Country Scrap Quilts

not perfect, but done!

2012-01-30T04:19:00.000-08:00

It's not perfect, but it's done! :o) This quilt is what's been taking up my time for the last couple of months.... LONG story, but basically, it was a precut quilt that my Mom bought and asked me to put together. I actually started with a green colored kit (same pattern) but unfortunately, it was a poorly cut kit, and even after carefuly piecing there was no way those diamonds were going to fit together! So this pink/purple version is actually kit number 2! It went together better, but certainly not perfectly. I ended up making the center star and center ring and then applique-ing it to a large white sheet. Then some hand quilting. It's about 82" square. I like it, pretty much, but boy am I glad it's done! :o)

butterflies

2012-01-11T09:36:00.000-08:00

Even tho they are calling for a couple of inches of snow here in Central Illinois tomorrow (we can't complain, we have only had one dusting of snow so far this winter!), there are Spring butterflies in my sewing room! :o)
I made these cute butterfly ornaments with vintage chenille and vintage quilt pieces, to sell on Etsy. They have a clothespin for the body. I love how they turned out! Hopefully it won't be too cold for them, now that it's supposed to snow! :o)

you shouldn't be surprised...

2012-01-09T12:12:00.000-08:00

You shouldn't be surprised that I chose "ROSEBUD" pink to paint a few pieces for my sewing room.... Any die-hard Singer fans (like me, even tho I don't have any old Singers), before you cuss me out for painting a Singer cabinet... I only painted it because it was in really rough shape. It was given to me, missing the machine, and already painted... So, what's a girl to do?! Have the kids paint it Rosebud pink for her! :o)

We also painted my fabric cabinet to match. It used to be an old stereo (the top opens up for the record player) but it's missing all that stuff, so it's been my sewing cabinet for years... Love, love, love the color!

And look at these SEW CUTE knobs I found to match! I'm a happy girl... :o)

Crosses

2012-01-06T04:19:00.000-08:00

Happy 2012! Christmas and New Years was great fun around here, always hopping with 4 kids off from school... :o) They went back to school on Wednesday, so yesterday, I got to get back to some sewing! :o) I made these Cross Pillows for my Etsy shop. One vintage chenille one...

And one from a piece of a vintage quilt. I am really tempted to keep this one for myself!! It has beautiful hand quilting! :o)

This last one I made for my older sister, her birthday is at the end of January... :o)

happy

2011-12-21T08:41:00.000-08:00

The last few years, it's been hard to be happy at Christmas-time. But this year, how could I not be happy, with all this wonderfulness.... :o) Here is Jimmy with Santa, when he came to visit their PreK class earlier this month. :o)

I'm using "Fresh Palette" fabrics from Carrie Nelson to make the "Mill Girls" quilt from the "More Elm Creek Quilts" blook by Jennifer Chiaverini. LOVE how these are turning out. :o)

Cinnamon applesauce ornaments, made with the kids the last few nights after school! SO easy! Applesauce (the cheap stuff!), cinnamon (which is never cheap!?) and glue -- mix it, roll it out, use your cookie cutters. Then just let them dry! I dried ours in the oven for about 4 hours on 170*, and then let them dry the rest of the way on the counter. We run the humidifier, and also have 2 cats, a dog, and 4 kids, so I figured they'd dry quicker that way... :o)

And last but not least... Brownie! Brownie is my bear, on the right! VERY well loved! I don't remember quite how old I was when I got him, but he used to go to grade school with me, and I'd sit him in my desk, so I could see him... So probably about 35 years old, give or take... And on the left, is Jim's! Apparently, Jim and I really were meant to be, because we both had the same bear! HA! His is not nearly as well loved as mine, and they aren't exactly the same, but definately by the same maker!
I am happy... :o)

Christmas Ornament Swap

2011-12-04T04:21:00.000-08:00

I joined a fun "Christmas Ornament Swap" - the main requirement of the ornament was that it had to have buttons, somehow, somewhere... :o) These are the snowmen that I made.

I received this cute Holly Leaves and Berries ornament from Jeanelle. With lots of extra Christmas-y buttons!

Laurie sent me these cute little ornaments, made with miniature baking tins! SO creative! The container is a little red bundt tin! Fun!

And from Robin... PINK! A cute pink button ornament - it's made using a small wooden embroidery hoop! And a little jar of tiny pink and white buttons! How did she know I love pink!?! :o)

You can click the pic above to go see other creative ideas that the other swappers made! This was so much fun!

4 little bears and snowmen...

2011-11-30T10:58:00.000-08:00

Usually, it's the story of the 3 bears but this time it's 4 bears! :o) These are the bears that I made to give the kids this Christmas. These are keepsake bears. David gets the dark brown one, Anna gets red, Lizzie gets the cream one, and Jimmy gets the light brown. The boys have buttons on their vests and the girls have flowers... I love how they all look a little different (besides colors) even tho they're made from the same pattern. These bears stand about 7" tall. :o)

And I made some snowmen last week... Out of chenille! Wool felt angel wings, sticks for little arms. (Thanks to my Boy Scout for whittling them sharp for me, to be able to insert them!) Added a little snow glitter to them... I *love* the way they turned out. :o)

stuffing...

2011-11-24T05:33:00.000-08:00

Not your traditional Thanksgiving stuffing! :o) I'm stuffing bear parts! This is a different bear than the four that I'm making for the kids, but another Christmas present to someone sweet... :o)
Happy Thanksgiving!

14 and bear parts... :o)

2011-11-17T07:02:00.000-08:00

My "babies" turned 14 years old earlier this month! Time is just flying!

Trying to work on Christmas... Remember last year I made a bear for my Mom, and I've made a few others over the year... I'm making keepsake bears for the kids for Christmas. Lizzie's is the yellow "pooh bear", Anna's will be the red, Jimmy's will be the light brown, and David's will be the dark brown. I have all the pieces sewn on three of them (have to work on the dark brown today). I will have to have Jim turn the pieces for me. I can't do it anymore with this arthritis...! (these bear kits were purchased here)

14th birthday - 14% off!

2011-11-01T10:07:00.000-07:00

Since this week is the triplets' 14th birthday, you can use the Coupon Code "TRIPLETS14" to save 14% off anything in my Etsy shop, including the new felted wool mitten ornaments, shown here! :o) I hope you'll stop by, if you have a minute!

4 years

2011-10-30T05:11:00.000-07:00

Merle Lee Thompson
October 12, 1944 - October 30, 2007

On 9/11 this year, when they were reading the names, one of the gals said this of her loved one: "Happy 10th Anniversary in Heaven". I am trying to remember that, to try to change my way of thinking.

I miss you, Dad. I love you. Happy 4th Anniversary in Heaven.

Mini Backpacks and flannel scraps

2011-10-29T12:56:00.000-07:00

I've been working on these mini Backpacks for my Etsy Shop. (Pattern found here.) I ordered maroon-and-gold Kona fabrics to make some for Lizzie's basketball team, for end-of-the-season gifts... :o) I was a little intimidated about the zipper, but once I got the first one done, they are really easy!!

I also added this Woolies Flannel Scrap Bundle to my Etsy Shop. These are left-over from a recent quilt project. :o)

busy, busy

2011-10-27T09:12:00.000-07:00

Been busy, busy since my last post! Finished up this customer quilt! Twenty paper-pieced 12" stars, and then just a simple sashing. Hope she likes it! (She supplied the fabrics.)

