I'm Baaaaaaack

I have ALL kinds of excuses for not having posted for awhile--traveling (to see my little granddaughter; see picture below), working on getting a couple pieces done for a deadline, working on some blog posts for And Then We Set It On Fire, Christmas company, and quilt retreats to name a few.

June Beth

I was asked to be a guest blogger for the And Then We Set It On Fire blog. I was a resident artist on the blog when it first started. I had to stop that when I took my Independent Study Workshop with Jane Dunnewold so I could work on my own artwork. Anyway, I was asked to bring them up to date on what I am currently doing, so I have six posts coming up at the end of January. The posts start on January 18 and continue through January 29th. They will be posted on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for two weeks. The last two posts contain a project you could do if you are interested. The project is an "extreme embroidery" pin. I will give you a supply list and show you how I did this pin.

I'd love it if you would stop by the Fire blog and check it out.

I have been doing a bit of "traditional" piecing; I've missed it. I find that it allows me to rest the creative part of my brain. (It needs a rest every now and then.) I'm doing the 365 Challenge--just VERY basic piecing. Here are the blocks I got finished at my last retreat. These are all supposed to use dark/dark, dark, or medium dark fabrics. If you check out the 365 Challenge sampler, you will see that these dark blocks will be used for an inner border.

I also made a checkerboard for the first part of a quilt along called "Play with Me." This quilt along is a wonderful skill builder that features a variety of game boards. It is set up so that each month a different technique (with step-by-step instructions) is featured.

In this quilt along, you have to finish the pattern for the current month to get the next month's pattern free. I find this to be a good incentive for me to actually get each month's pattern finished. (If you hurry, you can still get it finished in time to get the second "block" pattern for free.) I'm making the travel version of each game board. I figure they will get a lot of use with all the grandchildren.

The finished checkerboard will be quilted and will contain a zippered pocket to store the game pieces. This clever design rolls up for travel. I had to ask a few questions about getting the PDF and linking up to the website, and Alida could not have been more helpful. She got right back to me with just what I needed.

I also finished two pieces for the upcoming SAQA Indiana Marie Webster exhibit at the Indianapolis Museum. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that one or both are juried into the show. You'll get a look at those later. Wish me luck.

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