Bee Happy

Morning friends! How are you?  Knee deep in holiday plans?  Chaos? Fun? Everything going as planned?  Low key here.  Our tree is up, Bret put it together and Frankie put all the ornaments on it and it looks better than it has in years.  We went through our boxes of ornaments and she pulled out all hers, and we edited out some of the things we didn't love anymore and our tree looks better for the update.  I love Christmas lights and I love that with this fake tree I can have the lights on whenever I want for as long as I want.

Finished this bee FINALLY .  I'm not great at embroidery but I had a lot of fun doing it.  I was inspired by Bits of Stitching, seen originally on IG but here's her post on her blog. You can find the pattern at Colonial Patterns here.

 

Frankie has been having some fun making wreaths, you probably saw some already if you follow me on IG, I love them so much. 

 

It's fun to see the combinations of colors and patterns and those fancy blown glass ornaments!!!! OHMYGOSH!  I just want to keep seeing combinations!  It's crazy. (video tutorial she used  here)

 

Ok,  crossing my fingers everything is going well for you friends! xo

Sew Time

Morning!  There's no time like SEW TIME around here.  And I do mean no time.  Or almost no time.  When Margot released her Potted Pines block pattern, I tried to resist it, knowing I'd have no time to devote to making a potted pines quilt.. but resistance was futile. 

 

I indulged myself in making one block.  That's all I'll get to this year I'm afraid, but already I'm thinking maybe pink and aqua? Kind of a vintage Christmas feel?  Or maybe black pots and green with an English topiary garden feel.  I'm not sure.  But thinking about sewing is almost as good as sewing to me. 

 

I hope the holiday season is treating you well. There's always so much to be grateful for this time of year, as in all times of year. xop

Your long lost pal

Good morning friends!  It's been so long since I stopped in here.  I've missed visiting with you of course, but family first, right?  So that's what I'm up to these days. 

 

I've had this baby quilt ready for it's applique for quite a while, I mean face it, I'm a procrastinator of the highest order.  But yesterday sweet little "A" was born a couple of weeks early  so I needed to kick it into high gear.  I'm ready for machine quilting later today. 

 

A week or so ago  Roseann's Facebook memory reminded me of my Aurifil Christmas ornament. You can download this little embroidery design here if you want a fun small project to work on!  I think the little covered button makes it!

 

 

Today after my visit with mom I'm headed next door to do a little dog-baby-sitting.. or is it baby-dog-sitting.  Either way Pyper is one adorable pooch and I'm happy to check in on her.  There's nothing like a puppy smooch to cure what ails you.

 

Hope the holiday season is treating you well friends.  xoxo

Thanksgiving

Good morning friends!

 

Hope you all have a wonderful day! I'm thankful to all of you for spending time with me over these last ELEVEN YEARS!  You all have enriched my life so much and I am grateful for your friendship!   Be happy and safe!  xo

Spelling Bee Saturday!

Good morning! It's Spelling Bee Saturday here in PamKittyVille!

I'm so in love with these 30's Playtime by Chloe's Closet I grabbed my leftovers and chopped right into them. 

 

 F IS FOR FUN! AND FRIENDS!

F is also for flowers! And how cute is this little flower from  the Spelling Bee book!  I had to make it!

 

And who could resist making an upper case F to go along with my little f?  NOT ME. These blocks are so easy they practically make themselves!

 

For more Spelling Bee sew along fun check out Heidi's blog !  And don't forget to check in with Lori, and the Jolly Jabber!  And to see all the fun Spelling Bee sew along photos be sure and check out the hashtag on Instagram #sewingbeesaturday .

 

Happy sewing FRIENDS! xo

Quitmaker 100 Blocks

Exciting news arrived in the mail this week, the latest copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks magazine.  Volume 16 should be on newsstands now! I'm excited to be included in this magazine for the 16th time!

My block is a combo of my favorite tulip shape, kind of curvy and old fashioned and strawberries, in a simple basket shape. It's machine appliqued using the blanket stitch in matching thread.  You know how I love blanket stitching.

