old news

This is my Topsy Turvy quilt. I made the top back in May or June. I finished it in August. The tutorial went up on the Moda Bake Shop in December, and here it is, January, and I'm finally blogging about it. I used to be more on top of things than this! Sheesh.

This is a super duper easy quilt to make...all you need is a layer cake, a few yards of fabric for the top and a 12 1/2'' ruler for easier construction. It's perfect for a beginner. This would be a great pattern to showcase some large loud florals, although I do like it done up in these soft and subtle colors, just for a twist. You can find the tutorial here.

By the way, doesn't my bed make a lovely quilt holder?

giveaway

Did you see that DeeRoo is leading Round 9 (!!!) of the Old Red Barn quilt along? She is doing variations on a theme...and the theme is Ticker Tape. I have a bunch of small scraps...and these would be perfect for a Ticker Tape quilt. I'm going to give these scraps away to one reader.

There are lots of scraps!

All you have to do is leave a comment here and you will be entered into the drawing. My one stipulation is that you can't make fun of the size of fabric scraps I save. I can't help myself...I have a hard time throwing any fabric away. Obviously. :)

Happy Monday to you!

happy new year!

I love this time of year. The new year holds all kinds of promise and the thought of a fresh start. It's a time to breathe for a bit before things get crazy. Again. I'm enjoying the (relative) calm while it lasts. I've enjoyed reading so many new years blog posts...what a fun thing to reflect collectively on the past year and look forward to the new one.

Looking back....

2010 was quite a year. I've been thinking about the highlights for me....

I finished 26 quilts, which is quite moderate for me. Yay for moderation!

My husband and I started Body for Life in March and we are still sticking with the program 9 months later. We exercise 6 times a week (which is inSANE, if you ask me) but I lost 16 lbs so far. WOO-HOO!!!!! My husband has lost 60 lbs!!! I'm so proud of him. It's been quite a journey, but a good one. A very good one. During that journey- somewhere about August-I became a runner. I love to run and I'm pleased as punch that I enjoy it! Never thought THAT would happen. My husband says I'm a sick woman. :)

I did more teaching/speaking in 2010, which I love. It also opens the door for all new levels of insecurity. But, hey, what do you do? It's good to be stretched out of my comfort zone. At least that's what I tell myself. :) It's so fun and rewarding to share the love of quilting with others.

Looking ahead.....

I have a lot of hopes for this year. I hope to teach more. I hope to use more of my stash. (Isn't that the same every year?) I hope to stash less fabric. (I'm afraid that this just may remain a hope and not a reality.) I hope to use tons of my scraps.

But my resolution for this year is actually from the book Collaborative Quilting. I read through it recently and something in the book really struck a cord with me....more like it jumped off the page right at me. It said:

"Make what you want to make, and make it the way you want to make it." Gwen Marston

It was revolutionary for me. Because when you quilt (and blog) there is so much pressure to make what will impress...to continually come up with something new and stellar...to reinvent the wheel, so to speak. It's hard to do that when there is nothing new under the sun. For me, while blogging, it's hard not to be competitive. (I won't delve into this topic further, it wouldn't be pretty.) But having permission to do what I want to do, quilt wise, now that is refreshing. I really, really hope I can make this happen. Quilting will be a lot more fun! So that is my one and only resolution for the upcoming year and I'm excited about it.

Happy New Year to you! Thanks so much for reading. I so appreciate it!

winners!

The winners of the Kona charm packs are sarah, rsm and 9PatchNurse. Thanks to everyone for playing along. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas! xo

giveaway!

Yesterday was winter solstice, which means as of today, the days start getting longer. Yipee! That's great news if you ask me. So, to celebrate, (yes, I  am serious, I'm celebrating!) I'm giving away a 2 charm packs of Kona cotton solids in the dusty and dark color palettes. I'll pick two winners, (one charm pack for each) on Christmas Eve. Here's to longer days!!! Hope you are ready for Christmas. :)

scrapbusting

Laura J started the scrapbusters challenge 2011 group and if ever I needed a flickr group, this is the one!

Even though there are 101 other things I need to be doing today, I played.

I sewed a bunch of strings together and cut them down to 12.5" x 4.5".

They multiply rather quickly.

This is one possibility for a layout....inspired by the Band Together quilt (scroll down) by Fun Quilts.

I'll definitely need to make some more blocks before I decide for sure. :)

Happy Monday to you!

goodies!

Doris and I arranged a personal swap. We started talking about it in June, we got around to swapping in November. We decided to swap a pillow cover and a mug rug made from scraps.

Here's what she made:

A cute applique pillow (her original design, no less!) that matches my daughter's bed perfectly! Even down to the top of the flower...the blue and pink of the flower helps tie in the blue, pink and red pillowcase that doesn't really match her bed but I can't help but using it anyway. The throw pillow ties the whole room together! We didn't talk specific colors at all, so how wonderful that it matches oh-so-perfectly. I'm tickled pink! (The cute puppy was made by my sweet friend Linda.)

