Rose Room Quilts

More Nicey Jane Progress

2012-01-26T08:33:00.005-05:00

I started my Nicey Jane quilt last year. I'm making slow but steady progress. It's going to be a queen size quilt for our bed, so this will be the biggest quilt I've ever made.

I've started making the pieces in assembly line fashion. Here you can see a pile with the pinwheels.

I have 5 of these large blocks completed, only 4 more to go. I think I may need to add a band of some sort at the top or bottom to make sure the quilt is big enough. I think I'm going to piece the back too so it will be reversible. Hopefully the next time I show this one I'll have the whole top together.

My First Swoon

2012-01-18T22:25:00.003-05:00

I completed my first swoon block tonight. I purchased the pattern months ago when it first came out from Camille of Simplify. I've been wanting to try one for awhile, so finally I got some time this week to put one together. I think I'm going to make a whole quilt eventually, I just love the look of this block. These are two Amy Butler prints from her Daisy Chain collection.

The Finished Baby Quilt

2012-01-16T22:07:00.008-05:00

I finished this quilt on Christmas Eve for a gift for my sister Tracy and her husband because they are expecting their second child in February. It's going to be a boy, so I thought these fun cars, robots, owls and bright colors would work well.

I used this fun Cosmo Cricket alphabet print for the back.

Here's a closeup of the front with the overall stipple quilting. The finished size is approximately 50" x 60".

My goal this year is to start blogging more. Let's see if I can do it. We just had my son Troy's 6th birthday party yesterday. Between Christmas, New Year's and Birthday parties things have been busy. I'm ready to have more time to sew.

Quilt Top Finished and Basted

2011-11-15T22:44:00.002-05:00

I finished putting together this quilt top a few days ago. I quickly put the back together and got it basted. Now I am ready to quilt, I just need to find the time. Hopefully soon.

A Quilted Stocking

2011-10-15T18:58:00.003-04:00

I finished up this stocking earlier this week because we are going to making it as a class at the Viking Sewing Gallery in November. It was fun doing the stripes. I love the look. I quilted each stripe with a different style.

I'm going to try and make 2 more so the whole family will have new stockings this year. Scott and Troy will not be getting the pink fabric in their stockings.

I really love the Barbara Jones of Quilt Soup - Over the River Christmas fabrics. They are the stripe on the cuff, the green trees with snowflakes and the red with white snow flakes. I may need to pick up a few more from this collection. I found them at www.fabric.com.

Patchwork Progress

2011-09-15T22:07:00.003-04:00

I'm making slow but steady progress on this quilt. I've been strip piecing rows of Kona Snow White with a color strip. Each one makes about 5 pairs of blocks. But every time I get to this point I keep seeing another color of fabric to add, so I make more strips. I think it's going to be really fun when it's done. Hopefully in the next few weeks I'll get this top finished.

A New Start

2011-08-26T22:13:00.005-04:00

When we got back from vacation I was ready to sew, so I decided to start a new quilt. Here's a glimpse of my Friday progress. It's going to be a fun baby quilt.

Vacation in Williamsburg, VA with some Quilt Shops

2011-08-26T21:56:00.007-04:00

We just got home last night from our trip to Williamsburg, VA. My sister lives there so we were visiting and vacationing. We went to Busch Gardens and Water Country (felt the earth quake on Tuesday while at Water Country). We were also able to stop at 3 quilt shops on the trip. The first was Nancy's Calico Patch in Newport News, VA. I found the 3 fabrics above at that shop (the gray is Kona Ash). No pictures of the shop, we had my son Troy who is 5 and my niece Anna who is 4 with us. Hard to get pictures.

The second quilt shop was Love 2 Quilt in Williamsburg. It was located in the Village Shops close to Busch Gardens. I found some Amy Butler there that was 40-50% off. I also couldn't resist those Aunt Grace purple polka dots, so fun.

Our last stop was yesterday at Kelly Ann's Quilting in Warrenton, VA. We stopped there on our journey home. I found some great fabrics there (pictured below). It was a really nice shop, and we got to meet Kelly Ann while there. She recommended the Black Bear Bistro for lunch which was great. It was a nice stop on our way home.

And here is a picture of Anna and Troy. They were so excited to see each other they were like this the whole trip, very silly. (And don't you just love Troy's shirt, it's my favorite)

New Fabric in the Shop - Children at Play

2011-08-15T15:50:00.003-04:00

I just got 4 new bolts of Children at Play today, they're listed in my Etsy shop. These fabrics are so cute, I love them. Check out Sarah Jane's shop on Etsy, she has some great children's prints available. I love her designs.

