the confused quilter

Amy's Creative Side.

2012-02-10T06:11:00.000-07:00

Today I am being featured on Amy's Creative Side. Thank You so much whomever nominated me after reading my Bloggers' Quilt Festival Entry. Amy has featured so many fabulous quilters from the festival, and it is a honor to be included. Thank You, Amy!
There were 617 entries in the Fall Bloggers' Quilt Festival! The linky list is still up if you'd like to see all the quilts and visit the blogs of all the quilters.
So Much Inspiration--So Many Wonderful Stories!

Happy Stitching!

Farmer's Wife Sampler Progess

2012-02-08T02:30:00.000-07:00

It might seem silly, but these little blocks just make me so happy! I love putting each one together, even when I have some troubles. As I have mentioned before, my friend Leslie and I are working together on this project. It is so nice to have someone to work with! We can talk through tough spots and give each other support when things aren't going our way!

Leslie chose #68 Postage Stamp...

and # 34 Flock.

I chose #3 Basket. Struggled with the handle on this one! I really wanted to applique it by hand, but after stitching it on and taking it off twice I decided to just fuse it and machine stitch and move on.

#106 Wild Rose and Square was my choice, too.

Here are my first 14 blocks together.

Long way to go until the end, but off to a good start, don't you agree?

Hope you have lots of smiles in your day!

Happy Stitching!

Skarple Kunch?

2012-02-07T02:30:00.000-07:00

A few nights ago, HUBBY and I were both using our computers. I was reading blogs and he was going through emails. It was very peaceful and quiet, with both cats snoozing on our desks.
Suddenly I broke the quiet and said, "Skarple Kunch!"
Hubby looks at me a little puzzled, "Huh?"
"Skarple Kunch. I want to pull it out and work on it."
He looks more puzzled, and says, "....o k a y....."
I say, "You know, Skarple Ku n c h..."
It hits me I'm not saying it right. So I slow down and say it again....
"Skarple Kunch...S k a r p l e K u n c h...."
The more I tried to say it right the worse it got!!! Finally, finally, I got it out right!
"SPARKLE PUNCH!!"
Hubby just looks at me, raises his eyebrows, nods and goes back to his computer. Men! Sheesh! Can you believe after 30 years of marriage he can't read my mind?? =) Granted, at moments like this, there isn't much there to read!

My wonderful SPARKLE PUNCH Quilt is up on the design wall! It took me about three hours to get the layout right, and required standing on a ladder to put up the top rows. Looking at this photo, I see a few stars I still need to switch around. That's one of my favorite things about using the camera as a design tool, so often I notice things in a photo that I don't see when looking right at the quilt itself. Time to go swap a couple stars, and start stitching this pretty baby together! What a great way to spend an afternoon! Don't you agree?

Happy Stitching!

A Little Disappointing....

2012-02-06T12:50:00.000-07:00

Today is the day I planned to show you my finished top for the Made in Cherry Quilt Along.
But, I can't! I don't have a finished top! In fact, I have a sad little story for you.

I did finally choose background fabric, y'all know how hard I struggled with that decision! And thank you all for giving me your thoughts. I really do appreciate it!

Neon Sketch by Timeless Treasures and Summersault by Erin McMorris for Free Spirit.

I settled on Sketch in Neon. I loved the Sketch in the blue, and oscillated back and forth until the last moment, but in the end I feel the quilt really needs the contrast of the green background.

So, here's the sad story: Pulled out my Neon Sketch and pressed it. Smoothed it all out on the cutting table, grabbed the rulers and started measuring. I need a 43 inch square cut twice on the diagonal for the giant flying geese units.
The fabric with the selvedges still on only measured 42.75 inches!
I knew the big triangles for the flying geese units were cut a bit large, so my fingers were crossed that I could just fudge it a little bit. Nope! One inch of fabric had to be sliced off to remove great big bright white selvedges!
The fabric must be pieced to work! That's no big deal, I don't mind.
...Except I don't have any more fabric...
I'm stalled until I can get back to Tucson and pick up more. Fingers crossed the shop still has it! There is one consolation in all this, though.
For once it isn't some dumb mistake I made holding me up!! =)
I find that so CHEERING!

In the mean time, I'll be taking all these little bits and working on my Sparkle Punch layout! I already know I am going to LOVE this quilt! And playing with these twinkling stars will send my blues away!

A cute comment was left on my blog, and I can't reply to it, since the author is a no-reply commenter...sigh...

Donna Becker said: Wait a minute! Were you up really early ... or had you not gone to bed yet? Really liked the cactus green fabric, by the way! :-)

LOL! No, Donna this is one time I actually wasn't up! Unlike this post, my posts are usually done ahead of time and scheduled to automatically post about 2:30 AM my time, MST. Insomnia is my frequent companion, often I am up, sometimes because I woke up waaaaay tooooo early, and sometimes because I can't get to sleep!

Hope your day is disappointment free & you have a long, peaceful night of sleep!!
Happy Stitching!

Bee Blocks for January--All Finished!

2012-02-01T02:30:00.000-07:00

This is my very last block for Let's Bee Together. It was December's block for Marta, and was sent out a little late. Marta sent pretty poinsettia fabric, a fabulous red and white polka dot, and a cream solid. I made a Goshen Star, and am pleased with how it turned out.

For Orange You Glad Bee, Hive A, Anita designed her own block, an adorable scrappy spool. I had a bit of trouble with the ends of the spool, but it seems to be pretty cute after all. I think Anita will have a darling new quilt, full of that friendliest of color, Orange!

For Orange You Glad Bee, Hive B, we made Carolyn Spider Web Blocks! I love her pumpkin orange center, such a change from the white or cream you usually see. These blocks are a lot of fun to make, and I enjoyed it very much. The tutorial she asked us to use is a different method than I had ever tried, and doesn't use a paper foundation.

For Bee Unique, Bee Knotty it was Cindy's month and we were asked to make a beach or ocean inspired block. I made a little school of colorful fish.

That's it for January! Wonder what kind of fun February will bring...

Happy Stitching!

The Decision!

2012-01-30T02:30:00.000-07:00

I love to ask quilters for opinions!
We are just full of opinions and love to share them.
As of Sunday afternoon, when I wrote this post, I had 46 responses to my question, "Which solid would YOU chose for this quilt?" I have more than 46 answers, since many of you gave me a couple responses.

Here's a break down of your opinions:

Peony Pink--just 1 vote!

School Bus Orange--4 votes.

Buttercup Yellow--6 votes.

Now here is where things got interesting!

Pacific Blue--12 votes!

Definitely considered the 'safe' choice.

Bright Pink--14 votes!

And passionate votes!

The bright pink people really felt strongly about it, and consider it the daring choice.

The winner, by a wide margin is

Cactus Green with 27 votes!

So, what did I chose? Well, let me start by saying Peony Pink and School Bus Orange just didn't do anything for me. I did toy with Buttercup Yellow, since Blue and Yellow is such a classic combination, but I felt just 'meh' about it, so I didn't go with Buttercup.

Bright Pink, well, I flirted with it for a while, but felt like it took too much focus off the blues. I felt it would make a BRIGHT PINK QUILT with a blue star in the middle, and I want the focus on the star.

So that leaves Pacific Blue and Cactus Green.

I chose Pacific Blue

...or Cactus Green....

....or maybe Pacific Blue....

......or Cactus Green.....

Yep! Back to being completely stalled!

So, first thing on Friday morning, SON calls, he has car troubles. HUBBY says it is one of two things, a simple relatively inexpensive problem or a very expensive complicated problem and decides we are heading for the Big City to deal with SON's car. I decided to grab up my star points and take along, hoping to get a chance to visit a quilt shop or two and audition more fabrics. At this point I had begun to suspect the I just didn't have the ANSWER in my pile of solids from my stash.

Luckily, the car had the simple rather inexpensive problem, so off to the quilt shop I went. Auditioned more solids. Tried 4 shades of Green, several of Blue, Whites, Greys, more Pinks, even some Violet-y stuff. I was getting ready to walk out frustrated and empty handed when I spotted this:

Neon Sketch from Timeless Treasures

and this:

Royal Sketch from Timeless Tresures

Oh, my......Now THESE had real possibilities!
I love the subtle texture of the print, it doesn't feel flat like the solids did.

Loved both, couldn't choose....

(Gee--is there a theme here??)

Bought both.

Don't smack me, okay? Asked for opinions, and then did something else entirely.

You just *know* when you hit the right thing, don't you? You start to smile all over!

Not just on your face, but in your eyes and heart and spirit.
I'm not going to use any of the Kona's from my stash, I am going to use...
Well, one of those pieces of Sketch--
It will be the blue one....
or the green one....
or the blue one!
Maybe the green one??

Happy Stitching!

Pretty Prizes Won

2012-01-27T03:00:00.000-07:00

Over the last few weeks of 2011, I won some lovely prizes from blog giveaways.
From the Twiddletails blog & shop, this sweet charm pack of 30's prints. Bright little squares of cotton happiness! This will go in my 30's stash, I don't have a specific plan for it.

EmmmyLizzy's blog offered these 6 fat quarters from the Ruby line during the December Giveaway Day. I'm very excited about these! Not sure what I'll do with them, but oh, how I love to admire them. Hubby has a niece who'll be having a baby this year, and if it is a girl baby, this just might become a baby quilt....

