Is your homework done?

Good morning!  I'm here bright and early and I have my homework ready to turn in ... what about you?  We're on our second month working on blocks from Civil War Sampler.  Are you  stitching along with us?

This month my five block are the next five in the book.  You can see last month's blocks here.  Check out Debbie's and Kimberly's block from last month here.

Port and Starboard

Strength in Union

Fox and Geese

Peace and Plenty

Yankee Puzzle

I really like how they're turning out, and I think it's going to be a very cheerful and fun quilt!  I laid them out all together for a peek.

 

Have you checked out the flickr goup?  We also have a board on Pinterest where you can see all our blocks. Now it's time to head over to the Jolly Jabber to check on Kimberly and Debbie's homework!

 

See you back here on the 15th of next month with more homework!  

Monday!

Hi there everybody!  This morning while I'm away, I have the pdf for the  Oh My Stars quilt ready for you. 

 

You can click here to download the pdf. Be patient, it make take a while to download.  When I am back, I'll put a link on the side bar to follow.

 

Be back soon!

Hit the road

Just taking a few minutes for the last few swigs of coffee before hitting the road! I'm off to Anaheim for the CHA Winter Conference.   I'm so excited to be meeting up with Roseann again for the show. It's a great opportunity for me, and I'm lucky to have a great friend like Roseann to bring me along!

 

So that's what's up with me for the next few days! Hope you guys have a great weekend, do you have plans? Tell me all about it!  xo

Thursday

So it's Thursday! I know it will shock you, but I finished my bag. Of course it was after dark and getting a photo around what I used to think was my cheerful house is a challenge I'm not quite able to to meet.  Ignore all but the bag.

Here's  another attempt. I call it the mugshot. Apparently white bead board under florescent lighting isn't very nice either. 

 

My photoshop skills are pretty non-existent for actual photos so  you're forced to just deal with these. I'm so excited to have actually completed it I wanted the photos so I could empty my old purse into it.  And seriously, the photos don't do those Inazuma polka dot handles justice. Emma, from Emma Creations sent them to me and I've been hanging on to them till Pam Kitty Love arrived.  I love these handles. Lots of quilt shops now carry them, and I think they really make a bag special. Hop over to look at all the wonderful possibilities there... so many fabulous purse handles!

 

Ok, that's it for today! Hope your week is coming along nicely!

Is it time yet?

I'm up early. Is it time for our next installment of the row-along?  I can't wait to work on that. It's always so exciting to see what's next.

 

While we wait, check out Nanette's darling Valentine's Table Runner in Pam Kitty Love!   So super cute and there's a tutorial for it! Even better.

 

Ok, bottom's up, time to get busy!

Tuesday News

Hi there everybody! I heard some exciting news, Quiltmaker's 100 Block first issue has been reprinted! If your collection is missing Volume 1 now is the chance to pick one up!  You can read all about it over at Quilty Pleasures and enter to win a copy by leaving a comment!  

 

One of the fun things about this issue was my block was right next to Monica's, and they were both made from the same fabric and were perfect companion blocks.  You can check out her blog post here and see what a cute quilt she made using the two blocks together.  More Monica Genius at work.

And now, as proof of sewing, here's the front of the bag. That pocket is huge and will hold a lot of stuff.  Now I just need to get fusing and then I can sew it all together.

 

Ok everybody, I'm back to work. Have fun!

Hello Monday

So are things back to normal now? I didn't realize that school wasn't in session till this morning. Nothing gets back to normal for anyone till everyone resumes their schedule, right? I'm out of the kid loop.  We used to love the holidays but we always did much better on our regular routine.  

 

This week is a busy one, lots of errands and things to do. But I'm making time to whip up a new bag for myself.  I've wanted a new Farmer's Market Bag but I haven't been able to decide which fabrics to use until now.  I think these will make some fine pockets, now I just need to decide which rick rack and get busy cutting the rest.  What's on your agenda?

 

 

Red

So how did your week go? I've been stitching away on a little Valentine's project.  I really love Valentine's Day, perfect colors.. PINK AND RED!!! After Christmas, who can resist seeing something new out in the stores.. not me!

 

I'll tell you, making anything bigger than  a loaf of bread makes me wish for some more square footage around here.  No place to back up and get a good photo. But you get the idea.  This little project will soon be a pdf you can download. I just need to sit a spell and write the instructions. This little project is quick to stitch up, there's just not much too it. 

 

In the mean time feast your eyes on this..

 

isn't this the most perfect little food storage dish?  Target is trying to win my affection with these. It might be working.

