I'm in love....

I was surfing blogland recently and ran into Jenean Morrison's blog... and I fell in love. Her new line for Free Spirit is called Silent Cinema and it's a must have in my stash.

This is a big statement for me since I have not bought fabric as a 'just because I love it' since Market last fall. 

I have been tempted... but have not fallen.

This line reminds me a bit of Denyse Schmidt's Hope Valley (also from Free Spirit) but... more yummy.

I am thinking that I need some of this... Desperately.

I might even know what to do with it...

I have only repeated a quilt pattern once, but Piece of Cake 2 could be made with a bit of this.

Or maybe I can make June Bug (also by Thimble Blossom).

Or maybe a Canasta Quilt by Elizabeth Hartman.

Or something inspired from Film in the Fridge blog. (I love her modern quilts)

Here is the thing... regardless of what I decide to make, this fabric will be a dream to work with.
Did I mention that I need to get me some of that?



(all images came from Jenean Morrison's blog with her permission - Thanks!)

New Additions to the Stash

I am such a stash junkie! Yup. I am. I freely admit it. I am not embarrassed (too much) by it.
Why? It's a wonderful thing.

Last month a few pre-ordered Pre-Cuts arrived at my door from the Pumpkin Patch. and I had failed to share with you all.

I love Kansas Trouble prints but I was not able to get my hands on Butterfly Garden in the Spring, so I made sure I requested my little bit of Summers End. This Fat Eighth bundle is just enough for my fix. LOL!

I loved the New Clermont Farm line by Minik & Simpson but I have no idea what to use it for.

Maybe my version of this?

I've been working very closely with "Collection for a Cause - Hope" for some time now since I won a Fat Eighth bundle from Kelly but I had already ordered a FQ bundle so this one was just an added treat for me.

I REALLY have no idea what to do with this one though. I'll have to look over my patterns.

Last but not least (on the fabric front)...

Maison De Garance by French General. This beauty already has a project assigned to it.

I picked up a copy of one of Miss Rosie's newest patterns, Brown Eyed Girl.

Another cute little thing that made it into my work space was this thread holder. I love it. My sister Brenda picked it up for me on one of her adventures and when I was visiting her a few weeks ago she gave it to me.

Can you see how my Precensia thread is displayed to all it's glory. I love this thread.

Okay... Now that I'm listing all my new acquisitions it sure looks like alot... but in my defense I bought it all over time, I'm just getting around to sharing now. Heck! No guts, No glory, Right?

Yesterday, I picked up the Nottingham Star pattern after Thelma, Lisa and Nicole pimped it out earlier this week.

So to wrap things up...
In: WAAYY to much.
Out: Not enough!

I've been a bad, bad girl...

A couple of weekends ago I was very bad....

I went off on my own and traveled to my local quilt shop...

I had a coupon in hand from their newsletter...

It gave me 20% off....

I bought a little something....

I then bought a little something to go with it...

I think I'm addicted to every thing 3 Sister's comes out with. I bought the pinks from their Aster Manor collection to compliment the reds and gray. I think this will be what I'll be using to make my version of Elizabeth (pattern by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co that I have been drooling over for FOREVA!). I thought of using the Park Avenue line but I can see this one working better. Now I just need to finish the other two projects I have started (Short Story and Two Pieced Puzzle) and I can start Elizabeth!

Oh... I also got me some of this...

I'm making Camille Roskelley's new pattern Piece of Cake {2} with this beauty. For when I need that feeling of immediate gratification.

Aren't these fabrics just too yummy to pass up! Left on my wish list.. 2 layer cakes of Bliss - I want to make my version of Imagine (from the book Schnibbles Times Two) with this line. I think it would look fabulous!!

Ok.. I'm leaving the confessional!

Spice of Life Quilts by Carrie Nelson

Look at what I got on Friday..

The book is sooo darn wonderful! I wish I could make them all. I already knew that I would love many of the patterns in the book since I already owned four of them (the four on the left are in the book - True Blue, Jellystone, Opening Day and Ginger Belle):

What other patterns are in the book?
Whirligig, Double Duty, Three Coins, 501, Open Door, Going Buggy, Home Sweet Home, Raising the Roof and for the big prize... Elizabeth.