Back in November, I think, I won a $15 Quilting in the Rain gift certificate. This little shop is new, and specializes in pre-cuts. I hung on to the gc for a long time, because I knew I wanted California Girl charms, and needed to wait for them to become available. She sent a little packet of pins, too!

I do know what I want to do with the charms! I picked up this Schnibbles pattern called "Full House". I'm sure you have seen these house quilts popping up all over blogland. Aren't they cute? It will be a while before I can make it since I'm waiting for the yardage for California Girl to be released, but meanwhile I can admire my pretty squares and dream a happy house quilt dream!

How's your luck going? Have you won any fun prizes lately? Isn't it amazing the things that are given away in quilting blog land?

Happy Stitching!

Fabric Auditions!

2012-01-26T03:00:00.001-07:00

The center of my Made In Cherry QA quilt is finished! Yay Yay and double Yay! I love it!

Fabrics are Summersault by Erin McMorris.

The star points are finished, too!

Now comes the tough decision--what solid to use??

(all these solids are Kona Cottons.)

Originally, I planned to use this Pacific Blue.

Then I started to consider this Cactus Green.

A blogging & bee friend urged me to think out of the box and consider some unexpected colors. I went through my stash and came up with a few more choices.

Here is Buttercup Yellow. .

This is Peony Pink.

This one is Bright Pink.

And last of all, School Bus Orange.

Which one did I choose?

I chose......

Well, I think I won't tell you today!

Instead, let me ask:

Which color would YOU choose??

Happy Stitching!

Guest Posting...

2012-01-25T02:00:00.000-07:00

I'm over at Sew We Quilt today!
Come over and say hi so I don't feel lonely, okay? I'm a little nervous!

More Farmer's Wife Blocks

2012-01-23T03:00:00.000-07:00

Spent a very happy Friday morning sewing up my little Farmer's Wife Blocks. This time around my friend Leslie chose #61 Northern Lights. I love that bubbly green dot print.

and #97 Waste Not. I must admit to some nerves about this one, but it really came together easily, and I am totally in love with this block!

This time I chose #21 Contrary Wife. I've always thought this was such a funny name for a block, and those strawberries are making me smile.

and #63 Ozark Maple Leaf. I did a little seam ripper time on this one. Flipped one of the units upside down, but that is an easy thing to fix.

I can hardly wait to start on the next set!

Happy Stitching!

Slow Progress

2012-01-19T11:10:00.001-07:00

Been a little bit missing this week...
First, I got sick. Go to bed and stare at the wall for three days kind of sick. Then we had a long weekend. Next, wonder of wonders, sick again. Still feeling rather shaky, but better. So, it all means not much sewing has been going on around here. Not too surprising, right?

I've got all my triangles and squares cut up for Made in Cherry QA, ready for the next step! Since I started with 1 yard cuts, I still have a bunch of pretty fabric to play with later on!

Cut lots of white squares for Sparkle Punch QA, too. Lots.
Been turning the white and colored squares into star points for wonky stars. Lots.
This big stack makes me sad though... Want to know why?
Half. This is only HALF of the wonky star points.

Still have to turn all this into more star points.... Know what?
I am getting kinda tired of wonky star points.

Wish me luck!

Hope you are feeling happy & healthy at your house!

Farmer's Wife Sampler

2012-01-11T03:00:00.000-07:00

For many months beautiful Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt blocks have appeared all over blogland. Blocks like these, and these, and these and these. I could go on, and on, and on...So many beautiful little blocks. I know you've seen them, too! Right?
I have LOVED looking at them.
But I've spent long months swearing I would never, ever, ever make this quilt.
One Hundred and Eleven Blocks! Little bitty 6 inch blocks! Seriously?
Who would do that to themselves?
Did you know a couple of them have over 70 pieces in them?
S E V E N T Y pieces in a 6 inch block??

... of course, you know where this post is going, right?
Yep.
Bought the book a couple months ago.

Even before the book arrived fabric from the stash was being considered and sorted.....

And through it all, I still keeping thinking I have L O S T my M I N D....

But I'm not alone in the insanity! My sweet blogging friend Leslie, who blogs at Can't Stop Quilting, is joining me. We are going to work together. We'll be trying to get through two blocks each week. Leslie will choose the blocks one week, and I'll choose the next week.

There is a big, and I mean BIG box of Annie's Farmstand fabric at my house. The bright small scale prints are perfect for this project. And good grief, I have plenty of it!

The first two blocks we made are the first two in the book. We call them our 'Calibration Blocks', since we were testing out the templates and making sure we had the size right, and that the blocks would come out the proper size.

Here's #1 Attic Windows

and #2 Autumn Tints.

Leslie chose #4 Basket Weave

and #88 Star of Hope.

I chose #20 Churn Dash

and #39 Friendship.

All in all, the blocks have come together pretty easily. I did a fair amount of ripping out on the last couple blocks, but that's because I wasn't paying attention to my needle position on the sewing machine and my seam allowance was w-a-y too big. Thankfully, that is an easy thing to fix.

I've got to tell you, I just can't stop smiling!!

So, have you taken the plunge on this quilt, too?

Happy, happy stitching!

Sparkle Punch

2012-01-10T03:00:00.000-07:00

Promised myself I wasn't going to join a bunch of quilt alongs this year.
Want to know how long that promise lasted?
Yep, three days.
THREE WHOLE ENTIRE DAYS!
I've admired this quilt since it showed up on Elizabeth Hartman's blog, Oh, Fransson! on in mid-December. Well, more than admired it. Drooled over it. Obsessed over it. Gone back to look at it over and over again. January 3rd she announced it would be a quilt along. A quilt along!!
My poor brain was suddenly on overload! ...A quilt along, I don't need another quilt along... I don't need another one...{banging head on desk!} I can't, I shouldn't, but oh how I want to......

I finally cut a deal with myself and decided that if I could make the quilt top from stash, I would do it. Well, it is not only from my stash, the stars will all be made from scraps, and very beloved scraps, at that! I have enough white Kona on hand for background, too!! All I need to purchase is backing fabric.

Here's my stack of 3.5 inch squares. There there are over 500 of them; a 7 inch tall stack! The cutting went surprisingly quickly. I have more star sets than I actually need, and I intend to use the extras to make a baby quilt.

Here you can see a peek of all the pretty dots and houndstooth prints! I am very excited about this quilt! In fact, I can hardly wait!!

Hope there is fabric excitement at your house!

Made In Cherry Quilt Along

2012-01-06T03:00:00.000-07:00

Good Morning, bloggy friends! It is a beautiful day here in southern Arizona. Unseasonably warm, but with the temperatures hovering near 70, no one is complaining.

You might have noticed that cute little button on my sidebar for the Made In Cherry Quilt Along, hosted by the talented Chelsea of Pins and Bobbins.
I am SO EXCITED to make this quilt! When I saw the first post about it back in November and the little graphic, I thought, "A quilt along to make sawtooth star quilt blocks?" That didn't seem too interesting. Then I finally understood this is one GIANT sawtooth star made with Sarah Fielke's fabulous pattern! Yep, I'm all in! This quilt measures 80 X 80. If that size isn't right for you, Chelsea has been a busy bee and worked out the pattern for two alternate sizes, a giant sized 90 X 90 and a nice 60 x 60 lap quilt, too.

It only took about 5 minutes of searching my stash to choose fabrics.
I'm going to use Erin McMorris's Summersault line.

I scored this fabric from Fat Quarter Shop back in July at 40% off, and bought 15 yards of it in total. (and promptly forgot about it! Sheesh!) I have plenty of fabric to make this quilt, and I'll still have a stack left in the stash for the next time I need fabulous blue and lime prints for something special. I bought the fabric because I really love it, but had nothing in mind at all. Once I got it though, I knew it might be a bit challenging to use since several of the prints are directional, and I don't want the flowers on their sides or standing on their heads! This quilt along is a perfect project for these prints.

Choosing solids was tough! I knew I wanted a blue and a green. The Kona Color Card comes in so handy at these times! See all these blues? Yep, considered them all. Initially I planned to go with a deep, dark shade, but decided those were just too strong.

Choosing a green was easier, it couldn't be too light, too dark, or too blue.

Eventually I settled on Pacific and Cactus.

I bought the solids intending to put the blue on the front of the quilt, and using the green as the binding and on the pieced backing. Now that the green finally, finally arrived and I put it all out on the table together, I am not so sure. I keep wondering if the blue will just be too much blue. I keep wondering if the contrast between the star and the background will be enough. Now I am in a quandary....

But at least it is a happy sort of quandary to be in, don't you think?

Happy Stitching!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-05T03:00:00.000-07:00

Hello There! Happy 2012 to you all!
It feels kinda late to say that, although the New Year is less than a week old. I hope you all have a beautiful and blessed year. At this point the new year is full of wonder, hopes, dreams, and plans, large and small. I can't help but wonder what joys and sorrow will come our way. It is very exciting...and a teeny bit scary, too! =)

I do know that my 2012 will be filled with as much sewing as I can squeeze in! I am finally, finally back in my sewing room as of Tuesday. I hadn't touched my darling sewing machine since Dec. 21st, and oh how I missed it! I knocked out two bee blocks on Tuesday, and did something on Wednesday I'll tell you about later on.

