THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED.
Although I love the song we are not singing America the Beautiful today, but you can if the spirit moves you. The post title refers to the project I have worked on the past few days.
Around Thanksgiving I subscribed to McCall's Quilting and another two quilt magazines. I also received a subscription for another quilt magazine from my sister for Christmas. And as I was trying to put some organization into my sewing area and noticed all of the books and periodicals I have for crocheting, cross stich, sewing and quilting, I decided that I needed to do more than just read my new subscriptions. So, my goal is to make a project from each issue I receive. The January/February Quilting issue made it easy for me. They have a series sampler quilt that will be published in six installments, and I love the pattern so that is what I'm making. The quilt is called America the Beautiful and it is designed by Lynn Lister. The first three blocks to do are the Shining Star, the Barn, and The Field or what I think of as The Fruited Plain.
The Shining Star took me almost all of yesterday afternoon to make. What takes you the most time when you begin a quilt? For me it is choosing the fabric. I think it's because I like to play with fabric, and so I literally do that with my scraps.
I still need to applique the star, but after that the Barn Block is done.
I haven't begun the Fruited Plains (Field) Block, but that will keep me busy later today.
The next block that Janet Wickell has chosen for her scrap quilt along is the Goshen Star Block. So I get to play with my scraps again:)
I mentioned in an earlier post that this month I have been blogging for one year. I'm having a small giveaway to celebrate being part of a nice community of bloggers.
This is Arianna by Jennifer Young for Benartex. There are 35 5 inch squares. This is one of the groups I received as part of Benartex' Preview Pack Club. It's a pretty collection with pinks, aquas, browns, blues, yellows and khaki.
Leave me a nice comment. Please don't just say, "Thanks for the giveaway. Count me in" or any variation of that. Would you like to tell me what takes you the longest when you have a project? Or what you subscribe to? Or a qal or sal you've joined? I'm interested.
The winner will be chosen on Monday, January 10th.
Thanks for visiting. God Bless You.
Will gardening monthly count ? :-)
ReplyDeleteWhat takes me the longest to do, is probably getting my act together in the morning and getting out of bed in the Winter :-) But I know you don't mean that either. What really takes me a long time to do, is making something that I am so interested in that time dissappers, the clock spins round before I know it.
I can say, what a very thoughtful giveaway. :-) xxx Oh, good luck ladies.
Love your shinning star block. The yellow is so pretty!
ReplyDeleteFabric selection takes me forever because I want it all and get this "pictures" in my head of what I could make with it. Next ironing the fabric seems endless. Probably because I'm not overly fond of ironing. Then measuring and cutting goes on and on. I do not want to waste any fabric and I have an insane desire for perfection (which I rarely get!) Sewing always goes too fast. The piecing is my absolute favorite part! Anyway, I am unsure what part really takes me the longest but I do know the piecing goes way too fast.
Congratulations on your year in blog land! This is a wonderful milestone. And, I appreciate your effort - I enjoy reading your blog! Happy quilting.
The longest part for me is deciding WHAT to do? There are so many things I want to make. (Alist would help). Then I look at fabric...then more fabric...wait a day...decide to change some fabric..THEN I can start.
ReplyDeleteDeciding what to do next takes quite a while, but I think I spewnd the longest time playing around with different quilting designs to use.
ReplyDeleteI'm new to sewing so sometimes the hardest part for me is getting started. I'll buy the fabric, cut it, pin it, and then wait for some reason! Who knows!!
ReplyDeleteI have two time consuming tasks that take me way too long to accomplish. First, I hate cutting! I love the speed of the rotary cutter but I frequently make a measurement oops or the ruler slips unless I really take my time. The second challenge is making the "sandwich." I baste. I flip, I adjust, I say many bad words and think unkind thoughts about the quilt. Eventually it all works out and I love the results. My daughter has compared my tortured moans while basting to sounds of childbirth in transition. Appropriate, I think.
ReplyDeleteThose are lovely fabrics. The hardest part of sewing for me is overcoming my own self-doubt. Anytime I get to a part that I'm less confident about, the project tends to sit untouched until I force myself to put my worries aside and go for it! because of this, I'm usually more productive if sewing for a Christmas gift or the like with a built in deadline. Would love to hear if you have struggled with this and have any advice for getting past fear of ruining a project!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about playing with fabric. When I can't afford much fabric and I am feeling that new fabric itch I will buy a scrap bag on etsy. I have gotten some amazing stuff that is great for using with smaller quilt pieces. Mind you, as a beginner quilter the smaller pieces are challenging my skills. It is so hard to choose the fabrics but the process is half the fun for me ;)
ReplyDeleteHi! What takes the longest? Well I'm a newbie - and sometimes what takes the longest is getting up the courage to start! Also - my sewing machine sometimes acts up, so that can be time consuming. And interruptions don't help either...
