Tuesday Talk

Happy Tuesday!

 

I hope you day has started out well!  I am off to do a little grocery shopping to get the last few things for Thanksgiving dinner and also to do a little fabric shopping!  I need to look through my solid stash as I am getting ready to start a new project!  Fun, fun!

 

Today, let's talk about solid fabric!  I love solids!  My favorite are the Robert Kaufman Kona Solids.  I love the Kona Color Swatch card because it is a really great tool to use to match up your solids to prints.  I use solids quilt often these days and love to use the by themselves and with a little splash of pint fabric.

 

Here is a wall hanging I did this summer out of solids.  I know you have seen it before, but I wanted to show the simplicity and beauty of just using solids.  This is the Kona Coal, Bright Pink, Aqua and Chartreuse.

 

 

Do you like using solids since that is the popular trend with the modern quilting movement?

 Do you use a lot of solids by themselves or so you like to use them with prints?

Let me know what you think!

 

30 Days of Thanks~Day 20

I am thankful for solid fabrics.  The use of solids has brought me into another whole side of quilting that is refreshing and interesting.  Solid fabrics have opened up a whole new world of quilting to me to explore and have fun with!

 

Have a Terrific Tuesday!

 



Sewing Saturday

Happy Saturday!

It's a beautiful, sunny day here in East TN and I am going to try to catch up on some sewing this weekend!  My grand plans this week of getting some projects done, hasn't quite happened.  I am going to finish several projects and then plan some new ones. 

 

Here are some of my favorite Kona cottons:

 

30 Days of Thanks~Day 10

I am thankful for Saturdays!  Saturdays are great for sleeping in, relaxing and watching college football and NASCAR.  Some weekends, you just need a little break.  Saturdays are also great for sewing, which I will be doing a lot of later today.

 

What are you working on today?

 

Sunday Sampler

Happy Sunday!!!

 

 

Today is such a beautiful day here in East TN!  The leaves are changing, the air is crisp and the sun is shining brightly in a clear, bright blue sky!  The above photo is of some of the beautiful leaves on my maple tree in the back yard!  I am knocking out some chores right now as I sit here and type.  I am working on laundry at the moment and have to go clean the kitchen and my table in a few, so I can get ready to cut some fabric and sew!

 

Today, I have to get some things ready for our upcoming retreat.  I have to make some decisions on what projects I am going to work on and what supplies I need to take.  I have plenty of projects to work on, but I just have to narrow them down, so I do not drag too many things with me.  Have you done that before...gone to a sew-in or a retreat and taken way too many things with you to work on, thinking you were going to get them done?  LOL  I sure have! 

 

I wanted to share a quick project I did on Friday.  This is a Trick or Treat Bag for my nephew and his first Halloween.  Now, he is only six months old, but he will will going to a Trunk or Treat at their church, possibly a Boo at the Zoo and they are going to go to a pumpkin patch to pick a pumpkin!  Although he will not understand it right now, it will be some great memories.  I remember doing those things with my son and we had so much fun!  Oh...and he is dressing as Spiderman...

Baby Spidey!  He will be so cute...can't wait to see the pics!

 

This is his Trick or Treat Bag I made.  The print fabric is from Henry Glass and I bought it last Halloween.  I also used Kona Orange and Kona Coal.  I lined it with some fabric that had orange stars on a black background.  It was a fat quarter I picked up in the remnant bin at Joann's last year.  I used Warm and White Batting and I quilted it with straight lines on the bottom, which I did box in.  I also quilted the back panel in straight lines following several lines on the fabric.  I did straight line on the front print panel following those few lines also.  Then, I chose to use a big zigzag up and down the two orange panels and on the handles.  I did a very small zigzag along the top to finish the bag.  I think it turned out just adorable.  I did not really follow a pattern, although I did reference several bag making techniques to make sure I did it correctly.  The bag dimensions are about 10"x 8"x3.5".  I didn't measure it before I popped it in the mail yesterday. 

Trick or Treat Bag

Front of Trick or Treat Bag

 

Back of Trick or Treat Bag

Inside of Trick or Treat bag

 

Hope you have a great day!

Monday Mayhem

It's Monday!

 

I hope all of you had a wonderful weekend!  I was a little slack last week and this weekend here on the blog, because I was very busy, but I also wasn't feeling so great.  I had a little catch in my back and it just kinda wore me down.  It's not 100% yet, but it is much better than it was.  I rested some this weekend and that helped.  So, I am ready for a new week!

