Michelle's Romantic Tangle

thirty eight fabrics in one little quilt

2012-01-30T04:18:00.000-08:00

I dragged my feet when it was time to start this little quilt, but once I got going I really fell in love it with. Thirty-eight fabrics in a twelve inch square? Little half inch finished strips? What's not to love about that?

Now that its time to quilt it, I'm dragging my feet again. I don't know what I want to do. Meander? Stitch in the ditch? Or maybe try out hand quilting? I've been planning to try that and this is such a little quilt it should be manageable. If I don't like my results, I can always pick it out and do it again my machine, right?

Hop over to the Quilt Square Quilt Along Linky Party at Jo's Country Junction to see how the rest of the little quilts came out.

Nothing really new going on with my design wall this week. I keep going back to UFOs -- not a bad thing, but I'm going to have to scoot to start a NewFO for the linky party over at Cat Patches tomorrow.

To see more weekly stash reports, click over to Patchwork Times. And don't forget to enter my 1000th post giveaway. You could win a whole stack of the quilting and knitting books that make my heart go pitty-pat.

I went to the quilt shop this week

2012-01-29T04:15:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I bought new fabric, let alone new quilt shop fabric. But this week they had the $3.98 a yard flat folds (and that even beats the recent sale prices at Joann's) so I bought some half yard cuts of lights and darks and fabric for a couple of projects I'm working on.

And then there's the toile. Yup, those are skeletons. Which is why I spent the most I've ever spent for a half yard of fabric. (It's Midnight Pastoral by Alexander Henry, in case anyone needs to track down some of her own.)

Now I've got to get some quilting done to even out these numbers before they wind up like they did last year.

Fabric Used this Week: 1 yard
Fabric Used year to Date: 8 1/3 yards
Added this Week: 10 yards
Added Year to Date: 15 yards
Net Added for 2012: 1 2/3 yards

Yarn Used this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Used year to Date: 0 yards
Yarn Added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Added Year to Date: 0 yards
Net Added for 2012: 0 yards

To see more weekly stash reports, click over to Patchwork Times. And don't forget to enter my 1000th post giveaway. You could win some of the quilting and knitting books that make my heart go pitty-pat.

1000th post giveaway -- things that make my heart go pitty-pat

2012-01-28T04:31:00.000-08:00

To celebrate my 1000th post, which was actually this week's stash report, I'm giving away a stack of books that make my heart go pitty-pat. I'm not giving away my own favorite books because there are still things in them I need to make, but I've managed to find gently used copies to share with one lucky reader.

This one has got to be my favorite quilting book. I found my copy of Family Ties: Old Quilt Patterns from New Cloth (Needlework and Quilting) four years ago. Talula Gilbert Bottoms, the author's grandmother, made more than 200 quilts between 1870s and 1945. It's been quite a while since I read it cover to cover, but if I'm remembering right she pieced and quilted them by hand. The patterns here include Double Wedding Ring and Improved Nine Patch and Sunbonnet Sue and all of the traditional old patterns that come to mind when I think quilt. And many that I'd never seen before I got my hands on this book.

I want to be like Talula when I grow up. If I can use my sewing machine.

This one has the pattern for Shenandoah Log Cabin in it. If you don't know what that one is, there are plenty of pictures on Judy Martin's Website. Imagine a log cabin that swirls like a Snails Trail.

I really want to make a pineapple quilt. I really don't want to do paper piecing. This one uses strips and is, according to the introduction, similar to the Quilt in a Day Log Cabin pattern. If I could talk a friend through that one over the phone, I should be able to do this.

Although I don't actually do it as much as I'd like to, I love knitting socks. I knit three pairs (and a whole long list of other things) during the 22 days I was on hospital bed rest with my youngest. Solid colors and intricate textures...sigh I really should make more sock knitting time.

I wanted to include a cross stitch kit, or maybe one of the Diane Phalen patterns that helped lure me from cross stitching to quilting, but the stores that used to have aisles of kits and patterns have done away with them. I did find these patterns, which are exactly what would have had me bouncing with joy when I was in the deepest part of my obsession and my definition of the best cross stitch charts was "huge and completely covered with stitches."

Want to win this whole wonderful stack of books? Just be a follower of my blog and leave a comment on this post before 11:59pm 02/06/2012. I'd love to know what would be in your stack of books that make your heart go pitty-pat. (And please make sure you're not a no-reply blogger -- Sew Cal Gal has a great explanation of exactly what that means and how to make sure it's not keeping you from winning the contests you enter.)

my bloodthirsty little quilt

2012-01-27T04:44:00.000-08:00

I'm sure glad to have this one done!

I can't believe how many times I jabbed myself. First it was unfastening the safety pins while I was doing the machine quilting. Then it was while changing the two broken sewing machine needles. Then it was while trying to extricate the hand needle that snapped while I was sewing sewing down the binding. Not to mention the number of times that I stabbed myself while I was sewing down the binding.

Surprisingly, none of it actually drew blood -- have I mentioned how glad I am that I'm not on blood thinners anymore?

I love the pattern and I like the swirly quilting, although I think I've done it better on other quilts. I'd totally make this one again and again. But I'm holding a grudge against this particular fabric and thread and batting. They're out to get me. I might make a special trip down to the pregnancy center just to get this one out of my life quickly!

January 31 is almost here, so I decided it was time to get started on the first little quilt for Jo's Quilt Square Quilt Along. I bought the pattern, so I'm actually committed. We're going to be making four of the quilts from this pattern - I can't wait to see what the other three are. I definitely have my own favorites from each of the three patterns we'll be using over the course of the year!

To get the strips for her square, Jo cut 2 1/2" strips in half. I'm cutting down strips from my 1 1/2" strip bin -- the one I keep adding to for my log cabin variations. I'm planning on making each piece a different print. If I'd thought ahead, all of my pinwheel blades would be different too, but I'm not starting over now.

This post is linked to Finish it up Friday over at Crazy Mom Quilts and Can I get a Whoop-Whoop? at Confessions of a Fabric Addict. And don't forget to enter my 1000th post giveaway. You could win some of the quilting and knitting books that make my heart go pitty-pat.

a bad night for free motion quilting

2012-01-26T04:47:00.000-08:00

It wasn't the best night for free motion quilting. On one 36" square baby quilt, I managed to get the edge of the backing tucked under and quilted down (I do that dumb trick more often than I want to admit), quilted a scrap of fabric to the back of the quilt, and broke two needles within five minutes. Now the last needle I own is in my machine and I'm hoping I don't break that one before my next trip to town.

But I'll have a finish to show you tomorrow!

you ARE going to do that!

2012-01-25T09:49:00.000-08:00

One of the 87 million things on Pinterest my teenage daughter has called me over to look at was a supposed-to-be-cute quote about how it's a wonderful place to plan things you're never going to actually do. I've seen the same thing said about Ravelry queues.

It bugs me.

It bugs me the same way that it bugged me when someone at my baby shower was carefully folding wrapping paper so I could use it to line the baby's dresser drawers and someone else piped up with "Not that she'll ever get around to doing it."

It was a mean thing to say. I never claimed that I wanted to line my dresser drawers with wrapping paper. The woman who said it did not know me well at all and had no clue what I might or might not ever get around to doing.

As far as I'm concerned, we get to carry as many plans and crafty dreams as we want inside our heads. Until we go out and spend money on patterns and supplies, we're not the slightest bit committed. If those supplies can be used for other projects, we're still not committed. And if now and then our plans change and a kit or pattern doesn't get used -- so what? We could've wasted that same money on a dress we never wore.

This week, I actually followed through on some of my plans. We made erupting soap. It's an actual science project because the moisture and air in the soap expand like the moisture in popcorn. But in addition to that, its really fun and, whether you have little kids or not, I think you should get a bar of Ivory soap and try it out yourself.

I also ran my nasty shower curtain through the washing machine with a cup of baking soda. It's white again. I can't tell you how shocked I am that it's white again.

This morning, I tried Jo's Easiest Egg Bake. It's been on my mental list of things I want to do for months. It really is the easiest egg recipie ever. I popped it into the oven before my shower and it was ready to be eaten when the kids were ready for breakfast. And, unlike the baked oatmeal we loved so much, there's no actual recipie to remember.

How about you? What have you been meaning to do? Are there a couple of quick things on your list that you could just do this week?

how many eggs to mix up for the french toast

2012-01-24T17:20:00.000-08:00

The kiddos really like french toast and pancakes. Or it might just be that they like anything they can eat with syrup.

I'd rather make french toast than pancakes because it seems like I have more luck with it. It's easier to make extra when suddenly a kid who usually eats two pieces is hungry enough for six. Instead of getting the box of pancake mix back out and starting over from scratch, I just crack a few more eggs into the bowl and add a splash more milk.

One thing I've started to do is to leave the cinnamon and nutmeg out of the egg mixture and sprinkle them onto the individual pieces while they're cooking. That way they all get some of the yummy spices and when the kids are stuffed, I can make myself a couple of pieces and scramble whatever eggs are left in the bowl. It might not be a full serving, but it's better than tossing the extra.

For more tips, check out Works for me Wednesday at We are THAT Family and Waste Not Wednesdays at Jo's Country Junction.

pinwheels!

2012-01-23T05:56:00.000-08:00

From a baggie full of triangles to what will be nine complete pinwheels by the end of the day...

It took less than an hour of sewing. Not bad for one of those "I don't know when/if I'll ever feel like working on it" UFOS! I could have the whole top assembled if, for two days in a row last week, I hadn't decided that I felt rotten and wasn't going to sew.

