Oodles & Oodles

oodles & oodles of inspiration. and little old me just trying to decide on a new scrap adventure. have you been playing around with new stuff you found?

KarrieLyne's quilt along using charm packs. i made a few changes.Marit's bee block called Bee Friends. there's even some cute stitching to be added.Aneela's first recipe called Around the Corner. this would make a great i-spy.Nanette's brand new pattern called Freda's Flowers. it's going to be Autumn before you know it.and then there is Audrie's quilt along with an emphasis on using scraps. it hasn't started yet. but i am thinking polka dots. i can't wait!

One More Color

just had to show you.sorry. that's all i have right now.

Sweet Pink

a pink bucket. sadly this Easter paraphanelia belonging to my niece was found empty. goodness gracious. when they were younger the candy lasted much longer. i coulda snuck a piece of candy for at least two weeks. so. well. watcha thinking. more colors. please don't show me any more colors. hmmm. if you missed Sweet Red you could go back and look.

my weekend list will require some abracadabra. turn my pieces into 30 blocks. lol. transform some pretty strips into these. and while i soak up some sun. whip up a few of these.

Sweet Orange

Sweet Green

Sweet Blue

Coming Attractions

our sampler class at my LQS ends soon. starting February 2009 we will be working from Victory Quilts by Eleanor Burns. i'm planning to use solids on a white background. our first block is called Hope of Hartford.i have also signed up for the Thimbleberries Club which starts in January 2009. at sign-up you get a charm pack. i picked the light version. i can picture a famous bear having a quilt made up in these fabrics. i took out the background square and cut the others into 2-1/2 in. squares and sewed them up into a table runner. when they start putting the fabric on the shelves i will choose one to back & bind it.always wanted to participate in a blog BOM. Red Delicious is the one i have chosen. i already have some red fabrics to choose from. if you want to join you should grab Block 1 before Esther replaces it with Block 2. there are 11 blocks. but she may release some small blocks together.and when i saw this pattern i just fell madly in love. Pockets of Posies from Hatched and Patched. it was being offered as a BOM by a quilt shop in England. The Quilt Room. store and blog. Pam & Nicky have a book called Jelly Roll Quilts. and currently have a jelly roll contest. if you're up to a challenge you should read the rules and submit a quilt photo. i just received my first package. and have already completed the little square in square assignment. i will be getting a new package for 10 months. plan to attempt hand applique and hexagons. so i have my work cut out for me.i'm quite disappointed with the quality of my pics. i will attempt to figure out what i am doing wrong and fix it. my camera just must be missing the summer sunlight that comes in from the windows. or perhaps it's that bulb on the other side of the room that i need to replace. will add links later. i have to go now.

Fun With Quilting

i do luv being thrfty with quilting. even if it's just for fun. this phase can't last long. with all those beautiful fabrics showing up in the stores. so i am enjoying the excitement of it before it passes. my Secondhand Comfort quilt is pinned. ready. but standing in line. as i need to finish up some other things. decided to hand quilt. & i have an idea to use as many beautiful colors as i can all over. that will of course necessitate a trip to the embroidery store. yeah. perhaps more than one trip. yeah yeah.i received permission to take those summer capri jeans on the right. they will not fit my growing niece next year. & will make a scrumptous Baby Secondhand Comfort quilt. & those printed cargo shorts on the left are going in Nora's Xmas Quilt. it's not a secret. the only secret is whether i will finish it in time for xmas or not. i'll tell you about Nora's xmas present from last year on another day.

i've signed up for my very first block exchange.it's cute. & it's xmas-y. how could i resist. many of you know Nanette. but i've been lurking on her blog Freda's Hive for many many months. she designed an easy block. & has already posted a tutorial. you should join too.i'm guessing that the blocks we make will be identical. but with all the stash xmas fabrics i have found. i could probably make my own scrappy xmas cottage quilt.

