Not Only Did I Dare to Dresden...

...I took tons of pictures.  I hope you don't mind.  I started with jelly roll strips of red, white and pink polka dots.

 I loved the way they went together when I was chain piecing them.  So cool...

                                               More fun...

                            Then I started playing with arrangements...

 This is the one I finally went with.  It seemed to me to be the best for this application.

And before I even finished the project I had in mind for these, inspiration struck again, so I quickly jumped on it before the idea could be lost.  I still had a bit over a quarter yard of my Ombre Dots!

 Sew I fussy cut them to come up with this arrangement.  I used almost every scrap in this, but I love it.

 I put a dark green Kona circle in the middle, and then I stitched in the ditch up and down the fan blades with my machine.

 And I did accent stitching with Perle Cotton.  I was thinking maybe pillow, but once I did the accent stitching, I wanted more.

So I think I am going to make more of these and make them into a quilt, because I just can't stop at one.  Now about that first Dresden...this is what happened to it:

 I wanted to make a pouch, but I sort of forgot that it would have a flat bottom.  I forgot to compensate for that...

 So a lot of it ended up on the bottom.  At first I was bummed, because it didn't turn out like I had pictured it, but it is sort of cute after all...

I used Anna at Noodlehead's wide mouthed pouch tutorial.  I love the way those turn out every time!
Could I stop now?  NO! I had to make more...

 I wanted to see how small I could go...these fan blades are 2 1/2 inches, but the circle in the center is still too big.  They are Sunkissed by Sweetwater and the center is the new Noteworthy line by Sweetwater.  I realized I needed to make the narrow end even narrower to get a smaller center.

This one became my new mug rug for my desk and I love it.  More stitching around the outside with Perle Cotton.  But I still wanted a smaller one...

                       This is more Sunkissed, I am almost out of it now. 

I adjusted the size once again to make it smaller still.  The small Ackfeld hanger is 5 inches wide.  Want a little perspective?  Here you go...

That's what I wanted to achieve!  I love this little cutie!  And now, my tale of Dresdens is done.  Thanks to Madame Samm and Christine at Quilt monster in my closet.  Another fabulous hop and I learned so much and I thought I didn't really like making Dresdens.  Who knew?  Here is the rest of the schedule for today.  Enjoy the hop.

 January 28^th, 2013

A Reformed Heath'n

Meadowbrook

Rosemary B @ “that Other Blog”

Stitch Duchess' Crazy & Sane Quilting World

Grammie Q’s

Bumbleberry Stitches

Sunshine Girl

Spiral

Butjenter Quilter

Blooming Where I am Planted

Quilting Lodge

The Tilted Quilt

Life in the Scrapatch

Pretty Bobbins
In The Boon Docks

Sew Much and More

Threading My Way
Pink Ribbon Quilts
Thimble Mouse & Spouse

Supporting My Local Quilt Shop

I know Thursday was the day, but I just couldn't make that one happen, between work and after school care and the impending bad weather.  So I opted to go Saturday, which just happens to coincide with the end of month, end of bolt sale that Julie has every month.

I live in Chapel Hill NC, and Thimble Pleasures is my LQS.  It is an amazing shop, and also a Bernina dealer with an on site repairs person.  The service is fantastic and the women who work there are so kind and friendly and helpful.

I love their inventory of over 5000 bolts of quilters cottons.  They have everything you need for quilting and they do classes too.

This is what I picked up:

 I got 1.75 yards of Type...for 35% off!!  You get the discount when you buy what's left on the bolt.

 I got just 1/2 yard of the three Kona solids on the left-lime, lemon and baby blue, but the last of the bolt of turquoise was 1.875 yards at...you guessed it, 35% off.

I also found this great grey print from City Scenes, 2.25 yards at 35% off.  All told I saved just over $20.  And this sale happens on the last weekend of each month.  Just one more reason to love, and shop my local quilt shop.

See you tomorrow for my day on the Dare to Dresden blog hop from Sew We Quilt.
Have a great Sunday.

Morning coffee

Some people read the paper while they have their morning coffee.  I read blogs on my computer.  Sometimes I am swept away by all the creative things I see.  And it's happier than reading the news.

Yesterday I was hopping around reading and I ended up at Kim's.  As I scrolled through several posts I saw a cute pillow she had made for Christmas.  It was a FREE Tula Pink pattern!!  I thought "I have to make that for my hubby!"

