Easy to make- Rainbow Necklace

I love this great dress-up/ teething toy, easy to crochet

Click here to visit - Easy Makes Me Happy for the free pattern!

Machine Quilting {Joyces Quilt}

I spent a lot of time last week machine quilting this beautiful quilt for Joyce. This was her first time to do hand applique and she did a fabulous job! I am so impressed. 

Feather medallions on each of these blocks.

Some fun feathers on each of the Dresden's. 

There are only two days left to vote for Kathleen in the McCalls Quilt Design Star Challenge. Please take a second and vote for her. You can vote once per day per computer!

Don't miss our sale @ Piece N Quilt!
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Leave a comment, we'd love to hear from you.
~Natalia

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design wall . . . dream?

I don't have anything up on my literal design wall (ironing board, sewing table, or anywhere else) this morning. But does that stop me? Absolutely NOT! I had committed that I would start nothing else until the nursery project was completely finished, and since it's close but not quite there, I refused to put anything new on the ol' design wall.

But my mind has no such limitations, and when I went to sleep the other night, it went right to work!

I shared about our guild's mystery quilt project last week, knowing that as much as I want to play -- I've never done a mystery quilt before -- the nursery project comes first! The only thing with the mystery quilt is, I had no idea what fabrics to use as my six colors and my zinger. It's really bothered me. Enough so that I not only dreamed about it, but I got it all figured out in my dream!

In my dream I went to one of our local quilt shops and was delighted to find they'd expanded and added more space, more fabric, and (here's how you can tell it was *my* dream) shelves of CHOCOLATE! Fabric and chocolate??! Yep, that's my kind of store! It was packed, too. I'm thinking this should start a new trend.

The fabric I have decided to use, I picked out in my dream. Weird, huh? I woke up so excited, because my dilemma was solved! I think I may have some in my stash -- I'll have to check later. Now that I know what my six color fabrics will be, it'll be a simple task to find a 'zinger' fabric. I'm so relieved that's over. Talk about process!!

Check out what quilters all over the world have on their real design walls over at Judy Laquidara's Patchwork Times!

Here's what I finished on Saturday. The curtains are fully lined and I must say, they look great! The crib skirt was a little different. We'll velcro it onto the mattress support -- just the front, because the rest of it is enclosed. The skirt is fully lined too, and I had fun doing the ruffle! Notice that my demo here is set up on a broom handle and the ironing board. Necessity is the mother of invention!

Here's a close up of the ribbons on the curtains. Isn't it darling? The bumper pads are just a couple of stitches away from being finished. We're putting it all together on Saturday morning, and I'll be sure to share finished nursery photos! I can hardly believe that Everett's due to be here in just over two weeks!

Today I'll spend with my darling Sawyer. We had glorious weather here this weekend -- in the 70's on Saturday! My son caught this one of my darling boy enjoying the glorious outdoors . . .

He fills my heart with smiles - I'm such a blessed woman!

:)

Starting Something New

My son's birthday is coming up in early March. He'll be 6(!) As is quickly becoming a tradition at our house, he's requested a quilt. After seeing me make the purple and pink patchwork square quilts for his sister, his request is for the same thing, but using blues and greens. His will also be a bit larger, twin-sized, for his bed.

-

Step one was to go through the fabric I already have. My son sorted it with me and I was happy to find that I had a nice selection of blues and greens to start. After quilting for a year, I finally have a workable "stash."

The next step was to look through the scraps and the pile of squares I've been cutting from my scraps. Above are some of the green.

And the blue.

And then it's always fun to buy just a wee bit of something new. I got the two fat quarters above at my LQS. They are Clothworks fabrics. I love the wilderness print with the moose and deer! And of course some owls. I think the fabric designers have finally moved beyond owls, since the last year has seemed to be an owl-a-thon, but I couldn't resist this owl fabric since it had a cute green background.
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Since my son is turning six, it is getting to be a fine line between things that are too cutesy for a "big boy" and things that are still just cute-yet-cool. Know what I mean? This is probably my last chance to put owls (especially owls wearing aprons) in a quilt for him.

