Charming Girls' Quilt Club

I've joined the Charming Girls Quilt Club hosted by Kelly...hoping it will motivate me to get some of my works in progress finished. My project for July is to finish my Your Home or Mine block of the month by Lynette Anderson Designs. I started this quilt in January and have lately been really motivated to finish (could it be that my Christmas "to-do" list is promtping me to finish some other things)?

There are 13 pieced blocks with a heart stitchery in the middle...those are finished. There are also 12 stitchery blocks, each with a different home and half-square triangles around the border. I've completed 4 of these...

And the other 8 are in various stages of completion. One is nearly done, five are traced and ready to stitch, and two need to be traced and assembled. So there it is...I will finish this quilt top by the end of July! Wish me luck...I think I might need it!

Getting There

I've made some progress this week on a lot of little projects...I love the new Tisket a Tasket free Block of the Month from Anne. I still need to get some wool so I can add the lamb and the little flag--I was going to do the lamb in the cutest white polka dot cotton, but my basket showed through, so wool it will be.

I also finally cut into my French General fabric. I've had the hardest time deciding what to do with it. Anne, Brenda, Camille, Carrie and Lynette have all mentioned on their blogs that they are designing with it now...so I'm kind of waiting to see what they do. Also, yesterday Lissa shared a gorgeous quilt she made with this fabric that will be in an upcoming issues of McCall's Quilting. While I'm not sure yet about everything I'm going to make with French General, I am making a small wallhanging with some stitchery for a special gift, and this house block will be part of it, The pattern for the house is from "My Cotswold Cottages" found in the book Houses by Joanna Figueroa and Lisa Quan.

Oh, and here is the final gift for my giveaway. I was going to make a couple more small things, but yesterday I decided to make another one of these bags (Mixed Bag to Quilt...pattern by Nanette). I just need to get a button to cover, and it will be finished. This is a great bag to have...I've made 5 now, almost 6--and it's a terrific size (12 inches tall and 16 inches wide). I'll take comments through Saturday...hopefully I can get everything tallied up and ready for Random Generator by Monday morning! Thanks for all the wonderful comments...I'm really trying to respond to every person!

Oh, and did you read Camille's post on three things? On my list of three for today is vacuuming, mopping, and finishing up my Christmas in July swap! Have a great day!

Blogiversary Day Two!

Thanks so much for all of the wonderful comments and blogiversary wishes! It's also been fun to get more followers! I just thought I'd add a couple more prizes today. First, I'm adding 5 fat quarters of Just Dreamy by Riley Blake. And, I've just finished a Sweet Treat Bag which is a great free pattern on the Moda website that uses only ten Honey Bun strips. It's about 8 inches tall and 10 inches wide...perfect for storing sewing supplies, small projects, make-up, or even baby items. I made it out of Wonderland by Moda...and even added a covered button and Velcro closure.

(If you're just stopping by for the first time today...the "way to play" in this give-away is on my previous post). I'll be back at the end of the week with a couple more prizes...and then I'll announce the winners on Monday the 13th! Have a great day!

My First Quilt (and Giveaway Day 1)!

Camille and Carrie had a terrific idea that they both recently posted...blog about your first quilt and your most recent quilt! I thought that it would be a lot of fun to play along! Above is actually my fourth quilt...but the first three were made for my three oldest children from exactly the same pattern, the Double Irish Chain from Eleanor Burns' Quilt in a Day series. I tied the first three, and they were greatly loved, carried around, taken on trips, and even used to build forts. They're all pretty much in shreds right now...stored away so they wouldn't completely fall apart. After making the first three (they were all twin-sized), I thought I deserved one and made this lap sized quilt. My grandmother did the hand-quilting on it for me which was appropriate since she is the one who started me on this wonderful quilting journey! I wish I could remember how many quilts I made from this pattern...over a dozen...it was the only pattern I ventured to try for the first year or two! While I'll always give credit to Eleanor Burns for giving me the confidence to continue quilting, thankfully I've learned since then that there is a world of wonderful patterns out there!

I've finished several quilt tops recently that I've shared here, but I will count my 2008 Fat Quarter Shop Designer Mystery Block of the Month quilt as my most recent, since it is the last one to be quilted! I really, really love this quilt and can't wait to use it this Christmas!

Today I was able to visit The Christmas Goose for our Pink Ladies sewing day...and look at these Fig & Plum goodies I was able to get! I have a project in mind, combining them with some other Fig & Plum fabrics from my stash. I'm hoping these (along with finishing up some works in progress) will keep me busy until Simple Abundance comes out!

And now for the blogiversary stuff! I thought it would be fun to have a blog button to celebrate, and my friend Lauren came up with exactly what I had in mind! You can grab the button and the code from my sidebar...and if you do it will give you 3 extra entries in my blogiversary giveaway! Today is day one, and I have two items for the giving...(they are two things I've made a lot of in the past year)! First I have a little zipper bag made from Wonderland by Moda, and second I have a Heather Mulder Peterson Cross Roads Table Runner made using Nature's Chorus by Moda!

