A new season of TAST begins

Here is my first stitch of the new run for Take a Stitch Tuesday which started again on July 14, 2015.  My goal is to keep up with the weekly assignments this time around.  I plan to add my new sampler pieces to the embroidery roll that I began a few years ago, the first time I participated in TAST.  Click here to see those posts or click here to see my "Fly" sampler I made back in 2012.

This is the size of my embroidery-sampler roll as of today -- I believe I need to add the last few pieces that I stitched in 2012 before I begin the new 2015 section!  Ever running behind and racing to catch up - that's me.


Join us on Facebook (FB) with our "TAST - Take a Stitch Tuesday" which is an open group.  Sharon Boggon, of Pin Tangle fame, posts a new embroidery stitch every Tuesday (it often appears usually on Monday nights - as she is posting from Australia) and includes many eye-candy inspiring samples as well as links to more "how-to" steps for each TAST Stitch-of-the-Week. 

Patriotic cross stitch

On road trips, I like to have handwork projects with me to keep my fingers busy.

This is one of the projects that I brought along on this summer's road trip (we are visiting many college campuses ....).  It is a small patriotic Mary Engelbreit pattern and kit that was given to me.

It stitched up quickly and I finished on America's Independence Day!  

Happy Fourth of July!

my July goal - ALYoF

Can you tell?  After a few months of stitching, I am nearing the end of my cross-stitch verse for Torah Stitch by Stitch!  It took months for my assigned kit to arrive at my doorstep and while I started on it immediately, I am surprised at how long it has taken to reach this point ...

For information about this international project led by Canadian fiber artist Temma Gentles refer to my earlier post here.  A quick description is that "Torah Stitch by Stitch" is an impressive art installation of the Torah depicted entirely in cross-stitch.  Participants from around the world are currently cross-stitching individual portions of the Torah to be a part of this exhibit.  The TSBS website states: "Torah Stitch By Stitch honours the Five Books of Moses (Pentateuch) through the timeless medium of cross-stitch, a basic textile tradition in many cultures.  Participants from numerous national, linguistic and spiritual backgrounds - regardless of gender or craft skill - are joining hands and hearts to stitch 1463 individual panels of the Torah in Hebrew, 4 verses at a time."  The project's website is   http://torahstitchbystitch.temmagentles.com/

My portion for this project is Genesis, Chapter 50, Verses 14-17: the story of Joseph's return to Egypt after having traveled to bury his father in the land of Canaan and also his brothers' reaction to their father's death.

If you are interested in learning more about this amazing undertaking click here or send an email to:  torahstitchbystitch@gmail.com.

I am pushing hard to finish my section of the Torah for TSBS and have decided to make it my project in this month's A Lovely Year of Finishes challenge.  Click here to see who else has set a goal in this month's challenge.  You can find me at linky #20.

I believe it is the perfect goal for this month of A Lovely Year of Finishes.  Stitching away .... see you again at the end of the month!

Floral Lotto blocks

My Block Builders Bee, part of the Quilt Guild of Greater Houston, holds a block-lotto about eight times a year.  This month's block was so cute that I decided to make the maximum (2 blocks equals one chance in the lottery) of 8 blocks giving me 4 chances.  I just knew that I might win!  Here are sixteen lovely blocks that I ended up making....

Yes, I made a duplicate set for myself to keep, in the event that I didn't win the lotto.  I'm so glad that I did because I didn't win - sigh.  But these are four of the ones that I kept.  Aren't they sweet?

Here are the directions to make one block:

First, choose a color for your flower and select 4 scrappy squares (3.5") in that colorway to be the flower petals.  Each block also takes:

      4 (1.5") squares of yellow for flower center, 

      8 (1.5") squares of green for the leaves, 

and a light print for the background which is cut in these numbers and sizes: 

      4 (1.5") squares, 2 strips (1.5" x 6.5") and 2 longer strips (1.5" x 8.5").

Draw a diagonal line on the back of the 16 (1.5") squares, which will be the stitching line.  Sew one yellow square to one corner of each of the four petals, stitching on the drawn diagonal line.  Then sew a green square to each corner next to the yellow corner.  Sew the background square to the last corner (opposite the yellow corner).  This makes a Snowball block of each square peratl for the flower.  Now flip the triangles back to the corners and press.  This is the classic stitch & flip technique.  

The excess fabric can be trimmed away from the corners, leaving 1/4" (.25") for seam allowance.  Press the seams away from the center of each block.

