Some Frosting

Schibbles, wall hangings.  I like working on those.  They are quick and easy and I tend to actually finish them.  HA!

Before we left for Disney, I sent Mary a couple of wall hanging sized quilts for some of her quilting magic; frosting as she calls it.

McGuffey Schnibbles out of Sweetwater's Lucy's Crab Shack line.  

Mary quilted it with a swirly, crabby design.  Truly!  There are little crabs quilted in this one.  It is too cute!  

And my scrappy crossroads

That one was done in just a swirly design that I just love.  I can't wait to get binding on both of these.  They will be put away until next Spring/Summer.

Thank you so much Mary!  I love how your version of frosting is very low calorie.  :)

Enjoy your day!

Jen  :)

I had enough time, I made two!

Sherri and Sinta have been hosting AYOS for 2 years I believe and I finally decided to join in the fun.  I don't know why I waiting so long to play along.  Timing was right, I suppose.  I had purchased a couple of Carrie's new Schnibbles patterns back in November and I have a bunch of charm packs to choose from.

My first submission for the "Another Year of Schnibbles" parade is Bungalow using Noteworthy charm packs.

That's not all!  I finished Bungalow mid month, I had enough time to make a second Schnibbles!  I dug out Carrie's Book "Another Bite of Schnibbles" and some Hometown charms that I had hanging around and got to work.

This one is Reveille.  What I am happy about: I used a book that has been sitting on my shelf forever AND charm packs that have been collecting dust.

This one is a bit yellow heavy.  I had 3 charm packs of Hometown but only 1 full one.  I must have borrowed some charms; I don't know for what and I had a lot of yellow hanging around.  I like it.  It is going to make a nice wall hanging for my living room this Fall.  It's a nice companion to my Full House Schnibbles out of Reunion charms.

I ordered some fat quarters for another project I'm working on. I hope to show you some progress on that one soon.  It's cute.

Can't wait to see which Schnibbles pattern is for March.  I have some charm packs lined up for the project if I like the pattern that is chosen.  :)

Enjoy your day!
Jen  :)

Keeping that momentum going

I'm on a roll over here.  I got another project done over the holiday weekend.  Morning Joe is finished.  It's also too big for the space I wanted to hang it once it was quilted.  It is now going to hung in my bedroom.  I have the perfect wall space for it.

I'm on a roll with this sewing.  I got all the blocks pieced for my husband's quilt.  I'm doing a simple rail fence pattern for him.  Quick block construction.  I just need to lay it out and figure out if I need to get a couple of 1/4 yard cuts to make a few more blocks.  I have 78 6.5" blocks but don't know if it's going to be big enough for him.  Once I get moving a bit further on this, I'll show you.

Enjoy your day!
Jen :)

Cuppa Joe on High Street

I'm starting strong and am working on my 2014 goals.  I want to make 4 new Schnibbles for dining room wall.  One of them will be Christmas themed because what I have for the wall for Christmas is just too small for the space.

I forgot that back in November I ordered 3 new Schnibbles PDF patterns.  I dug around in my email for them and in my stash for the perfect charm packs to use.

I decided on Morning Joe using High Street by Lily Ashbury (link to mini pack.  I'm using full sized charms).  I confess - I was hoarding High Street.  I couldn't bare to use it but then what's the point of having it??  I do have a layer cake from the line as well.  I will find use for that too somewhere.  2014 will be my year for stash busting!  HA!  Probably not but I'll give it a try.  LOL!

This is going together pretty quick.  I have 3 blocks completed so far (in 3 hours over two nights), another ready for piecing and the 5th mapped out.  I'm not one to follow the instructions in the pattern and cut out and make 100+ HSTs and THEN start putting blocks together.  I wing it and cut/piece blocks one at a time.  I audition charms as I go along and lay things out.  I like the instant gratification of seeing blocks not pieces of blocks.  :)  It works for me.

So far, so good.  I'm pleased.  My husband is working the next 2 nights so after Punk heads to bed, I plan on sewing for at least an hour each night. I would like to get this completed by the end of January so that I can turn my focus over to my husband's birthday quilt.

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  :)

Bitten by the Schnibbles Bug

I have been working away in my sewing room these last couple of weeks.  My sewing mojo that left me earlier this summer has found its way back to me.  Must be the cooler temps we've been having.  Summer is over here in New England.  Leaves are falling off the trees and our pool has been drained and put away, ready for next year.  However, the weatherman is telling me that 90 degrees temps are coming back for the middle of this week.  Whatever.  No wonder Punk caught her first cold of the season and is chilling at home today.  Poor thing said she didn't sleep well and just felt lousy this morning.

Okay - back to my sewing.  The last week of August, I decided I needed to sew something.  I had no clue what.  The memory quilt that I'm working on for my Grandmother is on hold until I get more pictures from extended family members.  I went digging.  Digging in my stash and came up with lots of treasures.  Found fabric I thought I used up or lost.  Found border fabrics I thought I never had (and ended up ordering 2 additional yards that I have no use for now).  And some charm packs with a few patterns attached.

I got to work.

