Cupcakes 'n Daisies

French Vintage Baby Steps . . .

2012-02-16T05:00:00.001-06:00

I was so excited to read that several of you had French Vintage on your To Do List! The Country Sampler introduced me to this pattern. They have it kitted as a scrappy French Vintage, some kits are still available if you are interested. (click here)

I liked the looks of the version put together by the Country Sampler but preferred the quilt on the pattern cover a little better. As I mentioned, the Country Sample did their quilt using scrappy background fabric. The pattern calls for three background fabrics, a light background fabric for the center 4 blocks, a twinge darker background for the twelve middle blocks and a little darker still background for the outer twenty blocks.

Here's my inspiration block.

The quilt on the cover of the pattern was made using French General's first line of fabric, and would work great with their latest line of fabric, Rounneries Deux. For my version I only used a couple of French General fabrics. My lightest background fabric, shown above, is from Lilly and Will by Bunny Hill Designs for Moda. My inner background fabric is Puzzle Pieces by Moda, and my outer background fabric is Panier de Fleurs by French General for Moda.

My reds are an assortment from several lines and my grays are mainly Bunny Hill Designs, more Lilly and Will plus some Puttin' on the Ritz.

If you look at the center of the quilt on the cover, you can see the subtle change in the background fabric. I really like how the center seems to "light up".

I'm using my trusty Easy Angle to make my half square triangles.

Here are my strips, ready for the borders.

I always make my pieces bigger and square them up,

I think the scraps give you a great idea of what the finished quilt will look like, I like what I see so far!

I'm thrilled so many folks were interested in my Countdown to Christmas scraps and I loved hearing what everyone was working on. Random number generator selected number 10, Gloria, as the winner. Congratulations Gloria.

Happy Valentines Day!

2012-02-14T05:00:00.001-06:00

Only fans of Downton Abbey will appreciate this Valentine, but Happy Valentines Day to you all!

This Valentine was created by ChadThomas.com, for more or to download your own Downton Abbey Valentine click here.

Done Count'n . . . . . .

2012-02-13T05:00:00.000-06:00

I've really enjoyed working with that Countdown to Christmas fabric by Sweetwater for Moda. I've enjoyed it so much that one quilt, one wallhanging, and three pillows was not enough. Nope, I had to make one more thing, a pincushion.

I'm sure hoping Sweetwater has a Christmas fabric for 2012. I keep checking the Moda Coming Soon page, the designers that have their Christmas fabric coming out this summer are listed, but so far, nothing listed for Sweetwater. I think Countdown to Christmas came out in August last year so maybe their next line will be out in August this year. The Coming Soon fabric page at Moda only goes through July.

So after one quilt, one wall hanging, three pillows, and one pincushion I still have some fabric left.

There's some pieces from a layer cake, some pieces from a charm pack, some yardage and some scraps. I think there's enough fabric here to make something, and they are yours for the asking. If you've been hoping to get to some of this lovely fabric, but haven't gotten around to it, here's your chance.

Just leave a comment by the end of day Tuesday, February 14th. I'll announce the winner on Wednesday. I'll mail to any address my post office will accept, so this offer is not restricted to the US. If you can't leave a comment just send an email to me at cupcakesndaisies@gmail.com

In your comment, let me know what you're working on now or what's up next, I just love to know what folks are working on in their sewing rooms. Do you ever check out the Top Sellers page at the Fat Quarter Shop? It's a nice look into what folks are buying for their sewing rooms.

Here's my what's up next,

French Vintage by Joe Wood for ThimbleCreek Quilts.

Pillow Talk . . . .

2012-02-09T05:00:00.002-06:00

Look what I made, PILLOWS!!

Some Countdown to Christmas pillows to go with my Countdown to Christmas quilt and Countdown to Christmas wall hanging.

I've been wanting to make some pillows to go with some of my quilts ever since I picked up this book. (still available, click here)

This is "Shams with Style" by Heather Mulder Peterson and Deb Mulder. I bought this book almost two years ago; and every time I finish a quilt I think, "I need to make some matching pillows". But I'm usually in a hurry to move on to the next project on my To Do list and tell myself, "I'll make them after I get the top quilted" or "I'll make them when I'm ready to put the quilt on the bed". Well that has yet to happen so this time I decided to make the pillows now, so when Christmas rolls around and I get my quilt out, I'll have the pillows ready to go.

I recommend the book, it has several patterns (no zippers required, yeah!), provides different size requirements for different bed sizes, and the instructions are well written with great illustrations.

I decided to go with 3 pillows to stretch across the headboard. Several of the techniques required to make the pillows were new to me so I decided to make one pillow start to finish, then tackle the other two pillows.

I had a free afternoon and figured I could whip out one pillow in a couple of hours.

hahaha

This was the first time I had ever quilted anything bigger than a mug rug, and only the second time I had ever attached binding to a project.

I did use this foot for the first time and it worked great. See that guide in the middle of that foot? All I had to do was line up that foot on my quilt pattern and sew. It took 2 hours to quilt both sides of the pillow!! Who knew machine quilting was so time consuming!!

Here's a closeup of the quilting and the ties.

I used white quilting thread on one side of the pillow and red on the other. I made all three pillows that way. I'm not sure which side I prefer, but it gives me the option to go all white, all red, two white one red, or one red two white.

Yes, ties! no zipper required.

It took me over 3 days to make these three pillows but I think it was well worth the time.

Not counting the shopping, decorating, cooking, and partying that comes with Christmas, I'm all ready!

First of Many . . . .

2012-02-07T05:00:00.003-06:00

Here's Block One of my Memories of Provence block of the month by Monique Dillard of Open Gate Quilts.

The blocks are 12 inch blocks. A nice size for the amount of pieces in each block.

I made it exactly as the pattern instructed,

except I substituted the center fabric with the red viney for the green viney, used the black fabric in the outer portion of the star instead of around the red viney block, used the red dot fabric for the area that was supposed to be the black print and used a green print for the outer star points instead of a red floral. That's it, other than that it's exactly the same!! ( I have a fat quarter bundle of this family of fabric which will allow me to make a few changes as I go.)

I had forgotten how much I enjoyed a nice block of the month. I think I like the challenge of making a new block as much as I enjoy the sense of accomplishment when it's finished.

So only 11 more focus blocks and 20 more setting blocks to go. I can hardly wait for block 2.

The last time I blogged about this project I received a few inquiries about the possibility of signing up. There are several stores online offering this block of the month, I'm using Craft Town Fabrics from Pekin, Indiana. I called the shop on Friday and they still have some spaces available if you would like to join in the fun.

Here's a link

The next pattern for Sherri and Sinta's "Another Year of Schnibbles" is i.s.t.h.

I like this pattern, I like stars and I like checkerboards.

But I went through my "stash", which really isn't much of a stash, and came up empty handed, none of my fabric really shouted, "pick me, pick me". The only fabric that I have that's not a kit that's available for this pattern is some Bliss, a hodgepodge of civil war reproduction fabric, some batiks, some Kansas Troubles, some Fig Tree and some French General....that's it. Maybe when I see some finished projects pop up in blogland I'll get inspired. Right now all I have is the pattern.

I got some interesting feedback regarding my February 29th day. Some folks mentioned that they work and can't stay home in their pajamas with no makeup eating cupcakes and sewing all day, that's a pity. But someone mentioned that an extra day means 24 hours, and why not take an hour or two throughout the year, I think that's a great idea, maybe that would work better for you. If I'm sleeping for 7 hours of my extra day, maybe I need to stretch it out for two days!

New Month, New Quilt . . . .

2012-02-02T05:00:00.002-06:00

It's February, already, time to hang a different quilt in my living room. I don't think I've blogged about this quilt since it came home from the quilter. This quilt could not compliment my living room decor any better.

This is Lifetime Quilt #67 named Olde World Stars. The pattern is Root Beer Float by Hyacinth Designs and the fabric, Olde World Style by Monique Dillard for Maywood Studios.

This quilt went through some ugly stages, (click here) but sure turned out nicely in the end.

The last time I blogged about a finished quilt I got a request for a close-up of the quilting, here's my best attempt at it. The quilting is simple and sparse. I'm usually a "more is more" type of gal but in this case "less is more" and it works perfectly. Dawn at the Sewing Basket quilted this top for me.

Here's a view from the back, you can sort of see some of the quilting. This is the fabric that I originally was going to use as a border but then decided against it, it makes a super back.

Another update, I knew it was going to happen sooner or later but I must admit I was not prepared for what I found on my kitchen counter today,

EEEEK, my first leaf off my $4.99 Miracle Home Depot Poinsettia.

Isn't that just the saddest thing you've ever seen, I suspect there are going to be more sad days to come. For now, I'm going to focus on the pretty blooms on the top. Besides, with this unusually warm temperatures we've been having, I'm bound to have some things blooming in my yard real soon, the circle of plant life.

Have you noticed we get an extra day this year, and that day comes this month! A whole extra day, what a wonderful gift. I think we all should decide to make that one day something special, a day to do whatever we please. I've not nailed down the details in my head yet, but I think my day will involve no make-up, pjs, sewing, and cupcakes. If I could just get Starbucks to deliver. Have you given this any thought because I'm open to suggestions.

My House is Full . . . . . .

2012-01-30T05:00:00.002-06:00

Just in time for the parade, my finished "Full House" which I have named "Christmas in the City".

My project finished at 41" x 42" and has approximately 423 pieces.

The fabric is Countdown to Christmas by Sweetwater.

The pattern is Full House by Carrie Nelson for Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.

This is Lifetime Quilt #78 and my second finish for 2012.

My first two projects of the year have a total of approximately 1.422 pieces.

I got a few requests for my town house pattern, here it is:

The roof is a 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" - For the roof cut a 5 1/2" square diagonally twice use one piece- for the sky cut a 3 1/4" square diagonally once, use both pieces. Trim to correct size.

Door - red in picture - cut one 2" x 2 3/4" piece

Windows - green in picture - cut five 1 1/2" x 1 3/4" piece

Siding - black dot print in picture - cut three 1 1/2" x 4 1/2" pieces, one 3" x 1 1/2" piece, three 1 1/2" x 1 3/4" pieces, and five 1" x 1 3/4" pieces.

Once all the pieces are correctly sewn together you get a town house that is 4 1/2" wide x 10 1/4" long.

Someone left a comment saying that my town houses reminded them of Meg Ryan's town house in the movie "You've Got Mail", one of my all time favorite movies. I bet I've watched that movie nearly 50 times. No wonder I thought I needed some town houses!

Additional Note on Sweetwater's "The Neighborhood" pattern - I just received the pattern in the mail, those cute little cottages are appliqued! I thought they were pieced. I'm not in the mood for an applique project now but am thinking maybe I can convert the applique patterns into pieced patterns, stay tuned for further updates!

Melinda at Melinda Quilts has made the pattern and said the applique wasn't that hard, she machine applied her cottages. Click here for a looksie.

All In A Row . . .

2012-01-26T05:00:00.002-06:00

I got my town houses done . . .