I downloaded the pattern while he was getting ready for work and after he left, I quickly cleaned up the kitchen and headed for the sewing room, laughing with glee!!  Several hours later I had this:

It makes me so happy to look at it!!  He loved it when he came home and saw it, he smiled right off.  I am planning to make another one to go with it.  Such fun!  And on a Monday no less!

First Sunday Morning Quilt

I have been working to get the blocks from round 1 of the Sunday Morning Quilt Bee put together and just finished.  As it is finally a sunny day, I ran outside to get some pics.

This is the layout, in my sewing room a few days ago.  Not great lighting.  But when I took it outside...magic!

      The shadows keep on moving and I am definitely no professional photographer.

                               It does sort of glow in the sunlight though.

                           It is also a beautiful Carolina Blue sky out there today.

 Ahhh...now that's a bit better isn't it?  On the ground...I bordered it with Kona white and I am planning a blue binding just to frame it off.  These are 12.5 inch blocks made by members of the Sunday Morning Quilts Bee last year.  We did one color per month and then swapped each month. I made 2 more to have an even 16 for my quilt.  I plan to quilt in an all over doodle of some sort.  There are lots of seams in this and I want them secured.

It was also pretty windy today!  :)  Hope you have a great day.

More Traveling Stash

I have another traveling stash box here to give away.  This is box number 1.  I do love getting these boxes and seeing the treasures they hold.  So here we go...

 There are lots and lots and lots of patterns in this box.  One even has an acrylic template in it to make the sunflowers for the quilt top.  There is a cover for a Kindle Fire in there too.

 Some small fabrics and about 6 or 7 big hunks that must be over a yard each.  Lots of notions too.

 A couple of books.  Glad there are only two...they make the box heavy.

 Here are some of the patterns in this box.  Quilts, purses and lots of smaller things.

 Got these last two photos flipped, but this is what I added into the box.  A pattern for the Groovy Quilt, some ric-rac, a few small pieces of fabrics, some gold metallic thread and a strip of Melody Miller typewriters.  I bought a yard of it the last time one of my favorite on line shops restocked and I have used a bunch, but I still have lots left so I wanted to share with someone else.  There are 7 whole typewriters on this strip.

This is what I took from the box...4 small bits of fabric (fat quarter-ish) a pattern, some DMC floss, some buttons, and some gloves that say GREAT FOR QUILTING on them.  I am wrestling with my Swoon quilt right now and thought I'd give them a try.

Here are the rules:

Rules:

1. Be an active blogger. Post about receiving the box on your blog in a timely manner. Post the giveaway for the box soon after receiving it.
2. There's a note in the box that logs where it's been. Please add your info and place the note back in the box.
3. There's a list of Rules and Guidelines in the box. Please read and follow these and return the list to the box. 
4. You may take anything you like from the box. Just replace every item with comparable quilt shop quality items equal to the amount taken.
5. Ship the box to the next person in a reasonable amount of time.
6. Due to the amount of postage shipping is only within the USA.

Leave me a comment here and I will choose a winner on Saturday, January 19th.
Best of luck.
The winner of the Stash, chosen by Mr. Random is number 4.

In Your (My) Words

I am loving this blog hop so much.  Unlike any of the others, which were also great fun, this one has more variety of interpretation of the theme.  These creative people are all over the place.  If you haven't seen them all, I urge you to go back and do it.  You will be amazed.

Here is my submission for today:  When Madame Samm came up with the idea of the words theme, my very first thought was to think of words that describe me by what I like to do.  Then I quickly thought of making the words pictures...sort of.  I wanted something I could quilt, so applique came into it.  This is the first sketch on a post-it note at my desk.

Next I had to figure out how to transfer this into fabric.  I changed some of the drawings, and I fiddled with it a bit and this is what I came up with:

 I changed books to READ and made it into a book.  And my husband, who was watching me stitch said "what about me?" I asked if he wanted me to put his name on there and he said "No, but how about Family?"  So there you go.

 I love this one.  I made a tiny patchwork quilt for this and appliqued it onto the tail of the Q.

 I used text fabric for my book and embroidered the letters and the pages onto the book.

There's my family, who are all very important to me and who I am.  And you can't really tell, but the needle is grey with sparkles in the fabric.

