~Design Wall Monday~

It's that time again! Time to 'fess up and admit I didn't get any sewing done last week! :-o
But that doesn't mean I wasn't busy!! ;-) Remember the Halloween kit? I love it so much! but I waffled and waffled on it. :-/ Did I want to do the applique by hand and have it done up in 10 years? (yes, I am that slow at hand stuff!) Did I want to back baste? Did I want to do fusibles? Did I want to do freezer paper to prep the applique pieces ala Kim Diehl's way? Argh! So many ways to applique and what did I really want to do??? I did start tracing the pattern on freezer paper. Then decided there were too many curves and places I would probably mess up with tucking the seam allowances back, so I finally made a decision I will stick with! It's going to be done with fusible applique. I traced. And I traced. Aaannnd I traced! Whew! There are a lot of pieces in this kit! :-) And then I started cutting up the fusible... making little windows so it won't end up stiff. And this is as far as I got. Not quite ready for Halloween. :-)) But I am not putting it up~ I'll continue tracing and fusing in between other 'must do' things until it is finished. I am determined. ;-) Unfortunately, I won't be able to play with it anymore this week as I am going quilting next week and need to get my backings ready! But it's staying out and will get worked on. :-)The photo is all the little windowed pieces for the first third of it. Click the photo if you'd like a closer look~ I know it looks like a mess! But there is method to my madness! ;-)

What did you do last week? Hop on over Judy L's and see what other quilters in blogland are working~

Until next time~
Happy Stitchin'!!

Happy Halloween!

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days! Busy, busy here! I finished swapping all those little 4 patches and HST's and got the last of them off in yesterday's mail. Yay! :-) This was the HST side of the swap. 931 of them to swap. I can't wait to see all the lovely Jewel Box quilts that result from this swap! :-)

Next up, I have sheets to swap. FQ's of vintage sheets~ this shot shows some of them on the table.... I am really excited to make a Vintage Sheet quilt with all of these! I haven't been near my sewing machine in days, but have things prepped and hope to sneak in lots of sewing this weekend. I'll show you the results on Monday. :-)

Have a fun weekend!
Until next time,
Happy Stitchin'!

It's Swapping Time!

Awhile back I hosted a swap on the HGTV quilter's message board for Jewel Box Blocks in 30's fabrics with white on white backgrounds. Some of the participants wanted to make larger quilts, so wanted more blocks. Instead of swapping blocks again, we decided to swap components~ the little 3.5 inch unfinished 4 patches and HST's. Today was swap day!~ it is going to stretch into tomorrow and possibly longer! LOL I have 1384 4-patches and 931 HST's to swap! :-o
Fun times!! :-))

Until next time~
Happy Stitchin'!

Design Wall Monday~

Happy Monday! This is more like a 'just off the design wall' post. ;-) I finished up my October Schnibbles~ 'Cindy Lou Who' by Carrie at Miss Rosie's Quilt Company. With a name like 'Cindy Lou Who' I just had to do it in Christmas fabrics!! :-) I'm not sure I like it yet... I'm hoping it will grow on me! Maybe it is because I chose a directional print for the background and then had to make sure all the lines went the same direction? LOL And it is a little too busy, but on the table with something on top?~ it will be fine! :-)) Unfortunately, I won't be able to quilt it until next month when I go to rent a LA at my LQS.

Saturday's mail brought a little surprise! I am still amazed that my number came up for a prize from the Blogger's Quilt Festival! ( see link in sidebar) I received this wonderful pattern & charm packs from Leah at Burgundy Buttons. :-) I can't wait to make the 'Presidential Pardon' wall hanging! Isn't it just cute?! Leah, thank you so much!! :-)

I'm pretty sure you can click the photo's if you'd like a closer look. Head on over to Judy's blog to see what every one else has on their design walls today. ;-)

Now I am off to sew!
Until next time~
Happy Stitchin'!!

Grinnin' From Ear to Ear!!

