Saturday, March 31, 2012

Eeek! Blogger has a new format!!!!



Eeek!  Blogger has been offering up a new interface but I most politely declined by ignoring the nice little invitation showing up on the dashboard.  And then Blogger became most devious last evening by forcing the new interface upon me.  Good grief!  It certainly looks pretty and up to date and fancy and all that but  where the heck is the new post button!  Eeek!  I found it.  I will just have to cowgirl up and get used to it!

Husband and I were out and about this morning but thrift stores were more or less a bust.  I even overheard the worker bees saying that they had no new stock in the back.  They were tossing around ideas on how to entice more donations.  Come on people!  Clean out your unwanted crappola!  I did, however, find two lovely vintage sheets but I have not yet taken any photos of them.  I think they will both come in handy as potential quilt backs.

And finally, I did want to show you what happens when Aurifil thread grows up.  The big cone is HUMONGOUS and I am so happy to have such a GIANT cone of lovely white thread!!!!!  The spool on the right is the 1500 metre spool.  You know, the one I used to think was a large spool of Aurifil.

Happy March 31st!


Thursday, March 29, 2012

Finally Finished!


I finished this quilt top last fall.  I even had it sandwiched and ready to quilt last fall.  I knew that the very large size of this one at about 85" by 85" would have made it just about impossible on my old sewing machine so I set it aside.  One new sewing machine later and Card Tricks or Clovers using a Fig Tree pattern, is done.

I used a stack of fabric samples picked up at my fabulous local quilt shop's "buy the pound" sale last spring.  I am not sure what the fabric line is but it is pretty and girly in all sorts of shabby chic ways. Certainly a much more subdued colour palette than some of my other quilts!  I used a Moda Bella solid in snow for the background and the quilt is bound with a scrappy binding from the leftovers of the samples.  I  backed the quilt with an ivory white on white quilt backing that I actually bought at the thrift store of all places for less that $5 and there was more than enough to back this quilt.

I quilted it with straight lines on either sides of the block seams to start with and the same on the borders but then I decided that the "cards" in the blocks needed some quilting too.  I stippled the "cards" in the blocks being careful to only stipple on the print fabric.  It worked well!  It looks really cool from the back but because I used a light cream Aurifil 50 wt thread and it was a sunny day and because the back is ivory-white, you cannot see the quilting on the back in my photos.  Darn.

It feels really good to have this one done.   It was so bright and sunny that I actually have a little rainbow showing up from the camera lens in the bottom of the photos.  Oops.




Linking up with Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish it Up Friday and since this was totally made from my stash, including the backing, I will link up with Kati at her blog From the blue chair.   She has a Slash you Stash thing going on!

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

How about a little flea market fancy?


Oh, so pretty!  From Hawthorne Threads and The Fat Quarter Shop.  I got mostly half metre cuts but some longer ones too.  It is just so much fun!  I missed out on Flea Market Fancy the first time around as I had not started quilting again then.  I am just over the moon-happy to have this now and I am rubbing my hands together in glee, thinking about what I am going to do with it.

 I do have some of the first Flea Market Fancy.  My best score was when I found 1.5 metres of Yellow Posy at the thrift store.  Crazy!!!!!  Then Riel, who blogs at the Q and the U, sent me a couple fat quarters as a thank you for picking her up some of the DS line when that was released.  And then I found some of the Grey Bouquet at the thrift store, made into an atrocious, mostly orange pillow case. I must say that finding Flea Market Fancy at a thrift store is totally exciting for a fabric-aholic!

I am delighted to allow all my Flea Market Fancy to co-mingle in fabric happiness!

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Just a little iPad cozy...




 This is my second attempt at an iPad cozy.  More on that below.  I used some samples of some home decor weight fabric.  The pieces were not big enough on their own so I pieced them together.  I added some quilt batting for iPad protection but only quilted the flap.  Just because.  The cozy construction was very similar to a zippy pouch without a zipper.  I used hair ties for a closure with some vintage buttons for fun.  I lined the inside with a very soft thrifted purple sheet.  And I put a pocket on the back just in case I needed to tuck in the cord for recharging.  This is a funny picture that makes the cozy look out of square but it really isn't.  Trust me!  Too funny!