The music and the muffin that says bake are also a part of who I am.  I think this turned out great.  I have put it in my sewing room where I can look at it all the time.

Now that you've seen my words, go on and visit all the lovely ladies on the rest of today's hop and enjoy the words.  Here is the rest of today's lineup:

Wednesday, January 9

Kathy's Quilts (Kathy W.)

Sunshine Quilting (Martina S.)

Sew Incredibly Crazy (Amy)

Quilt Doodle Doodles (Cindy S.)

Doodling in My Mind (Darla R.)

I Like to Quiltblog (Bente)

Michelle's Romantic Tangle (Michelle M.)

Grammie Q's (Charlotte M.)

Dancing Moon (Carla B.)

(Betty V.)  at “that other blog”

The Fuzzy Hat Quilter (Laura Ann)

Many thanks to Madame Samm for another great idea for a hop and to Linda at Buzzing and Bumbling for being such a great cheerleader.  Couldn't do it without you ladies.
Edited to add: Thanks for all the kind comments.  I appreciate you taking the time to look and leave a comment.  GrammieQ

Weekend Accomplishments

It's been a great weekend here.  My weekend begins when I get off work on Saturday afternoon and goes until Monday night.  Tuesday is my Monday.  Did you follow that? Anyway, we (my hubby and I) took down the tree and restored order to the living room.  As is our fashion, we also deep cleaned and dusted the room.  It's a great time to get it done.  We also cleaned the floor.  This was good for me because...

 The time was finally here! I am going to quilt this Swoon quilt.  One year in the making of the top, the backing and finally buying the batting and it's on to pin basting.

 I got it all set to baste and got down to it.  I kept the camera close so I could take photos for this post, but I kept thinking it was a good thing nobody took a picture of me crawling around on the floor looking less than graceful as I pinned the layers.

 I cannot wait to see this all quilted up.  It is going to be wonderful and I think it may go on our bed.

 I was down there pinning away and it suddenly occurred to me, "I don't have any fabric for the binding!" I voiced it aloud to my honey and I said "I think it needs to be red, though."

 And wonder of wonders...He said "Yes, I think you're right.  Red is the way to go."  I love it when we agree!  It is very nice to see eye to eye on such creative matters.

So red it will be.  Now to find the perfect red...hopefully already in my stash!  In other news, my daughter and the boys came by Saturday when I got home, to hang out and craft.  V painted, daughter knit and baby B did this:

 Cutest, happiest baby in the world, lying there on one of Grammie's quilts.  Love to cuddle that little guy.

And my daughter helped me to figure out an arrangement for my SMQ Bee, round 1 blocks.  I was going to sash them, be she talked me out of that with this arrangement.  I like it.  I think I will just frame it with a border.

Don't forget to visit Sew We Quilt for the fabulous In Your Words blog hop going on this week.  Today is day one.  There are some very inspirational words in fabric over there.  My day to hop is Wednesday so I hope to see you back here then.
Have a great day!

First Post of the year

Catchy title, right?  I have been feeling the need to get one up here for the new year.  So here is the sewing I have been doing.

 I really need to take these outside on a sunny day.  Those sunny days are scarce right now.  Anyway this is my purple ticker tape mini for the series I am doing.  The binding is a deep pink that really looks much better than this picture shows.

 Here is the orange ticker tape mini. I really love doing these. With all the scraps, it's like a trip down memory lane of all my sewing projects.  this one has one small patch that isn't quite square or rectangular, but I had to have that leaf on my ticker tape.  Once I get the last two done, I will put them all together and photograph them for you.  I am so close.

 My blue scrap bin has thrown up on my floor.  I am working on the January blocks for the Sunday Morning Quilts Bee.  This round, we are helping each other to make a complete quilt from the book by making the scrap blocks for each other.  For January we are working on Splash and Candy Coated.

 These two sort of aqua colored blocks are for me.  I have all the other blocks from last year's round of SMQ Bee and they needed two more to make 16.  Aqua was one color we didn't do, so I made my own.  I am going to sash them with white and it should make a good sized snuggle quilt.  I just need to figure out the arrangement.

Here are some of the other lovely scrappy blocks my bee mates made for me.  We did one color per month, with each person making two blocks from their scrap stash and then exchanged them.  I will post here and in the Flickr group when I get it together.

Hope you have a great stitchy weekend.