Slow Sunday Stitching -- More Charm Baskets and Dicey Blocks

18 charm baskets were completed this week.  I'm enjoying the slow stitching process for sure.

116 baskets of 202 needed for the quilt are now complete.  My baskets are trimmed to 4.25" vs. the recommended 4.5" unfinished block due to wonkiness.  52.5" x 64.5" finished is the quilt pattern size.  I'll most likely go with those numbers--give or take.  The quilt pattern is called Charm Basket by Laundry Basket Quilts.  It is an Edyta Sitar design. 

When I machine stitch the baskets there is a pair of little triangles that get trimmed.  I save them on a pile.  When the pile gets big enough I line them up on the 1.5" HST Accuquilt die.  Then they go into the small baskets sorted into neutrals and prints.  I don't know where these will land in the end.  There is not much waste when making one of these baskets for me.  I did use many neutrals in one of the units of the Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt this year.  I didn't have to cut any for the whole step!

I also stitched circles on two Dicey blocks this week in blue (Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2025.).

I posted how I was making my applique circles using Applipops for this Dicey quilt on this post.  You can read why I started this quilt here.

The snowmen are STILL hanging on (since January 19).

Tuesday:

Friday:

Saturday we had a little more snow...

I'm linking up with Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching here.

 

Dicey -- Bright Blue -- RSC25

 I added two blocks to my Dicey quilt this week.

Isn't that chef holding the fish dish a fun neutral?  I only had enough fabric for that one piece in the quilt.

You can read why I started this quilt here.

I'm linking up at Angela's blog, SoScrappy, for the RSC25 here.

Slow Sunday Stitching

21 charm baskets were completed this week.  I'm enjoying the slow stitching process for sure.

98 baskets of 202 needed for the quilt are now complete.  My baskets are trimmed to 4.25" vs. the recommended 4.5" unfinished block due to wonkiness.  52.5" x 64.5" finished is the quilt pattern size.  I'll most likely go with those numbers--give or take.

The quilt pattern is called Charm Basket by Laundry Basket Quilts.  It is an Edyta Sitar design. 

I'm linking up with Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching here.

 

I also stitched circles on two Dicey blocks this week in blue (Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2025.).

I posted how I was making my applique circles using Applipops for this Dicey quilt on this post. 

Thank you for all of your comments and for sharing your tips on how you make circles for applique!  I will be trying some of them in another project.  I'll be trying to keep the circles in Dicey consistant, but LOVE trying new things to see what works for me.

You can read why I started this quilt here.

Dicey -- Blue -- RSC25

 This week I made two more Dicey blocks.

I talked about how I was practicing making circles here.  Several followers gave how they make circles.  I LOVE their input!  I will be trying a few of the techniques at a later date.  For now I will keep the same method to keep things consistent in this quilt.

You can read why I started this quilt here.

The snowmen that I built Januaury 18th (three weeks ago) are STILL hanging on to life!  Here's a little progression of them.  I don't know why I'm so interrested in keeping up with their existance.

January 19th our son added two more snowmen and a couple of "dogs".

Here's what they looked like on the morning of January 31st:

More sunshine happened and the results for the morning of February 1st.  I'm starting to see a pattern that I have time to stop and take photos of melting snowmen while I patiently wait for our son to come out of the house and get into my truck so that I can take him to the bus stop at the end of the driveway.  He usually walks to the bus stop on his own, but the driveway is slushy, icy, or muddy right now.  Our school district is having a big issue with the lack of bus drivers (as are a few other districts in the area.). Some days there is not a bus driver available and we receive a message that our kid needs to find their own way to school!  One day our bus was 19 minutes late while the temperature was 15 degrees.  I just can't let him stand there in a situation like that.  I schedule my substitute teacher times so that I can start later in the day so that I can wait with him at the bus stop.

On Monday the temperature got up to 55 degrees.  But that didn't end the snowmen.  Tuesday (this week) February 4, 2025:

Our son had a "snow day" on Thursday due to icy road conditions.  Boy, they were icy on my way to my school district which was still in session.  