 

These shapes are pretty simple, long curves, just a few points, so perfect if you're a novice at this kind of machine applique.  Pair this block up with some chaining blocks and you'd have yourself a pretty cute quilt. 

 

My sad news here is that I missed the deadline for Volume 17, so this is my last consecutive issue.   End of my long run in this great publication.  I can't thank the editors enough for always including me!

 

Hope you grab up a copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 16! 

xop

 

 

 

 

The Long Catch Up

Hi hi hi friends!  It's been so long since we met here, and I have missed you all.  I haven't forgotten how much I love meeting with you here and sharing what's up on my side of the screen and reading your comments about what you're up to. 

 

Last weekend Bret and I took a little road trip down the coast to stay at our favorite place, the Apple Farm Inn in San Luis Obispo.  I love the town, I've been going there since I was a little kid when we camped at Morro Bay and visited my great Aunt Milly. 

 

On the way down we drive through Greenfield, and one of the landmarks along the road is the wonderful Greenfield sign.  I was sure I had blogged about it, Elizabeth and  I loved that old fashioned look of it, but looking through my blog photos I can't find it. Seems weird.  Everytime we drove by it I took a photo and would send it to Elizabeth.  Because that's the kind of thing we do.  Anyway this is the spot. I had my camera ready....

 

 Gone.  In both directions.  Its' great shape, and it's cool fonts, I loved it.  I guess old wooden signs eventually break down.  Still. Sad.  Here it is on one of the many trips past it.

We sat outside in front of the inn and watched the hummingbirds flying around the lantana.  The grounds of the Apple Farm are filled with flowers that draw in birds and butterflies.  Really pretty.  It's just close enough to the coast to have a great climate for flowers and plants.   

 

Years ago on a visit I had an apple dumpling and it was wonderful, so I had one for dinner.  No regrets.

After all the hot weather it was nice to see fog at the coast, but except in a few places, you couldn't even see much of the ocean unless you were right up at the beach.   Still, wonderful to be there.

 

Saturday we went to Solvang, and walked around a bit.  The whole town was mobbed with people.  Fall is nice in California, warm but not too hot.. at least in the central coast area.  

 

Then we headed back home.  It was great to get away, and of course always good to be back home. 

 

I pulled out my book and fabric, it's time to get busy working on my letter for the Spelling Bee Sew Along.  I am using my fabrics left over from the Tablerunner Bliss Sew Along, I love it so much!

 

That's it for me! Hope you're well!  Have a great day ! xop

Bee cute

One of the fun things we did at Nanette's was have lunch with Lori Holt.  Always happy when she can spend some time catching us up on what she's up to. She brought us each her cute new dishtowels and Cute Little Buttons 2... all adorable and made to match her fabrics. 

I'm excited that I'll be participating in the Spelling Bee Sew Along! 

I can't wait to see all the blocks and what people do with them. The Spelling Bee book is chock full of blocks and quilts.

I even enhanced my stash a bit while out shopping, picking up some cute fabrics for future projects whatever they might be. There are so many great choices and so many great places there to shop. 

 

 

 I hope this finds you well.  xo

 

 

Time flies!

Time has flown by since I returned from my trip.  It was a great time and I am know I am so lucky to have great friends with great families who welcome me into their home like a long lost member.  Nanette's family is so wonderful and I really enjoy spending time with them.  I was lucky to meet two of her sisters this time and a third sister sent me the most adorably sweet Christmas ornament she had made.  How lucky am I?  Well super lucky.   The weather was amazing and I did get to drive in snow just a tad, the fall weather there is glorious which of course made it hard to return home to ninety degree plus weather, but what can you do? You can't just move in with people.  (can you?)

 

I came home with a bit of a cold, so I took it easy for the past couple of days but that's boring after a while.  Plus my little give away has been weighing on my mind, so today's the day. I picked a number and counted down and Sharrieboberry, who said "Suh-weet! I love this Buttercup mix. So cute. I'm partial to the name buttercup. That's the name of my sweet pup!" is the winner!   So Sharrie email me at rocketqltr at yahoo dot com and give me your mailing address and I'll send this little kit along to you.  I hope you ordered your copy of Tablerunner Bliss by Sherri Falls!  Also Sharrie, we'd love to see a picture of that sweet pup !!!!