I also put together my "Friendship" row swap rows. I will probably hand-quilt this one. This row swap was SO fun! Our group is doing another one in 2012. (I'm the hostess! Yeah!) I need to start thinking about my theme... :o)

I got my "Snowmen A to Zzzz" quilt top together. Still have to get batting, and then I think I'm going to tie it, with all sorts of red buttons, in the corners of the embroidery blocks. This one will be for my Mom for Christmas.

And last but not least... I made this rag quilt using the "Wanna Be a Cowboy" fat quarters from Riley Blake. It went into my Etsy shop this morning... It'd be perfect for a new baby boy, or for a take-along quilt for a wanna-be-cowboy! :o)

Not much else going on besides that... :o) Besides my Mom falling and breaking her arm 2 weeks ago... Oh my! :o)

M, R, S, T-U-V

2011-10-17T04:24:00.000-07:00

Finished a few more embroidery blocks over the last week... M for Mittens...

R for Reindeer...

S for Snowflakes...

And T-U-V for Twinkle, Up on the housetop, and Village...
And now, all the embroidery is DONE! :o) I'm hoping by the end of the week, to have a completed quilt top! We'll see.... :o)

Happy Birthday Dad

2011-10-12T07:37:00.000-07:00

Merle Lee Thompson
October 12, 1944 - October 30, 2007

Connecticut Stars and "W"

2011-10-09T09:31:00.000-07:00

Been sewing along on my paper-pieced Connecticut Stars, and now have all 10 done! Woo Hoo! There are two each, of these 5 color combinations. Like I said, this will be scrappy, mostly purples, but with some other colors thrown in. All fabrics chosen by the customer... :o) Now to put together the 10 "Tennessee Stars"! :o)

The only embroidery was "W" for Wreath, since Lizzie had 3 home basketball games this past week. :o)

C and D, customer quilt and flannel rag quilt! :o)

2011-10-04T14:25:00.000-07:00

More embroidery! :o) C is for Candy Cane...

And D is for an oh-so-cute Drummer Boy! :o)

Not the best pic, but starting on a new quilt for a customer. 20 paper pieced stars. This is the "Connecticut" Star, from the book "50 Fabulous Paper Pieced Stars" by Carol Doak. There will be 10 of these stars, and 10 of the "Tennessee" stars. They will be scrappy, purples, and some other colors mixed in. :o) Good thing I love paper piecing! :o)

And last but not least, the new "Plaid Woolies Flannel Rag Quilt" for the Etsy Shop. This would be the perfect quilt for a new baby, but I really think the colors are perfect for winter - pale pink and blue and whites. Love the plaids, especially! And the flannel is OH SO YUMMY! :o)

Coin Purses and K & L

2011-09-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

I finally went to the doctor yesterday and I have a sinus/ear infection, so I haven't gotten much sewing done this week. I did finish up these two coin purses for my Etsy shop, tho! I'll probably have to hide the pink one from Anna, or she'll be taking it! :o)

I also finished this double block - K and L, for Kris Kringle and Lights. Another favorite! :o)

Christmas Pillow Covers and E&F, G, H and X!

2011-09-26T07:10:00.000-07:00

Adding more Christmas items to our Etsy shop! :o) Two new pillow covers - both featuring machine embroidery designs. "Elegant Christmas Cardinal on Santa's Boot Pillow Cover", above.

And the "Christmas Ornaments" Pillow Cover, above. I used a snowflake tulle over Kona Avocado, to surround the embroidery design. Love the sparkle! :o)

Been stitching along on my "Snowmen A to Zzzz" blocks, too! :o) Hoping to get the embroidery done in the next couple of weeks... :o) Here is E and F - Elf and Fir.

G is for Gifts.

H is for Holly Berries.

And X is for "XOXO" - love this one! :o)

A, B, Q, and Y and Z...

2011-09-18T10:21:00.000-07:00

More of my "Snowmen A to Zzzz" blocks! First off, A for Angels. This is a wider block, it will take up "3 blocks". Love it.

B for Bells.

Of course, my favorite! Q for Quilt.

And Y and Z... :o) These are going pretty fast. I'm *considering* giving this as a Christmas gift to my Mom, if I can get it stitched up and have it quilted quick enough. That may be pushing it tho. Can't believe September is half over already!

Happy Helper and Etsy...

2011-09-14T04:40:00.000-07:00

Jimmy came running out of school one day last week, with THIS! He was the "line leader" that day, so he got the "Happy Helper Award"! He was so Happy! :o)

Been working on new things for the Etsy shop. First off, is this "Winter Pinwheels" throw in "It's Snowing" fabrics. This is the Schnibbles "Jacks" pattern. Very fun, and I love the secondary designs that the blocks make. I've had these fabrics since at least before last Christmas, and decided it was time to do something with them! :o)

And then for Fall, I made this "Scrappy Autumn Owl" pillow. It was fun to just randomly put together his body section, using all kinds of fall colored scraps. David helped me draw up the pattern. :o) Thanks for looking!

Vintage Chenille pillows

2011-09-12T14:24:00.000-07:00

I worked on these two matching vintage chenille pillows for our couch today! Fun to make something for me! Especially out of vintage chenille! :o)

I added this cute two-tone blue pom pom trim! It was easy-peasy using this "Fussy Cut" tutorial!

I made "envelope" style backs so I could wash (soak) the covers, as needed...
I used the edging of the vintage bedspread piece, which gave it the back these cute chenille stripes! :o)