ReplyDeleteThank you for inviting me for your giveaway!
ReplyDeleteWhen I'm working on some new project the longest stage of the work is finishing it! Usually it takes me a while to finish my projects, because when I'm making something new and and it's almost finished I immediately start something completely new and forget about finishing the previous project. I know: shame on me! But I just can't help myself:( sometimes I'm starting several new projects during one evening!
PS. I love your barn block:)
Congrats on your 1st year and thanks for the lovely giveaway :)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.psiquilt.com/2011/01/postage-stamp-quilt-along.html
- probably will be my first quilt along. I am not sure how I will do it and I am very nervous too but it looked so beautiful I thought of giving it a try ;-)
I belong to the World of Charity Stitchers, a charity group that Cross stitches squares which are sent to quilters to be made into quilts for nursing home, ill children, cancer patients, Ronald McDonald House and a abused women and children's shelter. I am one of the quilters and get great joy in designing, sewing and quilting these beautiful quilts. the think I dislike the most if the binding, it just takes me forever to get that done.
ReplyDeleteFor me, the hardest (longest) part is the procrastinating between stages - I'm pretty bad at it. I'll do a top but put of buying wadding (it's so expensive, but it's not going to get cheaper the longer I take, is it?!) or I decide just before basting a quilt to buy a basting gun online rather than use pins and... well, that's a week's delay so far, anyway!
ReplyDeleteI sort of love the binding though - I hate the measuring, but watching it turn into a proper quilt as I'm stitching... amazing!
thanks for linking up to Quilty Giveaways.
ReplyDeleteI could never live where you are, I would never want to go out in the cold. Then again maybe I would get more quilting done.
That last block you made (twinkling star) is insane! I can't imagine all the teeny tiny HST!
I hate doing binding it always takes so long!
What takes me the longest on a quilting project? These are the places where I feel sew slow. Making decisions on fabrics and pattern to use. After blocks are constructed, putting together the rows/columns. Making the quilt sandwich (I dislike this part). Hand quilting (I like this yet it is time consuming). I have no subscription as get to read my Mom's magazine (Love of Quilting). Thank you for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteCleaning up after a project takes me the longest! Until I get excited about another fproject idea and have to clean up the previous mess. Thanks for sharing this giveaway with us and your cute blog.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! I've only been blogging for 4 months but I hope I am as gung-ho about it in a year! :-)
ReplyDeleteQuilting a quilt takes me the longest. Piecing the front is so pleasurable and fun, but when I get to the quilting part, it is like I have to make myself grind through it. I dislike it, it's tedious, I don't like the bulky roll of fabric in my machine. :-P
Being a newbie quilter, the step that takes the longest for me is getting started. But I don't think it's my newbie-ness that contributes to me taking my time deciding on design, fabrics, daydreaming....I'm that way with writing or playing a little piano. I have the writer's block syndrome sometimes. I wish I had my 3 yr old son's fearless attitude of jumping in feet first.... albeit,sometimes with only one sock and one shoe :)Thank you for hosting this giveaway. It was fun to read everyone's answers to the question.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your one year of blogging. I'm so bad at estimating how long a project will take. I have a couple of quilts on the go, which isn't a problem, as they are all progressing (slowly). The problem arises when I think that I will "just quickly" make this bag/mat/wall hanging or take part in this/or that swap and I assume it will only take me a few days or so and it will be done, when in reality it always takes so much longer with just what I have to do in my normal day to day life. I keep promising myself that I won't start anything new until at least one of the big projects is finished - maybe this year I will listen to myself!
ReplyDeletevery pretty! I'm new to quilting & have all kinds of great ideas I'd love to try, but I don't enjoy the cutting out part very much. I like the binding best of all. And then the admiring, of course!
ReplyDeleteHi Joanna - We think your crafty blog is great, and we want to share it with other sewers and quilters by featuring a link on www.WeAllSew.com! We’ll be featuring you as a “Favorite Blog” find all next week. Please let me know if you have any questions about being featured at WeAllSew.com. Thanks so much-Erika
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