New Blocks, Workshop and A Mug Rug Pattern


I’ve been working away on a few things this week. I’ll start with my progress on the beach quilt. I squeaked out two more block over the weekend so I have four now.  I’m using my Accuquilt dies to make the blocks and it is super easy as long as you use a scant 1/4″ seam. The 1/4″ on the foot I have is too generous and the 1/8″ didn’t seem big enough so scant is the winner!

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I spent a few minutes on my red work while watching the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday…

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Today I finished up this sweet little mug rug and the pattern will be available on Craftsy next week…

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I took Marge Tucker’s Improv Circle workshop on Saturday with my mom. We had a great time chatting and sewing. It was a lot of fun. The idea was to learn to use strips to make improv circular blocks. The block could then be combined into a larger piece such as this one that Marge designed. I borrowed this photo from her website. The quilt is called Hay Bales and it is quite stunning.

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So let’s just say that though I won’t ever be afraid of curved piecing again after doing a whole day of it, my blocks certainly do not even resemble hers. Not even close. In the spirit of ‘fun’, I finished one block and then attempted another. The one on the left is my first correct block. Take a look and then we’ll talk about the second one….

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The one on the right is, shall we say, ‘not right’. The gal at the next table ‘accidentally’made her block look as though it were spinning in motion. That accident looked pretty good to my mother who decided to accidentally on purpose make hers look the same. Well, serendipity is just that…a pleasant surprise. Perhaps not to be replicated. My mother got very excited and then I too became excited and thought I’d give it a whirl…no pun intended. The way to accomplish the happy accident was to add strips to the center circle on 3 sides then 4, etc. Adding to 4 sides was how the original block was done. All this to say, mine ended up looking like a giant eyeball and my mother’s well, it looks like an itty bitty bathing suit bottom or one side of a bra! LOL!!!! When we realized what was happening and nothing could save us, we sat and giggled and got down right punchy. That happens in the sixth or so hour of straight sewing. Yup.

Neither of us made it the guild meeting on Monday night to show and tell our blocks, probably a good thing!

Marge’s work is beautiful and when done correctly, it was a fun technique.

Have a great Thursday and here’s a little something to make you smile…

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