9-11-11

2011-09-11T04:33:00.000-07:00

~~~~
I made this little graphic shortly after 9-11.
If you want to put it on your blog, feel free to right click and save it.

"Jewels In My Flower Garden" and "N" and "O"

2011-09-07T14:09:00.000-07:00

I've been working on this quilt top for a customer, it's for her granddaughter. Couldn't get really good pics today, as it was breezy! (I'm not complaining! We have had absolutely PERFECT temps, mid 70s this week! Hooray!) She sent purple minky for the backing, and it will just have a sheet for batting.

This quilt finished to about 60" x 72". Click on the pics to see an enlarged view.

And in the evenings, I've been getting alot of embroidery done. "N" for "Noel".

And "O" for "Ornaments" -- one of my favorites! I'm almost done with "Q" - can you guess what that stands for?! :o)
Thanks for visiting!

Vintage Chenille Heart quilt

2011-09-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

Vintage chenille is one of my favorite things to work with lately! I couldn't resist this chenille PINK heart! It called out to be a baby quilt! :o) So, so snuggly!
This quilt is available in my Etsy Shop. :o)

Preschool, 7 years and Jingle Bells... :o)

2011-08-28T11:04:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a title, huh?! :o) Friday was Jimmy's first day of Preschool! My little boy didn't even cry! (I did, just a little...!)

When I picked him up, he said they had a great time! I asked what they did: Did you color? "No", Did you play with blocks? "No", Did the teacher read to you? "No". So what DID you do?! "I have no idea", he says! I guess he just knows he had fun! :o)

Seven years ago, Jim and I did this! :o) Happy Anniversary to my best friend! I love you more!

Jim made this cabinet for our CDs and DVDs and for our anniversary, he ordered this vintage doily for me... (Ok, I placed the order and told him about it afterwards! Works for him! HA!)

And I finished "J" for Jingle Bells earlier this week, for my "Snowmen A to Zzzz..." quilt... :o)

not much sewing, but some pics! :o)

2011-08-23T07:13:00.000-07:00

Saturday night was the Father/Daughter Royal Purity Ball. This was the 5th annual Ball, and Jim and the girls have went every year. (I'll have to remember to post some of the older pics sometime, I can't believe how grown up the girls are becoming!) That's Anna in the purple and Elizabeth in the teal. Beautiful, even if I do say so myself! :o)

And then yesterday was the first day of 8th Grade! And Jimmy starts Preschool on Friday - I'm not sure if I'm ready to talk about that yet! :o( He's excited tho, so that's good... :o)

I did make myself a new "sunny" new ironing board cover! :o) In general, I followed this Moda Bake Shop tutorial. One note on that tutorial, if you have a wider ironing board like I do, make sure to add extra ribbon! I threaded three yards of ribbon thru that casing, and GGGRRR! It was about 3" too short to go all the way around, and I certainly couldn't tie it! So back to the store for four yards of ribbon, that worked just fine... :o) The fabric is from the "Fresh Palette" line by Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Co! :o) LOVE it! :o)

Hole In The Barn Door quilt

2011-08-18T16:18:00.000-07:00

I finished up the "Hole In the Barn Door" quilt for my customer! I so love the colors in this kit! I'm tempted to make one for myself! :o) The scraps are going off to Beatrice, who is making her own scrappy version of this quilt... :o)

And I finished the "P" for "Plum Pudding", for my "Snowmen A to Zzzz" quilt... Now I'm working on "J" for "Jingle Bells"... :o)

sewing up a storm...

2011-08-14T10:07:00.000-07:00

Between school registration, school clothes and supply shopping, etc., I have been sewing! :o) I have all the blocks completed to put together a "Hole In The Barn Door" quilt kit for a customer! Love the fabrics in this kit, so patriotic! :o) Just finished trimming all the blocks this morning, so I'm going to start sewing rows together this afternoon, I hope!

And I also completed my first letter in the Crabapple Hill "Snowmen A to Zzzz...." set! I for Icicles! One down, 25 more letters to go. :o) It's been awhile since I completed my "Winter Wonderland" quilt, and I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed hand embroidery! :o)

another Rick Rack quilt

2011-08-09T15:07:00.000-07:00

After my Mom saw the Rick Rack quilt (Schnibbles pattern from Miss Rosie's Quilt Company) that I put up for sale in my Etsy shop, she wanted one too! :o) She wanted it in "Dandelion Girl" fabrics. This used every last bit of the fabrics I had left... :o) This is one of my very favorite fabric lines... :o)

Row Swap and braces... :o)

2011-08-04T14:18:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to participate (and hostess!) a Row Swap thru the Friendship Group that I'm part of! These are the BEAUTIFUL rows that I received back! The Log Cabin row in the center was the starter row that I made, and then 6 lovely ladies made 6 lovely rows for me! I can't wait to put this quilt together, although it'll have to wait a few weeks... Lots to do with school starting, etc...

If you're not a big fan of "teeth" than you might want to skip the next couple pics... David got braces! I'll tell you what, as a triplet, he REALLY got the short end of the stick when it comes to teeth! So he is one of those that is HAPPY to get braces! No having to fight him on that! Here are a couple before shots.

His favorite color is green, so here he is today, with his braces on, with green elastics! He still has more brackets to be added on the top, as time goes, and he will get them on the bottom too, in a few months... (Excuse the poison ivy on my Boy Scout! HA!)

And since I had the camera out, here are the triplets.... :o) I can't believe that they are 13 and starting 8th grade this year! Elizabeth (the basketball star!), David (my "adorkable" boy!) and Anna (the princess!) :o)

Jimmy will be going to preschool in a few weeks and is very excited about it, but wouldn't stop to pose for a pic with his brother and sisters today... :o(

this week's sewing...

2011-07-28T04:46:00.000-07:00

This week, I worked on this "Summer Cottage" quilt kit for a customer. The kit is from Connecting Threads. I got the "Tri Recs" Triangle Tools, that the pattern recommends for the star points, and BOY did that make cutting those pieces go quick! At first, I wasn't in love with the fabrics, but they really grew on me, as I put it all together.

And I finished up my version of the "Ric Rac" Schnibbles quilt! I *love* how it turned out. I hand-quilted along the zig-zag of the dark rows. This little quilt is up for sale in my Etsy Shop. My mom wants one, but in the Dandelion Girl fabrics, like this quilt. She wants a throw size, so I may have to add back in the sashing strips, like the original pattern. :o)
Hope you're all having a good week!

gingham pillow

2011-07-23T12:07:00.000-07:00

I've had so much fun lately, working with some vintage doilies. I've been making pillows! (Running out of room for all of them!) This one is a vintage doily on a lovely spring green gingham. Very Spring-y! A vintage white chenille for the backing.
This one is in my Etsy shop. Don't forget, everything there is 15% off during the month of July!

~ Rose Parade Scraps ~ Winner !

2011-07-22T09:34:00.000-07:00

The winner of the ~ Rose Parade Scraps ~ is comment #4! ~Niki~ !

Please email me (janda082803@yahoo.com) your mailing address, Niki, and I will get these scraps to you right away! I hope you have fun with them! :o)

Dusty Rose Chenille Quilt

2011-07-20T14:52:00.000-07:00

It's 99* here, with a heat index in the 100's, and here I am working on a chenille and satin throw for a customer! :o) The dusty rose chenille in this quilt came from a bedspread that was her grandmother's. Some of the bedspread was ruined, so she cut off the usable parts, for this quilt. It's a lovely color! She still has to send me what she wants for the backing, and then it will be tied and black binding.

