May's Mug Rug Hurray!

I feel like I didn't try very hard with this one. The picture isn't very good either, when I get a chance I may actually try to make another one that I can be proud to show. I don't mind sharing my flops, they do exist I know I am not the only one. Once upon a time there was an ugly quilt contest. It's okay, learn from this and move onto the next. I will show more hopefully tomorrow I am working tomorrow and Friday I have a class to attend  hurray for me. You will never guess who I am taking a class with. She is a quilter, and loves to applique. I will try to remember to bring my camera and take pictures. Have a great day stitching!

Ideas, ideas, ideas!

As I have said before I do love to surf all the quilting blog sites out there, I so love to see all the wonderful and inspiring quilts that so many quilters create. Some of my favorite ideas are the theme days, months and sometimes years. For example the days there are the sew in Friday nights, the Thoughtful Thursdays, Fabric Fridays, Sewing Madness Mondays, you get the idea. Then there are the month themes long, make a block everyday this month and have 30 blocks at the end (cool). Then there are the year long ideas, the BOM, the sew alongs, the mystery quilts. I happen to be doing the year of mug rugs, which was very by accident. Which reminds me I need to come up with another idea for May's mug rug. I'm leaning in the, something for the all to important Mother's Day theme. I will need to take pictures of the sew day that I did get last week and was able to get a few things done, I did go shop hopping with guild friends and made of course some fabric purchases, and one book. I am almost done with several quilts and small projects and those need pictures to show. I really need to just have a picture day of Show and Tell. I hope others are having success in their attempts to progress along all the UFO's and/or WIP's they have.

HAPPY EASTER!

I hope all have had a blessed Easter Day !

GUILTY !

I am so guilty, I admit to my shameful behavior. I have started more quilts! My UFO's/WIP's have grown in the last several months. I think it is due to the fact that I love to surf the wonderful quilting blogs out there and I see so many wonderful quilts with amazing colors and styles both simple and fun as well as complicated and artistic. I have purchased fabric just for such quilts. I have started at least one block and cut for as many blocks that I think the finished quilt should need to be a good size quilt. Some I have made more blocks just to make a couple of quilts bigger, I so want to make bigger quilts. The benefit to making bigger quilts is that I will keep my stash from getting too big, it is considerable at the moment. However, I have made progress with several quilts from my list of UFO's that I want to either finish or almost finish. I also have been trying to contribute to the needs of those who have been devastated by natures fury. As much as I have started I have yet to get started on the two color challenge quilt that is due in September, I do have the fabric and I'm pretty set on a pattern I just need to really get going. In my surfing I do encounter a few fellow quilters out there who also have a growing list of UFO's so I know that I am not alone. I need a few sewing dates and late night sew sessions to give myself time to make progress. Part of me wants to take myself to a hotel for a weekend of non-stop sewing with no interruptions from family needing dinner or clean clothes etc. etc. Maybe when the summer starts and I won't have to get up early for school and stuff like that I will be able to plan a couple of days to do just that. In the meantime if I don't get called to substitute tomorrow I will make an easy dinner in the crock pot do two loads of morning laundry and then just sit and stitch the day away. Happy stitching to me!!! 

Mug Rug Done!

I wanted this mug rug to be whimsical and childish almost. I also needed not to be fussy with it due to time issues. So I went to the scraps as usual and found a square piece of fabric 8" in size. Then I went to the crumbs scrap pile and found green pieces, I only trimmed a little bit.

 Then I found little pieces of blue, I think any color would look just great. I also found a piece of yellow for the center but orange would have been just as welcoming. (I can so see this as a sunflower.) I also did a little trimming.

 Then I found some pink scraps for a border. Then I took the pieces and with a piece of stablizer on the back began stitching first the stems and the leaves, then the petals and the center and lastly the borders. I cut a scrap of batting and a backing.

The final touch was to do stitching around the flower and just inside the border. Add a cute binding and I have a cute mug rug for spring. This would make a darling quilt as well, can't you just see a mess of whimsical flowers in all the colors? This may be a little on the big side but just the same I like this months mug rug. I think I'm onto a whole year of these babies, I started in February, lets just see if I can make it through the year.

Busy !!!

I have been just as busy as a bee. My hubby took just the two of us on a spring break from the girls. My sister is here so she kept them for us, took them to the beach and fun parks, so their break wasn't totally boring. Anyway, hubby and I went to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. I wasn't able to go on any of the quilt block trails that are all over the area, but I did visit a cute quilt shop, and totally had fun with out the girls.
I have so much to catch up on, make a spring mug rug, and post pics of the fabric purchases, wow! Busy !
HAPPY SPRING !!!

What did you do??? NATIONAL QUILTING DAY !

I decided that a jelly roll quilt would be fun even though I wouldn't be in a race. I don't happen to have any jelly rolls so I set about cutting from a very random selection of my stash 20 lights and 20 darks. I tried to think of the important pop colors like red, yellow, black and pink to keep it from being boring. I stitched them end to end and then started stitching the long sides together.

This is round two, still looks like a big pile of strips. The first two rounds are the longest.

This is round three, and it is starting to pick up speed. Keep in mind that this doubles each time (2, 4, 8, 16, 32). This is a really good starter quilt and very good a practicing the quarter inch seam.

Round three and almost done. This is a very fast quilt project and I had all kinds of interruptions from my family who just don't understand the impact of the day.

Last round, that's right four rounds is all it takes to get this top done. I went with putting one light and one dark when I started and I tried not to get to compulsive about which colors were next to each other. There was enough contrast between all the colors so even like colors didn't run together to badly.

