Saturday, December 29, 2012

Roll of Nature's Touch Batting

Okay.  I could not get back to sleep this morning so I checked my email.  Lo and behold a missive from Joann's.  A 25 yard roll of Nature's Touch batting by Pellon for half price ($124.95).  Okay I have been on a batting binge.  Just ordered 3 sizes of Quilters Dream.    Two of them are from fabric.com which is having a 30% off sale and one from my favorite Amazon batting provider. By the way,  I am really in love with Quilter's Dream but it is too expensive to use on anything but my best quilts. Then I see this.  I bit.  I am now the proud owner of a 25' X 90" roll of batting.  Well anyway it will be on its way soon.  The shipping was only $14.95.  Not bad.



I have used this batting before and it is pretty good.  My machine likes it about as well as Warm and Natural.  I see a lot of quilt finishes in my future.

P.S.  The sale was only supposed to be good through Friday but it let me buy it at the special price.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Pillowcase for Sandy Hook Elementary

I took part in the Pillowcase Drive for Sandy Hook Elementary students.  A fellow Austin Modern Quilt Guild member and I combined our pillowcases and sent them today.  Thanks Amanda.  I was going to make two but I goofed up my first pillowcase so I went with one instead.  I heard they have collected over 5000 pillowcases.  The quilting community really responds to drives in a big way.  This is the way we know how to make things better.  I know some of my fellow bloggers sent off snowflakes.  Hopefully these gestures will make a difference in the lives of that traumatized community.


Because of this project and all of my other Christmas projects I have an overflowing scrap bin.  Guess I need to do some sorting this weekend.



I have discovered Quilters Dream Select cotton batting.  Love it.  Used if for the first time over the weekend.  No skipped stitches.  The needle just glided through it.  I shopped online today for bargains. This stuff is not cheap.  Found a 30% deal at Fabric.com.  Got a Super Queen and a Throw size with free shipping for around $32.00.  I am excited to use it again.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Wonky Stars Quilt

This is a quilt I made for myself to learn a technique.  I finally got around to finishing it.  Got some cute Kaffe fabric for the back and binding.  I am going to use it for a table topper in my office at work.  Also, between yesterday and today got two more quilts pinbasted.



My quilt is a bit on the wonky side.  I needed to square it up and that just did not happen.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

My Doodle Bricks Quilt is Finished

I finally finished up another UFO from 2011.  It is from a pattern called "Doodle Bricks" by Waltzing with Bears.  I got a "surprise" 10 fat quarter pack from a shop on Etsy and I used some Moda Bella Solids White for my neutral.  It is very bright.  One of my co-workers has a granddaugher and she was interested in taking this one off my hands.  I have my wonky stars quilt quilted and ready for binding.  I just finished pin-basting my husbands very purple quilt top.  I have a goal to finish all my UFO's by the end of the year.  It probably won't happen, but at least I will get three or four done.

Doodle Bricks

I would like to wish everyone a very happy and healthy end to 2012 and a blessed Christmas.  


Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Pillowcases for Sandy Hook

One of the blogs I followed introduced me to a Flickr group getting quilters to send around 600 pillowcases to a Milford, CT quilt shop for the students and teachers at the Sandy Hook elementary school.  They need to be received before the 1st of the year so that they can be distributed when school is back in session.

If you are interested the name and address for the quilt shop is as follows:

Quilters Corner 

312 Danbury Rd. New Milford, CT. 06776 



I think I have enough yardage to make two pillowcases.  These will be my first effort.  The blog Film in the Fridge has any easy pillowcase tutorial that I think I can even follow.  

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Fishbacked Jungle Quilt

I finished with my Jungle Quilt for an active 3-year old.  Hope he enjoys the bright colors.  I sewed both sides of the binding with the machine.  No time for hand binding.  It turned out pretty good.  It is hard to see but I used a kite string embroidery stitch from my machine to quilt down the middle of the solids.  I used this really great fish material for the backing. To save buying so much fabric I put a strip of bright blue and pink fabric down my pieced back.




I finished this this afternoon and then had to get another small quilt pin basted, quilted and bound before I went to bed.  Gifts have to be delivered tomorrow.  I am happy to say said quilt is in the dryer.  Heard the dryer beep.  I may or may not get a picture of it with my iphone tomorrow before I gift it.

Phew.  It has been a very hectic gift-making week.  I am ready for a little mystery reading for a few days.

Chicken Pincushion

Thanks to the Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild member Trisch for organizing the Pincushion Swap.  I love my little chicken.  Hope to see Monica V at Quiltcon.


Saturday, December 15, 2012

Blue Drawstring Bags and Curious Nature Quilt

I got my other three drawstring bags done.  They are fun and easy.  Now I have all the presents done.  I used leftover blue fabric (most Amy Butler and Jason Yenter) from my daughter's blue quilt.  Thrifty me.




I also finished the binding on my youngest son's quilt.  I used a Curious Nature w/ solids bundle I purchased from Marmalade Fabrics.  It is very masculine looking.  That is what I was trying to achieve.


Now off to San Antonio to see the gang and hand out gifts.  Yeah.  I am so excited to see my granddaughters.  

Friday, December 14, 2012

Tula Pink Drawstring Bag

I had to come up with a handmade item for our gift exchange for the Austin Modern Quilt Guild.  I had been hoarding saving some Tula Pink Birds and the Bees for a special occasion.  I saw a tut on In Color Order and it seemed just the ticket.


It's Pink and its Tula


I added in one of my owl pincushions.  When we started drawing gifts someone stole it away from the original drawee for their 7 year old granddaughter.  We had a blast.  I ended up with four pink fat quarters.  Yeah.


My little owl pincushion

I am in the midst of doing three more drawstring bags. Hope I get a chance to take pictures before I give them to the granddaughters tomorrow.  


Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Is This Blue or What?

Ok.  I got carried away with the blue.  My daughter loves blue.  So blue she is getting.  This is going to be a wall hanging.  Mainly Amy Butler and Jason Yenter fabric.



Blue Back



Fish Back for another Christmas Quilt



Improv Block Wall Hanging-More Denyse Schmidt Love



I am not totally thrilled that it turned out crooky. This is to match my sisters Hope Valley quilt.  I needed to square it up before I bound it.  Live and learn. I am still slogging away at Christmas gifts.

Monday, December 10, 2012

A little Denyse Schmidt "Hope Valley"

Ok a lot of "Hope Valley" went into my sisters quilt.  I also made her a wall hanging which I hope to get a picture of today along with another finish.

I am not sure this colorway is my favorite but when combined with the dotty fabric it turned out really cute.  I used unrelated fabric in the same colorway for the backing and binding.

The pattern is called "Rainbow's End" from Villa Rose.  It is a postcard pattern.  She has a whole line of easy peasy patterns.