Around the Zoo Completed

2011-06-29T23:08:00.002-04:00

I finished my "Around the Zoo" quilt. It's a baby quilt with fun zoo prints.

I quilted it with swirls in the circles, which was lots of fun to quilt. And I also did squiggly diagonal lines between the circles.

And for the back I just used the Alexander Henry 2D Zoo print. The binding is a Kona solid (I can't remember which shade of blue).

A few fabrics and a pin cushion

2011-06-22T13:33:00.004-04:00

I recently participated in Carla of Lollyquiltz charm swap. The cute fabrics above are the ones I received.

I also couldn't resist picking up these fun fabrics at Sew Fresh Fabrics. I love those little books.

And I picked up this pin cushion at JoAnn's the other day, I just loved the meadowsweet fabric combination. And look it matches my sewing machine.

A Quilted Tote Bag

2011-06-08T14:48:00.004-04:00

I finished this tote a little over a week ago. I really like how it turned out. I love the greens, blues and grays.

Here's a close up of the quilting, I used swirly loops.

And I quilted the handles with straight lines.

And added a double pocket on the inside. This should make a nice bag to carry this summer.

Blogger's Quilt Festival Quilt - May 2011

2011-05-18T15:57:00.003-04:00

Here is my entry for the Blogger's Quilt Festival - My modified Bento Box Quilt. I used Amy Butler's Soul Blossoms mixed with a few Kona solids. I also used a solid for the binding.

And here is the back. I think I like the back better, it's just so simple and clean looking. I need to make a quilt with a front like this. I love the 4 blocks together with the solids.

In case anyone has noticed that I haven't been blogging as much as before it's because I started a full time job in March. I am now the manager at the Viking Sewing Gallery inside JoAnn fabrics. It's a great job, selling sewing machines, a perfect fit for me. If you're in Greensburg stop by and say Hi.

Scrap Quilting Bee

2011-04-06T21:39:00.003-04:00

My fabrics arrived a week or so ago for the Sew Fresh Fabrics Scrap Quilting Bee. I love opening packages with fabric, so fun.

And here is the 12 1/2" x 12 1/2" block that I put together. The block is going to be used to make a Quilt for the Hopes and Dreams Quilt Challenge for ALS.

Sunday Stash - Shop Hop Finds

2011-04-03T21:13:00.005-04:00

My quilt guild, the Greensburg Modern Quilt Guild had a shop hop yesterday. It was lot's of fun. Six of us toured 3 quilt shops around Pittsburgh - Quilter's Corner in Finleyville, Quilter's Depot in Pittsburgh and The Quilt Company in Allison Park. Here are my finds above. Lots of Amy Butler Daisy chain (at both Quilter's Corner and The Quilt Company), some charm packs of Moda Sugar Pop, I just love this new line, I found this cool alphabets and numbers print along with some Moda Bella grey solid at Quilter's Depot. The orange stripe Katie Jump Rope Jessica and I found in the 50% off section, wow what a find. I also found some of the Barbara Jones Summertime, another line I just Love!

Greensburg Modern Quilt Guild members - myself, Priscilla, Mary, Thea, Jessica and Corley. What a fun day.

Stylish Blogger Award

2011-03-12T08:18:00.003-05:00

When I opened my email yesterday afternoon, there was an email from Jessica letting me know she had given me the Stylish blogger Award. Wow, thanks Jessica! Jessica and I met at the Greensburg Modern Quilt Guild, I love her blog, Sew Crafty Jess, she always has a fun project going on.

So here's the info about this blogging award:

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award.

2. Share seven things about yourself.

3. Award 6 recently discovered great bloggers.

4. Contact the bloggers and let them know about the award.

Ok, here are 7 things about me:
1. I'm married to a great guy, Scott. We've been married 15 years, it will be 16 in September.
2. We have a son Troy who is 5, he brings lots of joy to our lives.
3. My favorite place to vacation is Maine. I love Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Island.
4. My bachelor's degree is in Applied Mathematics, it's amazing how much math is involved in quilting.
5. I recently became President of our local chapter of Newborns in Need (Southwestern PA).
6. My favorite season is summer, I love to wear flip flops and shorts.
7. The best thing I've ever eaten is Lobster Crepes at Maggie's Restaurant in Bar Harbor.

And now, here are the 6 blogs that I choose for the Stylish Blogger Award:

1. Janice of Sew Girly - I just found her blog the other day, check out her doll quilt swap from August - I love the little house with the clothesline.

