Cut.Sew.Iron.Repeat

Valentine's day craft for school

2012-02-11T15:51:00.000-08:00

I volunteered to supply a craft for my daughters Kindergarten class for the Valentines day party.
All the while, I had Jenny's inspirational heart garland running thru my mind.

And then I got an email...reminding me that our class was hosting BOTH Kindergarten classes. So...that doubled the number of kids I needed to supply a craft for. ugh.

Thank goodness my mom was free this afternoon and willing to help me cut out over 300 hearts, glue them wrong sides together, and then cut 2 slits into those hearts so we could run ribbon through them to hang in a doorway.

Not quite as lovely as Jenny's garland but I think the kids will have fun, and I burned thru a few yards of fabric! Yay for using stash!

fabric folding

2012-02-09T11:13:00.000-08:00

Have you ever lost a fabric. You know it's in your stash, but you can't locate it?
This recently happened to me and I find it irritating.

So I decided to fold my fabric and organzie the stash.
I checked around and found a few methods...Happy Zombie's method
and I found Jeni's method.
All great technique's, right?

Well, this is how far I got:

I thought I would start with a fun collection...Katie Jump Rope by Denyse Schmidt. But I quickly realized there is no way Im going to stand around for hours and ...really, days and fold fabric. I would rather sew...

So...as I go thru my stash looking for missing items I plan to add some things to my Etsy shop. Maybe if I get rid of a few things...Ill find what Im looking for! If you make a purchase, now or at anytime, leave me a note that you read my blog and Ill be sure to add some fun extras!

baby quilt progress

2012-01-29T11:52:00.000-08:00

Here is my progress on my SLEEP baby quilt. I decided to make a 'story book village' on the back of the quilt...all the houses have text prints or number prints...I tried to make it a 'wordy' quilt back...and at the last minute I decided to make a girl for the center vs. another house....Im a bit perplexed by how to fill in the spaces...but Ive dug thru my stash for small dots on white fabric and came up with a few that I think I will use to piece the back together.

and yes...my sewing room is usually this messy...much to my dismay....

I also received this star block this past week as part of my Around the Bend and Across the Pond! bee. Ann has hinted that she would like stars and that she doesn't typically use such a pastel palette...so I plan on working on stars this week...and have laid out some fabrics for this on my design floor.

Have a great week!

my week in fabric

2012-01-28T11:26:00.000-08:00

Monday morning started off on a high note...I got an email from Nancy Jewell of Free Spirit fabric telling me I won a bundle of Jane Sassman fabrics from their blog, Is there any better way to start a week? And the fabrics arrived just a few days later. I think these big florals will be fun to fussy cut and my daughter has already snatched the purple prints for herself! I am thinking this is the year I finally get a picnic quilt done!

And then...Friday evening I got an email from Amanda Murphy letting me know I won the giveaway on her blog for her great new pattern, Bejeweled and...a 10 square pack of .... Modern Whimsey!!!!! with some extra leftovers from her own quilt! So now I get to see ALL the modern whimsey circles!!! plus all the other prints...really excited!! My daughter wants to make the quilt pattern in a rainbow of colors for her bed...so that could be my next project!!!

And lastly, I popped into a quilt shop about an hour away from home this morning for their semi annual sale...have you seen this Foundation by the Yard fabric? It's by Benartex....they had it on 50% clearance...a few designs like flying geese, log cabin...but I chose a panel of New York Beauty. Ill get to it someday! And since I drove all the way there...I picked up a few other goodies for my stash....

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!sorry, exclamation overload this post.

fabric shopping online

2012-01-24T10:25:00.000-08:00

Have you ever bought fabric online and it was other than you expected?

I *love* the Mingle circles on the far left...with those few green circles...*love*.
I haven't bought much Metro circles (middle) and I don't know why...(I can hear everyone who lives in this house right now say...."Cause you don't NEED them!!!") they are pretty great.

and now...Laurie Wisbrun has offered up these Modern Whimsy circles (far right). great, right? ... well, they photograph in a very deceiving way. They are much smaller in person...which is fine, but I'm not sure I love them...at least not as much as I wanted to love them since they come in lots of great colors.

You can check all the circles, and other prints from the Modern Whimsy line HERE
I think I need to get some in Daffodill just to make sure!

So...what about you? Has this ever happened to you?

weekending

2012-01-22T10:19:00.000-08:00

I had big plans to sew this weekend...but the snow had other ideas!

Instead of sewing...I was sledding...and ice skating on a wet patch of grass that is always in our common grounds...this year was wet enough before it got cold that we have a sweet little ice patch to play with! It took us a few minutes to find it and shovel it off...and its only a few feet in either direction, but it's a lot of fun...and no fear of falling into the water!!

I did manage a few house blocks...I'm working on a baby quilt...and I'm not exactly sure what direction I'm going in...but having fun getting there. My house blocks all have letters or numbers in them...and that has been fun cutting into my text prints!

Obviously I have NO IDEA how to make a patchwork A-Frame house...can't win them all I guess....

We are off to my dad's house for dinner...and some sledding beforehand of course!!

Christmas sewing

2012-01-15T17:59:00.000-08:00

Guess what? I find that if I save a few pictures in post drafts to do at a later time, I seem to blog more regularly! I uploaded these pictures to Blogger a few days ago, and here they are waiting for me to write about!

I did do some Christmas sewing. Both my mom and dad are hard to shop for. Neither of them ask for, or need anything...so that makes them perfect candidates to craft for in my opinion. My mom recently redecorated a guest bedroom in her house...

I decided to make 4 dolls for the bed...representing me and my 3 sisters. Each doll a little different ... each having some characteristic of each daughter. I am always always cold...especially at my mothers old farm house...so I am #3 ... wearing socks and long sleeves! Mom loved these dolls, I plan to get more (better) pictures of them next time I'm to her house...I forgot to take pictures once they were all done!

I found the pattern for these dolls HERE

And for my dad...I made a scrappy tumbler quilt. I had a friend cut these on her Accuquilt cutter (Thanks Patti!) and it helped me use up even more scraps!

And the back fabric was also all from stash! One of those bargains from Fabric.com I just HAD to buy...well, I finally used it up!

OK, so time to put a few posts worth of pictures into blogger again!

Neutrals quilt

2012-01-13T12:41:00.000-08:00

I previously posted about my cut-a-thon of scraps...5 inch squares and 2.5 inch squares...well, this quilt started it all. I focused on using mainly 'neutral' 5 inch squares and every small scrap I came across. I was not picky, I used whatever I grabbed from the bag of scraps. I love sewing this way.

I had a local long-armer quilt it in Baptist Fan pattern and am very pleased. This quilt currently lives on my bed.

And in my blog reading I found a new quilt a long I don't think I can avoid...especially since it gives directions for using gobs of 5 inch squares if you opt for the 90x90 size quilt. You can check it out HERE.

I love Sarah Fielke's fabrics and quilts so it really makes sense to just DO IT.

Have a great weekend. Winter has finally found us so we might just cozy up and stay inside the next couple days.

2 more

2012-01-12T05:57:00.000-08:00

The past few months I have taken some time to cut my scraps into squares...and I should say...SOME of my scraps into squares. I now have thousands of 2.5 inch squares and 5 inch squares. Its been fun seeing fabrics from sewing projects of the past resurface...

The one downfall is that I have really done a number on my cutting board and there are now some serious grooves cut into it. oh well...

I needed to make my niece another Nook pouch since the 2 I made earlier are not big enough. I hope she will like one of these two...I'm guessing she will go for the dots over the vintage, but Ill give her the choice. I used the last of my stabilizer on the dots pouch, and I'm surprised by how much nicer I find that one over the vintage fabrics...

These are fun to make...especially when you have a few thousand squares pre-cut!

Around the bend and across the pond

2012-01-07T15:18:00.000-08:00

So...I joined a group on Flickr called Around The Bend And Across The Pond

It is essentially a Round Robin except I chose the 'free form' category so my group will not necessarily be doing a full round each turn on the starter block...more exciting that way, right? Here is my starter block:

Liberated Baskets...some of these I made during the class with Gwen Marston, but others I did to fit into my starter square.

My group did not set a size for the starter block, but I have a feeling I'm pushing maximum limit at nearly 20 inches square.

And another item of note is that I sent a small quilt top off to be quilted by Krista Withers!! If you have not checked out her work please stop by her flickr stream and do it now!!

I have not blogged about this quilt top, or my amazing 4 days of classes with Gwen Marston...but I will. This was so much fun...the class was called Abstract in Solids. My jumping off point was a rail fence quilt and I just kept going...abstract....with mostly solids. I really really love this one.

Im super happy to be starting the year off with 2 projects from my Gwen Marston classes!

A fresh start

2012-01-03T07:46:00.000-08:00

I am back. And hopefully a little more regularly.
thanks for keeping me in your reader or whatnot.

I have been sewing quite a bit, just not blogging about it.

Ill start slow with these two Nook cases I made. I made 2 because my first attempt was too narrow.

I followed a tutorial by Amber at One Shabby Chic. She has some great tutorials, so make sure to check her out!

These were really simple to make, and great for scraps. I particularly like the button closure since I have yet to figure out zippers!!

Best wishes to you all in the New Year!!

Bloggers' Quilt Festival

2011-10-29T13:33:00.000-07:00

I had serious doubts of joining in Amy's Bloggers' Quilt Festival this year...I wanted to show my postage stamp quilt, but I just haven't had the oomph to get it finished...well, I did it!!

Just finished the binding 10 minutes ago, so it needs washed and dried yet, but no time like the present to blog about it!

This quilt marks the first time I have used a jelly roll! I used 1974 designed by Urban Chiks for Moda. I was lucky enough to find the textured teal solid that was released with the line at my local quilt shop!!

Here is a detal shot of the quilting design. Simple, but really fun I think. I debated adding a border...and still think it might have been a good idea...but I was ready to have this one done. I do like the dotty fabric for binding though...

Ok, Happy Halloween, we are off to a birthday/costume party for my nephews.

