I've Been Absent But Not Idle

No way would I EVER be "idle".  It's just not in my nature.  I've had sisters-in-law and others in 

my past sit, stand or follow me around touting

"I'm bored...sigh...I'm bored."

My response was always the same.

"Well, go be bored somewhere else 'cause I've got a bazillion things I'm itching to get done!"

So, even though you don't hear from me around blogland I'm active and busy with quilty things.

Busy with more blocks from my FRIENDS OF BALTIMORE project.  This is the second block in the series. (I've completed 5 so far ) Wow, kind of a doozy.  Stitching all those tiny black sail riggings was not fun for me, but I persevered and won the battle.

This is a fabulous quilt and there is no reason to fail, after all, it is one of Sue Garman's patterns.

Here is my binder with all the pattern pieces and her wonderful instructions.  I have not had ONE question about these blocks that she has not included in the instructions.  She is a master!!

TINY PIECES ~ TINY PIECES

So many tiny pieces to prep, but there's something calming sitting quietly turning down all the little edges.  Trying to master the process and improve my skills with each piece.

Yes, it's fun and I love it but it can grow tedious and that is why a quilter ALWAYS has to have other projects handy to work on.  Sometimes you just need to shake things up a little.

One of my breaks from the hand applique was doing some blocks for the November Block Lotto.

Loved these blocks.  They would make a fantastic looking quilt.....sigh......but I didn't win this time.

I have other quilty progress to share, but we'll do that next time.

Happy stitching girlfriends!!

" Square " Beach Balls

Don't these blocks just s-c-r-e-a-m springtime?  Summer fun in the sun?

Yes, they remind me of colorful little beach balls ONLY

they're square!!

These cute little triangles in a square are our April

Block Lotto blocks.

They measure 7 1/2" square and our fearless leader

SOPHIE

shared 3 methods on how to construct these.  One of those methods was

paper piecing and that is the method I chose.

I really don't mind paper piecing, no fuss no muss and everything usually

turns out pretty good!

Hope I win these this month!!!!!

Fingers crossed!!!

Pieced Stripe Blocks Galore

I'm playing and thinking and figuring this morning on what I want to do with all these blocks!

There are 48 of them 'cause

I WON

the December Block Lotto!!

Gotta love that!

They are a 6 1/2" x 9 1/2" size.

I have them all mashed and smooshed up on my design wall and I think I've pretty much made a decision on how to use them.  It will involve taking the scissors

to each one of them!!!

WHAT???  SCISSORS?

EEEKKKK!!!

They will be fun to work with!!!!

Baskets

Yep…..baskets!  I made some today.  Aren't they cute?  I was supposed to be making them for the Block Lotto but I REALLY REALLY like them.

Should I just keep them……..for myself?

What say you??

They measure 6" x 9" finished size

Thanks to everyone coming to the rescue on my blog fiasco I talked about in my last post!  I think everything is coming together today as a solution to my problem.  I really appreciate those of you

who let me know how/what/where they could see my blog.  What a relief….it seems it will work out!!

I had the opportunity to meet some of my followers that I had never met before!!!

Sooooo glad you all can see me again!!

Stars, Houses and Ships

AUGUST

( i HOPE i win this month)

JULY

( i didn't win this month )

JUNE

( i didn't win this month either )

These are the blocks we have made over the past few months for the BLOCK LOTTO.  For this year, each block is the finished size of 6" x 9". 

More of a taller block in place of the traditional square shape.

I.LIKE.

I would LIKE even more.....if I won this months RED STARS!!!

Birds

Bird blocks were on the list for this months Block Lotto.  Just too darn cute??!!

I've been hacking and coughing for about a month now and just haven't felt up to parr, but my friend JULIE over at Joe Tulips blog nudged....suggested......nagged.....forced me to make

some of these Birds!  Her reasoning...."so she could win them"!!!

Uhhh, excuse me!  Don't be so sure of yourself there Missy!!!

Well, at least I hope I win this month!

Regardless who wins, click on Julie's name or Block Lotto and see more cute Bird blocks!

Sophie, our fearless leader at the Block Lotto  

has a how-to tutorial on this cute little bird on her blog Sophie Junction, click on the word FREEBIES right under her blog title.  Run over and check this out if you
want some of these feathered friends for your own.

Schoolhouse Blocks

Oh yes, I think red and white quilts hold a lot of power, well, for me anyway.  I guess I could say red and white would probable be my 'most' favorite type of quilt. Funny though, I haven't done any in red and white, but maybe I'll have one soon courtesy of Block Lotto.  These little schoolhouses are the blocks for this months Block Lotto and IF I win these I will finally have a RED and WHITE vintage style quilt!!

XXXXXXXXXX.....these are my fingers crossed!!

Star Quilt Blocks

I finally found these lost star blocks.  Yippee!!!  Cleaned up my sewing space one day and couldn't remember where I put them.  They are from my Block Lotto winnings a while back.

I immediately started to play.  Decided the purple star was my favorite so I stuck it up on my design wall and started from there.   All the pieces except the stars are left over pieces from this quilt project.  The black/white spikes are from my parts department ( ala Freddy Moran & Gwen Marston).

So far, this is what I have come up with.  I really just want to stay with the big X design using only 13 of the stars.  I need to figure out what I will fill in the rest with, but then again, I have only just begun to start playing with the design.

Stay tuned for updates.....who knows.....I may just mess this up and start all over!! HA!

