Playing with Petals

So remember last week when I said I cut out a bunch of applique for a new Daisy Chain quilt . . . well, what I didn't share then, was that I actually cut out quite a lot of extra applique.  Which took some extra time, and while I was cutting I kept telling myself how silly it was . . .   But I just couldn't decide how I wanted to colors to layout in the flowers.   And ya know, sometimes you just have to  play around with different layouts until you find the one you like ;)  

So . . . .I cut extra applique petals to give me lots of options.  And I am so glad I did, because I hadn't even thought of the layout I ended up with :)  The extra 20 minutes of cutting was totally worth it and now I have  these leftovers that will make up 4 more flowers . . . and I am sure I will find something fun to use them on ;)

I played around with lots of different layouts.  I started with the petals and centers in the same colors, then mixed them up, and I had the prints in the petals the same, and then mixed them up (and of course, I didn't think to save those pictures that I discarded as not quite there yet, sorry)  and eventually came across this layout which was the perfect combination of controlled scrappy that I didn't even know I was going for in the first place ;)  I love it!!! 

So last night I adhered all of the applique shapes in place and stacked them up all ready to be stitched this morning ;)

And wouldn't you know it, I just happened to get a lovely package of Aurifil Threads in the mail yesterday.  They are for another secret project I am working on . . . but I have a feeling they are going to work just perfect for some serious secure stitching today!!!   I am planning on using a blanket stitch for these and can;t wait to get going.  I love secure stitching applique, I find it so incredibly relaxing and I love seeing how it makes the applique pop!!

Time to get my stitching on ;)  

Oh, and if you are new to the wonderful world of applique and are wondering how to get started with it, you can check out my Applique Basics Video here ;)  I promise, you are going to love it!!!

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 fantastic Jingle Layer Cake from Shabby Fabrics . . . . . .   Number #308. . . Congrats Diana @ Red Delicious Life.!!   I have emailed you :)     

 

  

   

And on to today's

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by The Scarlet Thread Quilt Co.  Along with hosting the giveaway, Julie is offering a special deal for all my readers.  Take $5.00 of your $25.00 or more purchase with the coupon code GRATEFUL !!!!!  The code will last until next Terrific Tuesday ;) 

And the Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is for a beautiful Charm Pack of  Wool & Needle III Flannels by Primitive Gatherings for Moda.  This is absolutely perfect for some fall project making and they are so soft!!!  

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 telling me what is your favorite thing to sew using flannels :)  
 I made this quilt using Wool & Needle Flannel II and just might be starting a new one using this awesome Wool and Flannel III line.  It is so soft and wonderful to work with!!!!!

 ENTRY 2 - Show your Scarlet Thread Quilt Co. love.   You can follow them on   Facebook, Instagram, or Favorite their Shop.  Or you can visit The Shop and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Scarlet Thread Quilt Co. Love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until next Tuesday, November 17th when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Aloha

Aloha!!  This last week my sweetheart had a conference in beautiful Kauai Hawaii, and so I got to go along for the ride and it was absolutely beautiful!!!

My plan was to work on write some patterns in the morning while he was in conference, but that quickly went out the window in exchange for sitting on the lanai and reading some great books!!  I mean can you blame me with a view like this.

We had such a wonderful time!!!  We enjoyed the beach and the waves, and we also got in two amazing (although they kicked my butt)  hikes!!  But the views made it totally worth it!!!

I lost track of how many times I just sat and watched and listened to the waves.  They are mesmerizing!!!  I absolutely love all the shades of greens and blues in the ocean.  Just amazing!!  I think I might have to put all my pics into so palette builders, so pretty :)

And like all good things, it must come to end. Although coming home to 5 wonderful children that were so excited to see us (and what we brought them ;)  sure makes it a whole lot easier to leave.

It was a wonderful little getaway and I just loved spending it with my absolute best friend in the whole world!!

And now, I am itching to get back into my sewing room.  Unpack, laundry, and then I am there ;)

Cozy Cottage Tote

It's the Cozy Cottage Calendar Celebration this week and I am so excited to be a part of it!!!!   I turned my little cozy cottage's into this adorable tote!!  It is going to be just perfect for retreats!!

The cozy Cottage block is so much fun to make and goes together so quickly!!  The pattern for it is in the 2016 Calendar and has multiple size options and designs for pillows, wall hangings, and such.

I used Pie Making Day by Brenda Ratliff to make make my little cottages.  I love how bright and happy they are ;)   Wouldn't it be fn to live in such happy little cottages :)

And of course, the little lady wanted to model the cozy tote :)   I think I am going to have to borrow it from her now when I want to use it :)

Oh, and I was trying to harness my inner Lori Holt by taking pictures of this tote with  Barbara's beautiful antique treadle machine.  They just seemed to go together ;)   

Be sure and check out the Cozy Cottage Calendar!!!   It has so many beautiful pictures that will make an adorable addition to your sewing space this next year ;)   And then you can make up your own Cozy Cottages as well :)    And be sure to pop on over to the Celebration to see all of the amazing Cozy Cottage Creations!!  They are so fun!!!

