A giveaway that'll have you seeing Stars...

Hello! Welcome to the Red, White, and Blue Blog Hop!
First and foremost, a big thank you to Madame Samm for organizing this outrageousness and Jane for getting everyone up and running!

I’ll keep it short and sweet….

I found this nifty paper pieced block on Quilter’s Cache and thought it would be fun to make for you! 

I considered making more blocks, but decided that you might appreciate my (cough, cough) talents if I made this block into a reusable, washable, roll-up bag and gave it away to a blog hopper.

Sound good??

Yes, I think this might be an OPEN

and SHUT case!!

Click here to see a Pinterest Board of all the blocks!


Here's a lineup for today's blocks:

July 15th

Pink Pincushion

Quilting Nana

bacon then eggs (that's me)

living life-martha

Quiltscapes

PigTales and Quilts

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lost it, completely.

 [this post has been edited for content]

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking “Did I just coin the term vomitous blatherings”? The answer is maybe because you and the other person who reads this blog are probably thinking the same thing at the same time so there’s really no way to tell if you just added a new term to the lexicon or not. But go ahead, take credit anyway. I always do.

In other quilting news, I’d like to once again link up with Quilter in the Gap’s Rhonda for some 3^rd quarter finish-along fun. Really, this is becoming less “motivation” and more “she’s a bold-faced liar” list but I’ll go for it anyway. Hey, I’ve been busy! And I traveled this summer: France, Switzerland, Austria, and Germany. I’m a new woman. With meters of Dupioni silk. Oh sure, now you want to be friends.

2 Halloween goodies that I really want to see ready for action by the end of September. I know I can do it this time! I also started a reusable bag with Ghastlies fabric so I hope that gets finished also.

Last but certainly not least, I’m linking up with Wendy at The Crafter’sApprentice. She made a fabulous mat for under her coffee pot and gave me this swell idea—a mat for my dishes. I grabbed an old towel headed for the rag pile, some toaster fabric, and wha-la! made this lovely for my counter. If you can think of something to make with a used item thereby giving it new life, link up to her Something Old, Something New Competition! I'm going to try to come up with something else, but for now, I'm gurgling over this counter gemstone. I adore it; it’s the perfect size. 

So tell me what you would’ve done with the cucumber and I’ll draw a random commenter to win a prize :O) And no, the prize will not be perishable, sorry. 

A new bag for moi!

Have you heard about the over at Sew Sweetness?  There are pattern reviews and giveaways every day!

I’ve been itching to make this pattern, the Go Anywhere Bag from Anna of Noodlehead, for quite some time.

The one thing that threw me was that there was no “finished size” measurement anywhere on the pattern, so I was just hopeful that it would fit all my baggage. OH wait, there’s not a bag big enough for that…..but at (flat) 16 X 13 (at shortest point) and about 12" strap drop, it holds a bunch of everyday items.

This is the first time I’ve tried one of her patterns and I really liked it—the directions were clear and concise. The longest part is fusing all the interfacing (urgh). I used Pellon 101 which is a fusible woven (essentially it’s a piece of thin fabric with glue on one side) and wow, I’ll be using it from now on—it gives the fabric nice shape without being stiff (wait for the sale at Joann’s and stock up!).

The front has three pockets and the back has one pocket (full width). I even made piping for the first time. I wasn't really sure how to do that so I just guessed--I threw some fabric around... 

That's right, twine. Hey, it worked. Nicely.

This is the inside--three more pockets. I made them from a strip of leftover fabric and just sewed the edges into the side seam--easy!

Fabrics:

Outer pockets & straps: Florine in Dusted Plum, Echo line by Lotta Jansdotter

Main body of bag & inside pockets: Illusion in Pink, 1001 Peeps line by Lizzy House

Lining & piping: purple iridescent pindots, Lakehouse Drygoods by Holly Holderman (this is from stash--I doubt there's any more to be found) 

Quilt Festival

Wahoo! It's time again for the Bloggers' Quilt Festival from Amy's Creative Side



I'm entering this little quilt that brings me such great joy!

