“tula pink” “100 modern quilt blocks”

This week I discovered that there is a down side to giving advice on the internet – because it is there in black and white you need to make sure you are taking your own advice. My “Quilting Bee Etiquette” has come back to haunt me this week as I struggled to get my December Bee blocks out on time. You see blocks are generally considered late if they arrive past the 15th of the following month, and I could not, should not, would not be late. So this last week has been about getting Bee blocks done.

First up was the last block for my Scrapbeelicious December run. I had done one Christmas themed block for Nicole at Modern Handcraft but needed another block. My original plan was to do a 12/2 inch Dresden plate. I cut the fabric, sewed it all together and discovered it was 20 1/2 inches big. Whoops. Some quick re-calculations, more cutting, more sewing and voila, the b%$#y block was 14 inches square. My solution was this…

Scrapbeelicious December Block –

An “adjusted” Dresden Plate block that is exactly 12 1/2 inches square. Seeing this is a sampler quilt my adjustments will work well. This block, along with my Snowflake block should be winging their way to Nicole today (as per the Bee Etiquette rules my Queen knows they will be late).

I did make the deadline for my other December blocks by the skin of my teeth. The Do.good.stitches Hope Circle blocks for December were easy, I cut the fabric out and then promptly forgot to sew it all together. A polite reminder from the Queen had me sewing them up and posting them the same morning…

That same day I decided to tackle the January Do.good blocks to avoid the embarrassment of another reminder email (I like to be on time or early wherever possible)…

Wonky log cabins in blue with a grey border… easy peasy..

My final WIP for this week is not a really a Bee block, but is the start of the Portland Modern Quilt Guild’s 2014 Medallion Quilt. This year, instead of doing a BOM our guild is doing a Medallion quilt, starting with a center 16 1/2 inch center block.

Yep I have become a little Dresden obsessed. I blame my EZ Dresden ruler… it is all its fault, plus I see it as a challenge to improve my really bad math skills!

This week I have been working my way through a friend’s copy of Tula Pink’s “100 Modern Quilt Blocks” . It has been a lot of fun.

I started by pulling some soft, pretty fabrics. It was the name, Tula Pink that made me want to go with this palette. I pulled soft pinks, reds and greys including a handful of solids.

Then I worked my way through some of the patterns I had flagged. One by one I selected the fabric, cut it, then sewed the block together. It was a slow, deliberate process and I loved every minute of it. I definitely do not have as much done as I would pre-cutting my fabric and working with just one pattern but this is a refreshing change of pace.

My work space is little more hectic as well, but I found a great use for my cookbook holder….