the polish quilter

Solid Challenge

2012-02-10T08:31:00.004-05:00

The ladies that I quilt with have decided our 2012 quilting challenge will be to create an all solid quilt. The quilt can be any size, any pattern, and shape. The only requirement is that it must be made entirely of solid fabric.

I started my quilt yesterday. Look at these lovely fat quarters!

The bundle was so pretty, I didn't want to cut in to them. Even the schnibble pile is gorgeous.

I love watching the ribbon effect during chain piecing.

I am so inspired by this quilt that I wish I could spend the weekend finishing it but we have lots of plans with friends plus activities to run the boys to and fro. And I'm pretty sure I haven't done laundry or grocery shopping in a few weeks.

I also need to finish up a commission quilt that I started a few weeks ago. I don't like the fabric I purchased for the border so I'm going to do some shopping for it this weekend. I keep telling myself that I need to finish the commission quilt before I work on the solid quilt but oh boy, do I really, really want to keep going on the solid quilt.

Blues and Browns

2012-01-24T15:05:00.002-05:00

Here's a sneak peak at some strips and fabric I used for a recent finished quilt. I completed the project two weeks ago at Camp Tecumseh but I'm keeping it a secret until it's delivered to its new home.

Reed's Quilt

2012-01-19T09:11:00.003-05:00

My first finish of 2012! Some dear friends of mine are expecting their first bundle of joy. I can't wait to meet Reed Joshua who will arrive sometime next month. When I asked the happy couple what they'd like in terms of a baby quilt, I was told to make it colorful and bright. Happy to oblige....

I started this quilt in November and decided to go with wonky stars. I made a few different sizes and I love how different each of the blocks are. As a result, I quilted each block differently too.

I machine sewed on the binding with fabric I purchased in Las Vegas over three years ago. I also used it on the back (though darn, I didn't take a picture of the pieced back).

Here is a photo of the parent's to be opening their present at their baby shower. It received an appropriate amount of oh's and ah's so I was satisfied.

NYC and purl soho

2011-11-10T15:45:00.003-05:00

I was in NYC for work recently and I stopped by purl soho for the first time. I love visiting fabric shops when I'm traveling! I LOVE to visit City Quilter when I'm in New York (they've expanded the store this past year!) but this was my first visit to purl soho, a shop that features all kinds of textiles. (There were a lot of knitters when I was there.) And bonus, Soho is my second favorite NYC district (after Chelsea, of course).

While at purl soho, I decided I must by some fabric and was instantly drawn to a bundle of half yard prints in yellows and grays that I knew I had to have. I don't follow fabric lines so I didn't realize my purchase is from the hottest line of the season, Echo by Lotta Jansdotter. Many of the quilt bloggers I follow are talking about Lotta's first line, including Rachel from Stitched in Color.

I'm feeling like one of the cool kids in quilt class today!

Quinn's Quilt

2011-11-09T16:25:00.004-05:00

It seems I've taken to naming quilts after their recipients and I certainly had continue the tradition with Baby Quinn. (Who doesn't love an opportunity to use alliteration, especially with Q words?) Quinn is expected to arrive around December 3. Luckily, I finished his quilt in time! Here is a photo of me with Quinn's mama, my cousin Bri.

Bri requested something to match Quinn's Dr. Seuss room. I struggled a bit but I'm happy with the outcome.

Another foray in to machine binding. I'm getting better! For my next quilt, I might try a zig zag stitch for binding.

I have two more friends who are expecting. I asked one what she'd like in terms of color and style and she told me to do whatever I want - as long as it's bright. Oh the possibilities!

Decorating

2011-10-18T14:22:00.003-04:00

One of the advantages to having a new house is having a sewing room all to myself. When we built the house, we knew we weren't going to use the formal living room so the Polack convinced me to turn it in to my sewing room. I had other ideas for sewing space and I didn't like that the room was right off the foyer and very visible from the front door. This means I feel like I have to keep the room picked up. But the advantage is that it's spacious and has plenty of room for all my stuff. (And really, how can I complain about having my husband dedicate a whole room to my quilting?)

My sewing room is currently outfitted with old furniture, made of MFD and some on it's last leg. I'll get new furniture some day and I'll organize things in a cool, fashionable way. (I have a whole "organization" board on Pinterest!) But for now, I have to settle with what I have. But that doesn't mean I can't make things colorful to help pique the inspiration.

I bought a set of these circle containers from IKEA several years ago. I didn't have a plan for them but I loved the colors.

One day, I had the idea of hanging the lids on the wall above my cutting table. It's an easy and cheap way of adding color to the white walls of the room. (Painting will happen. Some day.)

I hope to add some paper lanterns to hang from the ceiling and of course, I need to add some quilts to the wall. in the meantime, I love looking at my circles.

Ryleigh's Quilt

2011-10-17T09:45:00.005-04:00

I'm waa-aay behind on my flowers. I have two ready to photograph but haven't made it outside to take the photos. I also need to finish my flower from last week and start this week. It's been a busy fall! I have managed to work on some quilts though. My latest has been finished for several weeks and I'm finally getting around to mailing it to the recipient. This is going to baby Ryleigh, the daughter of some friends.

Here was the inspiration for the quilt. This is part of the bedding in Ryleigh's room.

I'm not sure why I used 4.5 inch squares. They were so small! I kept making squares, and making squares and sewing and sewing. Then I'd lay out the quilt and it was teeny tiny. But I loved working with the colors so I kepts at it.

It was windy when I took photos of the quilt.

A close-up... I quilted flowers in the quilt, a free motion pattern I love but don't get to use very much.

Here is my third attempt at machine binding. It's not perfect but I'm getting better!

I'm mailing the quilt today and I know it will be well loved.

I'm finishing another baby quilt that I've been working on since I finished Ryleigh's project. It will be given to the recipient at a baby shower on Sunday and all that's left to do is the binding so I should be able to finish it. I'll post photos next week.

Week 40

2011-09-28T13:05:00.000-04:00

No outside photo today but I have things bloomington inside. :)

Week 38 and Week 39

2011-09-21T09:02:00.003-04:00

It seems like all I'm doing anymore is making GFG flowers. Looks can be decieving though! I have been working on a baby quilt for some friends. The top is finished and it's layered. Now I just have to find some time to quilt it. I can't wait to finish and send it off to Baby Ryleigh and then post photos for you to enjoy. I love how it turned out! In the meantime, enjoy my latest two flowers.