Let's start the year off with some pretty fabric. Yes? YES!
Remember the blog hop with the Moda designers that happened in December? Well, I won a giveaway that week! Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts gave away a finishing kit with prints from her Indian Summer line, and it now lives at my house! I was so surprised! I am a fan of her work, and one of her quilts from her book Friendship Strips and Scraps is on my desperate-to-do-make list this year.

Isn't it pretty? As you can see, it is a step away from the style and colors I usually use, but I like it very much. She sent 2 yards of the brown floral, and a yard each of the companion prints.

The feature print is very nice. I love the details in the flowers, and that is one happy little birdie.

Now I had a finishing kit, but nothing to finish... so that meant a little bit of shopping. Indian Summer has been out for a while, so it took a bit of internet searching to find a fat quarter bundle. A shout of Yipeee! could be heard when I not only found one, but it was on clearance sale!! It arrived just after Christmas, so it felt like a present!

Here are a few photos of the fat quarters, because, yes, I was brave and untied the bundle.

Isn't this a great little print? Can you tell what it is?

It's little bugs! Aren't they fun?

Here are the brown fat quarters and the pink ones.

And the neutrals, two that are a grayish green and the blues.

I do have something in mind for this fabric, something very traditional, but I need to pick up some neutral fabrics before I can begin. And who knows? I may change my mind about what I am going to make another 6 times by then!

That is part of the joy of fabric! So many possibilities!

Hope you day is full of happiness and stitching!

Super Heroes!

2011-12-30T03:00:00.000-07:00

Here's another secret project I've kept under wraps for quite a long time. This quilt has a story.

The Versus Quilt
Finished size 55 X 74

As most of you probably know already, my husband is a soldier. He has served over 28 years in the US Army. Right now he is a Warrant Office Basic Course Instructor. Part of the training the new Warrant Officers are given is Resiliency Training, which is about how to deal with life's challenges in a military environment, and how to overcome those challenges with the right attitude and problem solving skills. HUSBAND's good friend and co-worker, Dan uses two superheroes, Superman and Batman, to illustrate these skills for the students. Dan is a big comic book fan and has an extensive collection of books and memorabilia. Each class of students is asked, "If Superman and Batman get in a fight, who will win?" The class goes through a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of each Hero to determine who would win the epic battle. The students must explain their reasoning and support all their opinions. (Gee, just like school everywhere, huh?) HUSBAND and I made this quilt for Dan as a tribute to their friendship and his innovative training of this principle.

And now the back story....

HUSBAND and I were in a quilt shop early in the year and he spotted a display of SuperHero fabric. As soon as he saw it, he said, "You know what this reminds me of?" As soon as he told me, I instantly had the basic idea for the quilt design. And the rest is history! We picked out several prints of each collection, buying a half yard of each one, and a couple yards of two prints for the backing.

We made a rough sketch when we got home.

Then we took graph paper and plotted out where each print would go, and the measurements.

HUSBAND was deeply involved in the entire process of this quilt, from picking out the prints, plotting out the design, cutting the fabric, pressing, and even doing some of the sewing.

Yes, that is a robe he is wearing. We were quilting in pj's that morning!

He used the sewing machine a little bit, but quickly discovered he just couldn't do it. He had a cervical spine injury last year and he can't hold his head at the right angle to look at the presser foot through his bifocals without severe pain.

He made the letters for the "VS" so I could applique them down. HUSBAND also did some of the hand sewing of the binding. In fact, he did all of one of the long sides! He did a great job and used little bitty stitches.

As we put the quilt together, we stopped to measure, and to measure and to measure, and then we would double check and measure some more! And then, yes, more measuring! Most of the prints were fussy cut, and each side features three large framed images of the Hero. We cut all the pieces a little bit large and trimmed them down as we went because we were pretty worried about making mistakes and messing up the fabric so it couldn't be used.

Here's the Superman side:

And the Batman side:

In the end we did a pretty good job with the cutting. There was just one piece of fabric on the Batman side that needed to be recut because we got it w-a-y too small. It was a lot of fun seeing our rough idea turn into a finished quilt. There were many Y-seams in the construction, due to the way we arranged the prints, but those don't bother me, although they take a bit of extra time to do.

Making a quilt with my husband was an intersting experience, and I'd like to do it again. We did get a little cross with each other a couple times, but mostly we had fun and did a LOT of laughing and smiling.

Here's the back of quilt.

So, are you wondering who wins? Superman or Batman?

Over the time Dan has taught with the Superheroes, most of the classes determine Batman is the winner because he's more Resilient and Resourceful!

UPDATE: My Husband gave his friend the quilt on Wednesday. He was absolutely speechless! My husband says he has never, ever seen Dan at a loss for words.

Happy Stitching!

Linking up with Sarah of Confessions of a Fabric Addict

for Can I get a Whoop Whoop? Friday

Link!

The Zig Zag Quilt Finished!

2011-12-29T03:00:00.000-07:00

My Zig Zag Quilt is finished, and has been for quite a long time.
I've shown several photos on the blog of the construction phase, and of the finished quilt top. Here is a photo of the front of the finished quilt. It was made during the A Zig and A Zag Quilt Along that Angela of Cut to Pieces held several months ago.

I sent it out to the long arm quilter because it was too large for me to handle quilting it. She quilted it with a pattern of swirls and stars, and quite heavily. The quilt should be nice and sturdy, and the quilting gave it a very nice texture.

What I never showed you here was the back of the quilt.....
From a distance it just looks like a busy, busy mess, but when you look closer--

You can see the pattern!

Yes, this quilt is for SON! He's our Wildcat!
A couple months ago SON commented that I've never made a quilt for him. Wow! I had to bite my tongue, because the Zig Zag quilt has been in the works for months! Merry Christmas, my dear boy!

Mr Murphy was keeping an eye on the photo session!
We were so SO COLD last week, and today we had the windows open for a couple hours. Crazy winter we are having!

What My S-I-L Made for Me!

2011-12-27T03:00:00.000-07:00

Over the years, my Sister-In-Law has become my dear friend. I wish we didn't live so far from each other, so I look forward to the times we can get together. Yesterday I showed you the sewing room accessories I made for my Sister-In-Law for Christmas.
Today, I'd like to show you what she made for me.
We were on the same wavelength, don't you think?

Isn't it wonderful? I just love the fabrics she used, and everything is just perfect! Here are some closer looks. Her Cathedral Windows are just perfect. I love how each print is framed and featured. This is a block I haven't had the courage to try myself yet.

This fabric basket is just darling! Two sides of the basket have zipper pockets.

The other two sides have little handles.

The inside is just loaded with pockets of all sizes. I can't wait to fill them all up!

I love the thread catcher and pincushion. Here you can see how it will look when I get my sewing room back and place it on my sewing table. (My sewing room is a guest room until after New Years, so no sewing for me right now!)

Thank you dear S-I-L! I love love LOVE my present, and I am so much looking forward to using it all next week!

Happy Stitching, everyone!

What the Best Dressed Sewing Machines are Wearing

2011-12-26T03:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a secret that I have been keeping for quite a long time. This is the gift I made for my dear Sister-In-Law for Christmas. I showed a peek at the fabric I used, Veranda by Amanda Murphy, and this little item a few weeks ago. Had several comments wondering what on earth fat quarters and shoe laces would make.

Well, it made this.

Still wondering what it is?

It is an iron cozy! When you go to a class with your iron, the iron is never totally cool when it is time to come home. (well, at least for me it is never cool!) Just pop the cozy on the warm iron and you don't need to worry about melting something, or about the sole plate getting scratched. There are several layers of batting and Insul-brite in the middle of that. And of course, the shoe lace is the drawstring!

Here are the other accessories I made.

A sewing machine mat, with pockets on the front, a sewing machine cover and a pincushion.
The sewing machine cover is from the Just Swell pattern by Thimble Blossoms. (available here, in pdf or paper format.) I made up the mat pattern after looking at all kind of examples from photos on flickr for inspiration. I repeated the zig zag motif on the mat and pincushion. The pincushion is filled with crushed walnut shells, which gives it a nice weight. It won't blow off the table like a fiber filled pincushion often does. I hope SISTER IN LAW likes it! Now I can't wait to make a machine cover for my machine, too!

Happy Stitching!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-19T16:13:00.002-07:00

SON is home from school, and DAUGHTER and her husband will be here on Thursday! Yipee! Now is the time for baking, candy making, gift wrapping, marathon games of Killer Bunnies and Pictionary, and lots of laughing and goofing off! I'm taking a blogging break until January. You'll see a couple posts next week that are already scheduled so I can show you the Christmas gifts that have been under wraps.

I hope you all have a lovely rest of December, full of peace and fun and time with people you love!

Who is the child in the swaddling clothes,

Lying asleep in a manger?

Mary and Joseph watch nearby.

Who is this little stranger?

Hush now, the child is the Son of God,

Jesus is quietly sleeping.

Shepherds have come to worship him;

Angels their watch are keeping.

Who is The Child?

words by Mabel Jones Baggott

music by Michael Finlinson Moody.

