Working on Wednesday

On this Wednesday I can show the work I did on this quilt, Hourglass, from the latest book by Kim Brackett, Scrap Basket Beauties.

The fabric is an older collection from Moda. The designer is Keiko and  the line was called Wee Woodland. I love the colors and that border print with the alphabet put me over the moon.

Terry Finnerty of the Walking Needle quilted this one and I really like that swirly pantograph.

These little guys are my favorite creatures in the alphabet print - love the bird and that snail is just too stinking cute!

Like all the quilts I've made with Kim Brackett patterns, this one went together very easily. I may make this pattern again in Kaffe Fasset prints. or maybe some 30's prints, or maybe just black and white prints. Oh my head is spinning with all the possibilities - LOL!

Happy stitching-
carol fun

A bit of Show and Tell

Last Monday evening was my guild meeting and I took two quilts for Show and Tell. I made the tops last year, but they didn't get quilted or bound till this year, so I'm counting them as my first finishes of 2013. You saw these previously in their design wall state, but oh does quilting really make them shine - in my humble opinion. And a quick apology for the lighting of these pictures. The weather has not cooperated to take them outside so I guilted my sons into holding them for a quick snap.

First is the one I call Big Stars for Nick. It is now gracing his new bed and he loves it.

This is the Missouri Star quilt pattern that I found online and you can see the video here. This block goes together quickly and it is BIG.

Cass used a variegated black and red thread with a loopy star pattern. Nick likes it because it isn't "girly" and observation both of my boys have about most of my quilts.

And here is my quilt from that same Missouri Star Quilt Company video - Big Debbie Stars

I used a total of 91 different Debbie Mumm fabrics in this one. If you want to see some close ups of the fabrics click on this post- here. Now Cass totally surprised me with the quilting on this one. I submitted my standard request for her to pick a nice overall pattern and use a variegated thread. I didn't quite see the pattern until I looked on the back..... oh my goodness!!! CHICKENS!!!

Aren't they just the best quilting pattern ever? LOL!

Cass said when she saw this pantograph she knew she had to use it on a quilt for me and had been waiting for the right one and this certainly is it. LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

So that is my bit of Show and Tell. As I finished up taking pictures of the quilts I asked my sons if I could take a photo or two of them. Nick declined but Chris acquiesced.... sort of....

this is the shot I got. He is there under the quilt - a sort of padded witness protection program. Oh well - they are both great kids and I am very proud of them.

Happy stitching-
carol fun

Bright, bright sunshine-y day!

Today is certainly bright and sunshine-y - it's going to be 90 degrees!! So, I dragged out my Made in Cherry quilt to take some pictures.



I'm calling my version Queen Anne Cherry because Queen Anne cherries are yellow and red like this.....




and we won't discuss where the red might have gone in this quilt - okay? I love the all over quilting pattern and my long arm gal, Cass, used a lovely yellow variegated thread. She knows how much I love them and keeps her eye out for any new ones - she's so nice!



I used an assortment of tone-on-tone yellow and yellow print fabrics. Lots of flowers - tulips, daisies,roses, daffodils. Hoffman Fabrics florals have always talked to me, and they always said "buy me", so I did.



Hope you can stay cool where you are - the 90 degree weather is predicted to hang around all week here!

Happy stitching-
carol fun

A beautiful day in the neighborhood....

or at least a beautiful day in the backyard. (thanks to Mr. Rogers) The sun was shining and the temperature hit mid 60's. It was a glorious tease of a day. I know that it is still mid-February and we are very probably gonna get another dump or two of snow but today is the kind of day that makes it possible to soldier on to Spring. I took advantage of the weather to haul a couple of quilts I've finished outside and take some pictures. The first quilt is my Kitchen Sink quilt from Scrapbasket Surprises by Kim Brackett.



As you can see mine got much larger than the one in the book. It topped out at around 95" square. My oldest son has claimed it since it is big enough for him to wrap up in. And this close up shows ome of my favorite blocks...



This guy reminds me of our cat Big Dude and it shows the great texture after being washed. All of the fabric in this quilt is Debbie Mumm and it all came out of my stash including the backing, so I consider this to be a free quilt. KWIM?? Yeah, you know I'm deluding myself but it lets me hold onto whatever little sanity I still have. Anyway, I love this overall swirly pattern my long arm quilter, Cass, used. And she knows I love variegated colored thread.

The second quilt uses the "Off Kilter" pattern in the Anka's Treasures book Livin' Large.



As I remember, the fabric was a Moda line, Wonderland by Momo. I love prints of the scissor and the polka dots that have dots and the dot that looks like an aqua blue lady bug. I used the scissors fabric on the back too.



And coincidentally this quilt has the exact same swirly quilting pattern and uses a variegated thread - oh I am too predictable - LOL!

Well tomorrow is suppose to be another lovely day here in southwestern Ohio, but I have other obligations which will keep me from any sewing tomorrow. I'm looking forward to some more sewing time this weekend. I've been working on the SNW UFO that's been on my design wall and I have almost all the blocks sewn into rows. Sewing the rows to each other will take some time since there are a lot of points that will have to be matched but it is looking good.

Hope the weather is nice in your neighborhood. Happy stitching!
carol fun

My first quilting finish for 2011.....

Last night was the quilt guild meeting and that deadline is my motivation to get a quilt top done so I can take it to my long arm quilter. I sewed the borders on my Kitchen Sink quilt on Sunday afternoon.




