Where I am Not . . . Where I have Been!

NOTE - If you are looking for the Sweet Celebrations Book Tour you will find it here :)
If you are looking for the Beginners Guide to Free Motion Quilting Book Tour you will find it here :)


So I am not at the Sewing Summit.  Le Sigh.  Remember . . . I posted back here about how I was going to be attending my Cousin's wedding in Canada on this particular weekend.  Well . . . I am not at my cousin's wedding either.  Double Le Sigh!!  Turns out, that right after I sold my ticket to the Sewing Summit, our family vehicle started to have some issues.  And then some more issues, and now to where we don't dare drive it more than around town.  So of course, there was no way we were driving it to Canada and back, and with the prospect of having to get a new vehicle, renting one for a trip wasn't really in the budget.

So I needed to do something to make up for this super sad turn of events.  And so I quilted!!

I spent from 9 - 5 yesterday and from 9-12 today at Let's Quilt.  It's is a fabulous little shop that you can rent time on Long Arm's.

I got my Queen and King Braided Irish Chain's all done!!!  My back and knee is a little sore now, but I am so ecstatic about the results !!

Oh, and I should mention, the sheets, which did turn out to be microfiber and not cotton, worked fabulous for the backing.  And now the backs are all silky smooth!!

I promise to show more than just the backs soon, but I wanted to save the full reveal for when I got the bindings on :)  For now, I think I am off to take a nap.  I am exhausted :)

Happy Squishy Mail!!

I love squishy mail!!  I got my mini  all the way from Scotland sent from Lochside Quilter this weekend!  It is perfect!!!  I love, love, love it!!!   I am so thankful to my wonderful partner, Lochside Quilter, who created this beautiful mini just for me :)

I got a plethora of extra goodies along with my squishy packaged.    Lochside Quilter really spoiled me.  I love that all of the goodies continue with the purple theme!!  That purple seam ripper is my new favorite!!!  (And guaranteed, it will get lots of good use. )

And here it is on my cute little wall of mini's!!   Doesn't it just fit in perfect!!!  Lochside Quilter stalked me well!!  I can't tell you how happy these make me.  My three mini's now represent 3 countries, Scotland, Australia, and Canada.  How cool is that!!

Oh, and a quick reminder.  The Sweet Celebrations Blog Hop kicks off today.  Check it out, and then come back tomorrow when it will be hoping on over here!!

She caught the bug!

NOTE - If you are looking for the Sweet Celebrations Book Tour you will find it here :)
If you are looking for the Beginners Guide to Free Motion Quilting Book Tour you will find it here :)


This weekend my twin sister, Jennifer,  and my mom and dad visited.  It is so much fun to have family come and stay!!  Whenever my mom comes we always spend a few hours in my sewing room.  Good Times!!!  We  go through the new quilts I have made since she was here last, I tell her of  my new planned quilts and we ohh and ahh over the fabrics I will be cutting up soon.  And we even get in a bit of sewing :)  Jennifer joined my mother and I on this little sewing room escapade and after a while she asked, "Do you think I could make something like this??".  Absolutely!!!!!

We surfed through my archive and she decided on a quilt design.  It took her a little bit to narrow it down but in the end she decided to go with the Double Dresden idea only she will be adding the circles in the centers.   She plans to make a twin size bedspread for her cute little girl.  Once the design was chosen it was back to the sewing room for some fabric fun.  She played and played in my stash until she came up with this beautiful pile!!!

And then it was a crash course in cutting as she only had 2 hours until she had to head back to Salt Lake!!  She opted to have varying sizes of Dresden's so we cut some 8", 7", 6" and 5" blades.  I can't wait to see them put together!!!

And speaking of cutting, I am about to start cutting my own new project!!  Can I just say, I love Marmalade!!!  It has been on my shelf for about a month now, awaiting it's turn to be played with.  I am so excited to get going on it!!

TNT - Have you tried Scrap Bags??

