UFOs & Block of the Months

I have a couple completed UFOs to share with you. The first one is at least a couple years old and it's made from 30's reproduction fabrics and kona black. The blocks are from a year long swap with Peggy and Robin. I'm ashamed to say, I had started quilting this one almost 2 years ago and for some reason, I stopped and never finished it until now. I liked the challenge of piecing this one and getting all the miscellaneous sizes to fit! I quilted meandering loops all over with black thread.

I'm also always happy to use leftovers on the back!

This is a Thimbleberries runner that I assembled back in November at retreat. In true Thimbleberries style, it's HUGEMONGOUS!! It could be used as a quilt for a skinny person in a pinch. :P It's really pretty though..the pattern and fabric are from the Thimbleberries Pines and Roses line.

I also did a pretty good job keeping up with my block of the months! Here is the March Banner from the Count on It book.

February Friend Sheep block...

and March, too!!

I'm a bit behind on my Snow Days block for February, but hopefully I'll catch up soon! I've had lots of binding to do lately! :P

Happy Quilting!!

Roll Roll Cotton Boll...

Are you tired of hearing about this quilt yet? LOL This -should- be my last post about it because...it's finished! I finally finished the binding last night. Compared to how quickly I assembled the quilt top, it seemed like the binding took forever! :P

I'm really happy with this quilt...my only teeny tiny complaint is I wish it was a bit bigger to fit better on a queen size bed. I have it pulled over to the left side here for the picture, so there isn't much hangover on the other side. You can see the other quilt hanging out from under it, too. Oh well, one day I will have a guest bedroom, so I'll just make sure we get a double size bed for that room. I actually have a couple quilts that will look nice on a double bed, so I'm all set! This quilt is HEAVY...it's going to be nice to sleep under on cold nights.

Here's a close up of the swirl quilting design...

I used a lot of Christmas fabrics, but they aren't really too apparent until you look up close. The black in the HSTs has little circles in green, gold, and red.

Love it!!

retreat update

I had a great time at retreat! Who wouldn't?! LOL There were about 20 other ladies there as well. It was hosted by a "sister guild," so I didn't know very many people, but everyone was very friendly and welcoming. The two ladies in the picture below were the only two I knew before I arriving, they are guild members in my local guild as well. Irene is on the left, and Lisa is on the right. The picture shows our work area, which was quite nice! The pictures aren't the best...they were taken with my phone....

I took a couple of my own projects to work on, but after getting set up, I pulled out one of the big projects I had hoped to accomplish and realized I forgot one of the fabrics! It was the background for the entire thing, so there just wasn't anything I could do. Grrrr!! I was really trying to consolidate and not take too much stuff...but that was a big boo boo!

I also took a kit for this table runner. I love how this turned out and can't wait to get it quilted and on my table!!

My favorite project of the retreat was a new-to-me technique that I absolutely fell in love with. It's from a book and ruler by Gyleen Fitzgerald called Trash to Treasure Pineapple Quilts. We were told to bring 1.5" strips and 2.5" squares, but I had no idea what we were doing with them until we got to retreat. I'm so glad I brought my bin of 1.5" scraps! I am crazy for these blocks! Here are the 14 blocks I made...my design comes from how the lights/darks are placed.

Here are a couple more scrappier versions from the other gals....these have lights/darks mixed.

This one has dark blue on the final rows to make the circle effect. There are many, many variations to be made, just by changing the location of lights/darks. Very cool!

Happy Quilting!!

couple more finishes and something unexpected...

