January ALOYF Finish--Charm Topper

I'm really happy with this finish.  I started it about a year ago when A Quilting Life posted these pics.  I had a couple mini-charm packs hanging around, but I didn't get it finished in time for Sherri's parade, and it was set gently aside ...

ALOYF December Finish

I'm pleased with my finish this month.  It's a little out of season, I know, but its another finish to help clear off my workspace.  The individual hexies were paper-pieced back during the summer, but then piled up awaiting further attention.

Summer Top 10 Progress

Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by in the last couple of days for the HO-HO-HO blog hop!  I always love seeing everyone else's projects and sharing the positive creative energy.  I try to respond to all the comments, but there are always a few no-reply ones that I can't.  So THANKS again!

That blog hop was on my Top 10 list for the summer, so I though I'd give a quick update:

1.  Lindsay's Baby Quilt. Done and received.  I love the way it turned out.

 2.  HoHoHo Blog Hop.  I posted for this earlier this week--YAY!!

3.  It's A Sister Thing Swap.  I have figured out what to make and am working on it ... almost finished :)

4.  Summmer Breeze Topper.  Almost done with the quilting, only the outside border left, then binding.

 5.  Tetris Quilt.  This is still waiting ...

6.  Flower Patch Quilt Along.  I've gotten a bit more done--4 squares now.

7.  Formal Gardens String Quilt.  Haven't touched this one, either ...

8.  Design Wall.  Still in the dreaming phase.

9.  Work in my yard ...  I've cut down several awful bushes and done quite a bit of basic maintenance--YAY!

10.  Help my parents move.  They have a tentative closing date now and I'm just making final arrangements!!

After spending a few days last weekend back at work helping out, I'm excited to have this weekend free to do some planning for back-to-school and get some sewing done :)  What are YOUR plans?

My 10 Things This Summer

My First Block for the Flower Patch QA
Formal Gardens String Block
One of my gardens
Tetris Quilt
One of Dad's Gardens

I'm going to jump on this bandwagon and perhaps have a more productive summer as a result.  I love this idea, but I can't limit it to just my sewing ...  There is always so much to do and it seems like the struggle to stay balanced is never ending.  My HS history teacher always said she wanted us to be well-rounded people and she threw little extras into her lessons that I will always remember.  I chose my college major--Humanities--thanks to her.  ANYWAY, here are my top ten things to work on this summer (in no particular order) :

Hooray for the Red, White & Blue!

Welcome, welcome, welcome!  For those of you who are visiting for the first time, my name is Heather and I am the Reformed Heath'n.  This is my first ever blog hop experience.  I've loved skipping around in other hops and seeing all the amazing projects that everyone was working on.  I thought that was way beyond my experience level, though.  BUT, when I saw spaces open for this blog hop, I knew this was the right one for me to get acquainted with this experience!  I hope you enjoy my project as much as I enjoy all of yours!

Thanks so much to Jane @ Jane's Fabrics & Quilts for organizing this two-week-long event and also to Madame Samm for cheering us all on.  I'm especially excited to be coming to you on Independence Day!  For the full line-up, click on the button on my sidebar.  Here are the rest of the lovely ladies who are also posting for you today:

Jane's Fabric & Quilts

A Reformed Heath'n (you're already here!)

krislovesfabric

Katie's Salt Marsh Path

The Recipe Bunny

Quilter in the Closet

I've always loved this holiday--and anything related to celebrating our pride in the stars and stripes.  One of my fondest memories growing up is visiting the Smithsonian Museum of National History.  I was in second or third grade and recovering from the chicken pox.  I was no longer contagious, but not yet ready to go back to school.  My dad worked at home and offered to do anything with me that I wanted to do for a day.  I think he was a bit surprised that I requested a museum trip :)  In those days, the original Star Spangled Banner was hanging in the entryway behind a protective screen.  They would lift the screen and play the national anthem at certain times.  That day, we planned our trip so we would walk in just before the music started and I could be front and center by the railing.  I remember being in awe of the flag that was so old, that had survived so much and was the inspiration for our national anthem.

http://americanhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/national-treasure.aspx

This memory is why I wanted to do a traditional star block.  After much searching and playing with designs, I found this one that I absolutely love:

(http://www.connectingthreads.com/tutorials/Stars-Intro_to_the_Star_Block__D10.html)

I looked through my 501 Rotary-Cut Quilt Blocks by Judy Hopkins and found the one I was looking for on page 227.  It's name is The Sickle, and with a couple of modifications, it is one-fourth of this quilt block.

I used the dimensions from the book and here is what I cut for each larger 12" block:
Main Color:  4 squares of 3-7/8" cut in half on the diagonal to make 8 triangles
                    8 squares of 2"
Second Color:  8 squares of 2"
White:  4 squares of 3-7/8" cut in half on the diagonal to make 8 triangles
           16 squares of 2"

1.  Chain stitch all the HSTs together--half white, half color.  **Note:  The next time I do this, I will not cut the HST's apart until they are stitched.  For this alternate method, see my other tutorial HERE (under Day 3).

2.  Chain stitch all the 2-1/2" squares together the same way--half white, half color.

3.  Press all the seams.  Because I want this to lay flat as a table runner, I chose to press them all open.
4.  Combine the rectangles to make four squares.   Then combine two of the 4-square blocks and two of the HSTs to make the reformed Sickle block.  (I like how these smaller squares kind of look like butterflies.  Opens up a whole new can of, well, ... )  Press the new seams.

5.  Lay out all your squares to create the desired pattern.  Each large finished block is made up of four smaller blocks.  There are tons of possibilities, but this is mine.

Stopping here is the one red, white and blue block, as promised.  Keep going to see the table topper ...

For the table topper, I made four blocks.  One-half yard is all you need of both the red and blue, and one yard of the white.  For the thin border, I cut 4 strips that are 2-1/2" x WOF (approx. 1/3 yard) and for the outer border, I used 5 strips that are 4" x WOF (approx. 2/3 yard.)  I'm planning on using about 2 yards of fabric for the backing and 2 packages of regular old white bias tape for the binding.

I sure hope you all enjoyed the project and come back often to see what's going on around here.  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful Independence Day!!

**Thanks for your patience everyone.  I had it scheduled to post at 12:01 AM today, but apparently I did something wrong.  Thanks for coming back!**

Tipsy Tutorials: Heart Table Topper

Here is a little project that I threw together from one Moda charm pack.  I've seen several projects from other crafty designers that are so cute, but none of the shops here in town do charm packs.  I went out on a limb and ordered 2 charm packs and one jelly roll from CrazyQuiltGirl Fabric Shop.  Charm packs are basically a stack of about 42 pre-cut 5-inch squares. The jelly roll is strips of fabrics rolled up together.