I'll be adding more prizes as the week goes on, and when I draw the winners at the end of the week the first number drawn can choose a prize, then the second person can choose from what's left, and so on!!! You can comment on each blogiversary post for one point, add a point if you are or become a follower, and add three points if you put my blog button on your sidebar. Just let me know in one of your comments if you are a follower and/or have the button on your blog. Thanks so much for all of the wonderful blogiversary wishes...it's going to be a fun week!

Blogiversary!

July 1st...where did June go...or May for that matter? June seems to be the month when it's nice just to relax after another school year, and July is when I really get serious about summer goals. So, of course, I started another list...and in doing so I realized I needed to catch up on and finish a few works in progress (because I have a dozen new projects I want to start...and I'm not buying any more of those plastic storage boxes)!!! First off, I caught up on my Gail Pan A Christmas Wish Block of the Month. I was two and a half blocks behind, but now I'm ready for the next block due out next week!

And I've started working again on the stitchery blocks for the Your Home or Mine block of the month by Lynette Anderson designs. I've made a lot of good progress this week and hope to have this quilt completed in the next week. Or two...depending on how well I can control my quilting attention deficit disorder! But I'm hoping to stay on task...I actually made all 52 nine-patches needed for that quilt today (they're 3 1/2" finished...and I think I might have accidentally made 53...oh well)!

Recently I read a wonderful post titled "My Perfect Quilt" by Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Company; this post has so much wonderful food for thought in it...and so many ideas about the joy that quilting should bring to each of us. If you haven't already read this, I highly recommend it!

And...it was one year ago today that I started blogging! I've had so much fun being inspired by other bloggers and have learned many, many things that have improved my quilting and heightened my awareness of pattern, color, contrast, value and scale. I've visited blogs from all over the world, and bloggers from all over the world have visited here. I've been inspired by your projects, and my "to do" list has grown and grown and grown! I've learned about new products, patterns, books, and artists. I've asked lots of questions and received wonderful answers from many of you--thank you, truly. So, of course I want to have a giveaway to celebrate. Because of the 4th of July holiday weekend, though, I'm going to start my giveaway next week...so be sure to check back! And have a wonderful weekend!

Things I Heart

I heart this pattern.

This is Madeline, a new applique' design by Joanna of Fresh Figs. It was a lot of fun to make, and since the shapes were simple you don't need to be an expert at applique' to make it. The pattern comes with options to make two sizes; I made the smaller size which will fit into a 16 x 20 frame, but I think I'm going to add some borders and make a small wallhanging with it for my sewing room! I still need to add the embroidered handmade at the top as well.

And I heart this quilt. I finished my "Gift from the Sea" quilt! This is a quilt I've been wanting to make for about three years. It's in the Heather Mulder Peterson book Fat Quarter Five, and Heather calls it "Gypsy Girl." I had ordered some Jennifer Paganelli fabric to make a skirt and knew right away I had to make this quilt from her fabrics. The quilt has fabrics from several of her lines, "Dance with Me," "Pretty Please," "Flower Power," and "Sis Boom." Did I mention that I heart this quilt?!

It's a nice sized quilt with a great scrappy border around the edges (you can see it at the top of the first photo), and I think I'll make a scrappy binding as well!

I heart these wonderful gifts that came in the mail today from Bonnie at Calamity Jane's Cottage! Bonnie had a surprise giveaway and sent me a 4th of July package supreme...a darling apron (beautifully sewn), a cute potholder , a handmade coupon book, the most wonderful dish cloth ever, and two Romantic Home magazines! I love everything! Thanks so much Bonnie! And speaking of giveaways...I'm having a couple of them in July, one for my first blogiversary which is July first, and another later in the month to celebrate my birthday!

Gratitudes and a Tip at the End!

I'm grateful that we have clouds! We haven't had measureable rain in a very long time, and so clouds always make me happy. Hoping, just hoping that some nice rain is on it's way.

I thought about naming this post "Why I Live at the P.O." after a Eudora Welty short story that I read several times in college--but really gratitudes seemed more appropriate. It's just that many wonderful things have come this week by way of the post office! Today I received six, yes six, brand new patterns from Mary of Mary's Cottage Quilts. I recently won them on her blog, and I can hardly wait to get started sewing! I'll probably make Figgy Pudding first, followed by Spare Charms and Crossroads. These patterns all use Layer Cakes and Charm Packs with small amounts of additional yardage...perfect for scraps too! Thanks so much Mary!

Yesterday I also received a wonderful package from Stephanie of Loft Creations. I recently had a wonderful time pattern testing her new West Linn Bag pattern; I knew she was going to send me a pattern but was completely surprised by the many other wonderful things she sent: charm squares from Superbuzzy (look at all of those polka dots...I love polka dots), two fat quarters of Wildwood by Erin McMorris, Laura Ashley page markers, and two patterns! I'm really feeling like this is Christmas in June...or my birthday a month early...or both! Thank you Stephanie!