 

That's it for me.  What's new with you? Hope you have a happy weekend!

A little escape!

Morning friends! How are you?  In an unexpected turn of events I'm headed out on a bit of a road trip this morning. 

 

I hadn't gotten any farther on my runner than those gingham centers so I packed it up, along with my machine and some other odds and ends and I'm headed out.  Because I am going to be gone, I'll leave the give away open till I get back so there's more time to sign up. Not too many comments there! 

 

I'm excited for my little trip, maybe I'll see you on Instagram!  xop

Tuesday

Good morning friends! How are you?  I've been thinking about all my friends in Texas and now in Florida and other states effected by the hurricanes and hoping that you're all safe and sound. 

 

Well today is the second Tuesday of Tablerunner Tuesdays.  You may remember that I showed my book and some PKM fabrics to make the Buttercup tablerunner.  I really loved the combo I picked out and now I'm working on  PKM version of Buttercup.  No photos though.  I'm only at the beginning of sewing it all together. 

If you'd like a chance to win a little kit of the PKM fabrics for Buttercup leave a comment   for a chance... here's the fabrics, yellows for the gingham centers, navy for the flower petals and green posy for the leaves, apples on white for the background and a nice green plaid for the binding.   Remember I'll need your email address if you're a no-reply commenter. 

 

Of course this DOES NOT include the book, so you need to grab one of those over at Fat Quarter Shop. 

 

That's about it here.  Hope all is well with you!  xo

Tablerunner Tuesday

Good morning! How are you friends?  I know here in California we've got a lot of summer left, but Labor Day weekend always feels like the end of the season to me.  Was it fun?

 

Today is the first day of the Tablerunner Bliss Sew Along.    Sherri's book is full of great tablerunners for all occasions.  The first in the book is Blossom, and you can check that out over on Anorina's blog today.

Buttercup is the second tablerunner in the book and I couldn't resist going with some yellows for this tablerunner based on the name.  Fat Quarter Shop invited me to select some Moda fabric for my runner, and I chose from the 30's Playtime line by Chloe's Closet. 

Those little dogs caught my eye right away and I knew I had perfect props to go with it!  I can't resist the cheerfulness of 30's reproductions. 

Buttercup sewed up so fast, and I think it turned out so cute.  It's a quick project to stitch up and I quilted it myself with a lot of stitching in the ditch quilting. I love a project that it bite sized, that you can cut and sew without really having to think about it too much.  I love sewing!

There's two new runners each week, on Tuesday of course and here's the schedule:

Tuesday, 9/5 - Anorina (Samelia’s Mum) and Pam (Pam Kitty Morning)

Tuesday, 9/12 - Sinta (Pink Pincushion) and Tina (Emily Ann’s Kloset)

Tuesday, 9/19 – Lorna (Sew Fresh Quilts) and Connie (Freemotion by the River)

Tuesday 9/26 – Amanda (Jedi Craft Girl) and Jennie (Porch Swing Quilts)

Tuesday 10/3 – Tina (Emily Ann’s Kloset) and Sherri (A Quilting Life)

Tuesday 10/10 – Sinta (Pink Pincushion) and Lisa (In the Boon Docks)

Tuesday 10/17 – Vickie (Spun Sugar Quilts) and Susan (yardgrl60 on Instagram)

Tuesday 10/24 – Taunja (Carried Away Quilting) and Lorna (Sew Fresh Quilts)

Tuesday 10/31 – Greg (Grey Dogwood Studio) and Melanie (A Bit of Scrap Stuff)

Tuesday 11/7 – Melisssa (Happy Quilting) and Kim (Persimon Dreams)

You can follow the #tablerunnertuesdays and #tablerunnerbliss hashtags on Instagram to see all the pretty tablerunners!  Grab a book and make a runner, and add the hashtag so we can see what you're making!

 

Thanks again Fat Quarter Shop for the book and the fabric!