Happy weekend everybody!!! And Happy Birthday Elizabeth!  xo

Proof

I show here today some really lame photos of my latest two row along rows. I just can't get good photos, although to be honest, I only tried half-heartedly yesterday.  I think I waited to long, the light wasn't as good as it is earlier in the day.   

Originally I wasn't a huge fan of the leaves, but after seeing them made up, I really like them, a lot. Turns out I'm also a fan of that gray gingham.  It made the perfect stems. 

What I also love is using Pam Kitty Love in those mittens. I had originally thought I'd keep it all PKM but I just couldn't help using that green, and then resistance was futile.   I can't wait till next week to work on the next row. Maybe Lori will post it early? A girl can dream.

 

Ok, that's all for show and tell today. What are you working on? Are you working on that scrappy-trip-along? OMG the pictures are killing me.  Check them out here.

Boutique Patchwork

Hi there! Yup, I'm back here with coffee at our usual spot. It's 2013 and I can hardly believe it! How did the first day work out for you?    I'm going to need you to catch me up on everything!

 

In the meantime, you might remember these cute Boutique Patchwork books if you've been meeting me here for a while.  I wrote about them here, here and here, and even Monica mentions the little Square Patchwork one here.

 

They are the cutest little Japanese books, and I bought them at Kinokuniya  back in 2007. It was at the beginning of my obsession with Japanese craft books. The little projects are darling.  But let's get to the point. I'm not trying to traumatize you with things you might not be able to find!  

I was browsing through Amazon and saw the cover of this book. Those projects look pretty familiar, and low and behold, it's a compilation of the 5 craft books! IN ENGLISH! I ordered it right off and have to say, it has most of the really cute projects I loved. The instructions probably aren't the greatest, but at least I can read it! It's   enough of the projects that make it a worth while purchase for me. Space is at a premium around here, so I need to pace myself with acquisitions.   I did make this cute little spring frame purse which I think came out  cute.

 

I've been working on some other things, I'll get my camera out to show you proof of that tomorrow! Have a great day super peeps!  Happy New Year!

 

 

2012

Good morning special people!  It's hard to believe that today is the last day of 2012.  It's frosty out this morning and it's a nice clear day!  Do you have big plans for this evening?  We usually just stay home, we're not party peeps. 

 

I want to thank you all for making 2012 a pretty great year for me.  It wouldn't be the same without you!  Have fun and be safe, I'll try and get back to my usual schedule soon.  HAPPY NEW YEAR!! xo

Real World Rules

Gotta get back to the real world today.  No more Turtles with my morning coffee.  The leftovers are gone and today I am headed out to the dentist.. nothing Turtle related, just a regular cleaning appointment, thank goodness!

 

Hope your Christmas was wonderful.  We had an excellent time.  Took yesterday as a relax and recuperation day which was nice.  Didn't really try to do much and didn't feel bad about not doing so!   It's almost time to ring in the New Year. I can't believe how fast 2012 sped by.  Do you have big plans? Tell all!

Merry Christmas!

YOU GUYS ARE THE GREATEST! 

 

Hope you all have a wonderful day!!

xop

Friday

Good morning!  It's been a whirlwind week around here, how about for you?  I had a great day hanging out with Holly on Wednesday.  We had coffee at La Boulange and went from there to lunch at Marin Joe's. It was packed so we sat at the counter like a couple of regulars. Awesome! 

I've been having so much fun sewing lately.  Like super happy sewing where you just feel good inside doing it. Do you know what I mean? Maybe it's just me?  But my projects lately have been quite fun to work on, like this cute Christmas stocking I made for Holly.  I used my own old stocking from my childhood for a template, so it doesn't hold much, but I enjoyed all of it, the machine quilting the lining, the handwork.. it was all fun.  Maybe it's because I was making for someone who I knew would love it, I guess gift sewing is extra sweet.

 

Hope you have had a chance to make something that makes you happy to work on.  It's the last weekend before Christmas are you still working on getting ready or enjoying the days?  Happy weekend peoples! xo

Countdown to Christmas

Good morning! Have you been following along with  Quiltmaker's Count down to Christmas? 

There's a lot of fun things going on over there, and it's not to late to hop over and check it out.  I particularly like the snowflake table runner by Ann Weber.  Its a nice winter time runner, so you don't have to put it away with the Christmas decorations.   I love it in the red, and think it would be fantastic in blue as well!

Looking for a quick last minute gift? It's the perfect time to take a look at my quick and easy pot holder pattern.  It's free, and you can download the pdf and make one today! Just click on the link to the right and you're practically done.  All you need is 4 fabric circles, 2 squares of Insul-Bright and a package of jumbo rick rack.

