October Quilt Square Quilt Along

Here is my Quilt Square Quilt Along block for this month.  I'm pre-scheduling this post, as I'm at retreat, but hopefully I'll be able to link it up to Jo's Country Junction.  Be sure to head over there to check out the other blocks!

Happy Quilting!

Quilting, Retreat, and Sandy, oh my!

Most likely, you've heard about Sandy...she's coming whether we want her to or not.  Just how bad she'll hit is still up in the air.

We live in military base housing that happens to be in a flood zone and it's looking like we will have mandatory evacuations.  We went through this last year with Irene, but thankfully we didn't have any flooding.  I'm hoping for the same thing this time around.

So, as luck would have it, I have a quilting retreat scheduled for this coming week!  Perfect timing, right?  My husband has to stay and support the operations on base during and after the storm, so I'll continue as planned to the retreat.  I'll be out of the flood threatened areas, but we'll still be in the path of the storm in Pennsylvania.  We're hoping there won't be any power outages, etc.  Can't run my sewing machine without electricity, now can I?  I'm actually getting to go a day early to the retreat due to the evacuation.  What a bum deal, right?  An extra day of retreat?     

I've also been doing LOTS of quilting the last couple of days!  I can't show you all of them, but I can show you this one....

It's a Tshirt quilt and it's adorable!  I think she did a great job with assembly and picking the fabrics.  Since it has a girl scout theme, I quilted it with daisies because the first step of Girl Scouts is Daisy Scouts!

 I think it turned out awesome!

I'll have internet at the retreat, so maybe I'll be able to post about my progress and projects...as long as we are able to keep power throughout the storm.  The retreat is in the heart of Amish country, so I anticipate some fabric shopping in my future!  :)

Hope you all have a great week...and if you are in the path of the storm, get prepared and stay safe!

Happy Quilting! 

Feline Friday

I've seen the idea of Feline Friday on a few blogs and have wanted to join the fun for some time now.  My kitties are big "helpers" when it comes to my quilting hobby, so it just seems to be the obvious thing to do....

It's funny how cats are drawn to fabric and quilts, isn't it?  This is my "grand-kitty"...she belongs to my daughter and comes to visit every few weeks.  She is very curious of all my quilty stuff.  She ended up laying on the floor in my sewing room while I was working...just like my kitties do. 

Isn't she adorable?  She's very photogenic. 

(I'll share more info about that crocheted granny square blanket soon!)

Pick a Pocket Tote

 Do you do Pinterest?  I know some people are just hooked!  I'd say I'm a moderate user...weeks will go by when I don't look at it, then something will spark my interest, so I'll go surfing on the page a little.  I never fail to find something I *love* and just have to make or bake.  :)  It really is a great place to find recipes, decorating ideas, and inspiration!

I needed a quickie gift idea and came across this simple tote/purse that someone had "pinned."  The great thing is that it linked back to the free pattern on All People Quilt!  Here is the Pattern.

It's a bit smaller than I was thinking, but it's still a decent size for a project bag, book bag, or lunch bag...

The direction say it measures 8" x 10".  It went together really quick and easy...probably 2 hours tops, and that included cutting the fabrics.  I wish the pictures were better, it's cloudy today and my house seems dark. :/

Happy Quilting!

Swap Blocks

These blocks are from an ongoing swap I'm participating in...but I had enough of them, I wanted to lay them out to see how they are coming together.

This layout is similar to the original quilt design that inspired the swap...

 Then I decided to turn a  few and see what would happen.  ooohhh...I like what I'm seeing....

Then I moved a few more around and came up with this...I think this is my favorite so far!  I love the secondary design the white triangles make... 

Which one is your favorite?

Happy quilting!

One Hundred

This week I quilted my 100th quilt on the longarm!

The quilt belongs to my BFF, Peggy.    She drove down today to attend my guild's "Sit & Sew" day, so I was able to give it to her in person, instead of mailing it to her. Isn't it gorgeous?  

I've learned a lot during the past 100 quilts...had some ups and downs, learned a few lessons...but it's been a great ride and I'm still loving this machine as much as the day it was delivered!

I've also done a little bit of sewing this week.  These blocks are for a Quilts of Valor project at an upcoming retreat.  The fabrics are supposed to be non-feminine and not in the red, white, blue colorway.  It's going to be interesting to see everyone's blocks all together.  I'll be sure to take pictures!

I'm working on a few swap blocks at the moment...I should have some pictures to share tomorrow!

 Happy Quilting!

Disappearing 4 Patch

Some of you asked how I made this disappearing 4 patch quilt:

I had thought I would make up a quickie tutorial...and then I saw this posted on Facebook:

So, I figured why reinvent the wheel?  The only difference is I cut my lines 1.25" from the center, but I think I like the skinnier strip better.  You can really use any size square and cut any size strip.  Have fun!

Scrappy Stars

 We're home from helping Zach move to his first duty station...he's happy as a clam.  We did a lot of driving in a short amount of time, but it was sooo worth it to be able to go with him and see his new apartment, the base, and the city where he'll be living.  It was rough for this mommy to say goodbye, but I'm so proud of him and happy to see him to ready to start this next chapter of his life.  :)

Though a little travel weary, I was determined to do a little sewing today!  I was able to assemble my two scrappy stars from Terry's Sew Along:

Here are my six blocks I've made to this point.  I love them.  I'm really enjoying this little sew along.  Just two blocks a month...no pressure, but lots of reward!  I just want to keep looking at them.  :)

Here are my 16 bonus triangles this month too!

I also finished assembling this little quilt top.  The blocks start out as a 4 patch that are re-cut...similar to a disappearing 9 patch.  It's a simple technique that makes a nice secondary design.  I need to decide if I want to put a purple border on it next, or just quilt it like this and finish it off with purple binding.

Hope you all are having a great week!

Happy Quilting!