See you next year!

Giveaway Day Winner

2011-12-17T03:00:00.000-07:00

The Giveaway Day Winner #323--Tawny!

(PLEASE NOTE: the comment numbers only run 1 to 200, and then start back at 1. Although the number in front of Tawny's name is 123, it is actually comment 323.)

123

Tawny said...

Hi, I'm Tawny and I live in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. I'm heading to my favourite thrift store today, and doing laundry and possibly getting in the mood to make dinner (do you think I can trick my husband into ordering out?). :)

Wednesday, December 14, 2011 1:39:00 PM MST

Tawny won a gift certifcate for The Fat Quarter Shop!

Happy Shopping, Tawny! Please come back and tell me what you buy!

Yay! Yay! It's GIVEAWAY DAY!!

2011-12-12T04:00:00.000-07:00

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!
THANK YOU FOR ENTERING.
WINNER HAS ALREADY BEEN EMAILED, AND HER NAME
WILL BE POSTED TOMORROW.
--------------------
The day is here! The day all of quilting blogland goes totally crazy!

Giveaway Day is one of the best days of the year, isn't it? And this time we get an entire week of Giveaway Madness! Thank you, ladies of Sew, Mama, Sew! for organizing this!

Do you love the Fat Quarter Shop?

Then you'll love my giveaway!

It's a $25 Gift Certificate!

Do you want to win it?

Well, of course you do!

International readers, welcome! This giveaway is open to everyone!

Comments will close Friday, December 16th; I will email the winner immediately.

Winner's name will be posted on the blog Saturday, December 17th!

Here are the very simple RULES:

1. Leave me a comment--tell me these 2 things:

A. where you are

and

B. what you are doing today--

BESIDES entering giveaways! (seriously, don't even mention that!)

Oh, and please don't beg--no begging allowed! I know you want to win!

For example, if I was leaving a comment, I would say: "I'm Staci from Arizona and today I am cleaning bathrooms, listening to Christmas music and working on a few quilt blocks."

Tell me some interesting stuff, okay? I'll have hundreds to read! =)

2. Be sure there is a way for me to contact you. If you are set for no-reply, and do not include an email address I WILL DELETE YOUR ENTRY. NO EMAIL--NO VALID ENTRY.

I find about 10% of all entries get deleted--don't let yours be one of them!

Do you need to check your Blogger settings to see if you are a no-reply commenter?

Check out this tutorial: Jodi, of Pleasant Home, has wonderfully clear instructions!

That is it!

Normally, I try to answer all comments, but I know there will be hundreds for the giveaway--so I am not even going to try. I do promise, EVERY COMMENT will be read and enjoyed!

If you want/need to contact me, please feel free to email. theconfusedquilter(at)gmail(dot)com

Good Luck to Everyone!

FNSI Results

2011-12-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

Well, as you know, yesterday was Friday Night Sew In.

On Saturday we are supposed to show what we made.

Well, I took all of the this, Veranda fat quarters by Amanda Murphy,

And I did a lot of slicing and dicing, and made a whole bunch of these:

And this made an appearance:

And all that turned into ......

Well, that is as far as I can go! It's that time of year for keeping secrets! And if I go any further, I'll be spilling the beans because certain family members read my blog....

All will be revealed on my blog on December 26th!

Happy Stitching!

Fabulous Friday Finish!

2011-12-09T03:00:00.000-07:00

My Christmas Tree Skirt is finished! Yipeeeee!

Sister-In-Law and I started these months ago. We picked out all the fabrics in May, got together to sew the skirts in late July, then mailed them off to the long arm quilter and waited impatiently for their return. We spent time together last month getting the scalloped binding attached Both of us finished hand sewing the binding down and attaching the ties and embellishments this week.

Here's the details, because I know someone will ask! =) The background fabric is from Lakehouse DryGoods, half of the red and green prints are from Ready, Set, Snow! by Me & My Sister for Moda. The rest are an assortment collected from several quilt shops. The pattern is called "Oh, Joyful" Tree Skirt from Carol of Mamacjt.

This skirt is for our small tree. It's 7.5 feet tall, but it is a skinny one. All the Hallmark ornaments we've collected over 30 years are hanging on it.

Here are some close up photos.

The long arm quilter did a little tree shape in each of the trees.

She did fun swirls and holly leaves all over the rest of the skirts.

I think the quilting is just perfect! I love seeing the magic the long arm quilter can make!

We used these darling ribbon flowers to top off each tree. These are actually scrapbooking embellishments from Bazzill Basics. Both SIL and I had star shaped buttons in mind when we started hunting for things to top the trees, but that proved impossible to find. These little flowers look pretty cute, don't they?

So, you might be wondering.....
why does my skirt only have 6 flowers when there are 8 trees???

Well, here's the simple answer....

I CAN'T COUNT!!

You see, the day I bought the flowers I would have sworn there were only 6 trees...

I ordered more flowers online, but it will be next week before they arrive, and I wanted to start using the skirt now, so, pretend all 8 trees have a flower, okay??

SIL sent me a camera photo of her tree wearing it's new skirt. Looks pretty cute, doesn't it?

We also have a large Christmas tree. This is the tree that had disaster, aka Miss Daisy Doodles, strike last year. Click here to have a look if you'd like a good laugh! We sincerely hope to have no repeats of that incident!! This tree will get a new skirt next year. I already have the pattern, and know just what I'll make.

Well, that's it for today!
I hope your day is filled with all the things you love!
Happy Stitching!

P.S.
Murphy approves!

Linking up to Sarah's fun Friday event:

Can I get a Whoop Whoop?

Did You See It?

2011-12-08T07:47:00.001-07:00

Did you see it yet?
The Pantone color of the year for 2012 is
Tangerine Tango!
Yay for Orange! My love of vibrant colors is no surprise to my readers, is it? And I do love Orange. So much so, I started a bee on flickr called Orange You Glad Bee. Lovely group of Orange Loving Ladies in that bee! I expect they are all clapping with me!

Tangerine Tango has lots of friends. I actually like all the colors this time, which was a big surprise!

Tell me, please, how do you feel about Tangerine Tango? Love it? Hate it? Indifferent? Do you like the other colors? Which one is your favorite? Which colors do you see yourself using for quilting? For home decorating? For clothing? For cosmetics?

Enquiring minds want to know!

p.s. Want to see more? click HERE.

Catching up on the FQSQA

2011-12-06T03:00:00.000-07:00

I got behind on the Fat Quarter Stars Quilt Along, so it's been catch up time. It is a good thing I'm getting caught up since block #6 will post today!!
Block #4 is called the Fiesta Star and was designed by Pam Lincoln, aka Mama Spark.
There are 57 pieces in this block! I like the block very much, it is beautiful, but I was so focused on finishing and finishing it fast, I didn't give it the attention it deserved. There are all kinds off things about it. I keep thinking I should do it over, but I know the longer I leave it alone the less likely I am to actually do it over. And unless you are looking at it from pretty close up, you don't see troubles. When it is on the design wall across the room it looks fine. I'm making two quilts with this quilt along. This version is made with Breakfast at Tiffany's by Fig Tree.

This version is Wildflowers by Heather Mulder Peterson.

Here's block #5 from Machelle Peterson of Cherry Tree Cottage Quilts. She calls it Strawberry Fields Star. It was fast and fun to put together, and I like it very much. This is the Breakfast at Tiffany's version of the block.

And, this is the Wildflowers block. It is another Bluebird of Happiness block! I love that little birdie, and I think I'll be trying to work it in as many blocks as I can.

Are you a fan of the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks publications? I just love them, and find them to be such treasure troves for bees and swaps. When Volume 4 came out I immediately started searching for it every time I was in a shop that sold magazines, but I didn't have any luck finding it. During the blog hop for the launch of Volume 4 I entered about three of the giveaways, but I was really busy and never made it to the end of the hop. Well, imagine how surprised I was when I received an email from Meg Hawkey at Crab Apple Hill Studio telling me I had won a copy! Thank you, Thank you!

I was doing the happy dance all over my sewing room! I was dancing again when Volume 4 arrived at my house. This is the block Meg designed, and I really love it! It is one of my favorites in the entire issue. The combination of the dresden plate flower and embroidery really speaks to me. I love this so much I am planning to make a table topper with this in the center. But for NEXT Christmas....there is no way I'll get it done for this Christmas!!

Are you a busy elf during this holiday season? Are you sewing fast right about now? I am! Lots of fun things, but most of them I won't be able to show you until the week after Christmas or I'll spoil the surprises!

Happy Stitching!

My Very Late Bee Block is a Fabulous Friday Finish!

2011-12-02T03:00:00.000-07:00

Hi There! I hope you are having a happy December day.
I am very very happy, because I finally finished my very late Bee block. It was due to go in the mail by November 15th, so I'm 17 days late! Ouch!!
Elizabeth, aka Quilty Girl2, made up this photo mosaic and asked us to create a block based on the quilts on a clothesline idea. Well, this one really threw me! I spent ages obsessing over the block and what to do, what to do. When others in the bee started putting up photos of the blocks they had made, my confidence sunk even further. I know a bee isn't a competition, and believe me, the quilters in this group are really good, so if it were a competition, I'd come in dead last, but no one wants to make a block that ends up in the trash, or even worse, on the back... I didn't feel I could do it and nearly resigned from the bee over it.
Finally, I decided it was time to put on my big girl panties and figure out a way I could make this block. I settled on embroidery, with a small pieced quilt appliqued on the block. I spent a couple days drawing out ideas, and looking for inspiration.

