Meadow Blocks Part 2

You might remember back in May I made a quilt from the "Meadow Blocks" pattern by Carlene Westberg, and of course I had to use the same fabrics she did.....I know, I know, I'm a copycat....

I loved the quilt after I got it back and bound it but over the summer our school psychologist and her husband had a fire in their house and they literally lost about everything they own. Well, about 2 weeks ago it dawned on me that she might be in need of a quilt since the nights were getting chilly so I brought 3 of the quilts I had laying around and let her pick one. She naturally picked the pink/girly top to take home and enjoy. So, I thought "what the heck" I had quite a bit of fabric left over from the first top so I pulled it out the other day and with my gimpy arm I

was able to cut it out and assemble it all. I finished it today and just took a picture of it......

And before you ask, yes, I even have the same backing fabric for this one that I used on the first one......

I really love this pattern, you only need 16 fat quarters, 3/4 of a yard for binding and backing, and it's very scrappy friendly as you can see from the above picture.

I'm sure you'll be seeing more quilts on my blog made from it.

So, is everyone enjoying the weather? It's 65 and gorgeous here in NJ!!!

Good Friends

Once again, I have to say I have the best friends....

Ya know how happy you are when you come home from work and find one of those big priority boxes on the front porch? Yeah, it's nice isn't it? Well, my friend Angela from Indiana sent me a "Get Well" pincushion. Lookit the size of that bad boy!!!!

I can't wait to start poking pins into it :)

Then today I got home and found a Facebook message from one of my friends from retreat....

I just have the best friends! :)

Vintage Trick or Treat

A group of my friends are doing this Crabapple Hill Co. pattern as a kind of an unofficial block of the month starting October 1st. We each bought the pattern and then went out and got different background fabrics and our floss.

It started out that Carolyn, Robin, Michelle and I were doing it, then Liz jumped on board, then we got Liz's sister Isabel to join in and just today one of the "polka dot girls" Vickie jumped on board too.

The Crabapple patterns are far from "easy"...but I think we are all up to the challenge!

I will be late starting mine since I am disabled at the moment but once this darn cast comes off I'm ready to start again because I have my project all traced and hooped ready to go........

Stay tuned, I'll be updating as we go along.

Do I Have Good Friends or What?

Are these beautiful or what? Robin and Michelle sent me the nicest flowers since i'm laid up for a few weeks. I love getting flowers, but I'd prefer to do without the broken arm!

Thank you to all my blogging friends for all your nice notes today....i really appreciate them.

Peggy

Quilting Break

No, its not what I want to do but I have no choice. You see, I fell and broke my left wrist last night so I am officially on the disabled list for 4-5 weeks.....

I will keep you updated on my progress grrrrrrr.......

Village Square

It didn't take any arm twisting on Robin and Michelle's end to get me to jump in with them on doing the Village Square Block of the Month with them, only difference is they are actually getting the kits from Homestead Hearth whereas I only ordered the pattern. I'm going to use pieces from my scrap basket and my Thimbleberries stash to make it up. I was kind of unsure as to whether I'd like the fabric that would come but I KNEW I liked what I had here so that was an easy solution.

I thought the BOM was starting September 1st and even though I didn't know which block they'd start with, I just looked thru the pattern and when I saw it called for 3 6.5 inch Variable Star blocks I decided that they would be what I started with. Here's a picture of the pattern

and my 3 blocks.

9-11

I can't start this post without mentioning September 11th....It's one of those days that will live in my mind forever. I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing and I will never forget the people that were lost to that horriffic tragedy. I can honestly say I didn't lose a family member or anyone close, but my husband lost a childhood friend and one of the guys that works with him lost his wife and unborn baby so it did hit close to home.

Snow Days

Have you seen the Crabapple Hill pattern called Snow Days? A friend works at a quilt shop in Kansas and emailed a couple of us to see if we'd be interested in doing it as a block of the month. Me being a glutton for punishment jumped right in and signed up. Month 2 showed up in my mailbox this weekend while I was in Rhode Island dropping my youngest off at college so I figured while the sun is out today I might as well trace it. I realized as I pulled the pattern out that I'd never shown you a picture of month 1 so here it is.

