Yellow Brick Road Quilt

A few years ago, I went on a road trip to Baltimore and found a nice quilt shop.  While visiting, I found a quilt kit that would work for my Punk.  Fast forward to now - quilt kit still all packaged up, not touched at all. 

It used a simple pattern that I already have, Yellow Brick Road, and decided it was time.  My intention was to have Punk help me with the making of the blocks.  She helped some but quickly got bored with the process.  So I picked up the slack and got the top done.

Bright and fun.  Perfect for a little girl.  I have some fabric that I've been holding on to for a backing for another quilt... which I never finished.... so I'm going to use it with this one.  

Happy to have the kit done and into top form.  Now, to get it quilted.

enjoy your day!
Jen :)

Who are the People in Your Neighborhood?

Who remembers this little ditty from Sesame Street?

One of my favorites.  Amelia wasn't a big Sesame Street fan.  I just didn't like the new-ness of it so I never turned her on to it.  I loved the version I grew up on; she wasn't an Elmo fan at all.

Every time I look at my newest project finish, People in your Neighborhood skit from Sesame Street runs through my head.

Dwell from Camille's book "Simple Retro".  Happy to actually make something out of the many quilt books I have collected.

I had intended to make only a small wall hanging size but I enjoyed the house construction so much, I kept going and made all 16 blocks.  The top is finished as the pattern was written but I'm going to add a wider outer border.

I used a mix of Bonnie & Camille fabrics in this one: Ruby, Vintage Modern, Marmalade, Happy Go Lucky, and Scrumptious.  I have decided that Scrumptious is my favorite.  The colors make me smile.  There's a citrus-y undertone to them to make them nice and bright.  Right up my alley.  I'm hoarding the rest of my Scrumptious stash for right now.  The white flowered house in the upper left corner of the quilt is going to be the wider border.

I was on a major sewing kick but that has slowed down some.  I'm working on a Schnibbles and it's coming along but I'm getting bored with the process.  I have a wall hanging I need to quilt.  Once I get that done, I will post it.  I hope to get it quilted this weekend.

Enjoy your day!
Jen :)

Quilted Finishes

I received some happy mail in the last week or so.

Snow Sparkle.  I've never showed you this quilt before.  2 years ago, I took a class to make this quilt with a friend of mine.  The quilt shop kitted up the fabric for the class and I went with it.  I don't like batiks at all.  They don't float my boat.  I made the center of the quilt and held off putting the borders on because again, the quilt just didn't do it for me.

When I brought my finish home, both my mother in law and father in law raved about it.  They both loved it.  For my FIL to praise it, he must have really liked it.  I packed it away and forgot about it.  It's been in the back of my mind to get it finished and gift it to them for Christmas.  So I did just that.  I put on the final borders and sent it off to be quilted.

Now I want to keep it for myself!  Jill quilted it in the Glace panto with snowflakes and it is gorgeous!  I'm not going to keep it.  I am going to gift it this Christmas.  Eventually, someday, it will come home to me.

I'm working on hand sewing the binding on but it's slow going.  Being on the computer all day and then trying to work a needle and thread, my hands hurt.  I made pretty good progress with it though.  It will be done for Christmas.

Full House is next.  Mary announced a quilting special on her blog a few weeks ago and I think it was a big hit.  I sent off my Reunion "Full House" Schnibbles and Mary's turn around was super quick!

Here it is hanging in its future home in my dining room when I get the binding on.  This one I'm going to try to machine on 100%.  Just to give my hands a break.  This weekend hopefully.  Mary quilted sweet daisies on it.  I love it.

Thank you ladies!  You did a wonderful job!  More quilting coming your way after the holidays.  I need to build up my quilting fund again.  :)

Enjoy your day!
Jen  :)

Sweet Pea

Hello!  How is everyone?  Things are moving along over here.  I've been working on a lap quilt for myself.  I just love Heather Mulder Peterson's fabrics.  The colors and designs on her fabrics just suit me.  When I saw the pattern Sweet Pea and the fabrics used on the cover, I knew I needed it all.

