Wonky Log Cabin Quilt Along

Tomorrow is THE. BIG. DAY!

The first day of the 'wonky log cabin' quilt along,

led by none other than Quilt Dad!

This all started with the Old Red Barn Co.

quilt along I did this spring.

Remember this quilt?

I still love it.

I still haven't decided who to give it to.

The next quilt along was the zigzag quilt.

I planned to do that one with this fabric...

Didn't ever get started on that quilt along...

so now I am chomping at the bit

for this one to get started!

I think this same fabric will work out

with the wonky log cabin pattern.

I bought a Kona cotton solid for sashing...

want to make floating squares.

I think.

Like the one found here.

They Like Them!

YAY!!! Both of my packages were received today...and, apparently, the recipients are happy! I am so relieved! Much as I enjoy what I'm doing with my quilting, I still have that uncertainty about others actually holding my work in their hands. whew.

Okay. I told you I would show you what I made for Erin, my 'we double rock' mini quilt swap. Remember, her mini is the one that got skewed with the quilting. So, I got another charm pack of the Kansas Winter collection and made this pattern by Heather Mulder Peterson called 'Metro Girl'. About 20" square, I think? It was a challenge...a lot of cutting and piecing, but I think I did okay with it. It was definitely fun to see it all come together!
Here's the back...

Here's a closer look at the quilting. Wasn't sure about using black, but I think it looks really good (thanks for the push, Rachel!).

I also sent along this little table mat...about 8" square, I think. huh. I guess I did not take a photo of the finished product. Well, you get the idea. I sandwiched this, and quilted it along each side of the 8 seam lines, and put on the binding. These were left over charms from the same pack I used on her mini quilt.

One more... I sent Erin 'the amazing little gripper template handle' found here. Gotta get me one of those, for sure!

It's always a good day when I can make someone smile...and two in one day...well, I am very, very happy!

And, They're Off!!!

in the mail today...

*DQS7 package to my swap partner.

See the doll quilt here.

I sent her a few little goodies,

one of which is a fabric necklace made with the

FRESH fabrics that her doll quilt is made of.

See the tutorial by Rachel here.

And, here's something else I sent

cuz she likes sunflowers...

I am happy to say that this

looks better than I had envisioned.

Measures about 12 inches square.

*'We Double Rock' swap package.

This was a 2 person swap with Erin.

I blogged about what she sent me here.

Once I know she has it, I'll show you what I made for her.

Today is a GREAT day!!!

Stopped at my LQS and picked up a flying geese ruler and this book, which I had been waiting for...
Then, came home and saw two boxes sitting on my front stoop. How fun is that to come home to, hey?

First box...Laurie Simpson, quilter/designer of fabric/sister of Polly Minick (rughooker extraordinaire, etc.) mentioned in a post that she had scraps from making 9 pairs of pajamas from their Jingles flannel collection to give away to someone who made/donated baby quilts. So, I emailed her and guess what???? I got them today! Oh. My. Gosh. The box was full and there are so many pieces that are way more than fat quarters! I'll have lots of fun with these!!!

Here it is, 11 different fabrics all folded & stacked...
It's the perfect time of year to be making flannel quilts for the newborns...cannot wait to get started!! Gotta say, these flannels are delicious!!! Thank you so very much, Laurie!!! You are a very generous person!

Second box...Then! I bought some quilt books that Ginger was offering up for sale (for a ridiculously low price of $3.00 each!). I got a little carried away and bought 16 of them. But, hey...think of the value of these books...they're just like new! I think she has some left...go here.

And, Ginger, being Ginger, sent along those pieces of fabric...about 2 yards each, I think. ohhhhhboy...someone (or two or three) is going to get a very pretty holiday table runner!!!

Wait. That's not all. She also sent along these 3 books. Just cuz. Holy Schmoly. How generous of Ginger, hey? Thank you so very much!!! I can't wait to sit down and browse through all these books and see all the fabulous quilts I can make! I'm hoping that I live to be about 3,000 years old to do all I want to do! ~grin~

I must say...when I began rughooking and got into the online community of hookers, I was pleasantly surprised at how friendly and helpful they all were. I am finding the same thing with the quilting community. Online... and off, too!
Thank you to all of you who have inspired, motivated, shared...and supported me. I am blessed, indeed.

Sofa Cover.

Look at what I made this afternoon!!!

I made a sofa cover!!! And, it kinda matches my living room!

Here's the fun part.

I did not piece this. It came like that.