I just loved the look of the snowflake print on the roofs of my town houses so that's what I went with for all of them.

And my Carrie houses are done too. . .

I decided to mix up the roofs on these houses.

This pattern is gong together very quickly, even with my small adjustment. I think you still have time to make this pattern and join in on Sherri and Sinta's Full House parade, even if you haven't started yet!

I enjoyed making Carrie's houses so much I looked around for some other houses,

I think I like the looks of this Sweetwater pattern called "The Neighborhood", it has a summer beach town feel to it. I've noticed that there is still plenty of Hometown by Sweetwater for Moda fabric available, and several online stores have it marked down. There's something to be said for being the last one to jump on a bandwagon!

Another Year of Schnibbles . . .

2012-01-24T05:00:00.001-06:00

I'm so excited Sinta and Sherri decided to host another year of Schnibbles sew along, or as they have named it, "another year of schnibbles". Catchy title don't you think, right to the point!

For the first Schnibbles sew along I managed to finish 3 out of 12 and not a one made as called for in the pattern, but I love them all.

The January sew along pattern is Full House.

I love this pattern and after seeing Carrie's Christmas houses I decided to make my Full House using Countdown to Christmas by Sweetwater for Moda to go in the guest room with my Countdown to Christmas quilt.

I love this pattern so much I didn't see me making any changes, it's hard to improve on perfection.

So I made my first house then got to thinking maybe I wanted a more of a "Christmas in the City" theme.

And wouldn't some townhouses look nice . . . . maybe I'll be making some changes to this pattern after all.....stay tuned!

First Finish for 2012 . . . . .

2012-01-20T05:00:00.004-06:00

My Starry Eyed quilt is done. Although, I'm not calling my project Starry Eyed, mine is called Countdown to Christmas. That's just what I've always called it in my head, I know, that's the fabric name not the pattern name, but when this quilt is out, I'll be counting down to Christmas so I think it suits.

The last time I blogged about this quilt someone left a comment about my wonky stars not being so wonky! I followed the directions to a "t" but somehow mine all came out looking the same!! I'm a neat freak even when I'm not trying to be a neat freak!

Just in case you missed my earlier posts regarding this project here's the lowdown:

I used Angela from Fussy Cut's Moda Bake Shop pattern, Starry Eyed. The pattern called for 16 inch finished blocks, 4 across by 5 down. I increased my block size to 18 inches and went 5 blocks across by 5 blocks down. My quilt finished at 90" x 90".

The fabric is Countdown to Christmas by Sweetwater for Moda. It took an entire fat quarter bundle plus almost 4 yards of background fabric to make this quilt.

This is Lifetime Quilt Number 77 and my first finish for 2012.

This quilt has exactly 999 pieces.

I usually come up with some change for most patterns I sew, sometimes just a little tweaking, other times a complete overhaul. I felt that this pattern was perfect just the way it was, so other than changing up the size a little, my quilt pretty much looks like everyone else's, which drove me crazy. So I made one little change, just to be different, but I won't tell you what it is, see if you can spot it.

I made my quilt bigger to fit my guest room bed, once it's quilted I think it will be a near perfect fit.

One of the reasons I bought this bed was the interesting feature of being able to change the fabric in the headboard. I bought additional yardage to cover the headboard when I have this quilt out.

I decided to go with this piece of fabric.

I looked forward to making this project from the first time I saw it, last summer. It was a fun project and went together quickly and easily. I asked Angela about creating a site where we can see all the quilts made using her pattern, a popular request according to Angela. She plans to share the photos as soon as she has time and will blog about it when it's ready. I can hardly wait to see some projects made with fabric other than Countdown to Christmas.

A Couple of Updates . . . .

2012-01-18T05:00:00.002-06:00

James River Blues is home from the quilter . . .

Connie Lancaster at Quilts Plus quilted this top for me. This quilt was originally headed to the family room, but my red couch was bare after I put up my Christmas quilts so it landed here instead. If you've ever wondered what color couch is the best color to showcase your different quilts, it's been my experience that red couches are the best!

I've just got to share this with somebody, and since no bodies are coming to my house you get the news . . .

Not only is my $4.99 Home Depot Poinsettia still alive, it looks better today than when I brought it home over 6 weeks ago! Leaves continue to open and bloom. I've never managed to keep a plant alive this long, let alone thriving! It's the only thing blooming in my neck of the woods, at this rate, I think it may make it to next Christmas or at least Valentines Day!

I'm also sewing, hopefully the weather will cooperate so I can get some good pictures of Starry Eyed, it's all done!

Hey, Remember This . . . . .

2012-01-15T05:00:00.003-06:00

It's been months, several months, FIVE months, Five months and a day to be exact, since I blogged about Evening Bloom, my needle turn applique project by Blackbird Designs. Somehow, I got off track last fall, I started block 6 but just didn't get much past the starting point.

After so many months of not stitching I was worried my stitches would be back to beginner level, but I hadn't completely lost my touch, it feels great to be back at it, and here goes . . . .

Ta da, Block 6, all done, FINALLY!

I think it's my favorite block!!

Here are all 6 finished blocks, since I'm sure you've forgotten what they look like, I know I almost had.

Only 3 more blocks to go!

Twofer . . .

2012-01-12T05:00:00.001-06:00

Twofer - something that satisfies two needs or criteria simultaneously.

I have the need to blog about two subjects but the time to create one post, it's bargain day at Cupcakes n Daisies!

First up, my living room wall hanging update.

I've been hanging quilts on this rack in my living room for over a year now. I went back and read my post about the first quilt I hung after" Oh Christmas Tree", the quilt that motivated me to use that blank wall for displaying my quilts. This time last year I hung "Father's Fancy" and wrote that I wasn't sure I would be hanging any more! Boy I'm glad I got over that idea, I've hung and enjoyed quilts this past year that would have probably never got off a quilt rack or out of the closet.

Like this quilt.

This is Lifetime Quilt Number 30, named Clara's Enchanted Nutcracker Dance. (click here to read all about it) I've made nearly 50 quilts since I pieced this quilt! I love it, yet I've never displayed it, until now. Technically it's a Christmas quilt, made from a Christmas family of fabric. But the print isn't overly Christmas and the colors match my living room perfectly. I plan to enjoy this quilt, for the first time really, for the month of January.

Its sister quilt, Lifetime Quilt Number 29 named Snowbird Migration, is currently on my bed.

(click here for more detail)

The blocks were from Patchwork Party 2007. I made two sets of blocks then went with two different finishing patterns. My original idea was to hang the smaller quilt on the wall in my bedroom, but I don't have a wall big enough to hang it, so I've used the large quilt but have not done much with the the wall hanging until now. It's great to be enjoying both quilts.

For a peak at another finishing option for these blocks check out Judi's latest finish (click here). Someone else is enjoying their Patchwork Party 2007 quilt too.

Next topic - Sew Alongs and BOM's for 2012

There sure are a plethora of Sew Alongs, Challenges and Block of the Months starting up. I'm tempted to join every one of them but you know how it goes, so many projects so little time. So I plan to follow several, like that Building Houses from Scraps Challenge, the Fat Quarter Shops latest Designer Mystery BOM, and this It Just Takes Two sew along. Good luck to everyone who is participating in all these wonderful online quilting bees, I'll love watching your progress.

Here are the two I've decided to tackle for 2012:

Another Year of Schnibbles, hosted by Sherri at A Quilting Life and Sinta at Pink Pincushion.

I've had a few projects in past Schnibbles parades but hope to give it a better effort this year. Especially now that I have a perfect place to hang smaller quilts. The first project is Full House, a favorite pattern of mine. I plan to use Countdown to Christmas for my Full House, the perfect companion for my Starry Eyed quilt.

I've also decided to participate in this Block of the Month.

Memories of Provence by Monique Dillard for Open Gate Quilts. I picked this BOM because it's not a mystery, I not only love the fabric, it suits me and my house to a T, and I think the blocks look challenging, in a good sort of way.

In addition to these two projects, finishing Evening Bloom, my needle turn applique project is a high priority for 2012. Other than that I don't have much in the way of plans and really haven't decided what I'm going to work on after I finish Starry Eyed and Full House. I'm sure something will call my name, but right now, I have no idea what it will be. When I do decide, you'll be the first to know!

Starry Eyed Progress . .

2012-01-09T05:00:00.001-06:00

I had no idea how popular Angela's Starry Eyed pattern was until I blogged about my project. There are many Starry Eyed quilts done and many many more on your To Do Lists. I'm in good company. Most folks, like me, are going with Countdown to Christmas by Sweetwater for their quilts but some folks have used different fabric, I've not seen any pictures, just heard tell, I would love to see some Starry Eyed quilts in other fabrics. I think this is one of those patterns, like Swoon, that will look good using any fabric.

Angela of Fussy Cut has asked folks who make a quilt using her pattern to send her a picture. Maybe she'll create a Starry Eyed Flickr Account so we all can see.

So here's my progress . .

Star blocks, all done.

4 patch blocks nearly done.

Several folks ask for my cutting directions to make the blocks bigger, since this is a free pattern I'm happy to pass the information along.

In the original pattern the star blocks squares are 4 1/2 inches, I made mine 5 inches. For the star points I cut my blocks 5 1/2 inches and cut once diagonally. For the patches, the pattern calls for 2 1/2 inch blocks/strips, mine are 2 3/4 inches. Just a half inch here and there and you get a block that finishes at 18 inches instead of 16.

Since I'm making my blocks bigger plus making more blocks you pretty much use an entire fat quarter bundle of fabric and you need almost 4 yards of background fabric to get a quilt that finishes at 90 x 90.

I had a great week last week, the Christmas decorations are all down ( don't get that confused with packed up!) and I got to spend some time in my sewing room. I'm a girl who likes a schedule, it sure felt great to get back into my normal routine.

Christmas Countdown . . .

2012-01-04T05:00:00.004-06:00

Christmas came and went far too quickly for me. It seems like I just got all my before Christmas To Dos done and now it's time for my after Christmas To Dos. I was hardly home to enjoy my decorations and wasn't even tired of them, but I packed them all up just the same. Someone PLEASE remind to get an earlier jump on Christmas for 2012, a reminder note after Labor Day would be much appreciated!

Time to move on. Well not totally on. Back in July, when that Countdown to Christmas fabric by Sweetwater for Moda came out, I got all excited and started counting down to when I would make something out of that fabric.

Then this free pattern showed up on the Moda Bakeshop website and not only did I have my Countdown to Christmas fat quarter bundle I had my pattern.

Here's a nice closeup view of Angela from Fussy Cut's Starry Eyed.

But I like to work with Christmas fabric when it's Christmas. So I just sat my fat quarter bundle on my shelf, printed the pattern, and started counting down to Christmas.

Well a funny thing happened on the way to Christmas, I got busy, but after waiting 6 months to make this quilt I decided I wasn't going to let a little matter of Christmas being over stop me, that's the thing about Christmas, it will be back, and I'll have a new quilt when it is.

