Pour me a cup of tea & pass the cookies, please! I'm playing!
I may be a bit slower than everyone this month, but I'll try my best to keep up. :)

I came in from gardening in the 80 deg weather just to let you know I'm in. I could hardly bring myself to come in. Oregano that normally dies is sending up new shoots! The garlic chives I wintersowed last year are coming back in the container pop bottle so I planted those in my new herb garden.

One question, should the center panel be a panel or a pieced square we make? Does it matter? Thanks, Dan, for your hard work coming up with this plan.

Bev, the center panel should be a panel. I used a floral panel, and then fussycut some flowers out of the left over fabric for the applique at the end.

Me again. Not that I don't trust ya, but I want to get it right the first time. LOL Is the panel cut to 15" or 15.5"?

Thanks

Hey, I'd be the same way! Cut that center panel so it has 15 inches per side.

"signing up and sipping tea"...soooooo...guess this means a trip to Joanne's..."humming"

Ok, Bev touched on what I was wondering...but a question I have is should our middle panel be a print? Or would a batik work? And if a print...do you think it'd work better in small scale or something larger?

I'm really indecisive when it comes to choosing fabric...just trying to pick out 2 FQ's for a birthday block took me an hour! I can never make up my mind, I always find too many things I love.
My kids refuse to go to Joann's with me any more. LoL!

I have lots of quilt/crochet/knitting projects that I am working on right now and will be gone some during April RVing ... so I am going to sit this one out and watch and see what ya'll make. We are having beautiful spring weather today! I plan to spend a little time out in the garden this week. :-) Hope everyone has fun making your mystery quilts. I know I will have fun reading along and watching. :-)

Best to you,
Sandra

Sandra, you can always catch up when you get back, or do the block even after this is done. That's the beauty of this one, it'll still be hanging around even after we've moved on to other swaps.

Melissa, just for you I'm going to come out and tell you all to find a picture-like piece of fabric for the center panel. Everything else we do is going to frame it up a bit. I used flowers my first time around with this design, and then I fussycut more flowers out of my extra fabric and then appliqued them so it looks like they are escaping out of the picture. Without giving our pattern away, here's an example of what's going to happen by the end of April...

Thanks, Dan! That helps a bit. :)

Well...the baby is finally here! Yay!
Kindi Evlin was born this morning, weighing 8lbs 9oz. Kindi means "one who is dearly loved" and Evlin means "radiant & beautiful".
We're both doing well. Labor was only 2.5 hours, but it only took that long because my contractions would never get closer than 10 minutes apart! If they'd just gotten closer, it would've been over much sooner. :)

Anyway, I hope I can get out to get some fabric before the 1st...if not, I'll have to use what's lying around. I'm sure I can make it work, anyway!

Dan, that is really pretty. Can't wait to get to the fabric store.

CONGRATULATIONS MELISSA!!! AND WELCOME KINDI!!! (I'll bet I had you scared about the whole triplet thing, didn't I?)

Just remember kids, that example isn't exactly what we're making. We'll be making a picture with a quilted frame, and you'll be appliquing so it looks like the picture is escaping the frame, but that's it. You'll have to wait until April to see how we're framing our "picture".

Congratulations Melissa!!! :-) The quilt pic you posted is really pretty Dan! Can't wait to see what this month's mystery quilt is going to look like when ya'll get done with them. :-) I weeded my flowerbed today. Later this coming week my M-I-L and I will be digging plants for our church's spring fundraiser. So will be having some fun transplanting things into pots this week. :-) Hope everyone has a great week!

Best to you,
Sandra

How did I miss your post Melissa? I swear it wasn't there when I posted. Well, congratulations! A job well done. Did you give birth at home that you are on the computer right away? Can't wait for you to post pictures.

Today it's pushing the 90-degree mark, which is about 40-50 degrees ABOVE normal! I'm not complaining though! Before leaving the office, I put in for the day after Easter off. I think, if this weather holds until then, I'm planting my corn that weekend. Lol, wouldn't it be cool if I was able to pick it for July 4th??? If the Mayans have it right, and the world as we know it is ending this coming December, I'm going out with fresh fruit and veggies!

