Uninspired but moving on (and a link party)

I kind of lost my sewing mojo this week... but I try to keep going because it will come back eventually!

The Ongoing Project List:

1. Play with Me QAL - June block pattern almost ready!
2. WGACA projects (changed projects)
1. Charity Quilts for DC General Homeless Shelter project - one quilt done (see below)!!
2. SECRET quilt for exhibit - (FDJ) maybe will drop this
3. Minion QAL - Vampire Minion (Minion block) one block done (see below)
3. Mirror Mirror Afghan - no progress
4. Hello Block Swap - waiting for June
5. American Quilt (previous known as Americana QAL) - shipped to the quilter!
6. Splendid Sampler - no progress
7. Challenge quilt - I change the challenge I will probably join... but still considering
8. Road Home Row-A-Long - no progress

The EverythingElse List:

1. 70273 Project - waiting to hear about the blocks sent before making more
2. Jane T - no progress
3. The SK project - no progress
4. the 31000 Xs project - no progress
5. Spirit cross stitch project - no progress
6. Alice in Wonderland quilt - no progress
7. As You Wish -  no progress
8. Crazy optical illusion - no progress
9. Memory quilt 2 - no progress
10. Gyleen's BCP Mystery QAL - no progress

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I am working on charity quilts to help the kids in the DC General Homeless Shelter. 
I finally convinced myself to sit and do some FMQ on this quilt!

Dimensions: 60'' x 40''

I just decided to do some medium meander, some weird flowery things in the center and then I tried to do something different on the stars... that part is not great :) but I finally fully understand why I don't like quilting!
1. I love working with busy fabric... and that means that the quilting is hardly visible so I struggle a lot understanding what I am doing and at the end the quilting is not much visible anyway so why bother to struggle? :)
2. I don't like the continuos sound of the sewing machine! I love to piece, but I like the short burst of sewing followed by the silence of cutting that paper piecing requires. I don't even like chain piecing! My brain just goes into anxiety mode if I hear that sound for more than 15 seconds apparently :) 

Well, I guess I will have to find ways to enjoy it anyway and I think that using the walking foot (and stopping a lot) or doing all over meander that are very unstructured could help me with these issues.

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The other only thing I convinced myself to stitch is another Minion

Vampire Minion by Jennifer Rowles

These blocks are sooooo fun to make!! The next one is half done so I should have it by next week.

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How about you? What are YOU up to?

Link it here and share it with me!!

An InLinkz Link-up

Planning and progress (and a link party)

My "ten days of finishing project" are over and I am back into new blocks new projects mode!!

The Ongoing Project List:

1. Play with Me QAL - April block has been released... it's technically free, so if you want to check it out and get back in the free QAL group, that's your chance!
2. WGACA projects
1. Jane T - no progress
2. The SK project - no progress
3. Charity Quilts for DC General Homeless Shelter project - quilted and bound! (see below)
3. Mirror Mirror Afghan - no progress
4. Block Swap Adventure -  dropped out, group with too little  interactions. I will replace this with the Hello Block Swap! :)
5. American Quilt (previous known as Americana QAL) - quilt top 90% done (see below)
6. Splendid Sampler - 2 blocks done, I am back! (see below)
7. SECRET quilt 1 for exhibit - (FDJ) started pulling fabric for first block
8. SECRET quilt 2 for exhibit - (Breaking free) no progress
9. Road Home Row-A-Long - designed the entire row (cannot share yet)
10. 70273 Project - 2 blocks done (see below)

The EverythingElse List:

1. the 31000 Xs project - no progress
2. Spirit cross stitch project - no progress
3. Alice in Wonderland quilt - no progress
4. As You Wish -  no progress
5. Crazy optical illusion - no progress
6. Memory quilt 2 - no progress
7. Gyleen's BCP Mystery QAL - no progress

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Let me start by setting the goals for the Finish-ALong Q2:

1. FDJ quilt for exhibit - current state: designed and fabric selected
2. Breaking free for exhibit - current state: designed, no idea about fabric yet
3. Table runner for Art with Fabric Blog Hop - current state: designed, have fabric, need to start
4. Bargello/Cathedral window charity quilt - current state: done quilting and binding yesterday but label and washing is missing
5. American Quilt - current state: quilt top 90% done, need extra border and quilting/binding
6. Play with me QAL - current state: 6 QAYG blocks done, three to finish the design, then I just need to join and bind
7. Charity quilt 1, flowers - current state: top done, maybe need extra border?
8. Charity quilt 2, Allietare - current state: top done, need quilting and finishing
9. Charity quilt 3, baby quilt - current state: pieces for the top cut, need assembly and everything else

I think this list is long enough :)

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This is this month pattern: Go board (done with embroidery).

