So, I'm shocked to see that it has been over a month since last I blogged and I guess the best thing for me to do is to stop worrying about it, confess I don't seem to have a schedule, (retired, you know) and just send updates as they occur to me...this will save on what looks to be one apology after another.

However, today's blog is going to be filled with lots of activity and a big thank you to a favorite blogger!  Here we go:

This is one of my latest finishes and is called A Circle of Flying Geese. It's original free pattern creator blogs at Piece By Number and also directed me to a lovely tutorial.  It was my first paper piecing project and not too bad once I got the hang of it!


The rest of today's makes come as a direct result of  me daily reading Caroline Fairbanks-Critchfield's blog SewCanShe.com .  I start every morning at her blog, after looking at the sales emails from a couple of online favorite stores and reading Mary Fons' Paper Girl site.  I don't make every single thing she (and her sister Beka) post but I do look to see if it is something I want to try.  The last few weeks have been filled with little bags and pouches and mini quilts which have caught my fancy.  If you'd like to make some of them or just get ideas from all around the web, stop by and see for yourself.  They have posted all kinds of tutorials, too.

Here are a few of things I've made recently:

This is my version of the February Candy Gram Mini Quilt.  It's about 8 1/2" x 4 1/2"

I also made a version of June's Square Dance Daisy.  It is a lot of applique and piecing and really captured for me the Summer Season.  It has been so rainy that it also helped brighten up the dark days, too.

This Fat Quarter Sized Fold-Up Basket was fun to make and (as you can see) has been quite helpful at holding all my left over scraps from other projects.  Hers did not have handles but after the project was finished this was a left over scrap and just cried out to be the handle.  And what to do with the little piece of ribbon left over from a stack of FQ's?  That's right - a bow on the basket, of course!

Next I tackled this Peek a Boo Pouch.  It is about 6"x 7" folded up and snapped. (Here it is leaning against my dove pincushion to get it's picture taken.)

Folded out, it has two vinyl pockets (the better to see through), one with a zipper.  Very useful for travel or just sitting in alternate sewing sites waiting to be used. (you know, the deck or by the TV.)

My final thing to share today is the Zola Zippered Pencil Box with snapped handle:

The pictures are a little difficult to see since I seem to be rectangular-ly challenged. But the zipper is 18" long and wraps around to the back of the box to snap and form a handle.  So cute.  When you open it, the sides pop into place and will hold all sort of gadgets and accessories (not just pens and pencils.)  See:

Anyway, the point is to thank Caroline and Beka for daily fun and lots of challenging projects to make.  Caroline also searches out the web to find projects that may not have instructions in order to figure out how to make them and pass the info along to her readers.  Thank You! 

If the rain holds off for a couple of days, I'll get to take a picture and post my latest completed flimsy. There may be an actual quilt on the way!   Debbie