I posted on here once but I don't see it antwhere. I'm in on this one.
gmom

Mmmm...sounds like a plan, Dan! :) I need to get my boys working on our veggie patch. I started making the plans last weekend, laying out where I wanted it & getting seeds ready....but got distracted by a certain little munchkin deciding to FINALLY arrive. :P I'll have to get back on track this week.

I went a slightly different route with the fabric I chose for this quilt. I hope it turns out OK. My 15yr old helped me pick it out, so it's pretty funky stuff. Very bright & retro. I thought it'd work good for a baby quilt. We'll see! I only have 2 blankets for Kindi, and since she hasn't developed any fashion sense or taste yet, I'm sure she won't mind what it looks like....how ever crazy it gets. :P I'm just gonna play & have fun this month, not worry so much about getting everything just right. Yep...that's my plan. LoL!

Sounds like a good idea to me Melissa! That was one of the reasons I went with this idea, how easy it'll be for us all. No deadlines, no trips to the post office, and no wondering if the person we're making it for will like it. And, if something should happen to slow us down, we can take a break and come back to it when we're able.

I saw Kindi on facebook, she's a cutie! And I'm sure she'll like her blanket because Mom made it...lol!

So how is everyone doing? Getting the fabric ready for sewing? I'll be posting the first instructions a week from today!

Dan

I haven't gotten my fabric cut yet, but hopefully get that done today. I've got to make a priority list of tasks to get finished....I keep getting distracted by everything outside blooming & the weather is fabulous! I just can't do any yard work quite yet, which is FRUSTRATING! But I go outside & SIT and enjoy. LoL! But then I see everything that needs done, and it's not quite so relaxing anymore. :P

Here's a pic of Kindi for everyone that hasn't seen her on FB:

She's a great baby- always happy & smiling.

She's so purty!

She is a beautiful baby!!! :-) I plan to work in the garden some this week. :-)

Just 2 more days until the first set of instructions are posted! ARE YOU READY?

Eeeeek! No, I'm not ready! Well, I mean...YES, I'm ready. Just not prepared! LoL! I've been spring cleaning, and today I planted a bunch of seeds- sunflowers, zinnia, cosmos & snapdragons. The easy stuff. :P
I have GOT to cut that fabric tomorrow! Sunday will be a great day to kick back with some tea & my sewing machine.

*scribbling "cut fabric" and "buy more tea" on my to-do list*

good morning everyone! Stella kept me up last night until the wee hours of this morning, and I only got about 3-4 hours of broken sleep. Nothing wrong, she just wanted to play, sing, and romp. ***sigh*** give me a few hours and I'll get the first set of sewing instructions posted by this evening, okay? thanks.

Yay! Got my fabric cut (finally!).
Had a moment of extreme DUH-ness (nothing unusual there!). Sat here for 5 minutes, trying to figure out WOF. I knew I KNEW what it meant, I just haven't had enough coffee this morning to kick start my brain (I'm just a tad sleep deprived for some reason!).
Finally it hits me...OH, WIDTH OF FABRIC! Ok!
Then I scroll down a tad...and VOILA! Dan had already pointed that out.
Sheesh!

Gonna go gulp some coffee now. Although, jumper cables may be needed....

Lol! Melissa, thanks for the chuckles, and come on in!

Let's get this party started, shall we? Everyone come on in. Go ahead and find yourselves a spot and put your fabric down, then make sure to check out the snack table and pour yourself a drink. There should be plenty of soda, water, coffee, and tea for everyone. Sorry, no alcohol today. I don't want anyone getting all liquored up and stabbing themself with a needle...lol! Now, when everyone has what they need and have settled in, I'll start giving instructions. We are going to be making a HUGE block using panels, Half-Square Triangles (HSTs from here on out), squares, strips, and some applique. And, when we're done, you will each have completed a block big enough for a large wall-hanging, lap quilt, or the beginnings of a nice quilt. It's going to be up to you to decide how to finish it up. Ready? Let's begin...

First, take your 2 solid-colored 15 & 7/8"x15 & 7/8" squares, and cut them on the diagonal. This will create 4 HSTs.

Next, centering your new HSTs, attach them to your 15"x15" Square Panel.

