A finish...and Another Swoon Block

I was able to quilt and bind my Hometown Quilt this week, and cross another item off my 2012 project list.  I started this quilt awhile ago.  Just looked and it was back in September.  It was a quilt I saw on Moda Lissa's blog, but the pattern came off of the Moda Bake Shop.  The piecing was fairly quick and easy, and then life got busy so I just folded it up and put it aside.  Part of the reason for that was I couldn't decide how to quilt it.

 I am a bit lazy when it comes to quilting in that I hate the process of marking the quilting pattern.  So I outline, or stitch in the ditch, or do an all over design.  But this quilt needed something else.  So I caved.  I made a template of houses.  It's a pretty small quilt after all, only about 43 x 50.  And I marked the whole thing.

 I used my walking foot and did the bottom lines first, all the way down to anchor the quilt.  Then I used my Bernina Stitch Regulator to free stitch the houses themselves.  The lines aren't too straight, but I don't care.

 I love the effect of the rows of houses...Hometown!  Get it?

 I used the grey scallops from the Ruby line by Bonnie and Camille for the back, with a red boarder.

 And here it is in its just washed crinkly goodness.  A perfect lap size.

                                            Here is the back.

Don't you just love the rows of little houses?  And now, my next accomplishment for the week:

 Swoon block number 7!!! I like this one so much.  It might just end up being the center block in my quilt.  I will audition it there as soon as they are all done.  Only 2 more to go...sew exciting!

Spent most of today helping my oldest daughter to nest.  Looks like baby B will be here sooner than originally expected.  Gotta get that dresser painted and loaded up with cute baby things.
Have a great week.

Back to Work Tomorrow

I kinda hate it, but I am ready to head back to work tomorrow.  It's been a great, productive 10 days.  I am so type A, I measure the success of vacation time in terms of productivity!  Well, this wasn't meant to be a sit on my butt vacation anyway.  So here, on top of all I blogged about last week, is the weekend's work.

This is the beginning of the quilt for my middle daughter.  I won a box of scraps from Moda Lissa a while back and when I saw all the strips and even 3 little beginnings of Log Cabin blocks, I knew what I wanted to do with it.  I made these 6 log cabin blocks and now I am adding strips around them.  I am letting the colors lead me and stopping to look and consider.  The outer strips are a very pale blueish green, with some grey tones.  They look grey here.

 I am making two of these, pieced and quilted, for the arms of my new couch.  I never thought I would own a white couch, and it's really off white, but the arms need a bit of protection.  Besides, there is already a quilt on the back of the couch and two pillows I made.  I will post pics soon.

 I really did have this on my list for 2012-The Swoon Quilt.  When I saw the Swoon-Along, I jumped in.  I have had the pattern since November, but the fabric was stumping me.  I didn't want to buy any, and I didn't want it to be too scrappy.  I had a fat eighth bundle of Strawberry fields, but that wasn't enough to make it work.  So I decided on the Reunion fat quarter bundle that I got just before Christmas.  More than enough fabric in that.  I am glad for the push!

 Next there is this project.  My sister's quilt.  I drew up the plans to be similar to this quilt that she liked by Amanda Murphy.  I simplified it to make the assembly a bit easier.  This quilt will be for a queen size bed so it will be big enough as it is.

 I had to start cutting, and I dreaded it.  I wasn't sure if we had enough fabric.  We bought the fabric before there was a plan for it.  I did go back on New Year's Day to the big sale a bough 3 more half yard cuts.  The little yellow post it notes are the number of pieces in each pile.  I am relieved to report I even have a few extra pieces.

Here are the scraps from the cutting.  I love looking at them!  Now, gotta get sewing on this and get the Swoon quilt pieces cut out.  With 3 big quilts going all at once, I need to find a good way to store all the pieces neatly during the piecing stage.  Anyone have any ideas that work for them?

Have a great week.  See you back here Swoon...I mean soon. :)

Ladies and Gentlemen: Start your sewing machines!

I am going to start my new year off right!  I have cleaned my sewing room up, made a project list (it has 18 items on it...so far), bought fabric and started sewing!  And I have this whole week off from work to do some of that sewing.  Great vacation plan I think!