Robin, Michelle, Carolyn and myself are doing it in the colorway that Crabapple Hill suggests using a variegated blue/brown floss, which is gorgeous by the way!!! Nan, who is running the show, is doing hers in purple variegated with purple batiks. Hers is gorgeous as well. You will notice that there is a lot more to this project than most because you first trace onto a cream on cream piece of fabric and then make the alternating blocks, but then you have to trace some more onto those blocks and do more embroidery. It took me approximately 3 weeks doing a little each night in front of the TV but enjoyed every minute of it. I'm going to trace now so I can have it ready.

School reopens here in our town on Tuesday. I'm so sad to be going back to the 7am-3pm grind because I really enjoyed later hours and Fridays off. I'll have to spend a little time tomorrow getting my clothes ready....no more shorts and tee shirts, back to the real world and business attire.

And speaking of school reopening, I mentioned earlier that I took my youngest back to school in Rhode Island yesterday....Senior year for her and happy that it is. She's a wonderful student and is going back this year giving Big Poppy a break on tuition and housing having won scholarships last year but lemme tell you, even knowing it's the last time she had to pack up the car she was no happier than she was the first day going to Penn State 4 years ago..... I am sure May 2011 when she graduates she will be smiling :) and so will Mom and Big Poppy!!!

Hope everyone has a happy Labor Day.

Dot, Dots, I'm Seeing Dots

Yes, I'm seeing DOTS and I love it!!! Not only are most of the fabrics in my scrap project dots, the 2 projects pictured here are DOTS!!!

I sent both of the following quilts out to my favorite quilter Sandi 2 weeks ago and got them back yesterday all ready for binding. I know I've shown pictures but I'm gonna show more now.....

First is the Mary E top. I used one of the cream/blue dots that's in the body of the quilt for the backing and asked Sandi to do a flower to match the Mary E flowers and do the quilting in a cream. She did an awesome job of getting the flowers almost exact!

Then I sent the Circle Around top which is all raw edge circles and asked Sandi to use the lightest, airiest batting she could and only quilt it lightly with an all over meander. The backing for this is HUGE dots too.... Now all that's left to do is bind them.

Inspiration

About 2 weeks ago I stumbled across a blog that I've grown to enjoy visiting quite a bit. It's called "Red Pepper Quilts" She has a scrap quilt on her August 11, 2010 post called Fair and Square and I have decided that I'm using that quilt as my "inspiration" project for 2010.

I made a promise to myself back in May that I would stop dragging

my scraps from NJ to Indiana to retreat every May and just use them. I decided on a string quilt and also one using 2 inch and 3.5 inch squares since that's what a lot of my scraps were actually cut into.

Here's the 1st block I made using the 2 inch scraps with Kona Snow. There are some more scraps attached over to the side of the block that I plan on working with this weekend.

When I started out making this project I didn't really have anyone in particular in mind but last night I was thinking about this as a finished product with possibly minkee on the back and a black and white or red and white polka dot binding and immediately thought that my youngest daughter would be the perfect person for it!

This next picture is of my first 11 string blocks. I don't have anyone in mind for this one yet either but I'm sure by the time I start assembling it and get it quilted, I'll have someone that could use it.

The Best Sistas

I have the best sistas ever! Not only are they "there" for me when I can't find a file or when I find a quilt that I need drawn out and the supply list compiled or just when I need a kick in the pants to "just finish it up"...they're always there. Well, yesterday was no exception. I came home from work and when my wonderful US Postal Girl came into the neighborhood she came to the door and had a little packie for me.....Yes, Robin's been at it again :) My sister the pattern queen has been shopping again so I now have 5 new patterns for pincushions, mini quilts and runners, 2 new packs of needles, thread heaven, the pattern for Long May She Wave and the fabric to make it and you guessed it...a red and white dotty tea mug! Lemme tell you, this is one huge tea mug!!! I could serve a whole meal in it!!! AND, Robin wrote a nice note too and her card had one of those crockery things that I've been coveting lately. I WANT A CROCK!!!