Week 36

2011-09-16T17:00:00.004-04:00

Another flower for the week. I'm a bit behind in posting though so I didn't join One Flower Wednesday.This photo was taken outside a hospital. My mom had knee surgery and I spent three days with her. (Which is why I didn't get my flower posted in time.) I was able to finish another flower after this one but I'm waiting to post that next week since I have a very busy couple of days coming up.

Week 35

2011-09-07T16:43:00.003-04:00

It's One Flower Wednesday! I didn't have time to go outside to photograph this week (plus it's been overcast for the last four days!) so I placed the flower among the stars. Really, it's on top of my Dancing Star quilt. It's a pretty good background, if I do say so myself. Check out the link to Karen's blog to see other hexagon flowers.

Week 34

2011-08-31T09:00:00.004-04:00

It's One Flower Wednesday time again! Head over to Karen's blog, Journey of a Quilter, to see more beautiful flowers.

I think this flower looks nice against the color of the grass. The photo was taken just outside my office. I thought about using my own grass as a the setting but since I don't really have grass yet - just weeds - I held off. I want the flower to look pretty, not grungy!

We're headed to the Lake for the weekend. Hopefully I'll do some sewing during the 3 hour car ride because I plan to read, lay in the sun, take pontoon rides, and hang out in the water while we're there. I have the petals completed for my next flower. Now I just need to sew them together.

Weeks 32 and 33

2011-08-30T08:48:00.000-04:00

Somehow, I've messed up my flower posting. I posted one flower twice and found a few flowers that were never posted. This is all happened during our move to the new house and week and half of vacation. I think I'm finally on track again!

This photo was taken among the PETUNIA's on campus.

As a quilter, I draw inspiration from all around me. I keep a notebook of ideas, color schemes and patterns as the come to mind. I seem to especially be inspired by floors. As in carpet and tiles. I'm not sure why, maybe it's the often simple patterns? Anyway, while I was using the ladies room at the student union the other day, I fell in love with this awesome floor.

Those hexagons are so small! This section of the student union was built in 1931 so I'm guessing that's how old the tiles are? (I don't know enough about preservation to confirm this.) In any case, seeing them certainly brings the "They don't make 'em like they used to" thought up.

Week 31

2011-08-24T03:38:00.002-04:00

I'm excited to be participating in One Flower Wednesday again. I took a few weeks off due to vacations and moving and back to school tasks. Fortunately, I kept sewing my weekly flowers so I'm not behind on my year long goal of 52 flowers in 52 weeks.

This photo was taken on campus. I wanted to photograph the impatiens but had trouble finding a bunch that wasn't wilted. (It is very unusual to see neglected flowers on campus!) Luckily there was a beautiful pot of them near the entrance to the bookstore.

Week 30

2011-08-10T01:12:00.000-04:00

This picture doesn't do justice to the colors of this flower. It's much more beautiful in person. The photo was taken at my families home on Lake George, Indiana. Anyone know the name of these flowers? They are perennials, right?

I love that my own flower garden is growing!

Updates

2011-07-28T08:58:00.004-04:00

No more finishes to report - actually I have a finish but I haven't taken it's photo yet - but I do have some updates. I started a new quilt. (I know, surprise, surprise.) After moving in to the new house and setting up my sewing room, I was trying to figure out which one of my many unfinished projects to work on. (I had no idea the UNO list was so big!) I asked my mom her thoughts and she gave me some suggestions. Then I asked the Polack and he reminded me that I had promised a baby quilt to our friends who are expecting. And due in AUGUST. Oops, I forgot about that project. So everything else was put on hold. The couple asked for something to match their nursery colors.

I love the colors! I didn't have a particular pattern in mind so I'm doing a square within in a square. My finished blocks are only 4.5 inches so the piecing is taking a while. I'm not sure why I went so small with everything but I know the recipients will love it.

While my in laws were visiting this week, my mother in law laid out all of my beautiful flowers.

Halfway through the year and it's not nearly as big as I hoped. (Isn't that always the case?) She suggested adding the garden rows and the Polack thinks so too. I sent a photo to Christy and she disagrees. She loves the modern look of the flowers all placed next to each other. I'm not sure what I think and I don't have to decide anything right now so I'm going to wait and mull over both ideas.

Pink Chalk Studio is hosting a Wear I Sew feature this month. I don't have photos of my sewing space so I won't be adding to it but I love looking through all the posts to see how my fellow quilters have set up their working area. I'm definitely getting some ideas on purchases that I want to make to complete my room.

Week 29

2011-07-27T01:06:00.000-04:00

I love my oranges, though I'm not thrilled with them next to the golds. I'm a little meh about this flower but I knew right away that I had to take a photo of it with some tiger lilies, the Polack's favorite flower. We plan to plant tiger lilies in front of our porch to the new house.

Quick memory... Growing up, I lived out in the country. Our three acres had a creek running through the back of it. I used to ride my bike down the road to the bridge that went over the creek. I would play with the rocks under that bridge for hours, playing house or reading a book. Tiger lilies grew wild next to the bridge and I always wondered what kind of flowers they were. I've had an attraction to them ever since.

Unsolved Mystery

2011-07-25T15:56:00.006-04:00

We're all moved in to the new house. Finally! This means I have my own sewing room. No more pulling everything out of the closet and putting it back after a few hours. Yay! While my mom I were organizing the room, I found a few quilts that were almost finished, including this one.

This was a Mystery Quilt that I participated in when I was at Camp Tecumseh Quilt Camp in October. I finished the top then, I quilted it at camp in January, and my mom helped me finish the binding this weekend. The original pattern had another row of mountains around the border. I didn't like it as much as I left off the mountains (and made those into another quilt.)

Here's a picture of mom holding the quilt. Hi Momma! My yard is a big dirt pile right now and I didn't have anything pretty outside to display the quilt for a photo. So I just used the front porch which unfortunately makes the photos look darker than they should be. At least you can see mom mom's smiling face.

Week 28

2011-07-20T01:11:00.002-04:00

My latest One Flower Wednesday post...

What a pretty flower! If I were name it, I'd call it cotton candy. Like last week, this photo was taken in the Arboretum on campus. Have wonderful rest of the week.

Week 27

2011-07-13T11:08:00.002-04:00

Here is my recent flower. I took this picture while riding in the car. I was using the pillow as a sort of desk when I realized that the flowers on it were appropriate for my project.

Week 26

2011-07-06T02:06:00.000-04:00

Week 26 - I'm halfway through the year. Yay for me!

This week's photo was taken at Bryan Park, during Seeger's baseball game.

