Scrap Dance Finish, ALYoF

 

Scrap Dance hangin' out at the new Equestrian Park, River Mountains in background

Las Vegas in background

Somewhat low contrast with the background color choice, the quilting is an attempt to better emphasize the pattern.

Dancing with the Sunlight.

Lots of cute fabrics to 'spy'!

Binding Front Side

Binding Back Side 

Scrap Dance Quilt Stats:Finished Size: 39" Square
Pattern: Scrap Dance Mystery Quilt Along, hosted at From My Carolina Home.
More versions can be viewed at the Scrap Dance Flickr Group!
Fabrics: 2.5" square scraps, and solid blue-gray from my stash for background, backing and binding.
Batting: Poly Cotton/Blend, Hobbs I believe..
Machine pieced and bound with Bernina 1020
Free Motion Quilted with Juki TL98E

Checkmark: Lovely Year of Finishes October Goal MET!! (post here, link up #46) - Woohoo! Linking up with the Shanna for the Finishes Party at Fiber of all Sorts!

Checkmark: This is my second finish from my list of goals for Quarter Four, as linked with Adrianne at On the Windy Side 2015 FAL!

Blogger's Quilt Festival - Sweet Liberty!

"Sweet Liberty Table Runner",  Small Quilts category of the Fall 2015 Bloggers Quilt Festival!

I wanted to share a bit of Americana for my second entry in the Blogger's Quilt Festival, the virtual quilt show for blogger's, hosted by Amy Ellis at Amy's Creative Side!

October 23-29, 2015 – Linky’s Open & Nominations through Oct. 29th for Viewer's Choice category.

October 29-Novebmer 5, 2015 – Vote for favorites in each of the categories!

 

Sweet Liberty Table Runner Stats:
Completed April 2015
Original Post HERE
Finished Size: 22" x 40"
Pattern by Julie of Intrepid Thread, free download here, at Quilted Fish
Fabric used:
      Prints found in my stash that screamed Americana; some modern and some vintage!
Batting:
      Quilter's Dream Polyester - two layers:)
Quilting:
      Free Motion squiggle-stitch quilting with Juki TL-98E
Thread:
      Aurifil 50wt, White & Blue

Thank you so much for your consideration!

Blogger's Quilt Festival - Winter in Bloom!

"Winter in Bloom",  Original Design category of the Fall 2015 Bloggers Quilt Festival!

It is not too late to participate in the Blogger's Quilt Festival, a bi-annual virtual quilt show for blogger's, hosted by Amy Ellis at Amy's Creative Side!

Nominations are open through October 29th for the Viewer's Choice category.

 

Inspired by the luxurious colors in the Fusion Illusion bundle of fabric sent to me by Blank Quilting to celebrate the 85th Anniversary of Jaftex, I designed "Winter in Bloom" early this summer. As I played with the fabrics, the colors reminded me of Christmas Cactus, and I reached for the silvery holiday text fabric for the background, to help give the quilt a Christmas-in-the-desert-vibe.

This was an exciting challenge, presented to me by Henry Glass Co. following my participation with the Desire to Inspire Challenge last Spring. It is so fun to allow fabric to "speak" to a quilt design, even when you have no idea what type of fabric you may receive for a challenge!

"Stacked Back", pieced with leftovers:)

Winter in Bloom Stats:
Completed Summer 2015
Original Post HERE
Finished Size: 58" Square
Designed by myself using 900 2.5" Squares, 200 of which were HST's:)
Fabric used:
     Fusion Illusion, by Blank Quilting for patchwork.
     Crystal Palace, by Studioe for background.
     Crosshatch Backing, by Robert Kaufman.
     Season's Elegance, by Studioe for machine binding.
Batting:
     Quilter's Dream Wool
Quilting:
     Free Motion Cross-hatch Quilting with Juki TL-98E
Thread:
     Aurifil 50wt, pale silver color

Thank you so much for your consideration!



Winter in Bloom went for a walk in Bryant Park: Two of the photos shared today were courtesy of office staff from Blank Quilting!

Four new Scissor Cozies!

