Bramble Blooms I Link Party is Now Open!

You've all seen the results for my Bramble Blooms I quilt, but here it is again. It's time for the link party! Hopefully you have a completed top to share with us, but if not, go ahead and share whatever progress that you have made. There is no shame that some projects just take their own sweet time!

Bramble Blooms I quilt top finish

I have been swallowed up in family things lately and so haven't had much time to bounce around to all of the blogs and check out newly completed BBI quilt tops. Am so looking forward to seeing all the creativity in one place! Believe me when I say that I have been absolutely staggered by the personal, creative responses to following along with my little exercise in using up older quilt fabrics. Hopefully there has been something of value learned along the way. It's really hard to guess exactly what 'everybody knows already'. When and if to just go ahead and pass along a little tip or trick that works for me and the way that I personally approach quilting. Has it been too much? 

With this quilt top finish, we will have an excellent frame of reference for moving forward with the second quilt in the series. If some of you are still up for that? I have started the very beginnings of my own BBII and hope to post more about that in a couple weeks. Need time to organize the pertinent info needed for everyone attempting to make their own version! Crossing my fingers there will be ample opportunity to get through all the details by then. If life continues the way it has the past several months, it might actually be June before BBII makes its appearance. Uggh.  I am so out of patience with lack of quilting time. 

Okay, enough complaining. Let's see what you have to share with us! I know a couple of you actually have a total quilt finish to show off....

This party will be open through May 14, 2024 for all the slower bloomers to have a chance to share too.  And another thing, I set the Linky Party up so that if there happen to be any Bramble Blooms QAL followers out there without a blog or Instagram to post to, they can just add a picture here of their quilt top. We'd love to see your work as well! Please do add a link if you have one though--that would be all of you QAL'ers listed over at the side bar! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

May Quilty 365 Linkup

So here we go with May Quilty 365! This months finds me with thirteen unsewn circles. Not scary far behind on stitching, but definitely needing some attention. 

April circles

Honestly I'm not impressed with several of this months blocks. The colors are drab and uninspired or perhaps I chose fabric that makes me feel a little queasy now. I'd like to just throw them out and start over but then I think a little bit more on what this is all about.  Maybe, {just maybe} I need to leave the less attractive circles in there and look at it as part of the journey. For the most part I am choosing my circle fabrics day by day, and life, as we all know, is full of different kinds of moody moods. Even if I choose not to share those moods with you. It's just not how I operate. Feel free to try and read between the {fabric} lines.*wink

The stacks are getting larger!

I'm loving some of the other circle projects I see every month. Why didn't I choose that lovely background fabric? Or why didn't I think of this, or that, or the other? It's a dangerous game because hello? I won't be happy making someone else's quilt. This one's all me, staying in the safe, neutral background and letting my circles pop here and there. Some recede into the background and others are quite jarring when you look at them next to my usual softer palette. Later I look at those blocks and wish I could remember what was going through my mind that day. 'Cuz I'm not keeping a journal. I mostly just want to be able to do a glance-over and remind myself that I made it through 'that crazy, busy year'! 

Layout, layout. Too busy to think much on that subject this month, although I did see an interesting rug that got me thinking about circles. Funny what sets us off into the land of inspiration. Also, I have been leaning more and more toward wanting my pieced circles to be presenting horizontal or vertical, which totally leaves out the 'on-point' setting I am so enamored of. Good thing I have several months left to get this all sorted out in my mind! 

Do I still have some quilty folks circling with me? There's a few people falling away at this point and that's perfectly okay. Unless I miscounted, the end of April leaves me at 188 days of circles. Woohoo! In case you were wondering, I'm posting the linkup early because this weekend is booked solid and I'll be lucky if the computer ever gets turned on. If you're still hanging in there I'd love to see your latest. Really. Join us in the linkup with your thumbnail picture and:

• What particular day you  happen to be at now {such as 'day 150'}
• A picture of your April circles whether they are stitched to the background fabric or not {can add a picture of all your circles to date if you want}
• A link back to this post
• Any thoughts or introspection you might want to add about this particular project.

