9..8..7..6....

Just in the nick of time.  Actually the deadline is Sept. 30 at 11:55 pm.  My OMG - One Monthly Goal is finished.  My goal was to take this unloved quilt top...

and turn it into a fun twin bed quilt:   My idea was to add a few borders, quilt it and be done.  I couldn't find any fabric I wanted and nothing made me love it.  So I cut it up and used the fabrics and hexie flowers to create the 'fun' quilt.   Here are photos along the way:

The lighting is wrong for the following photos.  The colors are much brighter than this shows.  I quilted it with a meandering stitch and machine stitched the binding.  Here it is:  Ta Da!

I'm linking up Patty of Elm Street Quilts.  Pop over and check out others who finished their goals in time.

Hope you had a good day.

-- Pat

Zendala

I mentioned the other day that I like tangling mandalas.  A blogging friend asked what a mandala is.  My understanding was that it is a circle with repeating geometric designs within the circle.  I had no idea that they have religious beginnings.  As I searched I read that a mandala is a spiritual and ritual symbol in Hinduism and Buddhism representing the universe.  I have to tell you I have mixed feelings about this.  As a Christian, I'm not happy to think I'm dabbling in religions and symbols contrary to my own.  In my research, I discovered something called a Zendala which is a cross between Zentangle and a mandala.  I've seen the Zendala style appearing in a lot of coloring books for adults.  All that being said, I'm choosing to view them as a simple art form with no religious intention.

Here are a few I've tangled over the past few years:

On the sewing front, I put together the sandwich for my OMG - One Monthly Goal project.  I may make the deadline yet.  That gives me 2 days to quilt and 2 days to bind it.  It's looking a lot more doable that before.  My least favorite part of any quilt is making the sandwich.  I'm encouraged now that is behind me.

Hope you have a good day.

-- Pat

It's a 2fer

I found some paper-pieced blocks I made a few years ago and decided to use eight to make a zippered bag.  These are the photos:

Front

Back

I'll have to find a use for it so that it's out all the time where I can enjoy it.  I'm linking up with Elm Street Quilts - Bag It 2017.  Follow the link to see other bag entries.  Or you could enter one yourself.

Also, I've finished another zentangle.  There used to be a blogger who would release a mandala template each week to be used for tangling.  I really enjoy doing mandalas but I haven't found any that aren't for coloring.  There are books that instruct how to create mandalas.  But being how I am, who needs a book?!  I took a roll of duct tape and used it to draw a bunch of intersecting circles and used that to tangle.  I drew it on a sheet of copy paper then photocopied it onto 8 1/2 x 11 inch card stock.  It isn't a mandala but it served it's purpose.  I wanted to practice different tangles and shading.

Hope you're enjoying your weekend.

-- Pat

Oh no! Not a bag!

You're right...it's not a bag.  Since I've started up with Zentangle again, I've needed a place to keep all my supplies.  Before now, I've kept them in a little bag that had to be dumped before I could find anything.  This morning, my intention was to make a large zippered bag--maybe add some pockets--maybe even zipper pockets or maybe a satchel with a handle.  I didn't know exactly what I wanted.  I made a little sketch then proceeded to make it up as I went along.  Here's the final result:

The backs of the 'pages' are blank which will allow me to add more pockets/supplies if I need to.

Here's my latest zentangle:

Hope you had a good day.

-- Pat

This and That

I'm so tired of working on the OMG One Monthly Goal project.  I've set it aside for now.  I may finish it by the end of the month but time is running out.  I'm letting myself off the hook.  I think my new goal is to finish it by the end of October.

Last night I made another bag.  It's an Origami Drawstring Pouch.  The tutorial  is by Debbie Shore.  I really like the look of it.  I used to have a pattern for a different origami bag which was more rectangular but with the same flaps design.  I have another one cut out, waiting for me.  I'm linking up with Patty at Elm Street Quilts - Bag It.

Origami Drawstring Pouch

Today I worked on two more paper-pieced blocks for the 300 Paper-Pieced Quilt Blocks Project.  This brings the number completed blocks to 65.

#157

# 110

Years ago, I went through a Zentangle phase.  I worked on a tile last night to see if it still held some attraction for me.  I like how it came out except that I can use some improvement with shading.  Done right, it can add dimension and eye appeal.  You know how I like a challenge.

Hope you had a good day.

-- Pat

Did you know...

I'm crazy?  I finished sewing the last block today for my OMG project and sewed them all together.  I laid the top on the bed to see how it looked.  I think I want to add a border or something around the outside.

Every block has fabric and/or a hexie from the original 'unloved' quilt top.  Since every block has a focus center, I guess it's sort of an 'I Spy' quilt.  I'm anxious to see how it looks when it's quilted.

I also made two more bags for the Bag It 2017 event.  One is a zippered bag using a 12.5 inch block I made and quilted during the 501 Quilt Blocks Project.  The other bag is one I made using this tutorial by Susan Claire-GourmetQuilter using 10 inch squares.  You may notice that all the zippers are dark colored.  Years ago, I purchased 10 each of blue, black, brown, green, purple and magenta -- all dark colors because that's usually what I sew.  What can I say?  I got a good deal.  I'm determined to use them up.

Hope you had a good day.

-- Pat

Bag It 2017 - 2nd bag

Participating in this event could be dangerous.  I love bags!  You can never have too many.  Today I made a little bag that I'm going to use as a makeup bag.  I loosely followed this tutorial by Jenny Doan of Missouri Star Quilt Company.  I've made bags with zippers before but never with the tabs at the beginning and end of the zipper.  I made a boo-boo when sewing the front to the back.  They're supposed to look the same.  I had one of them upside down.  But I never worry about such things.  I like scrappy looking items.

I'm linking up with Elm Street Quilts Bag It 2017.  Take a minute to check out the other entries.  Maybe you'd like to make a bag or two.  ( or ten.)

Hope you have a good day.

-- Pat