slotted trimmer

I forget where I heard about this trimmer for HSTs. I had it in my cart forever, trying to talk myself into not buying it. I have a few bloc loc rulers for trimming HSTs once they are pressed, and I wasn't sure I needed to break from that system. I did buy them, and I am having a little trouble remembering to use it, since it is just habit to press them open and trim from there.

If I use my accuquilt to cut my pieces, I don't have any dog ears to trim, but there is a spot for that in the template for an easy trim. The lines are easy to use and see what to trim. And it was very accurate.

I found it easier to use in this direction, if I wanted to trim dog ears and the triangle without moving the template.

The only con for using a trimmer this way is for any mystery fabric, and, pressing afterward may make it wonky. I used the trimmer on a bunch 40s triangles I had found at a thrift store.

I am linking to:

to do tuesday

chameleon color linky

Oh scrap

storms and garden party

Uh oh - tree limb on top of house. We didn't hear it come down in the storm. But, this is an ash tree and has been infected by the emerald ash borer. We have been nursing it, trying to save it for 2-3 years. Some of the branches are dead, but some are still very alive. It may not have taken much to get the branch down. We called in reinforcements ( our son) and it was removed. I am so glad he is still young enough. I don't think we are.

I have my first blocks for garden party ( a Bonnie Hunter pattern ) finished. I had this cut 2 years ago and put in a project box with the idea that I had cut it all. I grabbed the box and took it with me to Friday sewing group. It wasn't long before I realized I hadn't cut the neutrals. I made a quick trip home to grab a few. Since it has been awhile since I cut them, it has been fun to see them come together - little surprises. Garden party is one of my goals for the year as a new, to start, project. The pieces are small, but it is really easy to put the block together.

My other new start, for the year, is sand castles. I am still slogging through the 4 patches. As long as I am making progress, I am happy.

I am linking to:

Monday Making

Moving it Forward Monday 

design wall monday 

boms away 

Oh scrap

blue scraps

My blue drawer hasn't been loved on in a long time. The color drawers we have already had for the rainbow scrap challenge are tidy, except green. I don't know what happened, but I didn't sort through the drawer.

I am glad it is time to sort through blue. I have noticed that even if I have an organizational plan in my color drawers, the minute I need something, it is toss and tumble.

first up for the rainbow scrap challenge and the dark blue month of June, is my flying home blocks. I had enough of each fabric to make 4.

I put the crayons together that I have finished. I am getting ready for blue. But, I was distracted by my swap blocks.

I am linking:

lots of blue inspiration at:
rsc19 super saturday

oh scrap
UFO busting

I am linking to:

TGIFF

Finished or Not Fridays   

Whoop Whoop

peacock party

offwall friday

Oh Scrap

beauty pageant

boms away 

tiny tuesday progress

I have to catch up with all the blocks for the rainbow scrap challenge.  Angie at Quilting on the Crescent. shared a tiny tuesday block last month that I have finished. I made a mistake with it, but it stays this way. It was supposed to have the orange print in all four corners.

Sally at The Objects of Design shared this cute block last month. It's called bear bowtie.

I was intimidated by this one. I am not very skilled at applique, and the reverse applique was scarey. But, once I made the decision to do it, it was fun.

note

 am linking to:

My one monthly goal for June is still the same as May. I didn't keep 1/2 the goals for May and I didn't finish anything. I started a few... ahem.
I want to:
1.Finish smith mountain morning
2.move allietare along
3.make swap blocks
4.keep up with rainbow scrap challenge
5.and I want to start garden party piecing.

I am linking to:

creative compulsions

needle and thread Thursdays

I am linking to:

WOW

midweek makers

Oh Scrap

boms away 
One monthly goal

template fun

I grabbed a few spikey pieces to sew together using the bloc loc templates. They are small and will finish at 2 1/2 inches square. They are very cute and easy to do. I cut mine from small leftover scrap pieces. I need to cut the other pieces I need so that I can see a star together.

Usually, I avoid trimming down, if I can, but, with this template it is easy and I end up with a perfect block.

I used the florabunda blocks as leader/ender  as I was sewing. I made three from this floral fabric.

I am linking to:

to do tuesday

chameleon color linky

Oh scrap

strings and organization

This is the first time in a long time that I could see this much floor in my sewing room. I am pretty excited. On the other hand, the reason I can see it, is because the flat surfaces are now covered again. And when I want to sew, I will move everything to the floor, and the cycle will continue. Hopefully, every time it goes back and forth, the mess will shrink, as I figure out what I am going to do with odds and ends of stuff.  Do you have little bits of this and that with no real home? - one package of fancy buttons, one zipper, one water soluable stabilizer...

I was so excited about the floor I bought a fatigue mat for it. I found it at Sam's club and it is actually pretty. The wire baskets contain my scrap bins. Any piece less than a half yard but not a fat quarter goes here.

My next goal is to finish the cutting table area, but someone keeps cutting fabric there and making a mess.
I did make more string blocks and I am playing with how to set them.

I am linking to:

Monday Making

Moving it Forward Monday 

design wall monday 

boms away 

Oh scrap

orange letters

I just barely finished these in May for the rainbow scrap challenge, just in time to squeak into a blue month. I am usually done and ready for a new color a week ahead, and, then drumming my fingers for the new month. Not May, I have really been surprised it is a new month. I ran out of scraps and had to cut a little bit of yardage. These are the orange letters I need for a quote quilt.

I am still cleaning out bags and buckets. If I don't know where to put them I am taking the time to deal with them. I found this extra block, in pieces, that I didn't use in a finished quilt. So, I made an orphan block. What can I say, it was fun to make a block. And I have a box for orphan blocks, but not almost orphan blocks.

I am linking:

lots of orange inspiration at:
rsc19 super saturday

oh scrap
UFO busting

I am linking to:

TGIFF

Finished or Not Fridays   

Whoop Whoop

peacock party

offwall friday

Oh Scrap

beauty pageant

boms away