Cut to Pieces Fabric Diet Challenge 2011

Have you seen the Fabric Diet Challenge 2011 with Angela at Cut to Pieces? I am going to try it. It means no fabric purchase for 8 weeks. It may be difficult, but we'll see if I can make it. And for each successful week you have you get an entry to win fabric, what a great idea.

My Birthday Quilt Shop Hop

I turned 40 on December 16th. On Saturday the 18th, Scott and I went on a Shop Hop tour to celebrate my birthday. (He's a great guy to agree to come along to 3 quilt shops, he brought a book with him to read while I shopped) Our first stop was Quilter's Corner in Finleyville. I love this shop, they always have a lot to choose from.

Here's the collection that I found a Quilter's Corner. A variety of some fun fabrics.

Our second stop, after lunch at Panera Bread in Bethel Park, was Quilter's Depot. I found a fat quarter of Mary Engelbreit blue and white polka dot fabric. They had several Moda fabric lines, it was a nice shop.

Here's a picture of Scott and I at our third stop, The Quilt Company in Allison Park. This was a very nice shop, they also sell Bernina's here. It was big, lots of space for fabric and classes.

I found a few Nicey Jane fabrics and some other Dena Designs fabrics from Free Spirit.

And I also found this - Heather Ross Lightning Bugs, I bought the whole bolt. I was so excited. This fabric is so soft, I love it. I'm going to be listing some fat quarters and 1/2 yards on my Etsy site soon.

After the quilt shop tour we went to McCormick and Schmick's at the South Side Works in Pittsburgh. We had a nice meal and over all a really fun day.

A Polly Pockets Purse and Dr Seuss Pants

Here's the little Polly Pockets Purse I made for my niece Anna for Christmas. I used the pattern from Rachel at psiquilt to make this little bag. I love the bright fun colors. Anna is 4, she seemed to really like the bag.

And here are the Dr. Seuss Cat in the Hat pants that I also made for Anna for Christmas.

New Baby, New Quilt

My cousin Danielle's new little boy Landen was born December 18th. I made this colorful quilt for him and gave it to them yesterday for Christmas. It's made from Aldo to Zippy fabrics, plus some other dots and solids.

I love the back with the Aldo to Zippy alphabet panel. Danielle decorated Landen's room with an Ocean theme, so this fabric fits in well. I quilted this one with diagonal zig zags, but forgot to take a close up of the stitching. I used solids for the binding which seemed to tie it together well.

Whimsy

Here is the Whimsy quilt that I finished for my Mom for Christmas. I used a Whimsy layer cake and 2 charm packs to make the quilt front using half square triangles. I took a long time to piece together because I laid out the design as I went, and each square is a mirror image on the diagonal.

The back has some simple diamonds and pinwheels.

I quilted it using flowers like Elizabeth at Oh Franson had shown. I really had fun making these flowers. Then I connected the flowers diagonally with loops and little leaves. (It's hard to see the leaf in this picture)

I also labeled the quilt for the 1st time. I'm going have to do this from now on.

Busy Working on Christmas Gifts

I can't believe I haven't posted in over a month. I've been so busy working on Christmas projects, I've had nothing I can show. Here is a pile of fabrics that I'm using for a Christmas gift, very colorful. I really have to get busy, so much planned and only 12 days till Christmas.

When Fabric.com sends a coupon...

I had to use it to pick up these fun fabrics. I have been wanting some Nicey Jane for awhile now, so I picked these up, along with some Barbara Jones Summertime (I love that aqua dot), and a Dream On Flower Power, and some Meadowsweet Henna Garden.

A New Foot

I received my new O2 foot from Janome last week. It's the new 1/4" foot that replaces the O foot.

Janome made the new foot after getting comments from several Janome Horizon users that the O foot seemed to be a problem when sewing over seams.

The new O2 foot has the cutout on the back which allows it to move smoothly over the seams. I was impressed that Janome took customer feedback and made a new and improved foot. Everyone who purchased the Horizon before October and registers their machine online with Janome will receive the new foot.