Don't forget to stop by Amy's blog for many many more wonderful quilts, their makers and their stories! Thanks Amy for organizing this festival and giving me the extra incentive to finish this quilt!

TO DO LIST

2011-10-25T05:17:00.000-07:00

How do you keep track of your quilting TO DO list? To this point, I have been MENTALLY keeping track of my TO DO list and I probably don't have to tell you how unsuccessful that method has been.

Do you keep a list posted next to you sewing machine?
Do you keep a journal? My mom bought me a quilting journal...I have no idea where it is...
I have started a few galleries on Flickr but it is turning more into a favorites gallery.
I need to get organized and spend my few quilting/sewing hours productively, can you tell me how you do it?
I have bought books (or rather borrowed from the library) on organizing your craft space.
Your help is needed!!

And on a side note, Im going thru my stash again, and I must lighten my load. I listed a few things on ETSY (an plan to list more as I find the time) and if you buy something, leave me a note...I will stuff lots of extra goodies in your envelope!!

Decisions...decisions...

2011-10-22T08:21:00.000-07:00

How in the world does anyone decide on what fabrics to take to a quilting class???

I am perplexed!!
I am lucky enough to be going to FOUR Gwen Marston classes next month and I feel like I will need to take a large piece of luggage for my fabric choices alone...
And seeing that this is the first time I have ever attended a quilting class, I have none of the proper "quilter's luggage" I've seen many of the women in my guild prancy about with...
but nothing I can do about that...I need to decide on fabric!!

She outlines for each class how much/which fabrics to bring, and then says to err on the side of too much fabric, well, I think I've done a good job on erring on the side of caution...behold my tentative stacks!!

Abstact quilts in solids class

Liberated Log Cabin...I was going for a more masculine feel for this quilt...but I might have gone overboard.

Liberated Baskets:

Small Quilts. ha! laughing at myself with this pile...nothing small about this stack!! I was going for a "quiet, neutral" quilt...but then feared I didn't have enough contrast so threw in all the Kaffe spots...

OK, who out there can help me focus????

birthday quilt

2011-10-16T17:42:00.000-07:00

My friend, Krista recently had two quilts published in Quilting Arts special publication 101 Patchwork Projects & Quilts. I knew immediately I would need to make my husband a version of "Rolling On Through". Finally got around to doing just that this weekend for Kent's birthday.

My daughter helped with all the fabric selections...and that was harder than you might think. She wanted to add all the little novelty fabrics she could find...but I love Krista's use of mostly solids...Colette and I found a happy balance that pleased us both.

I had a lot of fun quilting this little guy. Although, I think I need to head back to the quilt shop because the darning foot I bought in August doesn't fit my machine....grrrrrr. I found that out last night at 1015pm!!

I think this little quilt will head to work tomorrow with Kent and hang in his work space.

I'm linking this project at Clover and Violet: Stash Project of the Month!

a birthday gift

2011-10-08T17:54:00.000-07:00

I trust my sister will not read my blog at least until tomorrow night...I am gifting her a laptop sleeve tomorrow.

She originally wanted some Amy Butler art nouvou-ish type fabric for the exterior and I am SO glad she found this Alexander Henry print from Alewives. Not only is it a light canvas weight and more appropirate for the type of bag, I think it's a great print!!

The interior print will be a surprise to her. I'm guessing she will either love it or hate it...but she owns 2 guitars and L*O*V*E*S Eric Clapton so my fingers are crossed that she will love it. I do.

I used a tutorial by Oh Fransson at Sew Mama Sew.

sorry that my pictures are a bit dark, but when using a flash, it really washed out the pink dot in the exterior fabric...and I just wanted to give you a shot with the true colors!

Have a great evening...weather has been great here in Indiana...and supposed to continue a few more days!

100 Quilts for Kids

2011-10-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

Finished my tumbler quilt this weekend. This quilt is part of 100 Quilts for Kids. It will be donated to my local children's hospital pediatric cancer unit. It always feels so good to donate a quilt to these kids.

I need to give a bit shout out, *thank you* to my flickr friend, Patti. She has an Accuquilt cutter, and since I can't seem to win one :) I sent her the fabric and she cut it for me!! What a doll. She has a huge yo yo quilt project going and I sent her lots of scraps for her project. Win Win for me! I got rid of some more scraps and I cut tumblers pre cut!!

it's taking over our house!

2011-09-29T11:19:00.000-07:00

So my quilting can no longer be contained in the sewing room!

I have the backing for my 1974 postage stamp quilt laying over a quilt rack in the living room....

I am working on backing for my neutral quilt...I really wanted the riding clothes for the entire back (it is SO soft) but I don't have enough of the gray fabric, so I'm going to use some of the textured solid blue for the other half....now I need to find a quilter...I think I want this one quilted in fans...very traditional, but it appeals to me.

Let us continue upstairs into our bedroom where I'm working on my quilt for 100 Quilts for Kids.

and finally...my fantastic score of vintage fabrics and feedsacks from an auction this weekend. I think some of these might be headed to ebay to cover my costs and sedate my husband a bit...

so do you even want to guess what the sewing room looks like???

Playing favorites

2011-09-17T06:04:00.000-07:00

I'm playing along with Molly and Suz today.

We are showing bits and pieces of our favorite fabrics, or those fabrics that are down to scraps yet you still adore!

The top piece in the picture is a Timeless Treasures print. I once located a shop that still had some, yet I didn't buy more???

The middle scrap, I'm told, came from JoAnne Fabrics a few years ago...something about the fabric appeals to me so much! I love neutrals, and this reads as a neutral to me, yet adds a sweet kick of color!

and the last scrap is my holy grail. It's an out of print Alexander Henry called Bite Size. I have managed to locate a 1/2 yard of it in pink, yet it's this blue color that I would like to buy by the bolt!!

So stop over to Suz's blog and look around and share your favorite bits!

for Amy

2011-09-12T07:42:00.000-07:00

If you are like me, you read quilting blogs and feel like you get to know the person posting every day or every week to their blog. And you probably also know that the quilting/crafty community is very generous.

A blog friend recently lost her husband to cancer and Sarah put a call out for quilt blocks. These are the blocks I sent.

I hope to have a finished quilt top to show later this week. I decided after putting the flimsy on my bed that I wanted it a little bigger...so back to the cutting board!

laptop update

2011-08-24T16:39:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much to everyone who chimed in with laptop tutorials!

I think I'm going with the one at CrapIveMade...

but now, can I request one more round of input? My sister and I have really different taste. Really different.

She is thinking she would like a fabric that is kind of Art Nouveau but does not look ANYTHING like ANYTHING Vera Bradley has ever produced. (Being in the same city as Vera Bradley kinda does that you.)

I sent her to Quilt Home and she found this Amy Butler print...I'm not sure of the size on this print, do you think it will work on a laptop cover for a laptop that has a 17 inch diagonal screen?

Can you suggest any other fabrics that might fit the bill?

100 Quilts for Kids

2011-08-22T10:59:00.000-07:00

In my efforts to cut and tidy up my scraps...I found these squares. My friend Holly sent these to me months ago. And now I know what I want to do with them! 100 Quilts for Kids is gearing up and I hope to use these for a quilt for a child right here in my community!

(Head over to Katie's blog and read more about this project!!)

The squares are not uniform...some are near 5x5 inches, but others are 3.5 x 4ish...so I might start by squaring up these pieces...but from there...I'm still in the dark. Do I keep it uniform? Do I stack them like a coin quilt? Do I use them as the middle of a log cabin? any suggestions?

School bag

2011-08-20T18:46:00.000-07:00

I made my pre-schooler a tote bag for school tonight. He is not at all excited about the idea of school, so I thought if he picked out the fabric he might be more interested in the process of getting ready for school. He picked out this home dec fabric at JoAnn's this week.

And it was a no brainer to line it in Pokemon fabric!

I started making this bag with directions from Amy Karol's Bend-The-Rules Sewing...but got utterly lost immediately! So I went back to the tutorial Terri has on her blog. The only thing I added was boxing the corners...following these directions. Hugo is happy with the finished product...although he is no more excited about school.

So I am also playing with my tiny scraps and have come up with this block. Which arrangement do you prefer? top or bottom?

Children At Play

2011-08-18T10:31:00.000-07:00

Here are my favorite children at play...empty boxes is all it takes really. This space ship has since been painted red, graffiti with Pokemon and christened The Raichu.

And here are my second favorite Children At Play:

For those of you who know Anna perhaps the baker's twine will be a dead giveaway...but I am lucky enough to live in the same city as Anna, and she has a sweet online store selling bunnies, bakers twine, fabric and other fun goodies! When I found out she was selling Children at Play I placed my order right away...she is even selling it at 20% off right now! look! she has the balloon fabric!!

Of course, I also picked up some bikes and trikes fabric too...maybe you noticed in the first picture we have a few bikes around my house? I've been collecting bicycle fabric for ages...my husband needs a bike quilt. sooner vs. later hopefully!

leftovers...

2011-08-11T13:28:00.000-07:00

Thanks for your suggestions of what to do with the leftovers from my obsessive squares cutting...
I have a few things happening on my "design wall". Some neutral blocks and then some blocks made using the leftovers of my square cutting...I think there is some hidden potential in both projects!

OK, my oldest sister who NEVER asks me to make her anything has asked for a lap top case. Help! does anyone have any pattern suggestions or tutorials to point me to?

ok, someone is waiting to finish our game....

Cutting scraps

2011-08-08T19:07:00.000-07:00

Ever since I finished the recovery quilt, I have been cutting squares from my scraps and in some cases, my stash. mostly 2.5 inch squares, but some 5 inch squares when the size warranted it. I love seeing my fabric up close and personal...not sure if I am going somewhere with all this cutting, although my new Amish books have got me thinking about Sunshine and Shadows...for now, I'm just enjoying the cutting.

This is a small section of what is left over...scraps from my scraps. I'm having a hard time with the thought of putting them in the trash. any good ideas for what to do with them?