Scissor Cozies, Tutorial at S.O.T.A.K. Handmade HERE

I received some happy mail this week!
A Rum Raisin Layer Cake, sent by Shelley who blogs at A Carpenter's Daughter Who Quilts.
Shelley offered this generous giveaway to celebrate her recent Birthday!

I quickly decided to make her a scissor cozy as a Thank You,
Blue is her favorite color.
And why not make four while I'm at it?!
One for my sister who flew into town yesterday,
Raindrops seemed appropriate since she lives in Seattle...

One for myself, made with some favorite vintage muslin that I listed unsuccessfully in my Etsy shop for more than one year, even though it was only $6 yard. Some things are meant for me I guess!

The tutorial is easy and the only changes I will make next time are to topstitch the zipper edges, and I would like a zipper tab on both ends rather than just one.
And the last one I made for my next giveaway, for followers.
Coming soon:)

Yes, these scissors have four blades! I am not sure what they were made for, but I have used them when making chenille, and other raw-edge projects that need to fray a bit.

Linking up with Friday Finish links, buttons on my sidebar!

Cha-Ching!

Inspired by the Le Challenge October theme, "GOLD", lightbulbs went off as I was changing out my shower curtain this week!
It has fun casino chips, and this one caught my eye:

On a time-crunch, but I just met the deadline with this fun tote!

A quick online search located a produce bag tutorial HERE.
My bag is just a bit bigger, and I used binding to finish the edges and the top.
Next time, I will put the seams on the outside, but they do look cute in there!

Well, my chips are in!

The theme for next month's challenge is "METHOD"

Lovely Finishes!

Is a finish still a finish when it is not my finish??
Of course it is!
I know y'all will want to see the pretties!
I've had zero time to sew this past week, and Friday seems like a great time to share Happy Mail!

Back in August, Lara of BuzznBumble surprised me with this oversized catch-all, customized with swimmers! She is a clever one for certain! That 'gift tag' with the cute label is fabric, covering heavy-weighted steel bars, and the catchall attaches with Velcro. It hangs securely from my sewing desk. The pincushion just rests on top, (portable!), allowing me to move it about in my sewing room.
Sew creative, right?

I would have liked to share a picture of this in use, however my sewing room is quite dark for photography. Please visit Lara - she posted some great photos and explained her process in making this HERE!

And here is another lovely surprise!

Kathy, of Running with Rocket, sent me a custom CD holder! Kathy was the winner of my recent giveaway, a handmade zippy pouch, and many of the fabric pieces she used were from the fabrics I bundled into the pouch! Check out the I Run with Scissors fabric, what a great touch! These CD holders are sold in her Etsy shop, Running with Needles!
Lots to look at!  All the little scrappy bits give me warm fuzzies & I love it so much that I have decided to hang it vertically near my cutting table. I have a few pens & notes in it, as well as a few other little oddities that made their way in to a slot.

Soo, I've been on a roll here - packages arrive and my husband looks at me with envy and asks, "What now?" He did a bit of clicking on eBay just to get a bit of happy mail for himself, haha!

I've won two fabric giveaways recently!
My, Oh My, What have we here?

This huge bundle of Alex Anderson's SPLASH, came from Sandy at Upstairs Hobby Room! The bundle arrived at my house while I was in Alaska in September. Ty was pretty funny waiting for me to come home, he said it was hard not to open the package and pet the fabric - definitely a quilter's husband, haha!

Sandy made a gorgeous quilt with this line in August, click HERE for the free tutorial!

Summer Breeze, 54" x 72"

I already posted a picture of the wonderful bundle of goodies sent from Mary of Quiltin' Grandma's Designs, including the black and white batik bundle. Bundles always look so pretty and I left it intact before my trip to Alaska. I finally opened it up last weekend (what was I waiting for??), and was quite surprised at just how beautiful this fabric really is! It has some fun, mod-style graphics, a sweet cat and mouse print, city buildings, and sunflowers.

I added the two on the left, the dragonflies and my souvenir Ravens from Alaska. Now I'm mulling over ideas to showcase these beauties. I'm sure I can find inspiration at the Friday Finish Linkups!
Hmph..
I am still on restriction!
I can NOT allow myself to play with them until I have completed a few quilts. Actually, my goal is six finishes before any newFO's, but the piecing withdrawals are coming on strong --

twitch twitch ;)

On-Point: A Setting for Cozy Afternoon!