If you want details on how to get the pattern

visit this link!

We have about 50 people playing along, it is so fun!!

If you didn't join, it's not too late!

Visit the QAL page for more details.

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Finally my American Quilt top is done (almost)

Center: Americana QAL block made by me

Border: Snail Trails block received in my Block Swap Adventure

Quilt top inspected and approved by my sewing helper :) :) :)

I realized it a little bit too narrow for my tastes... so I will add a red scrappy piano border and then I will probably send it off to quilt because I won a gift certificate so why not take advantage of that and explore quilting services? It would be my first time, I am a little nervous, but I am sure it will be great!

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Back in the Splendid Sampler journey. I made the April blocks and I will catch up on the missed one this week.

Block 15 and 16

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This will be my contribution 70273 Project. For now just two blocks, but I designed the paper piecing pattern, so I can print and make more with my scraps!

If you want the pattern, please get in touch with me and I will send it to you. I will share it soon for download but if you want it directly in your mailbox, just email me! :)

I hope you will join this project! 

Jeanne is trying to collect 70273 blocks so she needs all the help she can get!!

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I want to remind you that I am working on charity quilts,
and I would love your help!! 

Quilts are for a quilt drive to help the kids in the DC General Homeless Shelter. 

And you can help me by donating orphan blocks, partial blocks, or fabric (scraps, strips, leftover, uglies, whatever). 

If you are willing to mail them to me, I could use them to make more quilts for these kids!!! 

If you are up for a loving donation, please send me an email at tweloq[_at_]gmail[dot_com] or leave a comment here with your email address so I could give you my mailing address. I promise that your donation will be used to make some kids happy and feel more loved!! 

Cathedral window+donated block (front 1, left), Bargello Elm Street Quilt (front 2, right)

Size: 39'' x 41''

Still missing label and washing

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Have you heard about Ello? It is basically Instagram without ads, no weird algorithm to show you only what they want you to see, no selling data, and it is for creative artists! :)

I never joined IG because I felt the goal was more about "showing off" than focusing on creativity, so even if I know there is a good quilting community there (which is creative and inspiring) I never felt it was the right place for me. Ello sounds much more fun!

It is a relatively new platform, so it has some issues (not too fast because it is still in beta but it's getting better, the signup is easy but if you don't pay attention the default groups that you are "following" may not be the ones you want, etc). If you want to join, it is free and there is a fast-growing quilting community. For helpful tips and finding your quilting tribe, you can read what the coordinator of the account @elloquilt says!

My handle is @alida-tweloq and to bring the community together I decided to coordinate a Block Swap!

You don't need to have an Ello account to join! Just fill this form http://goo.gl/forms/upr4FSDW6x to leave me your contact if you are interested. I am still collecting general info to see who is interested in what. I highly recommend to have an account, as I plan to post reminders, pictures of blocks, etc over there!

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How about you? What are YOU up to?

Link it here and share it with me!!

An InLinkz Link-up

2015 Finish along - my finishes!

This was the status of the projects that I picked for the second quarter of the 2015 Finish-Along over at On the Windy side (link number 98, posted on my blog at the following link)!

My goal was actually to finish 3 of them and at least start putting together the forth project (for which I only picked the fabric and the pattern at that time).

I have to proudly report that I finished the 3 project I was planning, and I have about 80% of the forth project done as well!!

These are the finishes I will link in the finishes post:

- 1 -
Tea Towel challenge and PPV BOM
Finished project shared on April 25, 2015
(but I am using the current post for the link party as the second project was shared the same day ;) )

- 2 -
Sewing machine cover
Finished project shared on April 25, 2015

- 3 -
SYS 2015 pixel project
Finished project shared on May 30, 2015

- 4 -
D wall hanging
This is not a finished project (it will roll over to the next quarter) but I will share it with you anyway ;)