Too Good to Cut Challenge Quandary February 13, 2010

I'm stuck and I could really use some advice.  I have been taking my Too Good To Cut Challenge Jambalaya blocks out every few days to try and decide what to do with them.
Problem Number 1:  I know that I have too many blocks that have an outer row that reads pink.  I'm not sure what to replace them with.
Problem Number 2:  Although my favorite not so LQS owner helped me pick out two possible border fabrics, both of which I love, I'm starting to think they are a bit blah with these blocks.
Question 1:  Which color options should I pick to replace the "pink" blocks?
Question 2:  Should I place a thin (1 inch) border in a dark color or black before attaching the 4 inch border.
Question 3:  Should I look for another fabric for the border?  I would really rather avoid this, since I am trying to avoid buying more fabric.

Please let me know what you think.  I have avoided cutting into my lovely box of batiks for years and I really want to make a quilt I can love.  I also have LOTS more and want to make another batik quilt, but that will depend on the final outcome of Jambalaya.

The colors are a little more vibrant in person.

I thought I could replace one of the "pink" blocks with a block similar to this one.

Snow What's New?

Yesterday's snow storm petered out sooner than expected.  Instead of the 12-18 inches that was predicted, we wound up with 7 inches.  Retired Guy and Sir Galahad finished shoveling the walks and stoops today.  Since Sir Galahad doesn't have class until 6:00pm this evening, they settled in for some snow activities.  Retired Guy built a snow bear and Sir Galahad created a snow elf.  To give you an idea of how large their creations were; Retired Guy is 6 feet tall and Sir Galahad is 6' 4 inches.

Advice Please

This week I have been working on string blocks and scrappy chunks for donation quilts.  The picture below shows some of the sixty-six 5.5 inch blocks.  They are very scrappy and I want to find a way to tie them together so that they don't look like the explosion of a scrap bin.  Some of the blocks are laid out on different pieces of fabric:  Kona red, a random piece of bright white, and a tan Thimbleberries floral.  I can't make up my mind which color works best.  I am open to any suggestions about setting or colors for sashing or alternating blocks.

Thanks for taking a look.

Valentine Giveaway

Visit Cherry at Cherry Menlove's blog and enter her Valentine's giveaway.  She has a fabulous Le Creuset heart shaped casserole, heart shaped dishes, and a heart shape to help you fry the perfect Valentine breakfast eggs.
There are plenty of lovely recipes to try at her blog including a chocolate hazelnut pie and lots of crafty goodies for you to try.

9 Patch Outreach and Giveaway

Visit Lyn at Bluebird Quilts to learn about her French General Moda Charm Pack giveaway.  The giveaway is in  conjunction with a 9 patch project she has started for her friend Ilene.  Quilters all over the world are making blocks for this special quilt.  If you have a moment check out her blog by clicking on the button over on my sidebar.

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Snow Day February 10, 2010

The snow storm blanketing the east coast has finally made its appearance.  As I sit in my family room posting on my laptop, the snow is getting heavier.  It's like being inside a snow globe.  We live at the top of a cul de sac so  the only cars that travel our street are people who are involved in some way with the dozen homes here.  The schools are closed and this morning I have only seen one SUV turn down our street and two cars traveling the street at the top of our block.

My husband brings our bird feeder in the house each night to discourage our local raccoon population from hanging around on our deck.  This morning when he put it out, the birds were frantically hovering around him waiting not too patiently for breakfast.  We get a good mixture of avian friends enjoying the black oil sunflower seeds at our feeder, including:  tufted titmice, nuthatches, cardinals, blue jays, Carolina wrens, song sparrows, downy woodpeckers, finches, chickadees, and a very pushy flock of juncos.  We also have a pair of mourning doves that visit, but they  hang around on the ground below the deck picking though the food that has fallen from the feeder.  Occasionally they come up and gingerly try to get seeds from the feeder, but they are heavier than the other birds and they often trigger the weight thats shut the feeding compartment.  

This is the first "squirrel proof" bird feeder  we have had that actually works.  It is similar in design to our last feeder that was mounted on a post.  At the end of the feeding season we neglected to clean it and put it away.  The following fall when we planned to start feeding the birds again, we opened it up and saw that a squirrel had been living inside.  In our area, the squirrels make large nests (dreys) in the trees.  Although they often make their way into attics and chimneys, I'd never heard of one squatting in a metal bird feeder before

I hope you're snug and warm wherever you are.

Design Wall Monday - February 8, 2010

Although I did manage to work on a few things on my list from last week, I became fascinated by making scrappy little blocks.  This week, I made thirty six that I squared to 6.5 inches and forty five that squared to 5.5 inches. The blocks below are a sampling of the 5.5 inch blocks.  They look a little limp because they are taped to the hall closet door.

Don't forget to visit Judy L's blog there's always something to see on the other design walls..