Have a good week friends! xo

Getting busy

Hi there friends! How are  you?  I've been busy lately with things that take me outside of the sewing room.  BUT I haven't stopped stealing moments when I can to work on fun projects.  I think having a little less time to spend helps you appreciate your time more, at least it does for me. 

 

Here are my cute choices for the Tablerunner Bliss quilt  along.  I fell in love with that cute yellow dog print from the 30's Playtime by Chloe's Closet for Moda.  Thanks to Fat Quarter Shop for letting me chose my fabrics to sew a long with them!

 

If you follow me on Instagram you'll see I've already cut into these pretty fabrics and am well on my way to finish my Buttercup tablerunner.  I love thirties reproduction fabrics and that sweet pup is checking all my fabric boxes on a project like this.  Blue, red, green and yellow!  PamKitty colors!  They make me happy!

 

Be well friends!!! Tell me what's new with you! xop

Tablerunner Bliss

Morning friends!  How was your weekend?  It was nice and not scorching hot here, so I loved it.  All that fresh air coming it changes my whole mood.

Also changing my mood, fresh new projects to work on! Fat Quarter Shop sent me a copy of Sherri Fall's new Tablerunner Bliss book and isn't it the cutest!  I love Sherri's designs, so cute and clever.   And isn't a tablerunner the perfect sized project?  It's like the equivalent of a snack... something small and fun and won't get in the way of your bigger project. 

 

To me they're also the perfect size to make seasonal, or novelty, or to explore color combinations you don't normally work in.  Or just to sew and have fun! Stitch one up as a gift! All those things. 

 

I've already cut myself a kit for the table runner.  No point in waiting right?

 

Ok, get busy and have a great week! xop

 

Sew Day

Morning Pals!  I've been busy being energetic the past few days.   We had one coolish day and OMG LIFE FELT LIKE IT WAS WORTH LIVING.  Ok, sure, that's a bit over dramatic but the summer is slowly sucking my life force with the hot weather. Thanks goodness I don't live in the hard core desert.   You'd have to give me up because I would be a complaint machine.

 

Anyway!  I managed to organize some stuff and assemble some backings and actually clean up a bit in my cutting room aka Frankie's room.  Yesterday I  thought about my little project with the Spelling Bee book and got busy cutting and stitching up the letters.  Lets just say  lack of sleep in the late afternoon made some really simple cutting and sewing a challenge.  But I persevered and it's so cute.

 

I'm going to make this into a PILLOW! What a surprise right? I think it would be cute on Frankie's sofa, and she's my favorite cutie so why not.  And unlike her mother, she actually uses her pillows so it won't go into a vault like it would here.

 

Love this book, it's got so many really adorable projects and of course all the little pictures to go with the letters.  Clever.   Lori sure knows how to cute things up!

 

Alrighty! Today is sewing group! Have a good day! xop

A Friday Finish!

Morning friends!   I have finally finished my Flower Power  blocks and have sewn them together.  The solution was easy once I got over my own over thinking, I just threw on the borders required to turn these blocks into a square and called it a day. 

 

I don't know why I want to make things more complicated.  I still like the way it turned out, and although it's not quite the same proportions, which were so perfect, close enough.   Now comes the debate.. do I have the attention span to do that narrow almost match stick quilting as in the original design.  OR, does it end up in the pile of unquilted objects? Only time will tell! Sometimes I make something just for the heck of it.  I love piecing.  

 

Today I'm paging through my Spelling Bee Book, I have an idea for a project using those cute letters.  Stay tuned!

 

Happy Weekend! xo

Warning: This post may contain complaints.

Morning peeps! We've had a lot of hot hot days here.  I know it's *just* 100 but it feels so much hotter.  

 

Ok, I ranted, then deleted it all and now we're back in blog business.  I've wanted to get a nice photo of my Jelly Roll Railway quilt for a while, so Monday I took it out for a car ride.  I really love people show their quilts off on beautiful fencing, green rolling fields behind them, maybe even a horse strolling by. 

 

 

This is California,  too hot and mostly brown, and way too sunny.  So you're stuck with pictures that are like the one above, half bleached by the sun and half in dark shade.