I have always been attracted to quilt blocks that are set on-point, how bout you?
For me, The "Cozy Afternoon" Quilt Setting is no exception!

Love Love Love the lattice design!

Really, this setting could be used in so many ways!

All the math has been done for us --- Thank you Jacquelynne!

How bout you, do you love windy shots?

Today, as we celebrate the release of Jacquelynne Steve's setting instructions (link HERE!), we also wrap up The Cozy Afternoon BOM Bloghop! I have really been looking forward to seeing all these blocks come together and I will definitely be visiting all the participant's blogs:



 Teresa @ A Quilt and a Prayer

Jacque @ Lily Pad Quilting

Julie @ The Crafty Quilter

Bev @ 44th Street Fabric

Kahryn @ Kathy's Quilts

Are you wondering if Jacquelynne is offering another e-bundle pattern giveaway?

Well, of course she is!

But first, a close up of my Cozy Afternoon Christmas blocks:

The idea to mimic the sweet little critters and use Jacquelynne's fabric, "Joy, Love, Peace, Noel" as my theme fabric was irresistible, though I love the sweet, teacup blocks designed for Cozy Afternoon! I plan to use one or two of the block patterns (the birdie!) to embroider dish towels as Christmas gifts.

 

As everyone gets to work on their settings, this seems like a good time to share a quick tip!

Did you know there is usually less stretch in your fabric running lengthwise than widthwise? Whenever possible, I cut my borders from the length of my fabric rather than across the width...

 

And now, let's see what Jacquelynne is sharing for the finale!

I adore the black and red version of Hugs & Kisses!!

This pattern "e-bundle" will be awarded to one lucky reader at EACH stop in the blog hop!

 

To enter the giveaway:

Please leave a comment on this post prior to Sunday October 18th, at midnight (PDT time!).

Maybe you have a tip to share with readers about working with borders? Or not, haha!

 

Blog followers receive a second entry, because it makes me so happy to know who is reading;)

Each comment is an 'entry', so please leave a second one to let me know how you follow!

 

The winners will be contacted by email on Wednesday, Oct. 21st!

Remember to leave your email address if you are a no-reply blogger!

 

 

Although I may not be able to reply to every comment during a giveaway, please know how much I appreciate your visit and enjoy hearing from you!

2015 FAL - Q4 Goals

I did a LOT of sewing during Third Quarter, however only two finishes were checked off my Q3 goals list:

Directionally Challenged,

And, My Jaftex celebration quilt, Winter in Bloom,

 

Small, spontaneous finishes continue to sway me from my quilty intentions...

Still I am happy to have at least a couple finishes that were actually set as goals for this quarter!

I removed those two finishes from my Q3 list and added several others to complete my Q4 Goal list for the 2015 FAL hosted by Adrienne at On the Windy Side:

Listed as pictured: Left to right, from top to bottom:
1.  Donna's Stars! Status: In queue. Four or five more hours of quilting, plus the binding.
2.  Cozy Afternoon Free Quilt Along, by Jacquelynne Steves - flimsy complete.
3.  Scrap Dance Mystery Quilt Along by From my Carolina Home - flimsy complete
4.  Christmas Sampler from 1990 - flimsy complete
5.  Sew Sweet Simplicity. Status: Flimsy complete - on hanger, still needs a back pieced.
6.  Christmas Scrappy Geese - Flimsy is still on a hanger
7.  Summer Gathering. Status: Flimsy is finished, on a hanger, needs backing!
8.  Leaders and Enders. Status: I may have enough blocks to create a setting. I suppose this and my next project are possible finishes, but really not likely!
9.  Daisy Chain Status: This flimsy has been on my mind lately. It is baby-size, but I have an idea for expansion and you never know, I may just pull it out and go for it!
10. Primary Circles Baby Quilt: I think of this one each month when I need to select one goal. Status: Four blocks!
11. Dr. Suess Improv Baby. Status: One little pile of fabric & this photo. Taken to remind me of whatever it was that was in my mind that day, month's ago, when I thought I ought to 'whip' this cutie up for my Etsy shop. Perhaps next time I pull them out, I will just do it!