Our snowmen are now threee weeks old...and yesterday, February 7, 2025:

80 percent chance of snow today.  Hope it's a wet snow so that I can build more snowmen.

I'm linking up at Angela's blog, SoScrappy, for the RSC25 here.

Prepping Circle for Applique -- Applipops Version

As I talked about yesterday, the prep work that goes into an applique project is vital for keeping the project moving.  Below is a photo of the fun tools I have been using for making my circles for applique.

One of the new toys I bought with my Christmas money from my husband is a tool called Applipops.  You can watch the daughter of the woman who created Applipops on YouTube here.  It is the video that was most helpful to me.

In the photo are two sets of the Applipops for the size of circle I am making.  One set is on the keeper ring, and one set is still on the fabric circle.  I am glad that I bought the larger "pro" set because I can make one while the other is cooling after it has been pressed with the iron.  The set was a little pricey, but the circles made are very, very nice.  I'm still practicing.

The other metal notion is a trolley needle.  I use it to push down starched fabric edges on the back so that I do not have to touch the iron.  The metal rings get a little warm.  I never heard of a trolley needle until I started watching applique videos.  It works like a stiletto on your finger.  I have a feeling I will eventually use it while chain piecing certain blocks for another project where I usually use my stitch ripper to push down fabric seams that meet.

I have my starch and water 50/50 mixture using Sta-Flo concentrated starch.  The paint brush used to apply the starch (and the trolley needle) fit perfectly in the pen cap taped to the plastic vitamin bottle of the starch mixture for safe keeping.

The little plastic box is from a deck of flash cards repurposed to keep the fabric circles flat after they are made.

Of course my iron is a big part of it.  I love the wool pressing mat that I purchased during Covid.  

All of my blue sets of circles are now ready for nightly sewing in my chair for watching tv.  I'll be using these for my Dicey quilt blocks.

The set does not have as many size options as Perfect Circles by Karen Kay Buckley.  It loooks like her set has many more size options.  I believe her method requires basting.  The Applipop method does not require basting.  I know many of my bloggy friends that do circles use the Perfect Circles method.

Preparing Blocks for Applique

I am getting so efficient at my applique systems that blocks are going much quicker than I imagined.  I take time each week to prep what I need so that my sew-to-go bag isn't empty in time of need.

This week I Accuquilt cut and sewed chisel blocks together to make blocks for my Dicey quilt.

I'm trying liquid starch vs. Best Press with prepping my circles for applique.  Isn't my 50 percent liquid starch and 50 percent water bottle cute?  It's just a vitamin bottle with a pen cap taped to the side to hold my paintbrush.  

I'm using Sta-Flo.  I know I didn't pay this much for it.  It was only like $14 or so when I bought it a couple of weeks ago from Walmart.  It was shipped free.  You can see the bottle here.

 

Charm Basket Stitching

My basket of completed handles was getting full.  I completed 18 more baskets this week.  These blocks are multiplying faster than I ever thought that they would.  They are not perfect, but they are super fun.

 77 baskets of 202 needed for the quilt are now complete.  My baskets are trimmed to 4.25" vs. the recommended 4.5" unfinished block due to wonkiness.  52.5" x 64.5" finished is the quilt pattern size.  I'll most likely go with those numbers--give or take.

The quilt pattern is called Charm Basket by Laundry Basket Quilts.  It is an Edyta Sitar design. 

I'm linking up with Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching here.

 

These three were stitched in the art room that I subbed.  I LOVE subbing for this particular art teacher.  She always gives me first dibs to cover her absences.  The kids there call me the ART SUB -- and I love it!

I also stitched circles on one Dicey block this week in aqua blue (Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2025.). This block has not been pressed yet.  You can still see the marks from my Frixon pen and the grooves on the outer edges of the circles.  I Accuquilt cut and sewed a bunch of chisels together this week to prep for more blocks.  I like to stay ahead on the prep work because I am really enjoying my slow stitching!

You can read why I started this quilt here.