Some Of The Quilt Show Pics

there were so many quilts that i did not take pictures of. i hope you enjoy the ones that i did.

this one is on the cover of Positively Pineapple. i know this because i might take a class in September. i have the book & ruler in case they call me back.i could picture this in a happy kitchen. but definitely not on white walls.reminds me of living in England. what's not to luv.i did luv this scrappy one. & would love to make one. the full squares around the outside in the same dark print really frame it nicely.i would luv to own this one. hmmmm. without doing all the work.this was truly beautiful in person. those are big orange beads or buttons on the big yellow fish.this should not discourage anyone from entering a blue & white challenge. except perhaps me.i luv the soft colors & prints of batik used in this one.a nice way to frame a sweet collection of illustrations.she was so cute. and so is her quilt.her brother also had a road panel quilt that his grandma had made. he told me that he picked out the fabrics & his grandma made it.

i have more. & will post them another day.

A Moment Of Silence

stay in your seat while i roll the credits in order of appearance:

patchwork book from Japan ISBN4-8347-2371-2, thrift shop clothing, white DMC cotton thread, cotton batting, backing fabric from stash, Clover silver chalk marking pen, black DMC perle 8, Fons & Porter needles for "big-stitch" utility quilting, comes with mini gripper which you will need, tutorial for making a label, exquisite furniture and location courtesy of lovely upstairs neighbor with immaculate & tidy apartment.

Simply Time

to announce that Melanie is the winner of Simply Yours.

the answer is.... turkey & roast beef with lettuce & swiss on whole wheat.

or.... the cheese next to the bread.

watch the clip to see where the answer could have been found.

i first posted about the funny guy here.

Melanie is also a participant in the Summer Stash Challenge.

you can see the quilts she has finished on her blog Jelly Bean Angel.

a very special thank you to Melanie for adding me to your bloglist.

so send me your choice & i'll get it out to you.

thanks for playing.

Clean Food

go to pg. 111 of my friend's cookbook. you'll find a recipe using all these ingredients.

don't have the book. just make up your own measurements. you know what i mean. the whole can. the entire fruit. handful of this. 1/2 of that. & i promise you that it will taste delicious & make a perfect hot summer day lunch.

i added a wine favor from Staci's wedding shower. what could be better than that? hmmmmmm. serves 6. well hopefully i can get 3. lunch, supper, & tomorrow's breakfast. ymmmmmm. it's really good.

if you're interested in eating clean but not ready to buy the book. Terry's newsletters have articles you can read & each one has at least one recipe you can try.

Scrappy Sunday

Block #8

i also went to a quilt show & was totally into this contraption. they ran out of books that explain how to make your own frame but they are mailing me one.

a few fat quarters to make me happy. strawberries for my Be Attitudes class. white geisha for my Big Print Party quilt. red to mix with "just about everything". stars & dots to use in my Santa quilt.
that's the raffle quilt they printed on the postcard. it was on the cover of some magazine in 2006. can't believe didn't take pic. but i will post some quilts from the show later this week.

these are the other things i took home.
a wool felt embroidery kit. comes with everything you need. i loved the candy one. a brand new smock top pattern because i still think i'm young at heart. a purse insert pattern that might be my xmas present project (shhhh!), a beachy wall hanging with a fantastic palm tree (stop drooling Messie Jessie). some quilting needles & hand-dyed variegated thread for hand quilting my aqua & purple quilt.

this photo is for Linda Belinda.
i loved this scrappy quilt. all of the beautiful fabrics were ones you would expect to find in a beautiful scrappy quilt. then i spied this one block up high & thought. how's your quilt coming sis?

Simply Yours

that's right. simply yours. any one of the bags in my Etsy shop. just tell me how the funny guy likes his sandwiches. no peeking on the other comments. oh i guess i can't stop you. ends Monday night. i'll even include the bad guesses. then you'll call me. & i'll send to you the one you want.

& ---- the first one to comment correctly gets one too.

One Equals Three

another pattern has tempted me to pick up that rotary cutter. but who said i had to make 3. while i was gathering ONE. TWO followed me to the checkout counter. and THREE was in my stash.

