Winter White Snow and Ice Inspired

 Inspiration for making Winter White Snowy blocks was hard to come by here in Texas. 

All I had was the January picture on my New Year Calendar!

It was taken at Lake Tahoe, Northern California, and I must admit

 by the time I got to the last four blocks for the Winter White Friendship Exchange,

I needed some snowy inspiration.

 At any rate, I'm finished with all Twelve Blocks which I divided into Three Sets of Four.

I posted about this event and the making of the Three Sets of Blocks in the following posts:

Winter Whites and Icy Blues In FabricLand

Winter White Blocks 1-2-3...Take A Peek

"R" is for RunRightOver

Jumping Into January with Both SnapOn Feet

Hunting vs Piecing Flying Geese

Before I put them in the mail to Lee at LaLa's Lovelys...the hostess of this event,

I played around with them on my design wall.

I love them all, but I think the Iceing on the Snow, for me, is the Third Set...the four corner blocks.

I hope the other Snowy Sewers will like these Icy Blocks made by a Texas Gal

who had to surf the net and take a calendar trip to Lake Tahoe for

Winter White Snow and Ice Inspiration.

Hunting vs Piecing Flying Geese

Making the leap from Hunting Flying Geese to Making Flying Geese is NOT as big as one might think.

It's a matter of  Equipment vs Tools and  ExtrodinaryProwess vs Techniques

In my case of hunting piecing on Snow and Ice for Frozen Flying Geese, I gathered the following tools in my warm Sewing Studio
 while HiHoney (husband) froze his butt off out in the bushes. 

The Equipment/Tools

Camo Jeep - Sewing Machine

Tire Chains - Quarter Inch Foot

Shot Gun - Sharp Scissors

Bird Dog - ChiWennie

The ExtraProwess /Techniques

Field and Stream - Judy Hopkins Around the Block Again

Hunting License -  Precise Rotary Cutting Class Certificate

Accurate Aiming - Quarter Inch Chaining

There Ya Go....16 perfect Frozen Flying Geese
made in the comfort of my warm studio with my faithful ChiWeinne sitting by the fire.
Versus
HiHoney's muddy, wet, smelly, frozen solid, dead bird he shot in the freezing West Texas outback.
He swears he should have bagged at least as many as I made,
but the Bird Dog refused to go get em'. 

Finished Frozen Flying Geese pieced around a Frozen Snowflake Pond.

Second Set of Four Blocks for the

 Winter White Friendship Exchange

 



'R' Is for 'RunRightOver'

It is NO Secret that I am sometimes Directionally Challenged.

It's the main reason I couldn't get hired on at the local CHEVRON Gas Station,

that and the smell of gasoline made me puke!

They (being HiHoney (husband) and his Brother David...owners of said Station) wouldn't even let me be a

window washer or cashier for fear that someone would ask me for directions.

If only I had these nifty directional pins back then.

Now that I think about it, I probably did....have them...just didn't realize what they were for. You see,  they were a Door Prize and such a surprise that I immediately put them away for using on something extra special.  I mean look at that neat box and the pins were wrapped in cellophane and the whole thing was well.....just too fancy and new fangled.  There, I've admitted my fear of the 'New Fangled' anythings!  

Whew, I feel better.  I bet you had no idea this post would turn out to be QuiltPsycho101. 

There's THREE reasons why I am finally getting them out to use.

#1.  New Years Resolution...Use It or Lose It

Yep, in 2013 there will be no more PackRatting of Fabric and Notion Stashes.

There will be MORE Embroidery Machine and Serger Useage.

#2.  The Winter White Friendship Exchange IS an Extra Special Event.

...just justifying...

#3.  I've gotten over Fancy New Fangled Fear.

And, I had to figure out what these Arrowed-Lettered Pins had to do with Quilting! 

At first I thought the 'R' stood for 'RunRightOver'.

I mean, have you ever seen a skinner pin that you could sew right over and not break a needle?

Then I noticed that the ARROW was pointing to the RIGHT.

OMG...the 'L' Arrow points LEFT.

Eureka...the 'D' is pointing DOWN and the 'U'...how obvious, Sue!

 See, I told you I was Directionally Challenged!

 Ya know, it's amazing how getting over Fancy NewFangled Fear has helped in the
piecing of these Beacon Light Blocks for the
Winter White Friendship Exchange.
You might want to RunRightOver them, too!

WinterWhite Blocks 1-2-3...Take A Peek!!!

Here it is time to be thinking about what to do in the New Year 2013...now that we have made it past the

 Mayan Calendar DoomsDay Drama!

I'm so glad to still be here...on Earth, in Texas and in Blogland...aren't you?

If you aren't in Texas, but in snow covered Canada, like Lee from LaLa's Lovelys, then perhaps you might want to visit Texas right now.

 

It's a bit cold...40ish this a.m....but no SNOW, none in sight, and no below freezing temps in the forecast....EVER.

 

Anyway, snow or no snow, I am happily piecing the Winter White Friendship Blocks in my NOW warm Sewing/Quilting/Knitting Etc Studio.  Since I added QuiltAntiFreeze in there, it's been nice and toasty.  Check the post below for the QuiltAntiFreeze Formula...I promise if you are a quilter in a drafty sewing room...this formula is for you.

 

Now, about Blocks 1-2-3!  Yep, I'm doing a Gallery of Twelve Blocks from Around The BLOCK Again by Judy Hopkins.  You might think this is an indicator that 'OverDoSue' has had an attack of  'OverDoArexia', and that's probably part of it, but mostly it has to do with my New Year's Resolution for 2013...mentioned in Winter Whites and Icy Blues In FabricLand.

Beacon Lights is the name of Blocks 1-2-3, and the three Units are ready for their quarter inch seaming together.  You'll notice in the top photo that my Janome 6500 MeanPiecingMachine has a SnapOn Quarter Inch Foot...it's ALWAYS SnappedOn.  If you don't have a Quarter Inch Piecing Foot, HERE's an alternative method for piecing a quarter inch seam. 

 

Beacon Lights Blocks 1-2-3 look pretty COOL COLD, don't you think?  Just wait til you see the COOL finishing touch....it's not just COOL-COLD, but Sparkly/Snowy COOL!

 

Winter Whites and Icy Blues In FabricLand

 I know this is an ODD Christmas Eve post. 

Normally there would be RED and GREEN all over the place with last minute finishing up GIFTS,

 putting on my Christmas Apron, and all the kitchen cooking and baking.

That's going to happen today too.....later!  Yep, I'm setting aside Christmas Eve to get a head start on the

Winter White Friendship Block Exchange! 

 It's been a very long time since I participated in an InterNet Quilt Block Swap.

As a matter of fact, it was in 1998 and all about a Christmas Quilt. 

 I posted about it this month...Favorite Holiday Treats-Both Tasty and Tasteful.

Anyway, I couldn't wait to go through my Winter White and Icy Blue Stash

for just the right fabrics for the Blocks I will be making.

 Really, it's not too early to get started...the deadline for Swapping is January 20th.

Now, I don't want to come off as 'OverDoSue', but when you have a Super Stash of

Fabric, Thread, Patterns, Machines, EtcEtcEtc and a New Years Resolution of

Use It or Lose It

You gotta get with the 'USE IT' program.

Besides, Using It is Sew Much FUN FUN FUN!

And since it looks like there's NOT going to be a Blue Norther to blow in an

Icy Blue White Christmas here in Texas...I'll just make up my own!

Linking To:

Smiling Sally's Blue Monday