Recovery Quilt

2011-08-07T06:44:00.000-07:00

I made this lap quilt for my best friend's mother. She is recovering from major surgery.

This quilt taught me that its great to have a layer cake laying around. and, it taught me that I really really learn how to machine quilt. Other than straight lines. Because straight lines are making me batty. note to self: start experimenting!!

I'm linking this post with Clover and Violet's Stash Project of the Month. Check out what others are making from stash, and this month, how others are organizing.

book finds

2011-08-07T06:38:00.000-07:00

The kids and I were at the downtown library this week and I found a few treasures...some I bought at the bookstore of library withdrawn books and a few I borrowed.

First, my purchases:

Can you believe the library let me have these books for $1 each! I love Amish quilts, and I read the first chapter of The World Of Amish Quilts while sitting outside with the kids. There are many Amish communites nestled all around northern Indiana, I find it fascinating to learn more about their culture.

(and a quick stop at a thrift store netted me some binding and ribbon for cheap!!)

And then I checked out a number of other quilting books, these two being my favorite.

Carla recently posted about one of Mary Mashuta's books and blogged about her project, check it out! Both of these are great books!

Happy Birthday darling...

2011-07-31T19:10:00.000-07:00

As you can see, my not so girly girl is pleased with her pillowcase. I did use #18 pattern at All People Quilt and it turned out OK. It annoys me a little that it called for such a large piece of fabric, only to chop off about 5 inches after you've finished quilting....but I should have looked over the pattern better and realized that before hand...

I quilted it in a large grid...not that you can see from the picture...but I was all ready to try Monster Teeth free motion pattern (Thanks Des!!) when this happened:

At some point, I hit the zig zag button on my sewing machine and BLAM I broke the foot. Very discouraging to have this happen at 11 pm...
I hope this foot doesn't cost a fortune to replace...anyone know?

And just so you can all laugh WITH me...here is my daughters birthday cake...we made the frosting ourselves and I think I didn't get it runny enough as it was a real problem to frost...but then after Coco "decorated" it with York pieces in the shape of a Pokemon it all worked out.
(what? you don't see Raichu)

It was a great weekend. I can't believe my baby is 6!

Pokemon

2011-07-28T19:51:00.000-07:00

Yep, you read that right...Pokemon. ugh.

My daughter's birthday is Saturday and I am planning to make her a pillowcase with this horrible, scratchy, rummage sale bought fabric. And she is going to L*O*V*E it.

I looked through All People Quilt pillowcase patterns and decided on the quilted pillowcase because the fabric is of such thin, cheaply made quality.

Here is the question I'm posing tonight...should I do grid quilting as shown in the example or should I stretch my non-existent machine quilting skills and try something else...and if option two suits you...what is that something else?

And in other news...I did purchase a bit more Children At Play fabric...and in an effort to cover the cost of incoming fabric...I am selling off some fabric on etsy. Next item to be listed is a 1/2 yard bundle of Red Letter Day by Lizzy House

As you can see, I'm in no danger of running out...

Summertime

2011-07-23T08:43:00.000-07:00

Oh wow, it has been a long hot week!
The kids went to Vacation Bible School this week from 6-845pm...so they have stayed up much later than usual...missing naps...and having to find indoor activities because of dangerous heat index! weird long week!!

I have been making a quilt for my best friends mother who is recovering from major surgery...and once again, I'm slowed down by the quilting process. I need something more than straight line quilting up my sleeve! I talked to a lady in my guild who teaches machine quilting at a local quilt shop and I plan to sign up at the earliest possible chance!!

I used a layer cake of Rural Jardin by French General...nice and easy.

And...I made a fabric purchase...I won a gift certificate to Fat Quarter Shop a few months ago from the wonderful Leona (Thanks again Leona!!) and surprised myself by not ordering anything until now:

I love every single print I got. LOVE. I plan on getting lots more Children At Play but I will have to wait for a sale or discounted prices!

And lastly, it's my sisters birthday today...happy birthday Weise! And in addition to a few things I bought her, I made her a pony tail holder...bright and cheery (and fuzzy in the picture I realize now) and fun for summer.

Have a great weekend, and I promise I won't be so absent from the blog!

Hometown winner

2011-06-26T08:16:00.000-07:00

I really must say...we spend a lot of time at the library and and I was so surprised by how many book suggestions I got that I have NEVER HEARD of!! I am so excited to compile a list of all of them and work our way through them this summer! Thank you everyone!

It was also recommended a number of times about workbooks...and we are doing those...so I feel like we are on the right track.

In an attempt to not post without a picture, Ill show you a few of our favorite books, old and new:

yes...I borrowed the pictures from Amazon.

and so, without further ado...the winner of the Hometown scraps goes to:

Sandie!

Sandie, Ill send you an email if I don't hear from you first...must get lunch on the table now!

a fun little giveaway

2011-06-20T17:53:00.000-07:00

A month ago or so, I won a giveaway from Sweetwater. You know...the awesome force behind such great fabric lines as Authentic, Make Life..., and the upcoming Hometown. Well....I won a fantastic box of Hometown scraps.

I'm super excited for this collection...it has a seriously cool vibe. I have a few pieces put aside for my next neutral quilt..and the text prints are fabulous. I thought someone might like a 'charm' stack of these fabrics?

My scale tells me this is 3.4 ounce of fabric. You want it? on the right side there are a few cuts from the canvas weight...very nice weight I think!! I'm thinking library bags for my kids.

So just leave a comment...maybe you can tell me your favorite way to keep your kids learning during the summer? or your child's favorite book? Ill have random number pick a winner on Saturday.

The baby quilt

2011-06-18T19:01:00.000-07:00

I just finished a baby quilt. I love it. I finished it, and then 2 hours later, gifted it away. ... far far away.
although this could be a post on procrastination...I'll make it a post of progression...
this quilt was a lot of fun for me. I think I have officially found my 'comfort zone' in the quilting world. You can have your precision and patterns, I will take flying by the seat of my pants...without further ado...
I give you my process in pictures...

The start of the idea...inspired by quilts like THIS and THIS

Worked on some liberated piecing...just had a pile of neutral fabrics on the sewing table, working with what I picked up...adding a few colors here and there. Notice you will not be seeing the block on the far right bottom again...I could not get over how it looked (unintentionally) like an F.

Adding more pieces to the puzzle.

Now I am set in my layout, but debating on backing and binding...I usually like to mull these decisions over, but procrastination took away that luxury.

Quilting begins....approximately 18 hours before the baby shower.

Finished product. I love it so much. I definitely want to make myself a quilt like this one...full size...but maybe without the center patchwork. I think I would prefer to focus on the spontaneous piecing in neutrals.

And because I wasn't slap happy and sleep deprived enough, I forged ahead with one of the 4 baby bibs I had intended to make. This is a 'matching' bib and it is resting on the back of the finished quilt.

I made this quilt in 8 days. Not sure I have start to finish made a quilt in that short of time before. Not a quilt like this one anyway...I am happy to report the soon to be mom loved it. She thanked me many times and expressed a love for the fabrics I used and the non traditional design of the quilt. Such a great feeling to have a hand made gift so well received.

The quilt finished at 42x48 inches.

I did vertical quilting about 1.25 inches apart with a few horizontal lines thrown in willy nilly.

The backing fabric is an adorable Sevenberry fabric that is so wonderfully soft.

ETA: I forgot to mention that this will be my submission for June's Stash Project

June 9th, really?

2011-06-09T12:30:00.000-07:00

End of school has been busy for us...

My daughter performed in her ballet class's recital at The Scottish Rite Auditorium which was so much fun for the girls to be on the BIG stage....

We took a mini vacation to the Columbus Zoo and Water Park which was an enormous hit with our two...mornings at the zoo and afternoons at the water park? yep...they loved it.
(and I squeezed in a stop at Sew To Speak which is an amazing fabric shop...oh how I wish it was my local shop!!)

And throw in a garage sale, carnival, gardening, and general outdoor stuff you pretty much get an idea of where I have been....my sewing machine was also serviced during this time. How much do you pay for a service? OUCH, mine was $60. Is that the going rate?

Here is what I am working on at the moment:

A baby quilt for my co-workers daughter...due next week. oh my. And also need to make some pillow case dresses for the month of May and June for my bee, A Dozen Quilters (ugh, Ive never been late for my bee before! I feel terrible!!)

AND...finally...I'm planning on joining Katie again this year for 100 Quilts for Kids...click on thru to read the details, or click the button on my side bar.

Winner

2011-05-25T19:07:00.000-07:00

#209 goes away with the prize tonight.

winning comment:
----------------------------------
mennikelly said...

I store things in plastic containers that my 3 year old has difficulty opening.
---------------------------------

obviously random.org has a funny bone!

Thanks for all your suggestions, can't wait to go thru and give them all the attention they deserve and then start putting them to work for me!

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway

2011-05-22T18:03:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to my regular readers and those who may be joining in from the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway! What fun, huh?

I decided this time around I would give away one yard of fabric from Come Quilt With Me by Pat Yamin for Marcus Brothers.

I will let Random.org pick a winner on May 25th.

I will ship anywhere in the world.

In return for your entry...I would like to pick your brains! I really need to organize my craft/sewing space. If you would please leave a comment with your best organizational tip...best way to store fabric, best way to store patterns...misc. ribbons, buttons, ric rac, scraps, pillow forms, batting remnants...you get the idea! Let me know what works for you!!

Please leave a way for me to contact you if you are a no reply blogger.

Ok then, leave a comment and be off with you...go enter more giveaways!

Keyka Lou

2011-05-19T17:25:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of Keyka Lou?
Well, I had seen some bags around flickr made with her patterns...like THIS and THIS and followed some links and found Michelle's online shop. I am seriously a novice with bags, and I fell in love with her patterns...I got 4 of them when she was having an anniversary sale last month...this is my first attempt at the owl coin purse....

