Congratulations John!!

Today is the day you have been waiting for....

You are walking the stage to get your high school diploma.  I am sorry to see my boy all grown up, but oh so proud of the man you have become.

Well done Johnny!!

May in My Rearview

May is traditionally a month of welcoming spring flowers and graduation celebrations.  We had both...as well as the allergies and moving madness that accompany both of them.

Noah (the handsome blue shirted boy with no stole in the center)
and his class mates

Noah is now home for the summer!  Yeah!!!  and today we found out that he has Mono....not yeah. Hopefully he will be over it before he heads off to Angelo State University for the fall semester.

My pattern, Peaks & Paddocks published on Moda Bake Shop this month....and there is still a give away going on if you want to win some fabric.

I attended a women's retreat with my friends from church.  It was good to be among like minded women.....even women who do not quilt!  Sometimes you need a change.

AND I quilted 11 customer quilts....

as well as several table runners for my Mom.

Top that off with the opening of my Etsy shop and I'd say it was a very productive month.

I'm now on Etsy!

I has been a long time coming.  I mentioned the idea quite a while ago and never got around to it.

"Tile" is my first offering.  It is an expanded version of the quilt that was published on Moda Bake Shop in February.  This version has directions and requirements for 4 different sizes - Crib, Twin, Queen, and King.

Visit me at TopsToTreasures on Etsy.

All proceeds from sales of this pattern will go to the Frisco Quilt Guild as part of their annual fund raiser.

The actual quilt is being raffled off - 1 ticket for $1 or 6 for $5.  Leave me a comment if you would like to purchase a chance to win the quilt.  The winner will be drawn next May.

S'more Rows.9 Applique

Applique

(row 10 )

 

This quilt has a large section set aside just for applique embellishment.  I chose to put one big car and r.v. on mine.  The drawings are available for you to copy...and are based on the images in the Smore Love fabric line.

It would also be adorable to applique some words here. 

On the road again....

 

California or bust!

 

"Go west young man..."

 

The bear climbed over the mountain....

 

 

I'd have to add a bear silhouette if I used that last one.  This is the perfect place to make this quilt your own.  No one else will have a quilt just like it.   What ever you decide to do have fun and be sure to let me know....I'd love to have a picture of it in my Flickr group, Tops to Treasures.

Fabric Requirements:

• 1/2 yard background
• I used Green blocks from S'more Love SKU#37076-15
• Various scraps for applique
• Paper to print pattern on
• Buttons - about 1" in diameter for wheels 
• I used La Mode #20465 - they look like big tacky white walls.  (The are not the buttons in the picture above.  Those were photo shopped on PicMonkey.)
• Fusible web

Print pattern for applique pieces here.

Cutting Directions:

• Cut 2, 8 1/2" x wof from background fabric
• Cut pieces for applique x 2 (you need a set for row #11)

 

Sewing Directions:

• Background (row #10)
• Sew background pieces together along short edge to make one 8 1/2" x 84-ish" strip
• Iron seam allowance open
• Trim strip to 8 1/2" x 60 1/2"
• Applique
• Ya, no.  I am not going to tell you how to do applique.  Sorry.  If you fuse yours, like I did, follow the instructions on the package.
• My drawing (get a copy of it here) is facing the way I wanted it to go.  I had to trace it onto my fusible web using the back side of the pattern  to get it going in the right direction on my quilt.
• You can use the doors and window shapes for pattern pieces too....add a small "seam allowance" to your pieces so that they fall behind the vehicles when you fuse them.  You will be happier with the results...don't ask me how I know.
• I recommend that you do NOT attach your button wheels until after the quilt is quilted.  They don't agree with sewing machine needles.

 

Time flies....

That is just to make you laugh.  No one is upset in my corner of the world...at least if they are they haven't told me.  Maybe they know that I'd have to sit on their heads.....

Noah modeling his graduation clothes.

It wasn't too long ago that I was sending this boy off to college.  I can't believe it was three years ago that graduated from high school....you can read about my thoughts then here.

This weekend he graduates from Howard College with an associates degree.

I will be out of pocket for a little while.  We are driving out to watch him walk across the stage and help him pack for the next leg of his adventures.  

Funny how quickly time flies...whether your having fun or not.