DaGMT Day 11 - "Really? No one commented on how awesome yesterday's title was?"

Or maybe none of your husbands tend to refer to themselves as being in the process of "kicking a$$ and taking names" as frequently as mine. I was so impressed with myself I'm thisclose to naming the pattern "Kicking Scraps", but perhaps I am my only fan.

I'm thrilled to report that moving the sewing machine to the Auxiliary Studio was a huge success as far as allowing me to actually get things accomplished today as compared to last weekend. It was not a huge success as far as keeping the main floor of the house looking neat and tidy, but let's not kid ourselves. It rarely is anyway.

No photos today of my progress. I'd like to hope I can have much of a top completed by tomorrow which will be much more exciting to post a photo of. But there has been much chain piecing and block creation for this baby sized scrappy quilt, and I even got some help from my firstborn, who has discovered that cutting apart my chain pieced segments before I press them is for some reason highly exciting. I'll take help any way I can get it, so whatever.



I also spent part of today with the girls at Orchard House in Concord MA, home of The Alcott family, for two reasons: 1. Eva eats history like it is part of the food pyramid, and she was claiming starvation, and 2. We agreed to show Ike Laroue a good time.

Tonight it's out to dinner with friends and hopefully some more scrap kickin' tomorrow. Work with me, hotties. Make me believe it's a good name.

DaGMT Day 10 - Kicking scraps and taking names

Today was one of those rare days where there was ample time for me to sew instead of chasing my children around to their activities like a lunatic, and I put in almost four hours! Holy pretending to be Michelle, Judy, or Sue! Unfortunately unlike them I do not have an entire quilt top or seven to show for my four hours, but I'm terribly thankful to various other children for agreeing to playdates with mine today in order to allow this unprecidented amount of sheer quilting bliss to occur, and that in itself is accomplishment enough for me.

So there.

Anyhoo, I started today by heading out to buy some yellow dot fabric, and once I returned home I spent the remainder of my morning decimating my purple scrap pile. At first it was daunting to see how many purple scraps I had. Then it was daunting to realize that there are so many different shades of purple and not all were going to look good together and OMG I had to MAKE AN UNEXPECTED DECISION and I hadn't even had a second cup of tea yet.

I chose to go with bluish lavendery purples. Wouldn't you? They are so pretty after all, and yesterday when I was playing with all the blocks for the SNY group quilt those few that I had in those colors were always among my favorites. So there again. Decision made.



So what were my plans with the yellow dot and the bluish purpley stuff? I was jealous of how much fun everyone else had making the blocks for my SNY project, but I only got to make one. Plus I need a baby size sample AND I need a sample that has the blocks all totally and completely scrappy, so I combined all these issues into this new project. Because after all, DaGMT was all about finishing up UFO projects rather than starting a new one every day. But I made the rules and you can now all watch me break them at will.

This afternoon I did lots of chain piecing and realized that while the total scrappy/completely unplanned blocks are going to be so much quicker to make than the more planned variety which will also be an option in the pattern, wow it might have helped if I had planned a LITTLE by counting how many of each patch I was cutting. Because out of all 7 patches in each block, of which I would need 36 of each, I think I cut 17 of one, 22 of another, 9 of another, and so on. So in the end I was only able to make two actual finished blocks, with a bunch of pieces and segments left over.



I do have to say they are pretty cute blocks, though.



These photos should give you further proof that I did do a lot more today than it looks like I did.



The machine has been moved to the Auxiliary Studio, aka The Dining Room Table, for the weekend. We'll see if that allows me to snatch a few moments here and there to whip up the other seven blocks before Sunday pm.

DaGMT Day 9 - "Playing With Blocks"

WOOOOOOO HOOOOO! Today I have most of my Scrappy New Year blocks in house and I could finally start really playing and choosing my faves for the TWO quilts I will be whipping up using all of these babies. While I am still waiting on a few more participants, I just really couldn't wait any longer to show you the ones that have made the cut so far.

This first group, in no particular order and looking just so out of place against my rug, is the "cool" group I have chosen for my full/double sized layout and will likely be on the cover of the pattern. I need just 4 more blocks to get the 22 that I need for the layout, and I feel certain they will be here within days. Maybe even moments, as the mail could be here any minute. How much do we love these? They are like lollipops, springtime, flowers, and happiness all in one.