You should have 2 stacks of (36) 3.5" squares...

Sew one light-colored square to each dark-colored square...

Once you've accomplished that, pat yourself on the head, scratch yourself behind an ear, and do some smiling. You've accomplished your first set of instructions! I'll be back hopefully on Wednesday with step 2!

HAPPY SEWING!!!

-DAN

Just got back from a week's vacation in Charleston. Had a wonderful time. Stopped at a quilt store and bought a precut Asian inspired quilt packet to make a wallhanging. It looks like it is just squares, but it takes me forever (can you say 25 years) to finish a quilt, so something super easy is great. We had two husband's standing outside the shop, so I didn't have time to pick out the fabric for the mystery quilt. I'll get there tomorrow or Tuesday hopefully and get right on it. So far, it looks easy.

Kindi is ADORABLE!!! My unfulfilled grandma hole-in-my-heart is aching.

Thank you, Bev. You're welcome to come snuggle with her any time, I'm happy to share. :)

I didn"t get my sewing done yesterday, but hopefully this afternoon. Gotta help with school, finish laundry & re-arrange the bedroom before I can sit down for awhile. Our bedroom is shaped funny, so to not fry during the summer or freeze during the winter, we have to keep the bed in specific places to catch the best breeze from the windows- or avoid it alltogether! LoL~ It'd be so much easier if we had central heat/air, but OH WELL! It is what it is, right? :P
Anyway...with the 80 degree weather we've had the past week, I've spent too many nights frying, so it has to be done TODAY.
And there's your TMI moment for Monday.

Off to locate some coffee!

Well, the coffee didn't help. *passing my cup to Linda* Please share the Bailey's! I believe something stronger is needed....

I got my sewing finished & pressed everything...then let lose a string of creative curses (Oh sweet pickle relish horse pockey!!) because.....here's the kicker.....
I sewed the light colored squares on the LEFT side of the dark colored squares!

Did anyone catch that? Yes, yours truly was cursing a blue streak (actually, quite rainbow-ish, if you ask me...I was pretty creative!) because I *thought* I had sewed the squares together on the WRONG SIDES. Not of the print...just left vs right.
SQUARES, for crying out loud!! As in, FLIP THE BLOOMIN THINGS OVER, you ding dong!!
*forehead slap*
Left, right...does it even MATTER? They're rotatable!!! DUH!!!

Sheesh....I'm going to be in a straight jacket before I get this quilt finished, I'm telling ya...

I was roaring, Melissa. My daughter did the same thing cutting bread for a sandwich. She thought the bread didn't match and I said, "Just turn the bread over." She felt like an idiot. She's roaring now as I tell her your story. LOL

It's funny now to me, too, Bev. LoL! UGH, I am in desperate need of more sleep! And I started a new job this week, which means I"m getting even less sleep than before. I'm sure to be certifiably bonkers before long.

And today, I'm going to make dresses for all my daughters for Easter. That's 5 dresses. All before Sunday. Hopefully, without mistakes (yeah, right!!!). I'm not sure what I was thinking, agreeing when the girls begged & pleaded. Grandma was the enabler- she bought an entire bolt of fabric for them. I was thinking "Oh, new curtains for their bedroom!" but they had other plans.
So...wish me luck...or at least, PATIENCE. :P And a sharp seam ripper....

ROFL
Melissa, how do you get yourself into these situations??? And no, we're not giving you a sharp anything, much less a sharp seam ripper. We'd rather not be responsible for what you did with them...lol!!!

..............................................

Okay, remember all those little squares you put together in pairs? You'd probably like to know what you're going to do with them, right? Lol, would you like me to tell you? Well, if you insist.

With those 36 pairs of squares, you are going to create 4 strips, in an alternating checkerboard pattern.
Strip One should be 7 pairs in length.
Strips Two and Three need to be 9 pairs in length.
Strip Four should be 11 pairs in length.

Here is a picture of what I have...

Do Not Worry about making sure they face the right way, okay? Because they are each an odd number of pairs in length, they can be turned around and will be okay to use when I show you what we're going to do with them. I'll be home all day tomorrow, so post directions and pictures of what we're doing with them tomorrow.