The quilt block will finish at 14 inches square. My little mini quilt is about 3-5/8 inches square. The background fabric is Kona Snow. Elizabeth asked for a quilt block with a summery feel, so I embroidered trees all leafed out, and made the grass green.
A couple little creatures have come out to see the new quilt on the line. Snail is making his way up the tree for a better look, and bunny stood up on her hind legs for the best possible view.

The fabrics for the mini quilt came from my 30's stash. It's the only fabric I have with really small prints! I enjoyed making the tiny quilt. Something this small really makes you look at fabric a whole different way. The tiny white inner border is a peeper border, so it was really easy.

The motifs are adapted from the wonderful book, "Doodle Stitching: The Motif Collection" by Aimee Ray. This book has over 400 motifs, and comes with a cd. It is easy to choose your motif from the book, open up the cd on the computer, find the image and then resize it for your project. I used DMC floss, and most of the embroidery was done with all 6 strands of the floss. Split stitch and back stitch were used, and a tiny bit of stem stitch on the snail shell, and of course, french knots for the eyes.

The embroidery took a long time; I've never ever put this kind of time into a bee block, but I enjoyed doing it, once I finally got going. I'm already thinking about what I can embroider next!

I highly recommend both of Aimee Ray's books, Doodle Stitching: Fresh & Fun Embroidery for Beginners, and Doodle Stitching: The Motif Collection. If you are a new stitcher, or even an experienced one, I think you would enjoy the fresh, fun images Aimee has created. I think I'll be giving a couple people I know this book for Christmas........hmmmm............wonder who????

Happy Stitching Everyone!

Linking up to

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?

A Finished Quilt Top!

2011-11-30T14:53:00.001-07:00

This morning I finished a quilt top!

It is a teeny tiny quilt top!

It is part of something larger. I'm hoping to show you the rest of it on Friday. It just all depends on how much time I can carve out to work on it. You know how that goes, right??

Hope your are finding time for a bit of sewing.

Happy Stitching!

Blocks are Coming Home!

2011-11-29T03:00:00.000-07:00

November is my hostess month for two bees. Three Flyfoot Blocks made by the members of Let's Bee Together have arrived. This one was made by Shannon, who blogs at Nunu's Quilt World.

Linda from Stray Stitches made this one!

And this one came from Ann, the Renegade Quilter.

The Bee Unique. . . Bee Knotty Girls have been making blocks for me, too.

This one came from Nancy, aka Queen Peach. I specifically sent her peachy colored fabric.

Joan, aka CaliQuilter, made this sunny yellow block for me!

Each day I am eagerly waiting for the mail to arrive!

Thanks, Ladies! I love the blocks you have made for me!

Happy Stitching =)

The Traveling Stash Has Traveled!

2011-11-28T03:00:00.000-07:00

The Traveling Stash left my hands on Friday!
As you know, I split the stash so I could add more fabric. I planned to put it in two medium sized flat rate boxes, but you know what?? It wouldn't fit! Had to go with two LARGE Flat Rate boxes!

One box is headed for Kelly, who blogs at kelbysews.
The other is heading for Phyllis, who blogs at phillysblarney.
I was so surprised when I saw Phillys address! She's practically my neighbor!
She just lives about 40 minutes north of me! And, want to hear another crazy thing?
Phyllis is distantly related to my husband, although they have never met.
How is that for a small, small world?

Start looking for Traveling Stash Giveaways on these blogs in a few days!

Happy Stitching!

Fabulous Friday Finish!

2011-11-25T03:00:00.000-07:00

This quilt was made for SISTER-IN-LAW's husband for his birthday. Yes, that makes the quilt recipient HUSBAND'S Brother-in-law. Let's call the recipient B-I-L for the sake of this post. Wow, these family relationships get all complicated when you are writing them out! Anyway, a year ago HUSBAND and I and SISTER-IN-LAW and B-I-L all went to dinner, and of course SISTER-IN-LAW and I were talking quilts and totally ignoring the men. B-I-L piped up and said a good quilt would be one that was made from denim squares and outer space squares. Well, my mind began to turn, and I promised B-I-L I'd make him a birthday quilt.

This is not the quilt I planned to make, but I think it turned out pretty well. B-I-L really wanted classic Star Wars or Star Trek fabric. I could not find any! I hunted for months and months! There is a lot of Star Wars Clone Wars, and Star Trek, but the new Star Trek. I finally gave up and found quilting prints with constellations, nebulas and planets. SISTER-IN-LAW collected up old jeans from her four children, as well as one pair of her own, and her husband's, and I cut the jeans apart to include a pocket and parts of the back of each pair. Well, of 5 of the 6 pairs. Their son contributed a single pocket! His worn out jeans were REALLY REALLY worn right out! I raw edge appliqued the jean sections to 14 inch denim squares. At this point I was stuck for a few weeks, and couldn't decide how to proceed. Finally, I decided to go raggedy edge. The backing fabric is a mottled red tonal flannel, and I realize I never took a photo of the back, but it was just a big red square and not too interesting to look at anyway!

Finished quilt is about 72 inches square.

B-I-L was really tickled with his quilt! I wish you could have seen the big smile on his face! And he immediately did just what I knew he would do--he started sticking things in the pockets! He's an engineer, after all! Pens, cell phone, notebook! The next morning when I saw B-I-L the first thing he said was, "I slept under the STARS last night!" HUSBAND says, "Oh, yeah? Where did you do that? In the backyard?" I had a giggle and said, "No, he slept under his birthday quilt!"

Here are close ups of the pockets:

This quilt was fun to make. I've rarely made something this personalized, and it was a nice experience.

Happy Stitching!

Linking up to CAN I GET A WHOOP WHOOP?

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T04:16:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to wish all my US readers a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Yay!! SON comes home from the university this afternoon, and I expect he'll bring Mt. Laundry with him. I don't mind a bit. If the laundry is here, he's here, and that is just perfect! HUSBAND is looking forward to his time off this weekend as well. He's a great help in the kitchen, in between watching football games with SON.

Like so many of you, I'll be busy cooking, cooking and cooking a bit more for the next couple days. I even suspect there will be an awful lot of eating, too! Every year I study recipes and menu ideas for weeks leading up to Turkey Day, and every year I still make pretty much the same dinner. I swear I'm going to try something new, going to make a smaller meal, but then someone will throw back his head and yowl about not getting a favorite dish. Thanksgiving is definitely the most tradition bound meal of the year!

The only totally new thing on our table will be a pie. SON has decided he wants a "fluffy, mousse-y sort of chocolate pie." I spent a couple days studying up on chocolate mousse pies, and will be combining three recipes to make my version. I hope it makes SON happy & doesn't fall short of expectations! There will be a pumpkin pie, too. I'm actually trying a new recipe I found on the King Arthur Flour Company website for that, but in the end, it is still pumpkin pie. (BTW, if you like to bake, this site is a gold mine of free recipes!)

Here's my questions to you, is your Thanksgiving dinner the same every year?
Do you change it up?
Are you making something new this year?
What's your favorite thing on the table at Thanksgiving?

I'll be back here on Friday! I actually have a finished quilt to show you, if I can just get the photos edited.....

Have a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving!

Traveling Stash Winners!

2011-11-22T05:25:00.001-07:00

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway for the Traveling Stash!

As you know, I'm splitting the Traveling Stash into two boxes, so today we have two winners! I guess 7 really is a lucky number today, as the random number generator gave us 17 and 27!

Congratulations, Kelly and phillysblarney!

Kelly said...

This is such a fun idea!!! My 2 year old jumping from the ottoman to the couch is making me smile today--he's just so proud he can do it! :)

and

phillysblarney said...

I would love to participate. My sister is at my home and we are quilting away having so much fun. My most important source of happiness is my dear husband.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011 7:54:00 PM MST

Update on the Traveling Stash

2011-11-17T14:50:00.001-07:00

It occurs to me that maybe some of you don't know the story of the Traveling Stash. It was the bright idea of Nan from Pots and Pins. Would you like to hear it? Click here to visit her blog post about it.

I spent an hour or so going through my sewing room drawers and closets and pulling out some things I just don't need. Guess what I'll be doing with those things? Today I thought I'd show you some of what I'm putting in the Traveling Stash.

At least a couple books will go in. Patterns, too, but I haven't sorted those out yet.

And how about this stack of fabric? Every bit of it either came from a quilt shop or Connecting Threads, so it is all nice quality. A few pieces are remnants, but most are at least fat quarter sized, many are 1/2 yard pieces, and a couple pieces are a yard or more. All kinds of colors, all kinds of styles.
I do see I have a small problem with this stack of fabric....

There is no way it will fit in this box with all the things that are already in it....

Guess you know what I'll have to do.
Yep, time to split the box!
I'll be sending out two medium sized flat rate boxes.
That means two winners!

