded by a towel and half the box is on a heating blanket on low (I googled for info on how to keep it comfortable). I've left messages at both wildlife rehabilitation centers. Hopefully I will hear from them early in the morning. If I wouldn't have picked him up he would have been squashed, and now that I've picked him up he his motherless. Great choices :(

Sorry this isn't a quilty post as was my intention. Quilting can wait until I find a place for the duckling. My husband told me it was not going to be adopted into our family. He's a little worried. You see, as long as we have been married I've said I want a duck (half jokingly). It's been my desire ever since I saw Journey to the Center of the Earth when I was little. One of the characters, Hans, had a duck named Gertrude. I thought he was the luckiest man on earth to have a pet duck! Anyway, off to check the duckling, then it's bedtime. (Can't believe 3 dogs have not discovered there is a duck in the house! Great trackers the lot of them!)

Happy Stitching
corina

Saturday Morning Update: The little one is safe and sound in an incubator at the Pembina Veterinary Clinic. They will hold him until Prairie Wildlife can pick him up (along with another one someone else brought in).