 

Time for some Mayhem!  I sat down this weekend and re-wrote my To-Do list and...it is getting very long!  I had better get busy!  I am working on several very small projects which I should be able to finish today.  I have to get really focused though, so that I can get everything done!  It is amazing how time flies and I cannot believe it is already October!  Where has that time gone?

 

One of the projects I am getting ready to work on is a Secret Santa Exchange gift for my Sew SwapIt group.  I found some really colorful reindeer fabric this weekend and I am going to pair it with a couple of Kona solids to make a special gift for my swap partner.  I am debating on exactly what I am going to make, but I love this fabric and I have several things in mind!  We will see!

 

 

It's is going to be a busy week!  Let me know what you are working on this week!

 

Have a Marvelous Monday!

 

Sunday Sampler

Happy Sunday!

 

I hope your day has started out well.  I wanted to share one of the charity quilts our Modern Guild did recently.  We asked our members to put together a Nine Patch Block with Kona Coal as the middle block and to use blue and green solid or print fabric for the other eight blocks.  Once we collected all the blocks, we cut them and made them into disappearing nine patch blocks, arranged them and then they were sewn together.  This is the beautiful quilt that appeared.  It has been been quilted and given to our charity to a deserving recipient.  I love how this quilt turned out and I love that our ladies are so giving with their talent and time.  It is truly a blessing to be in such a wonderful guild and to be able to give back to our community!

 

 

"The manner of giving is worth more than the gift."

~Pierre Corneille, Le Menteur

Monday Mayhem

Welcome to Monday Mayhem!

 

It's Monday and I say it is going to be a great day and a great week!

The Tennessee Volunteers won this weekend and so did Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos!

It was also a cool and beautiful crisp weekend here in East TN!  It felt like fall was in the air!  As we know here in TN, the weather changes as soon as you turn around, so I am sure we will be in for more hot weather, before fall really sets in!

 

I have the fall table runner top done and I am piecing the back this morning.  I hope to have it all put together and finished later today.  I will show you pics tomorrow.  :)  For now, I do have a sneak peek of an upcoming project.  October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and I am making a special quilt for someone and will share more info soon.  This is part of the fabric I picked out because her favorite colors are bright pink and light blue.  I stumbled upon the blue fabric and just love it and the pink print also had a blue dots in it.  I am going to pair it with some pink and blue Kona solids.  I am working on finding just the right pattern and I can't wait to get started on the quilt!  I will keep you in the loop about it's story and progress, starting very soon!

 

 

Let me know what you think!

 

Don't forget to stop by the Modern Quilt Guild Blog for Day 13 of the QuiltCon Block Challenge!

http://themodernquiltguild.com/2012/09/10/quiltcon-block-challenge-crazy-piecing/

 

Have a Marvelous Monday!

 

 

 

Thankful Thursday!

It's Thankful Thursday!

I hope you are having a great day!

Today, I am thankful for leftover scraps of fabric! 

These blocks are for a charity quilt our guild is doing.  We just turned them in and I will be putting together all the blocks with sashing before sending it to be quilted.  The colors for this quilt are grays, blues and greens in solid fabric and we could do any inprov 12 1/2" block.  I recently made a pillow using these solids along with a print and had plenty of the Kona solids left.  So, I whipped out two blocks.  I love these colors.  They are Kona Grass, Kona Marine and Kona Medium Gray.  I love when I have big scraps of fabric that I can use for other projects!  It's always so fun to see what you can come up with!  I can't wait to see all the blocks put together. 

I will definitely post as soon as it is done!

 

 

Don't forget to check out Day 10 of the QuiltCon Block Challenge post over at the Modern Quilt Guild Blog!  It's all about graphic squares, rectangles and boxes

 

"Unselfish and noble actions are the most radiant pages in the biography of souls." 

~David Thomas

 

Remember to be thankful for all you have in life!

Have a wonderful Thankful Thursday!

Tuesday Talk

Happy Tuesday!

 

Today is another great start to the week!  I worked really hard over the weekend, but I did get to watch a little football and Nascar!  Go Vols and Roll Tide!  Yes, I live in TN and I am a Volunteer fan, but I do like Alabama and of course, the SEC.  Anyway, I am finishing some orders today, so it will be another busy, busy day!

 

I wanted to share my third and final block from the QuiltCon Block Challenge.  It is being featured, along with many other wonderful blocks, over on the Modern Quilt Guild Blog today.  I really enjoyed making this block and I may think about using this as a block in a future quilt!
QuiltCon Block Challange Day 8: Minimalism

 

Don't forget to follow the Modern Quilt Guild over the next three weeks, as they will be featuring all the quilt blocks until Sept 22.