The truth is that sewing lifts my spirits and makes me feel better. I need to remember that next time I'm feeling cranky about life.

To see more design walls, head over to Patchwork Times.

scraps from Grandma

2012-01-22T05:05:00.000-08:00

This week, Grandma found me a scrap bag with some orphan blocks in it.

I love the background fabric on those bow tie blocks and wish there were more blocks. Or just some of that grey solid so I could make some of my own. I'm thinking I'll assemble them into a lap quilt and bring it up to size with a pieced border made form recycled shirts.

The hearts are going into a baby quilt, and once I count the half square triangles, I'll figure out what I can do with those.

Weekly Stash Report

Fabric Used this Week: 4 1/3 yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 7 1/3 yards
Added this Week: 5 yards
Added Year to Date: 5 yards
Net Used for 2012: 2 1/3 yards

Yarn Used this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Used year to Date: 0 yards
Yarn Added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Added Year to Date: 0 yards
Net Added for 2012: 0 yards

To see more weekly stash reports, click over to Patchwork Times.

no finish this week

2012-01-20T05:15:00.000-08:00

I've just barely been getting my fifteen minutes a day done. Fifteen minutes of piecing at a time that quickly added up to these:

They're the borders for my own Extra Scrappy Pinwheels. I gave away the first one as soon as it was finished and wanted one to keep for myself. This time I'm making the borders a little different.

I knew I was going to need a second quilt, so I cut triangles for both at the same time. I finished up the first one and tucked the extra pieces away to work on later. There's no hurry to finish mine, but I needed something to run through my sewing machine this week and this was the closest UFO to grab. I didn't have the red squares or big white triangles I need for the pinwheels, so the borders got done first.

And now that I've got the borders done, I might as well do the pinwheels and finish it up. Maybe in time for next Friday's linky parties...

1905

2012-01-19T05:02:00.000-08:00

I spend a lot of time wondering about this little painting which sits on our fireplace mantel. It'll be moved as soon as we start thinking about fires again, but for right now I want it where I can see it often.

When I was growing up, it hung in the laundry room. I knew my great-grandmother (the mother of the grandma who found me my treadle sewing machine and all of those fabulous scrap bags) had painted it, along with the waterfall that hung at the top of the stairs. I knew that it was going to be mine someday. But that was about it.

No one ever told me -- and I never asked -- that this was painted in 1905, when Great Grandma was seventeen. I didn't find that out until the painting came to live with me a few months ago and I saw the date written on the back.

Nineteen-oh-five.

When she was seventeen.

I still have a hard time wrapping my head around that information, almost as hard a time as I have wrapping my head around the idea that her father in law fought in the Civil War. Great-Grandma as I knew her crocheted afghans and made swans with sparkly beads pinned into bars of soap. There's at least one quilt I know she made, and I think she made one of the two double wedding ring quilts that formed my earliest ideas of what a quilt actually was.

Grandma has filled in some of the blanks, telling me that the scene in the picture probably would have been an example from a book or a class and not an actual place that Great-Grandma knew. It was probably painted on slate, because that's what they used then. I'm not taking the paper off the back to find out for sure.

This post is linked to Time Travel Thursday, Ivy & Elephants & Vintage Thingie Thursday.

Quinn's Trip Around the World - the top's done!

2012-01-18T04:48:00.000-08:00

The flimsy for Quinn's green Trip Around the World quilt is together. Here it is, draped over the couch. I need to find a better spot to get a picture of the whole thing because it came out huge. I think the original plan might've been to make it 48" square...then it went up to 60"....and then to 72"

Because if you've got enough green fabric, you might as well make it big, right?

It took me four days to make the blocks and put together the top for 30s Barn Raising. The Blue Bargello top took two mornings.

It took me a year to make this quilt top. First I couldn't decide if I wanted to make another Scrappy Bargello or a Trip Around the World. Then I was afraid I wouldn't have enough green. Then I knew I had more than enough green, but I was afraid that, forgotten and buried somewhere in my sewing room, perfect bits of green were going to be left out.

Now that I've got the top together, I'm not sure quite what to do with myself. This has been my fifteen minutes of daily piecing, the project that was sitting right next to my sewing machine. I've got to pull something else together right now, or I'll take the day off, and then tomorrow, and then the day after that. Lynne over at The Patchery Menagerie has a great post about how hard it is to get back to work once you've lost your momentum.

I've got a bag full of pieces for another Extra Scrappy Pinwheels, which I need to make because I gave away the first one. It was supposed to be mine, but I gave it away. I should have all of the pieces cut -- and if I don't, now would be a good time to find out, right?

While I'm doing that, I need to start sorting scraps and cutting squares. Have you seen the postage stamp qults over at Coloradolady? I have got so many plans for postage stamp quilts....

This post is linked to WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced and Fabric Tuesday at Quilt Story. And I forgot to mention that, although he still loves all things green, my seven-year-old does not like his quilt.

wfmw - dictionaries

2012-01-17T05:18:00.000-08:00

We have a house full of dictionaries. Student dictionaries....children's dictionaries...cheap paperback dictionaries from the Dollar Tree...

I hate most of them.

By the time my kiddos need to look a word up, odds are it's not going to be in one of those dictionaries. It's frustrating for someone who's still learning how to use the thing when none of the words he needs are actually in it! And then I've got to check to see if the word is really in there or not -- and the poor kid still hasn't found out what it actually means!

I spent months looking for a big unabridged version to replace my old one, the kind the bookstores always used to have on their bargain tables for $19.95. Grandma finally spotted one at a thrift store and I brought it home just before we got the Kindles.

The Kindles have dictionaries built in and a kid who wants to know what a word means can just click and have the definition right there.

I love that! As much as I'd like to, I'm not walking around with a head that contains the dictionary definition of every words my kids might stumble across. And sometimes when I'm absolutely positive I do know that dictionary definition, it turns out that the word doesn't mean what I thought it did.

Did you know that ichor is the fluid that flowed through the veins of Greek gods? I always thought it was the nasty stuff that spurts out of zombies.

So what do I do with all of these dictionaries? Paper a wall with them like Angie at Knick of Time Interiors did?

This post is linked to Works for me Wednesday at We are THAT Family and the Hip Homeschool Hop

scrappy little Swoon quilt

2012-01-16T04:54:00.000-08:00

My first reaction to any pattern is usually "What if I made that scrappier?" Okay, my first reaction to Swoon was that I wanted to make it in Halloween prints...then I started thinking about a scrappy version. Friday, I saw that Debbie from A Quilter's Table had already done it. And look at this one, which I just found while I was looking for the link to the scrappy one!

sigh

I could make a whole bunch of Swoon quilts.

But right now I'm playing with a scrappy one block baby quilt, using my AccuQuilt Half Square 4" Triangle die because that bring it up to almost baby quilt size. I may add a narrow plain border.

I'll definitely shift the blocks around a bit before I put it together.

To see more design walls, head over to Patchwork Times

Beth over at Love Laugh Quilt is having a Pincushion Parade. Now that I think about it, I've only actually made one pincushion and that one was a test to see if I could make the fabric part of a knitted pincushion that I never did finish.

Maybe it's because I keep my pins in a tin and never actually use a pincushion.

You've still got until Tuesday night to enter the Jockey Sports Bra and Purex Crystals giveaway.

damage control

2012-01-15T05:22:00.000-08:00

What do you do when you're almost done with the last block you need to meet your goal for the day and you realize you've done this?

I'm not sure how I did that, but those two edges are supposed to go neatly together. I can't hide the missing fabric in the seam allowance, so it's time for more serious damage control. The easiest solution would be to cut a new 2 1/2" square out of matching fabric. If I had matching fabric handy.

I wound up going through my fabric trimmings to find the piece I'd cut off the other end of the block, hoping there'd be enough to combine with what was already in the block to form a piece I could cut a new 2 1/2" square from.

Got it! And I dare you to find this pieced square once the finished quilt is quilted.

I think damage control is a skill all quilters need. Even when we buy extra fabric as insurance against cutting errors and measure carefully, things can still go wrong. Knowing how to hide those little accidents makes life much easier.

What's your best damage control tip for saving a quilt once things go wrong?

Weekly Stash Report

I still haven't bought fabric this year. There was some nice yardage at the thrift store, but I was good and didn't buy it for myself. I did talk my mom into buying it for her stash.

Fabric Used this Week: 1 yard
Fabric Used year to Date: 3 yards
Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 0 yards
Net Used for 2012: 3 yards

Yarn Used this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Used year to Date: 0 yards
Yarn Added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Added Year to Date: 0 yards
Net Added for 2012: 0 yards

To see more weekly stash reports, click over to Patchwork Times. And to enter my Jockey Sports Bra and Purex Crystals giveaway, just leave a comment on that post before 11:59 pm January 17.

more than fifteen minutes

2012-01-14T14:16:00.000-08:00

First of all, Teri Ann is the winner of the jelly roll to make my 30s Barn Raising Quilt and has been notified by email. Thanks to everyone who entered and to the Fat Quarter Shop for sponsoring the giveaway! There's still time to enter the Jockey Sports Bra and Purex Crystals giveaway, just leave a comment on that post before 11:59 pm January 17.

I've got actual time to spend at the sewing machine today, so I'm working on green Trip Around the World blocks for Quinn's quilt. I think I've finally got the hang of these. At first, I'd separate the strips in the wrong spot and have to sew them back together and figure out where I should have ripped the seam in the first place. Now I'm better at seeing what I'm supposed to be doing.

