The new year brought out the final steps in assembling our Easy Street blocks that we have been working on since Thanksgiving. I really love the way that this has come together and I am enjoying the colors as well - so bright and happy.
The best part of Easy Street is that it was completely made with fabrics already in my stash. I have decided that this is going to be a scrap busting year for me. I have so many groupings of fabrics with ideas in mind and I am going to try to plow through some of them. So far I am off to a good start.
I had a floral fabric in my collection that I pulled out and added to some paper foundation flowers that I had made some time ago. Magic....I now have four placemats that I will be giving to a friend whom we are going to visit soon. I'm not sure how long I have had the fabric, but the selvage has a date of 2007 on it.
The last few days have been spent pruning my roses - over 100 of them!!! It always feels so good to finish that job and look forward to the new growth which should start soon now. A little A*leve afterwards is a big help too.
Each year Beth has a Neighborhood Block party and this was my house contribution to the neighborhood. Each of the houses are so cute and looked fabulous together.
The Christmas tree also came down today and the last of the red and green has been removed until next December. It seems as though I always manage to find one or two little items that I forgot. Does anybody else do that?
New Year's Eve was quiet for us. We stayed up long enough to know that midnight had happened - in New York!!! Our daughter and her children came over for dinner since her husband had to work. We had a nice dinner and I made cream puffs for dessert.
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| Yum! |
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| Guess there is one way to eat them....just go for it!! |
Another bit of sewing was my mug rug for my January/February partner. I can't show the piece yet, but I played around a bit with the scraps and made a small mug rug from them. The little HSTs finish off at 3/4"....tiny, but fun.
I am going to be linking up with A Year of Finishes. Click on the link and you can see what it is all about. My goal for this month is going to be to finish up the blocks for my Just Takes 2 quilt. I hope to be able to "finish it up" by the end of January.
So....January is off to a productive year so far and I haven't bought any fabric yet. I think I may keep a record of how long this lasts.
Mary your projects look great! I get to work in my flower beds tomorrow
ReplyDeleteYou have some fantastic projects Mary...great work! Do you mind telling me what blogger is doing? A friend is having trouble with pictures; her choose file button is gone from the new post page. Just wondering if that is your problem too.
ReplyDeleteOur Christmas tree will come down either today or tomorrow. I will moss that pine smell but will be glad to regain my living room!
ReplyDeleteOur NYE was quiet, DD and the grandsons were here for dinner (SIL had to work) and stayed until after the 9pm fireworks on television. Mum, WM and I watched tennis, the waiting the half hour for the midnight fireworks. When they were finished we kissed each other and went to bed!
Your stitching looks great, good luck with your year of stash busting -- mine is the Year of Finished Projects!
I too find Christmas items after everything is put away. Glad to hear I'm in good company. The placemats are lovely and sure to be loved. And Easy Street is fabulous. The colors look great!
ReplyDeleteYes, I too find Christmas items lingering longer, often a little star or angel hanging on a doorknob.
ReplyDeleteI love your work.
You have had a productive year's beginning. Good on you!
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize you are also doing Easy Street - it looks great! And thanks for stopping by my blog and commenting on my blue and white star quilt! xo
ReplyDeleteI am loving the way your "Easy Street" Love the Flowers you foundation peiced on the placemat..
ReplyDeleteNow you are making wonder what the Rug Mug will look like ?????
I LOVE your easy street quilt...I've been thinking about placemats & stashbusting too so I think I will try to follow you!
ReplyDeleteWow your easy street looks great. Way to go busting the stash up this year. That is my exact thought too.
ReplyDeleteI really like your placemats... where did you get the paper pieced flower patterns? I might steal your idea.
ReplyDeleteI trimmed my roses last weekend also...AND also enjoyed some Aleve although I only have 4 bushes ;o)
Great projects you've completed, Mary. Yes, I too always find some forgotten Christmas item somewhere after I've put everything away. I want some of those cream puffs!
ReplyDeleteLove the place mats.....don't you love it when you find that you have just the perfect fabric in your stash! I have a big round paper mache Christmas ornament with mistletoe that I attached to the doorway going to my kitchen from the dining room the year I got it.....since it was a new "something" I forgot to take it down....now it has become a tradition that stays there year round! The last time I took it down on purpose was when I painted and as soon as the paint dried it went back up!
ReplyDeleteYour placemats are beautiful....what a perfect way to use that floral fabric! Easy Street looks beautiful and like you so far I haven't bought any new fabrics....this year :)
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you are really having fun back in the sewing room. The photos enlarge when you click on them so it is OK if they are smaller in the post.
ReplyDeleteYep...I regularly hide presents and then, I forget where I put them or forget about them all together until after the date. =P
ReplyDeletefun quilty projects, you got goin' on there =)
hugZ,
annie
Your Easy Street looks beautiful. I`m started with the blogs too.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely baby.