I was debating on buying Elizabeth a few months ago when I found out it would be included in the book. I was so excited that I would have all these wonderful patterns under one roof so to say, I was counting down to the publication day.

The images are gorgeous and I love that the instructions also have color images. I love my new book and have been looking at it over and over and over all weekend!! I just wish I had more time to make more quilts!

Thanks Carrie for sharing your great talent with us!

Happy Mother's Day

Yesterday my daughter and I went on a Stash Enhancement expedition. There were some backing needs and that was a perfect excuse to drive down to Ft Worth and visit The Cabbage Rose quilt shop (did you know they are featured in this month's Quilt Sampler magazine?). Well, while there my darling daughter gave me a budget and set me loose to pick up something for mother's day.

Since I have not had much luck getting FQ bundles from Moda I didn't leave this one to chance. I snatched up 3 Sister's new line Park Avenue. I love 3 Sister's designs. Their Martinque is a bit too light for me but their upcoming Luna Notte will be a wonderful addition. I might have gone with French General's Rural Jardin since the darn thing has been growing on me since I've seen the whole line but the shop was out of the bundles which made the selection a no brainer.

I also bought two charms from two other lines. Tweet Tweet by Keiki and Fresh Cotton by Fig Tree Quilts. These are for a couple of Schnibbles from Carrie's Schnibble Times Two book that arrived last month.

We then went to have lunch at Uno's (it had been years since I ate there) and went to see Iron Man 2. It was a gorgeous day in Fort Worth, Tx and walking through Sundance Square and knew it was a blessing to just enjoy this moment.

I did get off my own present to my Mom.

I finished the binding for The Bounty last month so I was able to get that in the mail last week. Not sure if got there one time but when it does, I'm positive that it will be loved.

My mother has wanted a larger quilt for a while so I'm hoping this one will fit the bill since it's the largest one I had ever completed.

I have another quilt made for a VERY special mother but unfortunately I have not finished the quilting on it.

I love you Sis!! This one is headed your way as soon as I finish the quilting.

Happy Mother's Day!

Enhancing the Stash at the Show

One thing I was looking forward to doing while at the Dallas quilt show was to enhance my stash for some future quilts. There are some great vendors at the show and I was looking forward to dropping by Bonnie Blue Quilts booth. They specilize in repro Civil War pieces and I knew they had some fabric bundles that would work wonderfully on my Two Piece Puzzle quilt by Tara Lynn Darr of Sew Unique Creations.

I was not disappointed. I also found great Reds, Black and Neutrals in many other booths but Bonnie Blue was carrying the 19th Century Reds collection and were willing to break a FQ bundle to hook me up with the Reds in this collection. They are so wonderful!

I also picked up a kit I had been eyeing for a while.

I know I shouldn't have..

But look at those fabrics!! Yes. I HAD to do it.

You might not have noticed in the picture of my stash, but I also got a little something in the mail from my favorite Pumpkin Patch. Brenda has this set of Crackle fabric that is gorgeous!

The picture doesn't do it justice. These will be going in to my quilt as well. She still has a few FQ bundles over at Pumpkin Patch Primitives. They are a steal!!

When I got home from the show I decided to go for broke and I ordered a couple more FQ bundles.

I am making a Christmas quilt this year using a pattern called Opening Day by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.
Nicole over at Sister's Choice Quilts made one and I fell in love with the pattern. I kept thinking Glace (which is by 3 Sisters) would be perfect for it but then the line dropped off the face of the earth. I finally found it recently and snatched it up before it disappeared again.

I also picked up a FQ bundle of Looking Back By Brannock & Patek. I'm planning on using this one for another Miss Rosie's pattern but I'm still a bit undecided if it will be for the JellyStone quilt or the Ginger Belle pattern.

Last but not least...

I picked up a Layer Cake of Garden Party by Black Bird Designs which I hope to use for Rachel's Pinwheel Sampler Quilt along.

I know I shouldn't have... but I had to!!

Pumpkin Patch Primitives has the new Whimsical line in and made these 'to die for' Fat Quarter bundles.