NOTE - If you are looking for the Sweet Celebrations Book Tour you will find it here :)
If you are looking for the Beginners Guide to Free Motion Quilting Book Tour you will find it here :)

So the other day I decided that I needed another twin quilt to match this one that is on my daughter bunk bed.  After debating back and forth for a while I came to the conclusion that I wanted to make the second quilt in the same prints (Sunkissed by Sweetwater)  as that first quilt.  But trying to find a popular line from almost 2 years ago.  Not easy!!!  I finally came across some scrap bags of Sunkissed and decided that since I was originally looking for a jelly roll they should work, fingers crossed, and ordered them.

This is my first time trying out a scrap bag and I have to say I was a little nervous if it would work out or not.  I was nervous there wasn't going to be a good mix of prints or they were going to be all different sizes.   But they arrived in the mail today and I am so excited!!  They are just what I needed!!!  Yippee Skippee!!!

And, they will have the added bonus of seriously padding my selvages drawer!!  I still have yet to use these in a project, but I sure love the way they look in others!  That will be something I need to try new in the future :)

So onto the pile of WIP these 2 scrap packs go!!  I am hoping to start this one in the near future, realistically around November-ish :)   And if the concept in my head works out you can count on a tutorial :)

EDIT - To answer the question - I found these on Ebay.  Just type in Moda Scrap Bag.  There are lots of stores that sell them and it is a great way to find older lines.  Like Bliss, Central Park, and Breakfast at Tiffany's :)

So . . . that's what I did new this week.  (Yup, I am counting shopping as TNT, tee hee hee),  What have you tried new.  Doesn't have to be anything huge, just link on up!!

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A Bit of an Applique Challenge

As part of the Sweet Celebrations Book for Moda I designed and created this quilt for my husband.  Obviously, he is a U of U alumni.  Well ever since I finished this quilt, I have wanted to make another for me that would match his as my Alma Mater, SUU, also uses red, black, and white for it's school colors.

And I am so excited that I finally moved it onto the cutting table!!  A little while ago I drafted a design that I really fell in love with.   I was going for a matchy geometric look, but not the exact same pattern.  I started cutting, then sewing, add some pressing, and before you know it, I have a finished quilt top, basted and ready to be quilted!!  Yippee :)  (Sorry for the little sneak peek, I am saving the final reveal for a bit ;)

And here is where the challenge comes in.  My husband's applique of the U was a bit tricky but manageable.

My Alma Mater's logo is a bit trickier.  Seriously, this is by far the hardest applique design I have tackled.  Wish me luck, I really think I am going to need it :)

A Super Surprising Sale on Schmidt!!!

**  Note - If you are looking for the Sweet Celebrations blog tour post you can find it here :)

I went to JoAnn's this morning to buy some needles (notions are all 50% off) and you could imagine how thrilled I was to find that there were several bolts of Denyse Schmidt's Daisy Mae and several bolts of  Sugar Creek and Winding Road in the clearance section.  As part of the Columbus Day sale, all of the clearance fabrics were an additional 50% off.  So these fabulous Denyse Schmidt prints were $3.00 a yard!!!   Yippee Skippee!!!   So if you have a minute today and a near by JoAnn's you might want to pop in and see if you can get your own Surprise Schmidt Sale :)

A Happy Birthday Finish Finally Used

So a year and a half ago I finished this cute Happy Birthday banner and matching table topper and shipped it off to become part of the Sweet Celebrations book.    I haven't shared much about it since, except for some other little kids enjoying their cake on it from the promo picture here, because we haven't had any birthday's since it made it's way home.  But yesterday, my little Kamryn turned 4 and I got to finally use my finish from over a year before!!!  Yippee Skippee, I was totally thrilled!!!  I mean, It's so stinking cute!!!

And as you can see, Kamryn was so excited as well!!!  Although I think that might have to do more with the presents than the adorable Birthday Decor :)  She added to my joy by choosing to wear the patchwork dress I made for her older sister a few years back.  She said it was the perfect birthday outfit :)  And in case your wondering,  I used Amanda's wonderful tutorial for the dress and I will be linking up to Amanda's as well :)

Blogger's Quilt Festival - A New Share!!