So my daughter went back to California, my husband went back to work and Cooper went back to daycare. What's a girl to do but get back into her sewing room. And I did.

Here are my inspiration blocks. They could not have gone together any easier, I think this will be a fun and fast project.

Angela's Starry Eyed quit finished at 64" x 80", four 16 inch blocks wide by five 16 inch blocks long. This quilt is going on my guest room bed and needs to be a little bigger than Angela's finished quilt. I decided to go with 5 blocks wide by 5 blocks long, but still came up a little short so I'm making my blocks 18 inches square which will give me a finished quilt of 90" x 90", just right I think. I've cut the entire quilt out and pretty much used up that entire fat quarter bundle! Nothing left to do now but sew.

End with a Finish

2011-12-31T04:59:00.008-06:00

How about wrapping up the year with a finish,

Birdseye is done!

The last time I blogged about this project I showed you all my finished star blocks. I intentionally didn't photograph the alternate blocks because I think this is a a very clever pattern and don't want to spoil the surprise of how it all goes together.

Sometimes my finishes have to grow on me, I don't know if I get tired of working with them and they overstay their welcome or what, but I've loved this project from start to finish and am even a little sad to have it done. If I didn't have such a long list of other patterns calling my name I would make this one again and again, it was fun and easy. It's one of those patterns that looks like you spent forever working on but didn't.

I'm still calling my project Birdseye, generally I like to give my projects a different name but sometimes its first name, the pattern name, sticks. Maybe something new will come to mind after it gets quilted.

This project finished at 79" x 79" and has approximately 1,877 pieces.

Counting the number of pieces in each one of my finished projects is just a fun little thing I always do and add to my posts when blogging about my finish. I don't know why, I'm just a numbers girl at heart I guess. Since it's the end of the year, I thought it would be fun to add up all the pieces from all my 2011 finishes.....are you ready....

20,145 pieces !!

approximately...

That averages out to 55 pieces a day!

The pattern Birdseye is by Carrie Nelson for Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. I love this pattern, I've said it before and I'll say it again, I think there should be more Birdseyes in this quilting world, if you've not already done so, put this pattern on your To Do List for 2012, you'll be glad you did!

This is my 13th finish for the year. One more than my arbitrary and completely random 2011 goal of finishing 12 projects. This time last year, when I was thinking about what I wanted to accomplish in 2011, I was training for a half marathon and not even thinking about running a whole marathon, the Infinite Variety: Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts show was months away, I had no idea I would be making a Red & White Tribute quilt, let alone one that would get in a magazine. I was thinking I would make Eventide, but hadn't really put together the notion of hosting an Eventide Sew Along. My year was full of wonderful unplanned surprises, thanks so much for following along.

I'm open minded about what I accomplish in 2012 but look forward to sharing it with you and hearing about what you accomplish too.

Cheers to you, quilters extraoedinaire, bloggers, lurkers and friends, let's all go out and have a happy and healthy 2012.

Added Later - I just asked my husband to guess how many pieces were in the 13 quilts I finished this year, his guess, 1,000!

No, he's not a quilter.

Tis the Season . . .

2011-12-23T05:00:00.002-06:00

Greetings!

Seasons Greetings!!

How are things going at your house? Ready or not, here comes Christmas !

No sewing going on at all at my house, not even a quick 20 minutes over the last two weeks! I've been too busy to even miss it. I spent a couple of days with family, shopping, visiting, and baking, I had a wonderful time, time well spent. I've attended parties and gatherings and ate wonderful food.

I also squeezed in a quick trip to New York City. My husband had to travel to the city for business and asked if I wanted to tag along, who would pass up a few days of Christmas hustle and bustle in the Big Apple? Well me, almost. A quick trip to New York, days before Christmas, I've got decorating, shopping, baking, and parties to tend to and what if we got to NY then couldn't get home! Well I adjusted my schedule, threw caution to the wind and went and am so glad I did.

Here's the tree at Rockefeller Center, as amazing as it looks on TV, it looks even more impressive in person. That's one huge tree! So much to see in just a few days, but I enjoyed all the trimmings, every decorated store window, the shopping, the show and the food. Plus I made it back home in one piece, on time, sans cold or flu! Who could ask for more!

I wasn't the only person who decided to visit the city before Christmas, I'll NEVER complain about the lines or folks at my only local store ever again. It felt great to be surrounded by folks from all over the world for a few days, a little reminder to me of how many folks there are in this world, lots and lots of folks!!

Here's the latest picture of my miracle Home Depot $4.99 poinsettia,

it's still yet to drop a single leaf! I am in awe of how beautiful this plant continues to be! Several of you mentioned that my poinsettia would easily last until Christmas, I had my doubts but you were right! Now I'm wondering how long it will last!!

I went with a new theme for my kitchen table decorations this year. My friend Donna at Sugar Spice and Southern Life has a wonderful knack for decorating, go check out her blog for a wonderful tour of her house, it's amazing. (click here)

One thing Donna decorates with year round are cloche bell jars. Every time Donna would blog about her latest cloche landscape I would say to myself, "I've got to get me one of those cloches", well I finally did! Thanks Donna for the inspiration!

If I was sending Christmas cards this year this would be it, so consider this your Christmas card from me to you.

My daughter picked up that reindeer last year when she was home for Thanksgiving. When she went back home I took it to the pack mail store so it could go live with her in California. Uh, shipping reindeer as it turns out is an expensive venture, who knew!! After a little research we found out she could buy the exact same reindeer online for less than the cost of the one she bought at the store plus, get this, FREE shipping. So that's why I have a white reindeer at my house, and my daughter has its twin at hers!

Well I'm ready for the holidays, the last minutes to dos, like grocery shopping and wrapping are done. My daughter arrived yesterday, all that's left to do is enjoy the season. I'm going to attempt baking a coconut layer cake, my first, wish me luck!

I hope you have a safe, healthy and happy holiday full of cheer, your support and friendship to me this year has been a wonderful gift, thanks so much.

Home for the Holidays . . . .

2011-12-14T04:36:00.004-06:00

Another quilt made its way home from the quilter, just in time . . .

I'm so happy my 2010 Fat Quarter Shop Kate Spain Mystery Block of the Month is all done and ready, just in time for Christmas!!

Someone sent me an email months ago asking about the width of my sashing around those blocks, but since the quilt was at the quilter's and I hadn't written it down anywhere, I wasn't much help. For the record, the green strips finish at 3/4" and the white strip at 1/2", creating a sashing that's 2 inches finished, which was called for in the finishing pattern. I'm guessing that's no help to the person who asked, but if the question comes up again, I have it documented, now all I have to remember is where I documented it!

But back to the quilting,

Dawn at the Sewing Basket went with a nice swirly design in the white background of each block and did a little custom quilting for the pieced section of the block. For this basket she did some nice cross hatching.

Here she did a cute little design in the mitten cuff and a nice design in and around the star.

I made this quilt for my daughter, here it is hanging in its new home in California.

(Have you ever noticed when you want a dog in a picture they just refuse to sit still, but when you're not looking, they sneak in!)

This is Lifetime Quilt Number 71, click here if you want to read more.

It's official, I'm finally done with my decorating. Some years I'm done when I get tired of decorating and just quit, but this year I kept decorating until I had everything out, I think it was worth the time and effort. I hope you're getting through the items on your Christmas To Do List too!!

The Christmas Quilts Are Out!

2011-12-09T05:00:00.001-06:00

I'm still decorating but all my Christmas quilts are out! Over my quilting career I've made 10 Christmas quilts, my folks have three, my daughter has three and I have four! By this time next year I'm hoping to have five, that Countdown to Christmas fabric by Sweetwater is calling my name.

So here's a little walking tour of Christmas quilts in my house.

Oh Christmas Tree (Lifetime Quilt Number 53 )

Red, White and Wonderful (Lifetime Quilt Number 64)

I've always thought of this quilt as being a Christmas Quilt, but really, none of the fabric used in this quilt is what I would call Christmas fabric. I just got this quilt up in the guest bedroom but think I'll keep it up for a few months after Christmas, I think it works for January and February too!

Toulouse (One of my most favorite Miss Rosie patterns, there should be more Toulouses in the world! Lifetime Quilt Number 54 )

And Thimbleberries Hometown Christmas (Lifetime Quilt Number 13 )

This is the only Thimbleberries pattern I've ever used, but I made 3 of these quilts. (that was back in the day when I knew I wanted to make quilts but didn't know how to go about picking out patterns and fabric, when I found something I liked I just made multiples of it. Those days sure have changed!)

I'm hoping by Monday I can say I'm done with my decorating, wish me luck!

Its the most Wonderful-LY BUSY time of the year . . .

2011-12-07T04:22:00.004-06:00

How are things going at your house, are you getting through your holiday to dos? One of my to dos should be organizing my To Do lists. Something pops in my head, I write it down so it doesn't get forgotten, then I stick it in my calendar. My calendar is fat with post it notes.

With all the hubbub of decorating, shopping, and errands my days are hectic and seem to just fly by. There are two things I make sure I'm not dropping from my daily routine, running and sewing. One keeps me in my jeans, the other keeps me sane. All it takes is 5 miles in my running shoes and 60 minutes in my sewing room, that's the perfect combination for me. Some days my 60 minutes of sewing starts at 4 am, which I know may sound alarmingly early to some of you, but my body has yet to adjust to the time change so I'm taking advantage of that hour by doing something I love instead of just laying in bed and staring at the walls. The only downside, I'm pretty much worthless after dinner, all tuckered out, I'm lucky if I get half way through a magazine before falling asleep.

All my Birdseye star blocks are now done.

They look better in person but you do get a nice feel for the color combinations in this picture. The stars went together fast, one reason, because I spent the time up front selecting my fabric combinations, and the other reason, I'm using my Fit to be Quarter ruler (by Open Gate Quilts) when squaring up those half-quarter triangle squares . Having the right tool for the right job is such a time saver and this time of year I'm all about saving time. If you don't have one of those rulers put it on your Christmas List, I bet Santa will bring you one!

I loved making each block, I think each one is perfect, not a stinker in the bunch. Next up, nine patches and more nine patches.

The other day, when I was in Home Depot picking up a $20 gift card for my mailman (what's up with the government allowing postal workers to accept gifts with a market value of $20 or less but not cash of $20 or less!) they had a rack of poinsettias that looked too good to be real.

But they were real, and really cheap, $4.99! I've had this one a week and a single leaf has yet to fall off. I think this is the direction I'm going with for new holiday decorations, fresh flowers. They look great and once the holidays are over, no storage issues! When I bought it, I figured if it only lasted a week, for that price, I could go back and buy another one and even another one, but I'm beginning to think this one is going to last until Christmas! I'll keep you posted.

What a week . . . . .

2011-12-02T05:00:00.003-06:00

So as if this week's not been exciting enough, between starting Birdseye and getting a look at my quilt on Judi's blog, look what arrived in my mailbox yesterday . . . .

the latest issue of American Patchwork & Quilting. I've been quilting for over 7 years and have subscribed to this magazine from the get go. I'm always happy to see this magazine arrive in my mailbox, but this issue is particularly special to me, there's a nice little write-up on page 51 about my Red and White Tribute quilt. Can you believe it, my quilt is in a magazine!!