I really like this quilt because I allowed myself to be more imaginative and artistic than I've been in the past; it feels really good to let go and BE creative. No hands on this bike--not this time! 

It started out as a Swoon quilt but then I wanted to give it a more modern, less rigid feeling so I added random strips of coordinating colors.

After adding a grey border, it seemed static so I decided to encourage movement by giving the eye a few corner squares to follow: The grey keeps your eye moving around the quilt while the green pulls the center star out to the edges (and there's a few more giraffes to love!)

The quilting is a big X, then lines radiate out from the heart of the design.

The back is a simple wonky star in the lower left quadrant so that the quilting becomes the real focal point.

Fabrics:

Giraffe Love in Lagoon by Michael Miller

Kona grey and teal solids

Yellow dots by Michele D'Amore, Bold and Beautiful line

Apple pindots by Micheal Miller, Garden Pindot line 

Play stripe in Lagoon by Michael Miller

As I've said before, I'm thrilled that this quilt will be going to a family who really appreciates a handmade gift--I hope it brings them as much happiness as their appreciation brings me!

I'd better get it in the mail--my cousin's wife is at the hospital today!   

**Update: It's a girl! 9 lbs, 12 oz, 22 inches long. Wahoo!

Click HERE to return to the Bloggers' Quilt Festival!

Cutting Charm Squares

I happen to like charm swaps and have figured out a way to produce 56 charm squares (5 X5) by making 10 cuts without moving the fabric. 

The only catch here is that you have to have a mat that is at least 20 X 20 and be cognizant of fabric movement to ensure accuracy. 

Here goes:

I've folded 1 yard of fabric onto itself so that overlaps at least 15 inches with a slight overhang on the left hand side (just to the left of 0).

Now I'm moving the fabric so it's easier for me to work with, but I will line up my fabric the same way, with the overhang about 1/8" on the left and bottom. I'll move my body to the side of the fabric and make the first 5 cuts:

I cut in this order so I am able to save the selvage

Then I go back to my original position and make the next 5 cuts

Totals for each pile of fabric; your 4 x 4 grid =56 charms

As you can tell, I am working on the left-hand side of my cutting mat. If you are right-handed/able to, put your fabric on the right-hand side of the cutting mat--move your body to the right side of the mat and cut from left to right. Go back to your original position and cut left to right again to complete the grid.

Well, finally! School is out, and I and get some real work done.

To wit, I attended the bi-annual quilt retreat with MissVicki two weeks ago. I love the way it always falls around my birthday…extra cupcakes and good friends….can you think of a better way to spend your day? Me neither. Oh, wait, there’s always the 6’4” blonde masseuse named Sven who wants to give me a deep tissue massage. Yeah, that’s better than cupcakes.

First up is an apron for my Aunt Patsy’s granddaughter. Patsy said, “Just whip something up. You know, with ruffles on the shoulders.” That “whipping up “thing doesn’t happen for me but okay, I’ll go for it. I had a basic idea and then just kept sewing…

  Next up, this pouch for my friend Lisa. Vicki was throwing away the edges from her strip quilt so I snagged them (dumpster diver!) and put them together to form the front patchwork. I thought I’d try the tutorial by Noodlehead. Yep, I like her style…I think I’m going to put her Go Anywhere Bag on my “to do” list.

Last, a quilt for my cousin Dan and his wife Colleen. The poor girl was due on the 7^th and she’s still waiting for the baby to pop. I made this one a few years back and Colleen was so appreciative it was amazing. You know, when someone gushes that it’s a handmade gift and then sends you pictures at Christmas of the baby on her “favorite” quilt. Yep, those are the people to whom you say, “hey, when you’re crazy enough to pop out another one, let me know!”

It started with a Swoon block, and I let it develop organically from there; a special thanks to the retreat ladies who were supportive of my quilting without rules or a pattern! It’s still a little constrained, but I do like it and I was able to let myself BE creative. Ohm. 

spring fling!

I've got another tutorial at Madame Samm's blog, so go take a look (but here's a sneak peek)

http://www.sewwequilt.com/2012/03/its-runner-month-and-with-duff-she-is.html