Seems I am on a real Christmas kick lately!
This is one of two tablemats I made this week. I hope to quilt it this week, but I think I will add a layer of wool first for a bit more poof factor.
I used Jacquelynne Steve's Quilted Potholders Tutorial, fully intending to make some quick potholders as a thank you gift. I liked my block so well though, I felt compelled to add the red border and more of the beautiful holly fabric. This may be my favorite of all Jacquelynne's prints - it is from Joy.Love.Peace.Noel. I mixed it with some red from Oh Holy Night. The prints from her lines often play well together. The sweet, low volume text print I re-stocked into my stash after it did not sell in my Etsy shop ;-) It is Minick & Simpson Christmas Past. Yum, I love this!
Doesn't the Coca-Cola fabric scream Americana?
I pulled several other red and white prints with a similar vibe
Finished Size 21" x 42". I used a double layer of poly batting since it will be stored so often throughout the year.
I really love the Stars block, well I really love friendship blocks and my thought was that it is pretty cool to see them used in a patriotic way.
The following shot was photo-bombed!
Desert wildlife, can you see him?
The pattern I tested for Julie at Intrepid Thread. Memorial Day seemed like a great time to share the photos. When I considered whether Julie had released the pattern yet, I Googled 'Quilted Flag Tablerunner' and found a free pattern site that led me to her original tutorial. The pattern is called Sweet Liberty Table Runner - it is found at Quilted Fish . Posted back in 2011, it seems this pattern is no secret after all!
I had to lay it on the sand to get a full-on shot, without the wind ..
BTW, the free pattern site I mentioned is pretty awesome! Have you been to Quilt Inspiration? Loads of quilt pattern links, and grouped by pattern type. I found this Sweet Liberty Table Runner on the patriotic and flag quilts page. Check it out if you want quick ideas for summer celebrations!
Thank you for reading today! I hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend! An extra day to browse the Friday Finish Linkups:-)
Rarely do I have a post ready a day early, so I am happy to be linking up with Needle and Thread Thursday as well !!
Always a struggle to avoid new Block of the Month projects, I caved when I found Scrap Dance last month. It is a Mystery Quilt along hosted by From My Carolina Home. I caught up over the weekend with Step Three,
Eight more strip sets...
Hopefully the background pattern does not get lost in medium blue! (Compare to other backgrounds at the Flickr Group!)
Coming in June, I am planning to participate with Jacquelynne Steve's upcoming Block of the Month, Cozy Afternoon. The pattern is adorable and I do love a lattice set on point!
The Hillside Houses Quilt Along is super tempting as well! I have downloaded a couple houses in case I am able to catch up this summer.
Really want to do this one, however I really shouldn't!
I still have a couple WIPs from last year that are tucked away, waiting for settings:
My 2014 Aurifil blocks are varying sizes - I plan to 'improv' set it..
Sew Kitschy - I have not finished the last block. So many pieces! I am actually thinking I may use the blocks for small finishes. Although I love the results, paper piecing is not my favorite method!
I told myself to finish these before starting new ones. What's a girl to do?
My big share this week for WIP Wednesday is a new project called Summer Gathering.
Here it is on my design wall. The lovely strips are actually pinned up, right over the top of another WIP ...
Summer Gathering, my work-in-progress. The straggler blocks are from Add-a-Border, awaiting my additions..
This is the result of a kit that was included with some stash I purchased last fall, at the parking lot sale hosted by Quiltique. The sale is more like a swap! Quilters rent space for the morning to sell their stash. Everyone tries to avoid purchasing more from their neighbors than what was destashed in the first place - haha, very few walk away with less than they brought!
This 'kit' was bundled with a booth purchase. It had no pattern, just a whole lot of 2.5" squares and pre-cut triangles to make more squares. The fabrics are exactly what many quilters have been trying to avoid for years now, possibly from JoAnn's or whatever. Not something I want to put in my Etsy shop, but they fit perfectly with my mission to "save the cottons!", hehe.
I completed most of the HST's as leaders and enders over the past 5 or 6 months. They seemed to go on and on, but one day, woo-lah! - they were done! I still had no plan for these - it was near Easter time, and I thought I would do some sort of baskets. Playing with them was fun, and when I made the center block I knew I liked that & I just started building around it.
Oh NO - I have run out of the background fabrics! How bout it my quilty friends, does this fabric look familiar to you?
From the 90's perhaps?
Is something like this lurking at the bottom of a stash pile somewhere?
These are both off-white & white-on-white tonals, looking a bit dark here
against the gray design wall.
I need one strip each of ten different prints, (or 20 2.5" squares
of each print). Do you have one or two strips you are willing to send to Southern Nevada?