Secondhand Comfort

i found these jeans in someone's laundry room in the garbage. you know who you are. & decided to use in my attempt to attack Taffy Jane's Secondhand Comfort quilt. without leaving the house i randomly picked some floral fabrics in medium colors with a denim friendly appeal. i know me. choosing lights & darks would slow me down. there's just no time for that.i wouldn't call these scraps. just smallish stash without an assigned purpose. the jeans are a girl's size 8. i have no idea how big this thing will get. but if you know me. you know that i don't care about finished measurements. when i sit cross-legged on the couch i only need something 24" down & 36" across to keep me warm. anything extra just falls on the floor or has to be folded over. & it takes longer to quilt. what a pain. hehe.

let's see what the pattern says. o.k. done. well done for now.i really should be tidying up a bit. but i also think that by starting something i could accidently make tidier piles.

Oh Yes Baby

i started mending my Knotty Baby with a beautiful paisley print. i think i'm going to go crazy & mend to my heart's content. this didn't boost my confidence for not washing fabrics before sewing. but to be fair that white fabric was more delicate than most & strings were falling off the whole time i was working on it. i should have seen it coming.& i won a book giveaway from Softdrink of Fizzy Thoughts. hip-hip-HURRAY. i hope this will boost my reading break. for now it's on top of a pile of some books i have started but not finished but still really want to finish. i will get to my "new" book as soon as i finish an old but quick read called The Pilot's Wife. which i probably won't pick up again until i finish mending those bad spots on my quilt.Softdrink has posted about another book giveaway which can be found on Peeking Between The Pages. the book is called Broken and it sounds like an interesting read. if you're looking for your next book. or some funny stories from those that read every day. you should check them out. this is Softdrink. and this is Dar.

Oh No Baby

here it is. before i washed it. a beautiful color & pattern combination.i have never done this thing where you luv your quilt even more after you wash it. i always wash my fabrics before i start cutting so i guess i luv my quilt the whole time i am working on it. but it really did come out of the dryer feeling soft & comfy.there was a little problem with my stitching that is going to require me to mend a quilt before i even use it. i skimped on my sewing line during the piecing process. there was more fraying than i expected & it came undone. i am not sad. this was a fun quilt for me. an experiment to take baby steps outside my comfort box. i was going to try to fix it as if it never happened. but it did happen. so i have decided to just mend it as you would for a loved quilt that had been used & worn. can you say "patch work". should i use the polka dot or the matching butterfly print. hmmm.

pamela joy wanted measurements - after washing - 34 in x 41 in.

LOL

today's post on Quilt Taffy made me laugh. i have a laptop. but after many long conversations with my service provider. in which it was clear i had no idea how this computer stuff worked. i pulled the plug on that modem. & just started plugging everything else in.been itching to start a new project. so you know what that means. better look around & find something you can finish. that's a rule. start one. start a few more. but something old has to get finished. so i did. on top of my computer is Knotty Baby i made before summer started. i always wash my fabric. but this has raw edges & should be washed after to get the right look. & that pile next to my computer is new fabric that i haven't touched because i need to finish a few more things. & i haven't wash that yet. it's all from the same fabric line. so i should relax. but it is driving me crazy that it is not washed yet.

found nephew yesterday waiting with a friend. they wanted to ride bikes to H.S. to watch older brother at football practice. but were waiting for little sister to come home from school first. since when has she been taking the bus. so i said yes. go. go. well first day of school. new bus run. it was hard not to be worried. outside with my camera waiting to take that photo of her stepping off the bus. that's me and Champ. the family dog. we were bored waiting for over an hour. found out the buses left really late. and then. she finally arrived. how come that bus isn't yellow. it wasn't yellow. so it wasn't the picture i was waiting for. ----for a better picture in a window see this one by Ming).a few years back i made these pillows for my Mom's birthday. i love to take pics of the kids. these were a collage of pre-digital photos & just copied onto fabric paper.i was reading some new blogs yesterday & found a cute pillow with photos on it that i liked. and they also made a cute album. i think it's time to make another pillow with new pictures.