Don't forget about my "Rose Parade" scraps giveaway! You still have time to enter before Friday! :o) Click HERE... :o)

~ Rose Parade Scraps ~ Give Away!

2011-07-18T12:36:00.000-07:00

After making both sizes of the "Simple Things Quilt Along" quilts, I hardly have anything left from the Rose Parade (by Moda) FQ set! I have enough of the FQs left, to make a scrappy binding for the larger quilt, and then the pieces shown here! So I am giving these scraps away! :o)

There are about *40* 1-1/4" x 5" strips, about *20* 3-1/4" HS triangles, and then some misc. pieces. :o) The scraps include the whole fabric line. I figure someone can use them, right?! :o) All you have to do is leave a comment on this post, and I will choose a random winner on Friday, July 22nd... :o)

Simple Things Quilt Along - quilt tops complete

2011-07-17T12:48:00.000-07:00

I finished the quilt tops for the Simple Things Quilt Along! This small one is going to Carol (Cornfield Quilter) in trade for the small one that she made... :o) I finished it yesterday, before the trio and I went to see the last Harry Potter movie! :o)

And today, I finished up the large sized one -- this one is for me... :o) I really enjoyed this quilt along, and can see making this design again! I really like the fun zig zag border, too! :o)

P.S. Come back tomorrow, I'm going to have a give away of the scraps from this quilt -- it's the hard-to-find "Rose Parade" fabrics, by Moda! :o)

Home Sweet Home

2011-07-14T05:14:00.000-07:00

I started out wanting to make a pincushion from some of my wool felt, and instead, ended up with a little wallhanging! :o) All my own design, just a little sweet sentiment. :o)

You can find the "Home Sweet Home" wallhanging, now on sale, in my Etsy shop! :o)

Simple Things Quilt Along - border blocks

2011-07-09T09:42:00.000-07:00

I finished up my border blocks for the Simple Things Quilt Along today! I decided to make the blocks for both size quilts - I really like the effect it makes on the example quilts... :o) Can't wait to start sewing it all together! :o)

this week's sewing... :o)

2011-07-07T11:46:00.000-07:00

Lots of "miscellaneous" sewing this week! :o) First, I made this pillow, which is now for sale in my Etsy shop. It was made from a piece of vintage Coral Pink chenille, with a vintage baby pink doily stitched to the front... My girls want me to keep it... :o)

Here is a close up of the doily... :o)

Next, I made this block, it is the "Illinois" block from the "McCall's Covering America: 50 State Blocks United In One Quilt" pattern. Carol (Cornfield Quilter) and I are making these blocks, and I decided to make her the Illinois one, since that is my state. :o) Carol, it'll be in the mail to you soon!

Next, was 72 placemats. Just cut fabric, and then hemmed, but still, 72 of them! These are for the Father/Daughter Royal Purity Ball, next month. :o)

And last but not least, my Christmas Stars quilt! Carol (Cornfield Quilter) did a beautiful job quilting it for me, and I added the binding to it today... :o)

Here is a close up of the quilting... Just lovely! :o)

"Peppermint Bark"

2011-07-04T07:12:00.000-07:00

Here is a little quilt I put together... It's called "Peppermint Bark". Its about 26" square. It was a Moda Bake Shop kit. I LOVE it! :o) I will hand-quilt it, after I get some batting... :o)

And speaking of "bark", here is Winchester. He's about 10 months old, a purebred Beagle. We got him about 3 months ago... Jim has always wanted a dog, so now we have 2 cats, a guinea pig, a miniature hamster, and a dog.... And 4 kids... HA! :o)

P.S. You don't want to miss my "Christmas In July" Sale in my Etsy Shop! 15% off all items!

RicRac

2011-07-03T05:18:00.000-07:00

Here is my Schnibbles "RicRac", so far... I made mine a bit differently, leaving out the sashing strips between the "RicRac" rows. Now it measures about 25-1/2" by 36-1/2". I'm trying to decide if I want to leave it as it is, making a large table centerpiece, or it would make a nice runner on the back of a couch. (Fits on the back of our loveseat, perfectly.) I have more triangles and could add rows to make it larger....? I don't have any batting right now, so it'll sit for a while, so I can think about it... :o)

P.S. I'm having a "Christmas in July" sale in my Etsy shop!

Simple Things Quilt Along - week 3

2011-07-01T13:37:00.000-07:00

Here are my blocks for week 3 of the Simple Things Quilt Along. Easy block, but alot of them! 24 of each size! :o) Next week, we get to start sewing blocks together! I can't wait ! :o)

Christmas BOM

2011-06-27T15:24:00.000-07:00

Today, I put together the blocks from the 2010 Christmas BOM from Fat Quarter Shop! I did not buy the finishing kit, but instead used left-overs from the months. I still have enough left-over to make a scrappy binding, and then some! :o) I think my favorite block is the basket at the center bottom. :o)

this week's "Simple Things" Quilt Along blocks

2011-06-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

Here are this week's "Simple Things" Quilt Along blocks. :o) Very similar to last week's blocks, except this week, there is a pinwheel in the centers, instead of 4-patches. Like I said before, mine are scrappy, rather than "structured", because of the FQ set I am using... But I like it this way! :o)

These are the smaller blocks, for Carol's quilt... :o)

Here's the size comparison -- the large blocks are 8-1/2" unfinished and the small blocks are 4-1/2" unfinished... :o)

more Quilt Along blocks

2011-06-22T12:56:00.000-07:00

Carol (Cornfield Quilter) and I are making the small blocks for the "Simple Things" quilt along, as well as the large blocks. We are going to trade the small quilts, when they're done, because we both love each other's fabrics so much! :O) So these are my smaller blocks - finished this afternoon! :o) These blocks finish to 4-1/2" square.

A side note -- I am having a sale in my Etsy shop -- 15% off everything, until July 4th! Hope you'll stop by!

Simple Things Quilt Along - sewing blocks!

2011-06-20T05:08:00.000-07:00

This was the first "sewing week" for the "Simple Things" quilt along! We made framed 4-patch blocks (4) and 4-patch star blocks (8). These are 8-1/2" unfinished blocks.

I love these happy fabrics! (Rose Parade by Moda, and Kona White). Click the logo below, if you want to Quilt Along, too!

Father's Day 2011

2011-06-19T04:17:00.000-07:00

This is my post from Father's Day 2009, but it is just as true on Father's Day 2010, so I just thought I would re-post it. Everything is the same, just 2 years later. It's now been 3-1/2 years since Dad passed away.

******************************

Father's Day is an emotional day for me. On the one hand, I am a lucky lady, for my children have a wonderful Dad. I couldn't ask for anything more for my kids. Jim came into our lives when the trio were about 5 years old and anyone that didn't know, would never know that he isn't their *real* dad. (The trio are 11 now, so he has been here for most of their lives at this point.) And what is a real dad anyways? I think Jim is more of a real dad to the trio than anyone else. And then Jimmy came along... Which just added to the joy of our family!

And on the other hand, Father's Day makes me sad. I lost my Dad to a heart attack, a little over a year and half ago. I still miss him desperately. It has been harder than I ever could have imagined, and I am still not sure that *it gets better*. I was the youngest girl of three, and Dad was the one person I could always count on. He never judged, he just loved me. Jim is alot like my Dad. :o)

So Happy Father's Day to my dear husband, Jim, and Happy Father's Day to my Dad.

"Simple Things" quilt along

2011-06-16T13:49:00.000-07:00

I decided to join the "Simple Things" quilt along -- I am making the larger version quilt, with instructions given by "Brown Quilts". (Click on the logo above, to see the quilt!) I love her patriotic version, but am going to use my *yummy* Moda's Rose Parade fq bundle for this quilt, along with Kona White for the solid.