Week 25

2011-06-29T09:31:00.002-04:00

It's One Flower Wednesday time! This picture was taken at the local Kroger. They had so many pretty flowers sitting out in front, I was inspired to pull out my flower and phone to take a picture. The Polack was with me and I thought maybe he'd scurt away so as to no be embarrased. But he stayed with me as I took a few shots. He always enjoys seeing the finished flowers and I think he likes the idea of the flower in the flowers photo shoot.

I love black with color fabrics. I only have a few fat quarters so I don't really do anything with them. I also love teal, though I've never really made a teal quilt. I'll add those two ideas to the wish list.

This is the last post in June which means I'm half-way through the year of flowers.

Week 24

2011-06-22T08:01:00.002-04:00

Whew - I'm on a roll with these flowers. My production started to peter out a few weeks ago. I was bored with the project. I was scraping the bottom of the barrel with the scraps I had for the flowers. I didn't like the colors I had left and I thought several of the scraps were ugly. My face would scrunch up when I thought about sewing more hexagons. To get out of my funk, I threw away several scraps (I just heard a horrified gasp from Christy) and cut in to some of my favorite fabrics from my stash. Viola! The sewing picked up some speed.

Lesson learned.

Here is my latest flower - another photo shoot on campus. This was taken near the Indiana Memorial Union, just next to my alma mater's building, Journalism.

Someone commented on my scrappy flowers. Traditional flowers use the same fabric for each row of petals. I'm so used to using scraps that I didn't even think about doing the traditional method. It would have been smarter - sometimes it's hard to find 12 of the same color for those outer rows - but hopefully when everything is put together, I'll have a quilt that is very unique. (Or very Polish as some would say!)

Blimey

2011-06-15T09:47:00.005-04:00

I have another finish for 2011. Woo hoo! (It's been a slow year so far.) This quilt has been in process for some time. It started with an idea and discussion during Quilt Camp in January of 2010 when several of us decided to do a block swap. Each month was assigned to a specific person who would decide what she wanted the blocks of her month to look like. One person chose Christmas colors, another gave us fabric and asked us to incorporate it, someone else wanted bright blocks, someone else wanted stars. Then each person made a block for that month. All blocks had to be 12.5 inches.

I happened to be the first person. I asked for blue and lime green blocks with black and white incorporated. It was so much fun to get the different blocks and see each quilters personality come through with them. I carried those blocks to several camps but never got around to putting them together until quilt camp in January. I added the block borders and sashing, put them together and got the top sewn together with their borders. I also made the back for it.

Fast forward a few months and I finally got around to layering the quilt. I wasn't sure how to quilt it but I knew I definitely wanted to show off each block. I remembered someone on a quilting blog using painters tape as a guide for doing straight line stitching. I couldn't remember the site, or blog, or much about it but I thought I'd give it a try. HA! It didn't go well. I used two different width painters tape and made several - probably 50 - 60 - lines going all different directions of the quilt. Here is a picture of it. I was really proud of myself until I started sewing along the first line and came to a cross line of tape for another line. I knew I couldn't sew through it because then I wouldn't be able to get the tape off - it would be sewn onto the quilt. So I had to the cut the cross tape, continue sewing my line, then try to stick the cross tape back in place. Imagine doing that 500 times. It sucked. Plus all the maneuvering of the quilt and cutting the tape made several spots of tape become unstuck to the quilt. So then I had to pin the tape down. So my easy project ended up being really hard.

But in the end, I love how it turned out. I will definitely do the technique again except I'll only do a few tape lines at time and I'll make sure they don't cross. This will also allow me to hopefully use each piece of tape more than once. I like the idea of being able to conserve the tape! Here is a close up of the quilting.

I was able to get all the blocks in the photo. There are 12 blocks from 12 different quilters.
The top row from left to right are from Cheryl, Pam, and Carol.
The second row blocks are from Kathy, Laura, and Celeste.
The third row blocks are from Christy, Cherry, and Elizabeth.
The fourth row blocks are from Bobbie, Nancy, and Betty.

This quilt measures 91X73 and gives me 13,286 for the stashbusting contest.

Week 23

2011-06-15T08:03:00.000-04:00

Now that I'm participating in the One Flower Wednesday group, I thought I'd display my photos like some of the others - my flower immersed in to the scenery with other flowers. I feel so grown up!

Because I live in an apartment, I don't have any flowers surrounding me. And once I move in to the new house, it will take a few months before I can afford landscaping. Luckily I work on a college campus that boasts about it's beauty. It rivels some of the best in the country which means lots of flowers for me to take advantage of.

Week 22

2011-06-08T13:03:00.001-04:00

When I started making my hexagon flowers, my personal goal was to complete one per week. Apparently, I'm not the only one! Karen from Journey of a Quilter has started a flower garden party. I've decided to join so that I can see what other flowers look like as well as have some incentive to keep going with mine own flowers. This means I'll start posting my flowers on Wednesday.

Weeks 20 and 21

2011-06-01T10:49:00.003-04:00

Once again, I apologize for the bad picture. It looks like it will be awhile before I get a new camera. Light fixtures, appliances, a family cruise, and new tires for the car have sucked up all extra money.

At least I'm currently all caught up!

Update

2011-05-24T09:31:00.003-04:00

Eek, I've missed my Monday flower deadline. In fact, I haven't even started SEWING it together. I'm behind, yes I know. However, all the finished quilts - real quilts -that I've posted about should make it okay. I know I've only posted two of them but I have another one that just needs it's binding attached and then it will be ready.

I'll be at the Lake all weekend so either A) I will get all caught up and then some on the flowers or B) I won't do anything sewing related which means I'll be even further behind.

I'm pretty much okay with either option.

Purpled Bliss

2011-05-17T09:56:00.000-04:00

My cousin Marci is getting married in June. Family weddings give my mom and I an excuse to get together and make a quilt so we decided early this year that we better get planning. Marci met with my mom to see a sample of some previous quilts. She decided she likes squares and she wanted lots of white with a little bit of purple.

We worked together to make and piece the blocks and borders. I quilted it and my mom did the binding. In the borders, I quilted Marci and Nick and June 4, 2011.

Here's a close up of the quilting. Most of the quilt is an overall stipple.

We gave the quilt to Marci during her wedding shower this weekend. She LOVES it and it received a good amount of oh's and ah's. Yay! It will go in her living room which is painted purple. She painted the other rooms in her house lime green and mustard yellow. A girl after my own heart!

