Thursday, April 30, 2009

Happy Spring to Finish!

Well unfortunately my Spring to finish projects didn't finish to much this time around...
I got my Headbands done...
and some really cute Easter eggs...

from this tutorial done. (I know the banister leaves much to be desired but the eggs were stinkin' cute! I had to put them up!)
I finished my Why Choose Quilt (Though I'm still working on writing up it's pattern, oh well)

And that's it. Pretty sad if you ask me. I did work on a several other stalled projects all while helping my husband with his new business plans. By way of sewing, I finished my first set of blocks for the quilt along I'm leading...
but they're still just blocks. I'm finishing as we speak my coin quilted you are what you eat quilt... but even then it needs to be quilted and bound. I finished my Jan, Feb, & Mar BOM KC Star quilt blocks ( I don't have April or May's yet :) ), but again... still just blocks on the table! As well as working up some cute little footballs rattles I'm going to be selling on etsy. So, all of these last things are just finishing another step, they are still projects whether they are in the block stage, top stage, or else where. Oh well, :) I'm glad I got these things moving again! It was fun to play and I got myself 3 entries in Jaquie's contest!
Happy Spring to Finish! How'd you do? Did you Spring miles or feet to your finish?

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Great news for you!

My sister is doing a pay it forward and is still looking for a 3rd friend to do something nice for! She's a great seamstress and does lots of projects!
This is a pic of her FIRST quilt!
You can see some of her projects on the MSQC blog where she contributes. I was lucky enough to be one of her people :) she signed up under Angela at Moda Home Mom! Can't wait to see what she gets!! And I'll be passing on the favor to 3 more friends later!!!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Designer Fabric? Or Cake? Hmm...


So! It seems everything I do turns out fabric related!


I made the cake to match the new babies bedding for Meg's shower! It turned out pretty cute I think :)


I also found my pictures for a headband tutorial ( I know they're a dime a dozen right now, but I think you'll like how they came out!) that I'll be posting on the MSQC blog
This was part of Easter for my girls... They love 'em:) Success!
... and one of my spring to finishes!
You know I'm not getting quite as many of those done as I thought I would. Only 2 days left. Guess I better step on it! lol!



Friday, April 24, 2009

Baby Fun!

you know everything is more fun when you do it for a baby!

This is a quilt and some of the bedding I designed with a friend of mine for her first baby boy! It was fun just to work on it! I love the colors & patterns, she's going to put the baby's monogram in the blue square after he's born and the name is officially decided! I don't know about you but I know how that goes :) The name war is still in full swing at their house! But in the meantime the bedroom is looking fabulous!

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Log Cabin Quilt Along... Cutting


Well, I technically got my first Quilt Along post up by Friday... *blushing*
Sorry I think many of you were in bed or at the very least doing something other than computering when it was finally up. :) Well, I learned a lot about how to manage these thing and the necessary time involved. So, we'll be looking great for next Friday to start sewing! hehe!



They tell us to learn something new everyday right... Check!




On other news I think I'm finally ready to finish my "You Are What You Eat" quilt. I was taken over by "Why Choose..." for awhile but Hurray it's finished! So that makes 3 entries for the Spring to Finish Challenge!


... what you've only heard about the one??? Ha! That's cause I'm crazy and alone with 5 kids right now! My husband will be home Wed... Thank Goodness! I do enjoy my time alone, but we work really well as a team. Someone remind of that next time I whine! :D

I had a couple of Easter projects that I worked openly on in front of the kids that are also finished. Unfortunately they didn't get to go in Easter baskets as planned, because I worked a little to openly :)



Anyway, head over to the MSQC forum and check out my quilt along. It's up and going! Hurray!



Friday, April 17, 2009

Quilt Festival Spring 2009

Why Choose...



This is just a little thing but I love it!


It's a pattern I've created, I call it "Why Choose" because it's made from a pattern of diamonds and flowers and what girl really wants to decide between them when you can have both! It involves many things that I love in a very simple pattern.

It was quite an adventure figuring out the initial cutting but it went together so quickly and the flower is adorable!

It doesn't have a long story it just started as a sketch and an idea :) it came from my heart. I love pretty things and this one was a fun start for me! I have four little girls and if any of them were babies I'd probably have it in their crib! As it is it will probably end up a wall hanging for whoever can keep there room the cleanest! Hurray for incentive!



Amy from "A park City Girl" is hosting the Quilt Festival! So head on over to her site through the link above or the button on my sidebar and see lot's more quilts and quilt shops!



Thursday, April 9, 2009

Sewing Along

In my mind there's always a reason to sew! But here's one more...

This is a fabulous idea that's keeping us all sewing! I've got at least 4 projects in the works that I would love to finish this month and hopefully I'll manage a few more in there! I'll Spring to finish some start to finish projects!!! How bout you? Let's get a few projects out from the back of our closets and get 'em ready for the world to see!

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Spring Log Cabin Quilt Along at the Missouri Star Quilt Company!

