This is my Serenity....

I'm still here, trying to get used to being back to work and trying to get some quilting done too. You can see that hasn't left me much time to blog,  I will try to do better!

One thing I've been working on are several new quilts in the Circle and Spin series. This is the latest one, Serenity, that I finished recently. I love circular patterns and have taught the Circle and Spin class many times as the technique I use is a fun and easy way to accomplish making circular designs without a lot of headaches. So I spent some time this summer working on a few new designs using the Circle and Spin technique.

As I was quilting this one, I was trying to come up with a name for it...that can be difficult. Finding just the right name that fits that design....can be elusive. I went through many names, trying to find something catchy that seemed to fit the quilt. I kept coming back to Serenity and I'm not sure why. Maybe it's the feeling I get when I look at the design?  Maybe I felt serenity that it was finally finished? (hopefully this isn't it!) But there is always a satisfaction in finishing a quilt and I haven't wanted to name them all Serenity. Whatever it is, I kept coming back to Serenity, so Serenity it is.

A close up of the quilting, I used the Leafage panto which is one of my favorites.

There is something about a snakes nest of binding ready to sew on that is beautiful to me. Since it's hard to see the binding on the quilt, I thought I'd show you up close!

Conrad and Smokey claimed this quilt as their own! I had to sneak it away when they weren't looking as I will be teaching this design in Oct. so needed to hang it on display the other day.

I am starting a new quilt today so I get to play with some new fabrics...hope you are too!

Playing with blocks...

 Now that school has started, I probably won't be posting as much as I have less time to do all things quilty. But I did get most of the new Circle and Spin series quilt ( I really need to name it!) almost quilted. I have a couple more rows to do today and then on to the binding. I think I made the binding a few weeks ago when I sewed the backing together, so now I need to find it so I can finish it!

Since my design wall is in my kitchen ( my house has too many doors and windows and no large wall space), I look at and rearrange blocks as I come and go. I also cut on the kitchen island so it all works out. Since I haven't been sewing this week, these Curvy Log Cabin blocks have been on the wall since I finished them after my demo of the Curvy Log Cabin Trim Tool by Creative Grids at Cut Up and Quilt last week. I have been playing with the layout of the blocks a bit. You can use any layout that you would for a log cabin quilt, plus some circular ones you wouldn't.

 I really like this curvy zigzag a lot! I need to make some more blocks so that I can make something at least baby quilt size, so I have time to figure out what I want to do.

 Before the demo, I made three split circles using a pattern that Creative Grids puts out. I like this too! For these blocks, I used the same color for each round, so it doesn't look as much like a log cabin.

I will probably make something combining both sets of colorings, so stay tuned!

I have also been working on a quilt for a challenge, so I can't post pictures of it yet. Eventually....

Looks like there will be lots of running around!

I taught a great group of quilters  how to make the Runaround Bag by LazyGirl Designs yesterday at Cut Up and Quilt, our LQS. What a fun group and they all finished their bags...everyone was excited about that!

 It's always fun to see the different fabrics people choose for their projects. I think it reflects a bit about themselves and who they are making the bag for.

 Marta flipped the back pocket to the front for a different look! Love it!

 Dianne is planning on using her bag when she goes to quilting events.

 Diana made hers for her dog loving daughter.

 We all loved Karen't stamp fabric and it seems like the perfect small print for a bag. Karen also turned her pocket to the front.

 Billie Jo said she wanted a bag for fall....it's perfect!

 Barb made hers for her granddaughter.  You can't see it on this picture, but if you look closely to the picture above of all the bags, you can see that the orange is actually an hombre fabric and shows up that way in the long handle.

It's fun for all of us to make these smaller projects. Even though I love making quilts there is a great satisfaction out of making something that you can finish in a few hours. These bags are perfect for gifts too, which we are all thinking about as the holidays grow nearer. I love a smaller bag to take when I go shopping or to quilting events when I don't want to drag my entire life around in a purse.  I had scheduled the class for 4 hours, but everyone finished in about 3. And a second one would go quicker.  Ya' can't beat that!

This past week was my first full week back at school, it was hot every day, and I didn't get one lick of sewing done. I hope to get back to quilting the quilt I have on the machine today. It's about half finished, so I'm hopeful that I can finish it this weekend.
Happy Sunday!