It's been a real whirlwind getting the top quilted and off to Iowa for photographs before the deadline. A big thanks to Connie Lancaster at Quilts Plus in Indianapolis for taking the time to work this quilt into her busy schedule, do an amazing job of quilting the quilt, all within a narrow time frame.

This is how it all came to be, the day after I blogged about my finished top I got a note from Elizabeth Tisinger Beese, Senior Editor for the magazine. She said they were working on some red and white quilts for the next issue and that they would like to add a small article about my quilt. I was pretty much in shock, I'm a quilter, just like you, not a pattern designer, not someone who ever dreamed of having a quilt in a national magazine, just a someone who enjoys taking pieces of fabric, cutting them up, then sewing them together again, at home, alone, just for the pure joy of it. After the initial shock wore off, I wondered how Elizabeth had found my blog and read about my quilt, so I asked. She said someone who reads my blog had sent her a note about my quilt and she was so glad that they did. She also sent me the email that she received that started the whole thing, and here it is . .

"Greetings~

Fresh on the morning's blog(s) is a most amazing quilt that you just have to feature, aMUST in my opinion! Just wait 'til you see this quilt~! And HURRY, before another publication beats you to it~~ Trust me...this is unlike no other quilt you've EVER seen!!!! This is a huge, huge, huge story~~~~

You can go to Thelma's blog and read all about her creation and her tribute to the Red & White Quilt Show in NYC....It is truly an amazing journey~

Hoping to read Thelma's story in a future issue~ Heck, Thelma's story could be an entire (special?) issue in itself!! I'd love to have a follow up confirmation (should) when you feature this story if possible~~ that would be awesome!!

Thanks for listening...
Debbie"

Aren't quilters just the most amazing folks in the world! If Debbie hadn't taken the time to send the note to American Patchwork & Quilting my quilt would not be in that publication. And isn't her note hilarious, I think Debbie is quite a salesperson, and her enthusiasm for my quilt just warmed my heart. I've had the privilege of meeting Debbie in person at the Prairie Star Quilters Guild meeting where Carrie Nelson was presenting a trunk show the fall of 2010. Debbie is more of a lurker on my blog, I don't hear from her on a regular basis, which makes the fact that she took the time and effort to contact AP&Q on my behalf even more amazing. Debbie, thanks so much, I'll forever be in your debt.

If you've yet to receive your issue or don't subscribe, here's a link to Elizabeth's blog that talks about the Red and White quilt show and my quilt. click here

So that's the latest from here, next week I'll be back to my normal routine, decorating for the holidays, doing some shopping, and of course sewing!!

Thanks to everyone who has sent notes or left comments regarding my Red and White Tribute quilt. When I started that project I didn't even know what the finished quilt would look like, and here it is, in a magazine. I could not be happier or more grateful, it's really been a fun adventure, a once in a lifetime event, thanks for following along.

Birdseye Update . . . .

2011-12-01T01:43:00.003-06:00

I love covering my design wall with my Birdseye star blocks. (Birdseye is by Carrie Nelson for Miss Rosie's Quilt Co)

I couldn't stand it, I went back into my box of fat quarters and tried to find fabric "matches" for the nine patches that fit in the middle my star points. It probably took me 90 minutes to get what I think is the perfect combination of three colored fabrics and two background fabrics. I'm guessing that was 90 minutes I could have used making blocks, but I'm happier when things go together just right, and now I think things are, just right!

In the pattern Carrie suggests making the 124 nine patches first, to get that out of the way. As you can see, I started with the star blocks. But I am making a couple of nine patches from each fabric I'm using for the stars as I go, I figure by the time I have all my star blocks done I'll also have the majority of my nine patches done too!

I'm guessing I'll have an assortment of over 100 fabrics in the top when it's all done. I'm making star blocks as quick as I can, I'm so eager to see this quilt come together.

For those of you who haven't caught Judi's latest post over at the Green Fairy Quilts, go take a peek, she just finished quilting Nottingham Star, my Lifetime Quilt Number 62. I can't even find the words to describe how I feel about the time and effort Judi put into my quilt top and the finished quilt, saying it's amazing doesn't even come close.

The quilt is in the mail and I can hardly wait to see it in person, I'm just keeping my fingers crossed it makes it home safe and sound!

It's Birdseye Time . . .

2011-11-29T05:00:00.003-06:00

Woo Hoo!! It's fall, I've got my fabric, I've got my window of opportunity and I'm finally starting on Birdseye!! It seems like it took forever for this project to make its way to the top of my To Do list.

I've drooled over this pattern for at least 18 months.

Birdseye is by Carrie Nelson for Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. I like the size of this quilt (it finishes at around 80" x 80"), I like the dark background, I like the big star blocks and I LOVE those nine patches dancing around everywhere.

I bought three different background fabrics, all black, for this project. But I just wasn't 100% sold on any of them so I kept looking, until I finally decided on this one.

It's Kansas Troubles Favorites by Kansas Troubles Quilters for Moda, and it's brown, not black. I like the color of this brown and I like the little hint of additional color in the background. I can't take credit for choosing this background fabric, the talented ladies at Quilts Plus in Indianapolis had this fabric in a Birdseye kit. But as soon as I saw it I knew that was the fabric for my Birdseye.

The red accent fabric I'm going with came from my stash and is a perfect match for the dark background fabric.

I'm using the red vine fabric from the Stars and Coxcombs collection by Terry Clothier Thompson for Moda.

So in addition to drooling over the pattern and the searching for the perfect background and accent fabric for the last 18 months, I've also been collecting fat quarters for the stars and nine patches. I wanted 25 coordinating fat quarter sets (two matching fat quarters for each star) so each star would be unique. I figured I would also use that fabric for the nine patches, 50 different fat quarters should be enough, don't you agree?

Anytime a couple of fat quarters would catch my eye I would buy them and throw them in my Birdseye project box. Imagine my surprise when I got out my project box and sorted through my fat quarters to find 45 sets of fabric combinations which I was able to narrow down to 37 perfect sets for my Birdseye!

I guess that's the problem to have, but I don't know how I'm going to only pick 25 sets out of the 37 sets, but I figure as I make my star blocks and throw them on my design wall, I'll get a better feel for what the quilt needs as far as fabric color and contrast.

Here's my inspiration block, and I'm inspired. I'm coordinating the star points but not worrying so much about the nine patch in the middle. I figure my 25 sets of fabric (50 individual pieces) will give me a nice variety and a good look, no need to try and coordinate a third fabric for the center, right?

Even though I did go and raid my stash to select a different coordinating fabric for the center of my first block, I won't have to do that for the remaining 24 star blocks, I can go scrappy, I can throw caution to the wind, I have the confidence to know that 50 different fabrics is all this quilt needs, trying to find 24 more fabrics to go with the star points would just be crazy!

In addition to the colored fabric I'm also going scrappy for the light background fabric.

Like you, I'm squeezing in my sewing around holiday responsibilities, but I'm looking forward to tacking both, a different sort of marathon! Ready, set, GO!!

Happy Thanksgiving ! ! !

2011-11-24T11:31:00.002-06:00

My baby girl is home this week, it's been a full week,

a week full of fun, shopping, game playing, watching movies, connecting with family, and most importantly laughing.

No sewing to speak of, but that can wait.

My table's set and the turkey is in the oven . . .

Best wishes to you all, whether it's Thanksgiving Day where you live or not!

Quilt-y-ness . . . .

2011-11-18T05:00:00.001-06:00

Several of you sent me notes about my blog redesign saying not only did you notice that my blog was now sitting in the middle of my Red and White Tribute Quilt, but it looked like my Red and White Tribute was quilted!

Very observant of you, and so right!

Yes it's true, my Red and White Tribute Quilt has been quilted.

It was quilted by Connie Lancaster at Quilts Plus in Indianapolis, IN.

Here it is, all done. I could not be happier.

Each mini quilt in this project was quilted uniquely. Connie went with a perfect combination of new and old quilting designs, I think it adds so much to the overall look and feel of the quilt.

So here's the center, it's hard to go wrong with feathers.

We chose a more modern design for the Jacobs Ladder quilt.

And some swirls for the snowball blocks.

More feathers to surround the stars,

and some wreaths and crosshatching for my houses.

Finally, a different wreath pattern for the double nine patch quilt.

It's so hard to believe that after spending my whole summer devoted to this project that it's all done. Nothing left to do now but enjoy it!

Itsy Bitsy Swoon Block . . . . .

2011-11-14T05:00:00.002-06:00

So after I blogged about my Baby Swoon wall hanging, for my Baby Girl's office, I kept thinking and wondering what an itsy bitsy Swoon block would look like. Then I remembered my Baby Girl also asking for a mug rug, what a perfect opportunity, I could make an itsy bitsy Swoon block and see what I thought of the downsized block and then use the block to make a matching mug rug for my daughter.

So here's the smallest Swoon block I could make, based on the smallest flying geese unit I could make using my Fit to be Geese ruler.

The block finished at 6 3/4".

To give you an idea of size, here is itsy bitsy Swoon block in the middle of the Baby Swoon block.

Here it is surrounded by Baby Swoon blocks. I have to say I think this block looks better bigger, it makes an OK smaller block but I think the bigger blocks are stunning, make a bigger impression.

So I guess I would have to say, in this case, size does matter, and when it comes to Swoon blocks, the bigger the better!

My Swoon Song . . . .

2011-11-12T05:00:00.001-06:00

Hey, thanks for all the great feedback on my new blog look! I was a little worried when I showed my new look to my husband and he said, " I liked the old design better". But when I shared that with a friend she mentioned that most husbands don't like change, and how we woman folk like to move the furniture just for fun (that's so me!) but men don't usually take to the new look right off. I'm also taking the comments that were something like, "that sure is red" as a good thing....that's what you meant right? It's sort of like those comments "did you get a new hair cut" followed by nothing.

My Baby's Swoon or Baby Swoon as she is called is done. I enjoyed every minute of making this project. This block is amazing and has unlimited potential. It works for any style of fabric and for any level of sewing. If you are a beginner quilter and have been scared to tackle a large bed size quilt, look no further. I'm keeping this pattern in the back of my mind, I think an itsy bitsy baby swoon, one where the blocks are 8 inches would be interesting to try.

So here's where we left off . .

Block 1, then it was on to . . .

Block 2, then . . .

Block 3, and finally . .

Block 4!

Then I attached them all

and thought they looked so pretty, but wanted to use just a little more of that Nine Dots fabric . . .

so I added a thin border.

I don't use white background fabric near enough in my projects! For some reason I tend to use off whites or ivories, but I really love the crispness that the white background fabric adds to this project.

Baby Swoon is Lifetime Quilt Number 75.

She finished at 41" x 41" and has approximately 371 pieces.

The fabric is Nine Dots by Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Company for Henry Glass.

And the pattern is Swoon by Camille Roskelley for Thimble Blossoms.