I'm hosting a Spring Quilt Along!



It's a Log Cabin sampler style lap quilt. You know, just something to help you keep that sewing fix in check while the spring bug is biting and we're spending so much time outside!

Feel free to grab the button and post it on your blogs and spread the word and join us! I'll be posting info here as well as on the Cutting Table Blog and in the MSQC's forum Sewing Together Far Apart Section! (This is open to all things virtual sewing by the way, incase you want to host a swap or bee, etc. this is a great place!) So pick your place, swing into the forum and let us know if your in, and have a little spring sewing in your life!

We are currently gathering fabric and friends! I will post cutting instructions April 17th! Yay! It's coming! Oh, and the plan is to take 2 weeks on each block style & step of this quilt since things can get busy this time of year :) I know we have several new to quilting out here so, there's no need to feel overwhelmed by this project.

We're taking it slow and having a good time together!

I've posted most of this previously in the MSQC forum but for everyone else here you go :D

- The finished quilt size will be 57x70 approx. (It will likely vary slightly oh well ) with 10.5" finished block sizes & 3" sashing

-A log cabin square traditionally uses several fabrics of the same color that change from light in the center of the block and the fabrics get darker as you go out to the largest outside row of fabric or vice versa. Each block uses 2 colors. We will call them our primary and secondary colors. (The primary color will have slightly more of it on the quilt.) You can also fade from bright to deep or however you like it. Just be consistent.

-You need to decide what 2 colors you will be using in your quilt. Each color will need differnet shades of fabric. Such as Dark, Medium, and Light. When you have decided you can start finding what you have and what you will need to complete your color groups

-This Log Cabin Sampler quilt requires 8 Fat Quarters of your primary color and 5 Fat quarters of your secondary color. It will also require 1 2/3 yard of sashing fabric. The back and binding will be in addition but this tutorial will not cover that... unless there's an uproar and then we'll figure it out

Here is our list of how many fat quarters you will need of each color group.

Primary Color - 4 shades
Dark - 4 FQ of the same fabric or 2 sets of 2 matching FQ
Medium Dark - 2 FQ of the same fabric
Medium Light - 1 FQ
Light - 1 FQ

Secondary Color - 3 shades
Dark - 2 FQ of the same fabric
Medium - 2 FQ (they don't have to match, just both be of the Medium shade)
Light - 1 FQ

Don't forget your 1 2/3 yd for sashing. I will be using an Amy Butler Slate, really anything neutral usually works great. You might consider getting enough of the fabric for your squares so that you can also use it for your binding. I will be taking extra strips in the same and similar colors from my fat quarters to piece together a scrappy binding. (if you do this you will probably want a couple extra FQ's or scraps, to the equivelant of .5 yd)

Again, we will not be covering the finishing of the quilt, but depending on how you choose to finish it you will need batting, binding, & backing to 6"larger than the quilt top on all sides.

You can choose to make this quilt larger or smaller depending on your block size and sashing width. There are 3 variations on the Log Cabin Block in this quilt. Including the Log cabin, Courthouse Steps, and Square in a Square. (I will be throwing improvisational guidance for the last block. If you want to do it that way :) )

You can also use precut honey bun's or jelly roll's for these blocks. They will give a very scrappy look as the color changes will likely not be as smooth, they will also change the size of your block's. My strips are cut 2" wide. A honey bun is 1.5 and a jelly roll is 2.5 . So, it can be done but my instructions will be for working with FQ's. Feel free to adjust and share what works for you!

My sister has been participating in a fun quilt along by Elizabeth Hartman at Oh, Frannson! who has agreat discussion of color and color choices if you want to go check it out

Something else I read about choosing fabrics on Elizabeth's site (this is not an exact quote but feel free to go check out her blog she has wonderful insite on all things quilting) is that there is no secret, just choose fabrics you love. You don't want to work for hours on a quilt with fabrics you can't stand. So step back and think about what you love. What colors did you paint your house what colors are in your closet are they florals, stripes, solids? Find what you love and you'll be happy.


***So that's my opening info if you have question's feel free to let us know we'll be actively posting progress in the forum and we look forward to seeing you there with us!

Monday, April 6, 2009

Give away by Don't Look Now

This woman, Kellie, is truly amazing. Seeing what she does is inspiring and jaw dropping :) She is one of those people I can't help but watch and wonder if I will ever get the guts to even TRY one of her patterns! I can't help wanting to though :)

She just put up a new set of patterns and has a fun giveaway associated with them. Take a look and you'll see why she has also helped me fall in love with sock monkeys :) ...again!

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Happy April Fool's Day!

This is no joke, I thought I'd let you know that I've got a new post up at
The Cutting Table Blog of the MSQC (Check out their Daily Deal!)
discussing my use of Camilla Roskelley's Bloom quilt pattern.

Seriously! I know it's April fool's day but this is for real! :)
Hehe! It was lots of fun, and I'm thrilled with how it turned out!



Here's a quick shot of the springy table topper I'm working on :)