It's not hard at all, there was just something I wasn't seeing that finally clicked into place. I really want to make a multicolored one. I'm thinking of starting to cut and save 2" strips -- just look at this one with the green border that Bonnie posted. Isn't that gorgeous?

I'm also cutting triangles to make a scrappy Swoon block large enough for a baby quilt. I've been wondering how that would look ever since I bought the pattern -- and of course lots of other quilters have tried it. Take a look at these scrappy Swoon blocks over at A Quilter's Table.

There's so much fun stuff I'd like to get started on. Time to start thinking of my first NewFO!

Today is friday the 13th?

2012-01-13T03:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a rotten day. Not in a life-changing way, just one of those terrible horrible no good very bad days that happen to us all. A pair of glasses got broken. We had to throw out most of the contents of our freezer. While my husband and I were sorting through that mess, trying to determine what was still edible, my daughter's pet bird died.

I've been trying to get my fifteen minutes of sewing done early in the day, before life can start to unravel. That was one of my big obstacles last year -- I'd get upset about something and instead of quilting when the opportunity arose, I'd be sulking about whatever stupid thing it was.

Hospital billing errors and messed up freezer door mechanisms are just stupid -- there's no other word for it. (Maybe a couple, but I'm trying not to say those in front of the children.) Once they've been taken care of to the best of our ability, spending the rest of the day upset about them doesn't help anyone. I don't know if I can stop myself from getting upset, but I can try to keep it from sabotaging the rest of my goals.

I've got one finish to show off this week, a baby quilt that I used to play with a new free motion quilting pattern.

This post is linked to Finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts. and Can I get a Whoop-Whoop? at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

Jockey and Purex Crystals Giveaway

2012-01-12T05:36:00.000-08:00

A good, supportive bra is vital if I'm going to do much free motion quilting without killing my shoulders and back. If I'm quilting in my pajama pants and t shirt, that means a sports bra. So when Purex insiders offered to send me a Jockey Tech Terry sports bra and a bottle of Purex Crystals Tropical Splash fabric softener to review, I was thrilled.

The bra seems very well constructed and has wide shoulder straps. Narrow straps that dig are one of my pet peeves with many bras. This To my great disappointment, it didn't fit. I should've seen that coming -- after six years of breastfeeding, finding bras that fit well can be extremely tricky.

Because I couldn't wear it myself and wanted the opinion of someone who could, I passed the on to a friend who was equally impressed by the fabric and construction, and by the great support it provides.

Want to try the Tech Terry sports bra out yourself? Jockey will send you a 20% off coupon for their new sports bra.

I've got Purex Crystals in the load of laundry I'm washing right now. You just measure them in at the beginning of a load -- no little dryer sheets to try to remember later! They add a pleasant scent to the fabric and can be used in any washing machine, even my ancient one. I'll probably be buying these again, but I think I may try the fresh spring water scent next time.

Purex Insiders is letting me give away a Tech Terry sports braand bottle of Purex Crystals fabric softener to one of my readers. To enter, just be a follower and leave a comment on this post before 11:59pm January 17.

every single day

2012-01-11T05:28:00.000-08:00

That's the plan for 2012. At least fifteen minutes of piecing a day, every single day.

Set a timer and try it. You might be surprised how much piecing you can get done in fifteen minutes. This time it was five sets of six green strips to make blocks for the Trip Around the World quilt. The last time I worked on that quilt, it felt like it took take forever to sew those long strips together. (I think that's why I stopped working on it.) Three more sessions with the timer and I'll have those blocks sewn together and ready to cut up and sew back together.

Fifteen minutes a day of piecing, added to my regular quilting time, and I should be able to get a lot done. I know there will be some days when I just can't pull it off, but it's just fifteen minutes. I can find that time somewhere in my day.

One of the best pieces of quilting advice I read last year said one way to keep your sewing space organized was to use it. The times I've tried it, it really worked. If I'm using my machine, it isn't buried under a bunch of other stuff. If I'm working on a project, I know where the pieces are and what I need to do next. It's when I put things away for a while that I start to get into trouble.

Maybe if I can get up to do things the sewing room more often it'll help with that, too.

It seems like everyone is talking about free motion quilting right now. SewCalGal has her free motion quilting challenge. A Few Scraps is giving away a copy of Modern Quilting Designs. There's Focus on Free Motion Quilting at Sew Inspired. And don't forget The Free Motion Quilting Project.

I love free motion quilting, but I mostly stick to meandering. I can do spirals, if I remember they're an option. But there are so many gorgeous free motion options out there. I want to learn feathers. And hearts. And Baptist Fans...

And there's no excuse not to. I've figured out my tension issues. My knee is cooperating. I've got a bolt of batting.

My biggest obstacle now is that's it's easier to do what's familiar, what I know I can do decently. I've got to force myself to slow down and tackle something new, even if that means it's going to take longer to finish projects.

Trying a new design meant that I finished one baby quilt instead of the two or three I might've done if I did my usual free motion.

It's a pattern I found in one of my old quilting magazines. I'm not sure if I want to give this one another try or not.

This post is linked to Focus on Free Motion Quilting and WIP Wednesday And don't forget to check out my new pattern, 30s Barn Raising and enter to win a Moda Jelly Roll and the background fabric to make the quilt.

loving our kindles

2012-01-10T05:50:00.000-08:00

Jo from Jo's Country Junction and I have been comparing notes about our new Kindles. My older kids and I got ours for Christmas -- two Kindle Fires and a basic Kindle.

I'd been wanting a Kindle for myself for months. I'm homeschooling four kids. Lots of the books in our curriculum are public domain and wouldn't it be much easier to download them instead of trying to figure out where I put our paperback copy after an older sibling read it three years ago? I needed a Kindle. Just the basic one. For school.

And for times when my eleven-year-old asks me if he's allowed to read something like Dante's Inferno. I'm still trying to figure out the answer to that one. He is allowed to read it. I'm not sure if he's capable of reading it, or if he'll actually want to read it once he starts, but being able to hand it right over to him is much better than waiting for our next library trip.

Then I started hearing about the Kindle Fire and the things it could do and that was it. I wanted to be able to check my email while my daughter was at karate. Turns out the grocery store that I was sure had free WiFi doesn't, but that's okay. I can read books. Or play Hungry Shark -- if I can wrestle it away from the boys.

We've got lots of favorite things about our Kindles.

There's the shark game. Because I've got little boys and it's the greatest bribe I've come up with this week.

There seem to be lots of neat little educational apps, but I haven't had much time to really try them out yet.

There are tons of free books. Bonnie over at Quiltville posts links to free Kindle titles. How could you not want to read a book called Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun? A couple of months ago, I downloaded the reader for my PC and started downloading books onto the laptop. So I'd have something to read if I ever got a real Kindle. Then I got my Christmas present and started really looking for books to read. I'm not admitting how many I've ordered -- but what's free right now might not be free tomorrow, so if it looks interesting, I click. It's like queueing patterns on Ravelry. I'll read some and not feel guilty about the rest.

You can browse Pinterest with this thing. I no longer have to surrender my laptop every time my daughter wants to look for inspiration.

I adore old children's books, the older the better. There are a gazillion of those old girls series on Amazon for free. Sure, I'd love to have the old hardback copies, but these are books I'd probably never be able to read at all if I wasn't downloading them.

The lighted display. Years and years ago, I had a Rocket eBook. Of course it doesn't compare at all to these new Kindles, but I loved that thing. One of my favorite features was the lighted screen, which let me read one handed while I was nursing a baby in a dark room. These days, I'm not nursing a baby, but I've still got times when reading in a the dark will be a definite advantage. (If some drunk drives into a pole and knocks out the power, I don't have to go to bed!)

There are a very few things I don't love about my Kindle.

It's easy to make accidental purchases. I've already done it once myself by clicking in the wrong place. Amazon refunded my money quickly. I've explained to the kids that they need to be very aware of what they're clicking on and removed my credit card information from my Amazon account. Hopefully that solved the problem.

I don't love that all of the books I've ordered show up on all of our Kindles. (I've got the same complaint about Netflix and the queue and recently viewed titles.) The ultimate answer may be setting up a separate Amazon account for my son's Kindle, but I don't really want to go that route because if I buy titles for school I want everyone to be able to use them. Right now, I'm telling myself it's the same as having books sitting on a shelf.

If I was buying a regular Kindle for a kid and not worried about the price, I'd get the one without the Special Offers. My son keeps his WiFi turned off (to keep him from making accidental purchases and because the battery will go longer between charges), but there are constant prompts to turn it back on. And does he really need ads for tooth-whitening?

Oh, and my daughter is annoyed that the books don't have page numbers and she doesn't know how to enter them in her book journal.

Our few complaints are minor ones. I do wish my son's was easier to charge -- I have to plug it into the computer's USB port, then "eject" it, then hope no one bumps the cord or I have to start over... Anyone know if the wall charger for the Fire will work with the regular Kindles?

This post is linked to WFMW at We are THAT Family
And don't forget to check out my new pattern, 30s Barn Raising and enter to win a Moda Jelly Roll and the background fabric to make the quilt.

regrouping again

2012-01-09T05:24:00.000-08:00

I don't like counting pieces of fabric. That's one of the reasons why I make so many of my quilts with 2 1/2" squares, so I can cut tons and tons of squares and use what I need and toss the rest into the box to use for the next quilt.

