Easy Street

Are you a Bonnie Hunter fan?  I follow her blog and have even been dragged kicking and screaming into her way of thinking with the "scrap" idea AND I have one of her quilts that will be out in her next book already started.  YES, I purchased a magazine from overseas somewhere and they'd had advance production on the pattern so I started it....but never finished it YET. 

Anyhow, Bonnie does a mystery every year and I follow my BFF's Robin and Michelle as they venture into the unknown with her and have loved their finished quilts.  I think my absolute favorite so far was Michelle's Orca Bay because of the colors.  I'm partial to blue and black as opposed to the pinks and greens Bonnie suggested using. 

This morning Bonnie posted "Easy Street" and is stating that it won't be as INTENSE as in years past.  I'm thinking I might have to jump on the bandwagon.....the colors are so "PEG". 

Are you going to Easy Street this year?

Sewing Room

Have I ever shared pictures of where I sew?  It's not a huge room but it's better than the 9 x 11 room (closet) I used to sew in before my daughter moved to Maryland  :)

Hubby bought me a really nice Horn of America cabinet for my cutting area and also a new sewing machine cabinet.  They weigh a ton (literally) and it took hubby and son HOURS to get up the stairs to the sewing room.  Yesterday I had an oopsie with an open basket of 2 inch squares.  Literally HUNDREDS of 2 inch squares were everywhere.  I decided that I could not spend hours again picking them up, sorting them by color and then putting them away so this morning at 7am when hubby was going to Shop Rite for some emergency food and stuff he ran into Walmart for me and brought back 4 bins for various size scraps.  I have them sorted by 5 inch, 3 inch, 2-1/2 and 2 inch.  I know my BFF's are proud of me for doing this since they've been so diligent at keeping their scraps at bay  :)   

Only problem with buying more bins is I didn't have a clue where to store them.....so, I looked in the cutting cabinet door and lo an behold, a whole spot that was being taken up by skinny little shelves that I presume are supposed to hold thread and bobbins.  I don't need those types of things because I have wall hanging spool holders.  Out they came, in went the bins and BANG!  a neat and orderly scrap cabinet!

It's the little things in my sewing room that make me happy.....

100 Quilts

NO...that's not how many quilts I've made, at least I don't think so, but I did send it to my BFF Michelle for her to work her magic on it and I was her #100!   Michelle has had her machine now for a little over a year and I don't know about you, but I think that's a wonderful accomplishment!
I did benefit from this being her 100th quilt too, she presented me with a copy of the "Sweet Celebrations with the Moda Bake Shop Chefs" book.  I found quite a few really nice projects in the book!

I love Churn Dash quilts and when I saw this one on Amy Smart's blog back last October or November, I knew I wanted to make it and even used some of her fabric line.
I met up with Michelle on Tuesday morning for a Sit N Sew with some of the girls in her guild and she presented it to me in the parking lot of the church where we sew.

I found a nice teal fabric that will make the blue fabrics show up more so sometime this weekend I'll make the binding and get it on.

PS:  This was the 17th quilt Michelle quilted for me this year!

Binding

Once the baby quilt was done, backing assembled and pressed and set aside I asked myself "what's next?"

Well, it didn't take long to see that the 2 quilts I had quilted back this summer needed binding on them so I started with a red and white sampler.  Pulled out a nice red and white candy cane stripe, cut the strips and started attaching.  Got it all done and then decided that before I put the next quilt binding on that I should make a hanging sleeve for my elves quilt.  That's when I realized.......I need a 10 step program!

 

First off, it's another red and white project, the border on both was a red and white scrappy piano key, and the binding was the exact same red and white fabric....  Yes, I need help.  Is there a program out there for girls like me that pick the same thing over and over again?   ----------> sampler border and binding.

And don't you know, I was browsing on a blog or Pinterest this week and what do you think I found?  Yes, a red and white snowball quilt....and I want to make that now....

Another Finish

My daughter is marrying into a family in April that will bring her 2 sister in laws and 3 brother in laws as well as a new baby with one of the sister in law's, Amy and her husband Eric.  Amy's colors for the baby's room is very classic looking.  As previously reported I found a great pattern for the quilt she wants and even better, found a great fabric line that was perfect for it so I got right to it so it will be done, quilted, and bound before Thanksgiving when Amy and Eric will visit from Washington State.

I took advantage of today being a gorgeous 66 degree day with a nice breeze to go outside and take 2 pictures of the quilt with the quilt hanging on the clothes line.....I love how my shadow showed up in the corner of the picture.....

2012 Designer Mystery BOM

Month #5 and I'm keeping up with my vow to complete my block within the week of receiving the kit. 

This block is called "Cherry Sundae" and it was designed by Barb Adams and Alma Allen of Blackbird Designs.  Again....great fabrics and a fun block to sew up 

Looking

I'm looking for an embroidery pattern with the letters of the alphabet but I would like it to show something that goes with the letter like Z and it's attached to a Zebra...both in the design.  I'd seen on someone's blog they did an entire quilt from little alphabet blocks and I just loved the idea.....Anyone out there have a pattern or know where I can get one?
I have seen the Crabapple Hill pattern and it's not quite what I'm looking for.  I want childish and easy....

Ritzy Bitzy Babies

I've had a request from my daughter for a special baby quilt for her future sister & brother in law.

She wanted something along the lines of Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn.

I've had this pattern with the "girl" fabrics for at least a year but of course the baby is going to be a boy so I had to do a little searching online for the "boy" colorway.   

The fabrics are "Puttin on the Ritz" by Bunny Hill Designs and the pattern is by Kimberly Jolly for www.ItsSewEmma.com. 

I think they will fit the bill but I'll reserve cutting into them until after I see her on Monday and get the okie dokie.....

Basket of Flowers

   I swear this project was one of those "record" finishes.  Started the hst assembly on Friday and by Sunday I had the quilt top assembled and quilted with the binding on.  I spent a couple of nights in front of the TV tacking down the binding so by Wednesday I had it done and then washed, dried and stored away awaiting a baby in need of a quilt. 

I've never mastered the allover quilting so I just did some straight line stitching along the line of the half square triangles.

Since at this point it was October, I made my Big 3 list and chose some projects that I could get done without stressing myself out. 

#1 was getting the binding on my Elves quilt.  That was an easy one....got that on last night and even tacked 1 long side down.

I've also decided that I need to make at least 6 Great Granny blocks this month.  In the past 2 nights alone I made 3 so I think I can probably get 6 done

One of my other goals is to keep up with Terry's Scrappy Star challenge.  I absolutely love working with all my scraps....who'd have thunk I'd ever say that  LOL

Here's a picture of my 2 blocks.

I do have to admit that I didn't only make these 2 blocks, I got carried away with my scraps and actually made 11 of them  :)

I'm good to go until February I think.....

Monday (10/8) is a holiday from work...YAY!

I'm taking a road trip with my youngest daughter to Baltimore to meet up with oldest daughter for our first and hopefully only bridal shop dress shopping  :)

She's got an idea what type of dress she wants to wear so with luck the shop has "the perfect dress".

Hope you're all enjoying this heat (YUCK) 

Please bring on the cooler weather.....PLEASE!