You will cut your fabrics as follows:

each light fabric – cut one 3 inch strips the width of fabric  (I used 2 strips to make larger)

each dark fabric – cut two 2.5 inch strips the width of fabric (I used 4 strips but you need a smidge over 1/4 yard)

each medium fabric – cut two 2.5 in strips the width of fabric (I used 4 also but again you need a smidge over 1/4 yard)

Here is a picture of my cut strips using the light, medium and dark purple.  You can cut the strips in half if you prefer to work with shorter lengths.  I found it just made life easier.

You will need:

1/4 yard each of 7 light fabrics  –  1/4 yard each of 7 medium fabrics  – 1/4 yard each of 7 dark fabrics.

To make it more coordinated I picked 7 colors then used a 4th yard of each shade.  For example I used a dark, medium and light blue, dark, medium and light green, etc.  I have used the purple and green colors for my samples.

If you buy a half yard you can make a much larger quilt.  Mine covered the top of my queen mattress prior to the borders using only 4 inches more of each than the quarter yard.

 

I bought the fabrics for the tumbling block quilt and the pattern book well over a year ago and I’ve laid it aside because her instructions were so confusing.  I think most of it was just how she worded things.  After making my initial cuts and nothing lining up, I read thru the entire book and couldn’t believe she gives you so much info after the pattern. When paying $30 for a pattern I don’t expect to read half way thru book “I didn’t bother with left handed instructions, turn book upside down”.  Well how about mentioning that in the beginning before I ruined half my fabric.

My solution – here is a tutorial for the tumbling block quilt for left handed people.   Since blocks post newest to oldest you’ll have to scroll to the first then back up but I’ll number the post.  So here goes with photos and all.

 

It drives me crazy that the shift knob keeps popping off my jeep, especially when you’re turning a corner and slightly occupied doing other things.  Well, I found a guy that can make custom ones with anything you’d like.  So here is my new shift knob.  I absolutely love it.

Mariner’s Compass  – not started

Lone Star – not started

Judy Neimer – not started

Tumbling Block quilt – not started

Parasol paper pieced quilt – not started

to be continued . . . . .

2016 is planned as the year to do some quilts I’ve always wanted to try.  I may not get the techniques just right and I may not get them perfect, but I will be able to say I finally did them.  Paper piecing is one on the list.  I’ve tried once and the pieces were not perfect so I need to learn that a little more.  Applique – not a huge fan but I have all the shop hop rows I got from all over the country so at least one of those quilts needs to get finished.  I want to do a french braid with center blocks and before 2016 is over I will have completed a mariners Compass quilt.  I saw one 20+ years ago and it’s what inspired me to begin quilting.  I thought it would be amazing to make something like that.  20+ years later and I’ve never made one.  So 2016 is new horizons and new techniques and I WILL learn to free motion quilt feathers.  I’m also hoping to teach a few new people how to quilt.

This is the block I’m currently working on just as kind of a fill in project.  Once I quilt a bargello for a friend and make a t-shirt quilt for a customer I will start on projects for 2016.   This is coming out pretty and I’ll probably post if for sale.  Wish you tell from picture the pinwheel is 3-d.

As we all know tax season usually brings on the home improvement projects.  Not that I have a lot of extra time during tax season, but the overtime pays for the bills.      I’ve hated my front steps since I bought the house but planned to have them painted when they painted the house.  For some reason they didn’t paint the steps last summer when they did the house.   I looked into painting them and the options of something that didn’t scrape off were limited.   Last weekend I got to thinking about the back splash wall I did at mom’s house and decided to give it a try.  Here are the before steps.   Ugly – I don’t miss that peach color on my house.     The bottom one is the “work in progress” picture.   Unfortunately it rained all day Sunday so I wasn’t able to grout the steps.   Once I grout everything I will paint the facing of the steps black to match the canopy over the door.   Hope it turns out ok.  Looks a mess now but I haven’t done the clean up and final touches.

I bought some seat belt attachments for the boys and took them on a jeep ride.  It made me a nervous wreck worrying they would get loose but they loved it.   have to admit people look at you weird to have little dogs in back of jeep.   Argus loves the wind to blow in his face and hey, it’s gets off a lot of loose hair.  

Can you believe 2016 will make the boys 6 months old.  We are still striving to complete the housebreaking but they are learning.  Love those little guys.

I have a T-shirt quilt to make after the holidays but after that you may not see quilts posted as often as usual.   I’ve decided to step back and make some of the quilts that inspired me to begin quilting.   When I saw a mariners compass for the first time I knew I had to have one.  15 years of quilting and I still have never attempted one.   So that’s on my Vicky list along with a couple of ones I keep putting off as they would be time consuming.    Merry Christmas everyone.