If you haven't entered for the Traveling Stash, please click here!
Remember, to win you must be:
1. an active blogger
2. a US resident
and
3. You must promise to fill the box back up after you have taken out what you'd like to keep!

Good Luck! There are some great things in this box!

Traveling Stash Giveaway!

2011-11-16T08:22:00.001-07:00

This Giveaway is NOW CLOSED!

The Traveling Stash recently arrived at my house!
Even Miss Daisy Doodles knows this is a special box!
This box is FULL! Seriously, I don't know how Linda got it sealed up!

Want to see what's in it? Do ya? Do ya REALLY?? Okay, okay! I'll open it up!
I'll start by showing you what I took out of the stash.
This is a half yard of Authentic canvas, a remnant of a Fig Tree Print and part of an American Jane panel and two quilting books.

Now let me show you just some of the goodies still in the box!
Do you need a new pattern? There are about 30 in this box!

Need a notion? There are a few of those, too!

Feeling seasonal? How about an entire set of patterns for little mini quilts? I debated for days about keeping these, they are so cute!

Need a little something for a Christmas project? There's fabric, and a couple patterns. The pattern with the angel is a darling little advent calendar! (That striped piece and the red one with white poinsettias are BIG cuts!)

There are more things in the box, but I'm not going to show it all to you, that way the winner will have some surprises!

What am I going to put in the box?? Well........I'll show you later........but it will be some fun stuff! A book, maybe a couple more patterns, a bit of fabric.... hmmmmm

Would you like the stash to arrive at your door?

Here are the RULES!
1. You must be an ACTIVE BLOGGER!
2. You must be a US RESIDENT!
3. You must have an email address attached to your comment!
4. You must promise to fill the box back up with nice things, quilt shop quality fabric, gently used patterns and the like.
5. Leave me a comment! Tell me what is making you smile today! I love love happy comments!

This giveaway will close on Monday, November 21st.

Good Luck to you all!

PS --Want another chance to win??
Shannon of Nunu's Quilt World has the other Traveling Stash box! Visit her blog and enter her giveaway!

A Thought for Sunday

2011-11-13T08:20:00.001-07:00

Prayer

I know not by what method rare,

But this I know, God answers prayer.

I know that He has given His word

That tells me prayer is always heard

And will be answered, soon or late,

And so I pray and calmly wait.

I know not if the blessing sought

Will come just in the way I thought,

But leave my prayers with Him alone,

Whose ways are wiser than my own--

Assured that He will grant my quest,

Or send some answer far more blessed.

--by Eliza M. Hickok
The Best Loved Religious Poems, New York: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1933, p. 160.)

As I've mentioned before, I'm giving my house a very thorough fall cleaning, every drawer, cupboard and closet, every surface in my house. As I was going through things in my nightstand, I found this poem. When we lived in England, a dear friend brought it to my house at a time when I was struggling under the weight of many troubles. I am glad to find it now, both for the comfort of the poem itself, and for the opportunity it gave me to think about a lovely woman who went out of her way to bring it to me.

A Little Crazy

2011-11-11T05:21:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I think we quilters are a little crazy. Seriously, we take perfectly lovely fabric and cut it to bits. Big bits and little bits. I did that this week. I spent two days cutting little bits. Lots and lots of little bits. There are approximately 800 bits in this pile.
I was really tired of little bits when I was finished.

Any why was I cutting little bits?

Well, it is that time! Time for me to play hostess for Bee Unique, Bee Knotty.

In other news around my sewing room, the Traveling Stash arrived! I won it from Linda at Stray Stitches. I wonder if it smells like little doggies because my Daisy was even more interested in this box than usual. I'll show you what I took out of the box on Monday, and we'll start a giveaway to see where the Stash will Travel next!

-----------------------------

I woke up very early this morning, and have spent much of this dark and quiet hour thinking of the servicemen in my family. Most of you know my husband is an Active Duty soldier and has been serving in the US Army for over 28 years now. My Father, my Brother, my Brother-in-Law, and my Son-in-Law have all served our nation. In fact, I am descended from a long line of men who have served, all the way back to through Vietnam, both World Wars, the Civil War, the War of 1812, and the Revolutionary War. Today is a day for Remembrance, and for Gratitude, to all those who have served our country, and to Our Dear God.

May We Be Blessed With Peace, it is our Prayer today, and every day.

Accomplishment...

2011-11-09T07:42:00.005-07:00

It may sound a little odd, but this sight always gives me a huge feeling of accomplishment!

How about you?

Happy stitching!

November Bee Blocks

2011-11-03T03:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is that time again, another Bee Block Show and Tell! I wanted to get my blocks made early this month, because things will get busier and busier as the month goes along.
For Bee Unique, Bee Knotty we're making blocks for two bee members this month. We made one block for Terrie using her darling snowman fabrics. She let us choose our own block, and I went with a simple Ohio Star. I love her green fabric, it looks like falling snow.

The other block we are making is a rather complicated thing with embroidery and applique, and I am still fighting with it, so I'll show you that one later on.

For Orange You Glad Bee, Hive A , we are making blocks for Jodi, who blogs at Sisters in Stitches. She sent out Cosmo Cricket prints and asked for two Liberated Basket Blocks. These blocks were so much fun to make! Now, of course, I want to drop everything and make a liberated basket quilt. I added yo-yo's and a button to the one on the left, and bright green ric rac to the basket on the right.

In Orange You Glad, Hive B, we made blocks for Shanna, who blogs at Fiber of All Sorts. She sent out an assortment of orange prints and white Kona, and asked for blocks in the spirit of Denyse Schmidt's Drunk Love blocks. I did an angel block this month, as well as my own block, so I had quite a bit of fabric to play with.
The first block is from book 'Modern Blocks: 99 Quilt Blocks' and is called Pinball Machine. Mine is a slight variation because there wasn't enough of the dark orange fabric.

This one is from the same book and is called Little Square, Big Square. Again, it is a slight variation due to piecing fabric bits together to make it long enough.

Since I was having so much fun playing with Shanna's fabrics, I made a third block. I used just about every smidgeon of print fabric. This one is just an improv block I created. It reminds me of a window, with butterflies fluttering outside.

That's my Bee Block show and tell for now!

I'm still trying to get the binding hand sewn on my Zig Zag quilt. It is taking me a L O N G time to make my way around this twin sized quilt! I almost at the half way point now. Here it is all wadded up on the ironing board. If you look at the floor, you'll see bits of orange and white from the bee blocks. I need to vacuum!

See my iron there on the right? Well say goodbye! It died yesterday. It barely gets warm! Today I'll be hunting for a new one! Any recommendations?

What are you working on today?
I hope you are having a happy stitching day!

Sometimes You Win. . .

2011-11-02T06:07:00.000-07:00

Giveaways are crazy things!
I've held quite a few, and I've entered quite literally hundreds in the last couple years. When I first started reading blogs and entering giveaways, I didn't win anything at all for over a year. I've had a number of wins this year, and it always just comes as such a surprise! Last month I entered a giveaway offered by my sweet blogging friend, Karin, who blogs at Lovin' Life at the End of the Dirt Road. She was offering a copy of the new book, The Devil's Puzzle by Clare O'Donohue. I was so excited and surprised when Karin wrote and said I was the lucky winner! Let me tell you, I was doing the happy dance! Literally, happy dancing around my sewing room. It totally made my whole week! What a great prize, and it was coming from my friend, so that made it extra special. A chubby envelope arrived in my mail box a couple days ago, for a moment I was puzzled, then I read the return address! But as I held the envelope I was still puzzled. It felt pretty strange for a book! When I opened it up, look what I found! Karin made this darling embellished kitchen towel for me! Karin and I have spent months drooling over Terrain by Kate Spain, and Karin used Terrain fabrics on the towel, and personalized it by adding my name in bright orange. Wasn't that a sweet thing to do? Thank you, Karin! I love my fancy towel, and I am looking forward to reading my new book!

Yesterday brought me another surprise! As I was blog reading, I came to the LA Quilter's blog. I was in a hurry, I needed to get out the door and to the clinic for my allergy shots, but something caught my eye. 'Oh look at that," I thought to myself, "her giveaway winner spells her name like I do." Then I read the winning comment, "I love your kitty helping you sew! Too cute!' "Huh, seems like I said something about the kitty, too." And I clicked into the next blog on Google Reader. After a minute I went back to LA Quilter. I clicked where I saw "STACI", and guess where the link took me! Yep, right here! I couldn't believe it! I read the entire post on Vicky's blog again. Went back to the top and read it again. Went back to "STACI" and clicked again. Then I started jumping up and down and doing a happy dance! Yep, I won! I really did win! $50 gift certificate from Fat Quarter Shop! I'm totally stunned. Right now I have no idea what I will use it for, because Fat Quarter Shop has so many wonderful things, I become paralyzed with indecision just looking around the site for a few minutes. Thank you, Vicky! I am just thrilled with my prize. Once I finally make a choice and go shopping, I'll show the results right here.

Do you enter a lot of giveaways? What kind of goodies have you won? What are you longing to win? What kind of giveaways do you like the most?
I'd love to hear about it! Tell me in the comments!

Happy Stitching!