It will be gifted to my nephew this weekend for his birthday...along with this pillow I made him

I fussy cut some Heather Ross fabrics and backed it with the Prints Charming fabric the pillow is resting on, I wanted to do a zipper back, but in the end I did an envelope back...still need to work on zipper skills. this is destined to be the softest pillow ever!!

I'm linking this project to Stash Project of the Month at Clover and Violet

Three things

2011-05-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

I am *really* excited about three things today...
Lily of the Valley. Maybe my favorite flower...blooming in my backyard...its such a short season for them here in Indiana...

I won two giveaways!!! Two incredible books!!
Thank you so much Em for Material Obsession 2. I love Kathy and Sarah's work!! ( You should check out Em's blog...she is an incredible quilter and an amazing person!!)

And...from Fat Quarterly I won Sarah's newest solo book, Quilting from Little Things....
I am so excited to NOT have to wait until this one is released in the States!!! Ive only just made it thru the introduction, but I love that there is a mini quilt of every pattern! What fun!!

And thirdly...

I borrowed this pictures from HERE...can I do that?

Gwen Marston will be the lecturer and teacher at my guild later this year and I will be there!! Two days!! Oh, I am so excited!

Estate Sale

2011-05-15T16:48:00.000-07:00

We are all pretty excited about the bird's nest in our backyard...I'm glad the nest is tightly tucked away because I think the kids would love to be holding these eggs!!

I went to an estate sale this weekend. I'm not sure I "needed" this fabric, but I couldn't walk away from it either. Does that ever happen to you?

And make sure to stop back here next week for another giveaway...Sew Mama Sew is hosting their bi-annual three day extravaganza of giveaways!!

Blogger's Quilt Festival

2011-05-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

Welcome to everyone stopping by from Amy's Bloggers Quilt Festival! For regular readers, this quilt is very familar! I recently finished this quilt, with the help of many wonderful blocks donated from around the world, to be auctioned off at a fundraiser.

My oldest and best friend was the organizer of the Vive Le Rouge fundraiser and I wanted to do what I could to help her meet her goals. Well I am so happy to say they did! Even with terrible weather, the event made their goal. And the quilt above brought in $500!!

I received blocks from 8 states and 3 different countries to help pull this quilt together in time.

The quilt is 68 x 90 inches...so a rather good size for a twin bed, or snuggling on the couch.

Don't forget to click the button below to visit all the quilts entered into the festival! It is a lot of fun!

And a whole lot of inspiration!!

Winner

2011-05-13T10:06:00.000-07:00

just a quick post to let know I picked a winner last night for the patterns.
Melissa's patterns will be sent to lucky #3!!

Congratulations Maggie!!

and don't forget if you would like to purchase these patterns, you can find them at QuiltWoman.com.

Blog Tour = Giveaway!!

2011-05-10T03:25:00.000-07:00

My friend and fellow Dozen Quilter's bee member, Melissa Stramel from Lilac Lane has just released two very wonderful bag patterns. If you haven't found Melissa's blog yet, here is a bit of information on her:

“In 2009 and 2010, Melissa designed patterns for the Moda Bake Shop and Riley Blake's Cutting Corners. Then in the spring of 2010, Melissa was inspired by her young daughters to try something new. She began designing fabrics to fill a void she saw in the industry. She wanted something beautiful and yet fun which could be enjoyed by women of all ages. Thus, her first line, HoneySweet was born, a culmination of childhood memories and her love of flower gardening. Another driving factor for this collection was a desire to make something unique, lovely and fun. Melissa's fabrics will be produced by Andover Fabrics and her patterns by QuiltWoman.com.”

Melissa was one of my first "blog" friends, and even though we have never met face to face, I'm sure we would get along like two peas in a pod.

A few months ago Melissa asked me to be a pattern tester for her Joy Bag...and to be honest, I had never made a bag before. I admitted my short comings right up front, but Melissa assured me I could handle it...and, after 2 very silly questions on the pattern pieces, I did! Here is the bag I made and immediately gave to my niece...I was going for a "Twilight" feel and I think this toile made an 11 year old very happy!

I’m giving away a copy of each pattern. Just leave a comment below. Or visit QuiltWoman.com to buy the patterns as either a traditional paper copy or an instant downloadable copy.

Doesn't this Bountiful bag look amazing! Be gone generic blue Wal-Mart grocery bags, HELLO Bountiful!!

I will keep the giveaway open until Thursday May 12. At which time I will let Random.org pick two winners. Giveaway is open to anyone.

Vive La Rouge Deux

2011-05-05T11:28:00.000-07:00

The AIDS fundraiser quilt is DONE!!

I'm really proud of this one and so grateful to all of you who sent blocks to help make the quilt!

Just finished last night at 1am and dropped it off this morning for auction. The quilt finished at 62x90 and I think will make a great twin size bed quilt or nice big couch quilt.

The auction will be Saturday. Here is more information on the fundraiser.

Here is the back of the quilt:

And here....is the very scary amount of red on my FIVE Shout Color Catchers.

Does anyone know if this means the quilt is still at risk for bleeding issues? I didn't see any problems when it came out of the wash...and once it was dry I was happy with the results...but wonder if I should send a color catcher or two with the quilt winner?

Thanks again to everyone who sent blocks. I am so pleased with this quilt and to help raise funds for AIDS awareness.

Now, if you will excuse me......

This is what my sewing area looks like...and believe me, it doesn't get any better around the corners!

OOPS

2011-04-28T16:26:00.000-07:00

Long time no see...busy time of year, huh?
Of course, is there ever NOT a busy time of year?

Here is what I am working on right now...literally, right now.

My amazing, beautiful niece (and future baby sitter) is turning 12 in May and I am making her this lap quilt. She is a voracious reader (love that about her!!) so we got her some books for her birthday, and I thought I would make this quilt....

In fact, there are lots of things I want to make in May. The AIDS raffle quilt goes on the block May 7th...I'm currently biting my nails STILL waiting to get it back from the quilter...I called last week to remind them of my deadline...they promised.

But the list goes on.....pillow (like this) and owl coin purse for my nephew's birthday

pillows for my mom for Mothers day

table runner for my sister that I promised to her LAST YEAR

and one more frog basket for my daughters teacher....

We have been rained on more days than I care to remember lately...so the kids and I have grabbed every dry minute we can get outside...although we don't stay dry....

overflow

2011-04-13T11:39:00.000-07:00

I worked a lot of hours yesterday going thru my stash that is not 1/2 yard and more...and this is what I have come to terms with. I need to get rid of some of it. Two Medium flat rate boxes and two flat rate envelopes FULL of fabric. FULL. I plan to price them crazy cheap if anyone is interested before they hit Etsy...Medium flat rate box is $11 to ship...so Im thinking $16 for a box and $7 for an evelope.

Also rediscovered 9 sweet Sun Bonnet Sue blocks...not my style. doubt it will ever be...so Ill be listing 9 blocks for sale too.

Trying new things

2011-04-12T07:22:00.001-07:00

Teacher's Gift, a photo by Krousegirl2 on Flickr.

I made this fabric basket last night using the tutorial found at Pink Penguin.
I hope to make a matching basket in the pink version of this frog fabric too.
My daughters class is called the FROGS.

Im hoping to build my confidence to try making bags, purses, and pouches...

on a side note...im slowly adding some things to my Etsy shop. I plan to destash some fabric I don't think I will use and some great deals on scraps and odd cuts of fabric!

Stash project of the Month

2011-03-29T10:51:00.000-07:00

Do you see that cute button on the side bar? the top one. Stash project of the Month. Jennie and Clara have a fun blog, great projects, and great incentive to link up each month with a project you are working using your stash. I was lucky enough to win last month on their blog for linking up the Valentine's Dolls I made my kids.

They sent me this sweet stack of fat quarters, fun, huh?

Well I plan to link up again this month (hurry only 2 days left to link up!!) with this project for decorating our house for spring.

Please disregard the trains sitting on the mantel...I'm lazy about house keeping. But isn't the bunting cute? I love Sandi Henderson's Henna Garden print. In every color!! I'd like to pick up a few more colors so I can make another one of these buntings for Colette's bedroom in different colors...wish it came in purple!

I think Henna Garden is one of the prettiest fabrics out there!

AIDS raffle quilt

2011-03-23T11:57:00.000-07:00

I'm dropping the quilt off tomorrow to the long arm quilter! I am excited to see this one quilted. If you don't see your cross block...rest assured, it is probably on the back(or in the corners I cut off when taking the picture!). I tried really hard to use every single block I received! Thanks again to everyone who helped me make this quilt!

Just One Star

2011-03-15T17:21:00.000-07:00

Have you heard the news? Moda is spearheading a great effort to make 100 quilts in 100 days! but not just any quilts...Quilts Of Valor!

Bee blocks

2011-03-08T17:47:00.000-08:00

This month for A Dozen Quilters Hollie asked us to do some courthouse steps blocks.
She asked that we use orange, gray, and blue...I hope she likes what I put together.

I might make a few more...but solid prints ONLY. I love this block.

And to squeeze in a tiny bit more sewing time this afternoon I gave Colette the camera and she busied herself with taking a few pictures...the ones of me have been deleted, but this was a favorite picture she took of my desk:

And a big thank you for the red cross blocks I received over the past few days. I called my LQS about quilting it for me and Julie said she would do it for FREE since it is a fundraiser!!!

HOORAY.

She also told me the shop is closing in May. BOO HISS. She wants to concentrate on her family and I can't think of a better reason to close shop...but still I will be said to see a local quilt shop close.

Kids Quilt

2011-03-06T11:03:00.000-08:00

This weekend I finished my kids quilt for Camp Watcha Wanna Do.

It feels great to have it done early...due by June guild meeting...

I wanted to try my hand at an orange/aqua combination and I really do like it.
For the binding I wanted to NOT play it safe. some Flickr friends suggested I think beyond the blue or orange options and ultimately...I let my daughter decide between an orange, blue, or green binding.

It doesn't "pop" as much as I would have liked...but I think it does do a fine job and keeps the quilt gender neutral...