Then I packed it away for a "someday I'll work on it" project.  Well, that some day is this week.  I busted it out and did all my cutting last week.  Now I'm putting blocks together has they are laid out on the pattern cover.

Opps!  Missed one there.

So that's what I've been up to on the sewing front.

Over the holiday weekend, my husband and I went away for overnight stay at a B&B in New Hampshire.  It was nice to get away, just he and I.  Of course he indulged me with some fabric shopping while I let him stop a few times to look at rusty old steel (tractors and construction equipment) so it was a win-win for both of us.

First place we stopped at was New England Fabrics in Keene, NH.  They have garment fabric, home dec and upholstery fabrics and quilitng.  Friendly employees as well.  Not a whole lot of quilting fabric but I did find some things that came home with me.  And I forgot to check their clearance section!

I'm not 100% sure what I'm going to do with the fabric and now that I'm home, I wished I bought enough yardage of the Michael Miller flowered fabric (the dark gray) for pillowcases.  SHOOT!  I'll just have to hunt it down online.

On our way home on Sunday, we stopped at another shop.  The Norton House in Wilmington, VT.  A "Quilter's Paradise" it is not.  I was disappointed in that shop.  One being the fabric selection; I did find some nice patriotic fabric that I could use for something.  The other thing was the customer service or lack there of.  I walked in and saw two employees.  One sitting at a desk in an office but with the door open.  Another straightening shelves.  BOTH of them made eye contact with me more than once and neither one of them greeted me or asked if they can help me find a particular fabric.  I walked back to the patriotic fabric that I spotted and went to grab the bolts but I told my husband "forget it.  No one has even greeted me.  I'm not spending my money here." And we left.  Bummed me out because then I could have spent a bit more money at the store in New Hampshire!

The hot and muggy weather has left us for a while.  Today is cool, breezy and just awesome outside.  I may just have to go out there and enjoy it!

Have a great day!
Jen

Undecided. Need some help

Another UFO/WIP is now in top form.  But I'm not sure about it.  A few years ago, my cousin and her new family took a trip to the UK to show off their new baby boy to her husband's family.  She brought me back a fat quarter bundle of very cute fabrics and I tucked them away until inspiration struck.  I had found a pattern (Snapshot by Terry Atkinson in her Happy Hour pattern book) to use with them, cut them, pieced a couple of blocks and again, tucked them away until inspiration struck again.

I think what made me put these blocks and fabrics away is while I do like the fabrics individually; together, not so much.  But I wanted to get the blocks pieced and together in a top so I finished those up yesterday.

Here's a problem that I'm having.  The pattern has 6" borders but since these blocks are so busy, I'm tempted to leave it off.  The three choices I'm debating:

- use the pink cupcake fabric as the border.  I found some online that I can get
- use a solid soft pink and/or green as the border - a possible double border; thin green border with a wider pink.
- no border at all

close up of cupcake fabric that I'm debating for the border

The top is a decent lap size the way it is right and I plan to give it to Punkie anyway.  I have plans to find any cupcake novelty fabric for the back.  Just to add some more fun to it.  I am happy to have these blocks out of my WIP/UFO basket!

So what do you think?  Border or no border?  And if you vote border, which idea do you like?

Enjoy your day!
Jen

Clementine Quilt

It's DONE. I am totally finished with my sister in law Charlotte's quilt (with the exception of tacking down the label). It took me two weeks to hand sew the binding down. Please don't look too closely at my stitches! I started out doing my stitches all funky and then I got into my groove. They get better as I went along.

Sharon did a lovely job quilting it. She told me that pattern was called 'Popcorn'. I love how swirly it is.

Wanna see the quilting close up? Here you go!

I did not like this quilt top at all when I first finished it. Now I wish it was staying home with me. Oh well. I will just have to get going on my own quilt. If I look at all the piles of stuff in my sewing room, I have a few "just for me" lap quilt projects started. I better just quit complaining and start sewing!

I can't wait to give it to my SIL on Sunday. Thank you Sharon for your quilting magic! Check will be in the mail this week ;)

Enjoy your day!