A Friendship Swap

2011-11-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

Orange You Glad Bee had a friendship swap in October. Today was the BIG REVEAL DAY! Everyone who participated had a really great time making secret gifts! It was a blind swap, so the person who made a gift for you was not the person for whom you made a gift.
First, I'd like to show you What I Made.
A funny thing happened in this swap, I was paired up with my real life best friend Aimee! I just couldn't believe it, and that also made it hard for me to keep my mouth shut and keep the secret! Aimee actually asked for an Autumn themed mug rug. I had all kinds of orange fabrics pulled out and was planning to make her a pieced log-cabin-ish pumpkin mug rug. Before I actually started on it, I went into the local Hallmark store to pick up a Christmas ornament and spotted this mug.

Aimee says this all the time! (I think it should be the official phrase of Army wives everywhere.) In spite of the fact that the colors and theme were not at all what she asked for, I brought the mug home and started hunting through my stash to find fabric that matched it.
I decided on a Dresden Plate for her mug rug. This is my first one, and it was much easier and more fun than I expected it to be. At first I planned to make a rectangle mug rug and just use a quarter of a plate. Well, that was so much fun to make, I changed my mind and planned to make a half plate. And then, you guessed it! I ended up making the entire plate and had a square mug rug at the end. I appliqued a capital "A" in the center.

Everyone added a little sweet treat to each gift, and these chocolates were picked for durability, 'cause it is still very, very WARM here. Autumn hasn't found southern Arizona yet, we're still running the A/C!

And even though this gift isn't remotely what she asked for, Aimee says she loves it! I hope that's true, but it might be because she loves the giver. . .

Let me show you what arrived in my mail box!
My gift was made by Sally, aka Grendleskin, and oh how I love it! I asked for a pincushion, and never would have dreamed I'd receive something so cute and clever. She added some yummy chocolaty treats, too! Chocolate drops and chocolate covered sunflower seeds. I've never had either one, so my hubby and I are looking forward to a treat later on.

Meet my darling scotty dog pincushion! The little bitty squares are 7/8 inch across!

Look at this--she pieced both sides of the doggie!

Isn't this the cutest thing? I never in a million years would have thought about making this pillow on such a small scale for a pincushion. Sally is so clever and imaginative.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!

This was my first experience swapping a hand made gift, and it was so much fun! I look forward to doing it again.

Happy Stitching!

Bloggers' Quilt Festival Entry

2011-10-28T10:19:00.001-07:00

Today I'd like to share my entry for the Blogger's Quilt Festival.

This is my Wonky Asterisk Quilt, which was finished in November 2010.

Wonky Asterisk Quilt, 42 in. X 42 in.

Every quilt is a journey. Some journeys are smooth sailing and others are miserable and filled with obstacles and disasters. This quilt journey was of the disastrous variety. In fact, it went in the trash can--twice! Eventually this disaster became one of my all time favorites quilts. I learned an awful lot along the way.

It all started with the fabric. You see, I am a fiend for polka dots, so when I scored these Twice the Charm Rolls of Crazy for Dots and Stripes on clearance sale I was ecstatic, but I couldn't figure out what with them. Twice the Charm is a very oddly sized pre-cut!

Along came Karen Griska's Asterisk Quilt Along. I loved the quilt she designed, and in spite of the fact that my fabric strips were not actually wide enough for the pattern, I went for it any way. Piecing the blocks was a challenge, all those bias edges and so much seam allowance bulk! Try as I might, I couldn't keep everything straight and even, and my little blocks ended up wildly crooked and all different sizes because I'd stretched all that bias. I had a real mess. My blocks looked nothing like the beauties that the other quilters were making. I was totally discouraged, and I tossed them in the sewing room trash can and walked away.

The next morning I pulled the blocks out of the trash can. I couldn't bring myself to toss them after all that work! I stuck them in a box so I didn't have to look at the ugly little things. They stayed in the box for a long time, but I couldn't stop thinking about them. One day I decided to trim the blocks to be all the same size, which ended up being a little over 4 inches. They were still all wildly wonky, but at least they were square! I still felt bad every time I looked at the blocks. I felt I had wasted the fabric and my time, and all I had was a big ugly mess. Yep, back in the trash can. After a couple days I rescued them again.

Now I was determined to make something out of them, and it was time to get creative. The quilt pattern had all the asterisks arranged in rows. Well, that didn't work with my wonky blocks. All it did was draw attention to the fact that my lines didn't even come close to matching up. I decided to add sashing strips in between each block, and between the rows to distract the eye. I struggled with layout ideas, and even had my blog readers vote on different ideas to help me decide what to do.

Now I had this 25.5 inch square, and no idea how to finish it off, and a determination not to spend another cent on it. I added a white inner border, and was clueless on how to make an outer border. Only small bits of the fabric was left from making the blocks. One day I grabbed them up and started cutting narrow strips. I tossed them in a plastic box and mixed them up.

Over many weeks I would pull out this box and sew strips together. It was rather tedious at first, but became more fun as the strip sets grew larger. My kitty Daisy was a big helper during this process. She would dig through the pile and toss certain pieces on the floor. She liked to watch them fall to the ground, then she would meow at me expectantly, waiting for me to pick them up so she could do it again. She had never had so much fun!

Eventually I had long strips, but the strips were not long enough for borders. Frustrated again, the project hit a stand still. Finally, I remembered I had four asterisk blocks that weren't used in the top, which became cornerstones, and suddenly I had a finished quilt top! On impulse, I tossed this quilt in with another quilt I was sending off to the long arm quilter, and I am so glad I did! Here are a couple close ups of the quilting.

The quilter did loopy quilting in the center, and quilted leaves on the border. When the quilt came back to me, I discovered an astonishing thing--I LOVE THIS QUILT! It was a long process, but I learned a lot. I learned that sometimes you need to put something away for a while, and come back to it with fresh eyes. I learned to think more creatively and follow my instincts and to trust my decisions. I learned to take my time.

I learned a quilt doesn't have to be perfect to be PERFECT!

I hope you enjoyed meeting my Wonky Asterisk Quilt! Be sure and visit all the Quilt Festival Entries, you'll be so inspired by the quilts and the stories!

Happy Stitching!

A Flyfoot Block Tutorial

2011-10-27T12:09:00.001-07:00

November is my month as Bee hostess for Let's Bee Together.
This little tutorial is for the block my bee group will be making for me, the Flyfoot Block.

Each bee envelope contains:
2 pieces of fabric, one solid and one print. Each person will get a different print.
2 sheets of Triangles on a Roll, one to use for my block, and the other for you to play with.
1 small piece of white solid ironed on some freezer paper--this is the signature block!

Since I am not sure if you've used Triangles on a roll, here is a little tutorial. I find it to be a fast and easy way to make a stack of perfect HST's with no marking or that fiddly trimming-down-to-size step.

Start by layering the fabric together with the print piece right side down. Pin the triangle paper on top of the stacked fabric, avoiding the dashed sewing lines.

The dashed lines are the sewing lines, and the solid lines are cutting lines.
Following the direction of arrows, stitch on all the sewing lines. It is important to stay right on that line. Don't try to sew too fast, as the presser foot can slip a little on the paper and you'll be sewing in strange places and then will need time with the seam ripper!
USE A VERY, VERY SHORT STITCH!
THIS IS VITAL FOR EASY REMOVAL OF THE PAPER!

Remove the pins. With the edge of the ruler on the cutting line, trim off the excess fabric on the two long sides first. Next, cut on all the vertical and horizontal lines. Last, cut the blocks apart on the diagonal lines.

Now it's time to remove the paper, which is kinda fun to do. Be gentle so you don't stretch the fabric or pull out the stitches! I find it works best to hold the triangle down at the corner with the seam allowance and remove the large section first. Then remove the paper in the seam allowance.

If any of the paper clings stubbornly to the stitches, use tweezers to pull it out.

Next, it is time to press. This block has a lot of seam allowance bulk, and the best way to deal with it is to press the seam allowances OPEN. Yes, I hear you groaning, it isn't my favorite thing to do either, but it really is important. I made this block with my fabric four times, each time changing the construction method slightly, and seam allowances open gave the very best results.

Although it is not strictly necessary, I would suggest you trim off all the little points. It will make the next sewing steps easier.

Arrange the HST's in rows, assemble each row. Again, the seam allowances should be pressed OPEN. Sew the rows together, and your finished!

The back will look like this:

Lastly, sign the signature block with your name and location, stick it in the envelope and send it back to me! That is it! You are finished!

And THANK YOU to all the members of Let's Bee Together Group A for helping me make a wonderful quilt! I appreciate your time and efforts very much!

Growing Trees

2011-10-26T07:39:00.002-07:00

Trees have been growing in my sewing room. The paper pieced kind of trees!
All the blocks for my little Hip Holiday quilt are finished now. Yay!! Several weeks ago I posted the first set of blocks, which had just one tree. Here they are again.

The second set of blocks has two trees! These have been finished for a couple weeks, but I never remembered to put them up on the blog.

And now the third set of blocks, with--you guessed it!--three trees. I finished these last night, but had to wait for daylight for photos.

This was a simple project, but the paper piecing is still freaking me out. I was doing better by the time I got to the end. Wasting less fabric, and I only had to pull out the seam ripper once on the last set of blocks. I love the perfection of paper piecing, but, for me at least, it sure is s-l-o-w! It took me 2 1/2 hours to make these three blocks, which includes cutting the fabrics.