Liebe Grüße Grit
Your Easy Street is more advanced than mine! Beautiful! I shall look forward to seeing your big reveal too - probably before mine! (Although my Easy Street will be a slightly smaller reveal as I've decided to go with a 3 x 3 main block arrangement instead of the 4 x 4!)
ReplyDeleteLove your Easy Street and the placemats are great! You might try switching to Google Chrome instead of the browser you are using now...it seems to work for me with no blogger issues!
ReplyDeleteYou have been busy! Love the Easy Street!!
ReplyDeleteI really like your Easy Street quilt, and how fun that it's all made with scraps. Those are my favorite kind of quilts!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter is using my sewing room as her "home" right now, and there are cases and clothes and all the other girly paraphernalia all over the place, so I have done zero stitching this year! So far! My sister wants some spring bunting, so I may have to liberate my sewing machine soon!
ReplyDeleteI love the colours in your Easy Street quilt, they really work well together. Good luck with your New Years goals and the stash busting.
ReplyDeleteYour Easy Street project is coming along nicely. It seems many of us have set the goal of sewing from our stash this year...that's a challenge...we will need lots of encouragement!
ReplyDeleteI publish all my blog posts from Live Writer. I just like it better. And I can click on and enlarge your pictures.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE your Easy Street! Pretty colors that pop without "blinding" us. ;-)
I can't remember the last time I had a cream puff ... but I'm wanting one now! ha!
Love all the quilt blocks, so beautiful. Happy New Year to you, wishing you blessings in 2013. ♥
ReplyDeleteYour Easy Street blocks looks great together, Mary!!! I love it:)
ReplyDeleteLove the place mats out of the paper pieced flowers. They will be such a special gift. And 100 roses - wow! They must be spectacular when they all bloom.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your win Mary!!
ReplyDeleteI bet your pruning job takes days, what a great payoff in a few months, though!
ReplyDeleteYour Easy Street is looking good! I keep sewing, but I've yet to take a picture...gotta do that ~
:-}pokey
Oh, how we need to get into some yard work! It's too cold yet, though....that's my best excuse. This weekend my MIL and I are staying with my DIL and the two youngest grands while our son is hunting.....they have a 6 week old and 21/2 year old, so were having a busy, fun time.
ReplyDeleteI love the placemats and the house block is darling! I'll bet the finished product is beautiful!
I just love all of your projects. I am assuming that the flowers are paper pieced...love them!
ReplyDeleteCream Puffs Look yummy and so says the little one. The neighbourhood blocks together must look great and it must be fun piecing them together.
ReplyDeleteMidnight happened! Guess you celebrated it at 9.0 pm then! I guess I could always celebrate with my brother in Australia and get it over with at 2.0 pm!
Wow. You are a busy lady! After I get all settled in my new home and get my Mom's surgery over, I am planning on sewing a lot this year too!
ReplyDeleteI love those small pieces. It looks like a fun quilt to make. Enjoy
ReplyDeleteNat
Your Easy Street quilt is going to be a real beauty! Love those vivid colors. Also, nice job on those placemats. It's always fun to "repurpose" a UFO. Looks like you are on your way to a "Lovely Year of Finishes"!
ReplyDeleteYour Easy Street is beautiful! I love the colors you're using! And they are all scraps? Wow!! Yes, I manage to have a few stray decorations each year too. Our neighborhood decorates the enterance and street signs each year. I noticed a stray wreath was forgotten over the weekend when most of the decorations were taken down. I guess they forgot some too!
ReplyDeleteHow great that you were able to make this with all your scraps. Looks wonderful.
ReplyDeleteWow - you've been busy! I love how your Easy Street is coming along. The placemats are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteAh, yes, Blogger is not playing nice these days. I had to post by opening Google Chrome. Your paper-pieced placemats are lovely ! Congrats on using your stash and not buying fabric. I am determined to do the same. I made a committment last year to not buy any fabric unless I was on a vacation trip and I stuck to it. I was glad I gave myself that "out" as I found a couple of perfect gift items when I was in Iowa and on retreat. I am enjoying using my stash. The challenge is actually fun!
ReplyDeleteWonderful projects! I have been really busy and need to get back to my sewing room. Yes, I have stray Christmas decorations to. I have some snowmen that I leave out a little longer that I don't really consider just Christmas decorations.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful flowers! But the baby....much more beautiful. :) blessings, marlene
ReplyDeleteYour work is beautiful....your family as well!
ReplyDeleteWow, your easy street is beautiful! I too always find little Christmas thing left behind, LOL!
ReplyDeleteYour cream puffs reminded me that I had three down in the fridge. Guess what I'm having for breakfast?!?
ReplyDeleteLove, LOVE your Easy street!
Jan
I love the baby pic..and your easy street is an eye cAtcher 'Mary
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