Here are two more quilts I finished over the last week or so. The first is made from a Saltbox Harvest layer cake. I assembled the top at retreat in November, but obviously didn't finish it time for fall. But now, it's ready for THIS fall. :) I quilted it with a simple all over meander with a red thread. I'm not sure if Smokey approves or not....he's being a little standoff-ish here. :P

The second quilt is the blue toddler quilt. I'm really pleased with how this quilt turned out! I hope some little boy will give it plenty of love. :)

Guess what? I'm going on a quilting retreat...today! A friend of mine called me last night at 10pm to say that someone had to drop out at the last minute, so there was an open spot if I wanted to go. I decided why not!! LOL The retreat starts TODAY about 1pm, so I've been scurrying to gather all my supplies and projects. I'm excited...I know we'll have a fun time. I only know the one gal I'm going with, but I'm sure I'll make plenty of new friends. :) A special thanks to my hubby for encouraging me to go...he knows how much I love to sew! :)

Happy Quilting!

Saturday Sewing

I'm lucky and happy to be home sewing today. It's cloudy, rainy, and cold outside...so being inside is fine by me!

Two of my goals this year (every year, really) are 1) use up more of my stash, and 2) make more charity quilts. Now that's a match made in heaven, don't you think? Doesn't take a genius to figure out how those two goals go so nicely together. It's just making the effort and putting the time into accomplishing those goals. I like making infant/toddler size quilts for donation...they are quick to assemble and I can quilt them easily on my home machine.

My first project for the year is this Double 4 Patch in blues and neutrals. I made a BIG dent in my blue stash with just this one quilt. Isn't it cute? The pattern can be found at MaryQuilts. I don't think this one needs a border, I'll just quilt it and bind it in a darker blue.

Speaking of stash, I was shocked to see this:

Do you see the date? 1990? Are you kidding me? Have I had that fabric in my stash for 20+ years? Actually, I'm sure I have....I learned to quilt when I was pregnant with my youngest son. He's almost 21. Before that, I was making fabric bunnies and dolls and all those 80's type crafts. I'm pretty sure I used that fabric for bloomers on a patriotic bunny. LOL I wish I could tell you it's out of my stash forever, but it's really not...it IS however completely cut up into usable scrap sizes for leader/enders and scrap quilts!

Happy Quilting!

Every quilt has a story....

...and this one already has a doozy. First let me say, I needed to start another project like I needed a hole in the head, but you know the story...I'm a glutton for punishment. This quilt is called Hometown Christmas by Thimbleberries. I've loved Thimbleberries for years, especially the older designs. I somehow acquired the 4 pattern books for Hometown Christmas about 5 years ago and I've always had it on my "someday" list.

A few weeks ago, my two partners in crime, Peggy and Robin, brought up the idea of starting Hometown Christmas this year together. Of course, it didn't take much for all of us to jump on board! They both had the kit in their "stash," and I decided I would finally start the search for the original fabrics or something similar that I could use to start piecing the quilt. This is a BIG quilt and I soon found out that finding fabric wasn't going to be an easy task. It's almost impossible to find any of the original fabrics from the Hometown Christmas line for sale and I wasn't having good luck finding substitutions online. I was frustrated! What was I going to do? I couldn't let my two BFF's down! LOL (really...I know this is not a catastrophic problem in the big scheme of things, but...)

One day, Peggy decides to post a question on her blog...."Does anyone have a Hometown Christmas kit for sale?" She'll have to tell you the exact timeline, but I think within a matter of hours, she had THREE people contact her about selling their kit. The best part...one of the ladies also lives in New Jersey! They made plans to meet and "do the deal." LOL There was Peggy...meeting someone at a random exit on the New Jersey Turnpike to buy Thimbleberries fabric!! I can just see it now. Her family probably thought she was crazy...meeting strangers in strange places to buy fabric! But of course, she was another nice quilter, just like you and me. She and Peggy hit it off right away. Quilters are the best, aren't they!!

So now, after a fun visit to Peggy's house on Saturday with Robin, I have the kit in my hot little hands. :) Of course I had to get started right away too!

Here are the first three sections from Book One.

Who knows what other stories this quilt will have, but for now it has a great story of friendship and perseverance behind it! Thank you Peggy for looking out for me and making it happen! :)