Strawberry Shortcake

2011-05-16T09:41:00.002-04:00

I made this quilt in 2009 and posted about it on my other blog. (This was before I separated my quilting blog from my family blog.) But I never had a picture of it finished. It currently resides with my mom who loves all that is pink. When I was at her house this weekend, we took pictures of several finished quilts. iPhone photos aren't the best -- I'm definitely missing my camera.

Week 20

2011-05-16T08:37:00.002-04:00

Here's my latest Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt block. I apologize for the background of my kitchen table. It's a bit distracting, I know.

Painters Tape

2011-05-09T15:13:00.002-04:00

I'm trying a new quilting technique.

Unfortunately, it's not going well. I'll tell the tale when I finish it up. I need to stay positive!!

Alaina's Quilt

2011-05-09T13:31:00.005-04:00

I finished Alaina the Intern's quilt Thursday, washed it Friday, and wrapped it up in time to bring it to her graduation party on Saturday. I always work best under pressure! I think I mentioned that I received a gorgeous pack of animal print fabric from a colleague as a thank you for speaking to her fundraising class. Alaina had taken her class a previous semester so she tagged a long to give her input. Alaina loved the fabric so I immediately decided to make her a quilt with it. It was the perfect set up.

Unfortunately, I'm still without camera which means I only had my phone to take these photos. I had hoped for a sunny day for natural lighting but the rain prevented it. Please excuse the blurry, out of focus photos. I will regret not having a good photo of this quilt.

I machine stitched the binding for this quilt - a new technique for me. I had viewed a couple of tutorials and I think it turned out really well. At least the blurry photo will convince you of the same.

Jay McCarroll fabric! I love loved Jay in Project Runway so I bought a few cuts of his fabric when it was on the discount shelf of Shiisa Quilts. I haven't had a project to use his Garden Friends in Rust fabric until now.

My dryer hasn't been working very well lately (camera, dryer, see a pattern here?) so I washed and dried it at the local laundromat. I loved watching it spin!

I made Alaina open her present before I left her party. I wanted to see her reaction. She knew I was making the quilt but had no idea what it was going to look like. She loved it and insisted we show it off to everyone else who was there.

I forgot to mention that the pattern is Gumdrops from Blue Underground Studios. I wanted the blocks a bit bigger than what's called for so I cut 3 inch strips instead of 2.5 inch.

Week 19

2011-05-09T09:57:00.003-04:00

I've done some flowers that I don't like at all. But this one I love. I've decided that when I put this together, I'm not going to add the green outline - the garden. Instead, I'm going to mix the ugly flowers in between the pretty ones and call my quilt, Grandma Needs to Weed Her Garden.

That's the plan for now anyway.

Week 18

2011-05-02T12:13:00.002-04:00

Week 17

2011-04-25T12:12:00.002-04:00

Week 16

2011-04-18T01:19:00.000-04:00

Week 15

2011-04-11T13:17:00.001-04:00

Weeks 13 & 14

2011-04-04T09:36:00.000-04:00

I'm all caught up on my hexi's. I've even started the one that is due next week.

Here are my most recent. Unfortunately, my camera had a bad run-in with my car (it was run over) so these photo's are from my iPhone. There aren't very good. :( I suppose I should buy a new camera but I'm not looking forward to shelling out the $100.

Weeks 10 and 11

2011-03-20T20:38:00.003-04:00

I'm more behind in posting than actually Flowers. Here are weeks 10 and 11. Week 12 is due tomorrow but I only have the inner petals finished. This is the first time I've been behind on the flowers. Though the novelty of the hexi's have worn off a bit, I'm still commited.

I spent the weekend visiting my grandmother in the hospital so this project just became a bit more personal.

African Prints

2011-03-10T15:52:00.004-05:00

I was a guest speaker for a class on campus recently. This is the second semester the instructor invited me to speak about donor relations and stewardship in a fundraising context. I invited my intern to join me. She had taken the class previously and I encouraged her talk about her experiences while working in my office. A few days after the class, we received a package:

What amazing prints! Is was addressed to both of us and it turns out that my intern (who is not a quilter) loves animal prints. I've promised to use the fabric to make her a quilt. It will be her graduation present from me. Of course, I blurted that out to her before I realized that graduation is less than 9 weeks away. Oy.

Week 9

2011-02-28T11:11:00.001-05:00

On time this week. YAY! It's the little things.

Weeks 7 & 8

2011-02-23T11:08:00.003-05:00

I've been extra busy recently so I missed last week. Never fear though, I have two flowers for you this week!

@Christy, I'll get around to taking a photo of them all together one of these days.

Week 6

2011-02-07T13:15:00.001-05:00

Week 5

2011-01-31T13:14:00.000-05:00

Birthday Treats

2011-01-26T12:50:00.000-05:00

One of the coolest things about going to Quilt Camp on your birthday is receiving all kinds of cool gifts from fellow quilters. I've attended the Cabin Fever Quilt Camp several years in a row and it almost always falls during my birthday. Some of the women there have learned of this and they bring me treats. I love treats!

This first picture is actually of fabric that I got for Christmas from my friend, Christy. It's so beautiful that I had to include it!

For my birthday, Christy made me this pincusion and gave me more fabric.

I received this from the Director for the Quilt Camp.

And this is from Aunt Cheryl and her friend, Pam. They drive 6 hours to attend quilt camp. That's dedication!

I also received a jelly roll of Moda's oh so pretty Butterfly Fling fabric and during camp, I cut into to complete a beautiful border for a quilt that I've yet to post about. It's too bad I didn't get a photo but even if I haad, the photo wouldn't have done it justice.

Week 4

2011-01-24T13:12:00.000-05:00

Stringy Variation

2011-01-20T14:44:00.001-05:00

I love, love, love this quilt. I came to me in November when I was thinking about what I could do with all the strips I saved. I've been saving them for awhile. Here's one previous reference about them.

Anyway, I decided to sort them by color and immediately starting sewing them together. When I was away at Quilt Camp this past weekend, I put the half blocks together and started sewing and trimming and sewing some more. I'll admit I was a bit disappointed that all that sewing in November only amounted to a small wall hanging. But it's gorgeous and I know exactly what I'm going to do with it. I also know that I must make another one - one that's big enough for my bed!

This quilt measures 45X36 and gives me my first 3,240 points for the 2011 Stashbusting Contest.

Stashbusting!