ONE - this cute paper doll fabric has patiently been hanging out in my holiday pile. yes i have a whole pile of just holiday. i'm sure that you do too. the dotty green & tiny trees is the new ME fabric. i'm going to mix them with some old stuff i have.

TWO - luv this AH print. always wanted to do something like this with black. whenever i find a print that i like @ JoAnn's i immediately check the selvedge. if it's AH i just have to have it. used a coupon. yeah.

THREE - this one's for the Summer Stash Challenge. i'll get the piecing done on time. but the quilting. not sure about that.

it's alot i know. to speed things up i start with about 1/2 yard of each fabric with right sides together. then when you cut your strips together they are ready to sew.

Scrappy Sunday

Block #7

Playing Dress Up

it's 9 p.m. on a Friday night. i haven't made any clothes since for-ever. (flannel p.j.'s don't count). but this afternoon i bought a skirt pattern. picked out some fabric that i thought would go with the only pair of fancy shoes i own. that's right. i'm going to a shower. on Sunday. wish me luck.

hey you! yeah you!
is that a zip-up hoodie top? does that even count as dressing up?

Scrappy Sunday

my plan to not use any fabric more than once is getting harder. need to keep checking the made up ones to see if i haven't already used it. sorta have a pile of ones i haven't used. but they keep getting mixed up with the ones i have used. i know i have enough variety. so i'm sticking to my plan. & it's helping me to organize the old stuff.

Block #6

my sister's friend from high school gave her this fabric when her parents sold their house and moved down to Florida. (i'll check the year they did that & insert later).

sometime after she gave to me. loved since the beginning. & very glad i still have them. from the smaller piece i was able to cut 34 3-1/2" squares. that's what's in the middle. the larger piece will be backing. maybe white sashing. maybe yellow posts. sounds good. my blocks are 9-1/2" square.

i have seen many of these scrappy quilts made up on other blogs. Melly & Me has a tutorial that i liked. my middle block is bigger. my pieces are thicker. since i'm using 50% fun prints i couldn't see making my pieces only 1/2" finished. & since my pieces were thicker i didn't see the need for a foundation fabric. but it's pretty much the same pattern. theirs is very pretty. mine is extremely scrappy. but i would love to try one using 1/2" finished strips.

i don't start with a 1-1/2" strip. just after determining which piece is long enough. i cut a clean edge. sew it to edge next in line. iron it over. then make a cut from sewn area that measures 1-1/4". when the next piece is attached it will be 1" thick.

i also love the ones made by Tree Fall. many of her beautiful pieces have a scrappy theme. but i love the really red center on one. and the really blue center on the other.

a erviha cor de rosa was inspired to make a scrappy quilt and then made this very clever doll quilt. i am inspired by her work. and it shows in my recent little project. another example of why although we all seem to be going thru the same motions. our projects are very much our own.

Red, White & Blue

on purpose i was looking for a theme pic & asked the kids to pose with this fun beach towel.

then i said "auntie karen wants you to hold the towel really tight & the little one should get in front". a perfect shot but i got suntan lotion on the camera lense.

even when the kids are not your own you are very aware of them growing up.


especially when you watch them boogey out to the wooden dock so far away.

& when they're chillin.

the jetty. so natural. beautiful browns & sandy beiges.

my summer stash challenge. very colorful. all pinned & ready for me to work on.

Random Thoughts (on Sewing)

handmade vs. store bought.
creativity vs. need.
true love vs. desire.
millions & gazillions vs. one of a kind.
let's go buy more fabric vs. let's see what i already have.
i know everything vs. what do i still need to learn.

Made From Scraps

just a few scraps. small pieces left over from a small quilt. normally would have been abandoned. lucky that these were cut in my new era of appreciation. Messie Jessie redecorated her living room with these colors. so i made a little mat for her BD.

she says it will look nice under her new lamp on the side table. then she tells me she has two side tables. she's so funny. & will figure out what to do with only one when she gets it home. she's at the beach this week. and it was a nice break for me to get away for the day. but i'll be looking for my present next time i visit her.