Hello . . . Yes it's me . . .

2011-11-10T05:02:00.003-06:00

I thought it was time for a blog make over. As much as I loved my last look, after seeing it every day for well over a year, I was ready for something different. What do you think so far?

I'm in the process of getting everything moved around and settled and hope to be done remodeling soon!

Swooning Over Swoon . . . .

2011-11-08T05:00:00.002-06:00

It took no time at all for me to get going on my Baby Swoon project for my baby girl.

Swoon is a very clever pattern designed by Camille Roskelly for Thimble Blossoms.

I thought you might enjoy watching me work on my first block, the process I use to piece a block, and how I use the space on my work table. I could be wrong, you might not enjoy it at all, but I always thought it would be neat to be a fly on someone's sewing room table while they worked, so for today, you're the fly.

This is what I started with, the hardest part of the whole project.

The fabric is Nine Dots by Carrie Nelson for Henry Glass. (a couple of folks asked where to get this family of fabric, I found some online at Quilt Town.) I decided to go with 4 Swoon blocks for my project, so from the bundle of fabric I had to choose 8 fabrics, and only 8!!!

But I did it.

So this is pretty much how my workspace, that's to the left of my sewing machine on my Horn Multi-Lift table, looks for each project I'm working on.Here are my initial fabric choices for my Swoon blocks, the fabric on the top is the center fabric for the block and the fabric underneath it is the fabric for the outer portion of the block.

That plastic bin in the upper left corner, I picked that up at an office supply store. It holds the pattern, any rulers that I'm going to use, and my notes about the pattern.

I like to keep my workspace neat and as clutter free as possible.

So after deciding on my print fabric I was ready to cut the background fabric.

I cut all the background pieces for all the blocks at once.

Then I cut all the print pieces for just one block. I decided to work on one block at a time, so I wouldn't get the pieces mixed up.

Then I made my flying geese blocks. I used my Fit to be Geese ruler by Open Gate Quilts.

Here they are, all ready to be trimmed.

I also trim the fabric down the back of each block so I don't have any of the print fabric peeking through the white fabric. Sometimes you don't think you have any shadowing when you finish your block, but when it's quilted, it becomes noticeable, so I just trim as I go, so I can forget about the whole shadowing issue.

Once my parts are finished I lay then out in the correct order.

All ready to go.

Ta Da!

One Swoon block done, 3 more to go.

I'm making my blocks 6 inches smaller than the pattern.

On an entirely different subject, I've not adjusted to the time change yet, yesterday I woke up an hour earlier than I needed to and was really dragging by 7 pm. I like getting the extra hour, but I think it takes my body longer to adjust to this time change than the one in the spring, are you the same way? I'll be glad when I'm in sync with the time.

I hope you can stop back by later this week to see my Baby Swoon all done!

Up Next . . . . .

2011-11-04T05:00:00.002-05:00

So I'm sure you're thinking, "next up, now that Door County Cherry Baskets is done I'm sure Thelma's starting on Birdseye, that quilt she's been wanting to make for over a year, that quilt she's been collecting fat quarters for, that quilt she's wanting to make in the fall, because she likes to work with fall colors in the fall, that quilt with the bazillion pieces that she needs to get a jump on so she can meet her arbitrary deadline of November 30th plus squeeze in Thanksgiving, yessiree, I bet that Thelma's all over that Birdseye project".

Well that was the plan, and you know I'm a girl who loves a good plan, but somewhere along the way, as I was doing my normal end of project cleanup, this little bundle kept catching my eye.

I don't know if it was the three days of gloomy weather or my hormones, but I got a powerful itch to do something with that bright happy fabric. Beautiful fall foliage staring back at me from every window in this house, pumpkins setting on the porch, but I just wasn't ready to succumb to fall.

So between that fabric calling my name,

and this pattern in my brain after several folks left comments that Swoon was their favorite pattern, I told Birdseye she would have to wait, not long, just a couple of days.

My daughter asked me awhile back if I would make a wallhanging for her office, I think this fabric, Nine Dots by Carrie Nelson for Henry Glass and that pattern, Swoon by Thimble Blossoms are the perfect combination and will make a nice little work of art for a California girl. I'm giving myself three days to come up with a baby Swoon for my baby's office.

So while you're enjoying your fall weekend, I plan to be pretending it's summer! (Plus the time changes this weekend, an extra hour, just what I need!)

Done Pick'n . . . . .

2011-11-01T05:00:00.002-05:00

Here's my version of Lisa Bongean and Carole Charles' pattern, Door County Cherry Baskets, from their book, Summer Gatherings.

I made mine a little smaller, 8 by 8 blocks instead of the 9 by 10 blocks in the pattern.

It finishes at around 90 inches square, has approximately 2,069 pieces, and is Lifetime Quilt Number 74.

To make sure I kept that perfect block placement I numbered each block with a post it and did not remove the post it until the row was connected. I left the row number on the first block in each row. I think it looks like I managed to get them all together just like I wanted and most importantly, no like reds are touching.

The whole time I was making my baskets I was fretting over the border. That plain red border did not appeal to me at all. But once I got all my baskets together I realized they needed that red fabric to frame them. I'm glad I followed the pattern. The red I used for the border is from the Cotton Club line by Bonnie Blue Quilts for Marcus Brothers Fabrics and is called Red Bubble Dots.

Just for grins I made one little change to one little basket,

I thought it would be fun if it looked like I picked all the cherries there were, and put only 3 in my last basket instead of the 5 in all the other baskets. You know me, I just have to be different somehow!

A big thanks from Cooper for all the birthday wishes. Someone pointed out he's now of legal age, legal age to do what I'm not sure, he's yet to ask for a cold brew........

Thanks for stopping by,

Happy Birthday to a Special Guy . . . .

2011-10-30T05:00:00.001-05:00

Today's Cooper's 3rd Birthday!!

Happy Birthday to the only dog we've ever owned who likes to sit at our kitchen table.

"Who Me?"

I think he learned it at school! Here he is at doggy daycare.

It seems like it was just yesterday he came to live with us,

but in other ways it feels like he's always been a member of the family.

Cooper, you make me smile countless times a day, what would we do without you!!

Happy Birthday Cooper!!

Quilt of the Month . . . .

2011-10-28T05:10:00.008-05:00

So here's the quilt of the month! For you folks new to my blog, I installed this quilt rod in my living room last year and have been enjoying hanging a different quilt on this rack every month or so, this month's theme, Halloween.

This isn't a new quilt, it's my Lifetime Quilt # 25. I like this quilt as much or more than when I made it. I've made over 50 quilts since I made this one, and it makes me happy that I still enjoy it. Although seeing it only one month a year probably adds to the appeal, makes it a little more special. I guess I could hang this quilt anytime, but as long as I live in this house, this will be my October Quilt of the Month.

Last year I just hung it over the bannister, because the quilt rack wasn't up yet, it sure looks better on the rack.

This is one of those quilts where the fabric does all the work.

The blocks are just a wonky pentagon surrounded by strips until you get the size you want, square it up, add some sashing and cornerstones, a few borders and you have a quit!

The fabric was by Maywood Studios and was named Happy Halloween. The border fabric is my favorite of all the fabrics in the line, although the stripe I used for the binding is a close second.

Here's the back, I get to enjoy this side of the quilt the other 11 months of the year. I hang this quilt in my closet and fold it backside out.

I'm looking forward to quiet fall weekend with plenty of sewing, kind of like a retreat, but I don't have to leave home!

I hope you have wonderful weekend too.

Diary of A Crazy Woman . . . .

2011-10-26T05:00:00.002-05:00

So I got all the red corners sewn on the last of my Door County Cherry Baskets. Next step, finding the perfect place for each basket in this assortment of 64 baskets. Here's what I had to juggle; I wanted to alternate the black and brown baskets, have no two background fabrics next to each other, and have absolutely no like red fabrics touching. I used different red fabric for the black basket blocks and the brown basket blocks, making it impossible to have two like red fabrics touching side to side, but not diagonally.

So mainly focussing on alternating the brown and black basket blocks and the red corner fabric I came up with this layout.

At this point I decided I needed to give more thought to the background fabric so I moved a few blocks, keeping with the alternating black and brown plan and the no like red plan.

And came up with this, which just didn't feel right to me. It was the background fabric that was still bugging me. So I came up with this idea.

To chart the position of each light, medium and dark background fabric.

Then I looked for rows of like toned background fabric and marked them on this grid, green is dark, orange is medium, red is light.

Then I identified the blocks that I thought I should move to improve the overall look of things.

And pulled them out of the mix. Here's where I went wrong, I forgot to consider my alternating brown and black basket plan. I thought if I could just rearrange these 9 blocks I would be good. But I didn't have equal numbers of brown and black basket blocks.

So I was left with this.

Which I still didn't think was quite right, SO I STARTED OVER!!

Another grid

with the like background fabrics identified

then the problems identified. This time I only moved one identified block at a time, paying closer attention to the black and brown basket fabric and not paying so much attention to the red corners.

Which led to this,

which I decided I could live with. There were a couple of like reds in the same area, so instead of moving the blocks again, I decided I would just put new red corners on the lawbreaking blocks.

Help me Rhonda if I get some of these blocks mixed up while sewing them together, wish me luck!

I See a Pattern . . . .

2011-10-24T06:25:00.001-05:00

Whenever I have a giveaway, I like folks to leave comments where I get something out of the giveaway too, by either getting to know the folks who stop by my blog better or learning something new about our passion, quilting.

The comments and emails on this giveaway did not disappoint, I'm not a fabric hoarder but I do have a weakness for patterns. Even if I know I'll never make the quilt on the pattern cover, I just love reading them, how the designer puts together her thoughts, the illustrations, the little helpful hints. Then there's the math, I just love to recheck the math for each little block and entire project.

Thanks so much for all the wonderful pattern suggestions, although I think several of you said it best, "picking a favorite pattern is like picking a favorite child"! I agree, it's hard to do and depends on the day and your mood. I also enjoyed reading how you like some finished projects more for the feelings they stir in you when you're using the quilt and how the pattern on the front is not all that important. The response I got the most that made me smile is, "my favorite pattern is the one that I just finished". I'm sort of the opposite, by the time I finish a project I'm not all that happy with it. I usually warm back up to it after some time has passed and it's been quilted.

I looked up each pattern that was your favorite and enjoyed every minute of it. It would take me days to talk about them all so I thought I would share some of the patterns that were new to me that you may enjoy also and a few of the more popular patterns.

This is Carol's favorite, and she's not just made one, she's made TWO of these beauties!!

New York Beauty boy Karen K Stone.

Then there's Shakespeare in the Park by Judy Martin.

This is on my To Do list. I just can't decide on my fabric. I waffle back and forth between a red and cream version and a red, white and blue version, although, a red and black version would be amazing too! Click here to see some amazing versions of this quilt.

This was a very popular choice for favorite pattern,

Lucky Stars by Atkinson Designs.

And Stephani mentioned this Terry Atkinson pattern which I do have, somewhere . .

