Birds!

It seems to be a bird-y kind of year so far. This is a total coincidence but I love them!

"Chirp!" by Sue Spargo is a project I started with two friends. We're making one block a month.

My quilt guild holds a "block lotto" every so often.  Everyone brings one or more blocks of a given design. Afterward, there is a drawing where someone wins all the blocks.  Unfortunately, I was at a retreat last time, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do with these cuties.

You can find the pattern over here and a video tutorial from Missouri Star Quilt Company over here.

And last, but not least, these birdies are from Wonderfil's 2024 Block of the Month, called "Birdwatcher". I'm turning them into native birds because we don't have canaries or rainbow-colored hummingbirds in our woods.

And on the non-bird front, I made another little bottle cap pincushion.

It's pouring today, so more sewing is probably in my future.

New Projects for 2023

 I signed up for a couple of BOMs this year, actually in 2022. I also may have started a couple of other new projects...

This is how I circumvented my self-imposed rule of not starting any new projects in 2023. Clever right?

The first one is "The Secret Garden" by Sarah Fielke.

The colors and fabrics I chose are completely out of my comfort zone, but I love it!

I also actually purchased some fabric for this project, which I haven't done in YEARS!

Next up is The Quilt Show's 2023 BOM, called Homeward Bound. This was also designed by Sarah Fielke.

Thirdly there is this, a wool applique quilt called "Autumn" from Midway Wool. I will only be working on this one about once a month, so it will take more than one year, for sure.

I only have one completed block as of right now but isn't it cute?

Last, but not least, is "Martha Washington's Finest" By Lori Smith.

I'm not sure when I'll actually get to my other UFOs but quilting is all about having fun and I'm REALLY enjoying what I'm doing right now.

What are you up to this year?

Geese in the Forest Correction

It has been brought to my attention that there's a teenie mistake in the instructions for Block 6.

It should read:
“Make 6 blocks using the pattern as is and 10 blocks mirroring the pattern, using different fabric combinations.”

For inspiration (for you and me), look at what some people have been doing!

Dr. Quiltmom:

Whosies:


I'm working on mine right now because I'm totally inspired!

The last installment

Today is the last day of Geese in the Forest quilt instructions.
This file has the block layout diagram for the quilt. You can now download it here.

Block 6 will be available in the store until the end of the month, after which I will assemble all the instructions into a single pattern.
I'm hoping to finish this quilt in the fall since it's just too hot and summery (I'm not complaining mind you) for a whole lot of quilting right now.

(If you have no idea what this is all about, you can find all the information about this quilt over here.)

Slow and steady...

...wins the race, right?

I started the "A Tisket A Tasket" BOM five months late and now I'm six months behind.
Oh well.

Geese in the Forest Month 6

We're done!
This is the final block.

Block 6: Loosey Goosey

It's not too bad. We'll make 16: 11 in one direction and 5 in the other.

Find the pattern here. (It's a PDF file, so you'll need Adobe Reader to open it.)
The .PDF file for Block 5's pattern is now available in the store for $1.

Next month I'll publish the layout.

All the details regarding this Block of the Month and all the other block patterns) are over here and a tutorial for freezer paper foundation piecing is over here.

I have to admit I'm a little behind on this project (like I am with most of my projects) but I really hope to complete this quilt (or at least the top) before the end of summer.

Geese in the Forest Month 5

Wow! It's that time again.

Block 5: Saplings

We're making 28 of these!

Find the pattern here. (It's a PDF file, so you'll need Adobe Reader to open it.)
The .PDF file for Block 4's pattern is now available in the store for $1.

You can find all the details regarding this Block of the Month (and all the other block patterns) over here and a tutorial for freezer paper foundation piecing over here.

Back to work I go...

Geese in the Forest Month 4

Yes, we're two-thirds of the way there.

Block 4: In Formation

We're making 13 of these, but don't get too spoiled. There's a doozie coming up.

Find the pattern here. (It's a PDF file, so you'll need Adobe Reader to open it.)
The .PDF file for Block 3's pattern is now available in the store for $1.

As a little teaser for what you can expect once you have all the block patterns, I put together a little nine block section of my quilt. Kinda cool, I think.


You can find all the details regarding this Block of the Month over here and photos of the wonderful versions everyone is making in the Flickr group.

Geese in the Forest Month 3

Yes, it's that time again!

Block 3: Triple Tree

You only have to make 10 of these.

Find the pattern here. (It's a PDF file, so you'll need Adobe Reader to open it.)
The .PDF file for Block 2's pattern is now available in the store for $1.

You can find all the details regarding this Block of the Month over here.