2. Lynne of Lily's Quilts - I found this blog the other day when she featured her Hexagon Park quilt on Moda Bake Shop.

3. Mary at Molly Flanders - I love Mary's hand quilting, she does awesome work.

4. Krista of Spotted Stones - I love her modern quilts, very eye catching.

5. Crystal at Sonnet of the Moon - I love the Bottled Rainbow blocks that Crystal has made, I can't wait to see the finished quilt.

6. Molly of Bailey Girl Five - She makes fun, bright quilts, and her hand quilting looks great too.

Thanks again to Jessica for passing this award along to me!

Back to Nicey Jane

2011-03-09T21:29:00.003-05:00

I've pulled the Nicey Jane (Sand and Pebbles Pattern) quilt back out to work on. I'm trying to assembly line the pieces now to make a little faster progress.

Here's the 1st main block that I have done. Now it just making another 8 of these. I'm working on the pinwheels above. And below I have a few of the first section ready to go (I'm mixing up some of the patterns just to make it more interesting).

Quilt Donations - Early Head Start Baltimore

2011-03-09T09:33:00.005-05:00

Did you see that Cherri over at Cherry House Quilts is asking for Quilt donations for the Early Head Start Progam in Baltimore, Maryland? She's looking for 55 quilts to start to donate to the babies there. I'm going to help out by sending my Jungle Babies quilt. If you would like to help, check out this post Calling All Quilters.

Batting, Basting and Swirly Circles

2011-03-06T18:10:00.003-05:00

I wanted to share how to join batting together. I always have a lot of odd sized pieces left over, and this way I don't waste them. I use my stitch 11 above, a zig zag that stitches across the zig and the zag. Just place your pieces close together and zig zag join them.

The result looks like the picture above. This stitch joins them very smoothly.

And here's a look at my basted quilt.

I'm quilting my circles with swirls. I love making these swirls, it's so much fun. I'm also going to add wiggly lines on the diagonal. I hope to have the quilting finished this evening.

New Fabric and a Quilt Top

2011-03-05T12:23:00.009-05:00

Since my fabric diet ended last week, I felt the need to order fabric. I ordered 6 yards of Kona Snow, and 1/2 yards of the Sugar Pops Mod Trees and Ring Toss in gray. I thought that the little mod trees would be smaller, but they are about the size of a quarter. I just love how fun they are.

And here's my "Around the Zoo" quilt top, I just finished it this morning. I'm going to try to get it basted and start quilting this afternoon. It measures approx 36" x 42".

Around the Zoo

2011-02-27T21:46:00.004-05:00

I started a new baby boy quilt this weekend and I'm calling it "Around the Zoo". I am attaching the circles to the squares with an applique stitch. I love all the fun blues and greens, and all the prints I'm using have circles in them.

Here's a close up of this cute giraffe.

And an update on my Soul Blossoms modified bento box quilt - I finished quilting it Friday and am working on hand sewing the binding on. I will show the finished product as soon as I get that done.

Sew Sara's Scrap Swap

2011-02-26T20:59:00.003-05:00

I just signed up for Sew Sara's Scrap Swap. Go check it out if you are interested in swapping some of your scraps. I know I could use some variety with mine.

New Fabric

2011-02-22T15:16:00.006-05:00

I just received these new bolts of fabric from Michael Miller for my Etsy shop. I love getting new bolts of fabrics. The Toot Toot with the little cars and trucks is so fun. I'll be listing these in the shop later today.

Modified Bento Box Quilt Top

2011-02-17T22:12:00.006-05:00

I just finished putting this quilt top together this evening. I like how the modified bento box design has come together with the Soul Blossoms fabrics. I'm going to start working on the back tomorrow. Maybe I'll be able to start quilting it this weekend. I'm thinking straight line quilting on this one, any thoughts...

"I'm cutting them up so I can sew them back together"

2011-02-13T20:37:00.008-05:00

Troy and I were in the Rose Room today and I pulled my Soul Blossoms project back out. I started squaring up the blocks to 16" and chopping them into four sections. As he was playing (with a triangle of fabric, a safety pin and a little plastic square, he has a great imagination) he asked me what I was doing. I said "I'm cutting them up so I can sew them back together." After I said it I thought to myself, that sounds a little silly. Troy looked a little puzzled and asked Why? I tried to explain the Bento Box to him but I think I was just confusing my 5 year old. I did get them all cut up and am now working on sewing them back together.

Another little story about Troy earlier in the week - On Wednesday I took him to get his blood tested. As soon as the nurse was ready with the needle he insisted he needed to go to the bathroom. In the bathroom, he said to me "Mom, needles are for fabric, not for people." It was just so cute.

