Third (or fourth) time's the charm

I joined the Block Swap Adventure this month (button on the left side of my page) and was assigned my partner Lillian.  She requested a Tulip Ladyfingers block with some color choices.  I had never made this block before (I've never made most blocks before!) and picking out the fabric was half the fun.  Last weekend, I finally sat down to cut out my pieces and put it all together, but it certainly didn't turn out how I hoped:

I think what happened was that my seam allowance wasn't quite 1/4 inch, so the block was bigger than it should be.  Then when I trimmed it back, there wasn't enough seam allowance so the tulips would remain pointy when the block is sewn to another.  But basically I was freaking out.  Enter Bobbie, a fellow quilter who answered my help post on the Block Swap Adventure Blog.  She gave me some great advice for remaking the block.  I made a second that came out nearly perfect, but since I had to rip virtually every single seam, I thought I should make a newer block due to the wear and tear.  I wasn't sure how well the block would hold up after all my man handling.  After cutting out block #3, I realized I mixed up some of the colors and actually cut out and sewed the wrong color for the HSTs.  So, I had to make a fourth block!!!   The last one turned out okay.  The block is a little shy of the 12.5 inch size, but it's pretty close.  So, I hope Lillian likes it!  I picked some Eleanor Burns and Connecting Threads fabrics in blue and yellow.  I tried to stay within the confines of Lillian's color choices, but isnt' it amazing how different each block looks based on the colors?  I love the middle one with the Riley Blake polka dots and some Lecien pinks.

I also pieced together a little pinwheel parade for the Fourth of July.  The bottom with the white sashing is my first attempt at pinwheels, and I had pretty much the same errors as I did with the Tulip Ladyfingers.  I trimmed them back a little and the points disappeared, although it wasn't terrible.  So, I tried again and it turned out so much better.   This time I omitted the sashing, too, and I think I like that look better.

And finally I whipped up a tablerunner from some of my favorite scraps that I am going to call the Indian Summer skinny tablerunner.  The backing/binding fabric is actually some that I purchased to back my fall tumbler quilt, but then I forgot I had it and since I was making a pieced backing for the fall tumbler, it completely slipped my mind until it was all quilted and I found it folded up in a pile of fabric on the couch:)  It is so summery--abstract sunflowers that look just like little suns to me.  I love it!  The flowers are from my sweet husband--we celebrated 7 wonderful years together on June 19.  Happy Summer!  I hope everyone is enjoying the weather and time with family!