Here are my cut pieces, from week one... :o) I can't wait to start sewing next week! You should join along, too! :o)

"Dandelion Fields" quilt

2011-06-14T14:44:00.000-07:00

I've had a couple of jelly rolls of Moda's "Dandelion Girl" fabric for awhile, I just LOVE these colors! I just stitched some strips together, cut them at an angle, and look at the neat pattern it made! :O)

I hand-quilted on the diagonals. This photo also shows the backing fabric.

This "Dandelion Fields" quilt went up for sale in my Etsy shop, today... :o)

1800s DJ blocks

2011-06-05T09:43:00.000-07:00

Here is what I decided to do with my Dear Jane blocks made with 1800s red and blue repro fabrics... :o) The upper left hand corner one is mine, and the rest will be gifts... I'm going to do hand quilting across the sashing strips and then make them into little wallhangings. They'll measure about 15" square when they're done -- hhhmmm... Maybe they should be pillows? I'll have to think about this a little more... :o)

patriotic baby bunting quilt

2011-05-24T13:08:00.000-07:00

Back in December, I made a Baby Bunting quilt for a customer, and I really liked it and wanted to make myself one... :o) But this one is going in my shop. :o) Perfect for a summer baby, or for Patriotic decorating... :o)

A Treasure!

2011-05-18T09:40:00.000-07:00

I got my Little Jane quilt back from Carol yesterday! Isn't is just amazing! Click on the picture to see it bigger! Carol does such beautiful work! The kids and I sat here last night, going from block to block, admiring the different quilting on each one!

With applique blocks from Beatrice, and the quilting from Carol, this quilt will always be a treasure to me!

hexagon give-away winner and sneak peek... :o)

2011-05-15T14:23:00.000-07:00

We have a winner! Comment #6 from Deborah in Atlanta! Please email me and I will get the hexagons and some coordinating FQs in the mail to you! Hope you can put them to good use!

And here is a sneak peek.... :o) This is for a DEAR friend that is having a birthday in June... :o) After she receives her gift, I'll post a "real" picture... :o)
Lots of other sewing going on, but it's all been for the shop, so not much interesting to show... :o)

hexagon give-away :o)

2011-05-10T10:20:00.000-07:00

Remember these hexagons?! :o) I finally have my project (top) all put together, and I have these little hexagons left over! So what's a gal to do? Have a give-away, of course! :o)
Just leave a comment on this post, and you will have a chance to win these 1/2" hexagons (there are 60+ of them!) and a few coordinating "Sent With Love" FQs, too! Drawing will be held this Sunday, May 15th! Good luck!

another bear :o)

2011-05-03T10:06:00.000-07:00

Introducing "Corazon", my new bear! He was made from a kit from the "The Old Pincushion" Etsy shop. (Same as all my other bears!) He measures about 15" tall.

I named him "Corazon" for "heart", because he was all hand-pieced while waiting during all of Jim's heart tests... :o)

Here is Corazon, with Amelia and Chopper, to show the size differences... I love them all... :o)

quilt tops... :o)

2011-04-29T17:21:00.000-07:00

I have had these two wolf fabrics for ages (I think 5+ years?!), put away to make a quilt for Jim and finally decided to get something put together... Easier said than done, seeing as Jim works 2nd shift, so he's home most of the day when the kids are at school. (prime sewing time!) I just did a very, very simple layout, to highlight the fabrics... :o) I'm hoping I can convince Carol to quilt it for me -- maybe for his birthday in October?! (Please!!)

I also put together this really simple baby quilt top. I had some jelly roll strips, and just cut them in "bricks" and put it together today. I hope to do some simple hand-quilting on it and get it put up in my shop...
Now, what should I work on next... :o) Have a great weekend!

a couple more things for the shop... :o)

2011-04-28T12:02:00.000-07:00

This rag quilt is made from a Kashmir IV (Moda) FQ pack that I've had for ages. I love the pastels, they remind me of Easter eggs!

I also made another coin purse - these seem to be pretty popular! :o) I need to order more frames and get a few more made... :o)

If you find there's something you "can't live without" from my shop - be sure to check my sidebar here on my blog - there's a coupon code for you... :o)
Now to sew something for myself, maybe... :o) Thanks for visiting!

new purse and coin purse

2011-04-22T11:05:00.000-07:00

I made myself a new purse and coin purse this week... (Actually, more like over the last two weeks.) I had no idea how easy it was to put those clasp frames on! I used an antique brass frame for my purses, and the one below, uses a nickel frame -- it's in my Etsy shop... :o) The pattern is from http://www.etsy.com/shop/StudioCherie

Thanks for all the good wishes for Jim. I'm happy to say it's not too serious, and can be handled with medication, rather than surgery. Your prayers were appreciated and heard!

silly sewing

2011-04-18T12:52:00.000-07:00

I did some "silly sewing" this morning! :o) Anna (one of my trio) spotted an elephant pillow awhile back on Etsy (I think?!) and so we saved the pic, so I could make one for her... :o) It's made with a baby blue fleece that I found clearanced at w-mart, and Anna chose the cute polka dot fabric for the ears from my stash... LOVE the trunk! :o)

And like I haven't made enough pouches lately, I made these two to go in my Etsy shop... One featuring the silver metallic crosses fabric and another from some cute pink ladybug fabric... :o)
Thanks for stopping by!

100 pouches

2011-04-17T05:15:00.000-07:00

This year, for our church's Father/Daughter Royal Purity Ball, I made keychain pouches (minus the keychain part) for gifts for the girls. This year, I made 100. The church pays for the supplies and I donate my time. The pattern is from Keyka Lou. It was very easy to make. :o)

Here are the 100 pouches, laid out on my bed. :o)

The outside fabric is a black cotton (from Julie at Nauvoo Quilt Co), and the inside is a white fabric with silver metallic crosses. Two different kinds of silver charms on the outside to add some "bling". The colors for the Ball this year are black, white and silver. :o)
If you want to see what I've made the past two years, you can go here: 2010 and 2009 :o)

new pillows

2011-04-13T12:43:00.000-07:00

I just finished these two chenille pillows for my Etsy shop! The colors are so Spring-y! :o) If you're interested, the link to my Etsy shop is at the top corner of my blog. (Along with a code to use for a discount!) Just finished another BIG project, too, but haven't taken pictures yet... Hope to show that in the next day or two... :o) We go Friday to get Jim's test results from last week (heart tests), so I've been doing alot of "nervous sewing"... :o)

Amelia Bear

2011-04-05T04:32:00.001-07:00

Introducing Amelia Bear! Any of you that have visited my blog for awhile, know I've been making these little bears from kits from "The Old Pincushion". (http://theoldpincushion.etsy.com) I am enjoying them so much! Next, I have kits saved up to make one for each of the kids for Christmas. (SSHHH!) This bear pattern was "Amadeus", but since I made mine a girl, she is Amelia! Her dress is made from an old hankie I had gotten somewhere... She is about 9" tall. I LOVE her! :o)

little Jane

2011-03-29T05:13:00.000-07:00

Last year, I started working on the Dear Jane blocks -- in pink and in 1800s reds and blues. Around Christmas time, I came to the realization that I was "over it". I had made 60+ of the blocks and just was not that interested in completing it. For awhile, I felt guilty about that. And then it was like, hey, I can do what I want, right?! :o)

So here are my pink DJ blocks, all 64 of them. Put together into a little quilt! And I *LOVE* it! I'm glad I didn't force myself to continue on, and I'm thrilled to have this little quilt. (So far, it's only the quilt top, I haven't decided if I want to hand-quilt, or possibly send it along to Carol to work her magic on!) I especially love the applique blocks that Beatrice made me! :o) The top measures about 41 x 45. :o)