My iPad fits inside easily and is nice and happy to and from school.  It also looks nice and springy!  Very fashionable for the well-dressed iPad if I do say so myself.  The sheet was really the perfect colour match for the print on the front.

Now for full disclosure.  Below is my first attempt.  Also lovely fabric and made the same way except at first it was just a touch too small .  Heavy sigh!  I was not happy.  I decided to try to fix it.  I took out the lining and added a little gusset on either side then lined the whole thing again and we were good to go.  But it looks a little odd because the flap closure is too small.  Heavy sigh. And Husband gave me the look.  You know that look.   So I started over.  And now I have a spare just in case.  With velcro to close the flap rather than buttons.  And that is my full iPad, not happy, too small confession!  Keeping it real, folks!




I am going to link up with Fabric Tuesday at Quilt Story!

Monday, March 26, 2012

Festival of Scrappiness

Rachel at Stitched In Color is hosting the "Festival of Scrappiness!"  I have entered two of my quilts made from scraps.  My Wonky Scrappy Little Star quilt which I made in January.  I love it!

And I put my Granny square quilt top in too though I may be stretching it a bit.  While it is totally a scrap quilt, I have not sandwiched it yet.  I am not sure if it qualifies.  Eek!

Pop on over to Rachel's blog and check out all the fabulous scrappy projects.  If you have made a scrappy quilt, why don't you enter?  It just has to have been finished in 2012.  So exciting!

On the sewing front, I made a cover my new iPad.  Actually, I made 2.  The first one was an epic fail.  Really nicely constructed but about 1/2" too small.  I tried to fix it but then it just looked like I tried to fix it.  I tried again and I quite like the second attempt.   Photos tomorrow.  I am learning how to use my iPad and would appreciate any helpful hints from iPad users out there in blog land.  I need to know about some good apps!

Sunday, March 25, 2012

On The Design Barn Wall...


My bloggy friend Jan-Maree, who lives down under and blogs at Cherry Red Quilter asked some of us to help her out with a special project.  Jan-Maree is always working away on special projects.  Whether she is making quilts for flood victims, or making quilts and laundry bags for Aussie soldiers, she is always up to something.  She asked for some pinwheel blocks in fall colours.  This was more than doable even though I am happy celebrating all things spring, I do understand that Jan-Maree is welcoming the start of Australian Autumn.  Not only that, I know that the colour choices really do make sense for this particular project.  I pinned the blocks up on the barn wall yesterday and will get these in the mail early this week.  I can't wait to see this finished!

Other than that... I quilted the beast.  This is the card tricks quilt I finished way before Christmas.  This is the quilt that really made me think I needed a new sewing machine to handle quilting such a biggy.  The quilt measures about 82" by 82" and is made from a sample stack I bought last year.  The binding is scrappy too and I will get cracking on the hand sewing after dinner.




I will be back to work tomorrow.  Spring break is at an end.  Linking up with Judy's Design Wall Monday!  Have a look and see what everyone is up too!

Stay tuned for Rachel's Scrap Attack Linky Party this week too!

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Flea Market Finds on a Glorious Saturday!


We are having a fabulous, sunny spring day!  I attacked some more flower beds today.  I had great plans for quilting but we were hit with a power outage until after lunch so I had no choice!  I shouldn't complain too much about the flower beds since Husband had already done the brunt of the work by raking all the winter icky away some time ago.  I just had to hunt out the nasty grass and those evil lurking buttercups.

As for my thrifty treasures today, I found this cute little kitchen tin earlier in the week.  I am quite nutty about tins and have several different patterns of this type of kitchen tin but I have never seen this pattern.  And it was cheap at $2.  The little egg cup came home with me today.  One can never have enough egg cups especially with Easter just around the corner.