I'll be cutting up these prints for the sashing and borders, and hopefully, you'll see a finished top in the near future. I don't make little quilts very often, and I guess I should. This has been a lot of fun.

Here's a funny experience I had last week in the grocery store.
The cashier had finished ringing up my purchases, and turns to me and says, "$95.14. Debit or Credit?"
I said, "Cash."
He looks at me, blinking in bewilderment, "Cash? CASH??"
"Yes, Cash." I said, nodding yes.
He continues to look baffled for a few seconds, then you could literally see the light bulb go off over his head. "OOOOoooo, CASH!!!"
I giggled all the way out to my car.

Hope you have lots to smile about today!
Happy Stitching!

Halloween Around My House. . . BOO!

2011-10-25T03:00:00.000-07:00

Southern Arizona has more than 300 days of sunshine a year.
So why is it when I need to take indoor photos the sun decides to hide from me?? Oh well

Before I was a quilter, I did other crafts. One of those was decorative painting. Today I'd like to show you my little Halloween things. I've group the majority of my decorations on the hutch in our kitchen where we can enjoy seeing them at meal times. My spider web runner is there, too.

I've always enjoyed these little nesting dolls. Back in my painting days I had several painting buddies. We used to get together a couple times a month and paint while our little ones were in pre-K and then Kindergarten. Good Grief! That is a LONG time ago! (That kindergartener t is 25 now!) I remember how many giggles this little project brought to the group as each person gave each piece a unique personality.

The happy ghost is a favorite of mine, too. I love the silly smile.

My daughter did this one when she was little. I was a her Girl Scout leader and we painted these at a troop meeting. She must have been about 9 years old. I loved being a Girl Scout leader, although I only had the opportunity to do it for just a couple years.

This is my very FAVORITE painted Halloween decoration! I had to take the photo on the kitchen table, although it actually hangs on the wall. We live in a house on a military base and all the walls are very white and painted with high gloss paint, so there is so much reflection it totally ruins the photos.

Here are close up photos of each section of the moon. The happy little frog and mouse are my buddies! She must be a kindly witch to give the mousie a treat!

I love the barn in the moonlight, and all the pumpkins.

And here is the leaves blowing off the trees, and then the haunted castle and the fluttering bats under the harvest moon.

At one time I had many dimensional fabric items such as stuffed jack o lanterns, pumpkins and fluttery ghost and flying bats, but over time they have become discolored and shabby looking. The only one left is is this scaredy cat door stop. My two real kitties aren't too sure what to think of this guy! Daisy feels the need to tackle it every so often. I wish I could catch a photo because it is pretty funny. She arches her back and fuzzes up her tail and everything.

Lastly, here's a photo of the living room. You can see my big Halloween quilt across the back of the couch. I'd like to hang it on the wall, but haven't found a hanger I like yet. One of my little runners is on the table, and it makes me smile every time I sit down in this room.

That's it! The end of the spooky stuff! I haven't put out the decorations in many, many years, but decided since I have made such fun quilts it would be a shame not to decorate.

Happy Halloween!

The Winner Is.. . .

2011-10-22T06:57:00.001-07:00

Thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway! I wish I had a prize for each one of you! I enjoyed all the happy comments so much. It is wonderful to stop and count our blessings, and I so enjoyed hearing about yours!

Welcome to all the new followers, too! I am surprised how much that number grew this week! I was hoping, fingers crossed and everything, to see 600, and as I write this post there are 626! Wowsers! Thank you!

The Winner of the Laura Gunn Poppy Collection 1/2 yard bundle

and the new book, Block Party is. . .

# 49--Lorri!
And here is her winning comment-

Lorri said...

I am a happy follower of yours. Thanks for the giveaway.

Monday, October 17, 2011 3:47:00 AM MST

Congratulations, Lorri!

Lorri--You have until 26 October to contact me. If I don't hear from you, another winner will be chosen on the 27th.

Happy Stitching, everyone!

My Week Full of Secrets!

2011-10-20T03:00:00.000-07:00

Looking for my giveaway? Click HERE!
_____________________________________________

It's been a week of secret keeping around my sewing room. You see, that certain gift giving time of year is coming around in a few weeks, and I'm doing my best to get ready for it! On Monday I spent several hours working on one certain thing for one special person. On Tuesday and Wednesday I worked on a different thing for a different special person, and finished it! Yipee! And now it is Thursday and it is time to turn my attention to another thing for yet another special person, and you guessed it, I can't tell you about or show any progress photos!! Why can't I tell you? Because certain people in my life read my blog. . . and I am glad they do. . . but it means I can't show you how I have spent my week.

I will show you some pretty, pretty fabric! And don't we all love to see pretty, pretty fabric? Yes!! I will tell you that a secret something made from this fabric will go to my dear SISTER-IN-LAW! I actually asked her to pick out the fabric, but she has no idea what I am going to do with it! So, Em, ready? This is the only peek you get before December 25th!! She chose Veranda by Amanda Murphy, and oh, this fabric is so pretty! She's been drooling over it since before it actually was released to the stores. The colors are so vibrant and the prints are fresh and fun. When I asked her if she preferred one colorway to the other, she said no, she loved them both, so I'll be figuring out how to mix the two fat quarter bundles into one harmonious mix! I am looking forward to playing with it over the next few weeks.

Veranda in the Garden Colorway

Veranda in the Terrace Colorway.

Last week I made my new blocks for the Fat Quarter Stars Quilt Along. It is a simple friendship star variation, and it went together quickly. I agonized much longer over fabric choices than I spent actually sewing up the blocks, and I keep thinking maybe I should have agonized a while longer. I'm not sure I made good choices this time. Once we have several more blocks made up for the quilt along, I'll have another look at this block and see how I feel about it, and if I want to do it over again.

Breakfast at Tiffany's Fabrics from Fig Tree

Wildflowers Fabrics by Heather Mulder Peterson

That's it for today! Soon I'll be able to show you some things that aren't secrets!
Hope you are having a lovely Thursday!
Happy Stitching!

Happy Strawberry Stars!

2011-10-18T03:00:00.000-07:00

Looking for my giveaway? Scroll down to the previous post!
__________________________________
Here's something I have neglected to show you before, my quilt top from the Happy Quilting Stars Quilt Along! The star blocks were finished up sometime ago, and here it is, ready to be quilted. I used a fat eighth bundle of Strawberry Fields by Fig Tree for the blocks, and the solid is Ivory Moda Bella.

I've decided this one will go off to the long arm quilter. It is really bigger than I feel I can handle myself, plus it will look much, MUCH better if I let Pat work her magic on it! I'll be spending time piecing backing today. I am rather frustrated about that, but it is my own fault! When I first started this quilt, I planned for it to have 25 blocks, and I bought backing based on a 25 block quilt. Well, this finished top has 30 blocks, plus it is going off to the long arm quilter, so the backing is not long enough. The berry print is what I bought for backing. Thank goodness I have a couple large pieces left over from the borders!

This will be pieced together to make backing.

What are you working on today?

Happy Stitching!

PS. Just for Anita, a peek at Mr. Fuzzy!

Mr. Fuzzy!

The Almost 600 Followers Giveaway!

2011-10-16T20:32:00.001-07:00

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!

For a while now I've been saying if that follower number ever hit 600 I'd do a little giveaway.

Well, it isn't quite there, but it is getting very close! So how about a giveaway now?

What is up for grabs, you ask?

FIVE half yard pieces of Laura Gunn's Poppy Collection and a copy of

'Block Party: The Modern Quilting Bee'.

Giveaway Prizes!

This fabric is truly beautiful! Laura Gunn is a gifted artist, and recently her work has been printed on quilting fabric from Michael Miller. Each print truly looks like painting, Laura's fabrics are all about rich, saturated color and texture. These half yards could be the basis of a beautiful quilt, fabulous throw pillows or maybe a stunning tote bag. You should go have a look at her blog, Paint in My Hair. She also creates patterns for quilts, bags, clothing and home decor items under the label "Poppy Patterns".

Poppy Collection by Laura Gunn for Michael Miller Fabrics.

Since I'm all about virtual quilting bees lately, I'm giving away a copy of this book! It is more than just a pattern book, it is the story of a virtual bee, the ladies who participated, and the wonderful modern quilts they created together. I enjoyed reading each quilter's perspective on the bee, and of course, spent ages admiring the photos.

Here's another shot of the feature print with the book next to the flowers.

I wanted you to get a real feel for the size of those blooms!

Would you like to win these goodies?

Well, here's the simple RULES:

1. Leave me a comment. Tell me what is making you happy today!
Serious about that--I love to read HAPPY comments! No begging, please!
2. Be sure there is a way for me to contact you! No contact information=No Entry!
All comments anonymous or no reply will be deleted

if contact information is not included.

3. Followers get an extra entry, just leave a separate comment.

I'll close the giveaway on Friday, 21 October, and the winner will be notified by email.

I'll post the winner's name on Saturday!

Good Luck!

PS. Not sure if you are No - Reply?
Check out this little tutorial from Jodi at Pleasant Home.