In the meantime, enjoy your sewing, and I'll see you tomorrow. Have a great night!

Dan

Dan, call me a quilting delinquent! I haven't had a chance to get to the fabric store yet and am having a houseful for Easter, so trying to get some gardening done, house cleaned, need to grocery shop and cook, and the neighbor lady had her baby last week so I have to finish the baby quilt so I can take it to her next week. I'm getting very curious about the mystery quilt though!

Melissa, how do you start a new job two weeks after having a new baby????? I made five dresses one year the week before Easter too! I was just reminiscing about that a few days ago. Three for my daughters, one for myself, and one for a very pregnant sister. When she tried on the dress, she looked like a giant pink Easter egg and wouldn't wear it. I don't blame her, I wouldn't have either. LOL

I don't understand how I got so much done back then...oh, yeah, no computer to while away the hours.

Bev- This is the same job I had 3 years ago before I had Lili. I had worked there for 4 years and quit right before I had her. I didn't go back because I got pregnant with Blessing just a few months later. A few weeks ago, my old boss came to my house asking me if I'd like to come back- so I said I would after I had the baby. It's a Christian TV station that's only 3 miles from my house, so it works out great. Kind of a strange place for a TV station- out of town, in the woods. :P But it's a fun place to work. And it's only 3-4 hours a night, and I can take Kindi with me. Low stress & it gets me out of the house!

I got 4 dresses finished yesterday! Yay! And they fit! I've got to work on Kindi's tomorrow...I just hesitate to make one that tiny. She may get a skirt instead. :P I don't use a pattern- it's just a basic sundress that I made up a few years back. I'm not even going to attempt a dress for myself...maybe a skirt, but I"m not sure I"m brave enough to wear it, either. The fabric is bright pink with cats, frogs & monkeys on it. (eeek!!) The girls want me to wear one..we'll see. May have to add some tulle or ruffles, make a tu-tu out of it! Then I'd REALLY make my family think I"m nuts! LoL!!

Off to

Melissa, now that you've thought about the tulle, you've got to make one! After all, you want all the girls to look somewhat the same, right??? LOL! I also think you should take a picture of you all together and post it! Yep, new rule for S-n-S! You mention it, you post it!!!

Bev, you've always been a delinquent to me! And, as you should know by now, from me that's a compliment! I'll post a few more instructions later today, and that'll be it until after Easter. There's still more to do, so don't worry! This will give you and everyone else a chance to get caught up and do some breathing. After all, we need to give Melissa a chance to make that cat-frog-monkey tu-tu for Easter, right?

Who else is following along? SPEAK UP OR I'LL GET MY WHIP OUT! Lol, and you all know I have one, right? LOL!

Okie Dokie, Dan...Just for you, I will try to get to Hobby Lobby & see if they have pink tulle in stock. I need to pick up some velcro for another project anyway.
I also need to comb the scrap/clearance rack for some batik pieces. I want to make a puzzle quilt, but don't have enough scrap pieces and I hate to buy more than I need since I don't use batik in anything, really. But you know how it is when you get a burr in your bonnet and REALLY want to try that project you've found and you wanted to do it YESTERDAY, but of course you couldn't because you don't have all the stuff necessary....UGH....

Anyway. Ramble ramble...

Melissa, you're going to look great. Trust me. But, can I make a suggestion? You may want to get enough to put on the girls' dresses too. You know they're gonna want it, right? Lol, have fun!

===========================================================

Okay, let's use those strips of blocks, shall we? Beginning with the 7-block long strip, center it on the edge of your panel block. If it doesn't quite make it the entire length of your block, don't panic. Half-square triangles can be tricky, and your block will be centered once we're done. Here's a picture for reference...

Next attach your 2 9-block long strips. Be careful and make sure you are continuing the checkerboard pattern around your corners...

When that is finished, here's what your block will look like...

Lastly, grab that 11-block long strip, and attach it too. Again, be careful to continue the checkerboard pattern.

(The nice thing about an odd-numbered checkerboard pattern is that, if you need a dark-colored block on the bottom, all you have to do is turn your strip around until it is, and then your pattern will take care of itself and be where you need it once you are done sewing. I noticed this accidently when I was designing this block. Who knew?)

