The Quilt Shop Sale

Our local quilt shop had a 2 day "Prior to Inventory - everything $3.99/yd" sale. The poor souls who worked there carried more than a thousand bolts of fabric down a two story flight of steps to a sale room. It was incredible. Tables down the center of the room and around the perimeter. One wall had 3 long tables where the employees did nothing but cut fabric, and occasionally ring a bell when a bolt was emptied. The lines were long - but that gave one time to stare at more fabric on the tables or in other peoples arms. There was a lot of - "if you aren't buying ALL of that - can I have it when you have your piece cut?" And the general happy comraderie that quilters and fabric lovers share. So - I promised I would post what I purchased so here goes.

The flannels - were originally $10.99 and $12.99/yd. so they were a great buy. Looking at my pile - I would say now - I didn't purchase enough!!! But - I was attempting to buy only for identified projects. These flannels will be united with leftover flannels from the lap quilt I made my dad to make another for my stepmother.

Then came the BIG QUESTION - what fabrics to buy for the block in a bag activity with the quilt guild. (See previous post) I really wanted a beachy theme, and look what I found.....I can't wait to see what these become - Then of course - batiks were another great buy. I only got these...what was I thinking??? I SHOULD HAVE GOT MORE!!

This rose fabric was just too too beautiful to pass up. As was this bluish purple.

Then of course I had to get these fat quarters -

and for some reason I thought I needed some red. Oh yes, that was if I made a bird block for the block in a bag - - I was going to make a cardinal - (Our State Bird)- Well, now I have some reds don't I.

Stay tuned for what each of these become.....

Block in a Bag #1

I joined the local Quilt Guild last fall - to make some new quilting friends, and to be inspired to be more productive. Well - it is working!! The Quilt Guild started a few new things this year - one of which that I signed up for was Block in a Bag. A pretty cool idea. Here is how it works:
You pick a theme and buy three fabrics to match your theme that you want everyone to use in your blocks. Cut ten fat eighths. Put a fat eighth of each of the three fabrics in a bag with your name and the theme, and the names of the other 9 participants. When it is your month - distribute the bags to each of the 9 participants in your group and the following month - they bring back the block made to fit your theme, using the 3 fabrics. They can add other fabrics, but the 3 provided should be the major fabrics in the block. The block must be at least 8"x8" and no greater than 12"x12". It can be square or rectangular. The result - if you make one too - 10 blocks!! Cool!!

This month was not my month to distribute a bag. I received a bag with some blue, some brown and some green, and the theme was birds and birdhouses.

I looked and looked at patterns and ideas. I would have liked to do a bird, and have still considered adding an appliqued one to the block I made, but not too happy with my machine applique skills. You can applique, foundation piece or piece from your own design or a pattern.

I paper pieced the birdhouse. It had been a really long time since I had done paper piecing, so it took me a while to remember how that process works.

I actually intended for this to be a trial block - and was going to use some blues and greens of my own, then decide if I liked it or not - but by accident - used the blue provided, and then knew there wouldn't be enough to start over - so - it is what it is. I need to be more careful next month.

It is nice to have that finished 2 weeks in advance. Much better than waiting till the last minute.

Cookie Search

Ok Quilters - I am on a search for a cookie recipe. This recipe I tasted at a bakery and it was the best peanut butter cookie ever. Unfortunately - the bakery is no longer in business. I can't imagine why....we surely haven't cut carbs enough to put a bakery out of business have we???

Anyway - this peanut butter cookie was moist and almost flakey - with peanuts in it. Don't think that it was crunchy peanut butter because the nuts were large.

Anyone want to volunteer up a recipe like that? It would make me SEW Happy!!

Here come bloggy bunnies - I mean loggy bunnies -

The other day while browsing blogs - I was so amazed at the clever names for some of the knitting blog sites - really clever, cute, I wish I could think of one of those to name this quilt - but maybe a quilt doesn't need a name. It just needs to be finished?

1. So here is how One Piece of Bunny Fabric becomes - a quilt. So - you take some fabric you already own - I don't even remember WHY I bought bunny fabric - I have had it ever so long - it seems to have even reproduced, cause I also have other pieces of bunny fabric I don't remember buying...

2. You cut some strips and piece some logs 3. Then you arrange the logs and VOILA - - - -bloggy lunnies?

Well - - - Maybe it is log bunnies - I don't know - but the Baby Quilt for My Marine's friends baby is all pieced...