And, it looks the same on both sides.How cool is that?

I got it at Wal-Mart several years ago for a ridiculously low price...

$1.00 per yard on clearance...bought 20 yards.

I used it to cover the tables of my vendor booth

when I vended (is that a word?) at the

Cream City Rug Hookers Hook-In.

This morning, while moving furniture/rearranging,

I took part of it to cover my old turntable

(that I rarely use but hate to give up).

This remaining piece was about 12 feet long (x 45 inches).

So, I cut it in half, sewed the two halves together

(with a french seam so there are no raw edges),

rolled the edges twice and stitched it.

How easy was that!!!

(Did you notice that I didn't match the blocks when sewing the pieces together?

I actually thought about it, but quickly decided not to bother.

After all, it's for the dogs...and I know they don't care!)

I'll have some fun news for you...

the reason behind rearranging some furniture.

In a few weeks.

Unplugged...the end result

OH!!! I am soooo happy!

This looks so much better to me now.

And, no, the randomness of the 4 blocks in the centers doesn't bother me...

nor do the randomly colored floating squares in the border.

It just looked choppy or something before.

The End.

Unplugged...the explanation

Okay. Here it is. The explanation.

I made this quilt top.

I liked it, but I wasn't thrilled.
Kept looking at it and decided the squares should be made
with the same fabric all the way around instead
of trying to look scrappy, or whatever.
Not striving for perfection.
In fact, I know the recipient would be absolutely delighted,
no matter what.
But, I want to be happy with this.
I want to smile when I look at it.
Ya know?
So.
I proceeded to do some reverse stitching...
took the middle of the quilt out...
left the borders intact.
Took the blocks apart, but only to the point that I had to.
I have now resewn the 11 of 20 blocks that
weren't the same all the way around.
Didn't take that long.
Here it is on the floor, awaiting my final approval. I'm going to let it sit for awhile...
then come back to it fresh.
If you're wondering why the browns are in the middle...
they show up best there, away from the brown border.

I think Allegra approves.
...either that, or she's waiting for me to walk away
so that she can lay down on it.

Iced Mocha...unplugged.

I'll explain later.

Animals and Alphabets Mini...

Here is the latest mini...about 20 inches square.

I'll probably set this aside for now.