I fell of the wagon ... but for a good cause

2011-02-09T22:26:00.002-05:00

Yes, that's right, I broke my fabric diet this week. Yesterday I went to JoAnn's and picked up 2 1/2 yards of terry toweling and 1 1/4 yards of this pink polka dot fabric. I needed to test out a hooded towel pattern that we're using for Newborns in Need.

I also learned how to use the applique stitch on my machine to put this cute heart on the towel.

This set turned out pretty good, and fairly easy. The hardest part was making the bias cut binding and ironing it to make it easy to sew on. With the fabric I bought I should be able to make 3 towels and 3 washcloths.

Slow Progress with Nicey Jane

2011-02-05T22:08:00.005-05:00

Well I've only made slow progress this week. It seems like I haven't had much time to sew, and even the evenings when I had time, I was too tired to get much done. Our dishwasher broke last Sunday, I spent Monday shopping for a new one and today was consumed with installing it. Oh well, maybe tomorrow I can get some solid sew time.

I like how these blocks are coming together. I'm not using all of the Nicey Jane patterns that I've collected. I thought the Swing Toss in Pink was just too much pink when I added it to the mix. I really like more of the blue/green feel. And I think my 2 new favorites in this collection are the Lindy Leaf in blue and the Welcome Road in Slate, I love how the blues and grays mix.

Winner...

2011-01-31T19:29:00.011-05:00

And the winner of my blogoversary fat quarter giveaway is Deserae, number 65, I will be sending you an email. Thank you to everyone who entered and all of the great comments, I like finding out what kind of fabrics everyone loves.

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:65Powered by RANDOM.ORG

A Finish and a Start

2011-01-29T21:38:00.012-05:00

My "Love" quilt is finished. I think it turned out pretty well. It's about 41"x41", before washing.

Here is a close up of the quilting.

And here is the back. I used the Love selvage and embroidered 2011 along with the little blocks.

Here is my new project. I purchase the Sand and Pebbles quilt pattern from Cherry House Quilts. I'm going to be using my Nicey Jane stash on this one. I've been collecting pieces of Nicey Jane for over 6 months and have 29 of the 40 fabrics. I choose this pattern because it had some large squares where I could feature some of the large prints.

And today I started sewing and got my first section together. A lot more to go since I'm going to make this a queen sized quilt 96"x96".

And if you haven't commented on my fat quarter giveaway, checkout the post below.

Blogoversary and a Giveaway...

2011-01-26T10:13:00.001-05:00

Well today, January 26th is my one year blogoversary. I can't believe it's been a year already. To celebrate I'm having a giveaway. I'm giving away these 3 fat quarters - Round Robin in Aqua, Bird Swing in Gray and Flora and Fauna Hive in Lime. Here's what you need to do to win:

1. Leave me a comment telling me what kind of fabric you get excited about.

2. Become a follower and leave a comment saying you did so.

Be sure your email is available so I can contact you if you win. I will choose a winner via random number generator on Monday, January 31st. Good Luck!

12 Blocks Ready to become 48

2011-01-23T21:59:00.004-05:00

Here are my 12 blocks that I'm ready to quarter to make into Modified Bento Boxes. I added another solid, Kona Blue Jay to the mix, it seemed to coordinate well with the other Soul Blossoms fabrics. Now I just have to square each block off to 16"x16" and I'll be ready to quarter them. I'm thinking a few of these fabrics would make a nice Cosmo Bag from the new Amy Butler Style Stitches book. However, that would require me to purchase more fabric and since I'm on the fabric diet I guess I'll have to wait a bit (5 more weeks).

Looking for a Quilt Pattern

2011-01-22T11:18:00.004-05:00

I saw a pattern within the last few weeks and can't seem to find it now. It had random pinwheels along with different sized squares and rectangles. If anyone can point me to the blog that has this pattern I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

I found the one I was looking for, here's the link at Cherry House Quilts, it's called the Sand and the Pebbles.

Some Progress and Some Books

2011-01-21T13:04:00.005-05:00

I quilted my Amy Butler Love quilt this week. I actually started quilting it Monday night and finished it on Tuesday, it went very quickly. I did basic stippling on this one. The binding is attached, now I'm just finishing hand sewing the binding to the back.

I also picked up some new books with a Barnes and Noble gift card that I had gotten for Christmas. I can wait to make the Amy Butler bag that's shown on the front, I just have to decide which fabrics to use.

An Award...

2011-01-18T11:27:00.007-05:00

I was nominated for the Liebster award from Jessica at SewCraftyJess. If you have not visited Jessica's blog go over and check out her great work.

The Liebster Award is given to blogs with less than 300 followers and every award recipient then nominates 3 more award winners....

So here are my nominations...

Carla at Lollyquiltz - She makes great quilts, and I'm so impressed with how many she has been able to donate to charity.