I found quite an assortment of sewing bits and pieces.  Some pearl cotton was in a bag of thread spools, including the wooden ones.  I actually opened the bag after paying and donated back a bunch of thread that I did not want and just brought home the wooden spools and the pearl cotton.  I think the cashier thought I was a bit odd.  She asked me several times if I was sure.  Tee hee hee!  I found the dish cloth cotton at the same place.  Brand spanking new.  The vintage rick tack and the buttons were too cute to pass up.  The hanky below was a steal at 50 cents and has a tiny sticker tag indicating that the hanky was embroidered by hand.



And that's it folks!  I will be linking up with Sophie's Flea Market Finds and maybe even Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday.  Garage sale signs are starting to pop up but I am holding out for some really great church sales.  They are just so much fun!

*And I took several of the photos on one of my vintage sheet quilts.  Just for fun!

Friday, March 23, 2012

Fabric Frenzy Friday...

Reunion by Sweetwater for Moda

I went to the big sewing and quilting trade show today.  What can I say????  How about Aurifil thread on sale?   That is enough to make for a happy day.  I decided to be economical and buy the super humongous 5900 metre cone of white Aurifil 50 wt.  That should do me for a few months!  It is HUGE!  I might have to take a picture for you.

I popped over to my fabulous local quilt shop's booth.  Actually I bee-lined it as soon as Mr. Security Guard took down the barricade.  I scooped the ENTIRE line of Reunion by Sweetwater for Moda samples.  Seriously!  The whole shebang!  I have explained how this works before but this shop sells off the samples twice a year "buy the pound".  It is like treasure hunting through stacks of fabric samples to find buried treasure!  I love it!  It totally fulfills my scrap-fest love!

More sample happiness



Then I found these lovelies at another vendors booth.  I think they are all Robert Kaufman fabrics.  Daisy and Dots, Chirp and some other pretties that I cannot recall.  MMM yummy.  $1.99 fat quarters and $6 a metre for yard goods.  I love fabric on sale!!!!!

A wonderful fabric Friday made even more special when a bunch of Flea Market Fancy arrived in the mailbox.  But I will show that off later.  Have a super happy day!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Grannies in the breeze...


It was a really lovely day today.  Not only did I get the top of my grannies all together but I declared war on the creeping buttercups encroaching on the flower beds.  Don't get me wrong, I love buttercups.  I just don't like them in the flower beds!

So here are the grannies out for a turn on the clothesline!  I think they are looking pretty spiffy.  I sashed the blocks in 2.5" strips and repeated the white sashing in the 2.5" square cornerstones.  The borders are 5" strips broken up by a little bit of pieced leftover granny squares.  I actually took some leftover squares and cut them down to 2" squares and then pieced them on point with some of the leftover setting triangles from the block construction. I needed to do that so they would fit in the 5" borders.   Have I just made this really complicated?  I hope not!  I still need to give the whole top a good press!  Woo hoo!  I think I can enter this in Stitched in Colour's Scrap Attack linky party next week.  Rachel says you can enter a finished quilt or a top.  It will be a complete festival of scrap-happiness!


I do so like this quilt!!!

I must say a big welcome to all my new followers!  Welcome, welcome! I also want to say how much fun it was to have Swoon on Quilt Story yesterday!  That was most exciting!

Have a super rest of your day!  I am off bright and early to a big quilting and sewing trade fair tomorrow morning!!!!!  I cannot wait!

Linking up with Amanda at Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish it up Friday!

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

My Swoon is featured today at Quilt Story!!!!!

I am absolutely delighted that Heather and Megan over at Quilt Story are featuring my Swoon quilt today!  Squeal!  I am just over the moon with glee.  Go on over and have a look see.  I am going to do just that!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

First Day of Spring!

Today is the first day of spring.  The weather is blustery with grey skies and lots of wind.  These itty bitty little daffodils did not seem to mind.  These little sweeties are less than 4" tall!