45 Geese in the Forest

This is what I got done in a WHOLE weekend. I did do a little scrap sewing too, but still...
These geese are time consuming!

I did get to put the blocks up on a design wall and I'm very excited about how it's going to turn out.
I'm hoping to be more productive next week. This week's been kind of slow. I REALLY need spring to arrive. The darkness and clouds are getting to me.

Geese in the Forest Month 2

Yes, time flies, doesn't it?

Block 2 is called "Friendly Flock". Why? Because you have to make 27 of them and I thought it would help to think of them as amicable geese.

Find the pattern here. (It's a PDF file, so you'll need Adobe Reader to open it.)
The .PDF file for Block 1's pattern is now available in the store for $1.

You can find all the details regarding this Block of the Month over here.

Now I'm off go sew my Flock of 54!

Six Non-Scrappy Goose Bumps

Since I have to make the second block available on Monday, I figured I should probably finish these.

If you look closely you'll notice that I only used two colors per block.



More info here.

Six Scrappy Goose Bumps

I know, I know. Two posts in one day. The previous one isn't a "real" post though, is it?

I finished all six "Goose Bumps" blocks for my "Scrappy Geese" quilt.
If you have no idea what I'm talking about, hop on over here.



I don't know how long my scraps will allow me to make monochromatic blocks, but I'm running with it for now.
The background fabric is also from my scrap pile. This may run out too. What I'll do then is a surprise (for both you and me).
This will be a true "Nothing but Scraps" quilt.

Those Geese again

This is the last post solely dedicated to Geese in the Forest for a while, I promise.
I'm overwhelmed by all the positive response this little Block of the Month has generated.

After making a couple of blocks I decided that I didn't like the Christmas Green Bella Solids for the darkest green. The contrast is just a little too much.
I'm switching it to Dill Green, which I have on order for the store and should be in shortly.
(I changed the little diagram to try to reflect a little less contrast even though the colors aren't accurate.)

I've had some questions about yardage. I put yardage requirements on the main GITF page, but I'll put it over here as well. Foundation piecing uses a lot of fabric, even if you do your best not to waste.

2 yards each of three different greens (I'm using Dill Green, Kelly Green, and Lime Green)
0.5 yard of red (I'm using Christmas Red)
6 yards of white

When making the blocks, try to spread the greens out so that you use the yardage evenly. I also never use more than two colors in a single block, either two different greens or a red and a green.

Oh, and for Block 1, there are 6 blocks, only 1 of which has red in it.

I've created a Flickr group for sharing our GITF progress.

If you want to order white, green, and red fabrics for the quilt using the 30% off coupon, just send me an email before you order (custserv{at}twiddletails{dot}com) and I'll send you a new coupon code for 30% off on the Bella Solids when the Dill Green comes in.

Off to make something not "Geese" related...

Geese in the Forest BOM

February is here and with it, the "Geese in the Forest" BOM.

I've decided to make mine in solids. Bella Solids from Moda to be exact.
I'm using the colors in yesterday's post.

The first block is "Goose Bumps".

You can get the pattern here. This BOM is over but you can buy the entire quilt pattern in here.

There's a lot of information over here, but basically there will be a free block pattern (numbered for foundation piecing (tutorial here), but you can piece them too) every month until July.

On the first "work day" of each month, the previous month's block will be removed and a new one will be available. I will do a blog post when that happens, so if you're subscribed to the blog you should be OK.

In August I will make the final quilt layout diagram available.

If you find this BOM a little late, the PDFs for the previous months' blocks will be available in my store for a small fee.

The quilt has 100 blocks, 6" x 6" each. Some blocks only appear a couple of times and some a whole lot more. I played around with the layout until I came up with one I thought looked good and that's the way it ended up.

I made a little button you can put in your sidebar and link to this post if you'd like.



(If enough people show interest, I will start a Flickr group so we can share.)

Edited to add: I will be posting fabric requirements soon. I ran out of time and wanted to get the block up there today.

Sunday Stash

Moda Bella Solids for my version of the Geese in the Forest free BOM.
I will post more details tomorrow.

Christmas Red, Christmas Green, Lime Green, Kelly Green, and White.

Correction: I have decided to use Dill Green instead of Christmas Green.

Rainbow Jane

As most of you know I have another little blog. I'm kind of addicted to Dear Jane and, while I'm only 74 blocks into the original, I suddenly felt the urge to make a brightly rainbow colored Baby Jane.

I've decided to assemble Block of the Month kits for this one making it easier for anyone who's interested. They will include the fabrics as well as instructions for the blocks.
If you're thinking about joining in you can find more information over here in my store.

If you're wondering about the Christmas quilt, I'm making progress. Life is just getting in the way a little. It WILL be done by Christmas.