Second is Jolene at Happy Modern Quilts. I just recently found her blog through Jessica's blog. I love her fun colorful style. **Edit - she recently change her blog to BlueElephantStitches **

And third is WilliamGeorgeBlog. She has started the Gracie Jane Project to make quilts for babies in NICU's.

And fourth I would like to add Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict. She has provided me with lots of encouraging comments over the past few months, and she has a lot of fun quilts and ideas on her blog.

Here are the rules:
1) Tell your readers who tagged you.
2) Add a link to their blog.

3) Award 3-5 bloggers who you think deserve this award.

Inform them and post directions to your blogspot. Please don't tag people who already have 300 followers. The goal of this award is to get more publicity to blogs that are good, but not so well known.

Soul Blossoms Start...

2011-01-14T15:00:00.003-05:00

I cut into my Amy Butler Soul Blossom's fat quarters this week. I decided to try a Modified Bento Box Block. I am following the tutorial from Ashley at Film in the Fridge. I can't wait to quarter the blocks and see what they look like put back together. I'm using 3 Kona solids - Kona Robin Egg, Kona Cactus and Kona Pomegranate and my basic Kona White Muslin.

Scrappy Cross Blocks

2011-01-11T15:17:00.004-05:00

I wasn't ready to start basting my Love quilt, so I decided to start a new one. For this quilt I'm using my scraps to make cross blocks. They are each 4.5"x4.5". I really like how colorful it's going to be. I have 20 blocks done so far. I may put these aside for a while until I do a few more quilts so that I have some more scraps to make more cross blocks.

Sewn with LOVE

2011-01-07T14:44:00.003-05:00

Here is my first completed Quilt Top of 2011. I made this with a charm pack of Amy Butler Love fabrics. There were only 26 charms in the pack, I used 25. I also had lots of the Love Dots and the one Rose floral so I added those for a border. It measures approx 44" x 44". I have the back finished and the batting ready, I just haven't been motivated to baste it yet.

A Quilt Block

2011-01-03T16:54:00.000-05:00

My quilt guild, the Greensburg Modern Quilt Guild, decided that each of us would make a patch for our January meeting to make a quilt for Project Linus. One of our members picked this pattern, the Spectrum Square, from the book "Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks" Volume 2. I had a lot of fun making this block last week. I enjoyed picking out colorful girly fabrics.

Happy New Year - And Some Quilty Christmas Presents

2011-01-02T18:25:00.004-05:00

I hope everyone had a Happy New Year. I thought I'd share some of my Quilty Christmas presents, another reason why I need to start the fabric diet. My sister and Mom got me some great Amy Butler fabrics above. Also some dotty Riley Blake and Jennifer Paganelli.

And some of the new Amy Butler Soul Blossoms (actually the whole fat quarter bundle of the Bliss colorway). And some Henna Garden and the gray dots from Barbara Jones Summertime (I love those tiny little dots).

And Scott got me Elizabeth Hartman's book. This is a great book, lots of fun projects and ideas.

Cut to Pieces Fabric Diet Challenge 2011

2010-12-30T17:19:00.004-05:00

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

2010-12-29T08:25:00.001-05:00

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

2010-12-28T14:24:00.001-05:00

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

2010-12-27T11:20:00.000-05:00

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

2010-12-26T14:41:00.004-05:00

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

2010-12-13T12:53:00.003-05:00

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...

2010-11-12T15:26:00.004-05:00

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

2010-11-03T13:51:00.004-04:00

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

2010-11-01T16:18:00.007-04:00

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

2010-10-22T12:07:00.003-04:00

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

2010-10-19T13:54:00.002-04:00

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!

2010-10-08T17:45:00.003-04:00

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

2010-10-01T09:30:00.003-04:00

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

2010-09-28T15:37:00.002-04:00

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

2010-09-24T18:17:00.003-04:00

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

2010-09-20T18:09:00.005-04:00

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

2010-09-16T21:09:00.003-04:00

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

2010-09-13T20:06:00.004-04:00

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

2010-09-03T18:17:00.003-04:00

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...

2010-09-02T14:10:00.005-04:00

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...

2010-08-29T19:05:00.003-04:00

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!

2010-08-28T09:37:00.007-04:00

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

2010-08-21T16:07:00.006-04:00

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

2010-08-19T20:03:00.004-04:00

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

2010-08-17T14:14:00.002-04:00

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.

