Black & White Blog Hop is Coming Soon

Are you ready for the

Black & White Blog Hop?

The blog hop is next week!

I'm excited to cheer for

this awesome list of bloggers

who are ready to inspire and show some new ways to use

a Black and White 

color scheme.

(one of my favorites)

Black & White Blog Hop Schedule

Monday, January 21st

Just Let Me Quilt
Needled Mom
Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats
Life in Scrapatch
QuiltFabrication
Scrapdash
Bumbleberry Stitches
keepsake moments
Vroomans Quilts

Tuesday, January 22nd

MooseStash Quilting
SewFreshQuilts
Elizabeth Coughlin Designs
Quilts by Joanne
PamelaQuilts
That Fabric Feeling
Songbird Designs
Two Maker Chicks


Wednesday, January 23

Selina Quilts
Beaquilter
Quilt in a not-Shell
Patchwork Breeze
Adventurous Applique and Quilting
Kathleen McMusing
Cynthia's Creating Ark
Everyone Deserves a Quilt
Homespun Hannah's Blog

Thursday, January 24

Quiltscapes
Seams to be Sew
Storied Quilts
Kathy's Kwilts and More
Ms P Designs USA
Den syende himmel
Melva Loves Scraps
The Joyful Quilter
Creatin' in the Sticks

There will be a Pinterest board with links to all the projects in one place too.

Don't miss this fun blog hop with a little something for everyone.

There may even be a giveaway...

Game Plan 2 - Project Quilting Season 10, Project 1

This is the first challenge of Season 10 of

Project Quilting.

I'm excited to join in this challenge, "Hope Springs Eternal."

My entry:

Game Plan 2

I've been hoping for a great season from my Chiefs (forever)

and

this might be the year.

There is always HOPE!!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kim at Persimon Dreams hosts Project Quilting
and
this is the 7th year I've participated.

Kim announces a challenge and you have one week to create something quilty.

Prizes can be won and it's a great way to meet new blogging friends.

The rules:

1. Your project should be about hope. It doesn’t have to be obvious, but you do have to be able to explain how it relates to the theme.

2. Projects need to be created during the week of the challenge (started on or after January 6, finished by January 13).

3. Your project does not need to be a traditional quilt, but must meet at least one of these three requirements: include patchwork, include appliqué, have 3 layers stitched together by hand or machine.

4. Incomplete or unfinished does not qualify. Every challenge piece must be a FINISHED project seen through from INCEPTION to COMPLETION during the challenge timeline.

5. Link up by Sunday, January 13 at noon CST

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Game Plan 2 wasn't my first Game Plan...

When the challenge was announced, I knew it was the title of a movie and I spent the week trying to find a moment to watch it.  Once I did,

the movie inspired me to search for an organization to donate a quilt.

I found the perfect one:

Quilts for Cure

PROVIDING QUILTS FULL OF HOPE, LOVE, AND SMILES TO KIDS FIGHTING CANCER

I love the thought of making a quilt to give a sweet child comfort.

So I started making quilt blocks.

I finished the quilt top with time to quilt it before the Chiefs playoff game on Saturday.

And then...

 the power to my machine was interrupted by a much anticipated heated bathroom floor insulation 

and 

I was not standing in the way of my new heated bathroom floor. 

I love this challenge, but my feet are anxiously awaiting that floor!

So, I made the decision to put my donation quilt aside
and
come up with plan B.
(this happens with Project Quilting sometimes)

I will finish my donation quilt later and won't have to hurry the quilting and binding.

Game Plan 2- A lighter approach to the challenge:

I have been a Kansas City Chiefs football fan most of my adult life.

As a fan of this team, I have known heartbreak 
and 
have only had a taste of what success in the postseason playoffs could be like. 
I've had hope for my team
and
This year there is HOPE once again.

So after the Chiefs' victory on Saturday, I decided on 
Game Plan 2.

I grabbed my Chiefs fabric 
and
 a pattern, Dimensional Football Quilt Block, I designed for Thermoweb
and
made a potholder.

Game Plan 2

Project Quilting Season 10, Challenge 1 - Hope Springs Eternal

I have a lot of hope for my team!

Made by Carla in Dodge City, Kansas

http://www.createinthesticks.blogspot.com/

Size: 7" x 7 "

Fusible Applique, Matchstick quilting on a domestic- by me

You can see all the other challenge projects and vote for your favorites starting at noon central on

January 14th

by clicking 

HERE

This one is #119

Go Chiefs!!

Forrest of Trees - It's a "Wild" Life Block of the Month - #12

Happy New Year!