 

Let me know what you think!

 

Have a Terrific Tuesday!

Monday Mayhem Labor Day

It's Labor Day and Monday Mayhem!

I hope you are having a wonderful holiday weekend!  It's hard to believe that this is the unofficial end to the summer.  Wow!  This has been a busy weekend.  I have been working to finish up my card order and I hope to get to sew later today.  I haven't sewn anything in about a week, so I am itching to get to work on some projects!  Here is a look at some fabric I picked out for a tote bag my sister has requested.  She loved the tote bag I made for my swap, so she said she wanted one.  The colors for the bag were to be brown, cream, yellow, red and green.  So, I happened to be out at Joann's the other day and came across this beautiful fabric.  The picture does not do it justice.  It is a little more golden in color and I had Kona solids in Chocolate, Espresso, Corn and Grass Green to pair with it.  this will be a project I do sometime very soon in the next few weeks!  :)



 

Let me know what you think of this fabric!

Have a Marvelous Monday and a safe Labor Day!

Sunday Sampling

Happy Sunday to you!

 

I hope your day has started out to be a peaceful one!

 

It's Labor Day weekend and I have been working hard on some projects.  My handmade card order is just about finished and will be out the door early this week.  As I finished it, I do have to start on an order of Christmas cards, but I am going to take a break for a day or two to work on my next sewing project, which is a Table Runner for the SewSwapIt group.  Below are the fabrics that I intend to incorporate into this project.  I just love the Pumpkin Fabric!  I have paired it with some different Kona solids.  I am not sure if I will use all of them, but we will see.  I think I have a design in mind, so I am ready to get started!

 

Let me know what you think of my choices!

 

"Weave in faith and God will find the thread. "

~Author Unknown

 

 

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Fun Friday Reveal!

TGIF!  It's Friday!

 

Whew!  It has been a busy week and I am still going strong.  Got lots to do today!

 

I wanted to finally reveal the tote bag that I made and sent to my partner for the Sew SwapIt Tote Swap!  She like bright, bold colors and loves floral prints!  This was a great project for me, as I love to work with bright colors and I have not made a tote in a while! 

 

She received it yesterday and loved it!  Here is the final project!

Front

Back

Inside Pocket(fabric was wrinkled in pic..really isn't bunched like that!)

Close-up of quilting

 

This was such a fun tote to make and it turned out pretty big.  I think it ended up being about 18" wide and 20" high.  It' is definitely bold and bright.  I used the floral print and match Kona solids to it.  I really did not want to send this one away!

 

Well, I am off to work on projects today.  I am almost finished quilting a quilt and then I am working on cards.  I have a busy weekend ahead, but I plan to have some relaxing time in there also!

 

Have a Fantastic Friday!

Thankful Thursday

Welcome to Thankful Thursday!

On Thursdays, I will be talking about things I am thankful for in the sewing world and beyond.  I welcome you to comment and let me know what things you are thankful for.

Today, I am thankful for colorful, bright fabric!  Below is an example of the the doll quilt I made recently.  I made it from a Moda Charm Pack and Kona Orange.  The charm pack had lots of different prints that I improv pieced and then I used Kona Orange for the background to make it pop.  I don't usually use a lot of more earthy, nature tones, but this was a great charm pack and I think it turned out really nicely.  My swap partner really liked it. 

Here is an example of bright colors I love and tend to use a lot! 

My favorite colors are bright blue, bright pink and lime green.  I tend to gravitate more to these type of bright colors for a lot of my projects when I can. 

When I decided to do my wall hanging, I knew I had to do it in the colors.  I used Kona Bright Pink, Kona Chartreuse and Kona Aqua and then paired it with Kona Coal.  I will be hanging this in my sewing room soon.  I just love this...so bright and fun!

There are so many fabrics on the market from solids to prints and soon I am going to go through my stash and take pictures of some of the fun fabrics I have, so that I can share with you. 

I have lots of projects in mind, but now I just need to find the time!  LOL 

If you are thankful for bright, colorful fabric,

leave me a comment and let me know some of your favorites!

Have a great Thursday and be thankful!

Work in Progress

Happy Day to You!

  Today is Wednesday and it's a Work in Progress kind of day!

I wanted to share with you a snippet of a quilt top that is done, but still needs to be quilted.  I also need to piece the backing, but I just have not been able to get back to this one.  It is going to be one of my favorites once it's done!