In appreciation, all those who donate a strip (or squares!) to Summer Gathering
will be entered in a drawing to win a 'Just My Type' charm pack (like I used
for my recent Kitchenaid Cozy!)
Thank you for you help! Together, we just may be able to save the cottons
;-)
Whew! Funny how exhausting Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Week is!
This delicious scrap bundle enticed some excitement! Reading through the comments, it seems the vibe felt a bit more fired up than past giveaways! Many readers shared tidbits I found very interesting: about fabric, Mother's Day, Vegas, my blog(!), and Ty's Barn Blocks! I regret not replying to each but I must say how much of these comments meant to me! Seriously, I had a couple squish moments. Because blogging is a decision, kind of a decision to share. And it eats at our most valuable commodity, our time. our precious. Blogging once or twice a week is a rewarding way to journal progress, track goals, share info, and meet quilter's!
And the winner is...
Congratulations to
auntie sash !! Looks like a scavenger quilt project may be on your bucket list! Sash was one of many who spied the hula
girls. Many of you saw Rosie the Riveter, the ducks from Red Letter Day (be still my heart!), & the Henna's. The houses were popular - especially the red and white, but on their left are those pink and purple houses (Kokka) - one of my all time favorites - it has made its way into a lot of my projects! Some other surprises are included that were harder to recognize as well, like the retro girls I used when I made BFF Jewelry Rolls.
So, this has been my favorite giveaway yet and I have already started setting fabrics aside for next time.
Hmm, perhaps I will use some in Lia's next fabric scrap swap - that was pretty fun too!
Thank you ALL for the scrap-loving comments, seems there is a lot of fussy cutting going on!
And many commented about trips to Vegas (surprise, surprise a few were married here too!). I wanted to say, I had not been to a quilt shop while visiting here, prior to moving here I mean. The Strip is one of those rare places that can manage to take COTTON off one's brain for awhile. Fabric shopping involves driving away from the Strip. Some praise their patient husbands, but for those who wish to break away in pursuit of fabric, (and skip the car rental altogether!), a quilt shop tour is available! I thought it was a sweet idea, but we did lose one LSC last year (Boulder City).
I wanted so much to buy that sweet little brick and mortar, sigh ....
Congratulations Sash, I hope you enjoy!
Coming Soon: This week I'll be turning to readers for HELP!
I will post pics of my new, almost-flimsy, I ran out of fabric to complete it! I'm looking for some bits of yucky-white-on-white calico-type-probably-joanns-inthe90's-neutrals. What, you threw it all out a decade ago? No joke, I need to snap a few photos of the design wall before it gets dark, and I will post Tuesday or Wednesday with exactly what I am hoping to find...
perhaps it is at the bottom of your scrap bin ;-)
I am so happy with this quilty finish for Mom! Loaded with (large-type) recipes from the NY Times, she can enjoy cooking despite eye surgery's ;-)
I fussy-cut some whimsy,
And used a few pinwheel orphans - two more on the backside:
This is the second book cover I have made. The first is my own sketch book and the cover does not fit as well as it should. Practice makes perfect, this one is just right!
Some of these prints pictured in this patchwork are included in my scrappy giveaway - open until Sunday night, May 10th! Wow, there is nothing like a giveaway to bring the comments in! I had fully intended to answer every one, but this may not be possible! Thank you all for your patience, and welcome to new followers! Each time I read a message regarding a new follower, it feels like a bit of a hug! Ty and I are really enjoying the feedback left regarding his rebar barn blocks, and I think (hope!) it is the incentive he needed to pick this up again.
So far, 50 of the comments left are NO-REPLY BLOGGERS! This does make lighter duty of replying, but it is impossible to contact the winner if one of their names is drawn!!
Todays finish is a quick-share, with a note of Thank You to those hosting Friday finish linkups:
Love Giveaways?
Me too!
What I love most about giveaways is the sentiment involved in the fabric received from fellow quilters. It is, to me, a way of celebrating the community of quilters that has grown from our ability to share online. Using fabric received from a fellow quilter, in a handmade item such as a quilt, is forever a reminder of this and really makes it that much more of a treasure!
I love scrappy-goodness, and especially when a bit of whimsy is added.
My current project has some fussy-cutting involved. It is a cover for a cookbook I am gifting my mother for MOM's Day. Almost done now, and I plan to share the finish on Friday. I think Mom will appreciate the large-type print, and the variety of recipes (from the NY Times) is perfect.
This Plum Chutney recipe caught my eye. What I miss I think most about living in the Pacific Northwest is the abundance of food to put up. (what, it is not the rain?). If one is not lucky enough to have their own Italian Prune tree, bags of them will appear on doorsteps each season, from neighbors up to their eyeballs in them! I think I have made prune everything over the years. Most years, I'd put up peaches, pears, green beans, tuna, applesauce, corn, PRUNES!, cherries, & berries...