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

April Quilty 365 Linkup

*Just a quick reminder to drop in on the Giveaway by April 2nd! Also, the 'How to make the most of your quilting time' post at Dawn Chorus Studio is finally happening! I feel a bit weird directing you there, but Stephie might actually make me sound interesting instead of obsessed. Uh huh. Better let you decide for yourself though...  So here we are at the April Quilty 365 already! Time definitely flies when you're having fun.

The March Circles
Still happening straight out of the scrap bin!

These circles just keep on a comin' don't they? Here I am checking in with a total of 158 circles! Was it me who said there was no reason to stress about layout until all the blocks were done? Yeah. About that..., it's always on my mind while stitching the circles these days. Is it on yours? What to do with all.... these.... many.... circles!

Ann has linked to some great inspiration quilts lately and Luna already finished up with her first batch of circles. In fact, she currently has one completely finished quilt that just looks amazing! Okay. Wowsers! So now I'm tapping my fingers against my knee thinking, where IS this quilt going for me?

Here are the latest little bits of inspiration that I've found. Things I've been considering and wondering about. You know, based on what I already have going on with my scrap fabrics and that growing stack of completed circles. Now is probably not the best time to try coaxing my circles into Stephie-like circles {of which we are all undoubtedly drooling over}, but I could do something other than a straight set. There are options! I've always known that, pondered the 'what-ifs' and then put it of for another day. These ideas are ways I could possibly make small adjustments to future circles and still use the ones I've completed as well.

• A simple 'floating on the background' type of circle quilt. Would probably need to be more consistent with my background fabrics to get this one to work. Perhaps break it up into two quilts?
• Another 'sort of floating on the background' type of quilt with the random offset colored square thrown in for interest. Just because it was a mass-produced sort of quilt doesn't mean it can't be fun for me. Right? Love that 'on-point' layout. I definitely keep coming back to that idea on a regular basis.
• This 'Hip To Be Square' quilt has really caught my eye. I'm talking much larger in size with lots and lots more circles. Probably wouldn't tip the blocks onto their sides and yes, I would need to start making my circles several different sizes in order to make this work. Then, of course, they'd have to be cut and re-sewn later. Wowsers. That's a commitment and a half. Not sure I'm that dedicated to making this one happen.

So is it time to shake things up or not? Make a tentative layout decision at the very least? I've been reading where several of you are starting to make changes from your original thinking. It might just be time for me to do that as well. If perhaps you're still circling with the rest of us, please link up and share your progress and thoughts! Link your thumbnail picture to a current post on your blog detailing:

• What particular day you  happen to be at now {such as 'day 125'}
• A picture of your March circles whether they are stitched to the background fabric or not {can add a picture of all your circles to date if you want}
• A link back to this post
• Any thoughts or introspection you might want to add about this particular project.

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

March Quilty 365 Linkup

What a year to try and do a 'block a day' sort of project. Could it get any crazier? Don't answer. I just don't wanna know... And I don't know how you're doing, but I am definitely struggling to keep current with stitching my blocks. Okay, confession time. Week before last, I totally lost three days. Who does that? But I'm still hanging in there, plodding along, and wallah! I present to you my first, completely finished, 100 blocks!

The first 100 circles!

Wowsers, that's a lot of circles! And it's not even all of the circles, because....

Really?

My month started with day 99. So yeah, that means I have more to show you! The circles below represent to you the entire month of February. {Shhh... We won't talk about the fact that nine circles are still un-stitched.} I've decided that since all the circles won't fit on my design wall at the same time, they will hereafter be broke up into sets of 100. Still in chronological order {for now} so I can see the progression of style and well, whatever it is that I'm doing....

As far as layout is concerned, I've reached only one conclusion: they will NOT be placed in this particular order for the finished quilt. I just don't like the lines of dark colored background blocks. Much better to mix them up throughout the quilt and have a fade-in, fade-out sort of effect.

All of the circles for February

And a little peek at how I'm keeping on track with the many multitudes of circles--If you're at all interested. My Quilty 365 year started on a Monday, October 26, 2015. Still writing the current days number on the back of each circle lets me know exactly how many circles are completed. With that and a cheap calendar, I just scribble a quick reminder of the day for every Monday of the month. I can easily see where I'm supposed to be. Aha! Exactly how I discovered the three lost days. Math. It doesn't lie.