I think the 1800s reds and blues (about the same number of blocks) will be made into a couple of table toppers for gifts... We'll see... :o)

Feathered Star Quilt

2011-03-27T04:45:00.001-07:00

I'm very happy to report that the Feathered Star Quilt is done! :o) As you can see in the photo below, I hand-quilted around each of the stars. And then tied, along the large HSTs. (Per the customer's request.) Quite a color/fabric combination, but I think each star "framed" made it come together nicely.Hope the customer's daughter likes it - it's for her 40th birthday... :o)

The kids are off school this coming week, which we are all REALLY looking forward to. It's been a trying month or so here, with some health issues going on for my dear husband... This week off is what we all needed. (He will be home with us too!) There may even be a trip to the zoo at the end of the week. :o)

busy, busy :o)

2011-03-21T12:17:00.001-07:00

I stayed busy, busy sewing for National Quilting Day! :o) I finished the Feathered Star Quilt top! Yeah! Now I have to wait for my customer to get back to me about the backing -- she didn't send enough... I am THRILLED with the way this quilt top turned out and plan to tackle a few blocks for myself, sometime... :o) By the way, the lump under the quilt top, up by the pillows, is one of our cats. He didn't move when I went to lay the quilt top out, so there he is... :o)Some of you may remember Chopper (above left) that I made for dear hubby last year.... Well, now Chopper has a girly-friend, Cherry... :o) These bears measure just a little more than 4" tall.

Hope you all had a good weekend! The weather has been in the low 70s here yesterday and today -- lovely Spring weather! :o) Oh, and Jimmy can ride his bike without us pushing it already! (It has training wheels, but he is flying on it!)

a good day :o)

2011-03-17T14:49:00.000-07:00

I finished the Feathered Star blocks this morning! All 6 are done! Yeah! Now to figure out how to finish off the quilt. The blocks finished to 20" square (including seam allowances) and I need to make them into a throw approx. 60 x 72. I know first that I am adding a 1" (finished) white border around each star block, so that the stars "float". After that, I'm not sure how I'm going to put them together. I may do another small border around each block of the main fabric from the center circles. And then a pieced border (probably HSTs). Sounds like alot more work! HA! I guess I'd better get busy... :o)

And Jimmy had a good day, too! He got his first bike! The sun came out this afternoon, and it got to 70* here in central Illinois, so we've been outside most of the afternoon... A good day... :o)

mine and mine :o)

2011-03-11T10:24:00.000-08:00

Not to brag, but this pillow is MINE! :o) Some vintage chenille for the front and back, that I made just for me! :o)

And remember my Holidays at Home BOM quilt that I made last year? Carol, from Cornfield Quilter, lovingly quilted it for me! SO beautiful! I wish it was Christmas, so I could display this now! Carol did such an amazing job, you can see the quilting more in this angle shot:Thank you SO much, Carol! This quilt will be treasured in my family for years and years to come! :o)

Ok, back to work on Feathered Star blocks for me... :o)

first 2 Feathered Star blocks

2011-03-10T14:27:00.000-08:00

Here are the first two Feathered Star blocks for my customer's quilt! I still have to hand-stitch down the center circles. (Obviously!) I made those outside squares and triangles just a bit larger, and as you can see, I won't lose those star points now! Yeah! :o) Two down, four to go! :o)

chenille pillows

2011-03-06T09:46:00.000-08:00

I've been collecting up some vintage chenille pieces for a little while now, and decided to put a few pieces to good use... :o) I put these pillows up for sale in my Etsy shop.

In case you have a chenille "need", go to Etsy and search "alorasadorables". Judy is super sweet and that's where I have bought most of my pieces. Tell her I sent you! :o)

Feathered Star -- Done!

2011-02-28T14:49:00.000-08:00

I finished my test Feathered Star block! Yeah! I really like it, although I'm really glad I did a test block first! Do you see my number one problem in my finished block? Yep, the tip of every single diamond is going to be cut off, once I add borders or binding. I think if I made those corner squares, and setting triangles, just 1/4" bigger, I'll not lose those tips when adding onto the block.

Other than that, I'd call this block a success! This one I will probably make into a wallhanging, for myself... :o) Or maybe a pillow, although it's really big...

I got the fabric from my customer today, but am still waiting for her to decide how she wants the quilt laid out. 6 (2x3) blocks, with big borders, or 12 (3x4) blocks with tiny borders.... :o)

Thanks for visiting!

Feathered Star - So Far...

2011-02-27T16:12:00.000-08:00

I'm using some of the wonderful Pristine fabrics to make a Feathered Star block. A customer wants a small quilt with these blocks, and I thought I should try the pattern out before I cut into her fabrics... It will be the "Feathered Star with Sunflower Center" in Marsha McCloskey's "Feathered Star Quilt Blocks I" book. So far, pretty good... :o) This is actually 4 corner squares, and 4 set in triangles, at this point. It's supposed to finish to an 18-1/2" square block. (I think mine may end up a little small, but I figure as long as it's square, who cares, right?!) I am going to applique my "Sunflower Center" to mine, rather than setting in the circle... I will keep you posted on how it goes... :o)

cowgirl quilt top and more bears

2011-02-25T18:21:00.000-08:00

I worked on this quilt top this week. It's a throw size. All cowgirl prints. I really like the way it turned out! I am just waiting on the backing to arrive and then I can tie it, and send it back to the customer! :o)

And I made these cute Bella Bears. Yep, the same bear I made a week or two ago, for my mom. I made three this week, one for me and these two went in our Etsy shop! :o)

Hope everyone had a good week! We got a couple inches of snow last night, but it's almost all melted away already -- come on Spring! :o)

more this and that... :o)

2011-02-20T13:21:00.001-08:00

I made this Cross pillow today, it will go to our church for their auction to raise money for the kids mission trip this summer. It's a 16" pillow, so 156 1" (finished) squares in this pillow... :o) I based it off my Cross for Hope quilt that I made last month... :o)

I made this little wool/felt notebook holder too. I may make them to sell, but I wanted to work out my pattern first... :o) I think it turned out pretty cute.

The girls helped me choose some scrapbook paper to put on the front of the 33-cent notebook from Dollar General, to fancy it up... :o)

Thanks for visiting! I appreciate everyone's kind comments! :o)

doorknob sachets

2011-02-15T14:53:00.001-08:00

Working on this and that lately -- made these little doorknob sachets. Lilac smelling - reminds me that Spring should be here soon! :o)

Vintage chenille for the fronts, wool felt for the backs... :o) I made one for me, and these two are going to go up for sale on our Etsy site later tonight... :o)

Thanks for visiting!

Bella Bear

2011-02-10T10:03:00.000-08:00

Meet Bella Bear! She was made from a really simple to make pattern from Bit of Whimsy Dolls (bitofwhimsyprims.etsy.com)

This Bella Bear is for my mom! I had to order more itsy bitsy polka dot fabric, then more Bella's will be made next week to put in my Etsy shop! :o)

nook / iPad covers - Etsy!

2011-02-08T14:41:00.000-08:00

I just put a couple of Nook and iPad covers up for sale in my Etsy Shop! I hope you'll stop by and see them! If you would like to make a purchase, use the code " CSQBLOG" and you will receive 10% off! Hope to see you there!

