Karen Stone's pattern "Cinco de Mayo"- I don't know the tricks to sewing curves.

My sister-in-law found a quilt she likes on Pinterest, it is purses, shoes, hats etc girly. She is hard to please so I want to do this for her. Big Challenge, no pattern, did find applique patterns for the shoes & hats, thanks to as great quilt board member! I did find a purse block, paper pieced, but it is not quite right. So now I am in the process of trying to figure out the patch on my own. If it doesn't work, I will go the paper pieced route. We shall see! It's all an adventure!

Learning to run my mom's long arm machine. She is not able to run the machine due to health issues and I will be taking over her quilting business. I am a hand quilter so machine quilting is different for me.

I have been attempting Marci Baker's "Not your Grandmother's Tumbling Blocks" for my son. He chose the pattern last year and I work on it from time to time... it is tedious but I hope to finish by the time he graduates college in May. ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWpSE...OWSToQ&index=1

I think her quilts are beautiful. I do wish you luck, but what a journey it will be. I love making items that challenges me. I want to learn a different method every time I tackle a quilting item. Show it to us, when you get done.

Have you seen the tutorial on quiltville. http://quiltville.com/spiderwebpf.html You can adapt this, not use strips but solids on both sides of the center part. It took me a couple tries to make the right size.

I started Judy Niemeyer's Sea Urchins without the papers. A quilt shop owner told me I couldn't make this pattern without using the paper pattern. This became my challenge to prove her wrong. I learned to paper piece without sewing through the papers. If you want to learn paperless paper piecing, check out Judy Mathieson's Mariner's Compass Quilts: Setting a New Course. There are some patterns that will require you to use papers but if you hate tearing out all those paper pieces and love paper piecing, check out Judy's Mathieson's book.

I'm doing BOMs and some months are challenging. My July block I just finished and it was pieced and the outside was pp. The inside was suppose to be 8 1/2" but mine ended up being 9" so the paper piecing wouldn't fit. I ripped it apart and started over and got it down to 8 3/4". I made the paper piecing larger than called for and put it all together and it's suppose to be 12 1/2" and mine was 12". How can that be??? It's crazy! So I put a border around it and called it good. I hate ripping.

I'm about to start my latest challenge to myself, a double wedding ring quilt. I've never paper pieced before and the pattern for it that I'm using expects me to do that. It looks like it should be fairly straightforward - place the center slice, see on the ones on either side, repeat, continue till arc finished. Trying to decide what paper to print the 98 arcs on.

Seems like everything is a challenge, lately. Queen-size to hand quilt, mountain of ufo's, organizing, and yard!!

Practicing FMQ and not having the time I need to stay with it is frustrating. Gardening and garment sewing seem to get in the way. Mabe next month I'll have more time.

I'm trying to learn to FMQ. Sometimes it seems that my sewing machine has a mind of its own.

I made "Third Week In October". It's a king size. Generally it looks like the maple leaves are falling onto the ground and into a stream. It's made as a 9 patch and some of the leaves are in 5-6 of the 9 patch. When I first started I tried doing it as a 9 patch but quickly realized I was shuffling so much fabric I couldn't find anything. So I invented a new way. First I enlarged the pattern to about baby blanket size. Then colored it. I chose a fabric for each of the leaves and taped a small piece on the pattern.

Now to a 9'x12' design wall. I pinned up 2" sq marked interfacing. Then I started putting a leaf's parts in the correct location, starting at 1 corner of the pattern. When there was all the parts to the leaf and it's neighbors I pieced anything what wasn't a solid 2" square; some 1/2 sq triangle, some paperpieced odd shapes. When everthing was on the wall, I sewed them together in columns and then rows.

Took several years to complete due to the size and complexity. I had to take breaks for some quick satisfation projects. It's beautiful. Next time I put it on the bed, I'll take a picture and post it.

Kept reading about snow......in August! Oh! This thread was started a long time ago.

I love challenges. And always have too many WIP's. Wed I go to a retreat at a cabin/house at Shaver Lake. It's always been fun. I've got so many deadlines right now, I think I could fill the car and a trailer. DH will put a stop to that. Thank God for him to bring me back to reality. So I have 3 sweat shirts in the makeover. A birthday present to finish the binding. An art quilt group challenge........ I get distracted. And always need a challenge that's moving along nicely to keep me motivated. That's an oxymoron. Maybe I need more coffee.

I loved reading what challenges each person. 60degree triangle, hex, Y seams, curves, paper piecing, making seams match and not cut off the points, FMQ, LAQ, housework (ugh), finding patterns, organizing. All are challenges. Sometimes a simple 1 patch is a releaf.

Another hill to climb and find out what's om the other side. "The bear climbed over the mountain......."

The latest JoAnn's flyer showed a "ragged" butterfly throw. Cute as a button. So, I set out to make my own pattern, and to make it a floor pillow instead. The butterfly body is done, pink pieces from a couple other floor pillows I just completed for my GD's "big girl" room. (she just turned two) The wings are cut out, all just the way I want. I found a cord skirt that I've reclaimed for the wing material. It's multicolored leaves, but they suit me for wings.

NOW since you don't just waltz into a store to buy a butterfly shaped pillow, I'm piecing and patching and puffing together scrap batting to make the pillow, which I've done many a time before. Mostly I'm trying to decide what should be puffier? I haven't done it yet, but I think I need to put some height under the "body" aside from what's in the rest of the wings. Got more than enough spare batting, just have to make sure it's where it needs to be and secured with some serious taking. This is taking far more time than I expected it would.

Couldn't you cut a square, guess at the proportions and fold the square and cut a slash from the middle to the edge making the top point more broad than just a diamond cut? May not be excactly the same size as hers, but I'm sure the old periwinkles were not all identical.

That's all her template is after all, a diamond that's stubbier than a diamond.

I hope he's happy with the colors, fabrics and design you've chosen."One of a kind" is not easy to do.

GrannieAnnie......Looks like you're a night owl also. Love you're creative nature.

GrannieAnnie - I remember looking at this - I think it is called an Arkansas Star, and that if you google it, can locate a free template to make that Periwinkle block.

Just finishing the bindings on several Quilts of Valor, two are mine and one is for a friend.

I've got a bunch of creaky joints. I sleep a while and get up a while. I think and plan when I'm up or just completely waste my time on computer games.

Sorry, you're answering the wrong person. I can make my own templates for most blocks. But thanks anyway. Someone will appreciate your info.

The crazy eight strip teaser table topper. Finally had to sew the very center by hand to get the 8 points come together. Of course I'll have something on the center of the table topper so the center won't show. Loved doing it and will do more. I need to learn how to attach a picture so you could see this.

Applique on a baby quilt for my new niece. I am having to teach myself and I keep telling myself there must be an easier way.

Finally got the rag butterfly done. She's in the washer-----------hopefully ragging out to her heart's content.

The wings are made of a light weight cord print of leaves. So, her name will be Cordy! (I've had a dog named PUPPY and one named Slophound, so don't ask)

I just finished quilting my first "quilt". I used a panel and pieced two borders and appliqued some patches in a few places. I know it sounds a little odd but I think it turned out pretty well. Now I have to figure out binding!! I did a practice blanket for my dog and just turned the backing over as binding. Could do that on this as well but not sure I want to do that. Gonna think on it for another a day or two.

I will wish you much patience and an even hand and a machine that has no problems.

My Advanced class starts next month & the pattern has multiple borders, one of which is braided, a paper-pieced mariner's compass with ring and lots of appliqué. I can hardly wait, although I can imagine there is lots of moaning and cursing in my future for that six weeks.