more craziness

Not to much quilting done today. We finally had a nice day and decided we should go to the zoo. It was a really nice trip-there was just a handful of people there and the animals were all very relaxed and friendly. We were lucky enough to get up close and personal with a wallaby and her baby and one of the birds in the aviary came right up to DD and decided to see if the buttons on her sweater were as tasty as they looked.

I did manage to get some embellishments done on the crazy quilt blocks. This one is for Faye who requested all colors.


This is for Lisa Jo who wanted jewel tones with gold and black accents.

And this one is for Terri who wanted white and metallic gold accents.

Sore fingers

I've spent the last couple days trying to work diligently on the quilt I'm quilting for my neighbor but tonight I had to quit for awhile-my poor little poked fingers are so sore. I'm making great progress though and tomorrow there's back to back playoff games so maybe a little hockey action will take my mind of my mangled fingers and I can get more done. I'm hoping to have this quilt quilted, bound, and labeled by the end of May so I can get to work on a commission quilt for my cousin Deb.

Deb has clothes from her dad and grandma that she would like made into a quilt and lots of pictures so I think we're going to do a crazy quilt concept with pictures set into the blocks. I'm extra lucky that she's basically given me free reign to do whatever I think works so hopefully my creative genius will be up to snuff.

Pictures, pictures-these are Deb and Wendi's blocks for the HST swap. Another batch of cuties-I'm still debating on the pattern I want to make with mine-I'm thinking about either a Jewel Box or Depression Block quilt. I made the Depression block for a swap awhile back and loved how fun and happy it looked in 30's and WOW.
These are the fastest pictures ever-I had two kitties and DD all trying to "assisst" so I basically threw them on the flannel, snapped the pic, and whisked them away.

Oooh-almost forgot-I also added embellishments to 2 more crazy quilt blocks but will have to wait to get pictures tomorrow when the sun is out.

We went to see my Dad and Step mom on Saturday and DD left her beloved teddy bear Lucy behind. She was really upset about not having Lucy to sleep with so I e-mailed Dad and asked him to stick Lucy in the mail. Instead of mailing Lucy, Grandpa and Grandma drove up today after work and hand delivered her to DD. That's about 2 1/2 hours round trip. Grandma and Grandpa to the rescue! Isn't that the sweetest.

We've had a cold snap and it's expected to freeze tonight but tomorrow it's supposed to hit almost 60 and then in the 70's Wednesday and Thursday so I'm looking forward to that! Maybe this will be our last burst of winter and then it's all Spring. A girl can hope right?

Today I was productive

My friend and neighbor Kathleen came over today and we had a little crafty girl day. Kathleen made jewelry, DD made collages, and I made blocks for the crazy quilt swap. I got all my blocks pieced and even got a couple embellished.

These are for the 2 ladies in my group who wanted multicolored blocks.

There are for the cream and white ladies-they don't show up very well against the white flannel-but without the flannel you'll have proof that my carpet needs vacuuming and they might take away my Martha Stewart medal. Hehe, of course they'd have to find it in the clutter first!

These two are for the 2 ladies who wanted black and white blocks and.......here's close up's of the embellishments.


The swap requirement is that we do at least two embellishments on each block. My plan is to get two done on all my blocks and then go back and add more-that way I don't get caught short on time and have to rush through. As usual my pics are not so hot-the top block actually has small beads in between the big bright ones and the bottom block has black ribbon rose appliqué and a green chain stitch with silver beads woven in. Does the picture actually look like that on either one? Sometimes I wonder how the picture I see through the lens can look so different than the picture I end up with.

We have winners!

I promised DD last night that she could be the one to draw the names for the blog warming and she came tearing into the bedroom this morning ready to "get some names out of that bowl."

She drew Hilda as the winner of the plaid FQ's, Jennifer and the winner of Turning Twenty Again and the kitty FQ, and Sophie as the winner of the Christmas blocks.
Congrats ladies! (I hope the sight of my hideously ugly desk doesn't take the joy out of winning-I promise its going in the trash next year when we replace the computer!)

Thanks to everyone who commented and entered the drawing-I had such fun reading everyone's comments and visiting their blogs. Stick around-I'm turning the big 3-0 in July and we may just have to have another giveaway then!

Mardis Gras for Peggy

This happy little block is for Peggy's birthday month in my birthday block swap. Her theme was Mardis Gras . I wasn't sure how the colors would all play together but I think it actually turned out nicely. One of the best things about this swap was that if really challenged me to work with different blocks and color than I normally would. I signed up just because it sounded fun but it's really broadened my horizons as a quilter.

Opinions please!

I made this little buzz saw quilt with the leftover blocks from the big buzz saw quilt. It's about 24x 32-I think it's going to be a cute little table topper for Halloween. Problem is I have no idea how to quilt it-I know I don't want to do stitch in the ditch. I bought some really cute orange variegated thread so I want to do something fun but what I don't know. My best idea so far was spiraling circles in the black area that start out small and get bigger but other than that I'm just blanking.

So if anyone has some great quilting suggestions I would surely love to hear them-can't let that lovely variegated thread sit too long-it might turn into a pumpkin!