 

This one looks like I had it rolled up in a ball in the trunk of my car.. oh well, this is how life is sometimes.  I really loved making this quilt, even though I didn't use a Jelly Roll.  You could go through your stash like I did and make your own Jelly Roll.  Make two, one for a friend, then invite them  for a sewing date and have some fun.  Wouldn't everyone like that?   Bring snacks!  

 

I hope you're keeping cool where ever you are.   I'm grateful for your friendship and AIR CONDITIONING! xop

Do as I say...

...and not as I do as the old saying goes.  ALWAYS check the settings on your print job when printing out templates.  I know this lesson but I  was using my little Samsung tablet to print from and I never checked the settings, just printed and started sewing.

 

When it came time to stitch my points onto the rest of the flowers... they were too small.  Insert my sad face here.  I  did scale down the width  but should have spent the time to  change the proportions of everything so it would all be in scale.. but I didn't. My flowers are still so cute but now I have to recalculate everything as the blocks are no longer square and won't easily fit into that nice layout from the magazine. 

 

AND NOW I SEE ONE MY MY LEAF SETS IS UPSIDE DOWN.

 

More Pam Problems. I  am not winning with this project. 

 

I won't let it get me down.  I still love my little flowers and will do something with them.  Maybe not right away. I don't know.

 

Hope your weekend gets off to a good start! xo

 

 

 

Flower Power

Good morning!  How are things on your side of the screen?  I'm excited about my next project, this Flower Power tulip cushion from Love Patchwork and Quilting designed by Lindsay of Pen and Paper Patterns.  I love tulips blocks, there are so many ways to make them from applique to piecing and these chunky wide  tulips are great. I've seen so many great tulips lately, I wonder, are they suddenly more popular?

 

This pattern involves a row of paper pieced points, and that was a bit of a challenge to me.  I made a first pass and had complete failure, which you already know if you're following along on Instagram.  But I cut some bigger pieces and tried again with success, and in fact, the last two strips went really fast.  With more experience I would have had no trouble using the size pieces Lindsay has you cut and I appreciate the minimal waste they would provide. 

 

On a side note, the templates from the magazine are available on the website for easy printing! Genius idea. 

 

I can't wait to finish this up today.  I was just so thrilled with my little paper pieced wonders I had to share. I hope all is well with you friends. xo

Its summer.

Morning friends! Hope you're doing well. Summer is chugging along here in PamKittyVille and it's Capital H HOT!  Not a fan at all.  Luckily we live in a little valley and the fog from the coast creeps in between the hills and cools us off so most mornings are pretty nice.   Saturday morning I sat outside and read through Lori's new book Spelling Bee.  It's so, or make that sew CUTE.  What a clever idea, not only the alphabets and numbers, upper and lower case by the way, but also punctuation,  and fun new blocks, like the globe and telephone, new flowers a dog and butterfly.. just so many cute new things, and lots of cute ways to use them.  I'm not done  looking it over yet, but I got off to a good start.  Thanks so much Fat Quarter Shop for sending it to me.   Oh and also, lots of cute peeks into Lori's cute home, which I always love. 

 

Yesterday I finished sewing my rows together, finally.  I can't wait to show a better photo but it was just too darn hot yesterday.  I keep looking for pretty places to take pictures but right now every where you go it's brown and dry, not too picturesque.

 

These Jelly Roll Railway blocks are so fun to make.  With all these prints and the floral fabric for the background it's a Pam Kitty Mishmash but that's my favorite.  So much color and pattern in one place.  I'm loving the hourglass blocks that are a bonus design element created by using 2 prints, in each block.   You just make sure that you have your block oriented  with alternating prints. You could totally go wild and use many prints but for me that adds a level of complexity to the block layout my attention span can't handle. It was a very fun sew and I enjoyed it a lot. Best of all was enjoying the memories of that fun first collection using some of those prints brought back. 

