BOMs Away - Strolling the Block, & Tanya is So Cool!

Welcome to the Link-Up for BOMs Away Mondays!

 

We'd love to see the BOM you're working on lately.

This week's link-up is at the bottom of the post.

 

Today I've spent my quilting time stitching details and buttons on three houses on Kelly's "Strolling the Block" quilt.

Lots of different thread colors came into play, and keeping them organized was nicer than prior times because of the wonderful giveaway package Tanya (of Tanya Quilts in CO) sent me!

 

 

Check out that nice, over-sized needle book. The gorgeous blue one in a pic below is what I've been using - bought it from a lady in Latvia via Etsy, and I adore it - but it's rather small, and as I do a lot of hand applique, I always have several different silk threads on needles. The blue book's pages are so little, the threads hang all out and get tangled.

 

 

 

 

Well, When Tanya made this book, she used a nice size that resolved that issue. Also - check it out: She sewed the pretty flowers on the fronts of the pages, and tacked a loose-lying line of ricrac on the backs. So I can just pass my threaded needle up through that rickrack line and bring it over the top and secure it on the bottom of the wool page. The threads stay untangled and don't slop all out of the book.

 

 

 

 

I also find the cover-pockets super handy for my little embroidery scissors, a few pins, my ziplock baggie of berry forms and scraps for those, etc. And the matching pin cushion is such a happy place to put more pins and let the berry forms rest while I'm actively using them.

 

She even sent a little box of cake-chocolates (delish!) and the scraps from these projects.

 

THANK YOU SO MUCH, TANYA!!!!

You guys'll have to go check out the Woodland Alphabet quilt top she just finished and the  Journey of a Quilter BOM that she's stitching on  these days.  :)
 

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So, the BOM work that I did today:

 

The September house is predictably a schoolhouse. When I was shopping for some apple and letter buttons, I found this super-fun nerd set instead. Kelly was, and her hubby and three sons are every one of them super-smart eggheads (a respectful term in our family). So this set is far more perfect on her quilt than normal elementary symbols.

 

 

 

I just love the little kid, and the molecule group was perfect for a little toy dog he'd built.

 

 

 

And seriously, if you know her son that I'll be sending this to, you'd know just why there was no way I could pass up a button pack that spells out BaZnGa in such a fun nerdy way with elemental chart components. :D

 

 

 

I also decorated the October block.

 

 

 

Kelly loved Halloween, so I decked this house all out for her. Ghosties, a spider on a web, dancing skeleton, bats, witch's hat. . . and I had a little fun embroidering stems on some of the squashes/pumpkins and putting straw coming out the arms and legs of the scarecrow. Oh, and let's give that crow some eyes and feet!

 

 

 

There! All ready for a party such as the one she went to with her hubby in 2008 (her next-to-last) - and check out that jello brain she'd made!  Kelly was super crafty that way!

 

 

 

 

I also did the November block. A few gourds and leaves and a cornucopia button wanted to go on. 

 

 

 

Hmmm. . .  I forgot to give the turkey some eyes and feet.  I'm tired of sitting right now, though, so that's going to wait until next month.

 

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Have you worked on any BOMs this past week or so?