January Sew Sampler!!

My January Sew Sampler  Sew Sampler box  arrived and I was so excited to open it!!!   I mean, how great it is that I basically get a Christmas Present dropped off on my doorstep a month after Christmas!!!  And I even managed to keep myself from peeking on Instagram so its contents were a total surprise!!!   And what an awesome surprise it was :)

I have to admit, I am a pretty big fan of pink (It doesn't beat out purple of course, but it is up there ;)  so I was excited when Robert Kaufman announced the Kona color of the year as Pink Flamingo.  And what a treat to get an entire charm park of lovely Pink Flamingo.   And how cute are those patterns to make up with that pink goodness!!!

And this month's notions were awesome!!!   I always, always, always need new rotary blades.   Does anyone else feel that crazy mixed emotion each time you put in a blade.  You are so excited with how sharp it is and how nicely it cuts and then you feel kind of silly for waiting so long to change it and wonder why you have been dealing with that dull blade for a month.   Or is that just me??

And of course, I had to whip up the monthly sampler block.   And you know I just love this month's because it's a star!!!   I can't believe this is block 10 already!!  Before I know it, I will be putting the quilt top together ;)  So exciting!!!

And now, I get to look forward to Christmas in February when my next Sew Sampler Box  arrives .  Ohh, I just love all of the amazing quilting goodness!!!

I hope you have a very Happy Quilting Day!!!

Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!!

It's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!!!   Let's have some fun!!!

First,  we need to announce the winner from last weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway!!   The winner of a  Kewpie Love Fat Quarter Set from Shabby Fabrics is . . . Number #6. . . Congrats Nancy!!! I have emailed you :)    

  

    

And on to today's

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by Fat Quarter Shop.   Fat Quarter Shop is amazing and they never cease to amaze me with everything they have going on at their shop!!!     And if you haven't already, be sure to check out their new 2017 Patchwork Quilt Along that benefits Make a Wish Foundation.   The only thing better than quilting is quilting for a cause :) 

And for today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Fat Quarter Shop is giving one lucky reader a Carolyn Friedlander Big Stitch/ Aurifloss Thread Set!!!! Someone is going to have a whole lot of stitching fun with this beautiful Aurifloss !!!

You have two entry chances, the second being optional, and please leave a separate comment for each.  All Entries are welcome, including International Entries.  Please just be sure to leave an email address if you are a no-reply blogger ;)  

ENTRY 1 - Simply leave a comment that tells me if you have tried Big Stitching before and if so, what was the project :)

 ENTRY 2 - Show your Fat Quarter Shop love.   You can follow them on   Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, You Tube or at their Blog.  You can Sign up for their Newsletter which will ensure you catch all of their amazing sales, or you can visit The Shop and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Fat Quarter Shop Love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until  Tuesday, February 7th ,  when I will announce a winner at the beginning that day's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

 And yes, that is actually 2 weeks instead of 1.  I will be on my Quilting Cruise next week and will not have internet access, but there will still be a TTGD next week so no worries.  We will just do winners of both when I get back :) 

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

January Bee Block

Its a new year for the Bees Knees group and what a fun way to start it out!!!  My bee block went in the mail this weekend and it was so much fun to make!!!  I just love piecing big blocks and this one is no exception coming in at 24" square!!!

The block pattern is from the book Simply Retro by Camille Roskelley and you know after seeing this picture of the full quilt from the book, that it was totally added to my list of quilts to make some day.   So fun and so fast!!!!   Gotta love it!!!

What a fun way to start out this bee!!!   And I just love that every month I add another to make quilt to the list.  No wonder it is getting so long ;)   

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

This Way and That Way

It's Road to California this week and I was super excited to get to make this beautiful solids quilt for Moda to hang in their booth!!!  It's called This Way and That Way and how fun is it!!!

The pattern is from Me and my Sister Designs new book 12-Pack Quilts.   What a fun idea for a book, quilts made up using just 12 Fat Quarters.  Sure made the cutting go super fast!!!    This quilt uses the Bella Solids Designer Pack by Vanessa Christensen.   Aren't those colors just so yummy!!!

This was such a fun quilt to make.  It went together fast and I really enjoyed working with the solids.  Every time I make a solid quilt I remember how much fun they are ;)  And I just love the fun secondary designs in the pattern!!

When it came time to quilt, I had some fun with a whole lot of custom quilting   For the chain I quilted some echoed arches.  I love the way it made the center shapes look like jewels, especially with all of the beautiful jewel toned fabrics ;)  In the background I quilted some tiny all over echoed swirls, paisleys, and pebbles in the background to make the chain pop.   This is a favorite filler of mine and can be found in 180 Doodle Quilting Designs ;)

And I have to say, I am pretty excited about the borders!!!!    The inner boader I did some fun ribbon candy, and the outer border, I did a giant Feather!!!!   Eeekkk!!!!   I am still a little nervous about my feather ability, but I reminded myself the only way to get better is to practice . . . .and so I did . . . and I love it!!!   And I really felt like I learned some tidbits along the way that will make me all the more confident to tackle feathers the next times.   So excited!!!!     And yes, I totally changed the thread out from white to navy which helped to hide a few of the oopsies, gotta love blending ;)

And it adds such a beautiful yummy texture to the quilt!!!  I will admit, this one was kind of hard to put in the mail ;)  I am just so happy with how it turned out :)

But I am sure it is looking awesome at Road to California and that makes it all great!!!   I am just so happy I got to make up this awesome quilt for Moda and already have it on my list to make again!!!  And that is my This Way and That Way Quilt!!!

I hope you all have a very Happy Quilting Weekend!!!  

Linking up this finish to Amanda's, Sarah's, and Myra's ;) 

January Aurifil Designer BOM

I am so excited for the Aurifil Designer Block of the Month and I think the biggest reason is because I just love playing with rainbow blocks!!!   January is all about Blue and I just love Janet Clare's super fun Blue Block!!!  Frame blocks are so great :)

I had so much fun going through my scrap drawer and picking the perfect blues to go together.  It really is a lot of fun to play with the contrast all in one color.   And I used my lovely Aurifil threads for the beautiful blanket stitch around the applique.  I wanted a nice contrast on the applique so I used 50 wt Medium Deft Blue #2783 on the white petals and my go to 50 wt White #2024 on the navy petal.   I love how they just pop!!!

And you might have noticed by now that my center applique is not a cat as in the original pattern.  So ya, I am totally afraid of cats (and dogs for that matter :)   I know, silly right.  I am working on it but the long and the short of it is that they scare me.    So, rather than be reminded of my irrational fear every time I look at this quilt, I decided to change out the center applique.    And wouldn't you know it, I had these awesome Impressions Templates from Fat Quarter Shop's December Sew Sampler box that I have so wanting to try out.    And yup, they were awesome!!!

So that is my Aurifil January Block!!!  You can find the Janet's fantastic pattern for this block right over here and then be sure to pop over here to read Janet's interview.   She is such an amazing designer and it was so fun to get to read all about what inspires her designs!!!  

Looking forward to February where we will be playing with Blue Violet!!!  (I might have already started pulling fabrics I was so excited ;)  

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!