I whipped this one out yesterday watching some Law and Order! I plan on giving it as a gift. Or maybe hoarding it for myself!  Looking for something to go with it? Hop over to my friend Elizabeth's blog and scroll for the link on her sidebar for her free pears tea towel pattern. It's also quick and easy. Wouldn't a matching pot holder and tea towel be the perfect hostess gift?

 

Of course it's pretty late in the game now I suppose, so maybe you'll just save up these easy ideas for after Christmas when things slow down!  Hop on over to The Quilty Pleasures blog,   think spring and leave a comment to win a little bundle of sunshine from me! Thanks for stopping by!

Monday

So how was the weekend?  I hope you all are having some enjoyment time and not all I've-got-to-get-this-done-time. I feel oddly calm about the whole thing.  Weird I know.  Anywho... got my candy canes finished.  That meant a bath in stiffener and then I painted them with glue and Frankie glittered them up.  I love how they look, but wow, there's a whole lotta glitter going on around the house.

So I took a million photos. I call it my "I look at too much Pinterest" series.

See what I mean?

Month One

SCHOOL'S IN SESSION!

 

If this is your first visit to the classroom, we're studying the Civil War, and our text book is Barbara Brachman's Civil War Sampler. We've all grabbed  a pile of Pam Kitty Love and we've gotten started on our homework, which is 5 blocks at month.  I hope you decide to sit by me!

 

Here's my five blocks.  I'm  going to start at the beginning of the book and work my way through it. You can hop over to the Fat Quarter Shop blog and check out Kimberly's and Debbie's blocks. 

 

Block One: The White House

 

Block Two: Star of the West

 

Block Three: Barbara Frietchie Star

 

 

Block Four: Catch Me If You Can

 

 

Block Five: Hovering Hawks

 

 

 

 

I love how bright and cheerful these blocks are.  Five blocks a month is a nice tidy amount, you can take your time and really think about your cutting and stitching.  It's also a nice time to reflect on our lives now with so many conveniences, can you imagine living back the 1800s?  

 

Did you make some blocks? Please add them to the flickr group so I can check them all out! You'll find some special news about the group over at the Jolly Jabber, so be sure and check there! There's still time to get started! Classroom isn't in session again till January 15th! 

Friday

Good morning! As usual the week has flown by. Are you done with all your Christmas preparation or are you in complete denial about it like me? I'm just playing around with all these random projects, never quite completing any of them but still having fun.

 

My test run glittered up candy canes look pretty good here.  They're not dry yet, but I couldn't resist  getting a photo of them. Why?  Because I know you're on the edge of your seats waiting! Haha I crack myself up!  And what else is there? A fabric bracelet! I saw a link to this tutorial on Pinterest and then became obsessed with finding the ribbon clips to make them. Super fun I tell you, although my fine motor skills are severely lacking when it comes to hooking those jump rings to the little clips and then the clasp.  But honestly, it was so much fun doing it I don't care.  

 

So that's how it stands today.  Hopefully I'll get something else done, who knows what! Any big plans for the weekend?  I think I won't plan a thing and just hope for the best!! Happy Weekend!

Day off

Hi there! What's new?  Yesterday Frankie and I took the day off and went to Monterey for the day.  The weather was pretty gloomy around here, but once we reached the coast it was absolutely splendid! I think at the water it was 56, warmer inland.

 

Always nice to spend a day someplace beautiful.  I really appreciate California in the late fall, early winter months. The hills are green and I think it's the nicest time of year at the coast. And all so close to home for us.  I definitely try not to take it for granted. Hope you had a wonderful day where you are!

Tuesday

So how was yesterday?  I had a busy fun day sewing away.  Got my peppermint made.. so cute. Seriously you should totally make one of these just for the fun of it. It felt good to stitch it up!   I'm a novice at finished edge applique so   I stitched a scant 1/4 inch row of basting stitches around the edge making it easy to turn under.

I also made some candy canes.  Those were super fun, especially since Frankie stuffed them for me with her tiny little hands! I'm going to make some more soon. they're very fun. I remember when Elizabeth made a ton, they were so cute! Check out that link for some cute felt candy canes. 

 

I love the tulle and the glitter,  so festive. I probably won't give mine the tulle treatment, but I will tie them up with some nice ribbon.  That would be cute too!  Sometimes the fun is in the making.  Anyway my peppermint is going to turn into a pillow soon.  I should get to work. Have a fun day!