Oh yeah, the giveaway..
Followers of my blog may recall I celebrated a birthday not too long ago. (thanks for your patience!)My idea was to grow a small collection of some of my favorite print, 49 of them to be exact!
The stack weighs 1.4lbs and includes a variety of sizes and styles, some vintage, some modern, and quite a few out of print desirables. This prize may not be for everyone, but if you enjoy scrappy quilting & fussy cutting, you will be thrilled! These deserve a closer look..
I keep a bit of almost every fabric that comes through my studio. Finding deals is one of my favorite hobbies. I buy online, at my local LQS, through guild sales, and quilter's destash sales. I try to keep my Etsy Fabric Shop fresh with new listings each week, always hoarding a bit of each piece!
How to win? Please leave a comment! Tell me what you are making for Mother's Day, or perhaps there is a favorite fabric in this bundle? Maybe you want to tell me whether you have been to Vegas, and did you visit Quiltique, or another LQS while here?
Followers may leave an additional comment for a second entry - please let me know how you follow:-)
Giveaway closes Sunday, May 10th, at Midnight - 12:00 PST & the winner selected by Ty, The Randomizer ;-)
If you are visiting from Sew Mama Sew's HUGE giveaway, thank you for stopping by! If not, you will want to check it out!
Because I expect a lot of traffic to this post, I would also like to take this opportunity to share some of the barn blocks my husband made last year. We are considering picking this up again, and I thought you, the quilty community, may have some input!
Although both these red & green blocks did sell online, (through my Etsy Quilt Shop), they were not quick sales and Ty has not been inclined to make more for the profit he received. These are 24", made of rebar, & I think they sold for $90., plus $40shipping. (wow, right? these were heavy, and both shipped across the country). He is in the process now of making a new one using a metal backing that is not solid, therefore not quite as heavy. I like it better too because it has a textured pattern that I think will look nice painted. We sold several smaller ones at the local art show as well, Friendship Blocks with no backing. These are much lighter to ship, however this size takes almost the same amount of time to make and seems more of a patio décor, or even indoor, since it would not be as visible on an exterior wall of a home or barn. We both like this size better, however we did learn quickly at art shows that 'smalls' are what seem to move. The Card Trick, and this Chinese Puzzle with no back did sell at the show, $135. each I believe.
And this white one did not. I think the blocks with backing were priced at $150 for the show and really should be near that price to be a realistic enough profit to motivate Ty to pick this up again. This white one is actually my favorite and I have it on the front of my home. My home is a light color though, so it does not stand out well & I need to paint it. I would prefer to paint the house though and I suppose that is why I have ignored it. Ty will not make any with this type backing again as it was too thin to weld easily. It does give you an idea of what he is making now though - very similar and I think I will paint it white as well, & photograph it somewhere else, haha.
This last photo I found shows the Churn Dash unpainted. We both like this look yet we were not sure others would. Ty has also finished his (other) rebar art with a clear coat to keep the rebar color, yet prevent rust. As well, there is a product he has mentioned to me than creates rust. These options involve a bit more prep-work and therefore would price higher.
Feedback I can share with Ty is appreciated!
I really want to post a few of these at my Etsy site!
Any opinion is welcome: Colors, block patterns, with or without the metal backing, and affordability.
Ty would like to eliminate the chain as well. The top sits a bit forward of the wall and he would prefer it flush, without the chain. Perhaps screwed on..
Thank you, Thank you, and Good Luck with all the giveaways!
Are you wondering why my scraps were in my Pool Room?
Since I am not currently following any BOM or QAL, I decided on a whim this week to participate in the Scrap Dance Quilt Along led by From my Carolina Home. I have heaps of 2.5" squares to choose from, and I'm a SUCKER for a good MYSTERY!
Not the best shot, but this is the Rebar TV table where I worked on laying out the squares to be pieced. Ty made a few of these type tables last year, and I love mine..
I selected blue and green squares with lots of geometrics, then got to work making HST's to go with them. Always a bit scary to pick fabrics without knowing what is to be made, but I chose a medium blue solid as a stashbuster for this There are several size options provided, but I have a late start so this will be baby-size. I'm almost caught up with the QAL and I will share photos with the Scrap Dance Flickr Group - the next assignment is not until the 13th.
That gives me time to conquer my May goal ...
I missed the March goal setting linkup for A Lovely Year of Finishes.
Actually, I seem to have missed March altogether..
This month I am setting an achievable goal: I really want to finish a quilty bookcover for Mother's Day and still haven't tackled it. I have the dimensions and plan scratched out - the book is a (very cool!) large-type cookbook from the NY Times. The print is HUGE and I think this will really be appreciated, however it is secondhand and really needs a quilty touch to be gift-worthy!