Orca Bay is going to involve a whole lot of counting, but I'm using every trick I know about putting things in stacks and pinning them together and writing myself notes. And sometimes you've just gotta count.

Not knowing how many strips I had was the biggest reason Quinn's Scrappy Trip Around the World has been stalled for so long. When I started the project, I didn't know how many green fabrics were in my stash, or how big I wanted the quilt to be. I cut strips from as many green fabrics as I could find in my stash, and the ones Jan sent me. Somewhere along the line I decided to make it 72" square.

Ever since, I've avoided counting my green strips. I don't know how many I started with, but I do know I've lost some. I wouldn't be at all surprised if there were some partially assembled blocks around here someplace, but if I wait until I find them the kid will never have a quilt.

My goal for Sunday was to figure out how many blocks I had finished, how many blocks I had started, and how many strips I'd need for the rest. And to count the green strips.

I have exactly the number of strips I need. There is no excuse not to finish this quilt.

I know I've made more bowties than this! I remember sewing them in fabrics that aren't here...and I very vaguely remember deciding to put the finished ones in a safe place.

To see more design walls, head over to Patchwork Times. For more Orca Bay and Bow Tie progress, head over to Quiltville. And don't forget to check out my new pattern, 30s Barn Raising and enter to win a Moda Jelly Roll and the background fabric to make the quilt.

I just came down from the sewing room

2012-01-08T06:44:00.000-08:00

I have got to stop treating my sewing room like a storage locker. If it was up for auction on one of those storage unit shows, no one would bid on it. Unless maybe they saw the tiki or Aunt Molly's steamer trunk. But the fabric and yarn stash is such a mess I'm not even sure I know what's there anymore. Was it ever really as empty as it is in those pictures?

Now that I'm able to walk up and down those stairs again, I am going to reclaim my room. The cardboard boxes are going. The fabric will be sorted into yardage, and scraps for quilt tops, and backings. Fabric that isn't suitable for my projects is going to find a new home. Whatever it is my daughter decided to store out there while I wasn't looking is getting relocated, probably to the attic.

I'll have to tackle it all a bit at a time, but that room will be looking nicer by my birthday at the end of March.

Weekly Stash Report

A whole week into the new year and no fabric or yarn has followed me home! To be honest, there wasn't much temptation to resist this week. I've been watching Craigslist for quilters who are cleaning out their fabric stashes as part of their New Years resolutions and there's been nothing.

Fabric Used this Week: 2 yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 2 yards
Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 0 yards
Net Used for 2012: 2 yards

Yarn Used this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Used year to Date: 0 yards
Yarn Added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Added Year to Date: 0 yards
Net Added for 2012: 0 yards

To see more weekly stash reports, click over to Patchwork Times. And don't forget to check out my new pattern, 30s Barn Raising and enter to win a Moda Jelly Roll and the background fabric to make the quilt.

I'm glad I can grocery shop

2012-01-07T06:33:00.000-08:00

I've got a complicated love/hate relationship with grocery shopping. After the knee injuries and bed rest and not being able to drive for six weeks after the most recent c-section, I really appreciate being able to go to the store myself and pick out what I want. But that doesn't mean I always enjoy the process.

I'm glad I can grocery shop -- that these days I can walk to the back of the store where the milk is without worrying about how I'm going to make it back to the checkout line, let alone get to my car and drive home. And that we can pay for those groceries. It's been a long time since I had to shop with a calculator in my hand. But but after a really big shopping trip with four kids, I tend to wind up exhausted and determined not to go shopping again for as long as I can possibly help it.

This week, we had hit the point where I had to go to the store and do something about our pantry, which is far from empty but had lost its ability to provide meals for six people. If the zombie apocalypse started tomorrow, we'd have enough to eat for weeks. We just wouldn't be eating the same things.

It was time for a big shopping trip.

The grocery store closest to our house is kind of dirty. The selection is limited and prices for some things are almost double what I'd pay elsewhere.

The other grocery store in town is a big chain. It's nicer and the prices are more reasonable, but they have displays in all of the aisles so it's hard to navigate that store even without four kids following me. If something is on sale, they won't have it. Which wouldn't bug me as much if I was trying to get it at the sale price, but if I need that ingredient to make dinner, I'm out of luck.

So a trip to the grocery store starts with at least a fifteen mile drive. I know that if I go shopping after about twelve-thirty on Sunday afternoon, we're going to be there all day. Everyone goes to Walmart after church. What I don't know is why we spent a half hour standing in line at 1:00 Thursday afternoon.

I really wanted to say something to the woman in line in front of us. Her little girl, who I'm guessing was about two, was absolutely adorable sitting there in the cart with her sippy cup and Goldfish crackers. I didn't see how the crackers hit the floor, because I was convincing my own three boys that they didn't need Mentos or Tic Tacs, or little miniature Etch-A-Sketches. But I did see the mommy crouched down, trying to pick up every last one and then trying to console her wailing daughter.

I don't know if she was upset because the crackers fell, or if she threw the crackers because she was upset, but that little cutie had held it together for so long, longer than some adults in that store would've lasted before they started swearing and acting badly. I wanted to tell her mommy that, but first she was paying for her groceries and then she was gone.

And then I was distracted by the woman behind me who gave me a lecture about dented cans of green beans. I know that they'd make my family sick -- that's what I was telling me teenage daughter who'd run back to get the cans for me and somehow missed that one looked like it'd been stomped by an elephant. I don't think it would've made us sick. I think it might've killed us.

By the time we got out of there, it was too late to stop at the other store with the better meat selection and prices, so we wound up grocery shopping twice this week. And I still forgot the shredded hashbrowns I need for a recipie.

Better grocery shopping is one of my goals for 2012.

It's Moda Bake Shop Day & Time for a New Giveaway!

2012-01-04T22:26:00.000-08:00

Finally, I can show off my new quilt! I'm so excited to have the pattern for 30s Barn Raising available for free at the Moda Bake Shop. The Fat Quarter Shop is giving away fabric to make the quilt top to one of my readers, so make sure you read down to the bottom of this post to enter.

If you haven't been here before, welcome to my blog! I'm Michelle. I love making quilts, the more different fabrics and pieces, the better. When I'm not quilting or knitting or getting excited about some other kind of needlework, I'm spending time with my husband and our four homeschooled kids. We've got chickens, geese, bees, and cats. We all love to search thrift stores and antique malls and antique sales for vintage treasures.

Now back to 30s Barn Raising, the whole reason you're here today! This is a slightly different quilt for me, using only ten different fabrics. It does have 900 pieces, and that definitely makes it my kind of quilt.

One Jelly Roll, a bit of backing fabric, and you've got yourself a quilt top. The whole thing is made up of squares and a few strips of background fabric, which makes it perfect for mindless piecing when you just want to sew without thinking about it too hard.

Want to make 30s Barn Raising in the same fabrics I used? The Fat Quarter Shop is going to give one of my readers a 30s Solids Jelly Roll and two yards of your choice for the background fabric. That's enough to make the whole quilt top!

To enter, just be a follower of my blog and leave a comment on this post before 11:59 PM January 11, 2012.

And be sure to check back later this come back later this month. I'll be having two more giveaways, one to celebrate my 1000th post. This post is linked to Can I get a Whoop-Whoop??, Finish it up Friday, Manic Monday, Show and tell Saturday, and Homemaker in Heels' Weekend Craft Soiree.

Do I ever have fun in January?

2012-01-04T09:48:00.000-08:00

Actually, 2012 is feeling pretty good compared to the past few years. In her post for today, Coloradolady asks if we remember what we were doing January 4, 2006. I read it wrong the first time and thought she was asking about last year. This time last year, 2011 was just starting to fall apart. I can tell you even more clearly what I was doing on January 4, 2006 -- but maybe that's cheating a bit because I've got a lengthy hospital stay and emergency c-section to tie the date to.
I'm trying to be optimistic about this year.

One of my goals for 2011 was to spend at least 15 minutes a day piecing quilt blocks. Like all of my goals for last year, that one fell by the wayside quickly.

So I'm trying it again. Here's my first four days of piecing.

If I can get in my fifteen minutes tomorrow, I'll two little tops to practice swirly hearts on over the weekend.

vintage buttons in a vintage jar

2012-01-02T16:48:00.000-08:00

We browse through a lot of antique stores, but I rarely bring anything back home with me. Mostly that's because I've been spoiled by Grandma for so long. All I have to do is mention that I'm looking for this that or the other thing and she can make it materialize. Like the first of the treadle sewing machines, which she just happened to have bought by accident at the auction a few weeks before I mentioned that I was looking for one.

This little jar of buttons, though, I bought for myself when we were in Arizona last summer. I'm not sure why, but it absolutely had to come home with me. I had it carefully wrapped, tucked away with the pots and pans we use for camping. And never managed to unwrap it until just a few minutes ago.

I'm betting that it was safer with the camping gear than it is where my boys can see it. So even though it looks very pretty on the fireplace mantel, it's about to find a new home.

This post is linked to Knick of Time Tuesday, Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, Tuesday's Treasures, Time Travel Thursday, Ivy & Elephants & Vintage Thingie Thursday.

I need something to quilt

2012-01-02T06:31:00.000-08:00

It seems like everyone is talking about free motion quilting right now. SewCalGal has her Free-Motion Quilting Challenge. The PajamaQuilter has one of her DVDs on sale -- I'm trying to convince my husband to buy it for me for a belated Christmas present, but I haven't gotten an answer yet.