My little helper...

Last year our daughter fell in love with a stray kitty when we were at Grammy and Poppa's house and we ended up bringing her home. She's turned into quite the little quilting assistant and loves to sit by the sewing machine and watch me sew or sit on my lap and "help" me hand quilt.

This is Sorry the cat (DD named her) sitting and watching me quilt. Cute, innocent, sweet as a button...

until she attacks...must protect mommy from that evil, evil thread...Fortunately this quilt is for my dear neighbor who loves cats and doesn't mind if the quilt comes with teeth marks in tow.
after a hard day of thread catching and quilt taming a kitty needs her rest.

Doesn't she look like the princess and the pea on to of her stack of quilts? That's my pile that's ready to quilt. They're on the glider in the living room because I have an out of sight out of mind issue-if they're right in front of me in the living room and I see them all the time I'll actually work on them. Plus-as you can see they make a great kitty bed.

More crazy quilt shopping

As promised here's pictures of my recent crazy quilt acquisitions. This whole crazy quilting thing is disgustingly addictive-ok-well the shopping is-this is how far I've gotten on actually making the blocks-
That's progress right?I cut out my muslin squares and marked off the 8 1/2 inch square inside of them. Ok, ok, not such great progress-I'll try to have more impressive pictures to show you tomorrow.

Here's some gorgeous fabric to take your mind off my pathetically undone blocks. This picture is my fancy fabrics for the colored blocks. I've got a bright orange brocade, a shiny blue satin, and a dark plum crushed velvet fabric. I also picked up these little flower appliqués (how cute are they!) and some fun beaded trim.

These are my fabrics for the black and white blocks-I didn't have a single black and white fabric in my stash so I had to buy a bunch for these. Tragic isn't it. I've got three fancies in here-the solid black (crushed velvet), the black and white dot (silky) and the white with black swirls in the front (kind of textured linen). The rest are cotton. Then there's some pretty black ribbon with black roses on it-I thought that would make a pretty seam treatment.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to get either the black or colored blocks pieced-keep your fingers crossed folks-my sewing machine has been feeling neglected the last few days!

Mr. Postman

Look what the postman brought me today....



Paula had a giveway on her blog to celebrate her 100th post and I was the first prize winner. I won this beautiful quilt which is going to go on my wall and she also sent some surprise goodies. I got a lovely card which goes so well with the theme in our bedroom I'm thinking of framing it and putting it on my dresser, some yummy chocolate sticks, needles, and 3 super cute notepads. Also in the box was some Ghiradelli coffee. That's not pictured because my neighbor was over when I opened the box and we had to open it up and have some right away so I forgot to put it in the picture.

Thank you, thank you Paula. I can't tell you how much your box brightened my day and I think it will be so neat to look on wall and see the quilt you made!

In other news-I have a thoroughly sore fingers. I'm hand quilting a queen sized quilt for my neighbor and worked on it last night during the Dallas/Anaheim game. While it was a productive way to pass the time it was pretty painful because every time the action got intense I'd end up jabbing myself in the finger. Fortunately Dallas won so I've got another round in the playoffs to look forward too. Dallas hasn't had the cup since 99-I think it's time to take it back. :-)

I also made another trip to the store and bought more fabric for my crazy quilt swap blocks. No picture tonight as I'm going to bed just as soon as I hit post but I promise to get some pics tomorrow. Shopping for crazy quilt fabric is so much fun-there's so many options out there. I've purchased all the fabric I need and I think I have enough embellishments for the jewel toned and black and white group but will need to get more for the cream and white-I think about 2/3 of the swappers (self included) picked the cream and white colorway. I can't wait to see the blocks for this swap-I think they will be incredible!

Spooky spring greeting

These tessellating star blocks are from a swap I hosted on the about.com forum. I'd set them aside after the swap as I was in the middle of something else and actually forgot about them. Last week I was cleaning out our closet (which also holds all my quilting supplies) and rediscovered them. I decided it was time to get the top together so I could get it quilted before next Halloween.



That little orange stripe in the border finishes at 1/4 inch. Not hard to do but a little fiddley and I pinned the heck out of it before I sewed it on. Dh actually suggested the orange stripe. The man can't match his own clothes but for some reason when it comes to picking out borders he's an absolute genius. I think I've praised him one to many times for his border picking skills because now he offers his opinion on my borders whether I want it or not!

Fabric, goodies, and swap blocks

Look what the mailman brought today-these are Lucy's blocks for the HST swap. Hmmm...I'm sensing a purple and yellow theme amongst our swappers. Wouldn't purple and yellow make a pretty quilt? Might make a good swap-but what block to use?
I also did a bit of shopping today. I'm taking part in Kate's Another Little Quilt Swap. I decided on a pattern the other day and went to the quilt store to pick out fabric today. I hunted around and grabbed a few different bolts of multicolored focus fabric and decided I liked this orange dot best. Then I picked out the gold and dark plum to accent it and the creamy tan for the background. It's not the best picture of the fabric-it's a cloudy day here so not much light but I love the fabrics. I can't wait to get started on it. I'm planning on doubling up and making 2-one to keep and one for my buddy. Someone posted that they did that in a doll quilt swap they were in and I thought it was a neat idea-that way I won't be so sad to see my little quilt take off for it's new home.