Carefully layout the four snowball petal squares so that the four yellows meet up in the flower's center, the background corners are the four outer corners of the larger pieced block and the greens touch each other making larger triangular leaves.  Stitch these four squares into a four-patch using a 1/4" seam.  To aid in keeping the flower center flat, press these seams on the back so that they spin in the center.

Last of all, add the 6.5" strips to top and bottom sides, then add the 8.5" to the left and right sides.  Press the seams toward the border strips.  Trim the final block to 8.5" (if needed).

Here's a photo before the lottery happened.  They look so precious!  I will be making more of these sweet flowers ... possibly multiples of more, as I love this simple block.

By the way, I'm already pulling fabrics for next month's block lotto -- selecting fabrics to use in a Christmas and black&white tree block (even though I celebrate Chanukah).

A trio of Hamsa quiltlet gifts

Three weddings among our small religious school staff during our year with "Peace Love & Music" theme gave me the challenge to make something special for these friends.  The gifts were commissioned by our Religious School Director and would be given from the entire Religious School Staff.  Something alike yet different was needed as well as something incorporating the Judaic charms that Marna gave me.  My ideal goal was to create original pieces that would be well-loved by each of the three newly married couples.   Months of pondering lead to the idea that was shared in the post here and the finished pieces are below.

This first Hamsa quiltlet of Peace, Love and Music was made especially for Sarah and Michael, the first couple to marry of the three.  The fabric used for the hamsa is the same that I used to applique a dove on my block for their wedding chuppah.

 My dove block is on the farthest side of the chuppah - in other words, you can't really see it in this photo...

so here it is or click here.

 The beautiful bride Sarah and her Mom Cathy smile in anticipation.

One serious groom Michael is focused during the ketubah signing.

The second Hamsa quiltlet of Peace, Love and Music was gifted to a journalist Michael (another different Michael, of course) and his bride Rachael.

   

I loved using this newsprint fabric for this wonderful couple whose wedding was a lovely outdoor setting in Central Texas.  Purple was also a prominent color in their wedding and reception.

 Such beautiful smiles by newlyweds in love!

Cutting the cake is always a fun time at weddings, and moments captured on other's smart phones is the new normal.  Do you see the purple kippah?

The third Hamsa quiltlet of Peace, Love and Music is in orange, the favorite color of the groom Matt.  I hope his bride likes it as much as I do -- it may feature my favorite quilting too.  Note: I only quilt my smaller pieces, such as these which are approximately 15" x 18".

 Their wedding was small and intimate amidst the trees in the Houston Arboretum.  I do not have any photos of their small wedding and reception, so will share a favorite from last summer, when the groom Matt was traveling in Israel as a chaperone for a group of teens from our religious school (a group that included my sons).  I think he does like orange!

These three quilts were a joy to make for my friends.  They were finally completed and gifted to the couples in June, after the school year ended, though a sneak preview was shown during our closing school luncheon for the faculty.

I've missed the linky at the beginning of the month (again) but this is for the final linky for the month of June in "A Lovely Year of Finishes" ... sigh.  However, it's never too late to finish something!

Join this monthly challenge group "A Lovely Year of Quilt Finishes" at any time.  In the first few days of the month, you post your goal for the month, then in the closing days of that same month, you post your successful completion.  It's that simple.  To keep it fun, there are prizes awarded randomly - woo-hoo!  I am linky #64 on the completion posts.
(Is this a perfect number?   Eight-squared - I love playing with numbers, don't you?)

Flood Texas with Love

The week-end of Memorial Day 2015 brought massive quantities of water flooding through several Texas towns.  The photos on the news that week-end and the days following were amazingly awful to look at and the news of the amount of loss, both the loss of life and the loss of property was heart-wrenching.

When I saw this logo posted on InstaGram by "supersara20", Sara,  I immediately wanted to join in and help with this great drive. 

credit to Brenna (IG - beknitpicky) for this great logo!

Quoting Sara  from her blog Southern Transplant:
The state of Texas is many things to many people.  To millions it is home.  Texas has recently dealt with severe weather including flooding and tornados in many areas, the worst of which was in Hays County and the city of Houston.  I am a resident of Hays County, I have had to deal with flooded roads, rain, high winds and losing a few shingles on my house.  I am one of the lucky ones.  Many others have had to deal with flooding of their homes and the loss of loved ones.  To date there have been 28 deaths associated with the flooding and several of these people are still missing.  There have been hundreds of houses flooded and many completely washed away.  As the flood waters recede people are returning home, to find mud, mold, venomous snakes, fire ants and rodents in their homes making the clean up that much more difficult.