Keeping track 

So how are you staying on track? Is this project getting easier as we go along, or harder? I've been so thankful for this simple project many days when I just wanted to stitch, but didn't want anything complicated. Mostly it's a lifesaver but not nearly as thought provoking as I figured it might be. Could be because I'm deliberately keeping it low pressure: simple, imperfect and straight from the scrap bin. Just like my life. If you want to learn how to sew wonderful, perfectly smooth appliqued circles, please don't look here. Meredithe is the bees knees with that and her tutorial will get you all straightened out.

So please link up with us if you're still playing along! Link your thumbnail picture to a current post on your blog detailing:

• What particular day you happen to be at now {such as 'day 101'}
• A picture of your February circles whether they are stitched to the background fabric or not {can add a picture of all your circles to date if you want}
• A link back to this post
• Any thoughts or introspection you might want to add about this particular project

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

February Quilty 365 Linkup

So here we are at the beginning of February. Wowsers. This is getting to be quite a stack of circles for Quilty 365! At day 98, I figure 27% of my circles are now completed or at least prepped! I grouped my January circles {below} in chronological order just because I could and well, I'm always curious. The ebb and flow of this month is not exactly the same as the last ones. That may be because the past month was full of challenges and I was a bit off my usual routine. Or perhaps it's just because I'm mixing my fabrics more?

January Circles

I don't know about you, but I am getting a bit frustrated with my monstrous, heaping, pitiful scrap bin. There is rarely the exact color that I need for the day and how in the world am I going to sew the proper mood of the day if I have the wrong shade or tone? hehe  It all works. Or it better, 'cuz I'm starting to feel stubborn about sticking with the scrap bin. Even if I have to do fabric repeats, which is a huge concession for me. For some reason I didn't want any repeats when I initially thought about this project. Now I'm thinking it's not such a big deal after all. Some days might be similar to others in retrospect. And why would that be a bad thing?

A total of 98 circle blocks!

An 'on-point' block layout has been niggling away at my imagination. It clearly needed to be auditioned as a potential solution for my blocks posthaste. And yes, you guessed it. The blocks are in chronological order. Why not just check that out from the get-go and get it out of my system {even though I'm fairly sure of the outcome, it's always good to know}. The layout? Definitely one to consider if I mixed the circles up and figured out a better color balance. This one's a bit awkward.

But I could put some of the solid fabric circles on the edges. Having to cut those blocks in half would probably make it easier to lose parts of my circles. Of course I could also add setting triangles to keep all of my circles intact or yeah, the obvious--try a different arrangement altogether. So far I'm not settled on anything concrete. It's very early stages for me and honestly, I'm not above dividing my circles into two sets for two different quilts.

A possible layout 

It's interesting to get this far in a daily quilting project though. You never know until you try, right? Thanks to every single person sewing along! I'm absolutely loving seeing these circles pop up in my reader, being able to check out all the unique touches. I'm still just blown away by all the personalization, talent, creativity and just plain fun people are having with this basic little project. Makes me feel like a slacker sometimes!

So please link up with us if you're still playing along! Link your thumbnail picture to a current post on your blog detailing:

• What particular day you  happen to be at now {such as 'day 75'}
• A picture of your January circles whether they are stitched to the background fabric or not {can add a picture of all your circles to date if you want}
• A link back to this post
• Any thoughts or introspection you might want to add about this particular project

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

January Quilty 365 Linkup

Happy New Year everyone! Okay, here we go with the Quilty 365 Linkup. December was a tough month to try and have a daily project. Wowsers. Was it for you as well? I have to confess to struggling occasionally, wondering just how important this was to me. Those of you waiting to start this month are sounding kinda brilliant right about now!

All my circles to date!

Some days it was easy to dig through the scrap bin and grab enough fabric for a circle--very enjoyable and relaxing. Other days I had this sort of 'who cares' attitude because I was running my legs off with the Christmas stuff.

Some are already more scrappy than others....

But every single time I actually sat down to sew the circles, I was so very glad to be working on this project. Because it feels right. And I'm oh, so curious to see the outcome of an entire year of my moody ups an downs reflected in fabric! Usually when things get uncomfortable, difficult {or even monotonous} I have to move on to something else for awhile. I really wanna see if I have what it takes to do something quilty for 366 days in a row and if {or when} the perimeters have to change in order for me to keep it up.