I was watching the trailer for the PajamaQuilter DVD on You Tube and stumbled across this video showing how to free motion quilt swirly hearts. I could do that! I just need something to quilt hearts on.

Which means making a new baby quilt.

I love these scrappy hearts, which I originally found in one of my old quilting magazines. I think this is the fourth time I've made a baby quilt using this basic pattern.

Four hearts hasn't been quite big enough for a baby blanket. Nine is bigger than I feel like doing right now. Last time, I added a border to bring the size up by a couple of inches, but I really didn't love that solution.

This time, I changed the size of the squares from 2 1/2" to 3", which brought the quilt up to just the size I wanted. I couldn't use my pre-cut bins of squares for this project, but while I was at it I cut enough extras for a second baby quilt. Part of me feels like I'm cheating by using bigger squares instead of making more blocks, but I want to try those swirly hearts now

To see what other quilters are working on, head over to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times.

Have you seen Bonnie's finished Orca Bay quilt? I'm completely blown away - and more than a little intimidated. If I hadn't started with clue #1, I'm not sure I'd
have the nerve to start at all now that I've seen the finished project.

I've got about fifty of the quarter square triangle units from clue #1 done, and a handful of blue squares, and one Ohio Star block. I think I'm going to try that tactic someone mentioned recently for dealing with UFOs -- do an hour of clue #1, an hour of clue #2, and keep going an hour at a time until I've got my own Orca Bay quilt.

Be sure to come back Thursday to see my Moda Bake Shop quilt and enter the Fat Quarter Shop giveaway!

2011 year end totals

2011-12-31T06:56:00.000-08:00

I'm still working to escape that weird limbo I fall into when I've been working like crazy to finish one project and suddenly it's done and a couple of days later I can't even remember what I was working on. Do you ever get that feeling, which is immediately followed by "How could I forget I was working on THAT?!"

Yesterday and this morning, I managed to put together one last baby quilt top for 2011. It's a nine-patch and snowball variation that I hadn't tried before and, although I tend to avoid borders whenever I can and this one was a bit of a hassle, I really think the quilt needs those little points around the edges.

This is going on my list of baby quilts I want to make bigger versions of.

I've had the year of the scrappy baby quilt, the year I made more quilts than I knew what do to with, and the year of knitting big flat things that didn't have to fit anyone. 2011 seems to have been my year of trying to keep my head above water.

I'd hoped to make more baby quilts than I made last year, but that didn't happen. My final total for 2011 was, I think, 26. Did I mention that my record keeping this year hasn't been the best?

The only two big quilts I finished this year were Cabbage Roses and the one I can't show you yet.

Six or so UFOs got crossed of the list, mostly thanks to the Stashbusters UFO challenge. Nine more got added, bringing my current total up to 32. I can live with that. Counting the ones that got crossed off the list but not counted because they shouldn't have been there in the first place, I think I'm about even. But I like the new projects more than I like the ones I crossed off, so I'm actually ahead!

I made videos this year, and wrote patterns. And played with applique and pieced curves. I'm so ready to start sorting through my sewing room and corner and get started on some new projects. And dig out the UFOs to see where I left off and what I can get done next.

Weekly Stash Report -- 2011 Totals

Fabric Used this Week: 0 yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 88.25 yards
Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 1033.5 yards
Fabric Trashed This Year: 54 yards
Net Added for 2011: 891.25 yards

Yarn Used this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Used year to Date: 6640 yards
Yarn Added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Added Year to Date: 14925 yards
Net Added for 2011: 8285 yards

So that means I added (roughly) 891 yards of fabric and 8285 yards of yarn to my stash this year. For more weekly stash reports, head over to Patchwork Times.

That big finish I haven't been able to show you yet? It's scheduled to appear on the Moda Bake Shop this Thursday and The Fat Quarter Shop is sponsoring a giveaway of enough fabric to make the whole quilt top -- so be sure to check back and enter!

trying to stay out of trouble

2011-12-29T13:00:00.000-08:00

I don't do New Years, not as a celebration anyway, so today is our first day back to normal after the holidays. And I'm already finding ways to get myself into trouble.

First, I went over to Cat Patches to see who else had posted NewFO lists, and I found this:

Remember how much fun we all had drooling over Infinite Variety? Looks like theres some more red and white yumminess headed our way. I am NOT going out to buy fabric today. I probably shouldn't buy fifteen yards of fabric for a project I haven't even seen. Do I have any Joann's coupons? (For next week, not today.)

I'm not going to the post office to see if the pattern for Jo's new project is here yet.

I'm not driving to town to look for this, either. I could buy it for my Kindle, but I'm not willing to spend the same price for an ebook that I'd spend for the paperback.

Did you know there's a series of bee mysteries? Our bees have settled down for the season, so except for occasionally wondering why the barn cat is sleeping on top of the hive and if that's going to hurt either the cat or the bugs, there hasn't been much bee-talk around here lately.

I haven't read any myself yet, but these books sound fun and the author, Deb Baker, is giving away a Kindle Touch or Nook Simple Touch to one of her readers.

What I am doing today is cleaning up the last of the Christmas wreckage and starting a new baby quilt...and downloading more free books to my Kindle.

NewFOs!!

2011-12-28T09:55:00.001-08:00

I really love this idea -- picking a dozen new projects to start in the new year and actually starting them. There are soooo many quilts I want to make. I've got stacks of magazines bristling with bookmarks...and more saved on my computer from websites and blogs...and more that are just dancing around in my head... And I know I'm never going to start them all, let alone finish them all.

And it Does Not Matter. I don't have to make every quilt I've ever fallen in love with. Unless I've bought an expensive pattern and fabric that can't be used for anything else, I'm not committed.

My NewFOs for 2012

Swoon
Spiral Log Cabin
Pineapple Quilt
Calendula Patterdrip's Cottage
applique ladies
Scrappy Kaleidoscope
Rob Peter to Pay Paul
big drab postage stamp quilt
lego quilt
wedged circles
big version of scrappy hearts
jack in the box
Kiss in the corner

These are just off the top of my head, so I'm sure I'll be modifying the list before long.

What quilts have you been wanting to start?

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T11:36:00.000-08:00

The presents are open and I'll be spending the rest of the day wrestling toys out of their packaging. Whoever decided to replace some of those awful twisty wires with some kind of cord that you can actually cut with scissors -- thank you!

One boy is playing a new WII game, one is fiddling with a pirate sword and gun, and the other is carefully wrapping a new stuffed toy with rubber bands. Our oldest has vanished to her room.

And, between requests to open toys, I'm happily searching Amazon for free books to download to the three Kindles we just added to our household. Apparently the girl is doing the same thing, since a couple of confirmation emails just popped up on my screen.

For months now, I've been reading Bonnie's suggestions for free Kindle downloads and hoping to get one of my own, and downloading books to Kindle for PC just in case. I'm not going to admit just how many free books I've downloaded since I unwrapped my Fire last night. It's like adding patterns to my Ravelry queue -- it doesn't matter if I read them all or not. And I'm having fun browsing and finding all sorts of weird old stuff that sparks my interest.

Weekly Stash Report

Judy says this is our last stash report of the year, but I'm not quite sure how that works. The next six days are still part of 2011, and I definitely plan on restarting my totals January 1!

Next year almost has to be better than this year as far as fabric in/out. Not that I plan on completely giving up the thrift store search.

Fabric Used this Week: 6 yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 88.25 yards
Added this Week: 9 yards
Added Year to Date: 1033 1/2 yards
Net Added for 2011: 945.25 yards

Yarn Used this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Used year to Date: 6640 yards
Yarn Added this Week: 400 yards
Yarn Added Year to Date: 14925 yards
Net Added for 2011: 8285 yards

I'm totally wiped out from Christmas and the big project I can't show you, so it may be a couple more days before I'm totally back up to speed.

I guess it's three days now...

2011-12-21T08:35:00.000-08:00

The countdown to Christmas is starting to feel like a loudly ticking clock...or maybe a hissing, rapidly burning fuse. Have I mentioned that I'm not nearly ready yet? Whatever doesn't get done today or tomorrow just isn't going to get done.

The randomly chosen winner of my Blog Hop Giveaway is @pril. Congratulations! The rulers are on their way. And I'll be having another fun giveaway in January to celebrate my 1000th blog post, so stay tuned for a chance to win some of my absolute favorite quilting books.

As I'm scrambling around trying to get things done in time for Christmas, I've been thinking about what I want to work on after the holidays are over and I've got time to breathe again.

I'm definitely going to participate in the NewFO Challenge over at Cat Patches. There are quilts that have been on my to-do list for ages, that I desperately want to make but I never start because there's always something else waiting in the wings. I've still got plenty of UFOs from prior years, and a few more I added this year, but I could use some NewFOs to go with them.

And Jo's having a Quilt Square Along. I just ordered my pattern, along with Dr. Frankenstein's Monster Wall Banner pattern. I saw that quilt somewhere a couple of years ago and never knew where the pattern came from.

What are you anxious to get started on?

five days left...or is it four?

2011-12-20T11:53:00.000-08:00

All I know for sure is that I've got a lot to get done and I'm not sure when exactly I'm going to do any of it.

The quilt I can't show you yet is almost done. I rarely play with solids, so this one has been a lot of fun.

eight days left?!?!

2011-12-18T06:31:00.000-08:00

Look at this post of antique mall eye candy over at Quiltville. I'm loving those Christmas stockings, even though the whole idea of cutter quilts makes me a little sad. As a last hope for quilts that only have a couple of good bits left, maybe...but I have this sad feeling that some people cutting up old quilts to make things to sell might be using quilts that still have some life in them. They do own the quilts and they can do what they want to with them...and it really is better than giving up on them entirely and tossing them in the dumpster. I'm going to keep having mixed feelings about this one.

