Don’t You Just Love It

when a plan comes together?

Several months ago I bought a clock for my bedroom.  It was kind of a DIY clock where you could display your own pictures in place of the numbers.  Well, Tuesday was the day I finally got around to making it.  The first thing I had to do was to figure out how to make each of the pictures 2 3/16” square.  And then I had to go through many pictures to find ones I wanted to use.  I discovered, again, that I was not doing a very good job of filing pictures so I could easily retrieve them. 
I don’t have a software program for the above so I made a grid in Word and brought each of the pictures into the grid.  Then, I cut the grid apart








and placed the pictures on the “spokes” of the clock. 















It’s hard to tell here but the white frames have the numbers written on them.  The clock itself is metal and the frames are magnetic so once the picture is framed it stays there even when hanging on the wall.









Here it is, hanging on the bedroom wall.  Eventually it will be hanging over my bedroom sewing corner but for right now I am enjoying it next to the bed.  And, when I make new things I can change out the pictures.  How cool it that?











Then I went shopping.  I knew I needed fabric for the spacing on the Santa quilt so I gave myself yesterday afternoon to run around looking for it.  However, I found it, center piece, in the first place I went.  The great thing is that all this fabric (24 yards) was on sale for $2 a yard.  Well, what’s a girl to do?










And I think this is the perfect fabric for this piece.  I wanted something that was primarily white with a print that would not compete with the blocks or the panel.













So, what do you think?  I am thrilled with how this is going to look. 

Nothing is sewn together yet but I hope to get at least this part together this week.  I was going to put a small red stop border around the panel but I don’t think it needs it.  Maybe a stripe border around what you see here and then a larger final border……..we’ll just have to see when we get there.









I did take some time to draw and cut the fusible for the #9 Funky Chicken.  I almost hate to put it together because then I will be all caught up and will have to wait until the 1st to get the next block.









But I did finish this.  I fused the pieces while they were on a teflon sheet, which worked very well, but then it was quite a bit of work to get it off of there and onto the fabric.  I will set this aside for a while (too many things to finish before the end of the year) but if there are enough scraps from the last 4 chickens, I will make another and then they will be new arty placemats for us.

On The Wall

There is finally something on my design wall that I am really working on.  I ordered this panel from The Fat Quarter Shop.  It is the perfect compliment to my swap blocks, don’t you think?  It comes with an unusual measurement (31.5 x 42) so I will get to play with the math to figure out the setting blocks.  I think I will have to “shop” for a good fabric for them.  I think white with just a little, very little, print.  Of course I will have to find just what I am thinking of: I love shopping for something I’ve never seen.






I fused my 8th Funky Chicken this weekend. 













A couple of people have asked how I do my applique so I am showing a little of what I do.  For the larger pieces I “window” the fusible.  I cut the center out, leaving only about 1/4” of the fusible and then fuse it onto the fabric.  This leaves the applique more supple. 












I don’t bother to window the smaller pieces and it doesn’t seem to matter.















On Saturday DH and I went to Auburn, AL for the first home game of the season.  It ‘s a good thing that orange is my favorite color, it was everywhere.


















And of course I love my eagle shirt: I love it.
















We even came home with a new toy.












Now, just for fun, does anyone know what this is? 




There is no prize for this.  I started playing with this late Sunday afternoon and it is truly going to be a work in process.

So while I play, hop on over to Patchwork Times so see what others are playing with.