Blogger's Quilt Festival - Fall 2010

This quilt is my latest finish made from Moda Fresh Squeezed fabrics. I finished it a few weeks ago, but decided to reveal it at the Blogger's Quilt Festival. I used a layer cake to make this one. I really like how it turned out, it's bright and cheery and very orange.

Here is the back, I used some of the extra 10"x 10" squares in random positions.

And here is the quilting, I used little loopy swirls. Overall this was just a fun quilt to put together.

Some Quilt Patch Progress

I started working on this quilt last week. I'm using the Aldo to Zippy fabric along with a few other dots and solids. I like how the patches are looking so far. This quilt is going to be a gift for a little boy due in December.

A few Bibs for Newborns in Need

I whipped up 4 bibs yesterday to take to my Newborns in Need meeting tonight. I volunteer once a month with Newborns in Need, we make up Layette packages for babies whose families are in need or crisis. We always seem to be short on bibs, so I put a few together quickly. If anyone is interested in more info about a chapter of Newborns in Need in your area, check out the Newborns in Need website.

Quilted!

I finished quilting this quilt this afternoon. I hurried up and made the binding and have it attached. I just need to hand sew it on. I used loops for the quilting this time. This quilt gave me some trouble earlier in the week. Well, my thread was giving me trouble because I was using the little thread guild on a big spool of thread. Every so often when I was quilting it would pull the thread underneath. I changed the needle, adjusted the tension, and was frustrated until I figured out what I had done wrong. Live and learn. I knew that thread guide was for bigger spools, I just wasn't using it. Sometimes you just have to go back to the basics.

We're off to go camping this weekend, so maybe I'll have time to finish the binding.

A Quilt Completed

Troy wanted to be in the picture with the quilt. He's such a little ham.

I finished the binding on Wednesday night. It only took me 3 days to quilt it last week. I love the colors and I like the paisley binding too.

I tried doing the tumbling squares on the back and am happy with how they turned out. I might have to try a whole quilt like this.

A WIP that may get finished soon

Here is a project that I pulled back out today. I had pieced these squares from a Fresh Squeezed Layer Cake last December. I decided it was time to pull this project back out and get it done. The top should go together quickly since they are such big squares. Maybe I'll be quilting this one by the weekend.

Fabric Friday Fun

Here are a few fabrics that I picked up last week after my sewing machine class. I stopped by Quilter's Corner in Finleyville and found these fun fabrics. My sewing machine classes were fun. I learned how to do blind hems, sew on buttons with the machine, make button holes, use a double needle on the machine, piece batting together, sew a zipper and make fun decorative stitches. There's a lot I could do with this new machine. I might have to stretch out of my quilt comfort zone and try making a purse or something.

More Daisy Doodle and a Sale

I just received 3 new bolts from the Daisy Doodle line that I'm adding to my Etsy shop. So to celebrate I'm having a Sale - Purchase $25 or more from my Etsy shop and get a FREE Fat Quarter of your choice (excludes Munky Munky). This special sale is good through Sunday, September 26th.

Afternoon Quilting and the Imaginary Ice Cream Truck

I started quilting my quilt last night and have gotten pretty far. I think an hour or two more and I'll have it done. The new Janome works great for quilting. The space is just awesome. I'm stippling this time, which is moving along quickly and easily. I can't wait to see the binding on this one.

And while I was quilting Troy was playing in the "Ice Cream Truck", yes under my cutting table was the ice cream truck today. He brought me several imaginary ice cream cones while quilting. 4 year olds have such a great imagination.

Basting Complete

I started basting this quilt over the weekend and finished it last night. Basting is a bit of a workout, and I always break a few finger nails before completion. I can't wait to start quilting on my new Janome. I have my second class tomorrow morning for getting to know my machine. I think I'll wait until after that to start this one. At my class last week I learned an interesting tip - when you change your thread, you should always cut it at the top and pull it through the machine the way that it's threaded. They said to never pull it back through the machine because this will clog up your machine with dust. I never heard that before, but will be sure to do that in the future.