nook / iPad covers

2011-02-06T07:42:00.001-08:00

Haven't gotten too much done this week. We got about 10" of snow, Tuesday thru Wednesday. Lost power for about 8 hours, and the kids were out of school Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday... :o) I still have not gotten back into my routine. But I did get these covers made yesterday. The smaller one is for Lizzie's nook, and the larger one is for the iPad that I should be receiving this week... :o)))

Here is the inside of Lizzie's - she's 13, and loved the Katie Jump Rope fabrics from my quilt that I had just finished up, so we saved some of the scraps for her... :o)

And here is the inside of mine, for the iPad. These are Bar Harbour fabrics... :o)

The pattern for these are from birdifulstitches.etsy.com They are very nice patterns, with sizes for the Nook, Nook Color, Kindle 2, Kindle 3 and iPad... :o) She also gives permission to sell the finished covers! :o)

Have a good week! Hopefully I can get myself back into my routine... :o)

Scrap WinnerS ! :o)

2011-01-31T06:46:00.000-08:00

I am surprised no one ended up knowing the fabric line! :o) It's Katie Jump Rope by Denyse Schmidt! :o) It's supposed to be 70's inspired designs. I was born in 1970, and am glad to say, I don't remember wearing any of these prints! :O) I love the fabrics for a quilt, but would not be thrilled to wear them! :o) Ok, on to the winners! Yes, you read that right, winnerS!

Scrap Pack #1 (above!) goes to comment #16 - Sam of "All Things Quilty"!

And then I forgot, I would have some scraps from the back, after I got the binding put on! So Scrap Pack #2 (above) goes to Erin "Versuvius Mama"!

Send me your addresses, gals, and I will get these scraps out to you! Maybe not until the end of the week, because we are supposed to start getting ice/snow later this afternoon, with a total of 12 to 20 inches of snow by Wednesday! So I probably won't get to the post office until Friday... :o)

Have a great week everyone - and stay warm! :o)

Ta Da!

2011-01-29T06:33:00.001-08:00

Ta Da! Here is my quilt, that I was teasing you with, with those teeny tiny scraps! :o) I'm still not going to tell you what fabric line it is, but if you think you know, and want to enter a give-away for some scraps, go to this post and enter before Monday: http://countryscrapquilts.blogspot.com/2011/01/scraps-giveaway_26.html

The "plus" blocks are based off the blocks in the "X-Rated" small quilt from Carrie Nelson's "Schnibbles Times Two" book. But I made them individual blocks and then set them between 5" squares... :o) I've been collecting up bits and pieces of this fabric for months and months, finally decided I had enough to put together a small quilt! This quilt finished to about 67" x 72". I decided to do the back scrappy too, and used some 1/2 yard pieces that I had... :o)

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for scraps from this quilt, before Monday! Just go here:

http://countryscrapquilts.blogspot.com/2011/01/scraps-giveaway_26.html

Thanks for stopping by!

Scraps Giveaway

2011-01-26T16:12:00.001-08:00

Ok, so does anyone recognize this fabric line?! :o))) To enter a give-away of this "mystery" scrap give-away, just go ahead and leave a comment on this post. I'd love if you were a follower, too! :o) Even if your guess is not correct, you can still win! The only hint I will give, is that this fabric line is an out-of-print line! The smallest scrap is approximately 3" x 5", with the largest scrap about 14" x 44"!

Hopefully, I will have my finished quilt using these fabrics, to show sometime this weekend. I just have to finish tying it, and put the binding on. :o) The winner for the scraps will be chosen Monday, January 31st. Have fun!

this and that...

2011-01-24T05:46:00.001-08:00

Been working on this and that, this past week... I made 39 of these eco-friendly sandwich bags. They are lined with baggie plastic, and then you fold them up and close them with velcro. Just wipe the plastic clean, and you are ready to use it again. The customer chose all kinds of different fabric combinations. They are really fun! :o)

And finally, I can show what I sent Beatrice (A Needle in a Haystack) for Christmas. I sent this little quilt on December 3rd and it finally arrived on her doorstep in France on January 13th! Christmas in January, I guess! :o) I really love this little quilt and hope to make another one for myself. Some of the little fabric "bits" in the baskets are actually vintage fabrics. :o) It is hand-quilted. :o)

I will be back later this week with my next give-away! Have a Happy Monday! :o)

Scraps Winner!

2011-01-17T12:48:00.000-08:00

The winner of the Winter Wonderland scraps is Comment #18 - Laurie! :o) Send me your mailing address, Laurie, and I will send these out to you right away! Thanks for playing along everyone! I have another give-away planned for very soon! :o)

post #200!

2011-01-15T10:13:00.001-08:00

I just finished up this quilt, which I have been working on, in between, for a couple of months now. This is a pattern from Shabby Fabrics called "Quilt For Hope". I changed it up a little bit, to make it fit my queen-size bed. I used the brand new "Pristine" fabric line from Robert Kaufman. These fabrics have an almost satiny feel to them. I hand-quilted this.

Here is a little quilt that I finished up in December - it is Dandelion Girl fabrics, one of my favorite lines. It just needed hand-quilted to be done. :o) Don't forget to sign up for my Scraps Giveaway, in my previous post, if you haven't yet! The drawing will be Monday, January 17th! :o)

Scraps giveaway!

2011-01-12T04:59:00.001-08:00

Here are the scraps left over from my Winter Wonderland quilt top... :o) There are fifteen different fabrics here, of varying sizes. Some are only about 3" x 3", while others are much larger! Plus a 12-1/2" x 12-1/2" star block that I made, that I didn't end up needing... :o)

All you have to do to enter the drawing is leave a comment on this post! I will draw a winner on Monday, January 17th... :o)

Winter Wonderland quilt top done!

2011-01-10T04:35:00.001-08:00

The Winter Wonderland quilt top is done! I love this quilt! It is approx. 64" x 71". Now to get some backing, and send it off to my friend for quilting... :o)

I am almost to post #200! (This is #198!) I will post a give-away in a day or two, of the red/white/cream scraps from this quilt top, if you're interested... :o)

Winter Wonderland center

2011-01-06T12:25:00.000-08:00

Here is the center of the Winter Wonderland quilt! :o) I did the stitching a little different between the blocks, than what the pattern showed. I did a basic whip stitch (whoop stitch, according to dear husband!)... Sorry the pic isn't better, it's a cloudy day here... Now I'm off to make one more 9" star block - apparently, I only made 9 but need 10 for the borders! Oops! :o)

Winter Wonderland stars

2011-01-05T15:02:00.001-08:00

I put together all the star blocks for the Winter Wonderland quilt - love how scrappy they are! :o) "Star of Hope" blocks: "Cut the Corners" blocks:

"Double X" blocks:

"Maple Star" blocks:

"Martha Washington Star" blocks (top) and "Pinwheel" blocks (bottom):

Now to put it all together! :o) Thanks for all the nice comments, I am really enjoying this project! I'm so excited to see how it all looks together! :o)

last two Winter Wonderland blocks!

2011-01-03T15:19:00.000-08:00

Just finished up the last two embroidery blocks for Winter Wonderland! First is the "Snow Family" block - about 9" x 14". And last, but certainly not least! The "Candy Cane Clothesline" block - about 16" x 24"!

Now to start making the pieced blocks, there are 6 varieties of stars, in 6", 9" and 12" sizes... All red and white scrappy... :o) This was a kit, so I can't take credit for the fabrics... :o)

Thanks for visiting!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T04:33:00.000-08:00

Three more embroideries done for the Winter Wonderland quilt! Here is the "Holly Border" block - about 4" x 38".
