Bee blocks and getting ready for Sewing Summit!

With everything we had going on, I waited until the very end of the month to sew my September blocks for the do. Good stitches bee - which was actually a long strip, rather than 2 blocks like usual.  Natalie asked us to use our imaginations and we each stuck to a single color - I got plum and others did red and golden yellow as well.  As usual, Natalie picked a gorgeous color palette and I can't wait to see how the final quilt turns out!

In a stroke of luck, Melanie of Texas Freckles had already posted the block design for October when I was working on my September strip, so I was able to do both at once.  She had us make trip around the world blocks using this great shortcut, it was super easy!  This was a fun block that I probably wouldn't have made otherwise, so I am glad I got a chance to try it out.

I am super excited for the Sewing Summit tomorrow!  There has been a kind of insane amount of email traffic on the listserv that I have been doing my best to keep up with, but I am hoping that I'll be able to just jump into things when I get there even if I haven't been completely keeping tabs on all the goings on in advance.  I did sign up for both the fat quarter swap and the charm square swap, so I have been pulling fat quarters from my stash to part with, and I bought two yards of fabric and cut them up into charms (good practice for the charms I'll be cutting for my Drunkard's Path quilt!).  It is a rainbow charm swap and I was assigned yellow and yellow-orange, so this is what I came up with.  I can't wait to see all the different fabrics I will be getting in exchange!!

I also saw that a number of folks have been making themselves nametags for sewing summit, and I was inspired to make one too, although not patient enough to hand-embroider it.  Instead I went for a free-motion embroidery/applique design inspired by the leaf design on my messenger bag pattern.  It came together really quickly and I am happy to have something new homemade for the sewing summit since I didn't make a new bag or anything.

Oh, and I have been remiss in not giving an update on the Bloggers' Dinner Party!  It has been fun doing this party, but I think I have too much going on to keep it going any longer - so it will be retiring, or at least hibernating for now.  I may do one more month in December so folks can link up holiday projects.  Thanks again to Michelle from City House Studio for hosting this past month!!