Thanks for popping in today :)

Have a Happy Quilting Weekend!!!

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

Cutting, Cutting, and some more Cutting :)

In January of 2016, I have the wonderful opportunity to do a trunk show of the quilts from Irish Chain Quilts as part of the Quilt St. George Retreat!!!!  I can not wait as I love to share these quilts.  However, I realized a bit ago that I have a bit of problem as several of the quilts from Irish Chain Quilts are on a Shop Hop that has become so popular it is booked out way past January.  Meaning several of the quilts won't be home to show . . . .So  . . .  I am working on some remakes!!!  And it is so much fun to get to be making some of these again!!!!  This last weekend I spent Cutting, Cutting, and then Cutting some more for 3 new Irish Chain Quilts!!!

The first to be cut up was some of the cool toned leftover's I had from my Tucker Prairie Fat Eighth Bundle by One Canoe Two.  I just love these beautiful prints and paired off with that beautiful Navy Grunge it is going to make a stunning Breaking Up quilt!!!

Then it was time for some cutting with scissors instead of a rotary cutter.  And it was a lot of cutting but oh so much fun as I added in some favorite movies while cutting, ie. Pride and Prejudice, North and South, and Jane Eyre ;)   I used a beautiful layer cake of Flutter by Amanda Herring that I picked up at my first market!!!  It think it is going to make the prettiest Daisy Chain baby quilt!!!  I just love the oranges, reds, and blues together!!!

And finally, I grabbed all of my bits and pieces of different "whitish" solids and a beautiful bundle of Peppered Cottons that I picked up at this last Spring Market Sample Spree and got to cutting!!!   Don't you just love those beautiful trim leftover.  And yes, I love cool tones together, they are just so calming and happy making!!

And that huge stack of squares will be turned into a Bitty Bits quilt . . . only I will be doing the opposite layout this time, ie . . . the chain of triangles will be in the whites and the background will be in all the beautiful colors!!!  I can't wait to see it done so ya, I might have to start on this one first ;)

So now that all of that cutting is done . . . it is time to get sewing!!! 

Linking up these new WIP's to Lee's ;)

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 fantastic Farmhouse Jelly Roll from Rustic Rooster Quilt Shop . . . . . .   Number #252. . . Congrats Abbie @ Rosewill Arts.!!   I have emailed you :)     

 

  

   

And on to today's

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by Shabby Fabrics!!   Shabby Fabrics has so many fantastic Kits and Projects and I absolutely love their Laser Cut Kits!!! Shabby Fabrics  also has an amazing  Clearance Section, you are sure to find some amazing deals here :)

And for the Terrific Tuesday Giveaway  Shabby Fabrics is giving one lucky winner  a Jingle Layer Cake by Kate Spain for Moda!!!!!   This is such a fun Christmas time and just in time to get some of those last minute Christmas Projects done!!!

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 any Holiday Sewing Plans this year . . . I can ask that now that Halloween is over, right ;)  

 ENTRY 2 - Show your Shabby Fabrics love. You can follow them on Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, Pinterest, or Instagram.  You can Sign up for the Shabby Fabrics Newsletter (top right hand corner) or Follow their Blog,  or you can Visit the Shop and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Shabby Fabric Love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until next Tuesday, November 9th when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

October Bee Blocks

I am happy to report, that all though I am posting these blocks in November, they did indeed get mailed out in October ;)  Yippee for being on time ;)  October had some fun blocks and lots of trimming :)

First off for the Beejeebers Bee, Whitney had us make these fun Fractangle Blocks using this tutorial.  I love that she did them in fun Halloween colors too!!  Just perfect for October.

 We made 2 blocks so I did mine in opposite color layouts.   And I just happened to have a bunch of black and orange scraps from these quilts that were the perfect size.  Isn't it just so fun when it works out like that ;)

And for the Bee's Knees . . . Sherri had us make Half Square Triangle blocks :)  She is working on a HST Sampler quilt all in Bonnie and Camille Fabrics!!  It is going to be insanely amazing when it is all done!!  I can't wait to see it ;)

Now I am all set for November's Bee Blocks!!!  My goal is to not procrastinate this month as there is that holiday towards the end of the month that takes a bit of time to get ready for ;)  Good Times!!!

Happy November Everyone!!!  Let's make it a Super Happy Quilting One!!!

Bright Side Quilt

Today I am super excited to get to share another quilt that I made up for Market.  This one was for Moda to hang in their booth and the quilt is a new design of my good friend Vanessa's ;)   The quilt is called Bright Side and uses Vanessa's new line called Little Miss Sunshine that she debuted  at Market last week :)  This is such a fun line, the prints and colors are just fantastic!!!! and it is absolutely fantastic!!!!

Just like yesterday's quilt that I shared, this one uses great big blocks which are oh so much fun to put together!!!    I love the little sunshines that Vanessa created in the negative space of the center of the block!!  Just such a fabulous design!!

I really did some custom quilting on this one and am so very happy with how it turned out!!! So ya, there is going to be a lot of quilting pics ;)  On the blocks, I quilted pebbling in the background to try and really make those points pop!!  Then in the center negative space, I did pebbling in the "sunshine points" and paisleys and swirls in the center.