This next group, which looks slightly better against my rug, represents those blocks that were my faves in the warm pallete. While I normally work in brights and contemporary fabrics, these group projects serve to challenge me to work outside of my comfort zone and these blocks are speaking to me to whip them into a lap size setting which will use 18 blocks. So I am hopeful 8 more are in my future, because I probably don't have enough scraps to make 8 more in these colorways. These just scream fall, hayrides, hot cocoa, pumpkin picking, and best of all Back to School to me.

If you participated, sent me the blocks, and don't think you see one of yours in one of these groups, please let me know. I will search my envelopes and make sure I didn't miss you!

You have all made my lives so much easier by helping to create these newest quilts. Are you feeling like you work for the EPQD sweat shop? I hope the fun you've had will offset that somewhat and you won't report me to the authorities. I love all the notes I am getting in with the blocks and am so amazed that not one negative comment has come my way regarding the making of them. Wow. Maybe I'm good at this design stuff after all.

I am SO excited and you must allow me to get back to my machine to start adding my other mysterious touches that will make these into my new pattern!

DaGMT Day 3 - "You'd Think I Was a Shoe Girl"

In reality, I probably own about 6 pairs of shoes per season. It's barely enough to qualify me as a woman. What can I say - I'd rather spend my money on fabric and apparently, this month, hot water heaters and new tires. Woo hoo!

But I do love the shoe shape for a base for practicing some fun embellishment, as is evidenced by the shoe appliques I used both in my Once Upon a Time book and my Shoeby Dooby Doo pattern. Not only are they fun to jazz up with your own shoe personality, but the shape of them is pretty simple for even new machine appliquers.

A couple of years ago before I went to Spring Market to help promote "Once Upon A Time", I asked if some quilters could help me out by making some appliqued and embellished 12" shoe blocks that I could use in my Schoolhouse presentation to demonstrate that really, the sky is the limit when it comes to what you can do with a few beads and baubles. A la Prince Charming, I returned most of the shoes to their rightful owners, but a few told me I could keep them. Today I UFO-busted and turned them into a quickie quilt.



I decided to have some fun with the quilting, and decided I was going to freehand quilt in some names of kinds of shoes as part of the quilting. Judge me if you will, but I had a hard time coming up with enough different types of shoes to do four types per block, and had to google "types of shoes". What did we ever do without google? And is it appropriate to not capitalize it? Do I care? Not today.

Witness the cute word "espadrille" quilted in. I will have you know that is one type of shoe I thought of on my own.



Sorry this one is sideways, but I am sure if you look hard enough you can see more types of shoes in there.



I also finally got to play a little with some of the Scrappy New Year blocks that have come in so far. I created an album on my EPQD facebook page and would love for you to take a look at it: www.facebook.com/EvaPaigeQuiltDesigns. I am not sure why that isn't linking like it should, but you can also get there by clicking the snowman button in the left column.

I did say under no uncertain terms that I really didn't care if participants made all four of their blocks exactly the same or used different fabrics/colors for each, but now I am so thankful to those who did all four the same because it makes my choice so much easier. I cannot believe how stunning they all are and choosing just one from some of these ladies is going to kill me.

Enjoy! Remember to keep sewing over the weekend!

If Nascar had a quilting race, I know who would win

I also know I wouldn't watch it because I don't enjoy Nascar, but whatever.

Did any of you have visions of being the first to get your Scrappy New Year blocks back to me? Give up the dream. As predicted, Angie Callbeck of trash barrel diving fame from the previous post has won. As usual, and much to the chagrin of Judy "Speed Demon" Damon, who will have to settle for some other number this time. We love Angie, but really, it's like you almost have to get up last month to beat her at anything quilting related.

I went to my guild's open sew on Saturday, whereupon Angie handed me her four blocks, which she had made the night before. Many of you may be saying "What??? I didn't even get my directions until Saturday afternoon! Cheater!" but let me assure you that no, she isn't alone in cheating. I gave her the directions early at her request, thereby becoming the enabler that I love to be so that I may then turn around and give her crap for being the first one done. I'm a fantastic friend.

But aren't they cute? Minus the fact that they look like I threw them in the bottom of my bag and forgot to take them out until today (no comment)? Nothing a little iron won't fix and I am so excited to have more come my way soon! There is nothing like the thrill of getting the mail when I am running a group project, and it has nothing to do with the hotness or lack thereof of my current mailman.

I was so excited to be overwhelmed by responses from quilters who wanted to participate. I should have enough blocks for two quilts! It isn't too late for you to throw your scraps in the ring too - just let me know and I can get the pdf to you asap.