The idea is for the community of quilters to Flood Texas with Love (and with Quilts).

Sara obtained permission from Cheryl Arkison, who has graciously given permission for us use her Just One Slab block from her book Sunday Morning Quilts which is a fabulous book (I own a digital copy).  

 The directions for the color-slab blocks can be found on pages 48-49.  

Cheryl gives directions on her blog, Dining Room Empire.  Click here for the specific post or keep on reading as the following is quoted directly from her post:

If you don't have the book (Sunday Morning Quilts), let me summarize how to make a slab:
Take two pieces of fabric and sew them together. Do that a few more times. Then start sewing more pieces to those first pairs. Sew groups together. Add additional pieces of fabric as necessary to get up to your finished size. Start with small bits or big ones, it doesn't matter. Raid your scrap bins and go with what you've got.

Sara adds to make each block using one color per "slab".  Any color.  Each block should measure 15.5" square.  The hope and plan is to make quilts 60" x 75" in size, in a rainbow of colors.   Sara is collecting blocks through the month of June, then the piecing, quilting and binding will be completed in July.  

So far I have made four slabs....

 an orange one came first...

 then a green one ...

 then not one, but two blue ones!

I discovered that piecing two slabs at a time is very time efficient.  I love this creative way of using up the fabric scraps that I can never toss into the trash.  This is a fun block to piece, perhaps because there are no specific rules. The directions are to improvise as you go, ending up with a block that measures 15.5" square.  I believe improv piecing is quite freeing! 


Thank you to Sara and to Cheryl for this wonderful project.  I have so many friends who lost so much in the flooding, specifically here in Houston, but also all across our mighty state.  The time to heal is now and sadly it is moving forward ever so slowly.  I know it is still hard for many.  I hope that these quilts, when presented to their new owners, will provide them with much love and with new-found strength.

Here is Cheryl's update on the Canadian floods from 2013, with photos of the quilts made then.  Click here.  She also acknowledges the drive we are currently holding in Texas to help flood fellow Texans with love and quilts.  How awesome is that!  Besides piecing slab blocks, I am also helping to quilt and bind the finished quilts too.  An amazing project that I am very proud to be a part of.... truly.


If you would like to join us, it is not too late.  Make a slab or two -- in your favorite color or in whatever color is most predominant in your scrap bins.  If you can't make a block(s) you can donate through Paypal to sara_stetson@yahoo.com in any amount.  All money will be used for quilt materials (batting/backings/thread/binding), shipping and long arm services. Any excess money collected will be donated to the Red Cross of Central Texas.  (Sara is happy to provide documentation if requested to show the donations are used correctly!)

Please email Sara at sara_stetson@yahoo.com or send her a private message on Instagram @supersara20 when you have blocks that are ready to send to Sara in Austin, or contact me in Houston.


Thank you all in advance!


#floodtexaswithlove

Plastic bags storage idea

I love trying to neaten my messy, unorganized life and was tickled to learn a simple and easy way to downsize the amount of space that grocery plastic bags can take.  Thank you to my friend Katie of www.charliemarlmalade.com fame for sharing this idea with me at our recent Houston Modern Quilt Guild Retreat.  It's a simple idea that I wonder why I never thought of it before.

You can take this big goofy mess and ....

end up with this small pile of neat triangles.

Basically you flatten the plastic bags and fold them up into triangular shapes, much like the proper folding of the flag of the USA or like young boys fold paper-tabletop footballs.
Here are directions in a few simple steps.

First, take a plastic bag and flatten it neatly.

Fold it in half lengthwise, then into thirds lengthwise again to get a long folded rectangle.

Starting at the bottom edge of the plastic bag, fold one corner down, making a triangle shape.

Now carefully fold the triangle over on itself, neatening and straightening with each fold.

Keep folding the triangle over onto itself, slowly moving upwards toward the handle ends.

Be sure to straighten the triangle with each folded step.

When you get to the end, it may be a bit puzzling....

But you simply take those leftover handle edges and tuck them into the opening made by the folded edges of the triangle

Voila, one tightly tucked and folded triangular football shape -- which is easy to tuck into purse pockets, in the glove box of your car, or most any where.

This is amazingly rather fun and has the happy result of a neater, smaller space holding your extra plastic grocery bags.  I think it is my crazy new addiction which I am sharing with you.  Now you too can easily tote a plastic bag or three or seven with you wherever your travels and wanderings may take you.