Jen :)

My second quilt top finished

The blue and orange Clementine fat quarters came out of hinding and I've been working on the quilt top for my SIL. It's done. The pattern I followed was from Happy Hour and the pattern name is Between Friends. I wanted a bigger block with not so many pieces and parts so that I would get this done for her 30th birthday... which has passed. Her birthday was July 31st. Oh well. She'll get it when it's completely done.


The top.... it's okay. I'm not crazy about it. I LOVE the orange but there's one orange fabric that I absolutely HATED and tried to limit its use in the top. But you can only do so much when you need 17 FQs and you have 20 to chose from. But she should be crazy about it since orange is her favorite color and she herself picked the color scheme for the quilt. The top looks better in person. I took the picture last night so we had no natural light.

I'm hoping that once it's quilted, it would look better. I am getting it ready to send to Sharon for some quilty magic! It will be in the mail to her by Saturday. I have no idea for a quilted pattern. Sharon can do whatever she pleases.

Now it's time to think of a quilt top for myself. I think I'll start working more on my pinwheels with my Darla fabrics... or do I do the hedgerow block with my pink, orange, and yellow fabrics? Or start the bright batiks and black star one...??? OH THE CHOICES!

Enjoy your day!
Jen

It's Back and I LOVE IT!

My quilt! My Punkie Pie quilt is back and Sharon did a wonderful job quilting it. She did a daisy pattern on it and I love it! It softens the look of the quilt so nicely. Thank you so much Sharon!

Here it is! The front....
The back....


Close-up of the quilting on the front... do you see the daisies?! LOVE IT!


Close up the of quilting on the back.


Close up of my favorite block...


And here is Amelia under her quilt. She loves it!

And I love it and I want to keep it for myself but my husband told me I can't. I promised it to Punkie and it's hers. He's right. I'm just going to have to make one of my very own!

Now to figure out how to put on the binding...

Jen

It's FINISHED!

WOOHOO! I just love it! And I love the brown border. It's a girly quilt top but not little girl looking.

Here are some close-ups of the blocks.

I need to get the backing pieced together, I think. I'm not too terribly sure of that whole process. I'll have to look it up online. Then it will be off to Sharon to get quilted. Can't wait to get it sent off!

But any sewing plans I had todaywill be on-hold. My Punkie Pie is sick. She's not feeling good at all. Woke me up at 6:00 this morning to tell me her tummy hurt. Since then she's vomited twice. Second time around she made it to the toilet. Good girl! Of course, WHO is off driving to Vermont to go snowmobiling?! My husband! I already called and thanked him for leaving me home alone. I sure he would have turned around but he's driving with two other guys.

Let's HOPE he would have turned around to come home to help. I'm going to think that he would have.

Enjoy your day!

Jen

Loser Monday? Week 4

PMS weekend. That's all I have to say about that. LOL!

Onto another subject... Do you love it?!?! I DO!

I got Punkie's quilt top all pieced together this weekend. Finished it up last night. My husband, the engineer/general contractor squared it all up for me. Told me I didn't do half bad. LOL. Still needs borders which I will be ordering the fabric for today. I was on the fence as to which fabric I wanted to pull out of the quilt for the border. I think I'm going to do one of the brown fabrics. I'm drawn to those for some reason.

So, my very first quilt top is 95% finished. Are there mistakes? There sure are but I think that's where the phrase "Made with Love" comes from. Does my Punkie Girl love it? She sure does. She jumped up and down when I told her it was for her and told me it was beautiful. Do I love it? I sure do. Only took me a month to finish. LOL.

Here's my favorite block:
Had to play with my embroidery stuff too!

Enjoy your day!
Jen

Getting Closer to the Finish Line!

Woohoo! Amelia's lap quilt (using "Amelia" fat quarters) is very close to getting put all together! I'm so excited!! I worked from home yesterday as it was snowing pretty good in the morning and then turned to freezing rain/rain (we are dealing with ice-covered driveways and roads this morning). Since I was home, once I got done with work, I turned around and decided to do some sewing (my sewing machine is right behind my desk). I worked on the blocks for Punkie's quilt. On my new sewing machine too. Very nice. Oh! I want to thank Sinta (no blog) for sending me her Amelia fabric "scraps"... scraps to her, extra fabric for me. Worked out very well. I had enough fabric and then some to finish my blocks and I didn't have to get into the fabric I have set aside for a matching pillow case. Thank you Sinta!