2011-01-19T14:27:00.004-05:00

A group of women that I quilt with has decided to do a stashbusting contest for 2011. Here are the rules:

2011 Stashbusting Challenge

• Quilters receive one point per square inch for finished tops. Measure width and length and multiply them to get final points.
• If you finish a quilt — including quilting, binding, etc. — you receive another point per square inch. Tops quilted by others do not count.
• Projects started previously — in stages such as a few blocks done, or with quilting yet to do — will be counted in the challenge.
• If you give fabric to another person in the challenge, you receive one point per square inch.
• If you need fabric that you can't get from another person in the challenge, you can buy it for .5 point per square inch penalty.
• If you are unable to resist buying fabric, you will be penalized 1 point per square inch. Example: a fat quarter will cost you 396 points or a full yard will cost you 1,584 points.
• The following items are allowed to be purchased without penalty — batting, backing and binding. You are also allowed to buy notions such as thread, rotary cutters, etc., with no penalty.
• Fabric given to you as a gift is penalty-free, but you cannot use gift cards for fabric without penalty.
• Photos of finished tops and finished quilts should be emailed to the group.
• All points — earned or lost — will be reported to Natalie. She will keep the running tally for everyone.
• Only quilts measuring at least 1000 square inches will be counted.
• The challenge will run from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011.

So far we have 8 participants and 6 completed tops/projects. I hope to post pictures of everyone's progress which will happen if folks actually send me photo's.

Week 3

2011-01-19T13:11:00.000-05:00

Week 2

2011-01-10T09:14:00.001-05:00

Ta da!! Week two block for my self-inflicted 2011 Grandmother's Flower Garden block challenge.

Week 1

2011-01-03T09:03:00.004-05:00

I've decided to make a Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt with all of my hexagons. It's such a classic pattern and one of my favorites. My goal is to do one flower a week so that I'll have around 50 by the end of the year. Here is the flower for Week 1.

Hopefully 2011 will bring more than just GFG blocks to blog about!

Hexi's!!

2010-12-27T11:38:00.004-05:00

I haven't been able to do much quilting lately. Obviously, right? But I've been thinking about quilting, and deciding on future projects, and reading quilting blogs. A few months ago, I bookmarked a few blogs that featured hexagons. Apparently hexagons are really big in the quilt blogging world. Who knew? Anyway, I'm generally opposed to hand sewing anything. Too much time! Too much work! But my lack of quilting time has made me improvise. The holiday season is spent driving to other places to visit with other people. Time in the car with nothing to do. Nothing to do but try some hand sewing. So I reviewed several hexi blogs until I felt armed with enough knowledge to make my own hexagons.

Turns out - I love making hexagons! Who knew? Not me - definitely not me. I've been a hexagon making fool for the past three days.

I did have an oh, shit moment when I panicked about not being able to actually sew the darn things together. So I tried a few. Presto!

I'm planning to make a grandmother's flower garden quilt. Or pot holder. I haven't decided yet.

My To-Do List

2010-11-22T08:42:00.004-05:00

So my friend, Christy, just did a post of her unfinished quilt projects. She listed 20. It got me thinking about my unfinished project list. I keep track of all finished quilts, quilts in progress, and quilts I want to make.

We'll start with the positive.... Since I began quilting in December 1999, I've completed 71 quilts. Of those, I've kept 24 for myself/family. The rest have been given away. That's pretty good, if I do say so myself.

Okay, so now the WIP count.... ELEVEN! That's more than I thought (are you surprised, Christy?). Here they are:

1. Eight Pointed Star wall hanging
2. Dinosaur panel baby quilt
3. Blue and Green Kaffe Fasset for the Polack
4. Austin Starrlight
5. Black & White Block Exchange
6. Julia’s Quilt
7. Anna’s Quilt
8. Lime Green & Royal Blue Blocks
9. String Quilt
10. Mystery Quilt 1
11. Mystery Quilt 2

The first two on the list probably won't be finished. They were started years ago. The rest though, were started in the last two years.

Christy and I organized a stash-busting contest a few years ago and we've decided to do it again this year. It's time to finish some of those WIP's so that I can get going on the wish list!

Hail to PU

2010-11-19T11:06:00.003-05:00

The Purdue quilt is finished and mailed. I was tired of the zig zag pattern so I went with Purdue P's.

I've done this pattern before... a long time ago.... In fact it was before digital cameras (whoa, I sound old!) so I don't have an image to share. And I didn't get a great picture of this one. I was so happy to be finished with it!

October 2010 Quilt Camp

2010-11-01T09:39:00.006-04:00

My last post was of my block of the month. I didn't mention this but I made it at Camp Tecumseh's quilt camp so I thought I better do a full post from that weekend. It was the Wild Wild West Camp. Check me out on the horse!

This is a picture of Maple. Maple likes to watch people through the window. She also delivered this quilt block to my mom. It was quite a suprise.

At camp, I quilted the Purdue quilt I've been working on.

I also worked on a Mystery Quilt. I wasn't super excited about the pattern so instead of making one big quilt, I made to smaller quilts with the blocks that I put together.

Here are my two quilts at Show and Tell. My mom also did the Mystery Quilt. Her top is on the left.

Here are some more photos from the weekend. I love to go from room to room and see what others are working on. As a quilter, I draw inspiration from other quilters and I always come home from camp with a list of projects to tackle.

Block of the Month

2010-10-27T09:57:00.003-04:00

Here's my latest block for the block of the month club. This is a wonky star for my mom. She requested pinks and purples.

Nicki's T-Shirt Quilt

2010-09-23T10:27:00.007-04:00

I finished Nicki's quilt! I think I mentioned this before but I REALLY enjoyed making this t-shirt quilt. Much more than I thought I would!

This is my favorite block....

I really loved how this quilt turned out but I'm always nervous when I get paid to make a quilt. I worry that the recipient will hate it. I was especially concerned because I dropped the quilt off at Nicki's house and she wasn't there. So I couldn't see her reaction.

A few days after I dropped it off, I received the following note from Nicki: "NATALIE.... I love love love the quilt. Thank you so much. I hope you are doing well and I'm sorry I missed you this weekend but thanks for dropping it off!"

WHEW!!

Yoder's

2010-09-07T15:55:00.005-04:00

I was in Northern Indiana this weekend and had an urge to go fabric shopping. There are no quilt shops in the 30 mile radius of where I was visiting but I was determined! The next county over is Shipshewana - Amish country and home of Yoder's (a well known department/grocery/fabric store). I'm pretty sure they had every Moda fabric available - all for about $1-$2 off what you'd find in a quilt shop. And the largest Robert Kaufman selection I've every seen. I was in heaven! It was very hard to pick out just a few bolts to buy from but I managed.