I also bought this free-motion quilting foot at my LQS. I haven't tried it yet, but I'll be sure to take photos of my very first attempts at free-motion quilting when I get around to it. And I'll show them here for some comic relief.
Finally, for those who noticed I went a bit longer between my blog posts than I usually do, it's because my laptop crashed last week and I had to buy a new one. I loved my good old laptop, with my nice old Windows XP and Word 2003 (for my writing) but I guess I'll get used to this new one.
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On another note, I am definitely the slowest binder in the East. I am putting the binding on my Selvage Snowman quilt and it is taking forever. It could be because it has three miles of binding, but I think I'm also just plain slow. But hopefully, within a week or so, I can post him here, 100% done.
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Happy Quilting!

Welcome to the February Giveaway !

It's Giveaway time again !  This month we have a popular giftcard, a brand new quilting/crafts book, and an assortment of pink, red, and purple fabric in celebration of Cupid's favorite day. Just leave us a brief comment in the comments section below, and we'll gladly enter your name in the Giveaway.  All prizes comes from a smoke-free, pet-free home and are in excellent condition.

The Giveaway will continue until midnight on Thursday, Feb.4, and the winnners' names will be drawn at random and announced on Friday, Feb. 5.  We're looking for your brief comment, and we'd love to hear from you !



$ 10 Gift Card from Jo-Ann Crafts

Ready for early springtime crafting or stocking up on quilting supplies? Jo-Ann, a large crafts retailer, has a great collection of name brand scissors, quilting rulers, rotary cutters, and mats. They accept orders over the telephone, online, and of course you can visit a Jo-Ann store that is close to you. This gift card is just like cash in your pocket, so have fun !

If you are outside the USA and cannot get to a   Jo-Ann  store or receive a shipment from them, please let us know. We'll arrange for winners outside the U.S. to receive another cool gift from this page.

 

Autographed copy of  "Inspired to Sew" by Bari  J. Ackerman

Hot off the press and just published a few weeks ago, here's a wonderful 126 page gorgeous full color book of some of the coolest sewing and quilting project we've ever seen. We had the privilege of meeting and chatting with author Bari J., a bright young star on the quilting scene, and we were fascinated with the fabrics and concepts in her book. She has designed 15 very innovative projects, including quilts and wearable art such as a couture apron, a jean jacket, and a garden tunic. There are also instructions for a lovely seasonal wreath, a wallhanging, a garden pilow, and adorable tea party accessories. Here's one of our favorites below:

Patchwork Rose Zippered Bag  15.5 x 9 x 4 by Bari J. Ackerman

As you can see, Bari J. is a very talented designer who blends contemporary fabrics in pure, bright colors to create a vintage, "mod" look. Her style is very hip and sophisticated in the use of 3-D flowers and other embellishments.  She has a wonderful imagination, and her step by step instructions are clearly written and easy to understand.  For more of Bari J.'s fabrics and projects, please visit her website, barijonline, or her blog, both of which have very inspiring ideas.

Four fat quarters from  Blank Quilting

Blank Quilting Fabrics is a smaller name-brand manufacturer with some very big ideas about designs and colors.  Their bold, whimsical patterns and colors can add a lot of impact to small and large quilts alike. We especially love the fanciful gold and green fabric with the bejeweled dragonflies, and the cheerful splashy "happy flowers"  in shades of red, gold, and purple.  Note: The bright blue that you see on the "happy flowers" is actually a lovely, shaded, purple grape color. (We're sorry that our digital camera lens translates that luscious grape shade as a blue-it's not).

Four fat quarters from assorted name brand manufacturers, including Andover Fabrics

 

 On the lower left, from Blank Quilting Fabrics comes some more of their marvelous "happy flowers" on a royal purple background.  On the upper left is a color-drenched deep orange Bali scroll from Hoffman California International. On the upper right is a raspberry sherbert pink and white "Victoria"  print from Fabric Freedom, London, U.K. , and on the lower right is a lovely plum, wine-red, purple ( not blue) pattern with  metallic copper-apricot embellishments from  Lonni Rossi at Andover Fabrics.

Best of luck to each you !  We're so grateful to everyone who leaves a comment. 

all that . . .