And here is the "Snowbirds" block - about 16" x 14".

And the "Snowball Fight" block - about 7" x 15".

Just two more blocks to go! I'm so excited to see how they'll all look together!

2011 will be the year I really concentrate on getting some of these older projects done and use up some of what I already have... :o)

Happy New Year to all my blogging friends! :o)

2 more Winter Wonderland blocks...

2010-12-28T16:35:00.001-08:00

These blocks are going fast now... :o) Here is the "Skier" block - about 8" x 8".
And the "Snowflakes Verse" block - about 6" x 14".

Now onto the next block... :o) Thanks for visiting!

Winter Wonderland...

2010-12-27T09:55:00.000-08:00

"Walking in a Winter Wonderland"... No not literally. Although we did get about 4" of snow Christmas Eve! :o) I have had the kit for the "Winter Wonderland" quilt since before last Christmas, and finally pulled it out the other day, and finished the top block - "Winter Wonderland". This is a *large* block, about 11" x 38".
I also finished the "Snow Angel" block - about 8" x 8".

And the "Toboggan" block - about 15" x 9".

I am really enjoying working on these, and they are going quickly, since I finally finished the largest block! I have another Crabapple Hill kit, the "Snowman A to Z" kit, to work on next... :o) And I have my eye on the "Merry Little Christmas" pattern too! I guess I'd better get busy! :o)

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T15:42:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all my friends!
May we all remember the reason for the season!

Weekend Projects...

2010-12-19T13:06:00.001-08:00

This weekend was spent working on various projects... :o) First off, I finished up Sara Bear. She is for my mom for Christmas. I had her made, I just needed to "age" her and add her ribbon and flower... (Kit from The Old Pincushion Etsy shop.)
And check out this BEAUTIFUL hang tag that my friend Laurie, from Indulge Your Shelf, made to go with Sara.... Here is the front:

And here is the back:

Thank you again, Laurie! :o)

And last but not least... 10 Christmas Flannel fat quarters + backing = YUMMY!

I had some Christmas flannel FQs that I had gotten from The Nauvoo Quilt Company Etsy shop this past summer, that I didn't know what I wanted to do with... So I decided to cut the FQs into 3" squares and see how many 9-patch blocks it would make. Turns out it'll make more than 36 blocks, which is how many I used to make this little snuggly throw. A piece of flannel for the back, and there ya go! :o)

Nellie's Star - finished

2010-12-16T15:42:00.001-08:00

I had almost all the hand-quilting done on my Nellie's Star quilt before I started working on the Baby Bunting quilt. Once that quilt was done, it didn't take me long to finish the quilting on this one. I just had the outside triangles left to quilt. I love, love, love this quilt. The colors and prints are so me... :o)
Here is a close-up of the quilting on the star.

And here is a close up of the quilting in the borders.

This quilt now resides on the back of the love-seat. I washed it after I was done quilting it, so it is wrinkly wonderful! :o)

P.S. The pattern is "Nellie's Star" from the Sept/Oct 2010 issue of McCall's Quilting.

Christmas give away winner!

2010-12-13T10:09:00.000-08:00

The winner of the Christmas give away is Marcia!

Please send me your mailing address (janda082803@yahoo.com) and I will get your package out tomorrow! Merry Christmas everyone, and thanks for playing along!

Baby Bunting quilt

2010-12-12T03:41:00.000-08:00

Remember a couple of week's ago, when I was asking for help finding this pattern? This is a customer's quilt, and she wanted a quilt made like it, for her daughter. For Christmas! Luckily, one of my friends knew right where to find the pattern, it's called "Baby Bunting".
So last Friday, the 3rd, the fabric arrived from my customer. (She always shops for her own fabrics, and then I put it together.) And this Friday, the 10th, this quilt was shipped back to her:

I love that it is a combination of vintage looking, and a bit patriotic, with her color choices. This quilt was tied, not quilted. It finished to about 60" x 72". 143 little fan blocks... :o)

And the backing was minky! Love the feel of that stuff, but boy, it's tricky to get laid out properly!

It had to be shipped by last Friday, because she is leaving this coming week, to go to her daughter's for Christmas... :o) I can't wait to hear what they all think of it! I plan on making myself something with this pattern, eventually... I think I would want mine hand-quilted, like the original. :o)

P.S. If you haven't yet, go HERE to enter my Christmas give away! The drawing is tomorrow, December 13th!

Christmas give away

2010-12-06T15:44:00.000-08:00

Hold Everything! It SNOWED!
Jimmy was so happy -- we got about an inch of snow overnight Friday/Saturday! He had such a blast playing in it on Saturday afternoon! :o) I'm sure we will have PLENTY more snow by the end of the winter, but it was fun to watch how happy Jimmy was about it!

Okay, on to the Christmas give-away! :o) I am giving away a pair of these "finger-tip" hot pads, made by me! They are insulated, to protect you from the heat of pans, and have magnets in the "thumb" end, so you can hang them on the refrigerator or side of the stove!

There will probably be something else in the box, perfect for Christmas quilting of your own... :o)

All you have to do to enter, is leave a comment on this post, before Monday, December 13th. That way I can get this little box to you before Christmas! :o) Good luck!

Christmas gifts...

2010-11-29T06:01:00.001-08:00

This week, I should be receiving fabric from a customer that wants a x-large throw made to give as a Christmas gift... (Yes, short notice!) So I have been trying to work on some of my own gifts to give, to get them out of the way... :o)

I made these two little wool/felt wallhangings. They measure about 5" x 6", with a small cinnamon stick for a rod. :o) Beads that I had on hand made the "ornaments" with a jingle bell for a tree topper... :o) My own little design! :o)

This is Sara bear! She is for my mom for Christmas. She still needs to be aged with some stain, plus some ribbon or flowers added. Laurie at Indulge Your Shelf is going to make me a special hang-tag for Sara. (By the way, be sure to visit Laurie HERE - she is having an awesome give-away!) This bear stands about 8.5" tall. Sara was made from a kit from The Old Pincushion Etsy shop.

And last but not least, just a peek... This is going to a dear friend, but she reads this blog, so I can't have her seeing the whole thing, it has a long journey across the ocean, so I need to get it mailed this week!

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. Ours was peaceful... :o) This week won't be as peaceful: Jim has his follow-up appointment at the pulmonary specialist Wednesday, and the local Christmas parade is Wednesday night, and David broke his glasses so I need to get him an appointment... And, and, and... :o) Have a great week!

Seeing Stars...

2010-11-24T18:24:00.001-08:00

Not the best picture in the world, but here is the Nellie's Star quilt top finished! I *LOVE* this quilt! It is about 60" square. I got the backing last night, so just need to get it laid out and pinned, so I can hand-quilt it! :o)
And more stars.... I was the hostess for a Christmas Star Block Swap, and these are the wonderful blocks that were sent in! The first two blocks were made by me, all the others were made by other gals in our Friendship Group... I can't wait to put this together! I may make a couple more blocks, so that I have 30, to make it 5 x 6.

And here is the Secret Santa gift I sent to a gal, from that same Friendship Group. We were just supposed to send "an ornament" but I went a little overboard... :o)

I will be back soon for a Christmas give-away... :o) It will include some of those Christmas hot pads, and I'm not sure what else... :o) Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for visiting!