Anyway....Thank you Robin for all the nice surprises, I love everything!!!

Are You Tired of These Yet?

Are you tired of seeing these Berry Pickin blocks yet? OK, OK, this will be the last one for a while...

This is actually Month 10-Pastries, however, I have 4 blocks to finish off this 12 month project.

I had to re-do one block and have yet to actually "finish" it off, another block I got bored with the doilie, and the last 2 blocks are traced but not embroidered yet. I will be starting back on the unfinished ones this week.....I promise!

The finished quilt finishes up to 64 x 73 which I'm hoping isn't too big to hang in my sewing room when I finish. I don't have a spare room where I can put it on a bed so I'm really hoping it will be nice for that room since it's too darn cute to fold up and put in a pile......

Berry Pickin Update

I have another update for you today. I got the framing on these 2 blocks and then this afternoon I made the basket blocks and sewed the borders on. I am so happy with how these blocks are coming along....I can't wait to finish the last 2-3 embroidery blocks so I can assemble them all together.

I'm Trying to Catch Up

I'm really trying to catch up with my "Berry Pickin" Block of the month...it's not been easy though because I've had way too many distractions (Hocuspocusville, Snow Days etc). But I did decide yesterday that the blocks I already do have finished will be assembled this weekend if it's possible. First step in that is to get the borders on them and to make the pieced blocks.

Here is Block H-Teacups. I finished that today....

The picture is terrible, and I don't know why, but you get the idea.....

If you'd like to see another block that I get to play with next, check out Liz's blog.

Off to get dinner on the table then come back and work on some more blocks.........

Peggy

Quickie Makeup Bag

Going down Baltimore way tomorrow for a visit with my daughter so I thought since I had this cute NYC fabric that I'd make her a zippered top makeup bag for her upcoming trip to Seattle. Isn't it cute? Both girls love visiting New York City and don't get there as often as they'd like so I thought I'd bring a little bit of the city to her.
I couldn't get a good shot of the inside fabric so I took a separate picture of it and it's all NYC cabs.....

Want to win a gift card?

There's a giveaway going on http://www.multimindingmom.com/2010/08/give-a-little-love-in-the-lunchbox-giveaway/comment-page-2/#comment-699
If anyone out there has kids and has fun ideas for lunchtime, you could win a gift card.

Veterans Food Drive

This quilt is almost done...I just need to tack down 1 more side of the binding and it's good to go. I used Pat Sloan's Sweet Liberty fabric for it. I made the top to use for a raffle in school. One of our organizations will sell tickets and I think we'll do the drawing around Veterans Day and donate the money to the Thanksgiving Veterans Food Drive that we do every year. Our school does a lot of charitable drives throughout the year but in the past 2 years I've done the quilt raffle and it benefits both the Veterans and the recipient....

Yankee Stadium

Yes, that's where I spent my Saturday, watching the Yankees beat the Red Sox (sorry all you RS fans) !! I don't go to the stadium often, actually, I only go maybe once a season, my kids on the other hand would go daily if they could. But, I ventured out with hubby and 2 of the 3 kids and really had a nice day. It wasn't oppressively hot and the game was definitely good, especially since they won!!!

Today however I have to make up some lost time in my sewing room and around the house. The usual laundry, sheet changing, etc. must get done today and since it's appears it's gonna be a HOT one, I've already turned the AC back on in anticipation of working up a sweat.

What will you be working on today?

There's a Giveaway Going On

Yes, another giveaway! Now, I'll link ya to it but come on, don't go entering, I want to win one of these and if you all go and enter then I have a lesser chance at winning :(
ok, here it is ---->http://www.squashhousequilts.com/

Circle Around

FINALLY....I finished my Circle Around quilt today! I only started in back in mid May :(


I got sidetracked and then lost my darn mojo but once I started assembling the rows yesterday afternoon I just kept on until I got it all done.

The pattern was in the Summer 2010 Quilts & More magazine which I ordered directly from Julie Herman at her site http://www.jaybirdquilts.com/ and she also had kits for the quilt....I don't know if she's got any kits left but you can certainly go on over to her blog and see....