I was really really really inspired by Carla's Anniversary Crosses quilt. And I can't wait to now begin putting the top together for the AIDS Fundraiser quilt!

Thank you and Welcome

2011-03-03T05:11:00.000-08:00

I want to Welcome everyone stopping by from Sew We Quilt @ Stash Manicure! It was a nice surprise to wake up this morning to lots of comments and ideas!!

And I wanted to thank all my regular readers, bee ladies, and Flickr friends for the support you have given me to make this AIDS Walk quilt for the fundraiser! You can read HERE about my project if you might be interested in donating a cross block!

My kids are helping me with the layout of the blocks...I think we might be playing with these for a few days.

Thank you.

2011-02-28T19:53:00.000-08:00

I would like to thank every one of you who voted for Hugo's color wheel quilt and thanks to Gen X Quilters for holding the contest and especially Sew Fresh Fabric for sponsering it. I won third place in the quilt contest and received this amazing bundle of Anthology fabrics as my prize. Thank you!! I adore Hugo's quilt so it was nice to see that others liked it as well!!

I know I have been a bit absent in this space, but we have had countless school delays and school cancellations recently and it has seriously thrown off our groove.

I will be posting at Sew We Quilt @ Stash Manicure on Thursday...so if you would like to check out my experiment with Kaffe scraps...drop by and say hello here.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T11:46:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone is feeling loved today. I enjoy celebrating the day with my kids and making them feel extra special. I made them both a doll this year and am so pleased that they actually like them!!

I used the pattern " I Heart You " from Hillary Lang's wonderful book "Wee Wonderfuls".

The girl doll is green and purple because those are Colette's favorite colors of course...and I used Katie Jump Rope for Hugo's doll because Ive been longing to use some of my KJR stash! His shorts are from a vintage fabric in my stash.

These are my first attempt at doll making, and I think I am up for the challenge. I enjoyed the whole process!

For Valentine's Day I received these:

Well, maybe we just got them this weekend by coincidence...and honestly, my husband has been more excited about them than I have...to me, they just represent 'doing laundry'...he thinks they are a cool new appliance. Maybe if he did the laundry, he would see things my way?? Either way, I am pleased a queen size quilt now fits nicely into my washing machine!

Happy Valentines Day everyone.
xoxo hugs and kisses

Vote

2011-02-10T10:34:00.000-08:00

Today begins voting at Gen X Quilters for your favorite bed size quilt.
I will be honest...I voted for myself...but that was just because I feared I would get skunked...I think my honest true favorite is #23 Yellow and Gray Lady of the Lake...but go check them all out and vote for your favorite!! There are some real beauties!!

Cross block on my mind

2011-02-09T12:06:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much to everyone who has expressed interest in making a cross block for the AIDS walk fundraiser quilt! I am so excited! I have made 4 more blocks as well...

And then I thought...since I am making cross blocks...why not another version?

I plan to make this quilt for Camp Watcha Wanna Do and...maybe this is a horrible thing to admit, but I wanted to practice on this quilt before doing the AIDS quilt. I want to have some experience with doing a top with different width blocks....with maybe adding solid blocks...or 'equal sign' blocks...I want to experiment with this quilt before the raffle quilt...that is not such a bad thing, is it??

I am really enjoying the 'game time decision' each block presents...I have a mess of orange and blue fabrics out and I'm trying not to create gobs more scraps!

speaking of scraps...is there anyone out there who would be willing to pay shipping for a flat rate envelope full of scraps? smaller pieces....??

eta...I might have just cleared out a big pile of scraps...but Ill offer again next post if need be!

Hugo's color wheel quilt

2011-02-07T10:45:00.000-08:00

Today I want to revisit Hugo's color wheel quilt as part of Love Nest Quilt Contest going on at Gen X Quilters.

I found this quilt pattern in Joelle Hoverson's wonderful book, Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts. I fell in love with this quilt and the challenge it presented to me. Trying to take my stash and make a color wheel from it. I toyed with the fabrics on my design wall for weeks.

adding and subtracting fabrics. I swapped fabric for a few of the Flea Market Fancy prints...and my friend Robin donated a few key prints and the wonderful IKEA print used as the backing.

Finally finishing it this past spring...about the same time Hugo moved into his big boy twin bed. So in my mind this quilt was always for his bed. The book's pattern is for a 56 inch square quilt..but I added an extra 10 inches to the top and bottom to make it work on a twin size bed.

The back...I love this IKEA fabric...I wish I had more. I used every inch of this fabric for the back.

And the binding...which looks yummy here and was fun to make.

I love looking at this quilt...and often think i will make another. Here is my sweet boy snuggled under his quilt:

lucky number 21

2011-02-06T18:12:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post tonight...
We got M*O*R*E snow this weekend. My family and my sisters' families meet every Sunday at my Dad's house for dinner...well today, we played in the snow. for HOURS. I am so tired.
Thankfully the kids were tired too!

Random.org picked lucky number 21 tonight and that belongs to Katy. I have sent you an email Katy!
Congratulations and thanks for playing!

and also...a BIG HUGE thank you to everyone who has offered to help with a block for the AIDS quilt. I am so grateful to all of you! Check out the blocks Lucia has made for the quilt. Thank you so much!!

Giving Back part 2

2011-02-02T03:46:00.000-08:00

February is my month of A Dozen Quilters and I am asking my fellow bee members to make blocks for a charity quilt to be raffled off at an AIDS Walk fundraiser event. I am going to copy most of my bee post here, with some extra information at the bottom, and a 2nd chance to enter my giveaway if you wish!

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Before I start with what my project is about, let me tell you a little background...I have a best friend. well, bestest friend really...we coined that phase many years ago...I'm sure of it.
Jessica and I decided to be best friends during a bathroom break in 3rd grade and we have never looked back.
We have grown up together and we are the next best thing to sisters...although i have three wonderful sisters and Jessica has...ummm, I forget exactly how many sisters, but lots since she is the baby of 17 kids.
Jessica and I met for coffee this weekend and to catch up. I meant to take my camera for a pic of us, but forgot...but here is my favorite pic of Jessica at around 14 years old.

I love this picture...look at her determination...proving to me that she could indeed to the splits.

Here we are approximately 10 years later. We left home right after college to go to London, England, find jobs and live for about 6 months. Time of my life.
And here is where I should have a recent picture of us, but that doesn't exist.
ANYWAY...Jessica is the most giving of herself person you could ever meet. For the second year in a row she has accepted the leadership role of planning our cities AIDS Walk. Helming this event is practically and second full time job for Jessica, and I asked if I could help. I asked if I could make a quilt for raffle. She loved this idea...every year they bring several panels of the national AIDS memorial quilt to the walk so having a quilt to raffle seems like a good idea, huh?

HERE is a link to the web page giving more information about the fundraiser.

Here are a few blocks that I have made for the quilt.

I would like to do a cross block quilt, much like Lucia did here:

Lucia made this quilt, with the help of Flickr friends to comfort a family friend with cancer. She asked that we make the blocks wonky or straight just as long as they are at least 9.5 inches high (unfinished).

I would like the back grounds to be red.
red red red. No white back grounds...red.
Then the cross section of the block can be made with whatever fabric you like. I am looking for diversity!
Here is a very simple tutorial for making this cross block.
short recap:
red background for block
cross section whatever you choose
no juvenile fabrics please
each block to measure at least 9.5 inches tall unfinished
theme for AIDS Walk this year is Carnivale and Vive La Rouge is the event name.
PLEASE*** please pre-wash your fabrics!!!

I'm hoping to make a large quilt

Now..if you...anyone reading this post...would like to make a quilt block to help me in my quest to be finished with this quilt my mid April...feel free to say so in my giveaway post and consider it a second entry into my giveaway and then I will email you back with my address. Thank you!

again...please specify that you want to make a block, so that I can send you my address.

Giving Back part 1

2011-01-30T12:28:00.000-08:00

I must admit it here and now...I am an incredibly lucky girl.
Not in everything in life, I assure you, but with winning fabric/crafty giveaway's I am a bit charmed.

My current streak started back in October when I won Cathy's giveaway. It was the most productive giveaway ever! I made loads of Christmas presents with that awesome FQ bundle! (Thanks again Cathy!)
and incidentally, Cathy has a great online shop with lots of great sales right now!

And I blogged about my win of Art Gallery Fabrics just a few weeks ago.

And now...now the grand daddy of most coveted giveaways...in my book anyway...I won a Fat Eighth bundle of French General's La Petite Ecole hosted by Sherri and sponsored by Green Fairy Quilts.

(picture borrowed from Green Fairy Quilts...I sure hope that is ok!)

Thank you so much Sherri and thank you Judi and Clint. I am so excited!

So you see...I am a lucky girl...and what better way to show my gratitude toward all the crafty bloggers that host giveaways, but than to host one myself?

I just finished sewing together the postage stamp blocks...thank you everyone for your input in the last post...in the end, I sewed them all together as is. I got a comment stating that since I love postage stamp quilts, chances are I probably still do, and that prompted me to just follow thru with the quilt as is.

I'm still debating a border or two...but that is another post...

So...giving back...yes...I got a lot of comments here and on Flickr about everyone's love of the Urban Chiks 1974 line...so I thought I would pull my stash and give away my own FE bundle!

Please leave a comment below...and I will pick a winner next Sunday, February 6th.
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This stack of red is all about Giving Back part 2, and that will be my next post in the following days...but can anyone explain how someone who has as much fabric as I do could only pull these predominantly red fabrics from her stash????

Oh NOOOOOO!

2011-01-25T13:27:00.000-08:00

So...I got all (minus one) of my blocks done for the P.S. I Quilt - A - Long and there is only one problem. I do NOT like it. I feel like it's missing something. Like sashing? maybe an alternating solid block? something...

I thought I was completely on board with a postage stamp style quilt...

What do you do when you are mid project and suddenly fall out of love with it?

A horse is a horse

2011-01-24T14:24:00.000-08:00

Has anyone discovered a cute way to photograph fabric garlands? OY! I have no idea!