On the quilting front.  Granny Squares took over the design wall.  I had to spread out to the design drapes.  Yoiks!  I have made 30 of these pretties and am now ready to call it done.  I still have a mess of little scrappy squares though and I am debating whether these should become a scrappy pieced border.  Set on point.  Just thinking.  Haven't decided.  Just thinking.

I have to say that these squares make me VERY happy.  They shout happiness and delight when I look at them.  Can you hear them?


Have a super rest of your day!  Welcome spring!  I hope we start getting some springy weather.  The news is on and they are talking about the avalanche danger in the interior!  Good grief!

Monday, March 19, 2012

Design Wall Monday: Farmer's Wife Blocks altogether

Here they are!  111 little 6" blocks on the downstairs living room floor!  Made completely from scraps. I am so relieved to have this completed to this stage now I have to work on the sashing.  Decisions!  I am going with the on point layout and will still play with the blocks in terms of colour orientation.  I am lucky in that I can leave this on the floor for as long as I need  it to be there.  Webster, our dog, just avoids it and with just Husband and I rattling around the house, no one will mess with it.

What's on your design wall?  Linking up with Judy's Design Wall Monday!

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Farmer's Wife Blitz... the blocks are done!!!




I blitzed the last blocks yesterday.  Oh, my goodness!  I have to say, "PHEW!"  I don't even know what these ones are at this point.  I noticed that one of the blocks is actually a 6" granny square block but in the book, they use an assortment of colours not the patterned granny square.  I made the bottom one with the chickens and chicken wire scrap because I felt that the Farmer's Wife quilt needed to have a chicken.  The block is actually "Economy."  There are several blocks in the book which I did not make because I didn't really like them so I made duplicates in different fabrics of a few of them.  So I cheated.  He he he!  So what?

This morning I organized the blocks on the downstairs living room floor.  I was being a bit of a nutter and the on-point layout was too much for my early morning brain.  Husband was on the stationary bike and provided loud directions from his lofty position on the bike.  I couldn't have done it without him!  Stay tuned for the whole mess of blocks on the design floor tomorrow!

Now I just have to decide on the sashing and setting triangles.  ERG!  Oh!  It is spring break for me.  I'm off all week. Yippee!  We woke up to a winter wonderland instead of spring.

Yep, this morning.  March 18, 2012

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Flea Market Finds on St. Patrick's Day


Just a few little finds from a while ago.  All with a St. Patrick's Day theme.  The hanky is a thrifty find from Mum.  Irish linen no doubt, adorned with some shamrocks.  The pitcher was found at the same estate sale that I found my antique quilt for a dollar.  The pitcher was also a dollar.  It is quite lovely.  From Japan.  A bit of a treasure.  As far as I am concerned anyway.  Especially at the price.




Have a lovely St. Patrick's Day to you all!  Linking up with Sophie's Flea Market Finds and Apron Girl's Thrift Share Monday!!!!

Friday, March 16, 2012

Blogger Problem... but I fixed it!

I don't know if anyone else is experiencing this issue but something is was messed up with my follower gadget.  I had a strange message displayed instead.  I tried a number of things but after my mandatory time on the exercise bike before dinner, I had a small epiphany and I was able to fix the "issue."  All I had to do was go into my profile and make sure that my blog was listed in the profile along with the blog URL.  How odd.

On the subject of oddness.  My new iPad is on a world tour.  I have been tracking its progress around the world since March 9.

While it stalled in Louisville for a long time, it had a lovely burst of energy and managed to at least enter Canada. However, it is stalled once again.  And it has not sent me one postcard.  Sigh.  Maybe I will finally get to meet it on Monday.