Look at how big their fabric section is!

Their Kona solid collection.... Could I have five yards of each, please?

The Amish lifestyle is fascinating to me. The horse and buggy's were everywhere - I had a take a picture. (Minus the actual Amish because it's against their beliefs to be photographed.)

I felt like Laura Ingalls Wilder for a bit until I saw a family riding away from the grocery store with a case of Mountain Dew in their buggy. Regardless of their modern taste in beverages, they still make beautiful, classic quilts. Maybe I'll make one too someday.

Mind Your P's and Q's

2010-08-30T16:13:00.003-04:00

I finished quilting the yet-to-be-named t-shirt quilt. YAY! I used my mom's machine. It's like going from a Honda Accord to a Lexus LS.

I also started my next Purdue quilt. This will be the third one I've done. It's always nice to be paid for making a quilt though I am getting tired of black and gold. Instead of a zig zag, I decided to make up a P block. That required drawing out the pattern - not something I usually do.

I was able to finish five blocks yesterday. What do you think? I'm still deciding.

The Ugly Block

2010-08-19T14:14:00.003-04:00

Remember when I mentioned the Block of the Month homework I had? Well here is a picture of a previous block I did. I liked the block design but sage, rust, and tan are definitely NOT my colors.

Let the Wild Pinning Begin!

2010-08-17T08:38:00.002-04:00

Wonky Star

2010-08-16T13:37:00.003-04:00

This is my first foray into wonky stars. I made this block for an exchange I'm doing with a group of local quilters. A royal blue and bright yellow block was requested. I really enjoyed putting it together so of course, now I want to make a my own wonky star quilt. I'll add that to my ever growing list....

In other qulity related news, I spent the weekend quilting away with my mom. I finished three other blocks for the exchange. (We do one per month so two were catch up, one was for this month, and one was for an upcoming month.) I also finished the top to the T-shirt quilt. My mom left her rockin' Janome with homework to get the thing quilted before I have to return the machine to her this weekend. It's a lofty order so we'll see if it happens.

Piano Girl

2010-07-17T08:27:00.000-04:00

After getting the top of the t-shirt put together, I was struggling with what to do for the borders. When my friend Christy suggested piano keys, I was immediately excited. I've never done them but I think they'll be perfect for this quilt.

Tight Quarters

2010-07-15T08:33:00.003-04:00

Because of our move from a four bedroom, 2900 square foot house to a 2 bedroom 900 square foot apartment, I no longer have my own quilting space. Luckily my husband doesn't mind when I take over the kitchen table. I'm happy to finally be up and running again!

"I love it when a plan comes together."

2010-06-30T09:51:00.005-04:00

I know it's not much, but I AM making progress on the t-shirt quilt.

Here are some blocks laid out....

Since this photo was taken, I've sewn all 12 blocks together and now I'm deciding on the borders. I had some whitish fabric with different color polka dots picked out but I'm definitely not in love with it. My friend Christy suggested piano keys. Brilliant idea! It will be more work but totally worth it for this quilt. I can't wait to get started!

Funkified Finish

2010-06-24T12:29:00.002-04:00

I finished the Elephunk quilt that I was making for a friends baby awhile ago. He was born March 15 and I had the quilt to him fairly soon after. But I'm just now getting around to posting the pictures. I was so excited to start this quilt. But as I was making the blocks, I began to get really worried. I didn't like the colors that I'd chosen. And when I finished the blocks, I laid them out and HATED it. I was so upset! But knowing that tops always look better after they are quilted, I continued with the project. And once it was finished and pulled out of the dryer, I fell in love, love, love with it. Absolute love.

during the quilting process, I've gone through periods of not liking a quilt to liking it (and sometimes the opposite) but never with such extreme feeling as with this one. Some quilters stop in the middle of the process and rework blocks they might have concerns about. Or they don't finish the project. I have considered these options when a quilt isn't going to way I'd like. But in the end, I've found that if I trust my original instincts, it almost always works out.

It would have been difficult to give this away but the recipient loves and cherishes it so much. I'm always happy when my quilts make their way to a good home.

T-Shirts Galore

2010-05-04T09:59:00.002-04:00

I'm starting a t-shirt quilt! It's the first time I've tried one and it's going really well. I've stablized the fabric and I'm in the process of cutting them down. I haven't quite figured out the pattern or how I'm going to lay them out. We'll see what the creative process brings.

I'm a bad blogger

2010-04-22T09:53:00.000-04:00

Yet again, I delivered a quilt without getting a picture. I ALWAYS take pictures of my finished quilts so I don't know how I've neglected to do so, yet again. Anyway, here's photo of what it sorta looked like. It's the best I can do for now. I will be better - I promise!

Black and Gold

2010-04-04T09:49:00.000-04:00

I'm making another Purdue quilt. It will be zig zag like the last one. I'm not going to lie, I'm getting kinda tired of the black and gold color scheme!

Elefunk

2010-03-21T09:45:00.000-04:00

I finished the elephant quilt for baby Miles but didn't get a picture of the finished quilt. DARN! But hopefully Miles' momma will come through for me so I can get it posted.

An almost finish

2010-02-23T12:48:00.000-05:00

Still plugging away although it doesn't seem like based on the lack of activity on this blog. I've recently finished quilting another baby quilt - this one for a good friend who is due on March 15. The binding isn't on yet (nor made but that's just a minor detail) so this is just a sneak preview for you. Wait until you see the cut elephant backing!

Flower Pots

2010-02-22T12:41:00.004-05:00

I can't believe I didn't post these pictures sooner. This is the second finish on my list of commission quilts. I was inspired by the bedding of the recipient which came from Pottery Barn and featured long stemmed flowers. (Hence the name of a quilt that doesn't actually have pots in it.)

I'm not particularly fond of applique but the technique used for this is called "slaplique". You sew a straight stitch a half inch on the inside of your cut piece of fabric. It will fray once it's washed which hides any imperfections.

Mocha-chica

2009-12-16T16:54:00.001-05:00

My latest baby quilt is complete. This is a commission quilt where I was given free reign - the buyer wanted something in pinks and browns. I was happy to oblige.

Commission Quilts

2009-12-01T10:16:00.005-05:00

I have three commission quilts to work on. Two are baby quilts which I'm excited about. Both are for girls and since I rarely make girlie quilts, they will be extra fun. Even more exciting, the buyer has pretty much given me free reign. She requested the first in pinks and browns, the second with flowers. The pattern and fabric are up to me. How lucky am I to get paid to do what I love doing?!