Monday

How was the weekend?  Pretty good here!  Last week I had the pleasure of heading over to Alex's house for a little stunt sewing project.  It's fun to see Alex and I'm happy for the opportunity to help her out.  You can see a tidbit of the quilt I bound for her here.  It's coming to a Quilt Life issue soon.

So cute, she had a tiny basket sitting out, made in Pam Kitty Love.  Died over it.  It's great spending time hanging out in her studio and finding out what's new. 

Clearly didn't get any actual sewing done, but I did get a lot of prep work ready for this week.  Right here are my two row-along blocks, leaves and mittens, and a Dresden plate.  I am so in love with Amy's Peppermint Pinwheels, and I think my Pam Kitty Love stripe is perfect for them.

 

 

 I'm making one for starters, we'll see where that goes. I don't want to get ahead of myself. I'm dreaming of one with different size peppermints, but you know me.. I'll be lucky if one comes together. Sometimes just the process is what interests me, not the final product. 

 

Ok my friends, tell me what you did over the weekend! xo

 

 

Friday

So how was the week peeps?  It's flown by here as they usually do, and I haven't done much in the way of sewing.  I had some blocks  cut and piled up so I could just sit down and begin sewing, but now that they're all sewn up, I need to prepare  some more. 

 

After seeing Suzanne's wonderful gift tags ... go look, they're fantastic if you haven't seen them, I wanted to get out my button panel and try something out.  Every time I look at those tags I can't believe how perfectly turned they are.  I know there's a trick to that, I just don't know what it is. Anyway Suzanne has a gift for sure.  She's so creative.

 

Anyway, maybe today I'll do some cutting and prepare somethings for next week's sewing! Or even weekend sewing.  It sounds fun right? Did you see Lori's cute mittens?  I'll be cutting those for sure. They look like fun.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend everybody! xo


p.s. Hey, I found out that my friend Kathy Brown's book Strip Smart Quilts is on the Top Ten List of Quilt books for 2012!  CONGRATULATIONS KATHY! IT'S WELL DESERVED THAT'S ONE AWESOME BOOK!  Also, did you know that Quiltmaker has a book on the list as well, it's 200 Blocks from Quiltmaker's Magazine! I know that there have been some fantastic blocks in the magazines, so this has to be a winner! 

Aurifil!

Hi there friends! Today's the last month of the Aurifil blog hop.. I can't believe a whole year has gone by.  This month's block is brought to you by the Lizzie B Girls, Liz and Beth.  And look how cute this block it!!! I love the braids!  I think each block is so interesting, and I can't wait to see it all come together in a quilt!

 

Have you seen the flickr pool of blocks and ornaments?  It's really fantastic. It makes me so happy to see people stitching up my little candy canes and the summer flowers block, and what I love the best is the improvements people made to it! There are so many very clever people out there!  I really can't thank Pat enough for asking me to be part of the Aurifil Designers this year.

 

Thanks to everyone who left a comment! Cindy, who said "Thank you, thank you, thank you! It is a wonderful ornament. I'm so glad it is simple"  is our winner !!! Cindy, email me your address!

 

Ok, that's it for today! Hope you're having a good week peeps!

Back to School

Good Morning!  How are all of you today? I'm headed back to school with my friends at the Fat Quarter Shop! Over the next 7 months I'm going to be getting a lesson  in Civil War History.  And you know what? You can join me!

 

Beginning December 15, we'll be making 5 blocks a month using the Barbara Brachman Civil War Sampler and Pam Kitty Love.  Each month Kimberly, Debbie and I will be showing off our 5 blocks and we hope you'll sew along with us. 

 

Hurry up and get your supply list  over at the Fat Quarter Shop blog.  On the 15th of December we'll be showing off our first 5 blocks.  This is a sneak peek. It's going to be fun. Let's just hope we don't get sent to the principal's office.

Sewing

Good morning! How was the weekend?  We had a lovely stormy weekend here, lots of wind and rain, but nothing damaging.  Just good cozy stay indoors weather.  I got a ton of sewing done.  These poor lost cups are all in a row, as are the geese.  Now to cut some leaves and get busy on those.  This weeks row will soon be here and I hope to be ready to get started on it.

I started what I hope might turn into a fine idea, I made one of Lori's cakes, and it was very fast and fun. I'm thinking of turning this into a square and making it a cake pillow. Wouldn' t that make a perfect birthday gift? Or maybe a single cake wall hanging, I'm not too sure right now, I just couldn't wait to make one. So calorie free and satisfying, it took longer to figure out what to use than it did to cut and make.

 

 

I hope you had a great weekend.  I suppose your tree is up? You house decorated? We picked up some huge poinsettia's for the front porch, that's as far as we've gotten. Tell me what you're up to.