Mount Hope, ON, Canada03/16/20124:00Arrival Scan
Buffalo, NY, United States03/16/20121:48Departure Scan
03/16/20120:01Arrival Scan
Louisville, KY, United States03/15/201214:51Departure Scan
Louisville, KY, United States03/10/20120:14Arrival Scan
Anchorage, AK, United States03/09/201214:26Departure Scan
03/09/201211:54Arrival Scan
Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong03/09/201220:08Departure Scan
Shenzhen, China03/09/201213:50Departure Scan
03/09/20124:44Origin Scan
China03/09/201223:02Order Processed: Ready for UPS

Thursday, March 15, 2012

An Interesting Project... and I really mean that.

Sample quilt block made with stuff in the stash

Daughter's special someone has a sister getting married.  This sister had an idea.  It's an idea that I have not heard of before.  She had this idea to have as many of her guests that were interested and able, to make a quilt block that would be put together as a quilt for her and her husband to be.  Kinda cool, yes?  A wedding quilt bee.  She needed a quilter though.  Daughter offered me.  So after some consultation on phone and email, colours were discussed.   Sample blocks made.  First colour ideas rejected.   Made new sample block with new colours.   Tutorial for non-quilters was written and the wedding quilt bee is underway.  What do you think?  I will let you know how it unfolds.  I am supposed to get all the blocks by the end of April so I can put the quilt together in good time for the wedding.

I decided on a simple block that had really straight forward cutting and stitching.  The colours fall into the wedding colours chosen by the bride.  The quilt will be displayed at the wedding.  Nice idea, huh?

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Farmer's Wife Blocks: week 41 (I think!)

Lots of blocks

Block #99 W.C.T.U  (what?)

Block # 74 Ribbons

Block # 38 Four Winds
Block #48 Homeward Bound

Block: Honey's Choice


Well, I got super busy with these little pesky blocks this weekend and I made a whack of them.  The end is so close, I can taste it!

I am well on my way to 111 blocks.  I think one more blitz next Saturday and I will be done!!!!  Then comes the task of sashing and arranging.  I am really wondering if I should stick with white or try something a little out of the box.  I was actually thinking of a yellow pin dot or something.  Nothing super whacky but different nonetheless.  All of these blocks were fine to put together.  There were just way too many little itty bitty triangles for my liking. 

In my ideal world, I would have this finished in time to enter it into Rachel's scrap attack linky party a the end of the month.  It would totally fit the bill since the whole shebang is made with bits and pieces of scrap-tacularness.

On a completely unrelated note, I am obsessed with tracking the shipment of my new iPad.  It has been parked in Louisville, Kentucky, of all places, since last Friday.  Get it moving, Apple!  Apparently they cannot allow people to have them before stores have them, so I wait.  Impatiently.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Ladies and Gentleman, We Have a Winner!!!


Thank you to all of you who stopped by to enter this little giveaway!  I am delighted to have followers.  I really am.  It was really interesting to hear about all the fabric you are wishing for.  It made me look some fabrics up to see the lovelies.  Without further ado.  The winner is.... Yippee!

Mr. Random Number picked comment number 4 and that is none other than Jan-Maree!!!!!!!!!  Jan-Maree lives all the way over in Australia but I will pop her an email and send out as soon as I can get myself to the post office!

Jan-Maree said "Congrats on 200! Now I am drooooooooling over your give away fabric - I should be heading out the door but I am entering your give away first!"







Monday, March 12, 2012

Design Wall Monday... Granny Squares!


Don't forget to enter my giveaway to celebrate 200 followers!  Open until Tuesday, March 13.  Good luck everyone!!!


I have been working away at more scrap busting.  Not only am I using scraps for the Farmer's Wife quilt along and I made my Wonky Scrappy Little Star quilt but now I am busting those scraps into Granny Square blocks.  I love these blocks!  They make me smile when I look at them up on the design wall.  Isn't that what a quilt should do?  Make you smile?  


This is a super easy block to make and it can be as scrappy as you like.  There are lots of great tutorials out there in blog land and Dana at the Old Red Barn  is hosting a granny square quilt along on Flicker.  


