Summer Stash Challenge

perhaps i have shown too much.

pattern calls for over 200 nine-patches pieced to a square.
this is what 50 looks like. i'm hoping to get at least 128.

anxious to get started i made as many as i could. using stash is very rewarding. but if i can't find more of this fabric (in my stash of course) i will have to make it smaller than the pattern calls for. the red & white could be 18 years old. the blue almost 8. except for the green which is only a few months old to me the fabric is very lightweight. new quilting fabric is dense & substantial. when finished this might feel more like a summer nightgown.

Scrappy Sunday

Block #5

Where's My Stuff

it's in that thing i got you for your BD. go check.

is it in the money mat drawer?

is it in the love mat drawer?

is it in the school mat drawer?

is it in the summer mat drawer?
(see yesterday's post).

or, is it in the ladybug mat drawer?

i get a little crazy with BD presents. for the niece anyway. for her 5th or 6th BD i made her 7 pink p.j. bottoms. this year i only made 1. but they are so cute.

just a guess. not from me. but d'ya think this could be her fav BD present?

Knots To You

i made a few mats this month and used Eileen's knot technique on this one.

and i put a matching knot on the back.

of course i only had to put 12 on the front & 12 on the back.

it was fun to learn & use something new so quickly.

Eileen together with Ulla are coordinating the Summer Stash Challenge.

Scrappy Sunday

Block #4

Summer Stash Challenge

yeah! the piecing is finished.it was quick & easy. but i don't feel guilty. no i don't. a big bag of rainy day stuff has been transformed into a usable quilt top. and isn't that cherry print fantastic. i found it in my stash. it's so old. how old is it. i really don't know. but it's perfect as backing for this summer quilt. i can't decide how to finish. it's small enough to quilt by hand. but i'll take some time before i make my next move.

I'm Almost 9 So The Little Girl Apron Doesn't Fit Me

have you ever asked a little girl to model something cute for a picture & then tried to take it away from her. i have. not doing that again. so my big girl niece is modeling my giveaway apron for you.

........michele p......... is most definitely a winner.

her memory was the only comment received but one i very much enjoyed reading. go ahead & email your info so i can get this cutie out to you. the apron. not my niece. she's a keeper. you just can't have her.

a big thank you to everyone else who offline sent kind words of encouragement.

Summer Stash Challenge

1 shirt. 2 blouses. 1 jumper. 1 circle skirt.

all cut out. but had to adjust measurements of pieces. some shorter. some longer. it's a guessing game with clothing on how much yardage you will get. it'll look different than pattern. well not really. but it has inspired me to make again with proper yardage. ooohooh. let's go look at stash again to see if i already have it.

Summer Stash Challenge

count me in for a Summer Stash Challenge. it seems all quilters are feeling the same about their accumulation of goodies that are not being used. i've already started my Scrappy Sunday project. but don't want any conditions on how & when i will complete it. for a challenge i needed to dig deeper into the unknown territory of the back room. so i decided on a large bag of thrift store clothing that i have been saving for a rainy day which is all laundered & ready to go.

Scrappy Sunday

Block #3

Cute Cute Cute

now that's a post title i could use alot. yesterday i received the Tea Party Apron pattern purchased from Quilt Taffy. cute. oh so cute.

so i decided to make one for a giveaway. i'll be making the young girl size. using fabric bought on Quilt Taffy & still available on sale i might add. i'll be adding some vintage green rick rack i purchased at a thrift shop many years ago. i don't think i will be putting on the big bow. also included in this giveaway will be a package of vintage red rick rack that comes with matching thread. i know. fabulous. just leave comment on this post telling me your apron memory when you were a little girl. i guess you mommies/daddies can share your daughter/son apron memories if you have too.

here's one of my fav photos from a few years back. i always smile when i look at it. i remember that day like it was yesterday. little nieces love to wash dishes. big aunts just don't.


it'll take a couple of days to finish. i can hear my family laughing. haha back. so i'll pick a winner on Wednesday night. good luck.

The Time Machine

they moved the video of the entire show. so i'm posting a clip. i hope you enjoy !

