Design Wall 08/08/2024

 Design Wall

For many years I didn't have a design wall and looking back I wonder how I ever got anything accomplished. Back then any flat surface would do, table tops, the floor, or the top of the bed.

These days however I do have a design wall and I love it.

It is a place where I can play around with blocks and decide on just the right placement or design. For a quilting nerd like myself ... having a design wall provides hours and hours of entertainment! hahahaha!

There are many different elaborate and expensive design wall products out there on the market but mine is made of a queen size flannel sheet that I purchased at a yard sale years ago. I have it thumbtacked to the wall in my sewing room and it works beautifully for me.

Some blocks I found going through bags and boxes that I rescued from the storage unit that I cleaned out and the English Paper Piecing project that I am currently working on.

Some red/white half square triangles that I found and wonky star block that was in my Red/White box of curiosities.

Red/White 9 patch blocks that I made from scrap fabrics in my red/white box of curiosities. The lost and found blocks that have become SMS Quilt # 23 Half Square Triangles.

Girl Power the English Paper Piecing project that I am currently working on.

#gibbygirl63

Lost & Found

 Lost & Found

Recently I cleaned out a storage unit and I have come across a couple of quilt projects that I apparently started at some point and totally forgot about ...

I found these blocks in the bottom of a bag of scraps. I decided to put the half square triangles up on my design wall.

Then I decided to play around with the placement of the blocks.

I think I am going to call this one Sewing My Stash Scrap Quilt # 23

Half Square Triangles

I found these 8.5 inch string pieced blocks the first of July and after sewing the blocks together decided to call this one Sewing My Stash Scrap Quilt # 22 

Strings

I'm pretty excited to see if I come across any more of these forgotten quilt projects.

New Routine

 New Routine

I have been working on expanding my exercise routine. Over the weekend I joined an online walking route of Paris. I'm doing this one with my daughter.

Monday mornings have become the morning that I bake a loaf of bread. I'm enjoying the bread making and so is my body. The bread that I make doesn't make my throat burn or give me indigestion and heartburn.

My new exercise routine ...

My new Monday morning bread baking routine ...

I love routine

Lodge Weekends

 Lodge Weekends

BINGO, cocktails, darts, and a fish fry.

I didn't get photos of the dart tournament or the fish fry but both were excellent.

I didn't win one single game of BINGO but as always I enjoyed it so much.

I tried a new cocktail and it was delicious, and it tasted very much like Butterfinger candy bar. One of my personal favorite candy bars.

It was a great weekend with friends at the lodge.

Girl Power - English Paper Piecing

 Girl Power

An English Paper Piecing (EPP) quilt project

2 inch hexagons make up the structure of this EPP quilt project

I am using fabrics with girl motifs and KONA solids charm packs.

I'm really enjoying this hand sewing project and I'm happy with the results so far.

This project will take a while to complete but the process is very enjoyable.

When I am working on something with my hands ... I'm not stuck dwelling on things in my mind.

#gibbygirl63

Memories and T-Shirt Quilts

 Memories and T-Shirt Quilts

I no longer do commission work but on occasion a friend will request a quilt. And, that is exactly how this t-shirt project came to be.

Not a lot to work with but it is finally starting to come together. I have purchased the sashing fabric, and there will be a few more photo blocks to come as well.

Let's Eat

 Let's Eat

Deciding on meals to prep for my lunches is tough in general but in the summer it seems to be especially difficult for me. Nothing really sounds good ... but recently I ran across this recipe online. Sweet Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken

As I had all of the ingredients on hand, I decided to load my crockpot. It smells delicious!

I'm looking forward to trying out this dish.

After baking a brick of paste a while back ... haha ... I stepped away from baking bread. On Sunday I mixed my bread dough to let it rise. Monday morning I baked this beautiful loaf of bread. I was worried that I had lost my bread making mojo for good so I was pleasantly surprised when this loaf of bread came out of the oven.

Hello August

 

#gibbygirl63

Box of Curiosities

 Box of Curiosities

A box of possibilities, inspiration, orphan blocks, and hours of fun.

There are times when I take this box down from the shelf and just look at all of the pretty blocks, or all of the pretty fabrics. As silly as this sounds it is comforting to me. When I've had a stressful day or can't seem to calm all of the thoughts in my mind, I can open this box and get lost is all of the fabric and possibilities. 

Shimmer - The Easter Eggs

Shimmer - The Easter Eggs

Tula Pink fabrics provide so many little hidden in plain sight gems! Whenever I look at anything I have ever made with Tula's fabrics I see elements in the prints that I had never seen before. Just one of the many things I love about her fabric collections.

Sea Turtles, a tire swing, bees

Dragonflies and raccoons ... those eyes 💜

Bumble Bees

A toad 

The eyes, ears, and antlers of a deer. Hearts and daisies, too.

A fawn sipping from a pond

A child swinging

The Queen

This is fabric from the Elizabeth collection

Horses - or prancing ponies as I refer to them

The eyes of a tiger

Octopus and fish - under the sea

Part of an anchor ...

There are so many things to see and find

 

Shimmer - The Fabrics - Tula Pink

 Shimmer

The fabrics - Tula Pink

Most of the fabric that I used in this quilt were by Tula Pink. I used all of the Tula Pink fabrics that I had in my fabric stash on this quilt.

In the picture above you can sort of see how I organized each block.

I used a clear storage container and construction paper to keep all of the blocks in order and ready to piece.

Also, the whale fabric in the picture above is not Tula Pink, I believe that fabric is a Lizzy House fabric, but I could be mistaken.

I love Lizzy House as well.

I threw some batting over the back of the door to my sewing room to make a design wall.

Sometimes one has to make do with what we have.

Some of the Tula Pink fabric collections are represented in the picture above.

Parisville

Acacia

Moonshine

Elizabeth

Prince Charming

I also used fabrics from other Tula Pink collections, such as,

Eden

Salt Water

Sadly all of these fabric collects are Out Of Print (OOP) but, Tula Pink has many other collections that are currently out there on the market and, as we all know ...

Tula Pink never disappoints.