Have a super happy Monday.  Only one week until spring break for me.  Cannot wait!  And the spa day with my bestest card ladies was a blast.  My toes have never looked so lovely!  I almost had a quilting moment when asked to pick a polish colour.  I was thinking hmmmm, what would scrappy look like on toes??????


I am linking up with Judy's Design Wall Monday.  Do check out what all the quilty people are up to.  It is just so interesting!  

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Sunday Stash

Fun fat quarters... can you name them?

Really not coordinating roll ends... can you name these ones?

I am really getting a lot of sewing related fabric.  
I popped into my favourite and fabulous local quilt shop yesterday after the thrift stores failed to deliver.  I was looking to see if they had any scrap bags.  I just so love scrap bags.  No scrap bags but I did pick up a couple of roll ends and fat quarters were buy 2 get one free.  Yummy!

I am off to the spa with the card ladies this afternoon.  So seriously exciting.  We play Whist for money (not much money... not like we are wild gamblers!) and have saved all the money from the last year and a half and now we are going to blow a big chunk of it on the spa.  Wahoo!  Then dinner and cards afterwards.  I love my card ladies!  They are just the best!!!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway to celebrate 200 followers!  Open until Tuesday, March 13.  Good luck everyone!!!

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Saturday sewing...


Thrift stores were a bust today.  I have not had good luck lately at all.  (Scowly face)  I did, however get some sewing done today.  My Farmer's Wife blocks are piling up and the end is so close, I can taste it!!!  The pile numbers 100 blocks as of today and I am going to try to make a few more today.  Yippee!!!

I took this picture of one of the Farmer's Wife blocks in progress.  Just to show the absolute insanity of the little bits that these are made up of.  Good grief.  A bazillion and a half little triangles sewn into half a bazillion little squares which are then sewn together.  Who thought this up?  And what crazy quilters are doing this for fun?  Oh...  me.  He he he....

Don't forget to enter my giveaway to celebrate 200 followers!  Open until Tuesday, March 13.  Good luck everyone!!!



Friday, March 9, 2012

Thank Goodness It's Friday!

Flea Market Fancy –  NEW legacy reprint! the new collection
(from Denyse Schmidt's website)

A couple of things.   There is some serious fabric shopping going on around the globe as so many of us crazies (and I say that with fondness) try to get our paws on the legacy reprint of Flea Market Fancy.  Squeal!  Winging it's way to me as we speak is a lovely pile of fabric goodness from the Fat Quarter Shop!  Squeal!!!  

I was not able to get everything I hoped for as some of the line was already sold out and I have some of the original Flea Market Fancy so did not pick any repeats.  I am just so excited!  I cannot believe how quickly some online shops have sold out.  

And check out the modern mini winners over at Ellison Quilts!  Fabulous stuff!!!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway to celebrate 200 followers!  Open until Tuesday, March 13.  Good luck everyone!!!

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Farmer's Wife Quilt Along: Week 40

Block #64  Peace and Plenty

Block #  Strawberry Basket or Husband called it Fish on the Bank

Block #78 Shooting Star

Block # 62 Old Windmill


Week 40!  Amazing!  This week I made 4 blocks!  I can almost taste the finish line!  I used very similar colours for the shooting star block as they did in the book.  I did this on purpose because I really did not want to tax my brain anymore than I needed to as this block had all sorts of reversed pieces.  Anyway, I am perfectly content with it.  I fussy cut strawberries for the strawberry basket.  So cute!  And I put on my big girl pants and did the 2 blocks with many half square triangles.  Phew!  So I think I must be very close to 100 blocks and that means the countdown is really on to 111!!!!!!!

Husband likes to guess the names of the blocks when I made them.  As I love sharing (showing off) the blocks as I make them, he has become strangely creative with coming up with block names.  This is why the strawberry basket block is on its side not on point.  He says it should be called Fish on the Bank.  So silly.  But it does sort of look like that!

Other than farmer's wife blocks, don't forget to enter my giveaway to celebrate 200 followers!