It's the twelfth and final month for the 

It's a "Wild" Life Block of the Month!

This month's block is a big one.

Forrest of Trees

It is a mixture of traditional piecing and paper piecing.

Forrest of Trees

is

12 1/2" x 60 1/2"

and Amy from Sew Incredibly Crazy

 designed this month's block.

You can find the pattern information on Amy's blog by clicking HERE.

All of the blocks are now released

and

here is a suggested layout.

All of the patterns are available:

Here are my versions:

February-

Sew Incredibly Crazy

Maple Leaves - Block #1 Click HERE for the pattern.

March-

Creatin' in the Sticks (me)

Deer Meadow - Block #2 click HERE for the pattern

April

Just Let Me Quilt

The Big Tree and The Little Tree Stand Tall Blocks - Blocks #3 click HERE. for the pattern.

May

Moosestash Quilting

Bear Paw - Block #4 Click HERE for the pattern information.

June

Life in the Scrapatch

Owl Tree Block - Block #5 Click HERE for the pattern information.

July-

Creatin' in the Sticks (me)

Lunchtime - Block #6 click HERE for the pattern

August-

Sew Incredibly Crazy

Home at the Cabin - Block #7 Click HERE for the pattern.

September-

Just Let Me Quilt

He's So Foxy - Block #8 Click HERE for the pattern.

October

Moosestash Quilting

I Moose go Camping - Block #9 Click HERE for the pattern

November-

Just Let Me Quilt

Wishful Love - Block #10 Click HERE for the pattern.

December

Sew Incredibly Crazy

Midnight Picnic - Block #11 Click HERE for the pattern information

We started in February and we end this month and can put the blocks together.

All the blocks are free

for the month that they 

have been released.

After that, there

is a small fee.

Quilt along with us.

There is a 

monthly prize drawing 

for those

who finish the blocks

from great sponsors!

Make the block and link it up over at Amy's blog to enter.

Join us for a "Wild" Life!

Or join our 

Facebook Group

while we get ready for a new 

Block of the Month starting next month. 

Find the 

Facebook Group by clicking

HERE.  

Show off your finished quilt!!

Best of 2018

2018 was a fun year here in the Sticks.

My son and his girlfriend made a coffee mug for me for Christmas

 so I've filled it with coffee and I am joining 

Cheryl over at Meadow Mist Designs

for the

Best of 2018 Linky Party.

To participate in the party, I'm supposed to highlight my top 5 posts from 2018

which is hard to do.

My #1 highlight is the best of 2018, for sure!

I'm a Grammy.  

My little Granddaughter was born in January and it's been the most amazing thing.

My blog has had a lot of little projects for her this year 

and 

I'm sure there are a lot more to come.

2018 brought more visitors to my blog than ever before.

The reason?

I created 30 quilt blocks in December 2017 and decided to have a blog hop with 30 talented designers using the blocks in different ways and layouts for each day in April.

The enthusiasm for the block tutorials has led to my top blog visits ever.

So my #2 blog highlight of 2018 is my 30 Quilt Blocks in 30 Days Block tutorials.

My #3 highlight has to be the finished quilt that includes all the 30 blocks.

I named the quilt "Blocks" for that reason.

It's a fun modern quilt and is perfect for a beginner

 or 

can be a quick quilt for the more experienced quilter. 

I've been making quilts from each block and hope to eventually make all 30.

Project Quilting is always a highlight of my year and this year was no exception.

My friend Kim at Persimon Dreams hosts this super fun challenge for 12 weeks at the beginning of the year.  A challenge is announced and you have 1 week to make a quilty project and link it up to win prizes. 

My six projects are highlight #4 for 2018:

Left to Right starting at the top: 

 Bring on Spring

Be You (People's Choice winner)

Crazy Town (People Choice 2nd place)

Time to Stitch

Yellow by Design (People Choice 2nd place)

Mayor - No Joke

Last but definitely not least, 

my 5th highlight for 2018 was teaming up with my friends to offer the

It's a "Wild" Life Block of the Month.

I designed 2 blocks for the quilt.

Deer Meadow

 and Lunchtime

Our Facebook page for the Block of the Month has grown to almost 3000 followers

 and 

we are excited for the new year.

The new quilt will be unlike anything we've done before.

One last cup of coffee for 2018.

It was so hard not to mention all the projects I designed for Thermoweb,
my niece's graduation quilt, another niece's bridal shower quilt,

or

all the blog hops I've hosted or participated in this year.

Oops, guess I did mention them.  ha

It's been fun.

Happy New Year!