So because I don't like the idea of cutter quilts, I'm thinking of making some little quilted sections to make stockings of my own. I think I might want to make every antique quilt Bonnie has ever posted pictures of. Someone please tell me not to even think about that too hard until long after Christmas. I just looked at the calendar and did the math and realized that I'm in serious trouble here!

Weekly Stash Report

No fabric to report as used this week, but I've been working on one big project all week. That Jelly Roll I showed you on Monday is now a finished quilt top.

Fabric Used this Week: 0 yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 82.25 yards
Added this Week: 1 yards
Added Year to Date: 1024 1/2 yards
Net Added for 2011: 942.25 yards

Yarn Used this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Used year to Date: 6640 yards
Yarn Added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Added Year to Date: 14525 yards
Net Added for 2011: 7885 yards

a whole bolt of batting

2011-12-17T06:32:00.000-08:00

For a long time, I've wanted to buy a roll of batting. Specifically, I've wanted to buy a bolt of Warm & Natural cotton batting, my favorite stuff.

I'd been given a bolt of thick polyester batting by a quilter who didn't want to use it and, once I figured out that I could separate it into two thinner layers, I used every last bit of it in the baby quilts.

When you're making little baby quilts, a bolt of batting lasts a long time! I got so used to having batting there in the closet that it was almost a bit of a shock once it was finally all used up. I buy packaged batting when it's on sale, but I go through it as fast as I get it home.

Think the bolt of Warm & Natural that came in the mail a couple of weeks ago will last me a while?

Wrestling it out of the van, though the house, and into the closet just about did me in. That big box of cotton is heavy. Not to mention awkward. I was dreading pulling it back out of the closet tonight to cut off enough for the quilt I've been working on this week.

Out of the box, it's a lot easier to handle. And once I'd cut off enough for the new quilt and my Bento Box, it went back into the box again. I was a bit worried that it wouldn't.

I've got fabric, I've got thread, I've got batting (hooray for Black Friday sales and ordering online)....I'm a happy quilter!

Strawberry Stars tutorial

2011-12-14T09:55:00.000-08:00

I was waiting to start this project until I saved up for some new Acuquilt dies, but Orca Bay changed my mind. These specialty rulers were just what I needed to cut my triangles!

Want to make your own? You'll need red and green scraps and the Companion Angle and Easy Angle rulers. For a chance to win a set, leave a comment on this post.

Quilt Size - 24" x 32"
Block Size - 6"

Fabric Requirements:

12 red prints - one 2" x 18" strip and one 3 1/2" square of each (you can piece together two 2" x 3 1/2" rectangles to make the square if you're working from strips)

12 green prints - one 2" x 15" strip of each

background fabric - 1 yard

binding - 1/4 yard

backing - 3/4 yard

Cutting Instructions:

For each block, you'll be cutting eight green half square triangles, four red half square triangles, four red center triangles, and four background half square triangles (not pictured).

To cut the green triangles, fold one of your green strips in half. Use the Easy Angle ruler - the bottom edge of the black triangle goes along one edge of the fabric and the 2" line goes along the other. Cut four pairs of triangles.

To cut the red triangles without wasting any fabric, fold one red strip in half. Use the Easy Angle to make the first cut, then the Companion Angle (line the edge of the fabric up with the 2" line) to cut two pairs of center triangles, then the Easy Angle again to make the last cut.

Assembly:

For each strawberry, you'll be constructing four flying geese units. Sew one green triangle along the side of a center red triangle. Press open. Sew a second green triangle along the opposite side and press open.

Don't have the rulers I used? There are several techniques for making flying geese here.

Sew one background half square triangle to each of the red half square triangles to make the corner sections.

Assemble the block as shown.

I put together my quilt with 2" sashing.

another kind of hole in the barn door

2011-12-13T14:18:00.000-08:00

This (try to ignore the fact that it might be the dustiest piece of cross stitch in existence) is why I quilt...

I don't even pretend to understand how I went from cross-stitching quilts to quiting quilts, let alone how knitting crept into the mix, but that's what happened. It's been years since I did any cross-stitching, not since before the move. All of my patterns and fabric are packed away behind everything else in the sewing room.

Take a look at these quilts and wheelchair totes that the members of World of Charity Stitching have been making. Aren't those just the best justification for every single cute pattern you've wanted to stitch?

I'm forcing myself to wait until after Christmas to go up and dig my supplies out. The floss is on the shelf under the window, but I won't get much done with just that!

design wall monday

2011-12-12T11:31:00.001-08:00

My big Orca Bay triumph for the week is that I know where all of the fabric for the project is. Probably. I know where enough to actually make the project is, but I won't be surprised if I find and throw in more reds and blues along the way.

I'm not done with any of the clues, but I've done at least a few pieces of the first three and I'm going to get to those red strips just as soon as I'm done with this:

UPS said it would be delivered by the end of the day tomorrow, so it was a happy (if a bit frightening) surprise to check my email this morning and read that it had already been left outside on my porch steps. I got to it before the local mail thieves, so I've got an extra day to work on my project.

I've also got two turorials to write and a tree stand to find and presents to buy and wrap....how many more days 'til Christmas?

To see more design walls, click over to Patchwork Times. For more Orca Bay updates, head over to Quiltville. And don't forget the Blog Hop Party and the rulers I'm giving away!

keeping track of the fabric

2011-12-11T10:47:00.000-08:00

This has been my first year of keeping track of my fabric acquisitions. Not purchases, because at least half was given to me. And most of what I did purchase was dirt cheap. I think I've spent an average of fifty cents a yard this year, and that was on the nicer stuff. I bought very little new yardage.

Next year, I'm going to follow Jo's example and separate my fabric into categories -- new fabric purchases, old fabric purchases, and fabric that was given to me.

Weekly Stash Report

Fabric Used this Week: 1.25 yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 82.25 yards
Added this Week: 3 yards
Added Year to Date: 1023 1/2 yards
Net Added for 2011: 941.25 yards

Yarn Used this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Used year to Date: 6640 yards
Yarn Added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Added Year to Date: 14525 yards
Net Added for 2011: 7885 yards

And then there's this:

When I add up the fabric that I've used for the week, I only count what's actually in the finished quilt, not the little leftover bits that are too small to be strings or crumbs. I've been tossing those bits into a bag when I cut scraps, intending to weigh them and add that total to my yardage used at the end of the year. I don't feel quite right counting it as "fabric used"....but it's not thrown away, either.

So I've got twenty-four yards of trimmings, and 30 yards of fabric that I donated back to Goodwill because it was still useful, just not for quilts.

And then there's the yarn -- most of the unused yarn for this year came in one box I bought at an estate sale for four bucks. Do I really have to count that as yarn I bought but didn't use? I don't want to toss it, because it's decent stuff and I've got kids making craft projects. But if it gets used for whatever they're tying up, it doesn't get counted toward my totals....and I threw away a whole bunch of tangled stuff last week without even thinking of counting it.

Have I mentioned that my record keeping isn't 100% accurate? But it does confirm that I brought home much more fabric than I used this year.

To see more weekly stash reports, click over to Patchwork Times. And don't forget the Blog Hop Party and the rulers I'm giving away!

finish it up Friday - Strawberry Stars

2011-12-09T10:44:00.000-08:00

Some of my favorite red and green scraps found their way into this little wall quilt. I started playing with the idea for this block back in July, drawing it out with pencils and graph paper. I started the blocks on Monday, because I wanted to see if that Companion Angle would do what I thought it would. And now I'm working on a tutorial for the little quilt. Check back for it later this week.

Strawberry Stars Tutorial

If you want a chance to win a Companion Angle and Easy Angle, leave a comment on this post before midnight on the 18th.

And to see lots more great finishes, head over to Finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.

my new favorite toy - and I'm giving one away!

2011-12-09T05:24:00.000-08:00

Quilting Gallery is celebrating its fourth birthday with a blog hop of quilty giveaways, which sounded way too much fun to miss out on.

If you haven't been by my blog before, I'm Michelle. I'm a stay at home mom to four kids and when I'm not homeschooling or running around with my family, I'm usually making scrap quilts. Sometimes knitting, but quilting is my main obsession these days. I love traditional quilts and the more different fabrics I can fit into one project the happier I am.

I've only been quilting a few years, but I'm fortunate to have a fantastic fabric stash thanks to my grandmother who, until recently, owned an antique mall. While she was looking for furniture and vintage treasures to resell, she was also keeping her eye open for fabric for me. Now that the antique mall has a new owner, she still hasn't stopped looking for furniture or fabric. I sew with whatever I can get my hands on and have an absolute blast doing it.

Now for my giveaway -- I'm giving away a Companion Angle ruler and an Easy Angle ruler.

I've had an Easy Angle of my own for a while, but never took it out of the packaging until the Orca Bay quilt along started. In the past two and a half weeks, I've used them to make hourglass units, and half square triangles for Orca Bay, and flying geese units for my own Strawberry Stars quilt.

I can't tell you how excited I am about these rulers! My biggest problem with triangles has always been that pesky 7/8" measurement. I can handle the bias edges, but it's that measuring that I go out of my way to avoid. With these rulers, I can cut triangles from the same strips I'm already using for squares. They're going to be great for projects where I only need a few triangles of each color.