My deadline for the pink and brown quilt is December 15. A little lofty considering its December and I haven't decorated the tree, put up the lights, finish shopping, do Christmas cards and attend several holiday gatherings. But I'm so in love with the fabric and pattern, it shouldn't be a problem to push myself to get this finished.

Here's a sneak peek. I've already given it the name Mochachica.

The Redwing quilt

2009-12-01T10:00:00.002-05:00

I finished quilting the Redwing quilt, just in time for my MIL to attach the binding and finish it up for the baby shower she attended in Michigan.

I'm really starting to love the zig zag pattern. In fact, I considered it for my next baby quilt commission. But ultimately, I decided to try something new. It's good to push yourself, right? I should have pictures of a few blocks posted soon!

J and A's quilt tops

2009-11-29T09:49:00.000-05:00

Remember how I said I was teaching the daughters of a friend how to quilt? I finally got their tops put together! They look pretty good, I think. Our next step is to pick out fabric for the back but since I'd like them to choose, I'll have to wait until the next time we can get together. That's okay though because I have lots of projects in the queue!

Go Redwings!

2009-11-19T15:50:00.004-05:00

The mother-in-law and I have been working on a baby quilt for a family member. She has requested "Redwing Red" items. (As in the Detroit Redwings...)

It's a five hour drive to the baby shower this weekend and MIL might still be working on the binding during the car ride. I won't be attending the shower so I don't know if I'll have a final picture to post.

Excuses, excuses...

2009-11-18T16:05:00.000-05:00

Why haven't I been doing much quilting lately, you ask? Well, I'm sorta trying my hand at crocheting. Some women I work with crochet on Thursday's and asked if I'd be interested. It sounded like a good idea. I need something to do while I'm waiting to pick up the kids from practice/games/school/etc.

(I have my iPhone which would be sufficient. But I like the idea of doing something PRODUCTIVE with my time.)

So here's the start of my first project.

I'm pretty terrible. And I refused the crochet ladies' suggestion of using thicker, solid yarn. I tried plan gray and it was so BORING. So I bought this skein thinking I'd make a scarf. If you crochet you're laughing at me right now because you know that one small skein isn't enough for a scarf. And the fact that I chose a hairy wool instead of thicker cotton. Yet I'm still plugging away. Because the love the colors. They're so pret-ty! Whether I can make something useful is questionable. Time will tell.

Elephunk

2009-11-09T08:22:00.002-05:00

Things are progressing nicely with the Redwing Red baby quilt. My mother-in-law has put the top together, added borders, and passed it on to me to layer and quilt it. I'll be starting that project this week and will post photos soon. In the meantime, I've been planning my next baby quilt. This one is for my good friend and extremely talented friend, Julie. She just found out her little bambino is a boy and she's decided to do the nursery in blues and browns. She's thinking elephants for a theme and I found this fabulous fabric online. It's our inspiration - both for the quilt I'm creating and the decor she's choosing for the nursery.

Finally! A Finish...

2009-11-06T08:07:00.003-05:00

The Purdue quilt is finally finished. Just in time to take it's place with all the other silent auction items at the fundraising event. I did a pieced backing with zig zag quilting.

In the spirit of the quilt, I decided to take it's picture on campus.

Since I'll never see it again, I made sure to get proper pictures. I'm getting better about documenting my work.

I had enjoyed making this quilt, especially because of AmandaJean's easy tutorial. I'm ready to start my next one!

Fabric love

2009-11-02T11:21:00.003-05:00

I don't know what I'm going to do with these beauties but I'm anxious to cut into them. Alas, it will be awhile. I have corn hole bags to make (by tomorrow!), I need to finish the Purdue zig zag quilt (by Thursday at the absolute latest!), and my MIL and I have started a "Redwing red" baby quilt (must be completed by November 20). Maybe I should join Jacquie's Joy in the New Year Challenge.

Starting them early.... part 2

2009-10-28T09:44:00.006-04:00

I mentioned that I was helping two youngin's learn to quilt. Friday was fall break so the kiddos spent the afternoon with me. I wasn't quite sure how to go about teaching them. I didn't know which tools to allow them to use and what could be dangerous. I opted out of having them use a rotary cutter. I think second and third grade is just too young, especially since I didn't want to end up calling their dad to meet us in the ER. So after retrieving the fabric they picked out, I gave them a template to use to outline rectangles to cut out. They did a few while I used the rotary cutter to do several more. Once they had their pieces all cut , they placed them into groups of four so we could start sewing. Anna wasn't comfortable guiding her fabric through the machine so she worked the peddle while I did took care of the fabric. After about three blocks, she decided to take a permanent break to play outside. I finished her four-patches and moved on to help Julia.

Julia was much more interested in the process. She was able sew together all of her four-patches before getting picked up for the afternoon. I promised to add the background fabric and finish her blocks. Here is the progress:

We have 12 blocks for Julia that are ready to be laid out and sewn together. I'll probably let her lay them out and I'll sew them together. Then we'll layer everything and I think I'll teach her tie it. I've never tied a quilt so we'll be learning together. It's great to see her so excited about this project. Hopefully I've creating the next generation quilter!

Straight Lines

2009-10-21T15:30:00.005-04:00

I rarely do any quilting that calls for my walking foot. But I loved the design of my Purdue quilt so much, I wanted to accentuate the zigs and zags. Normally I free motion quilt and can finish a lap size quilt in a few hours.

But this quilt? It's taking FOR-EV-ER. I spend about an hour doing each zig zag. There are 10 total. Doh! But I'm in love with how it's turning it out so it's totally worth it. Here's a sneak peak. I hope to have the binding attached by Monday.

A pinning we will go...

2009-10-15T18:31:00.000-04:00

The the back is pieced, the top is layered and the pins are in. I'm actually looking forward to quilting this baby. (Quilting is usually my least favorite part of the process...)

Zigging right along

2009-10-13T10:10:00.003-04:00

The Purdue quilt is coming along quite nicely. I've been itching to do a zig zag quilt for some time, using Amanda Jean's technique. No triangles - music to my ears!

I've since added the borders and started piecing the backing. I hope to get the backing put together this week and then move on to layering and quilting. I'm undecided on the quilting pattern but that's often the case. I don't usually decide how to quilt something until its layered.

I completed some other projects this weekend however they weren't quilt related. I made some corn hole bags for the brother-in-law who sells corn hole sets. I also started Seeger's Halloween costume. For someone who is NOT a sewer and doesn't know the first thing about making an article of clothing - seriously, I can barely hem a pair of pants - it's going pretty well. Not perfect, definitely home-made, but at least you can tell what he's supposed to be.