This is all Debbie Mumm fabric. There are LOTS of different fabrics here, probably over 150. Some more recent and others that are truly oldies but goodies. Of course, my version of this quilt got waaaaaay bigger than the one in Scrapbasket Surprises. There are 121 individual little paddlewheel blocks and it measures about 87" square.


For the inner border I used this wood grain piece and that outer border is little buttons. Not polka dots but close, real close. I was so pleased with myself for making this quilt out of fabric I already own -- free fabric, right??? I was going to go and buy a seamless big back for this quilt but I looked at my stash - my very large stash - and knew I could make a back out of something on those shelves. I grabbed 2 prints that I had about 3 to 3 1/2 yards of and sewed it up in no time. So the back was free too -- oh aren't I the thrifty one? (don't hurt yourself laughing at this statement - I am delusional and I like it that way - LOL).

So in the first week of 2011 I have finished a cross stitch project, a knitting project and a quilt project - I'm on fire! I don't know how long I can keep this up but I'm gonna try. Tomorrow I should have some time to work on my yellow Crazy Mom QAL top. I think I'd like to do the machine quilting on this myself since I envision just a diagonal grid done in a nice variegated yellow Sulky thread. Simple. I can do simple.

Hope you are having a nice productive week too!
Happy stitching-
carol fun

Wonderful Quilts......

that I didn't make, but I wish I did! I'm feeling better and got myself together and went to my quilt guild meeting last evening. These two wonderful quilts were made by my friends, Linda and Laurey, and they graciously agreed to let me show them off here.

The first quilt was done by Linda,isn't the embroidery lovely? I know this was a pattern but I forgot to ask Linda the particulars.


I love this banner's vintage quality.


And these guys are quite a scary bunch -well maybe not too scary.


This cute quilt was done by Laurey. Aren't these doggies adorable?


Each doghouse has different items quilted in it -- do you see the bone over this furry guy?


And I love the patch around this one's eye.


So many cute quilts so little time! I hope to get some quilting time in this week. I've been working on the BBD Anniversaries of the Heart piece and I started a lace scarf. I had some yummy orange Malabrigo yarn in my stash and found an easy pattern on Ravelry. I want a looooooonnnnggg scarf and I'm going to knit until I run out of yarn. It should take a little while since there are 470 yds in this skein. I hope my interest lasts as long as the yarn.

Happy stitching....

carol fun

Chosen in the 3rd round....

I spent today sewing on my quilt for the Crazy Mama Quilts QAL and this little cutie was chosen in the 3rd round. I'm having a great time with this project although I have rechecked my math a dozen times. It seems like I have too many blocks cut but I've checked and rechecked and rechecked and it should come out ok. I know that rounds 4 and 5 will take a lot of blocks. I'm trying to space out the novelty prints and the brighter ones but as I sew I sometimes just grab a block and add it. When I look at the top with my glasses off (I'm very very nearsighted) it blurs the whole thing and it appears that the colors are scattered nicely.



Now I should be working on several other projects. I have a quilt for my youngest son that is all sewn and pin basted and it has been sitting in a basket for weeks. And I promised him a new pillowcase too with some cool dragon fabric I found at Waynesville. I need to put this QAL on hold and switch over and finish his quilt. I even have the binding all made and ready to go and it is going to be an all machine stitched project. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be a better mother and work on his quilt. It really shouldn't take too long.

I spent last evening cross stitching on the BBD Mystery sampler and realized that while I had "finished" sections 4 and 5 there were quite a few stitches missing here and there. You know a stitch for one bird eye here and a flower center there. I'm trying to pick them up and truly finish these sections.

Happy stitching!

carol fun

Hot Cherry Salsa

Oh it is sooooo hot today and the rest of the week isn't going to be any cooler. Thank goodness for AC. Yesterday I hunkered down in my basement studio and finished my Cherry Salsa quilt top. Isn't it hot and sunny looking with all its reds and yellow? I used 55 differnt reds so I got a nice variety.

Of course it got BIG. Somehow my quilts usually do. This finished about 95" square (I know it doesn't look square in the pic but this is the best angle I could get when I was standing on the table - my version of living dangerously, LOL)

And you must take a closer look at the block right smack in the center. Do you see it?? Yes, it is s polka dot chicken. This was a fat quarter I picked up at Joanns and I didn't even see the chicken until I was piecing the 9 patches. I picked up a square and there it was right in the middle. I think this is serendipity and it makes me smile.


So after I finished up this quilt top I did exactly what any quilter would do.... I started a new quilt top. I decided to start the QAL that Crazy Mama Quilts is doing. Now mine is going to be a charm quilt and of course I'm making it bigger. Was there any doubt? I sketched it out on graph paper and decided that I need to cut my squares 3 1/4" so that my finished quilt will be around 94" squares. A nice generous quilt. Well that means I need 362 different yellow squares. Now I know for some of you that would be a stretch but my yellow stash is quite large and so far I haven't run out of fabrics. I've been collecting yellow fabrics for 25 years, it is my favorite color and the biggest portion of my stash. I rarely make a quilt that doesn't include yellow or shades of yellow. I'm having a blast going through my fabrics. I have lots and lots of dotty yellow fabrics and I'm fussy cutting some novelties on yellow backgrounds. Here's what my design wall looks like at the moment.




There are 242 squares up there... I need another 120. Hopefully I'll get the rest of them cut tonight while I listen to the baseball game. I picked up some white Kona today and I can't wait to start sewing these squares together. This is going to be such a fun quilt. Here are some of the novelty prints -- take special notice of the polka dot chicken. (Come on you know I LOVE a theme!)



And lots and lots of dots!



Stay cool and happy stitching!
carol fun