I worked with all sorts of dangerous, sharp things this weekend.

Pins and seam rippers . . .

All manner of scissors . . .

Rotary cutters in all shapes and sizes . . .

All kinds of accidents waiting to happen . . .

And yet, it was on a piece of cardboard that I sliced open my finger.

And it HURT!

:)

Journal Quilt No 2 - "ART"

My second Journal Quilt was actually finished Saturday, but I did not find enough time to post it ... Sorry !
I painted the letters on my pieced background, and added threadwork with white thread on top of the white fabric paint. The binding was done with an almost black knitting yarn and a strand of metallic white embroidery thread. And the final touch ... was done with Marabu Fun Glitter Glue! I put white / silver glue on top of my letters, and added a small red line of glue to the binding. On my blog you'll find a bit more information and more pictures of the process.
Even if this piece started of as a "use what you have"-project - after the background was done, I knew I wanted to add the word "ART". Art has become an important part of my life - therefore, it is "Highly Priced". Adding words / letters starts to intrigue me, so be prepared to see more of that in the future ;-))

confession time . . .

This is my safe place, right? No judging? Or at least, I can delete comments I perceive as judgmental. Just kidding!!

I still have Christmas decorations out.

There. I said it. And I don't care! I want the whole world to know!

Well, not really. But I do have my reasons. It's not because I haven't had time or that I'm too lazy. I've had plenty of time, and I'm *not* lazy. I just carry the spirit of Christmas in my heart all year long. And . . .

I
just
like
it.

Here's my Top Ten list of reasons why Christmas remains . . .

10. Removing the wreath from the front door would displace the wren (again).

9. Snowmen, and cardinals are all really winter decorations.

8. Holly, pine cones, and evergreen are also really winter decorations.

7. The colored lights on my front porch make it easier to find at night in the big woods.

6. Like the song says, It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

5. My picture of the Last Supper stays hung year-round. Why not the Nativity scene?

4. I'm celebrating Christmas for the entire time it took the wise men to actually get to Bethlehem. And my wise men figurines 'travel' every time the washer/dryer runs. It's funny-- they always end up facing the same direction, next to each other, no matter where they've started from.

3. Deer outside, reindeer inside.

2. Because I can and it makes me smile (and my darling husband tolerates it).

And the number one reason why Christmas is still up here?

1. The Stocking Elves are still visiting!!

You'd still have Christmas up, too!

:)

[And ps -- it's not like my Christmas decorating was over-the-top, I promise!]

Coming Soon...

A new Moda Bake Shop tutorial.

Just in time for spring!

I just need to add some finishing details.

Don't forget to vote for Kathleen in the McCalls Quilt Design Star Challenge. Only 4 days left to vote!

Don't miss our sale @ Piece N Quilt!
 For more fun updates sign up for Piece N Quilts newsletter.
Leave a comment, we'd love to hear from you.
~Natalia

{Connect with us}

It's for the Birds

Last summer my mom (Kathleen) read about a design Challenge in McCalls Quilting magazine. 

She thought it sounded like a fun idea so she entered one of her original designs. Daisies and Lattice. 

She made it through the first round with that design and onto the second round.

In the second round she was given the challenge to make a quilt using only two different blocks. 

She designed, Bed of Tulips.

She made it through the second round with that design and was onto the third round.

In the third round she was given a stack of Robert Kauffman Batiks and given the challenge to design a quilt using a noticeable amount of each of the batiks.

She designed Merry Sunshine from those batiks. 

She made it through that round and onto the final challenge. The final challenge was to design and make a quilt that is inspired by her original entry. 

She was ecstatic with this challenge. 

She designed "It's for the Birds".

I think she did an awesome job in this contest. It's been fun to watch her create such beautiful quilts. 

This contest is a voter based competition. Kathleen would love your support by voting for her final quilt. To vote simply click here and then vote.

The contest ends next week.

Good luck and congratulations on making it this far in the contest to Kathleen!

Don't miss our sale @ Piece N Quilt!
 For more fun updates sign up for Piece N Quilts newsletter.
Leave a comment, we'd love to hear from you.
~Natalia
{Connect with us}