Please Try On Dress With New Sleeve!

i left Bruno's house this morning with this note attached to the fridge.yesterday i cut into the beautiful fabric. today i made a new sleeve. (crossing fingers that we're getting close). Sunday i will be sewing in an invisible zipper. it's easier for me to break down these activities. i don't possess any magical powers in dressmaking. or in fitting a garment that lays close to the body. just one step at a time. & try not to panic.

i didn't "show" at my Thimbleberries Club meeting. ya didn't think i was going to finish in time. did ya? i have finished all the short rows going across the quilt. & all the diagonal rows going thru the big blocks. but i still need to finish all the long rows going down the quilt. it should be finished soon as i will be running thru areas that have already been quilted. it's not very big. 45" x 60". if you're familiar with a Bento Box. i did 3 large blocks across & 4 large blocks down. so it's bigger than a wall. but smaller than a lap.

Show & Tell

a lovely surprise came in the mail today. a thank you card from Melanie of Jelly Bean Angel. & two fragrant lavender pillows. beautiful & handmade by Melanie herself. she even grows & dries her own lavender. i could get used to this. they smell so so good.even though i have sewn on half the binding. i haven't finished my Bento Box yet. i'm all over the place with the hand quilting. & don't know if i'm half done. or three-quarters done. but we have Show & Tell at tomorrow night's Thimbleberries Club. our email for this week said "if you don't show you'll have to tell". i would rather show. wouldn't you?

the Summer quilt would be a regular show. but the Bento quilt was on my UFO list submitted earlier this year. oh the pressure & work required to accomplish goals. will i be showing. or will i be telling.

while we're on the subject. here's a thank you card i received from micaela6955. her daughter was thrilled with the Tea Party Apron she won.& what day is it today. how come i still haven't RSVP'd for that Wedding. it had to be mailed by August what. une faux pas.

Bruno's House

i'm so anxious to finish this quilt soon that i dragged it along when i visited Bruno's House. & since he was missing his Mommy so much he just made himself as comfortable as he needed to.he was a little confused when i made him get up. but i had to turn the thing around to work in the opposite direction.& even though when i turned it around he only had a small space available to rest on. he just cozy-ied up real close. after all it was still plenty big enough for him.

Scrappy Sunday

i might not get to complete my block this Sunday. but wanted to show you some other scrappiness i have been working on.i picked out fabric to make sashing & posts for my Scrappy Sunday quilt. i think they're pretty. luv lime green. & when it's mixed with burgandy & white. can you tell i grew up in the 70's. oh yeah. and i finally decided to hand quilt my Bento Box that i made in a class probably a year ago.

i was supposed to stitch-in-ditch on machine. but i just don't like the awkwardness of machine quilting. & my new machine didn't come with a walking foot. & my old walking foot that i can't find they said would not work on the new machine. let's see don't really want to do it & it cost $100 for the foot i really don't want to use. it was an easy decision. so after doing my Summer Stash Challenge quilt with Perle 8 thread. i decided that i should do it again.

presto i already had one ready with pins in place. thought i was going to use a beige variegated color or a sage green. but just in case i was wrong i dragged it to the embroidery store to find thread color & i just had to pick this pinky peachy one. it's a perfect match for the backing so you can't see all my incomplete stitches that you get on back because needle, thread, & batting are so thick.

One Equals Three

another pattern has tempted me to pick up that rotary cutter. but who said i had to make 3. while i was gathering ONE. TWO followed me to the checkout counter. and THREE was in my stash.

ONE - this cute paper doll fabric has patiently been hanging out in my holiday pile. yes i have a whole pile of just holiday. i'm sure that you do too. the dotty green & tiny trees is the new ME fabric. i'm going to mix them with some old stuff i have.

TWO - luv this AH print. always wanted to do something like this with black. whenever i find a print that i like @ JoAnn's i immediately check the selvedge. if it's AH i just have to have it. used a coupon. yeah.

THREE - this one's for the Summer Stash Challenge. i'll get the piecing done on time. but the quilting. not sure about that.

it's alot i know. to speed things up i start with about 1/2 yard of each fabric with right sides together. then when you cut your strips together they are ready to sew.

Summer Stash Challenge

perhaps i have shown too much.

pattern calls for over 200 nine-patches pieced to a square.
this is what 50 looks like. i'm hoping to get at least 128.

anxious to get started i made as many as i could. using stash is very rewarding. but if i can't find more of this fabric (in my stash of course) i will have to make it smaller than the pattern calls for. the red & white could be 18 years old. the blue almost 8. except for the green which is only a few months old to me the fabric is very lightweight. new quilting fabric is dense & substantial. when finished this might feel more like a summer nightgown.