The blocks are done! I even started laying it out but I only got three rows figured out before I was discovered by Punkie, my little helper who was desperate to help Mama out. She hung around for a bit but I packed it up so that I can do it in peace and concentrate. I think I will actually have the blocks all pieced together this weekend! Very excited! Then I can figure out the yardage for the border, binding and backing.

It's going be very pretty once it's all put together. I love how it was looking when it was laid out on the floor... I need a design wall. Hmmmmm, I'll stick the idea on my gift list for my husband.

Enjoy your day!

Jen

It's Thursday

Not much to report. It's been pretty quiet on the sewing front. I did get a chance yesterday to work on piecing more blocks of Punkie's lap quilt. I think I have 16 more blocks to go and then I can lay them out in a nice, visual pattern and start assembling the quilt top. Very exciting! I need to order the fabric for the border, binding and backing. Waiting for my next paycheck to do that. Then I can commission someone to quilt it for me. I'm so excited that the quilt blocks are coming together that I don't want to mess it up by trying to quilt it.

On the Diet Challenge, mid week update... I've been doing really good! I was home all day yesterday due to an ice storm and of course the kitchen is very accessible but I stayed away! I stayed out of my husband's chips. I stayed out of my chocolate chips; I don't normally snack on those at all but I needed a chocolate fix but I drank some tea and the idea went away. I snacked on some blueberries instead. Logging my Weight Watchers points. I jumped on the scale this morning and the numbers are moving in the right direction but I won't post that information until the "official" update on Monday. Need to make it through the weekend first!


That's all for now.
Enjoy your day!

Jen :)

Amelia - Lap Quilt in Progress

Here are some blocks that I worked on for my very first lap quilt. It's for Punkie since the fabric line is called "Amelia".

After my fat quarter issue, my husband figured out the math for me; along with tips from others and everything is working out. But (there's always a "but"), I'm short fabric. I don't know what I did wrong or what I did right but I'm short. There is good news though. I have some leftover yardage from this fabric line that I intended to make into a pillowcase - I already made Amelia one but I was going to make two of them. I will use the extra yardage and create the strips that I need. Hopefully I can mix the blocks up enough so you won't really see the repetitiveness of the strips that I'm going to use. I doubt you will. There's so much going on in the pattern, I don't think that's going to be a problem.

Since I'm back to work, my sewing will only happen on the weekends now unless I get a few moment here and there during the week. I hope to have the top pieced together in a couple of weeks and then I can order the yardage for the border, back and binding. Then I need to figure out how to quilt this sucker. I have decided that my machine is just too small to quilt large items (that's my way of hinting that I really need a new machine) or that I'm just not talented enough to figure out how to quilt large items on my machine in an easy way. My machine is good for small stuff but I think I will have major headaches trying to quilt this. So, I may just have it quilted by someone else. I have some time to decide.

I'm just excited to be working on a lap quilt, my fabric issue was figured out AND my blocks are actually coming out (pretty close) square! BONUS! LOL.

Enjoy your day!

Jen

Diet Challenge 2009 - Starting Today

Okay, I'm starting today. I logged back into my Weight Watchers online account that I have ignored since April 2008 and tracked my breakfast points. Should be an okay day. I'm working from home today so that may be a little challenging for me. We had icy roads this morning and I travel 40 miles to get to work so I decided to stay home. I also caught a cold over the weekend and I just don't feel like coughing and sneezing on everybody today.

I'm going to try to be good today. I made my lunch last night, a salad and piece of grilled chicken so I'll have that this afternoon. Haven't decided what we're going to do for dinner yet.

On the sewing quilt front, my husband figured out my piecing and block sizes for the lap quilt that I'm working on that was giving me troubles a couple of days ago. Things are going together nicely. I have a portion of the blocks done. I meant to take some pictures yesterday but I forgot. I hope to take some today and post them up here.

Well, it's telecom time. Back to work I go!

Enjoy your day!
Jen :)