Monterrey Medallions.

Bonnie Blue is also a popular pattern choice, several of you love Belle Meade, which I've made and love and Diane mentioned this one

Lancaster. I have several Bonnie Blue patterns. Shiloh and Long Road Home were also mentioned. I like both of those too!

This pattern was also mentioned several times

Swoon, by Thimble Blossoms. This isn't my normal style, but this quilt is in my future!!

Sue mentioned this pattern

Maison Bleue by Crazy Old Ladies. I had never even heard of Crazy Old Ladies, have I mentioned I live a very sheltered quilting life.

This designer is new to me too, thanks Tracey for sharing,

it's by Sue Garman and I'm gong to be doing a little more research on her patterns.

This is Stars for a New Day. I've been whining to my friends about wanting a real challenge of a quilt pattern, this certainly fits the bill.

I'm also curious about this project, a favorite of Monica's.

Scraps of Life.

This book was mentioned too, Spotlight on Neutrals by Pat Wys.

The pattern White Chocolate from this book seems to be popular. This designer and book are new to me. I've been thinking about trying a neutral quilt, maybe this book will help.

Several folks mentioned patterns by Monique Dillard for Open Gate Quilts. I have several favorites by this designer, this quilt

it's Secret Garden and I also really like Monte Carlo and Wine and Cheese.

But without a doubt, the pattern designer mentioned the most was Carrie Nelson for Miss Rosie's Quilt Co, and I think you mentioned all of her patterns. Plan C, Eventide and Elisabeth were mentioned the most often. Elizabeth wasn't even on my radar, I'm giving that pattern some thought now. You can find the pattern in the Miss Rosie's Spice of Life Quilts book. Why buy one pattern when you can get a book with 13 patterns!

And now for the winner of the Birdseye pattern and kit,

Ann from Utah, who sent an email.

So thanks again for stopping by and sharing your favorite patterns, so many wonderful patterns, so little time!

Birdseye View . . . . .

2011-10-20T05:00:00.003-05:00

I'm working as fast as I can getting those red corners on the rest of my Door County Cherry Baskets. It's been a hectic week at my house so I've only been able to squeeze in a few minutes here and there for any sewing. My goal is to have the whole project finished by the end of October. For some reason I love to set arbitrary deadlines, there's nothing magical about the end of the month, I just don't like to drag out one project when there's a list of others just waiting their turn. So nothing will happen if I don't make my deadline, but I'll drive myself crazy trying to meet it just the same.

I'm already looking ahead and counting the days until I get to start this project. And I've already decided that I need to have it done by November 30th!

It's Birdseye by Carrie Nelson for Miss Rosie's Quilt Company. I've been waiting for over a year to start this project. One reason I've been waiting, I think this pattern has a fall feel to it, and I like to work on projects with a fall feel in the fall, just like I like to work on Christmas quilts the month of December or red, white and blue quilts in the summer. Another reason, I needed just the perfect fabric. I bought a kit a good while ago. Since then I've been thinking about replacing the dark and red background fabric and adding a few more fat quarters. I've bought 3 different dark background fabrics, 4 different red background fabrics and probably 35 fat quarters for the star blocks and 9 patches. I think I have enough to make more than one Birdseye.

This is a close-up of Carrie's quilt, the one on the pattern. It finishes at around 80 inches square and has around a bazillion pieces, give or take. Carrie released this pattern the Spring of 2009.

Something I always do when mulling over a future project is to see if anyone has blogged about the quilt online. I bought a pattern once, then found two bloggers, bloggers who make some nice projects, complain about matching up the seams on that pattern. I'm not saying I won't make that pattern, but it's no longer at the top of my list. So since this Birdseye pattern has been out a couple of years I figured I would find several bloggers out there who had made this quilt. I wasn't worried about the piecing, Carrie's patterns are always easy to piece, I was more interested in seeing some different fabric combinations. (Have you ever checked out Judy Martin's blog, where she displays pictures of quilts made using her patterns, it's amazing. Here's a link. If you're ever thinking about making one of her patterns check here first for inspiration!!)

I only found one blogger who mentioned piecing this pattern! What's up with that! I love this quilt and pattern, I was expecting several finished Birdseye's out there in blog land. The one hit I did get was for Nicole at Sister's Choice.

Nicole started her Birdseye around October 13th, 2009 and blogged about her finish October 30th, the same year! Isn't she lovely! I can't believe Nicole was able to finish this project so quickly. (click here to read all about Nicole's Birdseye adventure during the month of October)

Here's a good picture of one of Nicole's star blocks! Can you see why I'm so excited to get started!! I love the star blocks and all the nine patches in this project.

Here's another Birdseye made by my friend Karen who doesn't have a blog.

She used some Kansas Troubles fabric for her project. I like it too.

Even though the pattern has been out for over 2 years, the Fat Quarter Shop still carries it if you're interested. Really, I think there should hundreds if not thousands of finished Birdseye quilts out there.

Since I've found other fabric for my Birdseye, and I think there needs to be more Birdseye quilts in this world, I'm giving away my original kit, along with a Birdseye pattern.

To be eligible to win this Birdseye kit with pattern leave a comment (or send an email if you have problems leaving a comment, cupcakesndaisies@gmail.com) telling us your favorite quilt pattern, one you've made or one you hope to make. I know, it's hard to pick just one, but I would have to say my favorite pattern that I've made is Toulouse by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co, although I really really like Route 44, another Miss Rosie's Quilt Co pattern. I wonder if you can pick just one!

Please leave a comment by the end of the day on Saturdy, October 22nd. The winner will be announced on Sunday.

Thanks for stopping by!

PS - If you've made Birdseye please send me a picture or a link to your blog!!

Still Picking . . .

2011-10-18T05:00:00.001-05:00

I'm half way through my Door County Cherry Basket blocks! All the basket blocks have been pieced and all the black baskets have their red corner triangles attached.

These aren't in any particular order, I just threw a block on my design wall as I finished it. But I think it's a good sign that they look good, with no thought to the correct, perfect and final placement of each block. (remember, I have that no two like fabrics may touch syndrome)

These blocks are a breeze to square up because I'm using the Fit to be Square ruler by Open Gate Quilts.

This ruler is always easy to use, but since my blocks are 9 1/2 inches,

and the ruler is 9 1/2 inches, it's been super easy to square up the basket blocks.

Over the weekend, when I wasn't working away in my sewing room, I was doing a little decorating for Halloween.

I usually keep my mantle fairly clutter free. . . . .

.....a few more knick knacks in my kitchen.

I also hung a Halloween quilt on my rack in the living room but it was such a dreary day I couldn't get a good picture. I'll try again another day.

Thanks for stopping by!

We're ALL Winners!!

2011-10-16T13:58:00.004-05:00

Thanks to all 104 folks who stopped by and for all your kind words regarding my finish in the Chicago Marathon. I've been surprised how great I've felt all week, I've felt happy and energetic. The training and stress of the whole experience was much greater than I realized, I've experienced first hand that saying, "felt like a weight has been lifted", I feel mentally and physically lighter!

While we all share our love of quilting, we are varied in our lives and goals, I loved reading about all of them and am inspired by you. I've always said I would never quilt one of my tops, but I didn't get out of bed and decide to run 26.2 miles all at once, it took me a year of training. That's the attitude I need for quilting, not to expect to sit down at my machine and start quilting, but to work up to it.

Someone's goal of starting to set goals put a smile on my face! I need a goal to set less goals! Like someone else said, how about a goal to lighten up and enjoy life. I agree, how about it!

We all do agree on something else . . . .

this book is awesome and a wonderful addition to your quilting library. A real go to book for meeting your current quilting need, whim, or desire.

And the winner is . . . . . . #53 - James-Linda who has a goal of finishing a table runner for her daughter for Christmas. Good Luck with that!

DCCB - Progress . . .

2011-10-14T05:00:00.001-05:00

So I got all 832 half square triangle units for Door County Cherry Baskets pieced and trimmed! Now I'm in the basket weaving - cherry picking business. (Door County Cherry Baskets is a pattern in Lisa Bongean and Carole Charles' book Summer Gatherings.)

I'm not making my basket blocks as called for in the pattern. My baskets will be the same size and I think look the same, but I think I came up with a way that works better for me. Me being the "lets square things up and much as possible as we go" me.

To help get each little piece in just the right place I made this help sheet.

I'm making my baskets in 4 units, A, B, C, and D. Once those are pieced I combine A to B and C to D. Once those are pieced I sew AB to CD. And there you have it, a nice, neat, square basket.

So this is the before picture.

And here's the after, with each unit in its proper place. I think it's a real time saver. I try to chain piece as much as possible on any project I work on, but I think the best way to keep these pieces all going the correct direction is to piece one cherry basket block at a time, so that's what I'm doing. So far so good. I'm not tired of making baskets yet, but I do have a ways to go!

Remember that great Red and White quilt show I mentioned at Temecula Quilt Company? They've created some great red and white quilt patterns. A booklet with 6 small patterns and another pattern called Red and White Favorites. If you've been looking for some great red and white traditional looking patterns, you should check these out. (click here for patterns)

Whew, one crazy notion off my To Do list . . .

2011-10-12T05:00:00.000-05:00

So, if you stop by my blog on a regular basis, you've read where I ran a few half marathons this year. At the beginning of this year, after I knew I would be running 3 half marathons, I got this idea that maybe this would be a good year to try and run a full marathon. And if you're going to run a full blown 26.2 mile marathon, why not pick a good one, so in February I signed up for the Chicago Marathon, and didn't tell a soul. Because really, signing up doesn't mean you have to run it, especially if no one knows you signed up. Well after two successful half marathons I decided to go ahead and commit to the training and go for the full blown marathon.

My official marathon training started in June, and for the last 4 months I've been running in the country, watching the corn grow, dry, and be harvested. I started my training with empty cornfields and ended with empty cornfields, and look what it got me.

Ta Da!

I actually did it. Sunday, 10/9/11, I ran the Chicago Marathon. It was harder than I expected, definitely a once in a lifetime experience for me. And what an adjustment, going from running solo down country roads to running with 45,000 folks from every state in the nation and 103 different countries, surrounded by skyscrapers not corn.

Training for a marathon is sometimes a selfish thing, you have to put yourself and your training first, which, as a woman, wife, and mother isn't an easy thing. But I'm glad I did it, I was worth it, and so was running the race.

I think this calls for a celebration!

This is big Picnic from Carrie Nelson's latest book, "another BiTE OF SCHNiBBLES"

I think it may be my favorite pattern in the book, but as you know, I'm going through a bit of a basket phase.

There are a wonderful variety of 24 quilts, one to please you I'm sure.

And if none of the patterns appeal, reading the pattern book will, it's a fun read with amazing pictures. Those quilts in the book got to spend an amazing vacation at the beach.

When I pre-ordered my book I ordered two, one for me and one for you! ( plus that qualified me for free shipping!)

So to celebrate the fact that I was able to not only finish my first and last marathon, but to live to tell about it, I'm giving away one of these books.

