A Short Story emerges...

I have been on a forced creative hiatus. Ugh.

Last year the economy had really slowed work down quite a bit but this year it has been non-stop, go go go since mid May and there is no end in sight. I work in a position where I have to do the work, it's not something that I an just walk away or check out over the weekend and come back to it on Monday. I have a deadline and the project needs to be done by that date. It's a bit nerve wrecking if you are running behind and with more projects that you have time to complete, you are always behind. So, weekends have been pulled into the work week and whenever I take a breather, I don't feel I can actually sit down to get anything done.

I wanted to work on so many projects but, until recently I have not been able to pull myself into actually cutting anything or sewing anything.

I was going through a bit of withdrawal and finally broke down and cut up the Fat Eighth bundle I won over at Kelly's during a Charming Club giveaway. I had been scoping out the fabric and when I actually won I was VERY excited.

 I decided to use the fabric to make a quilt from Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. new book Schnibbles Times Two. I decided to make the larger version of Short Story. The fabric was just enough so I was very happy. I cut out all the fabric and separated the strips into the 49 blocks.

This fabric collection is just gorgeous!

The more I cut, the more I fell in love with each piece.

I have made 8 blocks. Not alot but I'm happy to see SOMETHING coming out of the sewing room that doesn't come from the creative juices of my daughter.

The blocks come together very easy, which is nice since I can easily sit down and sew a few seams here and there when I can.

I won't be able to finish this one to make it for the Schnibbles contest but I'm VERY happy that I'm actually getting something done.

Applique Done... or Not

Over the weekend I finished the Applique piece I needed to make for my retreat in June.

I was able to pull out the freezer paper without tearing out the seams. Woo hoo!!! 
The stitching went fast and, I think, with a bit of practice and more thought as to thread and needle, the stitches might become invisible.

I actually liked it so much, I decided not to ruin it by using it as a sample to quilt on.

Since this is the center to a gorgeous piece that was featured many years ago in American Patchwork and Quilting, I'm going to keep it as the start of another keeper.

The quilt is called Autumn Splendor and the pattern can be downloaded from the allpeoplequilt.com site (actually it's on bhg.com) here.

So, I'm back to the drawing board on my applique. I already chose another pattern by Kim Diehl from her book Simple Traditions. I'm trying another technique for this one based on the applique instructions in the book. I'll post pictures when I have the pieces further along. Here's hoping I won't fall in love with this one too!

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!

Blogger's Quilt Festival

Amy over at Amy's Creative Side is sponsoring a Blogger Quilt Festival this week and I decided to participate by showcasing one of my favorite quilts (my current favorite!).

 I have many quilts that I could have chosen, especially since I've been on a "Finish it!" binge this last year but I admit that the quilt that I most love is my Red White and Blue piece.

I made this one as a Christmas present for my sister last year. I completed the top by August  but it was not until I discovered Margaret from Mainely Quilts of Love that I actually had any hopes of finishing it on time.

I used a Jelly roll from Sandy Gervais' Zippity Doo Dah line and a couple of Charm packs.

The backing was made from flannel and pieced with a few left over scraps.

I also used more of the left over scraps for the binding.

The stars were appliqued leaving the edges raw so when the quilt was washed it turned all scruffy.

I love that it feels so cuddly and warm. I see it often since my sister and I share a house and she keeps it at the foot of the bed. I was really happy how this one turned out and sometimes I wish I had made one for myself but with so many gorgeous quilts waiting to be made I have trouble repeating a design. I'm thinking that the next 'favorite' quilt is just a binding away!

Don't miss all the other great quilts being displayed this week during the Blogger's Quilt Festival. Just click on the image below to take you to the list of blogger's participating!

Applique: Why I love to hate it

In June I'll be taking a class with the last vestiges of my list of great quilters. Back when I started to quilt there were big names galore and I followed and took classes with them all. Jeana Kimball, Jane Hall, Fons and Porter, Alex Anderson, Karen Stone, Carol Doak, Ami Simms... yup I was a quilt teacher groupie. I was lucky that I could knock many names off of 'the list' every time I went to Vermont for the quilt festival. I would head up to the festival every year for 3 days full of classes. I even traveled to Houston from New Hampshire and took a few classes there as well. One teacher just kept escaping my grasp... Hariett Hargrave.

She was known to me as the queen of machine quilting and then I realized she also was the bomb at machine applique, both things I desperately wanted to learn. Unfortunately I never had a chance to coincide with a venue that she was teaching and so many years past and I gave up learning from her, teaching myself in a rough shot manner.

Well, the first weekend in June I'm headed for a quilt retreat with my quilty daughter to take a machine quilting class with Ms Hargrave. Yup. I wore her down!

Here is the thing... among the supply list is a 12" - 14" applique block. hmm.. that was a class I wanted to take with HER!

I love applique. Have a mentioned it? No? Well I do. I hate making it though. It's not so much the work in preparing the pieces (although I hate that too) but it's that I don't want to do it by hand. I want it to look like I made it by hand, but I want to make it on the machine. Do you do this? Can you give me some tips? Can you share the secret? Is there a secret?

I have resorted to fusible raw edge applique and have done the zig zag thing when push comes to shove, but I want to know how to do Mock Hand Applique!!

Anyway, here is what I have done up to now...

This is using some stitch that looks like what the books say to use.

I have used freezer paper to cut and mold the pieces. Used washable glue to get the edges to turn over and stay put. My dilemma usually pops up when I have to remove the paper. How do you do that without messing up the seams? I hear you cut a slit in the back and give it a good yank... the fabric is glued to this paper and the stitches have gone through the paper... how are you suppose to yank without pulling the stitches?

This is what the piece is suppose to look like: (do you see the half square triangles on the left from my two piece puzzle quilt that has been put on hold until I get this done?)

It's the center of a quilt I dream to make sometime when all these other wonderful quilts stop getting in the way!

That is my rant for the day.

My Daughter, the quilter

My little girl is a quilter.

I had known this was the case after she made this gorgeous piece back in December. Until then, I always felt she was just dabbling in the craft. But as her talent grows it's like seeing a child take her first steps and then run off on her own.

She currently is making a quilt by Bonnie Blue Quilts called Shiloh.

Take a peek at her first block...

She also completed a Buggy Barn piece that had intimidated me! 

She now is my reference for my Crazy Geese Quilt.

Isn't it a beauty?

She is working diligently on completing 13 quilts before she says her I do's. She has 6 tops completed and 7 to go. You can follow her progress here: Starchild Quilts

The proud mom...

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!