Another package came yesterday too...from Darlene at Quilting Daze. Darlene and I had both oohed and aahed over the lunchbox sewing kits made from tins on this post over at the blog of Minick and Simpson. Darlene ended up making one for her 3rd blogiversary, and used a wonderful tin by Moda. She sent me a Moda lunchbox, and has already put a pincushion inside the lid (see the fabric at the top in the photo on the right)! I was so excited...I'd been wanting to make one of these, but hadn't yet! Thanks again, Darlene!

Had to sneak this quilt in one more time...yesterday I finished the binding on my Fig & Plum throw. I promptly washed and dried it so it has that crinkly-soft quilty goodness...it's always such a good feeling when a quilt is completely finished.

Okay, finally--here's my tip for the day! I finally hung my "Hope" quilt. I've used many methods to hang my quilts including special quilt holders, racks, and dowels resting on nails. This quilt is 67 inches wide, though, and our local hardware store didn't have a dowel that big. I purchased a large piece of a simple molding about 1-1/4 inches wide, and then my husband cut it to size. He then drilled a hole at each end big enough for a nail to go through. I slipped the molding through the hanging sleeve I'd made on the back of the quilt, positioned it on the wall, and then inserted nails. It hangs perfectly flat and straight, and this quilt won't fall off the wall since the nail goes through the molding (the quilt sleeve is a few inches shorter than the molding, leaving room for the nails). I hope that made sense...I thought it was a pretty nifty and inexpensive (less than $5) way to hang a wide quilt.

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Busy with This and That

I've been busy doing a lot of small things...and some of the things don't necessarily make great pictures (like piecing quilt backs, making binding, prepping stitchery blocks and such). And I've been working on things I'm not quite ready to share yet, like the prizes for my blogiversary give-away coming up in just over a week...yes, I started blogging last year on July 1st!

I finished the quilt above (Flower Baskets by Joined at the Hip) quite a while ago, but only got the binding on the other day. It's now hanging on the wall, and every time I look at it I wonder why I waited so long to finish!

This is a quilt I haven't shared before, it also hangs in the hall, and I'm thinking of making another one soon. The pattern is Pocketful of Posies, and it is a pattern that you use with the X-block rotary cutting tool. You make 9-patches, then cut them with the special ruler. The outer border is made completely from the cuttings that might normally have been thrown away, so there is practically no waste. This is a great stash-buster quilt.

This is another thing I did recently...you might think it's kind of silly. I couldn't bear to throw away any of my Simple Abundance scraps, so I sewed them all together...not sure what I'm going to do with this (actually, I think it's going to go on the bulletin board for inspiration), but it's a great mini-collage of many of the fabrics in that line.

These are the books I've been reading...I can't wait to make projects from both books. The only problem is most of the fabrics I want to use in these projects haven't been released yet!

And these bits and pieces that I showed last week are quickly becoming the blocks on the right! This has been a fun quilt to work on...I should have the top put together in another day.

Finally, have you been to the Minnesota Designer Blog Hop? Prizes and free patterns galore! Today's free pattern is from Heather Mulder Peterson, and it's a great small wall-hanging! I hope you have a wonderful day and that you get to sew!

It's Here!

The new Fat Quarter Shop 2009 Designer Mystery Block of the Month arrived in the mail yesterday! I was heading off to sew with some friends, so I decided to cut it out right away! This months pattern is designed by Brenda Riddle of Little Acorns, and it's a terrific block. These blocks are always designed well, and there is always plenty of fabric to make the block with left-overs to spare! In fact I had so much fun making one block that I decided to make two! Using my Prairie Paisley leftovers from this Schnibbles quilt, I decided to cut out another block. That way, when next May comes around I'll have two Designer Mystery quilts, and I will have used my stash for one!

I can't remember if I've ever shared these little pillows before; I love getting them out and displaying them in June and July. I made them quite a few years ago from a Little Quilts pattern!

Oh, and I wasn't a very good blogger at the sewing get-together yesterday...I forgot my camera! But it was wonderful sewing (actually I just spent the time cutting fabric and visiting). And eating....the food was terrific! We had a wonderful chicken salad, delicious meatballs, an awesome salsa called "glop" and a fruit dip that was served with deep fried cinnamon-sugar tortillas...I quite possibly ate more than I worked on my blocks! Hope you have a terrific weekend!

Fig & Plum Basket

Yesterday I had a chance to make a project that was high on my list...this wonderful basket from issue #10 of Fresh Vintage by Fig Tree & Company. I'd never made a round basket before and had a lot of fun putting this together.

I used some of my Fig & Plum (by Joanna Figueroa for Moda) scraps and loved how it turned out. I know I'll be making more of these...this basket would be wonderful in any fabrics--reproductions, Christmas fabrics or in cute prints for a nursery! And the basket is a terrific size to sit on a table or even to hold sewing notions or diapers (it's about 5 inches tall with a 10 inch diameter)!

I also got the borders on my Sugar Cookies table runner from the Moda Bake Shop. Glace' is just dreamy!

And I got started cutting fabrics for a quilt I've been wanting to make since 2006--yes, it took me three years to decide on fabric! Tomorrow is going to be a fun sew day and potluck with some of the local quilters--I need to straighten my sewing room so I can decide on a project to take!

Hope you have a wonderful day!