Additional Goals:
 12. Bear Paw Wedding Quilt for Rhonda and Ernie - I have a stack of Hearty Good Wishes just waiting for this project.
13. My selfish-sewing Churn Dash UFO - 12 Blocks complete, need setting blocks and sashing.
14. Sew Kitschy BOM from 2014 - only 7 blocks are completed:

15. Southwest Summer Block Tote Bag - Block complete, tutorial HERE, I need to design the bag!

16. Strip sets that were started for my mother, but have turned out too busy for her liking. I have a great idea for these, however this is how they looked last time I had them out:





17. Blue and yellow quilt for Mom, something less busy. Status: collecting blue batiks. Will go with large HSTs I think..
18. Twister Blocks UFO's, I have several small panels I need to figure out a new plan to finish. Or, maybe these will be for the next Orpan Adoption event:

19. Tea towel for mom with embroidery from Cozy Afternoon Pattern.

20. Tea towel redwork from Jenny of Elefantz pattern

21. Le Challenge October finish inspired by GOLD- have not started and no idea yet...

22. Aurifil BOM from 2014 - Blocks are various sizes and a setting needs to be designed.

This lengthy list is set to link up with all the cool folks sharing goals for Quarter Four!

 

 Visit Adrianne at On the Windy Side to join in the 2015 Finish Along GOAL Setting Party!

Thank you for inspiring us Adrianne!

Note to self: Each time I am tempted by a new Quilt Along or Block of the Month, I must return to this post and stay on track!

ALYoF October Goal - Scrap Dance!

The Scrap Dance Mystery Quilt Along, hosted at From My Carolina Home was yet another detour from my goals this year. I find a good Mystery Quilt irresistibly FUN, and great scrap busters...
A justified distraction!

Final directions were released in September. My trusty seam ripper helped me correct some of my strips(!), and then I was ready to piece and set the blocks for my wee quilt. Baby Scrap Dance is sandwiched and queued up for quilting and I hope to get to it in time to meet this month's A Lovely Year of Finishes Goal posted at Fiber of all Sorts!

BTY, this is a beautiful pattern that really shines when a bit more contrast is used - check out more versions posted on the Flickr Group!

Linking up with Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework

Fusion Illusion FQ Bundle Winner!

The Jaftex Anniversary Hop was pretty fun, right? Entries for the Grand Prizes surpassed 12K in number, so I am pretty excited to see who won all those prizes!

For my part, I was provided this large bundle of FQ's from Blank Quilting to offer here as a giveaway to one lucky reader.
Three weeks zipped by, and this morning we were finally able to draw the winner!
Drumroll, please...

Congratulations to entrant #25, randomly selected as the winner of the FQ bundle:

Beth September 9, 2015 at 7:26 AM

Having spent a lot of time in the desert (Indio, CA), I'd choose Alaska--and then be constantly worried about keeping everyone from freezing in the subzero temperatures. I mean, literally freezing. No exaggeration needed up there, right? Thanks for the giveaway. (Too right! School in Glennallen is not cancelled until temperatures reach -50F! Yikes!)

 

Beth, I will be emailing you shortly!

 

I truly enjoyed reading all the comments regarding the extreme weather differences I dealt with this fall! We have broken the heat record here in Nevada with the hottest-ever September average. Acclimating was actually hard when I returned from the 20degree mornings I left up North. I have always enjoyed warm weather (I'm a swimmer after all!), however there was a time when I would have thought I would prefer a cooler climate. I just don't think I could ever get used to those temps though, lol.

Throwback Thursday! 100 Quilts For Kids!

Two baby quilts made with stripset bits leftover from quilts I made for my nieces approximately six years ago! Quilted with my Bernina 1020; 40wt thread in an all-over butterfly motif.

Butterfly Twins, 36" each

 

These will be donated this week to my local chapter of the Linus Project.

I hope that they find twin girls that can benefit from some cuddle-love!

Linking up today with 100 Quilts For Kids hosted by Quilts in the Queue!

 

And with Throwback Thursday at A Quarter Inch From the Edge!