I will keep you up to date once I start back on this one!  I hope to get it done soon!

Have a great day!

Backyard Beauties

Happy Sunday to you!

I hope you are having a great day!  Here is a special baby quilt I made recently for my sister who just  had a baby.  My new nephew's name is Saxon and this baby quilt is called "Backyard Beauties!"

I made this quilt using Michael Miller's fabric line called "Backyard Baby" by Patty Sloniger.  It has fabulous critter prints, like bugs in jars, backyard critters, maple leaf whirlygigs, and birch trees with woodpeckers.  These prints were perfect for this quilt, because we grew up with several big maple trees in our front yard and many birch trees in our back yard.  We always had woodpeckers around pecking on these trees.  When I saw this fabric line, I just knew it would be perfect for a little boy and  to bring back the memories of us growing up.   

I also used Kona solids in Aqua and Peridot for the background.  I decided to do wonky star blocks for this quilt and alternated the blocks and backgrounds!  These blocks were nine inches unfinished, so the final measurement was about 36" x 45".

Before quilting

Before quilting...close up

Backing...Birch trees with woodpecker

Finished quilt...all washed and crinkly!!!

I just love how this quilt turned out and I think my sister and nephew really love it!  I also really enjoyed designing, piecing and quilting this quilt.  It now has a special home and will be treasured for a very long time!  That is why we quilt...to make special things for special people!

Blocks in Progress

Happy Thursday! 

Hope you all had a wonderful and safe July 4th!  It was quiet around here, at least til all the fireworks started last night.  I stayed in and avoided the heat.  I didn't do a whole lot, but I did get a little sewing in.  I will reveal that project tomorrow.  :)

For today, I just want to show you something I have had in the works for a while.  I have some other projects to get finished first, but I am definitely excited to get back to work on this one.  I love pinwheels and this is going to be a lot of fun to work on again.

For now, have a great day!

Patriotic Quilting

Happy 4th of July!

One of our local fabric shops, Olde Time Fabric Shop, had a Patriotic Quilt wall hanging contest.  This is my entry.  I used a Moda Bake Shop pattern called American Glory for this wall hanging.  I had to reduce the block size just a little to come out with the dimensions I needed, in order to enter it in the contest.  It measures approximately 27" x 44". 

I used Moda's Kate Spain Terrain Fern in Stream(Blue) for the stars and backing.  I used Reunion Vanilla & Cherry Johnny Jacks and Cherry Johnny Jacks by Sweetwater for Moda for the stripes, backing stripe and for binding  I also used Robert Kaufman Kona in Bone for the background.

I had a great time putting together this wall hanging.  I took me a while to figure out what I was going to do and even longer to find just the right fabric.  I absolutely love this fabric!!!

This wall hanging was displayed in the fabric shop during the whole month of June, along with seven other entries.  Patrons of the shop were able to vote on the entries during the whole month.  As it turns out, I just found out on Monday, July 2, 2012, that my entry won 2nd place in the contest!!  I couldn't believe it...WooHoo!  I am so honored, as all of the entries were absolutely wonderful!  Thank you to the ones who voted and to our shop for hosting this contest! 

Also, thank you to all who have served and continue to serve our country!

God Bless, America!

Happy July 4th!

Swaps

Hey there everyone!

Hope your Monday is starting off well.  I want to talk quickly on Swaps.  I have done a number of swaps over the past few years and I will discuss a lot of them in the coming weeks.

Recently, I decided to participate in a swap that was run by a good friend.  It was a Doll Quilt Swap.  I decided to use a charm square pack that I had and did some improv piecing.  I took three charms squares in the same colorways, stacked them and cut them twice.  I switched up the pieces, sewed them together and then cut them in different shapes.  I then used Orange Kona for the background and pieced them to make blocks.  Below is what I came up with:

I also made a mug rug to go along with it!  I did straight line quilting on both.  I also took the charm squares I had left, cut them in half and them sewed them together to make an interesting binding for both.  I really enjoyed working on the project.  It was so much fun to do some improv piecing.  I named it "Big Orange Backcountry" since I live here in the heart of East TN and because we have many great backcountry trails to explore, in which you will find many beautiful flowers.  The recipient really like her doll quilt and mug rug and I had a blast making it!

This is just one of the most recent swaps I have done.  I will be talking about many others as we go along and will give you some resources to find out more. 

Join me as we dive into the fun of swaps!

Have a great day!