Anyway, I have a good friend from college that just loves horses. Growing up in the city I don't have much experience with horses, but I sent my friend a Christmas garland, and she loved it...so, when her birthday rolled around, i figured..."why not"?

She loves it!! I just got a letter from her today!! (yes, she and I have been corresponding since college with snail mail...it's not that we don't have email, blogs, or cell phones...we like it that way!!) So I can already imagine during big race days, she will have this hanging in her living room!

Postage Stamp Quilt a long

2011-01-23T16:16:00.000-08:00

I joined the quilt a long with Rachel at P.S. I Quilt and I am really glad I did. I've had 2 Urban Chiks 1974 jelly rolls for a while and been wanting to use them...I've used a few strips out of one of them, so I ended up opening both...and I plan to make the quilt bigger than the quiltalong directions...
I was so lucky to find the solid teal that came with the line at my LQS!! I think this is the first time I have made a quilt 'just because'. It is not destined for anyone's bed or new baby...I kinda like quilting for the sake of quilting!

Also, I bought a new ruler called Shape Cut for this project and it made cutting the strips much easier! I feel like I have quite a few more postage stamp style quilts left in me!!

Quilts for Queensland

2011-01-19T08:24:00.000-08:00

Corrie at RetroMummy is organizing a drive to collect 12.5 inch quilt blocks that she and a group of sewers are going to assemble into quilts and hand out to the families affected by the floods in Australia. I knew I wanted to join in and I made a block but then I remembered a 'block of the month' I did at my LQS years ago that I never finished...

I found enough scraps (or maybe the fabric for the missing block I never made??) but Im sure I can make a block of it and get these sent off to Corrie.

Maybe you have a block or two you could send?

FABRIC post

2011-01-08T15:13:00.000-08:00

Here is the good and the bad of my week, fabric wise...

first...the good

I won a giveaway at Don't Call Me Betsy!!! Sew Fresh Fabric on Etsy sponsored the giveaway and they sent me 8 very fresh, new to me 1/2 yards cuts! Just looking at this pile makes me think spring, which is important as the snow falls and the temperature drops...I apologize to you though...I didn't have time to take a pic during the day...so this is the best my wee camera can do at night.

and now the bad:

not bad fabric mind you...just bad habits. Stopped into my LQS looking for a fabric for an upcoming quilt I am working on, and lucky for me, they had it! But they also had lots of new fabrics on the sale rack. So polka dots and Ash Kona solid came home with me...for all the wrong reasons...not that I don't like all of these, I do...but if I am honest, the price was too hard to resist!

So here we are on the 8th day of the year, and I easily and readily have slipped back into bad habits. I am really going to try and stay within my fabric budget this year...

design wall

2011-01-03T13:09:00.000-08:00

I am very lucky to have a room all to myself for sewing. Its a big help to be able to leave things laying around...but the floor space is v. limited as well as the wall space...I have some batting pinned to the wall giving me approximately 38x50 inches for a design wall. Today I decided I am going for a new approach with my 2010 bee blocks. Using the limited space of my design wall...I'm going to join blocks together in whatever fashion strikes my fancy...today's 'block' is roughly 25 inches square.

Maybe this is quilter's suicide...I'm not entirely sure...but with limited floor and wall space, I figured it would be easier to put together a limited number of very large blocks vs. lots of small blocks.

I will let you know how it goes!!

I have a friend who loves horses. Man, she loves horses. She rides whenever she is able...and she loves watching the big horse races. I don't know much about horses...but I have an idea of something to make for my friend so that she can decorate during race days. She *might* be reading my blog, so I'll leave it at that...but, I'm wondering do any of you know of other horse fabrics? have any I could swap you for?

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T19:42:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone's year has started off on the right foot!
We have had a few days of unseasonably warm weather so the kids and I have gotten in a bike ride and a long walk over the past two days...but listening to the wind outside now I would guess the cold is rolling back in.....

Do you make new year's resolutions? I'm not good at keeping them, so I should not go there...I think it would be better to start fresh everyday and that is my resolution for 2011.

There are two hot spots that I would like to concentrate on this year...

I need to make time to work out more. Athletics have always been a part of my life and one area that has seriously been lacking since having children. And luckily for me, I have the next 364 days of this year to make that happen each and every day! right?

Additionally, I hope to use my stash this year. Keep track and be more responsible in my fabric shopping habits. Hubby and I have talked budget and I think challenging myself to stay on track with my 'crafting budget' is a better idea than trying to abstain entirely from fabric shopping...Ill keep you posted on my progress.

And I will end tonight with a picture of the bee blocks I received from my fellow bee participants in 2010. I hope to work these into something over the next few days. I think I'm jumping in with both feet. A la Freddy Moran and Gwen Marston going to try and work from the "Parts Dept" to make this quilt.
I'm not entirely sure what my approach will be. I may start adding in more Kona Snow around blocks...keeping the focus on solid fabrics...I didn't specify size of blocks to the bee groups so it will take some fiddling to make this come together, and I think I'm up for the challenge.

Garage Sale

2010-12-28T11:58:00.000-08:00

My quilt guild meets the first Tuesday of every month...and this next meeting is to be a garage sale!!

I *love* garage sales! A friend and I are going together for a table and it has prompted me to clean up and clean out the quilting space! Here is what I have to offer:

(That diaper box is full of fabric!!!)
And, unfortunately, here is what I DID put in the bag to sell, but then during the pricing process, I decided to keep.

I promised myself that that would not happen...but as so often happens with me and fabric...the fabric wins. I'll keep it for a while longer.

I think the guild means for the sale to be of crafty items, so I have mostly fabric, some scrap booking things, photo albums and a few misc. items I hope to get out of the craft room!

Success!

2010-12-26T10:46:00.000-08:00

Well, I did it...with about 10 hours to spare. I certainly did not get much sleep this past week, and I highly do NOT recommend that for the week before Christmas, but it was so rewarding (to me) to decide to make this quilt, and finish it.

I started with the nine patch lattice quilt pattern, but at 38"x53" it seemed to much like a baby quilt size to me, so I added two more rows to finish at approximately 52" inches square.

The flannel backing pieced together nicely looking seamless on the back and it added warmth to the quilt.

I wasn't sure how to quilt it, so I just started the process using the columns of squares as my guide, I quilted 3 lines down one column, then 2 lines, then three...etc. Once all those lines were quilted, I turned the quilt to do the horizontal lines and in an effort to save time...i alternated 1 quilted line and 2 quilted line down each column of squares. Hopefully the picture explains further what I am trying to say!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

Ill be back later this week to talk New Year's Resolutions!!

I'll give you a hint...2011 = year of using my stash!!!

fabric budget

2010-12-22T10:38:00.000-08:00

In an effort to better understand why I buy so much fabric

1) i love it
2) its a great deal, on sale
3) i need it to finish a project
4) i think it will work for a future project
5) retail therapy

I'm wondering why do YOU buy fabric?

I am facing facts that I have too much fabric. I know this. But somehow, that doesn't seem to be enough of a reason to STOP buying fabric. I really need to stick to a budget in the coming year, and I'm looking for methods that work for others...any feedback would be much appreciated.

And thank you for the encouragement and advice with my mom's Christmas Quilt...I should finish the top today, and high hopes that I may actually pull this off before a Christmas afternoon deadline!

HO HO HO

2010-12-18T18:31:00.000-08:00

I finished wrapping Christmas presents today during nap time and came to the realization that I have NOTHING for my Mom for Christmas. That cannot be!

Well let me tell you...my Mom is not easy to shop for...if she wants something, she just buys it. So after a wee bit of a shopping spree this morning and a few Christmas fabric acquisitions, I decided a quilt is in order.

I have never attempted a quilt in less than a week...well maybe a doll quilt or baby quilt...but Mom deserves more than that!

Kelly suggested a 9 Patch Lattice quilt by Elizabeth Hartman. I think this may be the ticket. I was thinking of using a snowball block, so I might try to work that in yet, but as I type...I am pre-washing the fabrics above. I'm already short on time...don't need any bleeding red mishaps.

Lucky #129!

2010-12-17T18:13:00.000-08:00

Thanks everyone for stopping by my giveaway.
What fun, and thanks for all the well wishes for my delicious cake AND delicious son!

Noe is the lucky winner of the fabric and hair tie.
I sent her an email!

sorry for a post with no picture, but it is time for bed...a not so local quilt shop is having huge inventory sale tomorrow morning starting at 7am ... over 300 bolts of fabric for 50% off and early birds 40% off regular price fabrics. How can I say no?

December 13th

2010-12-12T18:00:00.000-08:00

Yay! Sew Mama Sew giveaway day is here!!

I know I am in the category for supplies giveaway, but I decided to share a half yard of this fabulous Alexander Henry Christmas fabric with you...

and a hair tie of your choice. I promise the purple one will be done should you choose that one! These have been really fun to make, and I'm making lots for Christmas presents this year!

If you are just stopping by for the SMS giveaway, just leave a comment and Ill pick a random winner December 17th and I will ship anywhere. Make sure I have a way to contact you!! if you are not sure, please leave an email address...

If you are a regular reader (and not feeling the pressure of 100s of great giveaways to enter!!!)...I wanted to celebrate with you my son's third birthday ...and let you know how blessed and lucky we are to have this wonderful boy!

You see, three years ago, I had the scariest day of my life...yes, it turned out wonderful, but I will never forget the early morning hours of December 13th 2008. I was 34 weeks pregnant and in labor...and the contractions were not the come and go type...they were a constant pain...I was scared, it didn't feel right. The nurse would tell me that I was forgetting that the pain was coming and going, but I knew something was wrong. Thank goodness the doctor did too. My uterus had ruptured and the doctor suspected this I think...we were whisked into emergency C-section and v.quickly Hugo was delivered. The nurse later told me she had never seen a rupture like mine and the child still be alive. I thank God everyday for my children...and on his birthday, I especially thank God for Hugo.