There's a Giveaway Going On

There's a giveaway going on-----> http://buttermilkbasin.blogspot.com/
Go on over and enter to win $50 in patterns!!!

Summer Flowers

My garden is not very big......and I don't have much in it, mainly because neither hubby nor I are gardeners. I do like flowers though so we do have a small area where I've tried growing sunflowers, with no luck, but these black eyed susans grow like weeds summer after summer!

I figure if I can't enjoy sunflowers then these are the next best substitute!

On the sewing front, the blue star runner is done.

I have it sandwiched and pinned but don't know quite how I want to quilt it so it's just sitting sandwiched on my ironing board. In the meantime I'm going to work on the Circle Around top.

When it's 93 and getting hotter by you, what do you do?

I am staying inside and sewing.....

Down Baltimore Way

Went to visit my daughter down in Maryland on Monday with my other daughter so I took a picture of them outside the restaurant we went to for lunch. We ate at the The Red Brick Station Restaurant & Brew Pub and had a great meal and fun conversation...mostly about "True Blood" from Sunday night.The restaurant is in a mall called "The Avenue at White Marsh" and has some great stores and restaurants! The fountain the girls were sitting on was nice and this sculpture was outside the Barnes and Noble store that the girls wanted to look around in. Jen actually works across the harbor from the Inner Harbor area. She's in the old American Can development area. You can see the harbor from the front of the hair salon she works at. We saved a tour of the inner harbor for a day that wasn't close to 100 degrees.....If you're ever down Baltimore Way and need a haircut, Jen's your girl...email me and I'll hook you up!!!

Fat Quarter Bundle Liberation

I have to tell you, this post is not for the faint of heart so if you think you cannot handle my fat quarter bundle liberation then click off my blog right now :) I decided this morning that the quilt can't possibly be assembled and enjoyed if I don't liberate the bundle....Say goodbye bundle :)

If you're still with me, congratulations........

I hear a sigh of relief............................

they've been unbundled!!!! And now, they are going for a spin in the washing machine...............

All washed? YAY.........Here they are, coming out of the dryer. Ah....so nice, and now they're ready for ironing and cutting into. That was really not so bad after all. I suggest all you bundle hoarders out there 'release the bundles'...let them enjoy being used.

Mail Call

Oh yeah....I did a little bit o shopping over the weekend at Daisy Cottage Quilting over at Sharon Yeager's blog.........Lemme tell you, she is the best! I ordered on Saturday, she shipped on Monday and they were in my mailbox not 10 minutes ago...not bad for coming half way across the US.....Everything came wrapped up in cute yellow and white checkered tissue paper, each packie individually wrapped and that little ole pile in the back came wrapped separately with a cute red ribbon...

The bundle in the front is Flower Sugar and the bundle in the back is Mama's Favorite's.

I love the vintage look of the Flower Sugar fabrics so I just had to have them. I'm thinking the reds and blues will go perfect with some raggedy embroideries!!!

Just click on the link to Sharon's blog if you'd like to do some shopping of your own....

Is There?

Is there a support group for quilters who can't cut the ribbon on their fat quarter and jelly roll bundles? If there is, I need to join!!!

I have the Abbey Lane Quilts pattern called "Match Box" with all the fabric needed to make it but I'm having trouble taking the ribbon off the bundle and jelly roll....I know I should just ask hubby or my daughter to do it as I leave the room but I just love looking at it all wrapped up...

Coincidentally, if you open the new "Quilter's Home" magazine and turn to page 64-65 there is a nice story about the Abbey Lane gals...with a picture of Match Box in the article. If I could just open the ribbon.................

Also, I finally put the last few stitches in the binding on my Meadow Blocks quilt last night.

I was very nervous assembling the top back in May because I wasn't sure how all the assorted prints would really go together but one assembled and quilted, well, I just fell in love with it! I used one of the large prints for the backing so it's pretty much reversible. I think I might have to keep this one for myself for tv watching.

