Friday, November 21, 2014

Quiltmakers 100 Blocks Vol 10 Hop

Yup, today is my day for the 100 Blocks Blog Hop and I am so excited.  As I shared last week  this particular hop is so very exciting for Quiltmaker because it is their 10th Volume meaning a total of 1000 blocks!!!  This hop is so very exciting for me because not only did I have a block in this groundbreaking volume, but that block also happens to be on the cover along with my name!!  EEEkkk!!!


This is my block and I named it Corkscrew.   I designed this block some time ago but put it aside because it just wasn't quite right.  I came back to it for Vol 10 and tweaked and tweaked some more and then all of the sudden, there it was.   Don't you just love it when that happens.  When everything falls into place and you know it is just right :)  I just love the movement and color play in this block and it has become a favorite ;)


 And I had so much fun making the block I couldn't stop there.   I just had to see it in a quilt . . . So I made 2 baby size quilts for the Designer Gallery section of the magazine.   I made 2 because of course, there needed to be a Boy version an a Girl Version :)  And I decided to do a slightly more scrappy approach which I absolutely love!!!


For the Boy Version, I used prints from Elementary by Sweetwater for Moda.  


And for the Girl Version I used Into the Woods by Lella Boutique for Moda.


I absolutely love the secondary design that is created when these blocks are put together. I already want to make want a larger size version so I can get lots of those fun "flowers" emerging ;)


When it came time to quilt, I decided on free motion all over swirls for the boy.    This really is one of my all time favorite things to quilt.  I know I have been promising to do a video tutorial on it and I haven't forgotten.  It will be coming ;)  I used  So Fine 403 Putty and it blended away perfectly.


And for the girl, I decided on free motion echoed paisleys, another go-to favorite.     I do have a video tutorial   on how I quilt echoed paisleys ;)  I quilted these in it in a Magnifico 2041 Happy Red which gives the quilting just a little bit of shine.  I love the effect it adds ;)


And that is Corkscrew!!!  Thank you so much for stopping by today.  It is so fun to finally get to share this super fun block and the quilts I created with it ;)   


Be sure to pop over to Quilty Pleasures for lots of other amazing blocks from Volume 10!!!  While you are there you can enter into some amazing giveaways as well.

And speaking of Giveaways . . . Lets have one.   I have a copy of Quiltmakers 100 Blocks Vol 10 for one lucky Happy Quilting reader!!   

To be entered . . . Simply leave a comment below that has the number 10 in it.  It can be absolutely anything as long as there is 10 in it ;)  

The giveaway is open to all entries and please be sure to leave an email address if you are a no-reply blogger.  The giveaway will close Wed evening and I will announce a winner Thanksgiving Morning  aka Thursday 27th   ;)  

Thanks again for popping in today and I hop you have a very Happy Quilting Weekend!!!

Linking these 2 finished quilts to Sarah's and Amanda's :)

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Thursday, November 20, 2014

A Little Swap

So a few weeks ago my good friend Corey, aka Little Miss Shabby, mentioned on her blog that she was looking for one of Moda's Fall Market tote bags.  They looked a little like this sign with the rose on one side and the saying on the other and came with threads to hand stitch the bag.  I was fortunate enough to be given one of these bags but had no plans to ever stitch it up as you know my love for all things hand stitching :)   So I wrote Corey and we decided it would be fun to do a little secret swap ;)  I sent her the tote and a few fabric goodies to go along with it :)


And I just got this lovely package in the mail :)   Oh my goodness, Corey totally spoiled me!!!  


First, the new Modern Holidays magazine.  So many great projects in this, I am looking forward to some bedtime reading through this :)  And I always love a little Moda Candy, especially Kate Spain!!!    And those socks, and even in purple!!!  They are so soft, I am wearing them as I type ;)


And then there is Corey's amazing fabric pull!!!   I have always loved the way Corey can pull together such amazing fabric collections.  She actually posted this on instagram a while back and I was totally drooling over it.  I had no idea it was coming to my house!!!   Eeekk, so excited!!!


Now I totally need to add another project to the list for that amazing fabric pull!!!  Thank you so much Corey for spoiling me so.   I had so much fun with this little swap :)

And as much as I want to find a new project for these fabrics right now, sadly I must go grocery shopping instead.  Gotta eat :)  So off I go.

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!