My friend Bingo~Bonnie and I are doing a mini quilt swap patterned after a swap that the gals on doing on HGTV. Awhile back I showed y'all a peek of the mini I was making for her in a post HERE. Well, guess what I got a few minutes ago?!! :-)))) 'My mini' from Bonnie! Before I show it to you, let me just say she has been teasing me these last few weeks with peeks and blog postings. She showed a marbled pic like the one I showed. She mentioned she was hand quilting a part of it~ she even showed it wrapped up like an envelope! :-o (she drew the cutest acorn on the label! :-)

And ya know, all the teasing was so worth it!! LOL
Just look at this wonderful fall mini!! I love the colors! I love the pattern! I love, love, love her hand quilting!!! :-)

The only thing, and its very 'minor' is...
Bonnie! I had such a time getting through all the tape!!! :-)) I am now re-thinking how I wrapped yours! I think hubby may have some heavy duty duct tape...maybe I should re-wrap! LOL :-))

Here is a photo of the tape... but I also got a shot of the border and her lovely hand quilting, so maybe all that tape isn't so noticeable? :-)) Just look at the leaves and flowers~ they are perfect! As for the tape~ sorry you used a whole roll and now I'm throwing it away. ;-) LOL It sure was a lot to work through~ especially when you are so excited you just can't wait!!! LOL :-)) ~~Just teasing you Bonnie!~~ :-) I will treasure my mini from you forever! :-) {{hugs}}

Oh!~ just to tease you a bit more~~ here is the back of yours (below). ;-))) I had to cover the label, and I don't think this photo will give away too much of what it actually looks like. :-) The back is harvest toile. :-) It'll be in your hot little hands as soon as my last swapper's blocks show up! ;-)


Until next time~
Happy Stitchin'!

Please Welcome~

~my Mom to the world of quilting bloggers! Yep she is 'one of us now'. :-)) Muah-ha-ha! **Giggle**

Over they years, my Mom and I have made a few quilts together. It is usually a long-distance sew-along since we don't live near each other. We swapped FQ's for this one~ (pattern by Debbie Caffrey, it was a 3 part mystery in a magazine).

And one year when she came to visit we had a table topper sewing marathon~ we made enough to cover my bed in that short visit. ;-) Fun! Fun!
So please stop in to visit her and say hi from me! :-)

Until next time~
Happy Stitchin'!

A Trio..

... of mini's! I was digging around in my quilt cupboard (not a real cupboard but a closet) looking for my fall quilts and I found these! :-) They weren't really lost~ let me explain... When we move every quilt goes with me (yeah, DH doesn't like my moving strategy but I refuse to leave them to movers!), in our last move, I wrapped smaller things inside larger things. Well, you know, as you are settling in and unpacking, sometimes you know things are safe, but aren't quite sure where they ended up~? Does that make sense? That's what happened this time. I thought I'd packed them with some fabric and just hadn't come across them yet~ and there they were waiting in the quilt cupboard! :-)

The one on the left measures 8.5 x 10 inches. The center HST's are 5/8's of an inch. It was little cut off ears from a larger project. Do you save those or toss them? Sometimes I love to play with them! I can't believe it, but I actually hand quilted this one! Hmm, it must be at least 12-15 years old. Bad me, I didn't date it. :-/

The center one is a pattern from a book I had about 14 - 18 years ago. I don't know what happened to the book, so I can't tell you who wrote it. It was machine quilted and measures 11.25 x 13.25 inches. It is probably the first machine stippling I ever did. ;-)

And the last one I did 15 years ago. It is 9.25 x 9.25 inches. A friend and I each made one using a stencil that we traced onto a foundation and paper-pieced. My first try at paper-piecing. :-) It is also machine quilted.

I usually rotate these in my sewing room, but my current sewing room has so many windows that I am afraid they would fade so I need to find a new spot for them. :-)

Sometimes making a mini is just the thing to get your mojo restarted~ either that or as my mother tells me, I really am crazy! LOL :-))

Have a great afternoon and until next time~

Happy Stitchin'!!