Scrappy Houses

I felt like using some of my scraps this week so I made a few scrappy houses. I'll put them together into a quilt one of these days, for now though it was fun playing with the scraps to make a these houses.

My New Machine...

On Tuesday I picked up my brand new Janome Horizon 7700 sewing machine. My Mom and I went to Sew Much Fun over in McMurray, PA. I have been looking at new sewing machines for months now and I decided on this one awhile ago, I just had to save up for it. I wasn't going to get the table because it was extra, but my Mom & Dad got that for me for my birthday (which isn't till December, but hurray for early birthday presents). The table had to be put together, see above, but it was pretty easy, I did it myself. The machine is awesome. It has 250 stitches and so much more space for quilting (11 inches vs the 6 inches I had with my Brother). I've only sewn a little so far, because this week has been so busy. I can't wait to quilt my next quilt on this one.

Vintage Finds...

My Grandmother had much fabric and items saved up for many years, she loved sewing and crafting. My great grandmothers were also avid quilters (I have several antique quilts stashed away). My grandmother passed away 6 years ago, but my Uncle still lives in her house. Today my Mom and I went over and he gave us many boxes that had been hers. We found great vintage fabric (I brought home 9 shopping bags full). I also found some old quilting books pictured above (The cotton book dates back to 1950, the rest are mostly 1970's). We also found a little metal container with the above quilt patch. The pattern pieces were inside too, along with several pieces cut out to make more. There's also a stack of 20 9 patches that are sewn together with a little note. I'm not sure what this quilt pattern from the patch is called, but I like it. I wonder if it can be machine pieced, I may try it someday.

Giveaway Winner!

The winner of the Daisy Doodle Fat Quarter pack is Debby

of Chester, NY. Congratulations Debby, I will be sending you an email to get your mailing address. Her comment was

crowefan0517 said...

A tote bag is just screaming to be made with these fabrics. I am a definite "Bag Lady" as are many of us quilters I'm sure. Congrats on your shop! One of the things I have on my list of things to do when I stop giving it all away :)

-debby, chester ny

A big thank you to everyone who left a comment, followed my blog and blogged about my giveaway. I enjoyed reading all the comments of what you would do with this fabric. Thanks!

Giveaway to Celebrate Opening my Etsy Shop

I am having my 1st giveaway to celebrate opening my Etsy shop this week . I am giving away a fat quarter bundle (7 fat quarters total) of the new Daisy Doodle fabrics. Here is what you need to do if you want to win:

1. Leave me a comment and tell me what you would make with these fabrics. Make sure I can see your email address so I can contact you.

2. Follow my blog (or tell me that you are already a follower)

3. Blog about this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your blog

The giveaway will be open through Friday, August 27th. I will post the winner on Saturday the 28th.

Jungle Baby Quilt

Another finished quilt. I actually finished it at the beach and was going to take a picture with the ocean as a background, but it was raining when we got up Saturday, so it didn't work out. I really like how this Jungle Baby Quilt turned out. I followed "The Road Trip Tutorial" over at Cluck Cluck Sew for this one and straight line quilted it. I love all of the Monaluna Mingle fabrics, I think the blue circles are my favorite. I used the brown mingle dots for the binding. And for the back I combined the 3 Kona solids with the Alexander Henry 2D Zoo. I think this may be one of my favorite finishes.

Gee's Bend Quilts

While we were at Myrtle Beach last week we drove past the Art Museum of Myrtle Beach and saw they were having the exhibit "A Survey of Gee's Bend Quilts". So of course we stopped and had to check it out. They had some beautiful quilts. I really enjoyed looking at all of them and got a few ideas as well. If you're in the Myrtle Beach area, stop in and check out these quilts, it's worth the time.