All Finished and Delivered

I kept putting off the finishing of my friend's quilt but I did get it done today and it turned out pretty good.

I did have to tell KayLynn that this was the very first larger quilt that I had quilted on my machine and that some of the flowers were pretty raw and others were better.  I told her each flower could represent a trial (good or bad) in her life - some of the flowers look better than some of the others!! She said she loved it and it touched her heart!!

Saturday's Smile!!

Here We Go Again!!

I promised myself I would finish my friend's quilt before I did another one of these fun blocks, but I lied!!

Summer Tree in Turquoise by Phillip Jacobs

AMAZING!!  And so addictive!!  Ok, now I am going in to finish the binding on my friend's quilt!!

Am I Like the Very Last One on the Planet (Well, Except Bev) . . .

to make a Stack and Whack quilt??

Some friends and I have been talking about doing a Stack and Whack quilt but we had no idea how to do one. Well, I couldn't get it out of my mind and so I decided to figure out how to make one.

I have had this darling piece of fabric for yearsssssssssss and could never decide how I wanted to use it ~

So, after learning what to do on a Stack and Whack, I realized this was the perfect fabric and so, here is my first block ~

This whole concept just contiunes to amaze me and whoever came up with the idea of the Stack and Whack gets my high five!!!

Ok, on to the next block and there goes all the projects I am SUPPOSED to be working on!!

And the Winners Are . . .

for the Autumn FQS:

Denise from Count It All Joy

Arlette from El Rincon de Arlette

Dusty's mom from Quiltmom's Journey

I used the Random Number Generator but I decided that there was so much interest I just had to give away more than one set.  So I decided to give away 3 sets!!  And it worked out perfectly because the three choices covered the planet - United States, Canada and Costa Rica!!  Woo Hoo!!

Congratulations to Everyone!!

Please email me with your snail mail addresses and I will get your goodies out to you promptly!!

And thank you to everyone who left a comment!!
I wish EVERYONE could have won!!

Spring Has Sprung!!

I Just Signed Up for Some Fun!!

I was over visiting Sharon at Vrooman's Quilts and she was talking about a wonder charity quilt drive that she was a part of.  I went over to check it out and it sounds like a great opportunity to help others who are not as fortunate as us!!  If you are interested in joining in the fun, click on the button below or on the one on my side bar!!

Saturday's Smile

It Was December 6, 2011 When I Finished My First Mug Rug

It took me until today to get up the nerve to try to quilt it!!  Now, I have to remind you that I have had my mid-arm quilting machine for over 3 years and it stayed in it's box for the first 2-1/2 years.  The reason is because I never had the space to put up the 10-foot table in order to use it - or so I thought!!

No, I still don't have room for the table, but about 6 months ago, I said, hmmmmmmmmmm, maybe I can just use it as a table top machine and quilt small quilts.  It infact sits perfectly on a table top and I did finally try some stitch-in-the-ditch on December 8, 2011.   Then, kept saying I was going to try some free motion quilting on the mug rug but I didn't want to ruin it . . .  so I put it off and put it off and put it off - until today.

I did a search on the Internet for free motion quilting and came across a Youtube where the quilter said that using a Quilt Basting Spray instead of pinning the top makes life much easier.  So I tired it.

First you need a wall and some newspaper ~

Then you pin the back to the wall with the front side of the fabric facing the wall ~

And after shaking the can of Quilt Basting Stpray for 2full minutes (well, that's what it said I had to do), you lightly spray the backing and press the batting onto the backing ~

Then spray the backing ~

You then put the top over the batting and smooth it out from the center to the edges ~

Oh, my gosh, and then you have to quilt it!!  Yes, ma'am I did it!!!  Woo! Hoo!!

I am thrilled to pieces!!!  And with practice, my meanders will be smoother!!

Now to bind it and send it off!!  I am ready to try another one!!  

It is hard to express how fun it is to still be learning new things at my age!!  Love it!!

One Flower Wednesday

I made these two flowers for my swap partner in the Inchy Hexagon Flower Swap.  She wanted soft, muted colours and pastels; old fashioned looking; not modern.

Fun Giveaway - Just Because . . .

I know that Springs begins a week from today but I thought I would give away a bunch of Fat Quarters in Autumn colors so some industrious quilter could get a head start on a fall project!!

Now, there are 6 quilt shop quality fat quarters here and I would love to have you comment on what you think you would like to make from these great fabrics!!

I will pick a winner with the old trusty Mr. True Random Generator thingy on March 20th - the day Spring officially begins!!

Saturday's Smile

These first two pictures are cakes!!!

These next three are chocolates in edible boxes!!

More Art From My New Friend, Joy!!

Joy has sent me a few more pictures of a gorgeous quilt she just got back from the quilter calld Tuscany Bird.  I had to share because it is so exquisite.  Joy does not have a blog so she told me she feels like her quilts on my blog are her debut into the big, wonderful world of quilting!!

Joy, your work is so inspiring!!  Thank you for sharing!!

Sharing!!

I was given an entire plastic bin full of

baby hospital gowns and caps and I would like to share.  If anyone knows of a pediatric ward at their hospital that could use some of these cuties, please leave me a comment and I will get back to you for details on how to get some of the gowns and caps to you!!  I think there are about a bazillion caps in the bin!!  I think there are about 30 gowns - some store bought and some hand-crafted!!

Enjoy this beautiful new day!!

Art is All About Sharing!!

That is what Joy said to me when I asked if if I could share the gorgeous quilt she is working on from Michelle Hill's book William Morris in Applique.  I think this quilt will inspire both quilters and appliquers alike.

This is the full quilt. (click on photo for better view)

This is a close-up of Joy's hand applique. (click on photo for more detail) 

Thank you Joy for sharing your gorgeous art with us!!

Saturday's Smile

William Morris in Applique

Some of my very most favorite fabrics are William Morris reproductions.  A great source of these fabrics are designed by Barbara Brackman and in her newest collection, Morris and Company, you can really get a feel for the beauty of William Morris' designs.

One of my clients told me about a wonderful book called "William Morris in Applique" by Michelle Hill  and so of course I had to get one of my own!!

In her book, Michelle has provided a history of William Morris and his work.  Her style of applique is fusible applique using either machine-stitching or hand-stitching. The book includes general instructions including threads, fabrics, cutting, transferring and fusible applique.  There is also a section on stitches and techniques.

Of the many wonderful projects in the book, the one I would like to tackle some day is called Tudor Rose ~

It is a pillow, so it is not quite so intimidating as a full quilt, but still glorious in all it's William Morris-style spendor.  Has anyone created a work of art from this collection of projects?

This Just Turned Out Too Darn Cute Not to Share!!

Today is my great-niece's 12th birthday.  It is a super big deal because now she gets to go to Sunday school with the Young Women and not with the little kids down in Primary!!

She loved it!!  Happy Birthday Lauren!!