New year, New 'Stuff'

What little I did today was 'rehearsing'...  I have the fabrics and ruler for the Double Wide Dresden Plate block, but decided I'd take some scrap fabrics and test it out especially since I don't know what size I need to cut.  I watched Missouri Star Quilt Company's youtube video on it ( Beach Ball Dresden with Me and My Sister), but if they told what size they were cutting, I missed it.  They tell you all the directions are on the back of the label that comes wrapped around the ruler... yeah, for about a dozen different sizes.. from a 10" block up to a 20" block.  I know I don't want 20" blocks and after trying the dresden for the 10", I know I don't want that one either... so it's somewhere in between, I guess.  I just need to know so I make sure I have enough fabrics.

Next came a practice block for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge organized by soscrappy.blogspot.com.  A different color or color combination each month for the year.  This year is my first time and it looks like she's pairing combinations and has blue paired with other colors three times.  This month it's light blue and white.

Anyway, I was trying to decide what I wanted to make ... was 'chatting' in our guild's FB group and fellow quilter and blogger, Katie (katiemaytoo.blogspot.com) trying to figure out what I could do... something 'clicked' and I thought of the Elizabeth Hartman Fox pattern that I had purchased sometime last year....so off I went to grab some more scrap fabrics and try it out - when I tried her ugly sweater blocks, they were horrible --- sleeves were longer than the body of the sweater.. I'm a lousy piecer sometimes, I guess.

Here are the pieces arranged like they should be... does it look like a fox? noooo...

but sew them together... and look what you get!

and it wasn't hard at all... only problem was the lower right hand corner - got the print going the wrong direction ( and I checked to make sure I had it right before sewing and trimming.. see what happens when I think lol).  It won't matter when it comes time to make the actual block that will go in the quilt because I'm using more of a tonal without direction, kind of sandy looking.  I went shopping in my 'stash' for yardage for this quilt - not using scraps for the background, only for the foxes.... found one that I like but when I measured it, there was only two yards and I need at least two and a half - so I quickly got online and tried to track it down.  It took a few minutes, but I'd ordered it from Connecting Threads and was able to find & order another yard and a half ( extra yard - just in case).

Since then, I've been trying to clean up/organize the quilting 'stuff' that has spilled from my sewing room out into the family room.  The only and one Christmas gift I bought our dog, Buddy' this year is MIA.  I'm pretty sure it was out here on the table in the family room, but I can't find it ( does this sound familiar to anyone/everyone who knows me?). Thankfully, our daughter in Texas sent him something for Christmas - it only lasted about an hour, but it was one of the best hours of his life lol.  I'm also sure that I bought myself a new wall calendar for 2018 but can I find it now that it's time to hang it? -- noooooo.

Ok, anyway, that's it for tonight... tomorrow I have to go to the hospital for a 'procedure' ( shot in my back) and probably won't be getting much of anything done... that's ok, there's always Wednesday and Thursday... Friday, we're going to Shipshewana for lunch and a concert by a gospel group that hubby likes ( it's an early birthday gift from me).  Next week, I'll be cleaning house because almost all of our kids will be coming 'home' ( back to Michigan at least) to celebrate hubby's 80th birthday.  No room for anyone to stay here, but they have that taken care of.