I also went to Hancock's to pick up some fabric for a border on my Halloween quilt (which I hope to have done before Halloween this year!) and found some goodies for the crazy quilt swap I'm taking part in. I wasn't actually planning on shopping for the swap so I didn't have my list of swappers preferences with me so I stuck with neutrals that would work with most everyone's stuff.

For embellishments I got some seed pearls, gold dragonfly charms, 3 yards of ribbons, some silver key charms, some cream colored flowers, and some little silver charms that say "Believe" on them.

For fabrics I got some cream colors satin, some peachy/cream silky stuff-I can't remember off hand what it is, and some creamy paisley brocade. The 2 FQ's are cream colored jacquard I picked up while I was at the LQS. I still have more shopping to do for this swap but that will have to wait until next week.

My LQS is in the middle of the city but the parking lot butts up next to a little wooded area. It's not uncommon to see deer there and today when we pulled up there were 3 deer, a mallard duck in a big puddle, and some little creature we couldn't identify. We watched it for a long time trying to figure out what it was but it was far enough away and the weeds were high enough that we couldn't ID it. I don't think it was a possum or raccoon. It walked like a badger but I don't know how likely it would be to see a badger walking around by the LQS. It has that sort of elongated body though like a badger or weasel shape. So that's the days mystery-the Quilt Ness creature.

You're invited to a blogwarming!

I recently won a little quilt on Paula's blog in celebration of her 100th post and am eagerly anticipating it's arrival-lol-I've never been so diligent about checking the mailbox. Her contest was such fun and it was so neat to win that I thought that to celebrate the kick starting of my new blog (and give myself a nice incentive to keep updating regularly) we'd have a little blogwarming party and give some stuff away.

The first is this set of 4 super soft plaid FQ's. Wouldn't these look great in Bonnie's Smokey Mountain Stars quilt?

#2 is the Turning Twenty...Again pattern and a gorgeous Laurel Burch kitty FQ. I made a Turning Twenty Again for my first quilt. My LQS owner gently ( and wisely) talked me out of the much more ambitious sampler project I'd picked out. My Turning Twenty Again is on the back of my couch and I thought it would be fun to let someone else have a crack at this pattern. It's perfect for a beginner-and believe my I was a rank beginner but still fun for an experienced quilter. The FQ is actually a gorgeous chocolate brown-I just take terrible pictures.
#3 is 40 12 inch Christmas themed 9 patches. I know, I know, it's not a finished quilt (you're going to have to wait for a few more posts for that) but it's enough blocks to make 1 or more quilts depending on what you do with them. These are from a swap I participated in and I've actually used a bunch of these blocks in a quilt. Let's just say I got carried away swapping and now it's time for someone else to have some fun with them.

If you'd like to be in the draw for the giveaway just leave a comment before next Friday-the 25th. I'll draw names and announce the winners on Saturday. If you don't have an e-mail linked to your blogger profile make sure you leave me a way to contact you if you win.

Becca

Look what came in the mail!

These are Wanda's HST's she sent in for the 30's and WOW HST swap I'm hostessing on the about.com forum. Aren't they gorgeous! I especially like the purple and yellow stripe. Wanda is the early bird-these aren't due until May 15th. I wish I were so efficient.

Here's my big exciting fabric find. I went to Wal-mart the other day and had to check out the $1 fabric section while I was there. I saw this lovely black and white print and pulled it out to take a closer look. It's Robert Kaufman from the Color Beat line. Really nice hand and so cute. I'm taking part in a crazy quilt block swap and I think this will probably make it into some of the black and white blocks.

Here I am...

Hello! Welcome to my blog. I love reading everyone else’s blog and decided I just have to get in on the action. I keep trying to come up with something exciting for my first post but I’m afraid if we keep waiting for excitement this blog may never get off the ground!

So in lieu of excitement I’ll show you what I’ve been working on lately:

These are 3 blocks I made for a birthday block swap I'm participating in. These are for our hostess Kate who asked for Amish inspired blocks-black or black on black backgrounds with TOT fabrics. she didn't put any restrictions on size or pattern so I had a lot of fun picking out some fun blocks for her.

This one is Squire Smith's Choice from quilterscache.com


This is 12 Triangles-also from quilterscache.com


This one Amish Shoofly. I love shoofly blocks and think they're perfect for an Amish style quilt but I didn't want to just make a shoo fly block for Kate-she's done so much work on this swap I wanted something a little fancier. So I made her 4 and put them together. I think they turned out quite nicely.

Here's two I made for Jeanne-she wanted blocks to make a village. I'd never done building blocks before so this was fun-I had a blast picking out the perfect fabrics for my structures. These two are from quilterscache too-guess you can tell I love Marcia's patterns. Jeanne wanted 9 inch blocks and these finish at 10 but they're paper pieced so I scaled them down when I printed them out.