And she made the sweetest mug rug! With my initials embroidered on it and everything. I love that it can be used for a mug rug or as a mini placemat, too. Thanks so much, Doris! I love what you sent!

This is what I sent to Doris. The pillow cover may look slightly familiar. (This was my second of 3 versions...so far!) The mug rug was made using a block pattern from this magazine. (thank you, Tara!) Actually, the block that is shown on the cover. It was fun to experiment with a new to me block. It was an intense little baby to piece. Phew! But fun, nonetheless.

Terri, my fellow Wisconsin sewing pal, sent me a package of Christmas goodies! She is on the ball! I got these a few weeks ago. Right after HER birthday, she's sending me presents. What a good friend!

She made this cute little mini quilt. Again, perfect for a mini placemat...it would be just the perfect size for a bowl of soup.

And she sent a bunch of other treats, too. So much cuteness! Thanks so much, Terri!

Ok, and just for a laugh....

I told my daughter to get dressed this morning. This is what she picked out.

HA! This gave me a good chuckle this morning.

I think she loves color as much as her mama does. :)

snow! (and a new quilt top)

We had a good old-fashioned snow storm over the weekend. It was fun to be snowed in...until it came time for shoveling. Oh, my achin' back!

Thankfully my neighbor, Larry, came over with his snowblower on Sunday morning and helped us out immensely! We still had a chance to shovel a bunch. Hours!

We have snowpiles that are taller than a 4th grader. (Ha!)

I have more shoveling to do today. I hope to unearth the front door before the kids get home from school. Just trying to work up the courage to tackle that snow drift. Why on earth do I live here again???

Being snowed gave me plenty of time to cut into 70+ of my favorite fabrics.

It was something akin to a fabric massacre (or party?)....

and the results are a new, simple quilt top. I love it, love it, LOVE it!

My husband said that it looked like big chunks of fabric. (Cheryl, has he been talking to you???) I may have been slightly offended.

Later, he was kind enough to say about the quilt, "I'm sure that it will keep us nice and warm."

Much better. :)

and the dots win!

 Thanks for your feedback...I used the dots. I'm so glad I did!

I bid on these at the auction, but I didn't win. They went to the same woman that bought this quilt, so that made me happy.

I definitely need to make some more for my house!

liberty mini quilt

This little quilt is the result of the second round of my little scrap challenge. Anne sent me several gorgeous Liberty scraps, which I LOVE. (You can see some of what she sent here.) She challenged me to make a mini quilt that included triangles and hand quilting.

The triangle blocks finish at about 1.5", so they aren't big at all. The triangles were actually tolerable, even at that tiny size. The hand quilting, however, was very enjoyable. Although, I must learn how to bury my knots correctly. I know how to in theory, but in reality, I had a few knots pop through the front. It was not a big deal, I just had to re-do the stitching on those blocks. I used a variety of threads in a variety of colors (I have plenty), trying to match the patchwork as much as possible.

For the back, I used a fat quarter from my stash. I love how it matches the feel of the front even though it is a completely different fabric line/manufacturer. It's handy that the threads blend in, too. I got the loveliest thank you from Anne saying that the quilt made it safely to it's destination. This quilt now has a home in the UK, which delights me to no end for some reason. :) It measures about 18" square.

I absolutely loved working on this project and I love this challenge concept in and of itself. It's been a great exercise in breaking out of my rut. I know I get stuck in my rut and it's quite refreshing to break out of it every once in awhile. I plan/hope to open up the challenge for round 3 sometime early next year.

can't decide

Thanks for all your gentle comments on my post yesterday. I was sooo nervous to post those photos, but at the same time I really wanted to. It's good to keep it real! And it felt good to get that off my chest. I cleaned up last night and took a little break. Just what I needed.

Today I'm back at it! :)

I'm making a pair of throw pillows for the annual Women's Christmas Dinner silent auction at my church. The auction is on Tuesday. I'm stuck at what to back them with.

Originally, I planned on backing them with white and binding them in the red bliss dot. It would look lovely, but I got to thinking that it may be too much white? I'm not afraid of white-I use it a lot-but maybe other people would think they are too impractical?

So I rummaged through my stash and I found this red katie jump rope print. It matches well in color, but are the flowers too non-Christmasy? Again, it wouldn't bother me, but would other people think it's weird on a Christmas pillow?

Those are my two options, because I really want (and need!) to use what I have. Oh, and I should add, they are pillow covers, so they will be totally removable and washable. What would you choose?

full disclosure

My husband is out of town this week.

I haven't cooked a meal for days.

We've been eating turkey sandwiches and turkey noodle soup from last Saturday. I LOVE leftovers. I'm coasting on that front as long as I can.

I've been doing a LOT of playing, but progress is slow.

Every inch of my sewing room is a mess.

This is what my buffet really looks like most of the time.

I can't focus on a single thing.

So, I just hover and try to decide what to do next.

 Sigh.

I love and hate it all at the same time.