To enter, just be a follower of my blog and leave a comment on this post before midnight, December 18. I'll draw a winner and send them off. Please make sure that you're not a no-reply blogger so I have a way to contact you if you are the winner.

meet Evil Santa

2011-12-07T23:09:00.000-08:00

This guy used to scare me every year when Grandma put him out for Christmas, in the same way that Red Riding Hood and the wolf hiding behind her grandma's bonnet did. They scared me, but I loved them just the same.

For as long as I've known him, he's had that blue spot on his hand and I've been wondering where it came from. His belt is around here somewhere - it fell off earlier this week when my youngest was dragging him around the house in a bear hug.

I think I've seen one of his twins lurking in every antique store I've ever been to. He doesn't scare me anymore -- although I do wonder who decided to give Santa that particular face. What about those features says "Merry Christmas?"

Grandma decided to get rid of him a few years back and of course that meant he had to come live at my house. My kids, most likely inspired by Invader Zim's Santa Song of Doom, have named him Evil Santa.

And of course they've never been even the slightest bit afraid of him.

This post is linked to Time Travel Thursday, Treasure Hunt Thursday, and Vintage Thingies Thursday

they're strawberries!

2011-12-06T05:41:00.000-08:00

It's not a Christmas quilt. Just forget that it's December and try not to make assumptions about the red and green. I got the idea for Strawberry Stars last summer but didn't start the quilt until this week.

What finally motivated me? The Easy Angle and Companion Angle. I'd been waiting until I got the 1" finished half square triangle die for my Go! Cutter, but after playing with my rulers for Orca Bay I decided to just go for it.

I chickened out a bit and I'm making slightly larger triangles than my original plan -- these are 1 1/2" finished -- which means I'll wind up with the same finished dimensions as my Grecian Squares quilt. Appropriate, since it was the Grecian Square quilt that inspired this one.

To see more design walls, head over to Patchwork Times.

Orca Bay - Clue 3

2011-12-05T10:48:00.000-08:00

While I was working on the first Orca Bay clue, I cut extra 2" strips of my black and neutral fabric to use in another project. That gave me a desperately needed jump start on the third clue.

It's the first time I've used my Easy Angle ruler and I'm loving this thing. My biggest problem with triangles has always been that pesky 7/8" measurement. I can handle the bias edges and I don't love the dog ears, but it's that measuring that I go out of my way to avoid. With this ruler, I could cut triangles from the same strips I was already using for squares. It's going to be great for projects where I only need a couple of triangles.

Need your own Easy Angle and Companion Angle rulers? Come back Friday -- I'll be giving away a brand new pair of them as part of the Quilter's Blog Hop Party! And be sure to visit Bonnie's Linky Party for this week.

Weekly Stash Report

2011-12-04T15:13:00.000-08:00

Not a lot to report this week...

Fabric Used this Week: .75 yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 81 yards
Added this Week: .5 yards
Added Year to Date: 1020 1/2 yards
Net Added for 2011: 939.5 yards

Yarn Used this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Used year to Date: 6640 yards
Yarn Added this Week: 450 yards
Yarn Added Year to Date: 14525 yards
Net Added for 2011: 7885 yards

Chickens at the Crossroads

2011-12-02T18:37:00.000-08:00

This red fabric was supposed to be chickens. I bought it to make a chicken quilt. And then I found something else I wanted to try, decided that I wanted to make it in red and yellow, and didn't realize until too late that I was using my chicken fabric.

So I totally embraced the chicken thing and bought a chicken novelty print for the backing. And then it sat for five years because I wanted to quilt it with chickens and didn't know how to quilt at all. Now I can quilt, but I still don't know how to do chickens -- which I'm sure has a lot to do with the fact that I've never actually tried to quilt a chicken.

I pulled out the top a couple of weeks ago, dug out the backing fabric from the drawer it's been in since I bought it five years ago, and thought about trying something feathery.

And then the urge to get it done and cross another UFO off my list before the end of the year was stronger than the urge to wait until I could figure out feathers and I just meandered it.

There seems to be a pattern developing here, one I'm not sure that I like. Last week's finish was supposed to be a bed size quilt, but I made it into a small throw with the blocks that I already had finished. Not because I didn't want to make a big version of that quilt, but because I convinced myself I'd never get around to doing it with those blocks.

Enough people are out there saying - to me and everyone else - that we're never going to do things. I don't need to start doing it to myself.

This post is linked to Finish it up Friday over at Crazy Mom Quilts and Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

not the way she planned it

2011-12-01T06:19:00.000-08:00

We want our projects to turn out well. We're upset when something goes wrong -- a color bleeds, a line isn't quite right, a yarn over in the wrong spot distracts from the otherwise perfect lace pattern. But I think too many of us are ready to completely give up on a project when it doesn't turn out as planned.

My grandma...my father's mother, not the one who finds me all of the wonderful bags of scraps at the thrift store...made this honey jar. She didn't date it, but I'm guessing it was 1979 or not long after, when she'd just taken up ceramics and was spreading the bug to the rest of the family. She was brand new at ceramics, otherwise I probably wouldn't have it today. Because it would have come out the way she intended it to.

The colors were applied in a layer of under glaze, then the piece was fired, then it was glazed and fired again. In the heat of the kiln, the powdery glaze melts into a permanent, glassy layer. Pieces with glazed bottoms are set on little metal stilts to keep them from sticking to the kiln shelves. Lids are fired separately from their bases.

Or that's how it's supposed to be done. The lid of my little honey jar is permanently attatched because that's the way it was when she fired it.

I remember standing in Grandma's kitchen a few days after it happened. I can't remember the story word for word, but I can remember how much work she'd put into this little piece and how disappointed she was. And I can remember exactly where the little ceramic house with the thatched roof was sitting on her kitchen counter. It stayed there until she died many years later.

Now it sits on the window sill in my kitchen. If it had turned out the way Grandma planned, it wouldn't have the story, or the memories. It might've gone to Goodwill or the estate sales. Instead, it is mine and my kids know its story. Maybe they'll save it themselves. Or maybe they'll save a quilt that's had scissor damage repairs or light stains where there were pennies duct taped to the back.

Or something else entirely.

This post is linked to Time Travel Thursday, Treasure Hunt Thursday, and Vintage Thingies Thursday

WFMW - more movies than we can possibly watch

2011-11-29T19:13:00.001-08:00

When I was a kid, my parents owned an appliance store. It was in the first days of VHS tapes and they had a handful of movies to rent...Heckle and Jeckle and another cartoon that I can't remember right now. Then videodiscs came along and they had a rental section of those.

I remember being so jealous of my friend whose parents had a VHS player because she got to rent movies from the Movie Shack. In hindsight, I'm thinking it might've been because they had movies I hadn't seen yet, not because they had that many more movies.

Fast forward a few more years and the appliance store moved to a different location and bought out the rental inventory of a place that was going out of business. For one glorious weekend, we had that inventory in boxes the middle of our kitchen floor. Hundreds and hundreds of movies right there and permission to watch them as long as we didn't get them out of order. Of course we didn't have the boxes with the descriptions, just titles of a bunch of movies we'd never heard of...but it was fun!

That's what streaming Netflix reminds me of. More movies than I could possibly watch, all of them right there. And they're not going away at the end of the weekend. (To make it even more fun, they've started adding lots of those dumb old horror movies that I never got to rent from the Movie Shack.)

Besides providing me with horror movies to listen to late at night when I'm quilting after the kids are asleep, there area ton of old television series for the family to watch. I was surprised by how much my little guys liked Flipper. Who'd have thought they'd like that one?

Right now, the kids are loving Ruby Gloom (kind of an animated girly Addams Family -- it's hard to explain, but absolutely adorable..and you'll have the song in your head for days) and Sgt. Frog (like a Japanese Invader Zim, but better).

This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT family.

Barn Charm Tuesday

2011-11-29T09:39:00.000-08:00

I love this old barn and its view of the mountains. It's next to a little white house that we drive by almost daily and the place is just so peaceful and well tended that passing by makes you feel that all is right with the world.

For more barns, visit Barn Charm Tuesday. There are some spectacular sunset shots, and an interior shot of sunlight emphasizing the gaps between the boards of an old barn.

Makes me want to go for a drive and look for old barns, but today we're staying home and I'm working on Orca Bay units. I set the timer yesterday and chain pieced hourglass units -- they really do go together fast if you can stop thinking of how MANY of them there are!

Orca Bay Step 2 -- I may be a convert!

2011-11-28T05:27:00.000-08:00

I was going to use muslin in my string blocks, because that's the way I always do it. Even after Bonnie said not to, I was going to go out and buy some really thin interfacing. The idea of ripping out paper scares me -- what if all of my seams fell apart?

Friday and the second clue came, and Bonnie was kind of adamant about not leaving anything in those blocks. She's never led me wrong before, so I took a deep breath and grabbed one of the phone books.

We live in the land of the thousand phone books. There's a book for the little town we live near, and one for the county, and another one for the county that has a different assortment of towns...and I have to have one for Salem where we do most of our shopping... Just to function, we need half a dozen. And they always deliver duplicates, and books by competing companies, and the whole thing is a bit ridiculous. But I've got phone books for string piecing! And for the kids to try out some of the things they saw on the Mythbusters phonebook episode.

I wasn't prepared for this step. I've got blue fabric, lots of it. All buried under other things. But it didn't take long to cut strips for a couple of test blocks.

It took even less time to assemble the blocks and peel off the paper. I think Bonnie's made me a convert, at least for this project!