I just love Blogger's Quilt Festival.  I love surfing through all of the amazing quilts and meeting all new Quilting buddies!!  Welcome to any new friends stopping by for the first time!!

I am so excited to have a new share for this festival!!!  This is my Rah, Rah, Rally Quilt and it is part of the Sweet Celebrations with Moda book.  And since it came home in my suitcase from Texas, I can now share it here!  Yippee Skippee!!

I have to say, this is one of my all time favorite patterns I have designed. Awhile back I saw some kitchen tile at the hardware store and I couldn't get the design out of my head.  I loved the amazing movement and simple geometry of it.  So I played around and played around, adjusting the design and then figuring a fairly easy way to turn it into a block.  But the great thing about it is it doesn't look like a block pattern.  (Another reason I love it!!)

The applique was a little tricky, what with all those detailed skinny lines, but I am so over the moon with it!! It was totally worth the extra effort to make sure it was cut out and stitched just perfect!! The quilting was done by my good friend Natalia!!  She did a fabulous job!!

And now that this quilt is home my husband has quickly taken ownership of it.  This is the first quilt I have made just for him and he is very happy to have it back.  (And I have to admit, I am very happy to see him so happy to have it :)   For now, it has taken residence on our bed for easy football viewing.  I wonder if I can get him to take it off the bed before basketball season starts :)

So all in all, a fun throw quilt for my husband.   Now I just need to get cutting again because I plan to make myself a matching one.  My husband and my Alma Mater share the same colors so they will match perfectly except for the school applique logo.  How cute will we be!!  (I am pretty sure my husband will think we are a lot more cheesy and a lot less cute :) 

Thanks for stopping on by today and letting me share my new quilt.  Now pop on over to the Blogger's Quilt Festival and check out all of the amazing quilts!!!  There's days worth of Eye Candy there!!

Fit for an Irish King and Queen!!!

NOTE - If you are looking for the Sweet Celebrations Book Tour you will find it here :)
If you are looking for the Beginners Guide to Free Motion Quilting Book Tour you will find it here :)



The Queen Version!!

The fabrics are Hello Luscious from Basicgrey and Moda Bella Solid Off White

 The King Version!!

Fabrics are Reunion from Sweetwater and Moda Bella Solid Slate

I just love this Braided Irish Chain pattern!!  These 2 quilts are samples for the class I will be teaching come January.  I have rented time on a long arm tomorrow to get them all finished up.  (Hence, why I am finishing the tops today :)    The tutorial for this pattern is similar to these 2 quilts just a different size variation. The pattern is now available for instant download in my Pattern Shop.

TNT Thursday with Trapunto

*** Note - If you are looking for the Sweet Celebrations Blog Hop Post you will find it here :)

So were you like me and the first time you heard someone talking about trapunto wondered what in the world it was??  (Are you still wondering what it is??)  I had heard it tossed around and finally managed to deduce that trapunto is a technique in quilting used to make parts of a quilt "puffier".  (No that isn't Webster's definition)  And so, now that I knew what it was I filed it away for another day :)

Then, about a week ago another day came.  I drew up a little design that would look oh so adorable if certain parts of it were "puffier".  And so I was off to figure out how the technique was actually done.  I found lots of different "how to's" and took bits and pieces from them for my own method.  And just FYI, the quilt I using trapunto on is for my next MBS tutorial so it will go over my little method of trapunto.

It wasn't to hard.  Basically I just added extra batting to the back of my quilt where I wanted it puffy and then secure stitched my applique on the front.  Fun huh!!!

And just to keep it real . . . I somehow managed to stitch the front corner of my quilt top to the back of my applique.  So apparently this doesn't just happen when I am quilting, I can manage to do it when appliqueing as well :)  At least I got to use my new purple seam ripper all the way from Scotland :)

So that's it for me this week.  How about you???  What have you been trying new??  Link on up!