 

Can you believe we're at the end of July already? Where does the time go? Hope you're having fun! xop

 

 

 

 

Catch Up

HI there how are you?   Hot?  Because its HOT people.  Capital letter hot once it heads into the 100 plus degree zone.  I don't care what Michaels is trying to tell me with all the fall foliage and faux pumpkins, it's summer and it feels like it's never going to end.  (probably because it lasts well into what most people thing of fall) BUT I DIGRESS. 

 

Since we met here last I spent a fun day with Frankie over the 4 day 4th of July holiday weekend.  I got up early and beat the traffic on the pass over the mountains.  Nothing made me happier than seeing all the fog creeping  among the redwood trees and the serious drop in temps in Santa Cruz.  We had a great time, finally went to The Buttery and also Gayles Bakery both places totally charming.  I loved the  way Gayles was decorated, lots of pretty vintage tablecloth valences  like the ones that Elizabeth made.  And oh the vintage plates.. it was all so cute.  It was cool out.  Here's the beach near where Frankie lives, this was midday, but by late afternoon it filled up as the sun came out.  But not packed, just perfect.   

 

 

I've also been doing some sewing.  Inspired by Fat Quarter Shop's Shortcut Quilt Jelly Roll Railway, I got busy cutting some strips.  It only took 24, and the hardest part is picking your fabrics.  While cruising around on Instagram I ran to Amanda's June Quilt Along quilt which is similar, different construction.  But her colors got me thinking.  Originally I'd been considering a red white and blue theme but then I got it in my head to actually use some of my very favorite floral for the background and these are the strips I cut to go with it.  I chose a bunch of my favorites from way back to my first line.  It just makes me happy looking at the prints and colors. 

And that version of the Pam Kitty Focal Floral is my favorite.   It took some serious will power to cut into the last of it, and now there's just maybe 1 yard left.   But I am making myself use what I love, it's not doing me any good in a box, right?

 

I changed the design just a bit, adding alternating corners so that the intersections will be hour glass blocks.  You can see an example of how it will look here on Instagram. I think it's a fun change.  I'll start assembly today I think, I have to pay attention  to make sure I alternate them correctly.  You could easily add to the variety by using 22 inch strips and cut twice as many.  If I worked in a shop I'd want to make kits and have sew ins using this pattern.  You could round up a bunch of pretty fabrics. What  about scrappy backgrounds?  Also very fun.  I think I saw that in one of the quilts on Instagram.  You can check out the Jelly Roll Railroad hastag here, and the Crazy Mom June QAL hash tag here. Lots of pretty quilts to see.  I can't wait to get it all put together and see if I want borders or no borders.. I know I don't have enough of the floral, but I have other whites with prints that might work.  Who knows.  I just know that it's been fun to make and I highly recommend it. 

That's it for me today.  I hope all is well with you.  xo

Aurifil DOM Reboot

Hi there friends and newcomers!  Welcome to June's Aurifil Designer of the Month reboot for June!  It's hard to believe that it was 5 years ago that we started the DOM project and I was excited to be a part of the fun.   Everyone's block was so clever, and mine felt a little less than that when I saw them all together.  Someone in the flickr group left a gentle criticism that it was not their favorite block.  So when it came time for the reboot I thought about what I could do to make it better without changing it. I looked at a lot of vintage stitch designs and I decided that since my favorite stitch was the lazy daisy, I would change all the stitches for the flowers to lazy daisies with French knot centers. 

 

I am still not a great embroiderer but it was a lot more fun.  I chose some fresh new colors that were more 'me' and I think the block is a lot cuter than it was before. 

 

Five years ago Pam Kitty Love debuted at Quilt Market, so I pulled out some of the PKL blacks and whites to use for sashing.  Very fun for me! You can read the original Auribuzz post about my block here!  I love seeing a picture of my cleaned up sewing room. You can read my post about it here.  Hop over to the current Auribuzz reboot post here!  I loved using the Aurifloss, and since finally someone showed me the secret to separating the threads my life is now complete! 

 

The colors I used are:

2888

2250

2530

1135

1148

2024

5006

2425

 

Thanks for stopping by!  Now skedaddle over to Auribuzz and get your chart and see all the posts about the DOM reboot!