Get Ready

Remember this idea? I do. I've been day dreaming about it for several weeks now.

On Friday I am going to a quilting retreat and I'm taking this puppy with me.

I spent this morning working out what I need to cut. I printed out the rotary cutting charts from EQ7, and used it to make a list of the pieces needed.

Then I decided to construct a block from scrap before I cut into my lovely fabric.

It went pretty well....except I cut my triangle while the fabric was layered wrong sides together....so the triangles were not all the same....but I also cut too many....so it worked out.

I ended up with two blocks, each at a slightly different angle.

Now I have two baseball mug rugs, or hot pads, or trivets...whatever you want to call them. AND I have a good idea where the tricky bits of the construction lay.

Tomorrow I get to cut it out.  [Eek!  I've been mucking about with my blog and it is already 10:19 am with no cutting done!]

I can't wait to see how my happy quilt turns out.

Quilty Friends - Friendship Star Mini

Early Sunday morning I woke from a dream. I had been contemplating this mini in my sleep.

Sunday afternoon, I started working on it.

Monday afternoon I finished adding the outer border. It completes the finishing pinwheels.
Now, all I need is some backing material and it will be ready for quilting.
I have to say, I like this little fella.
The block is part of a series that I designed for my friend Kelli several years ago. The series is called Quilty Friends and revolves around the idea that blocks in a block of the month series should be easy and play well together. All of the blocks in this series. Have those funny bisected corners. If you make all of them with the same fabric, your blocks come together to make happy little pinwheels.
I've extended this series in my other blog....Quilty Friends. Every month I add a new block.
I've been saving the Friendship Star for May....it is my quilt guild's birthday month....the Friendship Star is our logo...you get the idea. You will have to wait until then to get a pattern for it. However, there are nine other patterns there now.
Why don't you grab your scraps and join us?!
 

Garden Steps Stitch and Quilt Along

This is new for me. I've never participated in a blog project. However, after finishing my Fab Little Quilt Swap mini,....

I decided that I enjoy simple embroidery. Add that to the opportunity provided by Clover and Violet and I was hooked.



I ordered the quilt along kit from Sew Lux Fabric & Gifts. It arrived yesterday. 13 yummy Good Fortune and Bella Solid fat quarters, tied with a ribbon,

and tagged with a personal note from the shop owners, made me feel like I was receiving a gift.

Maybe I did. I can't wait to get started. There is still time to join in the fun. Hop on over to Clover and Violet's blog for all of the details.
 

Peeps!

Eeek! My BFF sent me a note when this fabric arrived at the shop she works in. How cool is that?! All the sweetness of Peeps without the sticky mess.

I had to have some. Got my sweet heart to take me this morning. In two shakes we had picked out fabric to make a sweeeeeeet dreaming pillowcase for my Peeps lovin' niece. My big brother likes them too, but really making a peep pillowcase for a 54 year old is a little creepy. (Sorry Tim)

Hmmmm, I seriously doubt that she reads my blog. However, if you are reading this, YES Amanda it is for you. I'll put it in the mail in time for you to catch the Easter Bunny with it, or collect eggs whichever seems like more fun.

That's her.....I bet an Easter Bunny would jump into her pillow case if she gave it the opportunity.

Hope you are all having a great weekend!

Well, will you look at that....

I just noticed that I have 31 followers now.  When did that happen?

As I look at all of the little icons I smile and think, "Oh yeah, she is the one who...."  I feel like I have a bunch of friends that share my days and creative endeavors.  Blog-land is an awesome place.

Then I took a peek at my stats.  Holy smokes....you are from all over the place.  How cool is that?!

It's like having pen pals all over the world....without the cost of postage!  Who'd a thunk it.

Thanks for following, and commenting occasionally on my posts.  It is good to know that you are out there.

May God bless your day today as you have blessed mine.  I hope it is beautiful.

Modern Mini Quilt Challange

If you have been following for very long you've caught on that I enjoy making mini quilts.

When I saw that The Fat Quarter Shop was sponsoring a contest I had to enter my all time favorite.  Isn't he handsome?!