Hot Sunny Days

it was hot yesterday. 97 degrees hot. and it's still hot. did i tell you it's hot.

thank goodness when we made these dresses in April it was warm and beautiful. the girls each picked out the fabric they wanted. elastic already sewn on. buy by the inch. very specific on the v-shaped straps. the two oldest did all the sewing. the ironing was supervised by their Mom's. thank you.

we were all at their other Aunt's home while their brothers were at a graduation dinner. the boys are moving on to middle school next year.

the girls were busy playing together but i managed to get them to pose for a pic before they scattered away to play some more.

Scrappy Sunday

Block #1
Block #2

Watcha Been Doin Lately

you pick up the phone & that's what you hear.
you say "nothing much" when the truth goes more like this:

if you quilt sometimes you never quite know where you are going.
i've had this red & white fabric for ages. it's so cute with cranes & flowers & fans on it. i spied two fat quarters and thought finally the red & white might get used. i don't know why i used the cream flower for the background. but i luv it. that's not always a good reason. it usually complicates the entire process.

you can make 12 of these geese from a fat quarter. i cut up 4 fat quarters so 48 flying geese done. i picked out 9 fat quarters. 5 fat quarters left equal 60 more to do. 9 x 12 = 108. the pattern calls for 110. if i picked out 1 more fat quarter i would have 120. every time you add another fat quarter you need less pieces per fabric. but you've already made 12. so you just pick the 10 or 11 you like the best. unless you don't care if it's even. stop thinking about that now. you used fat quarters so you don't have any extra. to make just two more. you'll figure it out. see how organized i am today. see that climbing pile. the pattern says to keep those to make an extra project. yikes there are so many. and so many more to add. i'm liking the thriftiness of saving to use so i am doing what i am told.

i thought this green would make a nice simple border. & the red & white would make an interesting inner panel.

not sure if the red & white works now. bet if i used the red & white as the background it would've looked great with the green. i wanted to. but i couldn't make up my mind. oh no. phoeey. you're going to end up on the back. so i went looking for a better match with the green. instead i found this great large print from Martha Negly with avocadoes on it. & a coordinate to the cream flower background which are both Moda Folklorique. looking good together. and my geese still pop. they have to. they are a lot of work.

the Negly border with the red & white inner panel works too. see.

wadda u think ? oh that's right. the phone. you can't see.
i'll show it to you tomorrow. gotta go ? me too. bye.

"nothing much" & "how about you" saves a lot of time.

waddayathink...

Taffy Jane Is Awesome

i haven't been posting much the past two weeks but i have been busy. three patterns are keeping the dust off my sewing machine. Knotty Baby. Pink Triangle Love. and Big Print Party. awesome names. and awesome patterns. i'm almost finished with Knotty Baby. i've been gathering fabrics for Pink Triangle Love. and i just bought Big Print Party because i knew it would be perfect for some fabrics i have been admiring on my table. check out these patterns at Taffy Jane's Etsy Shop. she's got it going on.

Knotty Baby i have been working on with a friend. she calls herself Messie Jessie. and we have been having fun with this one. i think Messie J wants to be just like Messy K. she's not fooling anyone by ending in "ie" instead of just "y". just kidding. we're not that much alike but we both have time to get together during the day to sew. i gave myself this name. for her the only girl with brothers she had no choice.

Pink Triangle Love for me is more like Red Pink Coral with splashes of Apple Green. a LQS in my area which i had not visited before is going out of business the end of June. of course i had to visit & of course i was amazed & of course i found many things i loved. but i found some sweet fat quarters that i couldn't stop thinking about. i was afraid of picking up any of the bolts because then i would just want the whole thing. i am very greedy. but it was a fantastic sale.

i was there with my sister picking out fabrics for her quilt. i know. i know. (said sarcastically just like Craig Ferguson). hell is about to freeze over. she picked some great fabrics. if you were there you would have heard me say so very many times "we're not going home without this". she just kept giving me the eye. like in the movie Juno - giving me the "stink-eye". i had to go back after our trip to get those fat quarters because i wasn't supposed to be buying anything for me that day.

Big Print Party was quite a surprise to find this weekend. i had some super fantastic prints that i was going to use with another pattern. but they are now going to be part of this pattern. it's quite possible that i will use this one again and again.

i'm calling my sister's quilt The Biggest Quilt I Will Ever Be Involved In. trust me. it's going to be big. i'll keep you updated. if she wants me to call it by another name - i'll consider it - but it's my blog after all.

no pics today - are you kidding - you are just going to have to come back.