 First, I have to show you these great slippers I got from my Dear Husband.  I L-O-V-E them and have been wearing them a lot since Christmas.  I can even sew in them, unlike when I am wearing shoes.  I always have to take my shoes off, and then my feet get cold.

 I finally replaced my old Sunbeam iron that I have had for 20+ years with this.  I first saw this iron on Madame Samm's Stash Manicure blog during the Wantobe Quilters campaign.  I sent the link to I Have A Notion to my Dear Husband and it was under my Christmas tree too.  I am starting to get used to it.  I had no idea how not hot my old iron was starting to be!

 Also, saw this on Green Fairy Quilts and since Sweetwater is my all time favorite designer, I had to have it.  It was on sale and there was a free shipping thing going on.  I wasn't going to indulge, but after I talked to my DH, he told me to go ahead and order it.  I love that man.  He really understands me. :)

 New year's eve my oldest daughter, M brought this quilt to me to mend.  The applique was coming unstitched in several places.  This was a quilt I made for her in August 2004 for her wedding.  I don't think I ever got pictures of it.

 It was a pattern in a book by Georgia Bonesteel.  It is queen size, pieced and appliqued and all hand quilted by me.  She later confessed to me that she didn't really care much for purple, and the marriage didn't last.  I was convinced the quilt was a bit of a jinx.  Crazy, right?

 She is happily remarried now so maybe I'll try again...but not purple!

 This is the back of my Birdie Stitches quilt.  I found this fabric and thought it perfect for that.

 And here is the front of the Birdie Stitches Quilt, assembled and pin basted, ready to quilt.  I am most proud of this quilt.  It is my first BOM and I kept up for the whole year!

 These strips are leftovers from the 36 Patch QAL that I did with Crazy Mom Quilts.  Another project I kept up with.  These are going to be incorporated into the back of the quilt.  I already know how I want to quilt it and am excited to get it finished.

 My LQS has a New Year's Day anniversary sale every year from 1-5 pm.  I have never missed one.  We get 35% off any cut of a half yard or more.  I bought these cuties with the new grand baby in mind. We will find out soon if it's a boy or girl.  I am stocking up on pinks...just in case.  My stash doesn't have too many pinks.

 And I got these to add to a couple of works in progress.  I am going to make a queen size quilt for my sister this year.  We bought the fabrics when she was here in October, with no particular pattern in mind.  Now that we have one, I needed a bit more of a couple of the fabrics.  The sale was the best time to buy them.  The fabric at the bottom of the photo is just because it's cute.  The one at the top is for this next quilt.

 This is the beginning of the new quilt for my middle daughter.  I am making it from a box of scraps that I won from Moda Lissa awhile back.  I found that tan and wanted to get a bit to add to the scrap stash.

 In Cleaning I found this quilt that I started about 3-4 years ago.  I got it pieced and started hand quilting it and then it sat neglected for all this time. :(  So now I am determined to finish it.  I had forgotten that I do like to hand quilt sometimes.  I think I got caught up in the ease and quickness that is machine quilting.  And lastly, a bit of a surprise for me:

I found this lovely fabric was on the back of the aforementioned quilt.  I had forgotten it totally!  I do so love it too!  So, this was a bit long, but hopefully you enjoyed all the pictures of my projects.  I have lots to do now, so have a great week and I'll talk to you again soon.

A Win!

 Look what came in the mail this week!  I won this great box from Moda Lisa.  The magazine has her lovely Log Cabin quilt in it.  When she posted on her blog about it , she offered her scraps to one lucky commenter.  I am so happy that I was that lucky person.  I expected some strips left from her project, along with a copy of the magazine, but I was overwhelmed with just how many "scraps" there were!

 In addition to the strips, of which there were more than a few, there were lots of chunks of the fabrics.

 So pretty and so many lovely colors too.  I just keep looking at them.  I can't believe they're mine.

I am going to use them to make a quilt for my middle daughter.  She has asked for a new quilt and it's been a while since I made her one.  I am going to do a "sort of" Log Cabin.  I can't wait to get it started.  I probably won't get to it until after the holidays.  But it wouldn't be possible without these great scraps.  Thanks so much to Moda Lissa!!