This mini measures 18.5" x 18.5" and has several 3D features.  The awning is loose at the lower edge to help create the illusion that the elephant is giant.  Elephant's ear and tail are both 3 dimensional....you can see the shadows that they are casting in the picture.

My sweet pachyderm's eye is a black crystal and he is showering the crowd with water spray made with seed and bugle beads.

The crowd is fussy cut to have a leading edge and fused so as to layer it between the viewer and the elephant.

The quilting is all straight line and done on a domestic sewing machine.  Yes, I do have access to a fairly sophisticated quilting machine....but I didn't use it on this one.  I quilted along the stripes in the background - I love the added 3D look and in a cross hatch pattern in the border.  (I got my nice straight lines and spacing by sewing along the edge of painters tape.)

Theoretically this fellow was made as part of a DSQ swap.  It didn't really suit my partner, or maybe I just fell in love with it.  Either way, it is one of my all time favorites and hangs proudly in my stairwell gallery.

To get details on the Modern Mini Quilt Challenge go here....Ellison Lane Quilts.  I hope I see your creations there.

Ta-da! Again!

I finished this over the weekend. The pattern is Carnival by Jaybird designs. Her patterns are great - easy to follow, lots of great pictures, versatile.  I purchased this as a kit from Happiness is....Quilting.

This is the first time I took a quilt to my front yard to take its picture. I think I may be doing it more often. The image is much nicer than the ones I usually get.

I like the way it looks with the sun shining through it. The quilt pattern is Anne Bright's "Bo Dangle."

Fab Little Quilt Swap

I spent yesterday working on creating this little quilt.  It is for my partner, no I can't tell you her name, in the Fab Little Quilt Swap.
I've now finished two of the three bits of embroidery.
I have a happy blue bird singing pink songs....

and a funny little red bird perched atop colorful eggs...

 and I am working on the third.

I love this cheeky penguin. I'm filling in his head with french knots....time consuming...but I like how it is turning out.
I'm thinking about making the' wing shadows a rainbow.  My thought - it would tie in the rainbow geese better and give this little guy more in common with the other birds.  I may also move him to the center of the quilt.  All of that black, he is a penguin after all, doesn't need to be stuck out on a corner.
Oooh, time for the Mom taxi to leave the station again.  Catch you later...

Ta-done!

I've finished my mini for the Fab Little Quilt Swap.

I hope my partner likes it.

(I originally posted this from my phone while sitting in the eye doctor's office waiting on my son.)

What ya doin'?

 I wanted to let you know that I've been thinking about you.  

Isn't this funny?!  I went on an adventure with my Mom the other day and we stopped for lunch at a fancy tea room.  It was very cozy and intimate in the tiny shop.  I had to laugh at all of the ladies snuggled around the little tables.  I wondered how old they were and where Mom and I fit in the sampling of humanity.  Then my lunch arrived and I laughed out loud.  The sandwich was delicious...and the face unintentional.  You should have seen the looks I got.  It was a very small shop.  You couldn't help but hear what everyone was saying.  I think our waitress got a kick out of it, even if the other patrons didn't.  So much for taking me to a fancy luncheon.

I've been working on getting ready for a mystery quilt event with my guild.  It is this Saturday.  I have my pieces cut, and much of the pre-sewing done.  I have 70 hsts to go.  BUT my little Jenome froze up today.  It won't do a thing but sit and flash error messages at me.  Poor little thing.  I'll have to carve out some time to take it to the shop.  Major bummer with the sew day coming up and retreat at the end of the month.  Fortunately, I do have another machine that I can press into service.  It works just fine, but is heavier to carry.  

So, before I could start on the new Mystery Quilt, I had to finish the last one.  

 All I had left to do was quilt it.

 Then bind it.  Miss Kitty, a.k.a. Button thought it was a good place to roll around.

Baby brother, a.k.a Took, wanted to know why she thought she should have such a pretty spot all to herself.

 

 She let him have it....in more ways than one.

 

 All finished.

 And the extra block took a trip through the embroidery machine to become this nifty label.

FYI the fabric line I used last time is Bliss by Moda.  I adore the white floral background.  It is so fresh and springy.  This quilt makes me grin every time I pass it on the landing.  

 What have you been up to?