It's interesting to see the colors together

Which leads to this: I recently discovered something very interesting. Although I have an massively overflowing scrap bin, I don't actually throw many pieces of fabric into the scrap bin that are over about 4". Somewhere around that size and up to 5", I just tuck the fabric into whatever is left of my fatquarter etc. and back into the stash totes it goes. Which means a one-fabric circle is quickly becoming an impossibility unless I raid the stash totes. What?!! Although I've done that once or twice {okay, maybe three times}, my personal Quilty 365 was going to be made primarily out of the scrappy bits. If that's still my intention, then I'm going to have to work a little harder to make that happen. My recently perfected grab-and-go technique is not going to work for much longer without a bunch of repeats!

So... is anyone still making circles with me? It's not too late to start if you're wanting to join in! I personally started sewing circles on October 26th. The first picture represents all the circles up to New Years Eve for a total of 67 days! Woohoo! I am still amazed at all the interest this simple little project has garnered. Thanks so much to everyone who is participating and interested in linking up together. So many fabulous interpretations--you really need to go see them all to appreciate the very unique perspectives. I just can't say it enough--quilters are amazing!

Please link up with us if you're playing along! Link a thumbnail picture to a current post on your blog detailing:

• Your starting date
• What particular day you  happen to be at now {such as 'day 35'}
• A picture of all your circles {or at least the December circles} whether they are stitched to the background fabric or not
• A link back to this post
• Any thoughts or introspection you might want to add about this particular project

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Quilty 365 December Linkup!

It's time for the first Quilty 365 linkup! Hopefully there won't be any major glitches. I've been working on my circles since October 26 and still going strong. How about you? Hope you have some daily circles ready to show off too!

There is enormous satisfaction in choosing out fabric for one simple circle, every single day. Most days I find that one fabric print and/or color is more than sufficient. Other days I waffle on choosing a specific color. Don't pin me down! That's when I mix up my fabrics and make a patchwork sort of circle. I may or may not set them in chronological order for the final layout, but I thought it interesting to see how the colors change throughout the week. In the picture below, the very first vertical row is for Mondays which makes the very last row Sundays. Saturday and Sundays seem to be my most 'peaceful' days overall!

Days 1 through 37 in chronological order

Some people are being very artistic and/or thoughtful with their circles and I'm very jealous of their beautiful work. Wowsers! What an incredible fabric diary they will end up with! Then I return to my senses and think, no, this way is better for me--simple choices with very little time required each day. I know me and how I usually work. Gotta be realistic. For me to sustain it through the long haul {and stay on task}, I'd best keep it very low key. Not allow myself to get bogged down in the 'what ifs' and other creative hurdles that seem to be manufactured out of thin air around here. Not that I'm being dismissive of making this project as creative as possible! Not at all! I am so very impressed and amazed. Humbled and well, almost giddy that a simple idea could spark so much personality from such a large range of quilters and styles! Yay for the personal touch!

Quilty 365 absolutely should be approached as an individual project with very personal choices {whatever they may be}. At the end, this quilt should be reflective of who each one us is {as a quilter} right now. I, for one, am finding great joy in having a simple task for each day and then a 'completion' after the stitching is done.*sigh....  So let's be careful with quilty comparison and make sure to take joy {and pride} in our own uniquely creative process, while being encouraging to those traveling a similar road.

This linkup is open to everyone participating in Quilty 365, a year long quilting journey. And yes, it's actually going to be 366 days in total--leap year just makes it that much more fun! A few of us started in October, others in November and there will no doubt be quilters jumping in from now until January 1st. The amount of circles each person has is representative of how many days they've been playing along, not how far behind you might be! There is no 'behind' unless perhaps you've lost track of where you are in the calendar year.

Please link your thumbnail to a current post on your blog detailing:

• Your starting date
• What particular day you  happen to be at now {such as 'day 14'}
• A picture of all your circles, whether they are stitched to the background fabric or not
• A link back to this post
• Any thoughts or introspection you might want to add about this particular project

Grab a button from the sidebar if you want to join in! It's not too late. After seeing how creative everybody is being, it's kind of hard not to want to start more than one of these projects. But I think I'll resist. There's always next year!

An InLinkz Link-up