Myrtle Beach area Quilt Shops - People, Places and Quilts

2010-08-16T13:47:00.006-04:00

Our last quilt shop on the trip was People, Places and Quilts. This shop is located in Charleston, SC. I thought it was only an hour drive from Myrtle, but it's actually about 90 miles, so we had a bit of driving on Thursday. My husband, Scott, and son, Troy came along for the trip. This shop was so cute, and I was so excited to find a Nicey Jane charm pack and an Amy Butler charm pack. After the quilt shop we had lunch at Jestine's, it seems like a famous restaurant, they had magazine articles all around on the walls that featured Jestine's. Even Rachael Ray had been there on her 40 Dollars a Day show. Overall it was a really fun trip to Charleston.

Myrtle Beach area Quilt Shops - Sewin' in the Carolinas

2010-08-16T13:42:00.003-04:00

My second quilt shop stop while at Myrtle Beach is Sewin' in the Carolinas. This was right off of Highway 501 outside of Myrtle. They had lots of fabrics too. I found some Erin McMorris, some Joel Dewbery, and a few other Freespirit fabrics. They also had Moda, Robert Kaufman and more. I spent about 45 minutes in this store browsing and shopping.

Myrtle Beach area Quilt Shops - Quilters Cottage

2010-08-16T13:33:00.005-04:00

Well we just got back from our Myrtle Beach, SC vacation last night. I was able to go to 3 quilt shops while there. I just wanted to share each one and what I found there. The first one is Quilter's Cottage in Surfside Beach, SC (just south of Myrtle). This is a really nice quilt shop, lots and lots of fabrics. They had a variety of fabrics, I found some Nicey Jane, some Moda, some Robert Kaufmann and much more. I went to this shop 2 different days because it was 5 minutes from the beach house we were staying at. I also picked up a charm pack of Bliss there for my Mom, but I gave it to her before I snapped a picture of it.

A Quilt Top and a Finished Quilt

2010-08-03T15:56:00.007-04:00

Here's a quilt top I put together last week using some of those fun Alexander Henry jungle prints and some other nice bright fabrics (Monaluna Mingles, Kona School Bus Orange, Kona Chartruse, and not sure the name on the Kona blue). I followed the pattern that Allison at Cluck Cluck Sew posted a few weeks ago.

And here is my finished quilt using the Kona Coal fabric as the background. I quilted it using the pebble quilting. I'm really happy with the finished result. Here it is after being washed and dried.

Fabric.com sale...

2010-07-19T13:34:00.002-04:00

Check out www.fabric.com, they are having a great sale. I found the David Walker Robot's fabric for $2.49/yard. There are lots of other great fabrics at the $2.49/yard too, I couldn't pass them up.

4 Spools of Thread Later...

2010-07-13T13:55:00.003-04:00

I finally finished quilting this quilt. I used the pebble quilting technique which was very labor intensive and used so much thread. I like how it turned out, but this will probably be the only quilt that I use pebble quilting on. I got the binding attached last night. Hopefully I can get the hand stitching done quickly.

Quilt Backs

2010-07-10T09:59:00.003-04:00

I love making interesting quilt backs. I think I'm more creative with them. Here's a shot of one I'm working on for the green and aqua quilt top. Hopefully later in the week I can get it pin basted and start quilting.

A Completed Quilt Top

2010-06-22T21:35:00.004-04:00

I've finished piecing this quilt top, now just working on the back. I love these green and aqua shades.

Greensburg Modern Quilt Guild

2010-06-21T21:55:00.004-04:00

I've setup the Greensburg Modern Quilt Guild on ning.com. I'm very excited, we already have 3 members. Hopefully it will continue to grow. I'm really looking forward to meeting with other modern quilters in my area. If you're looking for a modern quilt guild in your area, checkout this website.

The Hexagon Craze

2010-06-12T16:08:00.006-04:00

I've seen so many blogs lately making hexagons, I thought I'd try them. They are pretty addictive. I think I'll make a little baby quilt with these ones. Here are some links to check out the others making hexagons...

Finished Quilt

2010-06-07T17:38:00.004-04:00

Here's a little baby quilt I just finished. I tried the 1/2 square triangles on this one. They pieced together so quickly. For the back I used an Anna Maria Horner Chocolate Lollipop fabric.

Kona Color Card and Quilts in Progress

2010-06-05T10:43:00.004-04:00

I finally picked up the Kona Cotton Solids color card this week. I ordered it from Canton Village Quilt Works. I love it. Now I can see exactly which colors go with my fabrics.

And here are 2 quilts in progress. The one above uses a charm pack that my sister had given me for my birthday back in December. And the patches below are a mix of Paul Prass and Sandi Henderson fabrics that I had picked up a few months ago.

