Texas Tumbleweeds Week One

Welcome to the Texas Tumbleweeds Quilt-A-Long!  Each year in the Facebook group, Our Quilt World, we tackle at least one group project like this.  Today starts the first week and everyone has their books and fabrics so let's get going.  This week we are making the four-patch and rectangle units that will be in the ladder block.  On your mark, get set, go -----

First up --- cut, cut, cut.  I am leaving for retreat this week and want to take this along but am cutting it first.  I know -- perhaps one could say this is cheating a bit but we have limited cutting space at retreat and it's just more productive to be ready to start sewing.

By the time I finish:  I have all my strips, rectangles, and squares ready to go.  Bring on retreat and Thursday with week one steps.

2/1  It's time!!!!  I want to get this clue finished today and put it behind me.  I am not the only one at retreat working on it so we all share and compare as we merrily sew along.

My sweet LBOW 301A, Coco, is just humming along after her spa treatment yesterday.  I love the sound and smell of newly cleaned machines.

Little four patches with their spun seams are sitting in the spotlight on the ironing board.  Aren't they just so cute?

With the four-patches finished, it's time to move onto the rectangle units and that means I need to spend some time drawing lines.  Yes, I know there are other ways to do this, but I like the way this method turns out.

Besides, I can just sit and visit with the other ladies while I make little grey lines on the backs of a bazillion squares.  What could be better?

Back to the machine we go and now it's just one long chain of marching little units.  Halfway through, I switch directions to have pairs going opposite ways as required.

All sewn and counted.  I have enough.  Whew.

Once the corners are cut off, it's time to press.  Ooooh, they look nice.

Rectangle units complete.

And week one is behind me.  Woot woot!  I am indeed loving the brown and cream.  It's yummy.  See ya'll next week.