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TNT - The Final Chapter

Well, can you believe we have been linking up with TNT for a year???  That's right, this is the 52nd TNT link up.  And it will be the last.  (at least for now.)  I have so enjoyed seeing all of your amazing projects.  I love hearing that you are branching out and Trying New Things.  And for that matter, I love that it has forced me to branch out and Try New Things.  But, I have to admit, I am getting overwhelmed.  It is hard to Try Something New every week.  (And some of my lame weeks really show that :) And I am finding it harder and harder to find time to respond to all of your links. And so I think it is time to let go.  That doesn't mean I will stop Trying New Things, and I sure hope you continue to Try New Things as well!!!!  I will just post about them randomly going forward and I encourage you to do the same :)

I want to say a huge Thank You to all of you who linked up with me from week to week.  I can't being to describe how wonderful it was to see you stretching outside your comfort zone!!  I so appreciate you being a part of TNT Thursday!!!

 

So, how about one final chapter!!!

What am I Trying New???  Well, I am on my way to Market!!!!  I am so very excited to meet so many amazing blogging friends.  I am so very excited to meet my wonderful sponsors in person!!!  I am so very excited to be surrounded by quilty goodness for 2 whole days!!!  And I am so very excited, (and so nervous that I have had butterflies for the last 2 days) to participate in the Sweet Celebrations Book Signing and Schoolhouse.  See, I tend to ramble and be a little silly when I get nervous, so by the end of this week all of my friends might think I am a wee bit crazy, but hey, they probably won't be to far off :)

So how about??  One last time . . . What have you Tried New this week???  Link on up!!

Charm Pack Placemats!!!

Today I am so excited to share these adorable, beginner friendly, Charm Pack Placemats with you!!!  A few weeks back, I was asked by the lovely folks at Fat Quarter Shop if I wanted to sew along with Sherri McConnell and Kimberly to make up these adorable placemats.

And wouldn't you know it, almost the same day, I had just shared these fun Grow and Dot. Dot. Dash Charm packs on the blog from my Sew Sampler box.  Do you remember how I was waiting for the perfect project for them.   Serendipitous!!!   You see, a few years back, I designed this fun, reversible, table topper that was featured in the Moda Sweet Celebrations book.  We use it for all of our family birthdays and special occasions.   Well I thought, how cute would it be to have matching placemats!!!  Perfect ;)

And aren't they just so fun together!!!   I used the same straight line quilting and a similar black and white polka dot binding.  And thing about Me and My Sister Designs fabrics is that these current lines still match their lines from 3 years ago.  It's like i made it all as a fun set!!!  So excited :)

And you know I couldn't stop there.   Each Charm Pack makes up 4 placemats, and since I had 2 Charm Packs to start with I figured I might as well cut up some more ;)  Doesn't the trimmings just make the happiest little rainbow!

I was able to make 2 more cool colored placmats and 2 more warm colored placemats from the charms in the 2 charm pakcs ;)  Don't they all just look so fun together.  I can't wait to get them all quilted up and bound.

And then, since there are 7 in our family, I figured I best make up one more placemat.   So I went through the remaining charms and made up this fun rainbow placemat.  I have a feeling the birthday boy or girl is going to want to sit at this one ;)

These Charm Pack Placemats are just so much fun to make, and as you can see, it is hard to stop at 1 or 2 :)  Kimberly and Sherri have put together this fabulous video to help you along every step of the way in making your Placemats and have shared more details over at the Jolly Jabbber, so be sure to check it out ;)  

And I just had to share one more picture of the finished placemats.  Aren't they just too cute for words ;)   I can't wait for Sunday, I think come Father's Day we will have quite the matching table ware :) So excited!!!

Thanks for stopping in today :)  I best be off to finish quilting 5 more placemats if they are all going to ready for Sunday!!

Happy Quilting!!!