No Trick Photography This Time

Linking up with Fabric Tuesday over at QuiltStory:
Last weekend I decided to try my hand at foundation paper piecing and started this Circle of Geese.

As you can see I finished it...this is not the trick photography of my last post.  ; )

But I did enjoy photographing from different angles.

Right in the CENTER.

Backing out.

And further out.

I just love the kaleidoscope effect of this block 

and can't wait to try other fabric combinations!

If you're interested in trying, go here for the pattern and here for some inspiration.

Oh and just one more shot...

Okay, okay just a little more trick photography.  ; )

Geeses in Paper Pieces

I'm in between large projects right now and decided, with a little inspiration from Sheila's recent post, to, yet again, try foundation paper piecing. Previous futile attempts won't stop me because I see so many great patterns out there that use this technique. 

So last night...I started with this...

And after much flipping & flopping and snipping

and a tiny bit of cursing I got this...

...which may not look like much yet...

but with this stash (same fabric I used for my

Cathedral Windows back in April) it should end up

looking like a "Circle of Geese" like this one.

Since I didn't have time to finish the other 3 quarters

in my haste to see what the end result would be

I did a little trick photography & created this mosaic...

 a great visual of what is to come!

Yet as I was getting these photos ready for my blog,

then I started noticing my "mistakes".

(Don't you hate that?)

As you can see, I somehow snipped a corner or

didn't have enough fabric to cover that piece (ugh!)

and

that huge chunk of white shouldn't be showing like that.

Guess I forgot to trim a seam.  : /

Of course, I stopped in the middle of posting to go

do that trimming...it looks better now but I didn't

take another photo.

But, I learned from it all and can't wait to finish my

paper pieced Circle of Geese.
 

You can go here to see where I got
my inspiration for this pattern!  They are awesome!

Now I'm off to more sewing...

Butterfly Landing

So, the Flutterby Quilt made its way to ...

 my awesome Aunt Laura.

I wanted to give her something special
because she's a very special person.

She has a funny, feisty (in a good way) personality and is a

wonderful sister, mother and aunt!

We always look forward to her visits where

there's sure to be a rowdy, yet friendly game of Phase 10

followed by a nice slice of pie and hot cup of coffee!

So, Aunt Laura, hoping to see you SOON!

In the meantime, I hope it gets cold enough at some point

in the usually hot, hot Phoenix, AZ

so you can put your Flutterby to good use.

Your "favorite" neice! (wink wink)

My Wonky Life

Seriously, is it fall already?  I'm still spinning wondering what happened to my life over the summer.  Let me start first with my latest bee block.  Can you guess what kind of block was asked for? Yep WONKY!

Ugh, it hurts to post this.  Mostly because Bailey asked

that we not trim the block as she would do

that herself to make it fit with her project.

(But, please just let me just crop it up a bit

and straighten out those edges.)

And because WONKY is just not my favorite style.

I think I mentioned it before but my brain has a very

hard time with asymmetric design and randomness.

This is the 3rd project since June where I was asked

to make a WONKY block.  And as I was sewing this one

(trying to follow a pattern, or at least a guideline), the thought occurred

to me how WONKY my LIFE has been since June!

Events, circumstances, plans, hopes...have just not lined up the way it played out in my head.  I made a major job change and had plans for a move I'd been anticipating for a long time.  As life would have it, the job has had its ups and downs (although seems ot be leveling out finally) and my Oregon move had to be postponed until Spring.  It was originally scheduled for this weekend  : (

I'm a bit disappointed but realized the twists and turns, however jagged, will turn out just right in the end.  And I'll eventually get to where I wanna be. I'm happy with that.

Just like my latest WONKY block!

Believe it or not, I actually kind of enjoyed working on it.

And I do love the stained glass/mosaic effect it ended up having!

Pretty fabric Bailey chose too!


Still, fingers crossed, I'm done with WONKY for awhile.

P.S. No offense to all the WONKY lovers out there!

Name that Blog!

I'm linking up with Dawn, from As Sweet as Cinnamon, to share in the fun of discovering the how and why people chose the name for their blog.  It's so interesting to hear the stories. You should check it out and if you join in you might win something cool!

As for my blog name, there's no huge mystery.  Especially if you read my profile or the little bit about me up there in the right hand corner.  I'm a math teacher and forever a math student! I love math and the geometry of quilting has always appealed to me. So when I started my blog about a year ago, the name just kind of came to me, Calculating Quilter!  Thought you might like to see my collection of calculators. HaHa!

I bet you're thinking I'm pretty nerdy...and you would be right.

But I'm happy this way

and I have a great time doing

what I love.

the "Calculating Quilter"

 

Back to the Bee Blocks

So I managed to get Shannon's block finished. This is for the Let's Bee Together swap.  Isn't the fabric adorable?  She's got in in a variety of colors but I got to work with blue, my favorite.

The block pattern is called

ANTIQUE TILE

and Shannon chose it from Quilterscache.

I just couldn't resist taking more photos!

I have one more to show you as well.

This is August's bee block for the same swap above.

Let me tell you, I was nervous when I found out Colleen

wanted a WONKY star because, honestly, I have trouble

with wonky.  My brain almost refuses to function without symmetry!

But, I was grateful for a pattern I could follow to be sure it ended up being

the right size. So, here it is:

My first EVER wonky star!

I hope Colleen liked it.

A Nice Surprise & Honor

I am honored to have received the Versatile Blogger Award! This is my very first blogging award, so you can imagine my excitement. I received it from Linda of Stray Stitches and Marta of Polka Dot Classic. Be sure to pay them both a visit! Thank you gals so much!

So here's the rules to this award:
1- Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award.

2 - Share seven things about yourself on the post.
3- Pass the award to fifteen bloggers that you think deserve it.
4- Lastly, contact all of the bloggers that you've picked for the award

Seven things about me:
1) I'm not a great singer but that doesn't stop me from giving concerts in my car...to myself...at the top of my lungs.  It sounds pretty good to me, but I'm sure I look a tad silly!

2) I've been quilting for almost 5 years and had my first mishap with a rotary cutter just last saturday. Note to self, curl those fingers back and slowwwww down! I'll spare you the details...it wasn't pretty. And don't worry Shannon, your fabric was saved but your block will be late!

3) I am a tennis fan and a Roger Federer fanatic.

4) I like to play Guitar Hero with my 3 grown sons and am pretty good at it.  ; )

5) I am allergic to ALL fragrances and had to ban sprays and lotions from my high school classroom. That also means no air fresheners, scented candles or anything of the sort.  Thank goodness for all the unscented products available these days. 

6) I have an 8 year old grandson who was adopted at birth by a wonderful couple and have had the pleasure of remaining involved in his life through an open adoption. I am proud and grateful to be a part of this unique, special extended family!

7)  I have trouble being concise, hence the length of #1, 2, 5 and 6 above.

And it's my pleasure to pass on the award to the following bloggers who have inspired me, each in their own unique way with their blogs and encouraging me with their kind words.

Needles and Pins	Sew in Peace	Describe Happy
16 Muddy Feet	Love to Stitch	Naturally Carol
Quilting Dreams	Sheila's Quilt World	The House on the Side of the Hill
Cottage Tails	Jeannette's Place	Creative Confessions
Valentina's Corner	Birdie	The Confused Quilter

Happy Blogging!