This is the finish quilt top. Isn't that amazing? I could have made two if I really needed or wanted to but (family). I need to think of a border for this quilt????? It does look very scrappy, and I would love to see what a planned color scheme would look like. If I needed to come up with a quick gift this would do it. I also think this would make a great activity for a guild, or a fund raiser. I hope I wasn't the only one who had a great day and was able to enjoy the National Quilting Day their favorite way. Happy Stitching! 

HAPPY NATIONAL QUILTING DAY !

National Quilting Day !

Get some pretty fabric either in yardage,

or a whole mess of fat quarters,

or a really gorgeous inspirational fabric, and CELEBRATE the day. Work on some simple blocks or go to a local museum or visit your favorite shop. For those of us who find inspiration in our gardens enjoy that as well (:D any way that brings you that joy of being a quilter. Hope everyone has a great time today!

HAPPY NATIONAL QUILTING DAY !

I will try to get back later to show off something.

Something for me !

 I needed a new bag and so I went and found this inspirational color pallette. Which I cut into strips. Then sewed those strips together.

That lead me to then trim them up to make....

This adorable bag for myself. Which I made from instructions I got in a class I took. I don't think I can give out instructions because there is a copy right on the pattern.

I hope that most of the quilters out there are making plans to enjoy National Quilting Day this weekend.

The Process Pledge????

I guess I can say I believe in the process pledge I'm truely not sure how to be official, anyhow. I am jumping into paper piecing due to the challenge for the two color quilt in our guild (did that sound right?). I will be trying with scraps and these are some of them.

Here is the very simple paper piecing pattern I will be trying first. Only three pieces of fabric to use, should be easy.

So far okay I get it and so far very easy.

I guess I square the block up with the rest.(?)

This is one way to put these four together I love the pinwheele pattern that is going on.

I truely love this choice the best. I will find some time to make more blocks so I can really see where this leads. I will try to use old phone book pages because I so don't like using good paper when I love trees and want to save as many as I can help to save.

I said I had made a March mug rug and here it is I should have shown the before and after. I agree with sharing more of the process that we take on our journey's of creating. I know I love seeing the process others take on when learning or developing a technique for whatever creation they come up with.

Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show !!!

I don't feel comfortable posting pictures of quilts that aren't mine, I would of course give proper credit but with out specific permission I don't want to get into trouble. Any how, I fully enjoyed myself for the four days that the show was here. Met with friends, shopped , had lunch, looked at the quilts several times.

So many wonderful quilts some with had stitching,  more machine stitching then I care to brag about. Many with the twists and turns of the mariners compass. I had to get a couple of books on paper piecing so that I could try my hand at the technique.

Making points that are flat and well you know points are always tricky and most quilters say that paper piecing is the way to go. So I have been encouraged and inspired to try.

I do so love seeing traditional quilts as well as the artistic, but my old-fashioned self will always love the traditional. I do tend to lend myself to the scrappy type quilting not more so the crazy but any scrappy quilt. I guess they seem more cuddly than the others. I was able to ask a couple quilters about their quilts one nice lady who had finished a gorgeous Baltimore album (huge) said it took her twelve years to complete (WOW!). I was so glad she said that I feel like I don't have to rush a bed size quilt like that. I of course bought fabric, not a ton but about 6/7 yards of this and that and then I think two dozen or so fat quarters, and four books, and some yarn. I was successful in finding fabric for the two color quilt challenge and that is important, so mission accomplished.

Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show 2011
I have been getting more and more excited about this years show. Our guild always displays our previous years quilt challenge, and this time I will have a small quilt in the display. I will be honest its not the greatest, still I am proud of what I made and it will be there!!! I have plans to shop and take pictures and have lunch. To keep my purchases to a minimum I have a list, I just hope I stick to the list. I will try to post what I bought and my quilt. I spent President's Day sewing all day. I finished a table runner, and a mug rug (green for March). I am going to plan another sewing day soon to work on more so I can get started on more quilts!!!

Long time no post.

Well from time to time one does get busy and just can't muster up the time, energy or whatever to post something, anything at all. SO.....

This is a charity quilt I am quilting I didn't actually make the quilt but kudos to who ever did it is going to make someone feel really good.

These are some blocks I was messing with just to be messing around which can be a very bad thing but if I make it up and give it away then it is okay. I feel that it needs to have more than nine blocks maybe three more to make an even dozen.

These are some blocks that I am sending to help the flood victims in Australia, I will be sending four to a contact person who will take goodness knows however many and make them up into goodness knows however many quilts to send to the families that need them. It does make me feel great to help others and when one feels depressed that is the best way to feel better. 

This is a little something (mug rug) for Valentine's Day. I think I will be making one for each month for the entire year. These little projects always cheer me up.

SO..... I have been doing plenty of work on quilting type stuff its just always seemed not the moment to take the picture and sit down and write something. I hope with the change in the weather will help me be more energitic. Happy stitching!!

Guild meeting, challenges, and giving !

At our wonderful guild meeting our consumer reporter gave a challenge to take this obvious container and make something out of it, due in May.

This is what I was able to do quickly ! I may not be an expert seem stress, but a working usable caddy is never a bad choice.

So many of us are doing what we can to send relief to the victims of the flooding in Australia, our guild received this via other guilds for a rail fence

12.5 inch block with an address to send it to and wonderful instructions. Any way may I offer a well deserved shout out to all and any who have pitched in what they can to help. Hurray !!! It is always a great feeling to give to others. Quilters to the rescue ! We can be such a great group of giving people.

Dresden Done!

I've had a house full of sick family, and with all the laundry thats piled up etc. etc. I didn't have a chance to post my finished quilt. Isn't it wonderful. It's not very big but still it is done. I have a guild meeting this weekend, we will be working on service projects, you know a big day of sewing. I am so excited because I also haven't bee able to sew either. Hope others are doing better than me.