I rotated quilting just swirls or just echoed paisleys in the main print part of the block and then did just some straightish lines on the center print part of the block.  I changed thread color to match each of the prints so everything blends oh so well!! Oh, and I almost forgot the double arches in the white squares in the corners of the center. So fun.

And finally, in all of the background negative space, I quilted little pebbles to frame the space and then once again echoed paisleys and swirls in the center.  I was trying to echo the "sunshine" quilting that I did in the center of each block.

So ya, all in all, lots and lots of fun quilting!!!  I loved trading between so many different design patterns and seeing them all blend together to complement the quilt design ;)   And ya, I might have squealed out loud and done a few fist pumps when I took it off of the long arm.  So much wonderful texture!!!

And that is Bright Side!!!  Sadly, as I wasn't at Market so I don't have a picture of it hanging in the Moda booth, but maybe on will surface and then I can share that!!!  This really was such a fun quilt to make!!!  All of Vanessa's awesome patterns, including Bright Side are available now and Little Miss Sunshine will be in quilt shops in April of 2016.  You are just going to love this line, it is so happy and bright!!!

Thank you so much for visiting today and each day!!!   I just love getting to share my creative journey with each of you and so appreciate your following along with me ;)

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

Linking this finish up to Sarah's and Amanda's :)

Miss America Quilt

I was so excited to get to piece and quilt one of April's  quilts for Market this year!!!  April designs fabric for Moda and she debuted her third line, SummerFest at Market last week and it is absolutely fantastic!!!!  This quilt is one of April's new patterns called Miss America and isn't it just incredible!!!

I had so much fun piecing this quilt and it really went together quick thanks to those big blocks!!  Don't you just love big block quilts for that!!!

And there is a really cool way to cut this quilt out that makes for super fast quilting and . . . gives you a bonus block!!!  I turned my block into a coordinating pillow.

Don' t they just look so cute in a matching set!!!!  I just love the colors in SummerFest, they are so incredibly happy making!!!   And the prints are just gorgeous!!!

When it came time to quilt this up, I really wanted to do some custom quilting to make the awesome design of the blocks stand out even more.  So I did some double arches, some pebbling, some areched flowers, and then swirled it up in the background.

I repeated the same motifs in the other block to really tie the two together and make the designs stand out all the more.   I am so incredibly happy with how the quilting all came together on this one!!!  I just love how much it complemented the overall design.

And it has so much yummy texture as well!!!  I just wanted to keep running my hands over it to feel all of that fun quilting!!  And of course, I used my all time favorite 402 So Fine Thread for it as it blended perfectly with all of the prints ;)

And here is a shot of it in April's cute booth at Market!!!   So fun!!!  And I just loved all of those adorable girl clothes on the line.   I hear April used them to dress up her sweet little 6 month old Hazel when she came to visit in the booth.  So cute!!!

And that is Miss America!!!  Doesn't she just take the Crown!!!  All of April's awesome patterns, including Miss America will be available in November and SummerFest will be in quilt shops in April of 2016.  I have to say, I am glad I have some scraps to keep me busy until then.  I just love these fabrics!!!!   

Thanks so much April for letting me make up this quilt and be a little tiny part of your absolutly stunning booth at Market!!!!   I just love everything about this quilt and was so glad I got to make it up!!  

I will be back tomorrow with another fun market quilt finish ;)

Until then, Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Upcoming Compilation Projects

I am excited to share some of my Market Projects.  And I decided to start today off with the ones that I have been keeping a secret the longest!!!!   I have had the wonderful opportunity to participate in three compilation books this last year that were all announced at this Market.   And if you followed along with any of the Market Social Media, I am sure you already know all about the first!!!

The Moda All-Stars All in a Row Book!!!  No, I am not a Moda Designer, but I was so blessed to be asked to sew up one of the Gallery Quilts for the book!!   I can't say how excited I am to be a tiny part of such an amazing and talented group of designers!!  This book is going to be incredible and you only have to wait one month and for it!!  It releases from Martingale Publishing on December 1st!!!!

The next complication book I had the opportunity to work with was this super amazing 75 fun Fat-Quarter Quilts book compiled by Roxanne Cerda for C & T Publishing!!  I actually made 2 quilts and 10 designs for this book.   It really is a fun book that starts with a basic design and then adds lots of fun twists!!  It will release on December 7th :)

And finally, Karen Burns from Martingale Publishing asked me to contribute a Log Cabin quilt for this fun new I Love Log Cabins book!!!  And seriously, don't we all just love Log Cabin quilts!!!  They are so much fun to make and so great at busting scraps!!!  This one is going to be harder to wait to share my project because it doesn't release until February 9th, but I am so excited for it!!!

And those are the 3 books :) I know, I know . . . Here I say I am going to share projects, and I share book covers.  So not a full reveal,  I wish I could share more as I am so excited about each of the quilts that I made for these publications, but I promise to share my quilts as soon as the release dates come.  I just couldn't wait until December to spill some beans ;)

Pop back in tomorrow and I will share an actual quilt from market . . .I promise ;)

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