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Tuesday, May 31, 2011

What I Did vs. What I Should Be Doing

I hope everyone was able to enjoy nice weather over the holiday weekend!
Even though our weather was cold and wet we still had a BBQ.
It was quiet though... I think it was the first time we didn't have a house full over Memorial Day.


So I took advantage of the "time" and made some
pillows for my sofa for summer with a "Going Coastal" feel.
 Now a couple of months ago I was feeling brave and
showed a photo of the pillows that were on the sofa...
not brave enough to repeat that... suffice to say that these will be
a great improvement! Anything would have been a great improvement!
(* can't wait to get my hands on this fabric: "Going Coastal")

I just had to make a "Sprocket" pillow...
it was a tutorial over at Cluck Cluck Sew a little while back.
Let ye be warned: these are addicting!

Like the covered button with a little sail boat???

I also played around with the
Dress Forms pattern I had started a month ago...

I decided just to make 9 instead of the whole pattern
because I wanted it to be a wall hanging for my sewing room.



Now, I just need to make borders for it...
and get back to what I really should have been doing...

Working on my Le Petite project for the parade tomorrow!
Yikes! Do you have yours ready yet???
See you tomorrow ...remember I pick the winners of the giveaway tomorrow too!
(there is still time to enter)
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Thursday, May 26, 2011

But Wait- That's Not All!



Well, all of the wonderful people sharing their  Market photos seem
to be nearly finished.
So I thought I would share some pics that I have saved - some of my favorite photos,
as inspiration and definitely ideas not to forget. (Whether it is the fabric
or the patterns). I have to say that the designers did a fantastic job
and their booths were incredible!
Now, not only did I want to savor a few more Market photos...
but I wanted to share with you that Kimberly...
Kimberly Jolly, you know, Fat Quarter Shop Kimberly...
has loved your sweet comments for the giveaway and thought that if giving away
one  Scrap Basket Sensations book by Kim Brackett was good...
then more would be better!
So make sure you go to my last post and enter the giveaway because
we aren't just giving one copy of the book away...
we are giving 6!
(six is my lucky number)
I will be picking six winners for six Scrap Basket Sensations!
Your chances of winning are even better now!



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Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Picnic In My Hometown (and a sponsered giveaway)

This quilt has done some traveling and today
I get to share with you my quilt made out of Hometown by Sweetwater!
I love this fabric line and the colors are so fun!


Remember when Kim  from Magnolia Bay Quilts, came out with her new book
Scrap Basket Sensations?
Well, I made a Picnic quilt from the book
and then just last month
I got to do a little sewing for  KIM at the Fat Quarter Shop...
and lo and behold...
they asked me to use Kim's book and coincidentally
the pattern that is on page 69. Picnic!


What I didn't know was that they have great plans for the book.


It will consist of making 4 projects from Kim's book over the next year, using
the latest and the greatest new fabric lines coming out!
Do you love it?
Now since I already had my hands on the book from when it debuted,
the other Kim (from Fat Quarter Shop) said that I should give this book away on my blog!

So, let's do that...
What do you need to do?
hmmmmm,
1. Tell me something that you love about the Fat Quarter Shop.
That's it!
The drawing will be in one week, June 1!

(by the way, did you see the charms that Sweetwater has come out with)?
Tn_IMG_0899 copy
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Monday, May 23, 2011

Sew Cherry?

 Yes, It's "all that...
and a bag of chips!
You will want to go check out Rae Ann's blog
and enter her giveaway! Don't forget your
bib... 'cause you are going to drool over these aprons!
Thursday, May 19, 2011

Something About Springtime and Butterfly's

These Butterflys have been in flight since January.
It all started with a couple of charm packs.

And then it turned into this... 
But I thought it was a little too long and narrow...
and I asked for your opinion. It was divided.
(of course it took me a couple of months to muddle this over)
I thought the columns were too wide also...
so I very very carefully cut down the center of those.

 I went ahead and made some more of these... from my stash.
I made two more rows and slipped them in between the other rows.
I wasn't going to add a border...

But then I did. I'm happy.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Some Friends + Some Quilts= A Good Weekend

Well, this wasn't Quilt Market but it was still fun!
The quilt guild that I belong to had it's Quilt Show last weekend
and I got to hang out with friends and see quilts.
What could be more fun? Well, shopping- and there was some of that going on too!
Here is a photo of some of my friends and some of our quilts.

Here are some geometric quilts and a couple with handwork.
The little black and white embroidery was a block in one of the quilts...
boy, do I need that prayer... only super sized!
(it says: Dear God, always walk beside me with your arm around me and your hand over my mouth).

Here are some appliqued quilts.

Here are a few that are kind of artsy.
Some with star blocks.

There is a "quilt turning" done at the show. There are a bunch of antique quilts
stacked on a bed and the story of the quilt is read and then the quilt is turned back to reveal
the quilt below it and the story is read for that one... it's really a fun program.

Here are some of the pieces that were made by our featured quilter, Lura Schwartz Smith.