Watcha Been Doin Lately

you pick up the phone & that's what you hear.
you say "nothing much" when the truth goes more like this:

if you quilt sometimes you never quite know where you are going.
i've had this red & white fabric for ages. it's so cute with cranes & flowers & fans on it. i spied two fat quarters and thought finally the red & white might get used. i don't know why i used the cream flower for the background. but i luv it. that's not always a good reason. it usually complicates the entire process.

you can make 12 of these geese from a fat quarter. i cut up 4 fat quarters so 48 flying geese done. i picked out 9 fat quarters. 5 fat quarters left equal 60 more to do. 9 x 12 = 108. the pattern calls for 110. if i picked out 1 more fat quarter i would have 120. every time you add another fat quarter you need less pieces per fabric. but you've already made 12. so you just pick the 10 or 11 you like the best. unless you don't care if it's even. stop thinking about that now. you used fat quarters so you don't have any extra. to make just two more. you'll figure it out. see how organized i am today. see that climbing pile. the pattern says to keep those to make an extra project. yikes there are so many. and so many more to add. i'm liking the thriftiness of saving to use so i am doing what i am told.

i thought this green would make a nice simple border. & the red & white would make an interesting inner panel.

not sure if the red & white works now. bet if i used the red & white as the background it would've looked great with the green. i wanted to. but i couldn't make up my mind. oh no. phoeey. you're going to end up on the back. so i went looking for a better match with the green. instead i found this great large print from Martha Negly with avocadoes on it. & a coordinate to the cream flower background which are both Moda Folklorique. looking good together. and my geese still pop. they have to. they are a lot of work.

the Negly border with the red & white inner panel works too. see.

wadda u think ? oh that's right. the phone. you can't see.
i'll show it to you tomorrow. gotta go ? me too. bye.

"nothing much" & "how about you" saves a lot of time.

waddayathink...

Taffy Jane Is Awesome

i haven't been posting much the past two weeks but i have been busy. three patterns are keeping the dust off my sewing machine. Knotty Baby. Pink Triangle Love. and Big Print Party. awesome names. and awesome patterns. i'm almost finished with Knotty Baby. i've been gathering fabrics for Pink Triangle Love. and i just bought Big Print Party because i knew it would be perfect for some fabrics i have been admiring on my table. check out these patterns at Taffy Jane's Etsy Shop. she's got it going on.

Knotty Baby i have been working on with a friend. she calls herself Messie Jessie. and we have been having fun with this one. i think Messie J wants to be just like Messy K. she's not fooling anyone by ending in "ie" instead of just "y". just kidding. we're not that much alike but we both have time to get together during the day to sew. i gave myself this name. for her the only girl with brothers she had no choice.

Pink Triangle Love for me is more like Red Pink Coral with splashes of Apple Green. a LQS in my area which i had not visited before is going out of business the end of June. of course i had to visit & of course i was amazed & of course i found many things i loved. but i found some sweet fat quarters that i couldn't stop thinking about. i was afraid of picking up any of the bolts because then i would just want the whole thing. i am very greedy. but it was a fantastic sale.

i was there with my sister picking out fabrics for her quilt. i know. i know. (said sarcastically just like Craig Ferguson). hell is about to freeze over. she picked some great fabrics. if you were there you would have heard me say so very many times "we're not going home without this". she just kept giving me the eye. like in the movie Juno - giving me the "stink-eye". i had to go back after our trip to get those fat quarters because i wasn't supposed to be buying anything for me that day.

Big Print Party was quite a surprise to find this weekend. i had some super fantastic prints that i was going to use with another pattern. but they are now going to be part of this pattern. it's quite possible that i will use this one again and again.

i'm calling my sister's quilt The Biggest Quilt I Will Ever Be Involved In. trust me. it's going to be big. i'll keep you updated. if she wants me to call it by another name - i'll consider it - but it's my blog after all.

no pics today - are you kidding - you are just going to have to come back.