15 W-H-O-L-E Months

Would you believe me if I told you it has been 15 MONTHS TODAY since I have bought ANY fabric?? Yep, NOT ONE THREAD!!! I really can't believe the time has passed so fast. JoAnn and Hancock Fabrics even took me off their mailing list. HA!

I haven't done this for economic reasons or anything like that, I have done it as sort of a REBELLION against the high fabric prices, much of which was unfounded. I refuse to give 13.99 a yard!!! Heck, even Kona solids jumped 2.00 a yard at JoAnns. ME thinks fabric buyers have had the wool pulled over their eyes. Right here I could insert my SPEECH on the USDA's report on the average price of cotton per pound being LESS THAN 90 cents a pound (87 cents) these past two crops.....NOT THE 1.50 per pound that was being used as the excuse in a lot of shops for the new HIGH prices. OK OK OK....I'll stop!

It really wasn't hard after a couple of months to not shop. I retrained my thoughts to the fact that I was going to use what I had on hand and NOT run to the fabric store. JUST say NO!! HA!

After all, it's not like I NEED ANY. As it stands there is NO WAY I could possible sew up all the fabric I have stuffed to over flowing in my sewing room.....BUT, I may have to succumb, I'm ALLLLLLLL out of Red and there is a Red/White quilt I have my mind set on making!!!

I won the Trip Around the World blocks on the Block Lotto a few months back and JULIE over at JOE TULIPS BLOG reminded me yesterday that I hadn't posted a photo of my TOP. I have seen a few of these Scrappy Trips around blog land lately and they are really great!! JULIE has made one too, go HERE to see hers. MARIT over at QUILT IT BLOG has one too. Go HERE to see hers. I LOVE how we all used the same block design yet they all look different.

If you would like to make one too you can go over to BONNIE'S website QUILTVILLE to get the pattern.

Scrappy Trips Around The World

I am just W-A-Y crazy over these Trips Around The World Blocks!! This is what we are making for our November BLOCK LOTTO. I made 9 blocks this time to enter in the drawing. These blocks were made using 2 1/2" strips I had saved up in my scrap bins. Your strips only need to be 16" long and your finished block with be 12". The pattern was taken from one of Bonnie Hunters tutorials on her QUILTVILLE website.

One of the main reasons I LOVE this block is it's versatility. You can get totally different quilt looks by just playing around and re-arranging your layouts as you can see in the different photos.

This is one of my favorite layouts along with the layout of the first photo I posted.

These blocks are VERY easy to make, but require a little more extra time than most blocks but I think they are WELL WORTH IT!!

I HOPE I WIN THIS MONTH!!!!!!!

Cute Surprise

Lookee what I got in the mail today!!! This CUTE CUTE CUTE little postcard!! What can I say.....I love it!!! My friend Julie over at Joe Tulips blog is a MASTER at making all things CUTE!!! She modge podged this up and sent it from Iowa to all the way down here to TEXAS! Click on her blog link above and go over and see how she makes these! THANKS JULIE!!!!

Here are the blocks I sewed up for the Block Lotto this month. It's just about time for the drawing. Maybe I'll win!!!!!

And here is a recent photo of the ole GOOBER dog. He's looking all serious and stuff.....don't you think????

Pathetic......

YEP.....that would be ME!.....PATHETIC..... in a LOT of areas! I can't believe how long it has been since I blogged.....WOW, has it really been 4 months already??? Well, I HAVE done a FEW things in all this time I have been off. The only way I know to catch up IS to just START CATCHING UP with some photos of what has been going here at BROWN DIRT COTTAGE! I will start with the BLOCK LOTTO blocks I have made. Above photo are OCTOBER blocks.

NOVEMBER BLOCK LOTTO

MARCH BLOCK LOTTO

Even GOOBER...THE DOG is showing signs of PATHETICNESS {is that even a word}? Look at him...lounging....in the sun...all warm and cozy....a crunchy orange snack not far from reach. I guess like 'owner'...like 'dog'!!! COME ON GOOBER.....we MUST snap out of it and GET BACK into the GROOVE!!!!

I promise to share more 'CATCH UP' photos in the coming days! I have missed EVERYONE....have you missed ME????

I Made Some Stars

Yes...I made some stars.......9 to be exact. That made me 9 chances of winning for this months drawing in the BLOCK LOTTO. I joined up the first of October because the block for the month was variable stars. Well, if you have followed my blog for these last couple of years you know i love stars!!! They are so versatile and fun to make. You can't mess them up....in fact i try to mess them up! The goofier you make them the more interesting they become! These are the largest stars I have ever made. These will measure a 9" finished block. So here is a parade of the ones I made. Hope you like them as much as I do!

The main reason for this post is to let you know I WON! I WON! Yes, I was one of the winners. There were so many stars made this month there was enough to have 5 winners this time. The first 4 winners will receive 48 stars each and the 5th winner will receive what is left. I was one of the top 4. So....I will be getting to keep the 9 i made and will have 39 more being sent to me in the ole snail mail. YIPPEE!!!!!!

You should go check out the BLOCK LOTTO. There is no commitment. You can choose any month or block we are making on any given month. All you have to do is make anywhere from 1 to 9 blocks. It's your choice to make as many as you have time for. It's a LOT OF FUN!!

I also talked my bloggy friend SHARON from INDIGO THREADS into joining this last month and she WON TOO!!!! Isn't that crazy!!!! I must say.....Sharon probable likes me pretty good about now!!!!