From this point forward, I'll be making a bit larger size for

donating to the hospital...31x34 inches.

~~~~~~~~~~

A simple 4 patch with white sashing &

simple stippling with white thread.

(gotta love my Janome!!)

This patch is smack-dab in the center of the back.

(yay...actually got it right where I wanted it!)

I have completely caught up with myself...no works in progress.

Lots of ideas waiting to be worked on, though.

Taking a break...

(go ahead and click on these photos...they both enlarge...fancy that!

not sure why that works only some of the time...sigh)

GIVEAWAY!

I have nothing finished since the last time I posted. Except for Erin's mini quilt (psssssst...Erin!), but she hasn't seen it yet. Would be so unfair to show you all before she gets it in her hands. Don't you think?

I'm hoping to get a few things done this weekend...time will tell. Supposed to be hot and humid...perfect weather for sitting at the sewing machine in the air-conditioned house, hey?

It seems that The Quilt Shoppe is having a birthday bash! Two years old!!! YAY for them! And, in conjunction, Rachel of p.s. i quilt is having a fabulous giveaway! You must go visit them both! Click on the photo below to get to The Quilt Shoppe.

Have a great weekend!

BOM 7

I finally got my July BOM done. How frustrating this one was. Only because, for some reason, I couldn't get the points to match the seams. Redid 2 sides 3 times! Each! But, I'm gonna pull the 'I'm just a beginner and learning' card. haha. No...not really. I finally decided this was good enough. And, ya know, I probably am not going to put this one in the quilt. The colors are too Christmasy, or something. Will have to see how it works with the others before I make that decision, I guess. Here it is.

Next on my to-do list...Erin's mini quilt. Seriously! I know she's waiting and waiting and wondering what in the heck is taking me so long!?! After all, I've been enjoying the mini quilt and other little gifts she sent me for several weeks, now! I've got everything ready to send...just waitin' on the quilting/binding/laundering.
After that? Well, I have several choices. And, I am not sure which one I'll do first. I think I'll have to put them in order of when they need to be done.
Something fun is coming my way in about a month. I hope, that is. Not that it's not coming...it is. But, I hope that it's everything I think it is. If it is...watch out everyone! ~grin~

Crazy Quilt Pillow

Remember way back here, when I had taken a mini-class on crazy quilts? My intention was to make a pillow...and I finally got to it today. YAY!!


Don't know how well you can see, but I did a bunch of different special stitches (with my Janome!!!). This is for me Mum. Well, the cover is. I'm going to keep the pillow form. She can buy her own pillow form (don't you think?).

Now that the thunderstorm has passed, it's getting very humid. I'm thinking the air is going to be turned on very soon. Comfort above all else.

Hope your Saturday is good!

All Done!

Whew...finally got two minis done and ready to show you. This first is with the Harmony fabric collection, in the disappearing nine patch pattern. Measures about 20" square. This is the first quilt I stippled with my Janome...must say, I am very pleased with how it went...and how it looks.

This one is my DQS7 mini quilt. I had never done (l to r) friendship stars, zigzags or churn dashes, so it was a lot of fun. I hope my swap partner likes it!

ohman, gotta love the softness and the crinkles!

And, last but not least, here's the back. Pieced, as always.

Am in the process of working on another quilt to donate and another quilt to swap...they are at different stages of completion. Should get both of them done by the end of the weekend!

Kashmir...

I walked into the credit union the other day and that song was playing...ya know...'Kashmir' by Led Zeppelin. Made me smile. I don't listen much to classic rock, anymore...mostly listen to my fave Christian music station. It was a nice surprise to hear it. Told the teller I couldn't leave until the song was over...and it's an eight plus minute song! ~grin~


As it happens, there is a fabric collection called Kashmir...can you believe that? Wonder if the designer was inspired by the LZ song? My fave is Kashmir III (I and II are nice, but III is to die for!!!) I totally and absolutely love it! So, hey...if you run across some and want to send it my way, well...I'll gladly accept!


I got a package in the mail today. I was in a 2-person mini quilt swap with Bren...and showed photos of the red/white wonky log cabin mini quilt I made for her here. Well, my mini arrived today. YAY!!


Ya know when you are so surprised at something that your mouth opens and you suck in your breath...gasp? Well, I about choked myself, I sucked in so much air!!! That's when I saw the front of this baby. ohmy. Bren had given me a peek at the quilted back and I was delighted with that. I knew she used Kashmir, but OH. MY. GOSH!!!! I had no idea how she used the Kashmir. This pattern is called stacked coins...or stacked chinese coins...or chinese coins. This mini quilt (measures ~29" square) is sooooo soft feeling and looking and...ohmygosh, I love it to death!!! (Kelley, ya don't need shades for this one!)
Check out the quilting...all swirly swirls!

Bren also sent along a 12" square cutting mat, a 12" wooden ruler, a pair of Fiskars scissors and 4 pieces of fabric...She is so fun!

Thank you so very much, Bren!

Time to Quit.

Yup, that's it. I'm done for the day. Tired. Been busy, though. Got much done! YAY! It's now time to eat a late supper and do nothing.

I watched a movie, "New in Town" with Rene Zellweger and Harry Connick, Jr....it was okay, but nothing to write home about. I finished a book, "Just Take My Heart", by Mary Higgins Clark. The book was better than the movie.

I did the usual chores...straightened, a couple loads of laundry and dishes...several trips outside with the dogs...like that.

But, here's the exciting part. I did a bunch of sewing! Wait til you see...oh. I cannot show you one thing I did. Darn! You'll see it soon, though. There was a lot of cutting and piecing with it, and I made a mistake, but was able to readjust everything. It turned out the way it was supposed to...just a bit smaller.

Okay, so that doesn't excite you?

How about this? I stippled with my Janome! YAY! Those of you in the know...you've heard all the stories of how my babylock gave me huge fits about free-motion quilting. Fiddled and adjusted and just couldn't get it to come out looking good. Tension was never right. Well. My Janome is another story. Put the darning foot on, thread/bobbin...and away I went! It was kinda fun. I tend to get a little panicky, though, cuz I sometimes lose my place. But, as I do more, I'll be able to relax and enjoy it.

Here's a photo of the front.

...and the back.

OH! Here's my DQS7 mini...I did the quilting and sewed on the binding on Thursday night. I wanted the circles to be more uniform in size, but it didn't work out that way. Overall, I am pleased with it. I did actually consider doing diagonal lines...both ways to form diamonds, but really wanted to do something free-motion. This is what I ended up with. Now, I just need to handsew the binding and that'll be done. Got another idea going on in my head that I might get to tomorrow.

So. What'd you do today???