The raffle baskets that I showed you a couple of weeks ago were a big hit once again.
We made a lot of $$$ for our guild with those! woohoo!
Friday, May 13, 2011

Eye Spy: Market Photos


Could this possibly be my first sightings of vendor booths at Market???
These were the pictures that I was actually really really hoping to see.
Sherri and made the quilt there to the left side for Lori Holt.
I absolutely love the fabrics and the pattern is so cute...

and this one here is even more adorable!
Seriously, I love that apron!
I have another pattern of Lori's that I had been meaning to make that is all aprons.
My head is spinning! I'll take one of each please!
(I believe that these photos were taken from the Material Girls booth.
I found them on line. )

For me, I am putting the final touches on the raffle baskets for my
 guilds' quilt show that starts tomorrow.
I yie yie! Busy busy with all of that, turning in my quilts, typing up lists and organizing
my ticket sales crew!
I am excited for our "once every two year" event. I haven't seen a lot of those
women from the guild for a long time. So it will no doubt be fun...
not to mention the vendor booths-- woohoo!
Our featured quilter this year is
Are you familiar with her work?
Here are some photos of her pieces.




 This one (above) hangs in a museum in France... well the last I knew it did anyway.
Her work is amazing.
She will be the Artist in Residence at Empty Spools conference in Asilomar in a couple of weeks.


I was able to work with Lura on a project called The Mandala 21st Century Project.
It's the worlds largest quilt. Measuring 70 meters by 50 meters.
(yeah, I don't know how to translate that... but ruffly half the
 size of a football field, or maybe its the full size of a football field)
It took 8 years to construct and 10,000 volunteers. It was finished in 2002.
People worked on this from all over the world.
We were the only group from the United States that contributed to the making of this quilt.
                                   
You can click on the link and see more photos. there is a grid photo and you can click on that to show you the sections. Each group completed one grid section.

Have a great weekend. I can't wait to come back and show photos of the quilt show...
which will only be second best to seeing the photos of Spring Market!

P.S. dear Blogger... what the heck happened??? and why did it have to go haywire this week?
don't you know we are sitting by the computer just waiting for glimpses of Market photos???
Monday, May 9, 2011

Mosaic Monday Plus A Winner



I love color. Beachy color is the best.
I love my fiestaware dishes.
I can never decide what color to chose in decorating in my home.
I just don't want to commit to one color palate.
So these pictures got me thinking...
dare I paint my chairs and furniture???
Could I be so brave???
Would my husband have a fit???

Well, while I ponder those questions...
it's time to pick a winner of my giveaway...


and the winner is........
Cindy at Hyacinth Designs! Congratulations Cindy!
I am so glad that you are my giveaway winner!
She recommended Twin Fibers blog as one of her favorites... "you get two for one".

My thanks to everyone for entering my giveaway and sending me good wishes for my blogiversary.
I really enjoyed your comments and the links and finding that some of your blogs were new to me as well!

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Thursday, May 5, 2011

I Shamefully Admit


I have a confession...
I love BOM's. I get very excited about one starting.
(I really couldn't tell you why).
The problem... and I'm sure I'm alone here (snicker)...
is that I don't get them finished.
I lose momentum quickly. And...
This BOM is about to start... next month at Fat Quarter Shop!
So I decided, after a friend suggested that she was going to tackle one
 of her "collected" BOM's PER month.
 I thought I should do that too. That's right. 12 blocks in one month.
So before this one gets going...

this currant BOM is at the top of my list.
I need to get er' done! I think I only have a 3 blocks done right now,
so I need to get the rest done this month.
I actually have 1 block left to do from the 2009 BOM. 

Then I can decide on which one of these...

The Rosalie Quinlan BOM.
(Yikes... what was I thinking)? I don't think I am ready yet for this applique project). But...



the Quilt Soup Mystery Quilt has started. I have received my first month project.
This should get me going on applique. and be a bit more doable for me.



This is another one that I had been collecting.
Monthly Mini by Temecula Quilt Company.
 Waiting in the wings.
So that's my goal for this month and the next month...
and the month after that if need be. These guys are getting done.
This year. Period.


ON another note...
Have you seen this new copy of Quilt Sampler magazine yet???

Cute. Stuff. Inside.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Fifty Fifty

Well, looking back on my goals for Charming Girls Club...
for the months of March and April,
I'm 50/50.

1. pincushion swap -made and sent it
2. I did work on PIF projects
3. Didn't get to my Bitsy Button (Scotty dog) quilt
4. Didn't get pillows made either
5. Unable to make Gone to Market larger, because it's a shop sample right now.
6. I made my (2) Le Petite projects
7. I made a secret project
8. Didn't do a deep cleaning of my sewing room... and therefore have still not found my Yoyoville houses.

There are a few other projects that I worked on during the past couple of months...

This one was started and put on hold while I decided on what I was going
to do with the outer border. I'm thinking a row of sail boats to go with my 9 patch pinwheels.
My problem... and maybe you can help me here... my border sailboat is 8 1/2" and the the actual quilt blocks are 9 1/2"... but, there will be a inner border in there. Any thoughts?

I also made up a couple of these camera bags.

and I am quilting this baby quilt right now...
and not a moment to soon, because the baby has arrived now!


And in regards to my "Word Up" for the Charming Girls Club...
I made a picnic breakfast for all of my family for the morning after the wedding last weekend.
There were 16 of us.
I had boxed up in sweet coordinating utensils, napkins and table cloth, there was yogurt, strawberries, danish,  individual quiches and beverages.
It was so nice for the group of us to slowly gather up and enjoy each other
and have a nice and relaxing morning... especially for our "royal" bride and groom.

and just a reminder... the giveaway is still open for

this book along with a camera case.
(See last Friday's post).