A Very Productive Day

Monday was my bee's work day. It is really a great opportunity to pack up my sewing machine, a couple projects, and the kids, and have a chance to sew all day. For the first time ever, we were the first ones to arrive! The kids had fun turning on all the lights in the room and chasing each other around before others started to arrive. I got their tent set up and they began to entertain themselves (that is the real beauty of work day!).

I started with a quick start to finish - two blocks for my bee-mate Kathy. They are for a home of the brave quilt. These are not fabrics I would choose, but they went together easily and quickly.

Next up was one of my big time UFO's. The irony is that this is a small project, but I spent a whole afternoon one day cutting all the pieces for this paper pieced wall hanging, then only sewed one seam in each of the top pansy sections. For some reason that I can't remember now, I was overwhelmed with it and not enjoying it, so I put it away, and it has been there for at least two years now. I pulled it out to take to work day b/c of the UFO challenge I am doing over the summer. I got a lot done on it - three sections x 5 pansies and put them together. I have two more paper pieced sections and two borders to put on then the top will be done! Woo hoo!

In the midst of working on the pansies, Jenna pulled a stack of scraps out of my bag that have been sewn together since retreat when I made my butterfly fling quilt. The pattern had me cut the corners off each layer cake/charm square. I sewed them all together at the time and threw them in the bag thinking that they would make something cute. Well, she thought they would make something cute too, so we made a pillow form. She picked out the ones she wanted together and I sewed them. We stuffed the pillow when we got home and you can see from her face below that she really likes it. She slept with it last night and has it again tonight. Now I just have to get the quilt that matches it ready to quilt!

More to come later this week - I am quilting a surprise quilt and trying my hand at my first panto!