Paintbox Quilt Along update

Over the weekend, I managed to finish off my Paintbox Quilt Along blocks. Woo hoo!


30 blocks in this batch; 80 blocks in total.

Now I'm all set to start sashing! I think Elizabeth will be posting instructions in a couple of weeks for that. It feels good to be a little ahead of the game.

Jane Stickle Quilt: I-7

Block number/name: I-7 “Mac and Muff”

Date completed: March 8, 2010

Number of pieces: 21

Notes on block: This is another block that I really enjoy looking at. Those triangles really set it apart. And other than those tiny little triangles, this one was nice and simple to put together. The triangles actually weren’t too bad either, really. I appliquéd them with freezer paper on top. Before stitching them down, I finger-pressed the seam allowances (which were pretty narrow, between 1/8” and 3/16”). A happy little block!

Fishy, fishy, fishy...

Fish!

One of my jobs as a co-op preschool parent is to help plan, organize, and prepare some of the art projects for the last couple months of the school year. The theme for March is underwater exploration, and so I decided it might be fun to create a little coral reef scene.


I used some sponges and paint to make my little reef. And I roped my my husband and our unwitting houseguest (I have a feeling maybe this was not a part of his vacation plans!) into helping me cut out a few hundred little fish to help decorate the scene. It's simple, but the projects have to work not only for pre-kindergartners but also for toddlers. Projects also have to be able to be completed in a pretty short amount of time so they can't be too in-depth.

I had fun putting it together and think turned out pretty cute. Hopefully, the preschoolers will have some fun with it, too!

Just for fun, here are some facts about coral reefs that I found:

• Coral reefs are one of the most diverse ecosystems and are often referred to as the rainforests of the oceans. A great variety of fish, more than 4,000 species, and other organisms, such as sponges, jellyfish, crustaceans, and turtles, inhabit coral reefs.


• Coral reefs develop in shallow, warm water (between 70° and 85° F), usually near land.


• Coral reefs are among the oldest ecosystems on Earth.


• Coral reefs are the largest living structure on the planet.


• Although coral reefs cover less than 1% of the Earth’s surface, they are home to 25% of all marine fish species.


• The Great Barrier Reef (off the coast of NE Australia) is the largest coral reef in the world. It is over 1,257 miles long!


• Reef growth is extremely slow. An individual colony grows ½ inch to 7 inches a year, depending on the species.

References:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/coralreef/coralreef.shtml
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/coral.html
http://www.nature.org/joinanddonate/rescuereef/explore/facts.html
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/coastal/programs/coral/facts.htm
http://www.kidscantravel.com/familyvacationdestinations/berenice/funstuffkids/index.html

Apron-a-rama!

March is a big birthday month amongst our toddler friends. So I took a little quilty break over the last week, and cut and sewed gifts instead. As I've mentioned before, this is the year of the apron.

For Daniel:


For Stella:


For Mackenzie:


I think this one is my favorite. I love the red/black/white combination (with kitties!).

For Paige:


You might not be able to tell from the picture, but the aqua fabric has little bunnies all over it. So cute!

Phew! I'm not generally a fan of production-line sewing, but it does help tone efficiency. These aprons went together very fast! I also tried really hard to use some stash as well, both to keep down cost as well as to just use some stash. Some of the combinations maybe aren't ideal, but I think the three-year-olds won't be too picky.

Now I can get back to some of the quilting I've been craving!

Jane Stickle Quilt: H-9

Block number/name: H-9 “Snowflake Melt”

Date completed: March 2, 2010

Number of pieces: 20

Notes on block: I took this block to Little Gym today, so while my son was in class, I sat in the lobby and stitched. I learned that some of the other moms there are quilters too! It was a lot of fun getting to spend a little time chatting with them about our various projects. And I even managed to get more done on the block than I had expected I would. Then I was able to finish it up tonight. My only regret on this one is that I was feeling too lazy to go upstairs and find matching thread for my diamonds, so some of the stitches are more visible than I’d like them to be. But overall, I’m really happy with the block.

The party begins!

For my birthday, my husband gave me a gift certificate to a local quilt shop. I promptly went out and made use of it by purchasing fabrics for the Pinwheel Party quilt along hosted by the fabulous Anina.


I was in the mood for something happy and springy. I think these fit the bill pretty well!

Yesterday, Anina posted the first block in the quilt along. While the boy was in preschool this morning, I had a chance to put it together.


Can't wait for block 2!

Jane Stickle Quilt: J-10

Block number/name: J-10 “Chieko’s Calla Lily”

Date completed: February 28, 2010

Number of pieces: 21

Notes on block: Too many melons! It felt like this block took a long time to prep and a long time to sew. I don’t know how long I spent prepping, but I know I spent 4 hours stitching it all together. It’s not perfect, but it is done. Yay!