Blogger's Quilt Festival

2010-05-22T19:36:00.005-04:00

This is my Whirly Gigs quilt which is my entry for the Blogger's Quilt Festival. This is my favorite quilt that I've made so far. I love the Hope Valley fabrics, it just makes it so bright and cheery. I didn't buy the pattern to make this one, I just figured out how to make the blocks by trying a few.

Stitches in Time Quilt Show

2010-05-16T10:16:00.006-04:00

I attended the Stitches in Time Quilt Show yesterday at Denmark Manor United Church of Christ in Export, PA. I entered 3 of the quilts that I made and one my grandmother's grandmother made. My great great grandma's quilt won 3rd place for favorite quilt. It has very dense hand quilting. It's pictured in the last picture above. It was fun looking at all the different quilts, most were older. Not too many modern quilts. I really like the tree one above, very creative.

Blocks for Breast Cancer & a Bib

2010-05-10T11:16:00.003-04:00

There was an article in our local paper about a lady in Pittsburgh making quilts for Breast Cancer patients and their families. There was a request for 4 1/2" square blocks, so I put 2 of them together yesterday. 4 1/2" square is kind of small, I had to make each block on the wonky star 1 7/8", then square it off when I was done. I think they turned out pretty nice.

And then I also finished this bib yesterday for a baby gift for a friend of mine. She just had a little girl at the end of March.

Frustration

2010-05-05T15:27:00.002-04:00

I was quilting on Sunday, moving along pretty good. Then my bobbin ran out, I turned the quilt over and found that I had a huge pucker. I ripped for over an hour. I haven't been back to the quilting since Sunday. Maybe later today I'll start again.

Fabric Junkie

2010-05-01T15:42:00.003-04:00

First, here's my Estate Sale find. I had gotten an email this morning about an estate sale that said they had a sewing machine and fabric, so I thought I'd go check it out. I found this 2 yard piece of fabric for $1. It has a G.C.Murphy tag that says it was $.44. I didn't buy the sewing machine, it was an old black Kenmore. Not really what I was looking for.

Then I went to my favorite quilt shop in the area, Quilter's Corner in Finleyville, PA. They have a lot of Moda, Michael Miller, and some Amy Butler. Here's what I picked up today. I had a gift certificate from Christmas, I love shopping for fabric. I spent 2 hours there picking these out.

And here's my progress on this quilt. I started quilting on Thursday, no progress yesterday or today. I'm doing the pebble quilting using a silver gray thread, I like how it looks so far.

I Won ...

2010-04-21T14:58:00.002-04:00

12 Fat Quarters and the Picture Day pattern from Elizabeth at Oh, Fransson. I was so excited. The fabric just came today from Fabric Worm, the citrus collection is very bright and cheery. The pattern below looks like fun. It's a happy day when Free fabric comes in the mail.

A Finished Quilt

2010-04-18T20:14:00.003-04:00

Here is my finished Whirly Gigs quilt. I finished quilting it awhile ago, but just finished the binding last night. I am really happy with how it turned out, the colors are great. I did the back with simple wonky squares. Now I have to decide what to do with this one.

Quilt Top Finished

2010-04-15T15:27:00.004-04:00

I just finished putting this quilt top together this afternoon. Now to work on the back so I can start quilting it. It measures about 50" x 59".

New Fabrics and some New Patches

2010-04-13T16:57:00.004-04:00

I picked up these Kona solids a the Fabric Shack last week. They had a coupon code SAVE5 and I got $5 off. Their price on Kona solids is the best I've found $4.19/yard. I had ordered school bus orange too, but they sold out of it. Oh well, I'll have to find it somewhere else.

And I ordered these prints from Hawthorne Threads. I love their website, you can login, add stuff to your cart and come back a day later and review, remove stuff, add stuff, etc. It took me a week to finally decide on these ones.

And I started putting together some of my owls into patches. I love these color combinations of pink, orange and green. It's just so happy. Now I need to make more owls. I only have 5 done. I think it's going to be a baby quilt though, so I probably only need about 9 or 12.

Play-Doh Quilts

2010-04-09T17:43:00.003-04:00

Today Troy and I were playing Play-Doh and he wanted me to make a pillow and a blanket. I said, how about I make a quilt. He liked that idea. I ended up making 2 little ones.

Easter Pictures and Quilt Progress

2010-04-07T15:50:00.005-04:00

Here are a couple of pictures from Easter morning. I guess I shouldn't have had them looking into the sun to take the pictures. Troy was happy, he got 2 kites from the Easter Bunny, and since it's been kind of windy, we've been flying them a lot.

And here's my progress on my quilt. It's coming along, slower than usual. I didn't sew at all on Saturday or Sunday, and not much on Monday. Hopefully later today I will have more time.