To qualify just leave a comment about a goal you set for yourself and achieved or hope to achieve. I can hardly wait to read all about it.

You have until the end of day Saturday, October 15th, I'll announce the winner on Sunday!

CnD disclaimer - Carrie Nelson did not pay for this book or pay me to giveaway or promote this book. I'm doing it just because I like the book and thought you would too!!

A Few More Shops . . . .

2011-10-06T05:00:00.005-05:00

So here are a few more shops I was lucky enough to visit on my Shop Hop around Wisconsin.

J.J. Stitches in Sun Prairie.

This store was loaded with fabric, mainly reproduction fabric, but they had other fabric too.

I can't imagine walking in with a pattern and not being able to find the fabric I needed to make it.

The store was decorated nicely, neat as a pin, and the help welcoming and helpful.

I also stopped here,

Mill House Quilts in Waunakee. This building is an historic old mill and still has the original large plank flooring inside. They carried all types of fabric, there was plenty of room with great lighting.

I arrived at the store around 4:30, plenty of time to browse before their closing time of 5, or so I thought. When I walked in the greeting by the staff was chilly, and someone followed me all over the store wanting to know if they could help me with anything. I got the impression they were wanting to help me with anything that would get me out of the store by 5. I was out of the store before closing time. It's a nice store, not a destination store like the other shops I hit, but if you're driving by it's worth the stop. Just don't stop if it's close to closing time.

Now this shop, you can't get in and out in 30 minutes so don't even try.

The Country Sampler is in Spring Green.

Their main focus is reproduction prints and patterns, but really they are so much more.

It's hard to describe, but this shop has a way of taking any pattern and selecting fabric so different that you hardly recognize it when you look at the pattern and at their completed quilt. They mainly go for soft and muted combinations, everything was just breathtaking and inspiring. Take a look at their kits online for a better idea of what I'm trying to describe, you will be amazed.

They have the ability to do what I'm always hoping to do, take a pattern and make it completely their own and different and better! They also had fabric by designers and makers that I had not seen in other shops.

The staff was amazing, finding each completed project for the kits (there were kits everywhere!) sometimes twice, locating patterns, all the while trying to fill their online orders, which were extensive. They were working hard but didn't make me feel like I was in the way or taking up too much of their time. I hear this store has an amazing Christmas Open House, what I wouldn't give to be able to go!!

I also stopped here.

The Quilter's Compass in Monticello. A very nice quilt shop, a nice variety of fabric, great lighting and a helpful staff. They do a huge online business, but with free shipping anywhere in the US for orders of $35 or more, it's easy to see why.

So that's my Wisconsin Shop hop, be sure to check out each store's online shop, and if you buy a kit from the Country Sampler, drop me a note, I would love to know what you picked out.

Finally, awhile back I talked about a Red and White Quilt Show being sponsored by the Temecula Quilt Company. It's the reason I started my Red and White Tribute quilt. My project wasn't done in time to make the show, but some other folks did an amazing job with their projects. Click here to see their show. Congratulations to all the amazing quilters, the pictures are stunning, that sure would have been something to see in person.

Added Later: Here's a link to Elizabeth's blog, OccasionalPiece. Not only did she attend the show, which lasts the whole month of October by the way, she had two projects in the show! More great pictures, don't miss them!!

It goes on . . . .

2011-10-04T05:00:00.003-05:00

I'm still working away on my Door County Cherry Baskets quilt. I'm only going with 64 baskets as opposed to the 99 baskets in the pattern by Lisa Bongean and Carole Charles. That still requires 832 half square triangle units. Belle Meade required 656 hst units and I started making those 3 months before I actually started on the quilt.

So my days have been pretty much spent piecing hsts. I use the Easy Angle but still make my units larger than required and square them up. It's relaxing, making all these units, and even if I only have 30 minutes to spend in my sewing room, I still feel like I'm making progress.

This is my current definition of progress. I am getting close to having all my hsts done, then it's on to assembling those baskets and picking those cherries.

A couple of weeks ago I actually got to visit Lisa Bongean's shop, Primitive Gatherings.

The shop is in Menasha, Wisconsin. If you read my blog regularly, you know I don't get to visit quilt shops very often, I need to drive approximately an hour one way to hit a shop, so I was very excited to get to visit any shop, let alone a shop with such a wonderful reputation. It did not disappoint. The staff, fabric and pattern selection, and overall feel of the shop was wonderful. I think I was in that shop for over 2 hours!

This is the quilt that greets you as soon as you walk in the door, 45 & Life To Go. It's a stunner, I really love the black and tan combination of Little Gatherings by Lisa Bongean for Moda. I also like that checkerboard pattern in the center of each star.

So much that I bought a fat quarter bundle and the pattern. A couple of nice souvenirs of my visit to the shop. The pattern has directions for two sizes, a small size lap quilt or a king size quilt. (Don't you think those checkerboards would look even better with a little red thrown in?)

I'm not in the know when it comes to fabric, so I'm not sure if the Little Gatherings fabric is a one time thing or something that shops can reorder. The fabric will make great projects on its own (as you can see) or work wonderfully with other fabrics. If you've not bought any yet, I wouldn't wait much longer. I did notice the black fabric was in short demand in every shop I visited.

I hit a few more shops while I was in Wisconsin, be sure to stop back by for my review of them later this week.

Next Up . . . . .

2011-09-29T05:00:00.001-05:00

I'm back, did ya miss me?

So really, how long did you think it would be before I started another red quilt after finishing my Red and White Tribute quilt, a year, a month, one project . . .

If you figured not very long at all you would be right, James River Blues is done and this is the project that will be consuming my time for the foreseeable future.

This pattern is Door County Cherry Baskets and is in the book Summer Gatherings by Lisa Bongean and Carole Charles. (Lisa is The Lisa of Primitive Gatherings fame and her blog header is this basket quilt!)

Door County is in Wisconsin and I spent last week in Wisconsin, checking out quilt shops and visiting with friends, so I thought this would be a great time to work on this quilt. Although, technically, cherry picking time runs mid-July to mid-August in Door County Wisconsin. I'm a little late with my cherry picking.

I pulled all the fabric for this project from my stash, so you know what that means, YES, it's a free quilt!!

Here are my background fabrics.

I'm going with over 100 different fabrics in this project and it took days and days to cut all my pieces. Now I'm on to the assembly portion of this project. (finally, hurray!)

And here's my inspiration block! The pattern calls for 99 blocks, I don't think there's that many cherries at my house, I'm thinking maybe I'll be needing a few fewer baskets.

I have some pictures to share of my Wisconsin Shop Hop and am still pushing for an official name change for Carrie Nelson for Miss Rosie's Quilt Company's Schnibbles pattern Bibelot. I stand by my original notion that this pattern should be named "T" Stands for Thelma. I'm not sure what it will take to get this done but rest assured I'm on the job!!

Stop back by for further updates!!

( Hey Sinta - there's no room on this bandwagon for any other "T" names!! )

Farmer's Wife Sew Along

2011-09-22T05:00:00.000-05:00

I'm not coming to close to keeping up with the Farmer's Wife two blocks a week sew along, but I am making some blocks every now and then.

As a reminder, the fabric I'm going with is French General for Moda.

This fabric is the sashing I plan to use, and this square is 6 1/2 inches, the size of the blocks in the Farmer's Wife Book. I'm going with 4 inch finished blocks.

I'm also making my blocks in numerical order.

So this is number 13, Buckwheat.

This is number 14, Butterfly at the Crossroads. If you look real close, you'll see a butterfly in the center of my block. The only butterfly on that fat quarter of fabric!

Number 15, Buzzard's Roost ( I don't think that's a buzzard, but at least it is a bird!)

And number 16, Calico Puzzle.

So that's 16 down, only 95 more to go, you don't count the 4 blocks I want to make again because I don't like them. But I won't remake any blocks until I get all 111 done. Maybe the ugly blocks will grow on me.

She's a Winner!

2011-09-21T05:00:00.001-05:00

Over the weekend I entered a few quilts in a show that was sponsored by a guild 45 miles from me.

When I attended the show I was thrilled to find this ribbon on A La Mode (Lifetime Quilt # 66)

Every now and then I'll run across a blog where folks wonder if their quilts are good enough for a show, or if they should enter their quilts in a show. And this is what I think about that, while I was excited to see that blue ribbon on my quilt, I also enjoyed seeing my other quilts in the show and talking to folks about them. Plus, I really enjoy seeing what other quilters in my neck of the woods are making. I would have been happy with my experience even if I didn't win a ribbon. If you've never entered your quilts in a local show, I think you'll be surprised by the sense of satisfaction you'll feel just by seeing your quilt hanging in the event hall with other quilts.

And if you're worried because a few points are missing or or a seam or two don't match, relax, there are too many things to look at for anyone to notice that type of thing on one quilt, you're the only one who notices those things on your quilt!

I've never been associated with the planning or running of a quilt show, but it looks like a lot of work. If a group is going to take the time and effort to sponsor a show, I think it's nice to recognize that time and effort by entering some quilts. The ribbon was just icing on the cake!

No Longer Singing the James River Blues . . .

2011-09-20T05:00:00.001-05:00

I finished up James River Blues!

I really should give this quilt a new name, but sometimes, once you start calling a project by it's given name, it's hard to come up with a good nickname.

I sure enjoyed working on this quilt. Most of the time I like a challenge when I'm sewing. I'm retired and appreciate a little cerebral stimulation during my day. But sometimes I also like to sew simply for the fun of it, and that's what I need the last two weeks and this project fit that need perfectly.

I didn't even struggle with my #1 scrappy rule, no like fabrics touching. I guess because I had so many different fabrics.

This is Lifetime Quilt #73 and my 10th finish this year.

I used the pattern James River Blues by Paula Barnes for Bonnie Blue Quilts.

This quilt finished at 72" x 72" and has approximately 1,728 pieces.

I can hardly wait to see this top quilted, I think it will really bring this project to life.

My Basket is Full . . .

2011-09-16T05:00:00.000-05:00

Wow, I can't believe it's Friday already!

I've had a week of juggling car repairs, jury duty, doggy daycare, and my running schedule.

But I also have a basket full of James River Blues blocks! I should have a flimsy come Monday.

We're in for a wonderful fall weekend here, I'm ready to sit back and enjoy it.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend too!

JRB and Winners!

2011-09-12T11:00:00.001-05:00

Can you hear it, it's the sweet sound of contentment emanating from my sewing room.

It's like a retreat, except it's going on in my sewing room, no drama, no math, just simple sewing and trimming.

I'm ready to make some James River Blues blocks, everything I need is right here. I'm making 144 blocks and have decided to make 72 blocks with a random assortment of browns and blues. Of the remaining 72 blocks I plan to make 36 all blue and 36 all brown.

I think this will help with the scrappy look I want when I'm ready to throw 144 blocks on my design wall to get that perfect combination. (You know know rule, no like fabrics may touch!)