I really shouldn't have but they are sooooo darn cute and I know I can find something wonderful to make with them! Look at those blues and neutrals and... There are two more waiting for someone to claim them so... If you HAVE to have it (like me) don't wait, just take the plunge! LOL!

Swoon worthy

Come on... You can click on it for a closer look... Isn't it B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!!

It's my starter pack for my Two-Piece Puzzle Quilt.

When I got home from work on Monday there was a surprise waiting for me. Seems Tara from Sew Creative (and creative genius behind that Fabulous Quilt I'm drooling over) heard my cries for some Red Black and Neutrals so I could get started on my Two-Piece Puzzle Quilt, that she decided to help me along. I was floored by her generousity and I also was wondering how she got my address. Well sneaky her that she asked my favorite Pumpkin Lady and they conspired to surprise me. Well.. I definitely was surprised!

I'm loving the fabric and had to move it to a project box because I was fearing that I would wear them out just by going into the craft room and fondling the pieces on every chance I got. I'm now half way to gathering everything I need to start this one and I'm soo excited!

Drool worthy

OMG have you seen the new American Patchwork and Quilting (April 2010)?
Just got it this week and there is a pattern on pg 68 that is drool worthy. I was thinking that the only way I would get a good variety of reds and lights and blacks to make the quilt would be if I hosted a Fat Eighth exchange or maybe just a FQ exchange.

 

Isn't it gorgeous!!

I need to make that quilt. I NEED to make it!! I think I'm going to obsess over it until I add it to my 2010 list of quilts.I'm thinking that I really don't need to make that Fig Tree pattern I have on the list... I don't have the fabric for that one anyway so I can just swap out the pattern... Hmm.. but that one is one of my three Christmas quilts! ARG!

I seriously need some reds, lights and blacks because I need to make that quilt!

Am I making sense? Yeah, my brain went on vacation as soon as I realized that I'm in love with that quilt.

November is here! It's a Birthday month!!!

Yup! It's my birthday. Come next Tuesday I will be a year older. I wish I could say wiser but no such luck. Another thing that November brings is less time... less time to work on pending projects and less time to get ready for Christmas. I love thinking about November in terms of Thanksgiving, Macy's holiday parade, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (we love re-watching the Thanksgiving episode) and Black Friday shopping but there is no forgetting that the month is also too close to Christmas for comfort.

So I have to start thinking of backup plans in case all the quilts I want to give as presents don't get completed. While I think about that...

This month I plan to tackle the November Schnibble which is called Picnic and will be my first venture into making baskets.

I decided to make this one out of repro fabrics which I had been collecting for a while

so it will be a bit of a stash buster.

I am also going to wrap up the Gobble Gobble top. I know I have been a bit vague on this one but there was not much to say. I'm using Sandy Gervais' Gobble Gobble print to make a Disappearing 9-patch quilt.

What is a disappearing 9 patch? It's a nine patch block that gets altered to the point that it no longer looks like a nine patch.

You start with a nine patch - which I made with 5" charms.

You then cut the sewn block twice across the center

Rotate two of the resulting squares and sew them back together.

The resulting block are charming.
I'm loving the blocks I've completed (10 so far) just 6 more to go and 

then I can add the sashing and it will be complete.

I'm using a similar layout that Rachel used on the table topper quilt she designed for the Moda Bake shop but I'm making it a bit larger so that it will be a lap size quilt.

Those are my two goals for the month. I would love to get some quilting on the Red White and Blue piece but I'll not commit to it since my future son in-law will be here for Thanksgiving and with guests coming around my weekends won't be too free.

BTW: I'm a bit excited about a couple of new patterns I picked up to add to my stash. I was lucky enough to win the Fit to Be Geese rulers Carrie from Miss Rosie's Co gave away last month. I love flying geese patterns but they always end up wonky but with the method used with these rulers they end up easy to make and precise in the piecing so I was loving that I won both sizes for these rulers! Of course I had my eye on one of Carrie's pattern (Opening Day) and picked it up as soon as I won the rulers. I also picked up a few other patterns that I was drooling over as well as the Tri Rec rulers that should make cutting Summer Rental a breeze (hopefully)

These will probably be projects for next year. 

Hey, it's never to early to increase that TBM (to be made) list!!