Check out his birthday cake!! I can tell you, I was definitely stretching my culinary gifts with this one!!

Teacher's gift

2010-12-09T12:02:00.000-08:00

2 posts in one day? I will chalk it up to poor planning!

I need a bit of help if any of you are teachers out there. My daughter and I worked on some Christmas gifts for her teacher...and so that these gifts make sense, I will tell you her class is called the Frog Class...

We made a button covered hairband and two frog magnets....

and I made my first ever tote bag. A friend was so kind to send me some fun frog fabric, and I used Terri's tutorial for the tote.

(yes, Colette was Rudolf at school today and would prefer to reamin so the entire today...hope the ballet teachers think it's cute too!)

OK, so I have some other fabulous frog fabric I can use...should I keep crafting, or should I just include a gift certificate to someplace the teacher might like? coffee shop? educational teacher shop? something entirely different? I am guessing after years of teaching Mrs. Holley may have enough frog gifts to wallpaper the classroom...so I would really like to hear what you have to say!

giveaway day

2010-12-09T07:04:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, just wanted to let you new Sew, Mama, Sew is hosting another round of giveaway day.
Check back here Monday for my giveaway!

Project Linus

2010-11-23T15:40:00.000-08:00

This month for A Dozen Quilters we are making quilts for Project Linus.
I have had these 6 inch squares since last year. I received them in a swap and thought they would make a great, quick quilt. And they did! I did some really simple quilting, I used a flannel backing, and a binding of solid fabric that has been sitting in my stash for too long! I did not use batting...not sure if I like this, but I wanted to give it a try. I am hoping the flannel back will be enough warmth.

(so bummed that this is the last of daylight at 5pm today!)

Kate and some of her friends are having a rally to encourage quilters to make quilts for charity this holiday season. And since I cannot figure out how to add a button, I'll give you the link here to 100 Quilts for Christmas. So why don't you take the opportunity to check out Kate's blog and have a chance at some prizes, and don't forget to link to A Dozen Quilters blog with any finished project Linus quilts as well!

Color Wheel Quilt

2010-11-18T10:43:00.000-08:00

I am so happy to see this one done. It is for Hugo's bedroom. I hope it grows with him...and avoids any major stains... I love cross hatch quilting...I think it always looks amazing, although I am not sure it was the best choice for this quilt...I took this one to a local long arm quilter and she did a great job...and I have to admit, she tried to talk me out of the quilting design...but I wouldn't budge.

The backing fabric began as a duvet cover from IKEA that my friend took a seam ripper to and then graciously offered to me. Thanks again Robin, its the perfect backing fabric!

And thanks also to Holly who entered one of my giveaways where I asked for quilt suggestions for a young boy! She made this quilt for her son's bedroom. You can make it too! The pattern is from Joelle Holverson's book Last Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts The book gives directions for a 56 inch square quilt...I simply added fabric top and bottom to make it more suitable for a twin size bed.

and I should tell you all that my darling daughter took these pictures today in the 7 minutes of sunlight while I held it up on the back yard bench!

Stocking for a cause

2010-11-16T10:40:00.000-08:00

This year with a Dozen Quilters we have chosen to make each month an opportunity to craft something for a charitable institution...for example, October was a quilt/blanket for Project Linus (shhh, I'm late on this one, but I got my flannel washed last night...so I'm getting closer!)

This month, Jenny, suggested we make a stocking and include a gift card for a child at St. Pj's Children's Home in San Antonio. I think this is such an awesome idea! I made the above stocking last night and backed it with the super soft Valori Wells flannel in the picture.

I will be also sending the above supplies for the stocking, or however the orphanage decides to best use these items...also plan to send one of he bibs I made last month, but I forgot to get a picture!

And I'm working on hand stitching the binding on Hugo's color wheel quilt...hope to have the finished project to show soon!

Blogger's Quilt Festival

2010-10-29T18:01:00.000-07:00

Hooray, it's time for the Blogger's Quilt Festival! Amy does such a great job organizing this event and it is so much fun to see everyone's quilts! I hope to see every single one!

I just finished this quilt last night for my nephew's birthday (party is tomorrow!!). When Penny suggested a quilt along using the Quilt As You Go method, I joined in right away! I had over 6 months to make 2 of these quilts for my nephews...it was fun to use up some scraps, and I love the heavily quilted front of the quilt. I let my nephews choose some fabric they liked for the backings...although they did not know it was to become part of the quilts I have made them!

This block with the flying big is one of my favorites!

I didn't realize until sandwiching the quilt that my backing fabric was actually a bit too short in width...but then, I figured, using the selvage was an acceptable method now a days, so I went with it...and I am glad I did! It is my favorite part of the backing!

Time to wrap this quilt up for some gift giving time tomorrow!

So, now that you have heard the story behind my latest quilt, head over to Amy's blog and see/read the story of hundreds of others!!

mess

2010-10-17T11:02:00.000-07:00

For someone who really likes a clean house (although it certainly doesn't stay that way long...) my sewing area is a real mess. I am crafting for an upcoming craft fair at a local school and it looks as if a bomb has gone off in my room!

How does my cutting table end up looking like this? I am making hair ties and the scraps multiple like rabbits for sure! And since when do I think the floor is an acceptable place to try and stay organized?

I have a very nice, unknown fabric that has been in my stash forever and when my husband spyed a blue horseshoe he suggested i make hair ties with them...in honor of his favorite football team, the Indianapolis Colts...and well, since I don't see myself using this fabric, I thought I may as well cut it up for hair ties...so wasteful....but cute hair ties!

2010-10-11T10:35:00.000-07:00

Yipee, it feels great to have one of these done! I had a bit of a tension/pulling issue with this quilt, but just plowed ahead...really wish I would go into my local sewing store where I bought the machine and have a lesson or two...

In general, I am not thrilled with how the backing turned out. I love all the quilting on the front though...

2010-10-07T07:10:00.000-07:00

I made a camera strap cover for my sister's birthday..which is TODAY! Happy birthday Shelly!
I used this tutorial and it was simple. Wish I knew more people with camera straps to make these for, they are really fun!

I have also been making more baby bibs! When it rains, it pours with baby shower gifts! These are also fun to make!! I used this tutorial for the patchwork bibs and...notice Tony the Tiger and the silverware fabric bib are backed with terry cloth? I used this tutorial for those two. Both tutorials are easy to make! give a try!

Wondering if any of you might be able to help me find a fabric...like I "need" more fabric!! But Id really like to do a quilt similar to Sarah Fielke's, Charlotte Sometimes (cover of the book) and I can't find the cross hatch print...I have a lead on a similar fabric, but am unable to find it. and, now I am unable to insert the flickr picture into my blog...grrr.how do you do that? Ill leave you with the link, while I try to figure it out!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/blempgorf/5053636610/in/photostream/

wishing...

2010-09-20T10:41:00.000-07:00

Right now I'm really wishing I could be sewing something with these fabrics...maybe not all together, but working with something from this pile!

But I'm plugging away at the QAYG quilts:

hand stitching on the dark side of where the blocks meet. I went with a real dark backing fabric, so I'm hoping the navy( my JoAnne's has just white, navy, red to choose from) Perle cotton doesn't clash too much with the front. I have machine stitched in the ditch around each block, now just need to add a bit more stitching to keep everything together nicely.

and...I also seem to be ruining some nice fabric...I *thought* I was prewashing my Gee's Bend grape, but after 2 cycles in the machine and still bleeding like crazy, I thought I would soak the fabric a bit...and I am pretty sure I've taken about 8 shades of grape from my fabric so that now it looks like i have a dingy batik.

I was to be using this fabric in a table runner for my sister, but not sure it will work at this point. pooh.

Candy bars

2010-09-12T18:09:00.000-07:00

CONGRATULATIONS ANGELA! #26 IS THE LUCKY NUMBER TONIGHT! PLEASE DROP ME A LINE WITH YOUR MAILING ADDRESS AND I WILL SEND THE CANDY BARS RIGHT OUT!

So it seems bad form to post without a picture...so I will leave you with a few pieces of fabric that have found a home on my cutting table...

I am loving all things Erin McMorris lately...have you seen she has a new line of flannels?

Wondering...

2010-09-10T16:50:00.000-07:00

My sister found this shirt at a garage sale and thought of me...Im not sure if it's because she thought it would look good on me, or if she knows I like Lands End...but she bought it, and I'm always grateful for such little treats.

After looking it over and trying to decide what I would wear with it...jeans maybe? not much else in my wardrobe really...I saw this:

I think it might be better used in my fabric stash vs. hanging in my closet really...

And speaking of my fabric stash...it is really enormous...Im following in the foot steps of other bloggers you might know...Penny and Holly and really going to try and ease up on all the fabric purchases. Not 100% S T O P but seriously buckle down.

I also have been thinking of making some clothing for myself...do any of you sew for yourself? I have never sewn clothing, but I have made a few vintage fabric purchases lately, and think some of them would make for nice shirts. Do you have any recommendations of websites, blogs, or books that can help me sew my own clothes? I'd love to have a link to your favorite free tutorial or some such nudge in the right direction.

For you...

2010-09-08T14:46:00.000-07:00

Here is my latest bee block for Tonya of the A Dozen Quilters.

I love 1930's reproduction fabrics..they are so cheerful. I think this will make for a really fabulous quilt~

Thanks for the well wishes on the etsy store.

I will be adding a button to my sidebar as soon as I figure that out. Good thing my husband is so adept on the computer...I am very challenged by the computer.

And...to celebrate the opening of my etsy shop (and my first sale!), I thought I should host a giveaway!
Leave a comment and I will let random generator pick a winner of these two Moda candy bars this weekend. I will ship anywhere...

layout

2010-09-05T10:56:00.000-07:00

Happy Labor Day to those reading in the US and Canada...I think?? Correct me if I am wrong Robin!

So, Ive been working on the 'quilt as you go' blocks for my 2nd quilt...and wondering if anyone had some feedback for me on different layouts. Remember this is what version ONE looks like:

and here are the two options I have at present for version TWO:

(IMAGINE THE PIC ON THE LEFT ROTATED 90 DEGREES...MAKING THE STRIPES HORIZONTAL.!!)