A revelation - Goodbye B problems

This morning - I woke up and looked for a while at the 2 finished wallhangings in my room. I realized that progress has been made. Life sometimes goes by so quickly - we don't have time to applaud the little episodes of progress and growth. But there it is, My Little Quilt Sampler - made from scraps of garments from my then little girl (now 21) and it is finished.

Actually I see now that it has been hanging long enough to start to stretch, it needs to come down for a while I suppose. So today - I have to say - It is so nice to finally be beyond some of the b problems that plagued me in my first few years of quilting. I took this class to make a sampler for my first quilt. It had a pieced border. I was new to quilting. The border had thousands of little squares. It did not fit when I got to the point of attaching it. I was out of matching fabric. It is still in a box somewhere in storage land of my sister's house or my aunt's house in another state. I need to relocate it....cause I have finally gotten beyond the border -itis. I think. For many quilts after that - I never could get the border on - or finish the quilt. It was a b block. I would get that far and it wasn't quilter ADD (attention deficit disorder- and the continuous distraction of a new pattern - new fabric - new idea) that drove me away from finishing it and on to another problem - it was fear of not finishing it Right. Once a wise man asked me - why do you think it is that you don't finish things. I responded - because I am afraid it isn't going to be done right. And he then asked - How many right ways are there to do something. To which I wrongly replied - ONE. It has taken me years to learn how many right ways there are and to start to let go of always trying to do it some ONE RIGHT Way. This perfectionist attitude would amaze my highly organized extremely productive sister who always described me as a creative slob. Then came another sampler quilt - that had bowtie blocks in the last border. oh oh - - I couldn't get those bowties constructed for the life of me. I was just too afraid I didn't know the RIGHT way to do them. I researched the many different ways to create them until I never did. Well, almost never did, cause on the way across from my bed, hangs the finished sampler - bowties and all. Now bindings - I must admit are the last b challenge still hanging around in my life. I recently finished a quilt that had been waiting for Backing (oh yes, another b problem.....what is the right backing - should it match - should it not. etc and etc. More worrying - less finishing) and finished it in a hurry to try and get it into our quilt guild's show. I did not. The binding at the corners was so uncooperative. So fellow bloggers.....seeing posts from others who manage to get beyond their fears - whether it be of b things or something else - is so encouraging to me - and so I say - thank you!!! Thank you for sharing your photos and ideas and gently guiding me into feeling it is ok to not quite know if it is RIGHT, but finish it anyway.

Flannel on a Snowy Day

Nothing like sewing flannel on a snowy day. Or curling up under a flannel quilt on a snowy day. OOPS - watch out for those pins. This one is not finished yet - but getting close - thanks to having a snow day to work on it....Found this adorable polar bear panel and snowy print flannel....Won't this be an adorable lap quilt?

One more border to go and then quilt and binding.

Taffy already likes it!

Sewing on a Snow Day

So - what to sew on a snow day - - Never mind being distracted by having to walk in the snow - yes - we must walk in the snow. It may be the only snow we see here in 2008. Walking the dog in the snow is another thing. Cocker spaniel hair gets really wet in the snow. And then clumps up. And then takes forever to dry - - so now I get to sew to the aroma of wet dog hair...

So - for many years I have had this booklet of patterns from my sewing buddy Denise for these small calendar quilt wallhangings - one for each month. Sewing Buddy Denise is more of a finisher than I - and finished her whole year's worth. Me - I just kep moving that pattern around - - BUT not this year. This is my year to make what I have been contemplating making and FINISH it. So - January and February got finished today. I don't care for the pattern for March -so if you have any ideas to share....let me know. March...Shamrocks...pots of gold....leprechauns...daffodils....

Keep Summer even when it Snows.

The Flamingo in the flower bed seems a little out of place in snow doesn't he? I have just got to always have that bit of summer present though.

My camellia doesn't mind the snow - it is blooming away!!

It's a Snow Day

Don't you just LOVE Snow Days? They are so rare here - but satisfying nonetheless - an opportunity to stay in all day and do NOTHING that is required - - you can stay in your pjs if you want. Have hot chocolate. Watch movies. Oh yes - and what else - SEW!!

Welcome

Welcome to my Blog. I hope to hear from lots of quilters. We have so much to share!!

This is one of the many star quilts in progress. This one is for my son serving in the Marine Corp. It needs another border of stars and another border of red and white stripes....quilting and binding.