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Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Pine Cone Creations

While I was on my little Aloha vacation last week, the kids did some major crafting at home with Grandma.  After collecting possibly every pinecone in the neighborhood  (Seriously, we still have a garbage bag full in the garage) and doing a little pinterest browsing, the kids set to crafting.  They worked so hard and their creations just turned out oh so cute, I just had to share them here ;)

Jocelyn (3) and Kamryn (5) worked together to make a little Christmas Forest.  My mom says they really did most of the snow stuffing and button placing, she just manned the hot glue gun and tied bows ;)   I am quite proud of those 2 little ones!!


 Kristian (5) made me a beautiful pine bow wall hanging.   He said he wanted to add a big bow to it but I didn't have any big ribbon, so we will need to do a little trip to the store to finish this one off.


Jessica spent 2 days making her Winter Wonderland pinecone tree.  Seriously, this girl loves to craft and once she gets her mind set on something, she will make it happen.  She always impresses me with her creations.


And finally, Spencer (12) incorporated his love of fantasy reading with his creation creating me the first ever Christmas Dragon :)  He really put a lot of thought into making this original creation and he turned out so awesome.  (Spencer says I can't call it cute)   


So that is what my children were up to while I was gone and I can't tell you how happy they make me each time I see them on the mantle.   I love to see their imaginations soar as they create.  It really is such a wonderful way to learn and grow.    And a big shout out for Grandma for having the patience to do this for 3 days.  We are going to have some new Christmas Pinecone Decor this year for sure!!!  

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Tuesday, November 18, 2014

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 the  Madison Fat Quarter Bundle from Olie and Evie  is . . .   Number 86 . . . Congrats Crystal_235!!   I have emailed you :)
    
    





And on to today's


Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by Superior Threads!!   It's no secret around here that I am a huge fan of Superior Threads!!  I love their So Fine, Omni, and Magnifico for the Long Arm and I am about to try out their MasterPiece for piecing on my home machine.  I will let you know what I think very soon, but from what I hear it is awesome!!!  


And the Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is for a  $30.00 Gift Certificate to Superior Threads!!!   One of you is going to get some major thread goodness!!!  


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 what your favorite color of thread to use is, not necessarily the one you use the most, but the one that makes you smile ;)  

 ENTRY 2 - Show your Superior Threads love. You can follow them on  FacebookInstagramPinterestTwitter, or their Blog. You can Sign up for the Superior Threads Newsletter or you can visit their Shop and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Superior Threads Love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until next Tuesday, November 25th when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

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Monday, November 17, 2014

Aloha!!!

The last 6 days I have been soaking up the sun and enjoying the beautiful Hawaii.  My husband had a conference on the Big Island so naturally, I tagged along ;)


My Father-In-Law, Bob, was also attending the conference so that meant Barbara tagged along as well :)


And my oh my, what a great time we had!!!  Each afternoon, when the guys were done with their conference, we played in the water, hiked the National Volcano Park, snorkeled, and all around enjoyed ourselves.


The beaches and lava cliffs were absolutely stunning.  I could have sat and watched the waves crash for hours.  I am so memorized by the way water moves, it is like a dance.


And when the men were in their conference, Barbara and I hit the streets for some shopping.  There are 7 quilt shops on the big island and we managed to visit 5 of them (2 we only drove by because they were on the other side of the island and the men didn't want to stop on our way to snorkeling, can you believe that?? :)  Each shop was so fun!!!  I especially loved finding fun Hawaiian prints.  Aren't these so cute!!!


And one of the shops even had a Superior Thread Display.  They couldn't believe I lived a mere 45 minutes from the warehouse ;)  It was so fun to talk shop with the owners and see how the retail side works when they are so far away from everything.  Very enlightening and so enjoyable ;)


And I had to smile when I even found Modern Baby at one of the shops ;)   I told the ladies there that I had a project in it and they paraded me around the cutting counter showing everyone there my project ;)  I know it is silly, but I was totally feeling like a mini celebrity, so fun :)  


 I wanted to take a bit of everything home, but that whole limited suitcase room really hampered my style.  So in the end, I decided to focus on prints that I couldn't get back home.


I bought 3 matching flower prints to make the girls some Sarong's and 2 turtle/palm tree prints to make the boys a pair of shorts :)


We got back to Cedar yesterday afternoon to find snow.   But it's okay because we were welcomed with lots of warm hugs from the little ones who we missed dearly ;)  And I got 2 fun fabric packages in the mail while I was gone, which is always a warm welcome as well!!!  

Time to get back to some quilting ;)

Have a Happy Quilting Day!!
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