Quilt Layout

2010-04-01T14:20:00.005-04:00

Here's my tenative layout for this quilt. I'm sashing it with the Kona Coal, it looks a little off on our gold coverlet. I've started piecing them together and will show more pictures soon.

Finally a Door

2010-03-28T17:51:00.003-04:00

Before

After

Finally after almost 10 years in this house, we installed a door on my Rose Room. The Rose Room is off of our Master Bedroom. Since the Rose Room is above our garage and has the sloped ceiling it is not insulated as well as the rest of the house. We've been dealing with it by hanging a blanket in the doorway. But now we have a new door. Yeah. And I ran to Home Depot after we got it installed and picked up a door handle with a lock. (Now I can keep it locked while not in there so little fingers will not get a hold of the scissors) We still have some trim to install, and I have to go to Sherwin Williams tomorrow and get some white paint to paint it. It's a happy day.

Fabric Finds at JoAnn's today...

2010-03-23T19:54:00.003-04:00

First I found the Alexander Henry Willow Shrooms, Audrie at Blue is Bleu had blogged about finding it the other day.

The others I found were in the clearance section marked down to $3/yard, so I had to pick up some of the fun colors.

New Patches for the Latest Quilt

2010-03-22T14:26:00.003-04:00

Here are a few of the latest patches I've been working on. I'm going to put them together with Kona Coal (gray) fabric as the sashing. I got my inspiration from Alissa at Handmade by Alissa . I like how it's coming together so far.

Finished Quilting

2010-03-16T13:41:00.004-04:00

I actually finished quilting this quilt last Tuesday. I sewed the binding to the edge and am now working on hand sewing the binding. I also worked on a secret Easter project over the weekend. I'll have to show that after Easter. I started a new quilt last night too, maybe I'll have some pictures tomorrow of that one. These are some of the quilting/binding pictures, and one showing all the fuzz that gets into my machine from quilting (this was the second time I cleaned it out during this quilt).

Some Hand Stitching

2010-03-02T20:12:00.002-05:00

Since I don't have any quilts to bind right now, I started doing some hand stitching in the evenings. Here are a few of the Owls that I started with. I think I'm going to make several of these and then put them together in a quilt. We'll see.

Basting My Quilt

2010-02-28T10:42:00.003-05:00

I started basting my quilt earlier in the week. Here's the shot of the back being pinned to the batting. Then I flip it and pin the top to the batting and back. I found this method works better than trying to pin all 3 at once.

And here was my setback earlier in the week. While I was on the phone Troy decide to "go sew". He found the scissors and cut up one of my back blocks. He sat in time out for awhile. I've also put the gate up going into the Rose Room for now to try and prevent this behavior.

New Fabric...

2010-02-24T16:12:00.003-05:00

I got a package of fabric today with some great finds. I found Denyse Schmidt's Katie Jump Rope fabric at The Quilted Castle for $6.30/yd. I also found an end of the bolt Paula Prass Coblestone and some Heather Bailey and Chick a Dee from Robert Kaufman. A nice colorful selection to add to my stash.

Quilt Top Finished

2010-02-22T20:50:00.003-05:00

I finished my quilt top last night. I decided to do a little square border and realized I could do it using strip piecing. It went really quickly. I started on the back, I'm doing some wonky squares, but had a small set back today. More on that tomorrow.

Quilt Layout

2010-02-16T14:09:00.002-05:00

Here's my layout. I was originally going to do 5 x 7 squares, but I thought the 5 across looked too small. So now it's 6 x 7. I've managed to get the top 4 rows together. Only 3 more to go, then the sashing and border.

A four year old with scissors...

2010-02-11T19:57:00.002-05:00

is very dangerous. I left Troy alone in the Rose Room for a few minutes. When I came back I found this...

Luckily it was just the white fabric on an easy to replace piece. My other 30 finished blocks were sitting there too, thank goodness he didn't get them.

Here's a picture of the little guy. He told me he was sewing when I asked why he did it.

Troy's Quilt is Complete

2010-02-11T11:52:00.007-05:00

Ok, here it is, the quilt for Troy's new bed. Here's the front and back before washing. I just finished the binding last night.

And here it is on his bed after washing it.

I used Windham Fabrics Traffic Jam for this quilt, along with Kona solids. The binding is done in the polka dot in the Traffic Jam collection.

Lovely Little Handmades Fabric Giveaway

2010-02-10T20:01:00.002-05:00

Check out LovelyLittleHandmades fabric giveaway. She has 3 different fabric packs she's giving away including a red and aqua set, Munki Munki fabric set and some great Japanese fabrics collections.