Giveaway winner, hourglass blocks

Three things to be happy about:
(1) vacationing at home
(2) bee balm
(3) turning off the TV

First I want to congratulate stitchinpenny on winning the crumby opportunity blocks; she wrote:

Crumby opportunity would allow my granddaughters to make a fun charity quilt. The bright colors will keep them happy and they won't have to sew a full quilt's worth of crumb blocks which would test their childish patience.

Congratulations stitchinpenny, you'll receive your crumby opportunity blocks soon!

Meanwhile I've been playing with my fabrics while I'm waiting for the Quiltville mystery to begin...

Out of all the fabrics I bought on my Lancaster trip earlier this month, I think this one is my favorite!

I love words anyway, but this piece of Project Linus fabric by Quilting Treasures says it all:  "Security is a thumb and a blanket"

So true!


When Bonnie of Quiltville announced that the leader-ender challenge for this year is the hourglass block, I knew I wanted to make some because I like hourglass units.

I hunted for my companion angle ruler but I couldn't find it, so I went out and bought another one.

Then I realized that a die that came with my Accuquilt GO would work just as well!

But guess which one I chose...

Yep, that big ole 6-1/2" half  square triangle die!

A bit large, isn't it??

Back to the drawing board...

I actually have a quarter square triangle die that's what I really need.  At 4-1/2" it's smaller and the corners are blunted, which makes it easier to sew.

Sometimes the pieces cut with the companion angle ruler would wiggle when I sewed close to that sharp end, and my seam would go wonky!

See the big difference between the two sizes?

I'll go with the smaller one, it allows me to put lots more scrappiness into the quilt!

Easy to cut, easy to sew...

This is what I've made so far, looking good!

And I've even been using some of the new fabrics I bought!

I got this piece of Downton Abbey at a quilt shop in Frederick, MD, back in August.  I wasn't really looking for this fabric but it was on sale for something like $5.99 a yard, so it came home with me!

So that's what I'm doing while waiting, waiting for the Quiltville mystery colors to be announced!

Have a great Tuesday, get out and enjoy the fall sunshine, sew forth and sew on...