==========================================================

While I was taking pictures today, I had someone helping me with her advice and critiques. Here's a picture of Miss Stella, ever the helpful one!

She has asked me to ask you all if you'd like the rest of the mystery quilt instructions now, instead of after Easter. Apparently, Stella believes that it would give everyone the opportunity to plan ahead during what is a busy month for everyone... Easter, taxes, planting (don't forget the catnip!), babies (or kittens), and Spring Break. If you all want me to post those instructions, let me know, and I'll go ahead and do it. There are only 2 more sets of instructions, probably about an hours worth of good sewing, to do, so let me know, will you? And don't forget, it would be great if you can post pictures of your blocks!

See Ya!
Dan

More instructions would be great, Dan! I am all caught up, and without any major mishaps! Well....to the fabric, anyway...I did something *really* stupid to myself. (imagine that, huh?) But at least I didn't answer the iron when it rang this time....
When I took my sewing machine out from it's cover, the foot fell off. So I was reaching up to stick it back on, and ran the needle through the side of my thumb. Ow.
Well, instead of doing the SMART thing (pull the needle out of my thumb SLOWLY & STRAIGHT DOWN), I jerked my thumb out sideways (an instinctual reaction), and it tore open the side of my thumb & broke the needle off in it. YEOWWWW!!!
Soooo...after a few creative words, a lot of blood & a very LARGE Elmo bandaid, I finished up my quilt.
It's not perfect, but it sure will leave me a fun memory! :D

Here are some pictures so far (you may need sunglasses, the squares are BRIGHT!)
The middle fabric:

I was in a very orange & yellow mood when we picked fabrics. I actually chose the middle fabric BECAUSE it matched the yellow & orange! :P I've got some bright pink that matches the yellow & orange, too (same batik style), so I plan on using some of that later on, for some applique.

Either way....this quilt is just as weird as I am! :P

I like your block!

'Twas the night before Easter, and Dan said "Let there be more instructions!" Lol, so, are we ready to finish this? Let's go!
By now, your block should resemble this...

Grab your 4 WOF strips, and sew them end to end, making one long strip. Then, beginning with one corner of your block, sew this on to your block. When you get to the corner, trim it to match the end, and repeat this for all four sides. You should wind up with this...

The above picture also includes my appliqued parts. Remember those pieces we set aside earlier? Fussy cut them and then applique them to your block, bringing your central panel out of its frame. Here are some close-ups of mine...

And that's all there is to it! How you use this block is totally up to you! You can back it and bind it for a lap quilt or baby quilt. Or you could back it, bind it, add a hanger, and turn it into a wall-hanging. I'm using mine as the middle of a medallion quilt, somewhat like this...

Once you've finished your block, please post pictures of it, and maybe let us know how you are going to us it.

Happy Sewing!
Dan

Great job, Dan and Melissa. I'm sorry I didn't get my act together to play along. Hope everyone has a blessed Easter tomorrow!

Bev, you can still do this block, anyone can. It's just that the "mystery" is gone now.

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL!

I hope everyone had a great Easter. Dan, great job with the April Mystery Quilting Bee. Sorry I have not been joining in lately. I was gone for a few weeks. Many of you know that I have triplet grandsons in CA. They are 13 months old now and I was there to help with the babies and visit with my older daughter, son-in-law, his family, etc.
Anyway, I remember that I signed up to be the hostess for May and that is great for me so I will post the swap at the end of April or very beginning of May. I hope it will be fun for everyone. I know I don't join in very often but this is a great group and I'm so happy it has continued.
Jeanne

Jeanne, I'm looking forward to seeing what you bring to the group for next month.

How is everyone doing? It's a bit quiet in here...

I haven't gotten mine finished yet. I've been doing so many other projects, and then I got sick on Tuesday. Spent all day yesterday in bed (thank goodness hubby got to take off work to watch the kiddos!).
Got out my sewing machine today, though, and am getting to work! Hopefully, I'll have it finished this afternoon & have some pictures posted for you. :)

Thanks for hosting, Dan!! It was a hoot & a holler! :D

Eager to see what we'll be doing for May. :-)

Best to you,
Sandra