OK, I know which one i prefer...just curious to hear what you think...and I am not ruling out using the same layout as version ONE. so let me hear you! Whichever I choose, I need 4 more blocks to complete the quilt. The one on the left needs another row of light outer ring blocks and the one on right needs another row of dark outer ring blocks to complete the box.

Also, wanted to let you all know I opened an Etsy shop. Thought it might be fun to sell some crafty items and some of the thrifty finds Ive made over the years...obviously my addiction to buying fabric is not dwindling so I am running out of space and my tastes are constatntly changing! So, it seemed like a good fit for me. I hope to add more crafted, patchwork, and other handmade things as time goes by.

thimble

2010-08-29T16:35:00.000-07:00

Good thing this is a blog about crafty things...because what I know about taking pictures can fit into a thimble!

The sun was shining down HOT today, but i took my Quilt As You Go quilt #1 outside for some pictures..

I found this quilt along on flickr and was loving the progress I saw Penny making, so I thought it would be a good idea for my nephew's birthday quilts.

It is a fun process of quilting the fabric directly on to the batting, like so:

In the first quilt (Eli's quilt)...I tried to keep each block a certain color...but as I'm working on the second quilt (Gabe's quilt), I'm just trying to use up the scraps. So these quilts will look similar, but not the same...they are to be in the same bedroom, so I thought that would be nice. Here are a few blocks that I have ready for Gabe's quilt...

and being modeled for you by my daughter:

These will all be squared up at the same time and sewn together...at that point, I will tackle the backing...my plan is to stitch in the ditch and then hand sew around the inner square to lessen the work on the machine...and I have some perle cotton leftover from a past project I can use up...

absence makes the heart grow fonder

2010-08-25T06:22:00.000-07:00

Hello all...remember me?

I just had a revelation in the shower...if I am ever going to be good at blogging...I am going to have to actually do some posts! and if i am every actually going to have a 100 post giveaway, I am going to have to actually do some posts!!

I have lots to blog about but I will start slow and easy and try not to reveal everything all at once!

I have had a hard time NOT shopping for fabric this summer...does it seem to anyone else that there have been some really fabulous fabric sales?? Here is one of my favorite parcels I received this summer...and best of all...it was part of a gift certificate I had to the shop, so it basically cost me nada!

Now that is one lovely pile of fabric, right? You can have this same package by stopping by Alewives Fabrics. Rhea and her mom run the shop and carry only the best of the best!

ok, slow and easy...remember...Ill leave today with a shot of the Quilt As You Go quilt I am working on for my nephew's 7th birthday in November.

Whereas it looks like a finished product all folded up like this...it still needs backing fabric...I used a method of sewing directly onto the batting...but more on that later.

and hopefully sooner rather than later!

QUESTION

2010-07-26T13:10:00.000-07:00

Here is a question...

I am nearly ready to put the backing on a quilt I've made for my nephew's birthday(picture soon!)...I am currently trying to USE the fabric I have instead of BUYing more...even when places like evil fabric.com has a completely unbelievable sale on fabrics I quite like....

SO, do I use a fabric in my stash...say....this fabric

my daughter thinks this is great (me, not so much)...and I have 4+ yards of it (garage sale purchase ... came with a lot of fabrics...I can never pass these lots up...never know what might be in them!)

or do I piece fabrics together for a backing on a quilt I have spent a lot of time making?

Quilt Show

2010-06-27T12:29:00.000-07:00

This weekend I went to the Shipshewana Quilt show with two friends. It was a really good time. Amazing how time truly flies when you are having fun! I thought I would show a few of the quilts. I love the colors used in the above quilt.

This quilt I found really interesting because whereas I loved the quilt from far away, when I got closer to the quilt, I really disliked the fabrics used, and my thoughts on the quilt totally changed. So my friends and I thought we should perhaps swap 'ugly' fabrics and see what we can do with them! I think my addiction to fabric may be a little over the top since fabric choices often determine my 'love' for a quilt. Am I alone in this?

I love all the half square triangles in this quilt. And I really appreciate all the work that went into the border.

This quilt came away as my inspiration quilt. I decided then and there this is the kind of pattern I want to do with some vintage fabrics I bought last year that were already cut into squares. Below is a sampling of the squares I have in a shoe box I would like to use in a similar quilt.

Anyone have any vintage fabrics they care to contribute/swap for the cause?

And lastly, I joined another PIF. Not that I am done with the last PIF I am doing, but I just couldn't resist when Kelly offered a PIF on her blog. Do I have any takers? Three takers? Anyone? Anyone? I'll let you know up front, my PIF will be of the button cover hair ties/magnets variety!!

Quilter's Dozen block

2010-06-14T06:47:00.000-07:00

Marie is making a disappearing 9 patch for her grandmother and asked us to all contribute a block using reproduction prints...Im debating whether the black, although a 30's repro, sticks out a little too much...

the block finished at 12 inches...although the directions called for it to finish at 12.5...Marie gave us all a shout out to let us know the directions are in error and they should finish at 12...whew...i got her note about 10 minutes after finishing my block...luckily i was too busy taking a picture to think of measuring the block and then freaking out about the wrong size!

Trimmed With Love

2010-06-05T13:08:00.000-07:00

Here are my two submissions for Melissa's contest Trimmed With Love at Lilac Lane.

I'm making some fabric covered button hair ties for an upcoming craft show and am entirely addicted to making these! I look at fabrics differently right now, analysing whether I think it would make a good button or not!

And for my mothers birthday...a ric rac embellished hand towel for her vintage camping trailer. I'm not sure how vintage this towel looks, well, I know it is not at all...but she loves ric rac...and it is trimmed with love, after all!

So don't waste any time, hop on over to Melissa's fun blog and add your items that have been trimmed with love to be eligible for some really great prizes!

hair bands

2010-05-31T17:40:00.000-07:00

I made some fabric covered hair bands while we took a little trip to visit family this weekend. I love making these. I hope to sell some at my quilt guild's craft boutique...our guild is having a quilt show in August and plans a boutique with it. It's my first time to be a part of this and I am excited.

by the way, I got all my button cover supplies from Kirsten at Three Dancing Magpies on Etsy. She is fabulous to work worth...very helpful and generous!!

And quite by chance, I plan to participate in Melissa's contest Trimmed with Love. Please visit her blog to find out all the details. Button is located top, right side bar.

I plan to trim some dish towels for my Mom's vintage camper trailer...should be interesting. I'm a total novice at these things!! Thanks for the extra incentive Melissa!

Blogger's Quilt Festival

2010-05-21T03:35:00.000-07:00

Hello and a special welcome to everyone finding my blog thru Amy's Blogger's Quilt Festival.

I will be sharing with you the baby quilt I made for my niece, Chloe. She just turned 2 and her quilt has been loved all 730+ days!!

I bought a jelly roll from Keepsake Quilting of 1930's reproductions and just started sewing them together.
I think I saw this pattern in a library quilting book, didn't care for their directions, and just remade it to the best of my ability.

I decided to hand quilt this one...and why I don't know since I had a newborn and wasn't getting much sleep, but in hindsight, I think it was a very calming project to work on, and good for me to gather my thoughts...I do remember that I listened to the Harry Potter series on cd...read it once before, but thought it would be fun to listen to, and Jim Dale is a great reader!

I did some circular motions in the white border and a cross hatch thru the squares.

And this is the back of the quilt. I love log cabin block and never hesitate at a chance of making them...with all those 2.5 inch strips left over, it seemed like a good choice. I added some reproduction fabrics from my stash to make the back big enough.

A really fun project, and always a joy to see at my sisters house.

530

2010-05-20T18:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, can you believe I got 530 comments? That is amazing to me...looks like I even picked up a few new followers! Well, random.org helped me out and picked # 115 . And that number belongs to Lisabee! I will send you an email directly!

And just to recap for those who are interested...I read all the comments, and replied to quite a few! I think Amy Butler is the clear winner for favorite fabrics (Love as the frontrunner)...Nicey Jane, Modern Meadow and Wonderland scored lots of points too!

Thanks again to Sew Mama Sew for organizing this fun fest of giveaways!

Wait! before you go, you might want to check out Penny's blog at Sewtakeahike she *might* be having an awesome giveaway!

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day!!

2010-05-16T16:01:00.000-07:00

Here is my offering to celebrate Sew Mama Sew give away day!

A Moda jelly roll, Charisma by Chez Moi.

I am happy to post anywhere!

Please leave a comment, I don't want to slow you down on giveaway day, but please answer this one question...what is your favorite fabric? I am currently obsessed with Red Letter Day by Lizzy House, but my one current favorite fabric might just be Alexander Henry's Holland.

Be sure to click on the Give Away button on the right side to find links to hundreds of other giveaways!

Have fun, and good luck!!

ETA: I TOTALLY forgot I signed up for the handcrafted goods + supplies category! So...I will definitely be adding some button covered goodies into the box! some hairbands and magnets! no pics at this time!!

color wheel

2010-05-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how quickly this went together once I set my mind to 'just do it'. I was so nervous I was going to ruin everything trying to sew curves for the first time! I am so happy with how it turned out...I wonder if anyone has suggestions for how to quilt it? Joelle's book shows the quilting as straight lines radiating from the center, but I don't think that is what I want to do. Any thoughts??

Also, right now it is approx. 56 inches square...so I want to add some length to it for a twin size bed...Im thinking some scrappy piano keys border at the top and bottom? with some of the extra Kona Snow inter-mingled...do you think this will take away from the central design??

Sew Mama Sew giveaway day!

2010-05-07T08:10:00.000-07:00

I am excited to let you all know Sew, Mama, Sew is having giveaway day again!! May 17th

Do check out their post HERE about all the fun! I will be hosting a giveaway for the occasion.

Not sure what yet, but Ill have it figured out by the big day!

Happy Mothers Day!!