First up - Full House made with Reunion charms by Sweetwater.  I hope to get some backing and binding fabrics soon so that I can get this one quilted and on my dining room wall for the Fall/Winter.  I gave each house coordinating roofs and doors.

McGuffey is next and it's made from Lucy's Crab Shack charms; also by Sweetwater.  I have backing and binding for this already.  I had intended to make the "Plan C" Schnibbles with it but I was in no mood to deal with HSTs.  I just wanted something quick and simple.

This is for my wall for next Summer to match my LCS table runner that I've already completed.  I have decided that these piano key borders are not for me.  Even though my top measured correctly without it and my piano key borders measured fine, they were still too big and I had to remove a piece from each and on either end of my border, my fabric is a bit cut off.

In my stash digging, I found several quilt kits that I've been hoarding.  Enough was enough and I busted one out. Working on getting the blocks done for that one.  Once it's in a filmsy form, I'll show ya!  Lots of multi-tasking going on over here.  OH!  And I'm working on a new tote bag for myself too.  :)  As well as bindings at night if my hands aren't bothering me.

I hope to be back soon to show you some more fabric fun!

Enjoy your day!
Jen :)

A Little Bit Country in the Summertime

These blocks have been hanging around here for roughly 2 maybe 3 years.  Not sure.  I don't even know what my intent was with this Schnibbles pattern but I decided that I needed something festive for my living room wall.  Colors match nothing in the room but it's fun.  I know I had some troubles piecing and my seams so I just put it all aside.  It popped into my head and I dug the blocks out to work on them.  Get them into rows and add borders.  Easy peasy.

You know?  I wasn't too off.  Okay, couple of points are cut off but nothing major.  I can live with it.  It's going to hang on my wall.  No problem.  I even found my backing and binding fabrics that I bought for it.  BUT I couldn't find the rest of my charm pack to make the borders according to the pattern.  For all I know, they are in the bottom of my Amelia's scrap bucket.  I dug out some orange pokies and borders are done.

For those that are interested...
Schnibbles pattern: A Little Bit Country
Fabric: Summer Fun by Deb Strain

I'm happy to have these blocks in top form even if they were nowhere on my list to get done.  Now, here's the question... Who wants to quilt it for me?!  :)  If I have to do it, it will hang around here until 2014.

Enjoy your day!
Jen :)

Amelia's Bennington

Slowly I've been working on blocks for Amelia's next lap quilt.  Amelia picked "Bennington" out of the Schnibbles Times Two book and I'm using "Amelia" layer cakes of course.

I have 10 more blocks to make.  This one is slow going for me.  And then I have to make the scrappy border.  The block is super easy to make.  Not sure why I'm putzing along with them.

Anyhoo... here are the blocks that are done so far.

not the final layout.  ;)

Now that I'm looking at these blocks, one is bothering me.

Do you see it?  I made a note above in the picture.  It's a black with white dots.  And it's the ONLY solid black in the quilt.  There are some white with black dots in the quilt but they don't stand out like a sore thumb. 

Yup.  I think it needs to go.  What do you think?

Enjoy your day!
Jen

Friday Happenings

I don't know about anyone else but I was very excited for the Royal Wedding.  I kept my feelings to myself but I couldn't wait to get up this morning (no, not super early) and watch all the pomp and circumstance.  I DVR'ed the whole 6+ hours of coverage and then I got sucked into watching all the bits and pieces on TV this morning.  Amelia and I are going to watch the highlights of today's events tonight so that she can see a real princess get married.  Yes, I know technically she is now a Duchess but I like Princess better.  :)

My sewing mojo has been on the fence since last week.  I just haven't been feeling it.  Quite possibly because I'm forcing myself to work on projects that I've already started and won't let myself start anything new.  What I'm showing you, I finished about a week ago but just never pulled out the camera to document until today.  I did waver a bit and I pieced a Schnibbles pattern for myself.  You know that this is my very first one that I've ever did.  Seriously.  I did "Hat Trick" using some Sunkissed charms.  I modified the pattern just a tad and added borders on all four sides.  The pattern only has the borders on the top and bottom but it looked unfinished to me.

It's a little light on the pink because I had used a few of the pink charms in my Chubby Charmer tote.  I'm going to do a pink binding to help bring more of that color to the top.  I think I'm going to quilt this one myself and hang it in my bedroom.  I have the perfect wall for it.

I got the cherries put on my Red and Black summer wallhanging.  The pattern had me hand-sewing some red ric-rac into some rosette looking thing but hand-sewing is NOT for me and I didn't want to be frustrated with the project so I just machine appliqued some circles on and there you go, cherries.

Tomorrow Punkie and I are attending my cousin's daughter's 1st Communion and I was asked to make cookies as a giveaway favor.  For 50 bucks to use towards some future fabric purchase?  Sure thing!  They aren't fancy and I really don't care for how I decorated them.  The dots just don't go but I had a bunch of icing left over and I hated putting it down the sink.  Plus it helps to cover up some of the imperfections on the cookies.  They taste good.  That's all I care about.

One last thing.  Punkie left me a message on my whiteboard that is in my sewing room a while ago and before she decides to erase it, I snapped its picture.

J + A forever

Right back at ya, Amelia.  Mama loves you forever too.

Enjoy your day!
Jen