I've got tomorrow off from work so I may be sewing most of the afternoon....anyone want to join me?????????

Top 3

July 15-August 31 Top Three

1) Assemble Mary Engelbreit Layer Cake Quilt

2) Assemble Winter Stars Runner

3) Assemble Circle Around Quilt

http://www.jaybirdquilts.com/2010/04/cover-really.html <----click here to see what its supposed to look like

I am so proud of the fact that when I made the above list the ME blocks were all just sitting in a pile waiting for assembly...Here they are today....all assembled and pressed. I found the white with blue dots that's already in the quilt online and on sale with free shipping so once it gets here I will assemble the back and send it out for quilting.....I'm so excited, only 3 days into the challenge and I'm already done with 1 project!

Where the heck.............

WHERE THE HECK DID MY SEWING MOJO GO????

I feel like I have been in a real slump.....I have not done a lick of real sewing in weeks. Since I was off Friday I got up, got myself moving and after lunch I decided I was coming in my sewing room and I was gonna find my "sewing mojo" if it took me all day. Thankfully, once I started picking up this and folding it and picking up that and putting it in the cabinet where it belonged, I found my mojo.....I grabbed a pile of blocks that I'd been working on since May and I got them assembled into rows and border # 1 attached. This is the fabric that I'll use for the border....

I received the Mary Engelbreit layer cake kit from Michelle as a gift at retreat in May and since I'm a big ME fan I really wanted to assemble the quilt as soon as possible.

Then I had an email from Robin asking me if I wanted to pick a project from our Thimbleberries "Welcome to the Table" club that we both do thru the Main Street Cotton Shop. Since we've been doing this club for almost a year and I haven't assembled a single kit (yes, you heard that right, not a single one) I decided that I'd pick a winter themed project and get a jump on the winter of 2010. The kit is called "Winter Stars Runner" and you get everything you need to assemble runner including backing. Main Street sends you written instructions to finish the runner but you have to make the center of it from the Thimbleberries "Big Book of Quilt Blocks".

I cut the project out after dinner tonight and have the center totally assebled and pressed. I may or may not attach the first border tonight, I'm not sure. This is how it looks so far though.

Normally, Robin, Michelle and I pick 3 projects a month that we ATTEMPT to finish in the 30 days. The past 6 weeks have pretty much been a bust for all 3 of us. If you look at Michelle's blog you will see her "Sewing Room in a Box" post and Robin has been working a lot on wool projects. Other than losing my mojo, I had no excuse.... BUT, I'm making a pledge to try and at least start all 3 of my projects this month and with the ME quilt and the winter runner, I've accomplished that. I hope by the end of August I will have added a "DOT" quilt that I cut out and made all the blocks at retreat and if memory serves me, I have them all assembled in piles of rows too....

I'm hoping I will be able to post more over the next week.....

Tote Bag Finish

I know I've only been home for less than 24 hours but when I sat down to watch tv last night I decided that this tote bag HAD to be completed....well, the sandman had other ideas for this weary traveler. So, this morning when my stupid cell phone alarm went off at 6am and woke me up, I got out of bed and came downstairs and finished the edging on it. I LOVE the bag and fabric and I'm thrilled with how it came out but I still think there HAD to be a better way of putting the piping/binding around the edges.

I may have posted about this bag earlier in the summer before I put the binding on but NOW it's totally done!!!

I have a hair appointment with my favorite stylist today for a cut and color before she relocates to Maryland. I will miss her a lot but she's happy to be starting a new phase of her life and although she's leaving NJ I will still see her a lot.....my loss is Tim & Maryland's gain :) Here's Jen with the boy that's taking her home with him on Sunday......

Good luck at Brocatos Hair Salon!!!

Love, Mom....

Raggedy & Friends BOM

I am back from my cruise and lemme tell you, cruising is the way to vacation. I had the best week but I'm happy to be back home :)

So, is anyone interested in a cute Raggedy and Friends BOM? Hop on over to the Painted Quilt's blog, you can click on the link on my sidebar to read all about it. It is really cute and if you know anyone that's got a little girl or boy, I think it would be super cute.....