I sure enjoyed reading all the Schnibbles comments on my last post. Bec suggested using Sweetwater's Hometown for Full House, I like that idea and may just copy it! And I think Gretchen said what I was thinking but just couldn't put into words, " They are so addicting and a perfect way to get a wonderful fabric line out of your system. You know those lines that you just gotta have but don't really need a big quilt made of it."

Thanks for stopping by and sharing your Schnibbles stories with us. We are a wonderful assortment of Schnibbles lovers, I'm pleased to be in such wonderful company!!

I'm also glad to know that a few folks agree with me when it comes to the name on this pattern, I may have to start an official campaign of some sort, stay tuned for updates!

So here are the winners:

Nancy E who has made 6 Schnibbles and left a comment on 9/9 at 5:55 am.

Paulette at Sweet Pea Quilting and Creations who has made only 2 Schnibbles, even though she has plenty of wall space. I think there are more in your future Paulette. Paulette's comment was left on 9/9 at 9:05 am.

And

Kristen at Meadowbrook who is struggling with Honeycomb but not giving up on Schnibbles! Kristen left her comment on 9/9 at 6:44 am.

I'll let you know what Schnibbles they pick!

Schnibble'n Along . . . .

2011-09-09T05:00:00.010-05:00

Are you a Schnibbler? I'm a Schnibbler!

Schnibbles are mini quilt patterns that use a couple of charm packs and a little yardage to make an amazing work of art and are the brain child of Carrie Nelson at Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.

Two years ago, September 2009, Sherri at A Quilting Life and Sinta at Pink Pincushion started a little sew along called A Year of Schnibbles. (I know, can you believe it's the second anniversary of the "Year of Schnibbles!) ((I wonder if anyone besides Sherri and Sinta has participated each and every month, they deserve a legacy prize, or at a minimum, to be the first in the parade!))

I had only been blogging for a few weeks and was so excited to get to participate in my first sew along. The first Schnibbles for the sew along, "Winter White"!

Since that time I've made 4 Schnibbles, maybe I should say I used 4 Schnibbles patterns to create some quilts.

Carrie's "Winter White" finished at 34" x 34", mine, named "Eat More Pie" finished at almost twice that size! (see Lifetime Quilt #51 for more detail on "Eat More Pie")

Next up was "Cindy Lou Who", which finished at 33" x 33", I made my blocks bigger and added a few. (see Lifetime Quilt #52 for more detail on "One Star Two Star Red Star Blue Star" or click here to see the finished quilt on my bed)

I did make "Good Fortune" exactly as called for in the pattern but surrounded it with "Madeline" who I enlarged. (Lifetime Quilt # 59)

The main reason I kept tinkering with the patterns, besides the fact that I'm a nut who always has to be just a little different, I didn't have any place to hang those mini quilts. And even though I have 7 or 8 quilts stacked on one bed, one on top of the other, they are still bed quilts and serve a purpose. I just couldn't talk myself into making little quilts, even if they were adorable, if I didn't have any place to put them.

And it drove me crazy, what a great way to use up scraps, to experiment with fabric choices, to learn some new techniques, by making Schnibbles.

And while I was able to resist making Schnibbles, that didn't stop me from buying the patterns. They are like candy to me, a real treat! I love reading them, love finding out how they go together, love the math that makes up the designs. They're better than a Sudoku puzzle. Plus they are portable, I stick one in my purse and read it when I have a spare minute. I actually left Nash at the dentist's office. When the receptionist called to tell me I had left it behind, and wanted to know where she could buy the pattern, I just gave it to her. Once I've figured out the "man behind the curtain" I'm pretty much done with them. It's like those find the differences in two pictures puzzles, once you've figured it out, you're ready for the next one.

Well all that's changed! This summer I replaced the bedroom outfit in my guest room.

And I intentionally didn't order a mirror to go over the dresser, I'm filling that space with Schnibbles! What a perfect place to hang mini quilts, that dresser stretches out 66 inches long and Schnibbles usually run less than 40 inches square.

I just got the latest 6 new Schnibbles patterns in the mail and can hardly wait to make them all!

One of my favorite things about Sherri and Sinta's sew along is the monthly parade, where all the projects for that month are revealed. I just love seeing the same pattern made with different fabrics, I am always in awe of the projects that are in that parade and the fabric combinations that folks use. Well Carrie has created her own Full House Parade, click here to see this pattern using 4 different families of fabric and two different pattern sizes! House blocks in quilts always appeal to me, I have a few houses in a Thimbleberries Christmas quit, but this one is better, a whole little town!

This pattern is called "T stands for Thelma" I'm not sure why the cover says "Bibelot", the back of the pattern says bibelot is "a small object of curiosity", I'm not small but I am sometimes an object of curiosity. I'm going to make "T stands for Thelma", I hope you do too.

This is "insert snappy title here", maybe we could call it "Bibelot" and get the right name on "T stands for Thelma"

When I make this quilt I'm gong to hang it like this, because I think this is the way it's meant to hang.

"Summer Day" out of light, bright fabric, how about Fall Day out of Sandy Gervais, or Winter Day out of Countdown to Christmas or Spring Day out of Fig Tree, the possibilities are endless!!

These are the last two of the latest Schnibbles patterns, I've yet to read the directions but just know Carrie has come up with a clever way to make these complicated looking quilts go together easily.

Sinta and Sherri have decided that September is quilter's choice month. We can make ANY Schnibbles pattern we choose, I've been waffling on my choice for days now and have still not made up my mind. But as soon as James River Blues is done I'm starting on my Schnibbles, you'll just have to come back by to see which one.

I sure hope you participate in this month's Schnibbles parade too. To give you a little incentive I'm giving away 3 Schnibbles patterns of your choice to 3 folks who leave a comment or send me an email. New, old I don't care, which ever patterns call your name they will be coming to your house.

Any comment about Schnibbles will do, like how many you've made, why you've not made any, why you like Schnibbles, why you don't, your favorite (my favorite is Picnic) just share a little Schnibbles trivia and you're in. You have until 5 am, CST on Monday, September 12th to leave a comment, I'll announce the winner later that day.

Thanks for stopping by!

Embracing Fall. . . . . .

2011-09-08T05:00:00.001-05:00

This past Labor Day weekend I met up with my daughter at Disneyland in California.

Here's just one of the many things I like about Disneyland, one evening upon returning to our room, I found these guys, who beat me to bed but were happy to see me.

My daughter and I met at Disneyland to run the Disneyland Half Marathon. You may remember we met in February and successfully finished the Princess Half Marathon at Disney World in Florida.

Running a race at each park in the same year qualifies you for the Disney Coast to Coast Challenge.

We did it! Two half marathons (which equals a marathon just separated by 6 months really!), two different states, two different Disney parks. We could not have asked for a better race day, the weather was perfect.

This little adventure was my daughter's idea, I'm so proud of both of us, training and finishing the races was nothing but fun.

So here's the hardware we earned, the Princess Race medal on the right, the Disneyland medal on the left, and in the middle, the Coast to Coast medal for finishing both races in one year.

Besides just looking for something fun for us to do together, we decided to run these races after hearing about a doctor, in Indianapolis, who collects medals from runners and then passes them on to patients "struggling with much harder races". But it was this sentence in the article that moved us to action, "kids especially enjoy the Disney medals". So our medals are heading to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. I hope a little girl somewhere feels like a princess when she wears the medal I earned for the Princess Race and that other children will smile and be happy to wear the other medals. I get to keep the ribbons, that's good enough for me.

For more information on Medals for Mettle or to locate a chapter near you, click here.

Since I wasn't home Labor Day weekend, my end of summer To Do's were postponed until now.

Packing up the summer flower arrangements, quilts, and my most favorite summer knick knacks; my colorful daisies and Fun in the Sun table arrangement.

I would be sorry to see them go if it weren't for two things, one, I'll get them back out next year and two, putting up summer things means one thing, it's FALL! My favorite time of year.

I love fall for a host of reasons but I'll share two with you,

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins and Pumpkin Spiced Latte's from Starbucks . . .

and FOOTBALL!

I love football, I root the loudest for the Colts, but I'll watch most games on TV and like several teams. Tonight the Saints play the Packers, two great teams representing two great cities. At 8:30 ET you'll find me in front of the TV with this . .

Evening Bloom, my applique project....ah fall, what's not to love!!

Tomorrow we're talking Schnibbles, be sure to stop back by!

James River Blues Update . . . .

2011-09-07T05:00:00.000-05:00

So I'm plugging away on James River Blues by Paula Barnes for Bonnie Blue Quilts. I'm enjoying the drama free fabric decisions and the fact that I can just sit and sew, no thinking, no planning, no math. It's very relaxing.

Although I do have to admit, most of you know me better than I know myself.

The first thing I did when I started my project was to make my test/inspiration block. I always make one block to double check my math and get a feel for assembling the pieces before cutting out all the fabric.

Well, when I got that block together it was a shade too big for my liking, so I shrunk it down an inch. I know, I know, I told you I wasn't going to make any changes, but you were right and I just couldn't help myself.

So here are some strips, waiting to be cut and pieced to make around 300 four patch blocks.

And here's my stacks of pieces for my hst units. I'm using the Easy Angle by EZ Quilting to cut the units, I don't think I'll ever go back to drawing that line down the middle of a square and sewing on each side of it. I do however still make the units bigger and square them up, even though they come out fairly perfect using that tool every time, I don't think I'll ever give up on that.

Now that summer's over and I'm done traveling for awhile, I'm hoping to make some serious progress and complete 3 more projects this year. Each year I have a goal of making 12 quilts, one per month. I don't know why, there's nothing special about the number 12, but that's a goal I set each year and last year I missed it by one, I think I'm going to make it this year, James River Blues will be my tenth finish for this year, it's looking good!

That Quilt Holder . . . . . .

2011-09-02T05:00:00.002-05:00

Every time the stand I use to photograph my quilts makes it into a picture on my blog I always get a few questions, like "what's that quilt holder"and "where did you get that quilt holder" . . .

Here's the picture that generated the last group of questions.

Well that quilt holder is one of the most handy things to have around for photographing my quilts. It sure has been nice to take pictures whenever I want and not when my last quilt holder, Mr Cupcake, was available. Plus, he could never get them perfectly level, and then after only maybe 20 shots would start complaining about the quilts getting heavy. Our lives sure have improved since I got that stand.

It's really not even a quilt holder, it is a backdrop support used for photography. I bought mine here. Mine's by EOS Lighting but lots of folks make them. I've had mine for probably 5 years, it was a birthday present from my father-in-law. I noticed they've gone up in price since I got mine.

Here's everything you get, two stands, a pole to hold the quilt, some clips and a bag to store and carry it all. It stretches out and up to accommodate all sizes of quilts, even kingsize, and it's very sturdy. I've used it outside and so far, it's never blown over.

The clips do a great job. I think the thing I like best about this holder is that it's very easy to assemble and hang a quilt all by myself, anytime I want.

So the next time my quilt stand makes it into a shot, I can just point folks back to this post instead of looking it up and finding that website every time..... sometimes it takes me awhile, but I do eventually come up with a good idea.