First I'll update my progress on the OBWE

This quilt block is addictive. If you want to find your excitement for quilting again, you need to go back to what got you interested in quilting in the first place. For me it was a love the unusual in the fabric/design world. This quilt block is such a project. You are working with triangles and the design elements are pretty much set, but, the fun comes, for me, in the layout and addition of the tumbling blocks.

For the quilting design, I used the spider web. It's a natural. A lot of you machine quilters out there, know that the quilt will tell you how it needs to be quilted. Lay it out and look at it and you will begin to see the quilting it needs-cause you know, it's not a quilt until it's quilted. The quilt told me it needed spider webs. The "spokes" are a natural with the seams in the ditch and you add two webs to connect. The quilting around the tumbling blocks outlines the colors only-no spider web quilting.

This is an easy free motion quilting design. This is me with the camera on my machine, my goodness it must have been early in the morning. Ah well, any time is a good time to finish a quilt.

One Block Wonder Encore Quilt

OBWE has so many options, it's amazing to see what you produce. Here is what I've done so far. I'm having a hard time deciding what to do for the borders. Oh well, it will come to me. That really is my process, the design just "pops in" and I know instantly that's what I should do to proceed. Now, I wonder if it's so much practice, I've been a quilter for 24 years now, or is design intuitive? Are we born with it? Do we have that "reckless abandon" in us to go for it? My, my, my cliches are getting the best of me. Oh well, it's probably I enjoy quilting so much, I just like it when a "plan comes together".

One Block Wonder Encore third tumbling block

The OBWE quilt is growing. If you like to be creative and experiment and don't know what you are going to get until you put it together, i.e. you mystery quilt people, then you would like making this quilt.

One note about fabric. The saturation of color from my holy fabric-Ricki Timms material 24.00 a yard at the time it was for sale-I think it's more now-really stands up to time. I got it several years ago and my goodness it is still bold. The yellow hollow cube on the left side is "regular" quilt material, from a LQS in town called Among Friends. I probably paid 8 to 9 dollars a yard there. It is no slouch fabric, except when put in a quilt with an extremely expensive, hand dyed fabric. The other yellow hollow cube in the middle is also Ricki Timms fabric.

Oh well, my quilting goes on and my scrap can runneth over!

One Block Wonder Encore first tumbling block

Not a lot completed today. My DH had to have emergency kidney stone surgery yesterday, and I've been hanging around just "entertaining". He goes in tomorrow for a follow up visit.

But, I did get one of the tumbling blocks done-at least to the point that you need to be to sew rows of blocks.

This a really nice quilt using the same pattern that won second place at our State Fair. It should have won a blue ribbon. I've got a long way to go!

One Block Wonder Encore background

Well, the background has begun. This is going to have floating cubes in it. I've got some holy fabric I'm going to cut up and use in it. It's some lovely hand dyed fabric from Ricki Timms. The background is really muddled and I think it need something with a strong contrast. We'll see.

I'm going to try to use some of my holy fabric for the hollow cubes-you know that fabric you bought because you just loved it and like looking at it, dare I say worship? Naaah! Just really like it. but, haven't found any use for it. I'm planning on working on cubes tomorrow.

One Block Wonder Encore and fishing

You've got to try this block. It's a lot of fun. Like the box of chocolates, until you sew them together, you don't know what they look like. So that you don't have a million "Y" seams, you have to sew the blocks in half only, then it will be row by row. But, you still need to pin them and design. What fun!

I found this might little gadget. It helps make straight 1/4 inch seams. You can only use it on an extension or if you machine is recessed. I don't have any interest in this product, other than I like it.

Been fishing today. I caught 4 little bitty blue gill. This is the smallest fish I've ever caught. We were on the water by 8:00 and off by 1:00. After lunch it gets busy with skiers and the fish don't like the sun, so we have better luck in the morning. I think I'm feeling a little rocking boat action still. It feels like going to the ocean and you have the sensation of the waves. I guess that comes from rocking around on the boat. Love it!!

The 60 degree ruler is a must

The quilt world is rife with tools-rulers of every angle; cutting wheels of any size; and pins of any kind.

For the One Block Wonder Encore you will need a 60 degree ruler. If you want to know what that is, you can look at one of your rulers you already have and see it drawn out on there. I thought I might get creative and tape it and turn it and save myself-$15.00 at Joann's Fabric store, which is what this one cost. By the way, you can get coupons for that store and if it's not on sale, you can use those coupons for purchasing your ruler. Just google coupons for Joann's. Anyway, I wasn't prepared with said coupon and paid the big bucks for this ruler. It's called the Pyramid Ruler. I suppose you might be able to go to a store that sells school supplies or drafting supplies and find one for much less. But, quilting time is precious and so I just bought it, max money and all.

I like to add tape to my rulers when I am making multiple cuts. I also like to add some sandpaper to the back of the ruler. This is a 3M product that someone gave me that works well for keeping the ruler from sliding around on the fabric. It has an adhesive on the back so I rip a small piece and put it on the bottom of my ruler.

After the ruler has been set. You will need a new blade on your cutter. The floral size 45 wheel is a brand new one I got for joining AQS at Paducah this year. Don't you know, even after reading the warnings on Sharon's Blog, about the critiques of this book, which stated by her

DO NOT FORGET TO REMOVE THE PINS BEFORE YOU SLICE!". I still got carried away and got a flat on my wheel. That's what I call a nick that causes your blade to cut through all but one frustrating thread in your neatly aligned fabric-which causes the fabric stack to tug a little out of shape. So be ware the mine fields that are pins in the fabric. Now, the book says you need a wheel that is a size 45, but, my smaller blade went nicely through all the layers, after having to stop using my lovely new 45.

And here's what you get the beginning of the wonder...smile

One Block Wonder Encore and Quiet Village

This is my sewing room, yep it's nice and clean. That "trash can" is really my scrap can. Every time I finish a project, the usable pieces get gathered up and thrown in there. As you can see, I'm in desperate need to make a scrap quilt. That's next on the agenda.

But for now, I'm working on these 2 quilts, the Quiet Village, from Mccall's Quilting magazine and the One Block Wonder Encore. I'm using this soft color fabric for my first quilt and then I think I'll try a little different color way, with this black and neon colored fabric. I'll be doing the aligning and cutting of strips today. It seems I need a 60 degree ruler! Maybe I'll use some tape and make my own-you know mark it on one of my bazillion rulers I already own. I even have a Kaleidoscope ruler, but, this particular ruler is different than the required one for this pattern. Ah well, that's why we have our LQS and Joann's.