Purdue Style

2009-09-30T22:48:00.002-04:00

I'm putting this away...

For this...

Not normally the colors I'd choose for a project. This is being made for a silent auction for cancer research.

Starting them early...

2009-09-29T07:37:00.001-04:00

We had several families over to our house the other night and as everyone was chatting and snacking and the kids were off playing, one of the dad's let me know that his daughter had counted all the quilts hanging in my house and she really, really wanted me to make one for her. Of course I was flattered and even more excited about the idea of introducing Julia to the world of quilting.
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Julia is 8. At 8, I could have cared less about something as domestic as quilt making. So I promised Julia I would make her a quilt, but only if she helped me. She was super excited, especially when I told her to start looking through my fabric to pick out her favorites. I was excited too. Until I saw what she picked.
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I'm not sure what to do with this. I'm liking the aqua and lime green but the orange concerns me. (Although I've always thought about an orange and lime green quilt.) And the paw print dog fabric? Not happening.... I'm thinking a coin quilt of some sort but I'm probably going to have to nix some of her fabric choices and add others.
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Did I mention Julia has a younger sister? Anna is 7 and her father let me know that if I make a quilt for Julia, I have to make one for Anna. Here is Anna's fabric.
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Anna gave me a lot more to work with. The pinks and purples will probably dominate this quilt. Can I go all Project Runway on them and only use the fabric I think is best as a designer?

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And of course, Seeger wants to do everything he sees girls do. So now he wants to make a quilt. His fabric choices were crazy. I haven't taken a picture yet and I hesitate to make him anything because his grandma is making him a quilt for Christmas. We'll see how this plays out.

In the meantime, I'd like to start cutting Julia and Anna's fabric choices. If you have any suggestions for what to do with these piles of fabric, please let me know!

Nature's Best quilt contest

2009-09-25T10:42:00.006-04:00

I just entered a quilting contest. I submitted my dancing stars quilt - one of my favorites. I love the colors and was so pleased with how it turned it. I'd seen the pattern somewhere but modified it a bit.

I spent more time quilting this top than I've every spent on a quilt. It's very heavily quilting between all the stars, making the big ones pop out.

I love the result but I hated how long it took. It was worth it though. I also love the pieced binding. I put all my scraps together to create it. I think it turned out very well. If you agree, feel free click on the widget above and vote for me. I'm in the small quilts category.

And while you're at it, vote for my pal Christy in the large quilts category. She submitted her fabulous Seven Sisters quilt. She hand pieced and quilted the entire thing. Very impressive!

Making progress

2009-09-24T08:54:00.000-04:00

Things are moving along with my Austin inspired quilt. Although I've made blocks to cover about half the anticipated size of the quilt top, I'm only a quarter of the way done in assembling the blocks. See all those three little baggies of fabric? Those all need put together.

After spending most of last year being uninspired with my quilting, I'm definitely making it up for this year. I have so many quilts in the queue - there is no way I'll do them all. And prioritizing everything is becoming a challenge. Maybe I should quit my job and become a full time quilter. Do people ever do that?

Black and White block exchange

2009-09-22T08:42:00.003-04:00

After last year's stashbusting contest, the quilting group I participate in decided to organize a black and white block exchange. We were each ask to make two set of 10 blocks. We had from the start of the year until Labor Day to complete the blocks. (We're busy women - don't judge!) Last weekend, we got together to exchange them. Here are a few of my favorites.

It was fun to see what others came up with. Now we have the task of putting our 20 blocks together. I haven't decided how I'm going to do this although I do know I want to use some color.

Surprisingly, there is no deadline for this. Hopefully, I'll have my top put together before the end of the year. (It's all about baby steps, people!!)

And we're off...

2009-09-09T15:09:00.000-04:00

After finishing the monstrous Anchor's Away quilt I've been working on all summer, I decided to tackle a new project. I came up with my own pattern and started cutting.

Hopefully my measurements are correct!

Anchor's Away

2009-09-08T17:59:00.002-04:00

I finally finished Dana's Old Red Barn Co. Quilt Along. Three months later. Geesh.
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This quilt was made for my Aunt who has spent the year battling cancer AND WINNING. She finally finished chemo on August 31 and was feeling well enough to join the family for Labor Day activities at the Lake.

The end is in sight

2009-09-02T09:02:00.007-04:00

The quilting is finished, the pins have been removed, and the binding is attached. Now I just need to hand sew it and my Old Red Barn Co. Quilt Along quilt will be finished. I can't wait to move on to my next project.

Strip-tastic

2009-09-01T08:45:00.003-04:00

Look at this lovely collection of strips. They're just waiting to be sewn into something marvelous!

Back in the Saddle Again...

2009-08-22T00:03:00.006-04:00

Back where a friend meets a friend....
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Oh, sorry - I got carried away there. It must be the sleepiness since it's after midnight and as much as I SHOULD be in bed, I'm actually awake and finishing another evening of quilting. That's three nights of sewing this week! So exciting and I feel like I'm finally back in the groove.
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I finished a top tonight and made the backing. I hope to layer and pin it tomorrow and get the quilting finished before Labor Day. Here's a sneak peek at the backing:

The colors aren't really "me" but they're perfect for the intended recipient. Let's hope I make my deadline!

Newest fabric

2009-08-17T07:38:00.003-04:00

I'm finally back on the quilting wagon. I'm trying to finish Dana's quilt along using these fabrics.
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The return to my sewing machine was inspired by a shopping trip to Nancy's Fabric Store in Las Vegas. I spent way too much but I'm love with all the fabric I purchased. It will be fun to see what I create out of the following....

Austin inspiration

2009-08-13T08:57:00.004-04:00

Inspiration for my next quilt, compliments of the Austin Convention Center.

Now if I could only find some time to sit down and quilt...

$50 of Fat Quarters!

2009-07-31T10:12:00.004-04:00

Who wouldn't want a $50 gift certificate from the Fat Quarter Shop? For your chance to win, visit Rachel over at P.S. I Quilt. Or you can skip entering so it ups my chances of winning. :)

It's a cinch

2009-07-29T12:17:00.003-04:00

I'm obsessed with making these little cinch bags. They're cute and fun and only take about 20 minutes to put together. I bought the Cake Therapy pattern the last quilt camp I attended and prompty made five bags. I can't wait to make some more, in different sizes.