Now it's time to find my strings and pull out the blue ones, and some blue crumbs for the corners.

I'm linking this post to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times and Bonnie's Orca Bay Linky Party at Quiltville.

My First Quilt

2011-11-27T09:35:00.000-08:00

Bonnie is having a First Quilts Linky Party!

Before I started my first "real" quilt, I did this. I can't tell you what I was thinking, other than that I'd read how to make squares in triangles and wanted to give it a try. It was a looong time before it got finished into a baby quilt. I think a big chunk of the binding still needs to be stitched down.

I do know what I was thinking when I started this one.

I'd been watching Fons and Porter's Love of Quilting on PBS and fallen in love with the split nine patch. But I was afraid of the triangles, so I did the whole thing with three inch squares. I think the layout I used came from a library book with different ideas for log cabin quilts.

The fabric is a combination of thrift store scraps and red tag clearance fabrics from Joann's. Half of the binding is cotton left over from a shirt I made in high school home economics. The muslin is the least expensive stuff I could find at Joann's using a coupon.

At the time I started playing with these blocks, I was still completely obsessed with knitting, so I made them a couple at a time, whenever the mood struck. It was a long time before I had the blocks all done -- by the time I laid them out on the floor and assembled the top, we were living in the new house and I'd had another baby. By the time I quilted it, my mother (who I don't think had started quilting when I started the project) had her longarm...did I mention that finishing this quilt took a while? And I'd started blocks for a bunch of other quilts that still aren't finished. There was the monkey quilt for Alex, and Dot to Dot, and my rail fence, which I wound up giving away to my best friend. And not long after that was the first of the log cabin quilts. It really feels like I've been doing this more than four or five years!

weekly stash report

2011-11-27T09:10:00.000-08:00

No new fabric for the second week in a row. I found a mistake in last week's math and fixed it, but I'm not sure how many other mistakes I might've made over the past few months. I've actually been wondering about that for a while now. Next year, I'm going to figure out a better way to keep written records.

Fabric Used this Week: 3.5 yards yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 80.25 yards
Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 1020 yards
Net Added for 2011: 939.75 yards

Yarn Used this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Used year to Date: 6640 yards
Yarn Added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Added Year to Date: 14075 yards
Net Added for 2011: 7435 yards

To see more weekly stash reports, click over to Patchwork Times.

skipping Black Friday (and showing off a finish)

2011-11-25T11:13:00.000-08:00

I started this quilt early in 2008, probably not long after I started my first "real" quilt top. There was a smaller experiment before that one, but I don't really count that one. The Plan was to make a big quilt. I cut some squares, made some blocks, and then a bunch of other quilts happened.

And somehow along the way the plan changed. I convinced myself that the blocks I'd already pieced wouldn't work with the scraps I've got now. I didn't like the muslin I'd used for the block centers, and didn't have any more of it to make more that would match. I wasn't going to take the blocks apart and put them back together -- why do that when I could just make a fresh batch?

I assembled the blocks into a top. And I let them sit. They'd still be sitting if I hadn't gone looking for a project to finish this week. Of course now that they're quilted, I'm back to wanting a bed-size version. I really do love those tiny squares of fabric -- they finish to one and a half inches.

Most years, I'd have been out standing in line long before dawn, after Black Friday deals. This year, I was more excited about the second Orca Bay clue. And Bonnie did not disappoint!

I had a feeling the strings would make an appearance soon -- and here they are! Itty bitty strings which actually look a lot of fun to piece.

they're all cut!

2011-11-23T06:17:00.000-08:00

My original goal was to get 100 of the hourglass units done this week. That
seemed like enough to count as decent progress, but not enough to overwhelm me. Now, I've got all of the pieces cut, and half of them sewn into pairs. And a few more assembled into the hourglass units.

All of those loose little triangles sitting in a pile at the side of my sewing machine make me nervous. I'm afraid that something will happen to scatter them and then I'll have to count again.

As much as I love playing with little pieces of fabric, I hate counting them --especially 448 of them. I'm not sure I've ever needed 448 pairs of anything before! The entire drunkard's path quilt took 320 units. Grandma's Donuts took 320 wedges.

I avoid counting pieces as much as I can.

For Quinn's Trip Around the World I know I need two hundred and sixteen strips. So I cut a bunch and assembled them into blocks and at some point I'll count the blocks and see how many more blocks I need and multiply it by six to see how many strips short I am. I did something similar with the pieces for Cabbage Roses, my drunkard's path quilt.

That's one of the reasons why I make so many quilts with 2 1/2" squares. I cut a bunch, use what I need, and toss what's left into my box of squares. Sooner or later they get used up. Or I need to cut more for the next project.

While I wait for the next clue, I'll see how many more of those hourglass blocks I can get sewn and finish up another UFO.

wfmw - a warm bathrobe

2011-11-22T18:42:00.000-08:00

We've lived in a series of old houses, each one a bit older than the last. There was the rental, an awesome little mid-century modern place that I wish I had more pictures of. After that, we bought a a house that had been built in 1944. It was old enough to have plenty of quirks, but not old enough to be neat. Now, we've got a ninety year old farmhouse.

This time of year, I start paying attention to whether or not I can feel my toes. I don't think the boys slow down enough to ever feel the cold, inside or out.

It was fall of 2005 when we moved in and by the time it was cold enough to turn the furnace on for the year, all Hell had broken loose. I was in the hospital, both houses had been broken into, and we were still trying to finish up the move from there to here and sell the other house. The furnace got turned on, we installed a brand new monoxide detector, and we didn't think much about it until the next gas bill came. Keeping this house really warm would cost more than we're willing to spend. So we bundle up.

Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote a post mourning my old bathrobe. My husband bought me a replacement for Christmas, and I bought a second replacement when I found it for five bucks at the thrift store a couple of months later.

I still wish I had kept that old purple robe. But the ones I've got now do the job. And I'm still keeping my eyes open for my dream robe. Sooner or later, I'll find it. (It may or may not be purple.)

It makes more sense to me to stock up on warm robes and quilts and socks than to spend extra money trying to keep the house a certain temperature. And it doesn't hurt that I'm finally off the blood thinners! Which also means I can have cranberries at Thanksgiving dinner and stop limiting my green veggies. Life, or at least this part of it, is good!

This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT family.

I love little pieces

2011-11-21T05:21:00.000-08:00

Quilts with little pieces make my heart go pitty-pat. Most of my quilts are made up of 2 1/2" squares, and sometimes I start to wonder if those aren't just a little too big. Usually, I convince myself that 2 1/2" is a perfectly reasonable size, especially for baby quilts that I'm giving to someone else's baby. But I will do a postage stamp quilt for myself with much smaller pieces one of these days. And a Lego Quilt.

The first step for Orca Bay is right up my alley. I hadn't done many hourglass blocks before. And I hadn't used this ruler. But I'm loving the technique and I'm using some of my favorite neutrals. Bonnie said to use up the icky stuff, but it only takes a 1 1/2" strip of each print and I plan on keeping this, so I'm using fabrics I love. Now that I think of it, I'm not sure if I even have any neutrals I don't love.

This post is linked to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times and Bonnie's Orca Bay Linky Party at Quiltville.

there was a reason I couldn't find it

2011-11-20T05:34:00.000-08:00

When I first discovered Quiltville a couple of years ago, I bought the two rulers Bonnie recommended. I knew one was the Easy Angle and, looking back, I assumed that the other one was the Companion Angle. That was the one she talked about when the clues for Roll Roll Cotton Boll came out.

Turns out, she also recommended the Easy Square Jr. and now that I look at the picture of that one, I'm pretty sure it the second one I bought when I bought my Easy Angle.

No wonder I couldn't find a ruler I never bought in the first place! (And no, I can't find the Easy Square Jr., either. But I'm not looking for that one, so it doesn't count.)

Now that I actually own the ruler I need, I've started cutting pieces.

Thanks for the advice on how to make this work without the special ruler. I knew I could do it, but trying to find that ruler was driving me nuts. And I really like that I can cut the pieces out of 1 1/2" strips. Whatever black and neutral strips I don't wind up using for this project will go into my pineapple quilt, whenever I start that.

Weekly Stash Report

Another week that no new fabric followed me home! Not a whole lot used up, since I've been recovering from the baby quilt binge.

Fabric Used this Week: 2 1/4 yards yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 76.75 yards
Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 1020 yards
Net Added for 2011: 868.75 yards

Yarn Used this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Used year to Date: 6640 yards
Yarn Added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Added Year to Date: 14075 yards
Net Added for 2011: 7435 yards

To see more weekly stash reports, click over to Patchwork Times.

more blacks!

2011-11-18T13:53:00.000-08:00

While I was searching around my sewing machine for my Companion Angle ruler, I found these blacks --

And some smaller pieces that I'll be able to use if I either find the ruler or decide that I never bought one in the first place and drive into town to buy one. Can I start with a different method and then switch to the ruler once I make it into town to buy another one? Or is that just asking for trouble?

While I'm cleaning up the sewing corner (because Thanksgiving is coming in less than a week, so it's time for that fun annual ritual), I'm also pulling out yellow fabrics because I stumbled across the instructions for Kiss in the Corner. How did I never see that one before?

Now what?

2011-11-16T06:20:00.000-08:00

I made a terrible mess of my sewing corner while I was working on the baby quilts. So the first thing on my to-do list is to get that straightened up. Then I need to finalize my fabric choices for Orca Bay, and figure out where I moved my green strips to. And I've got some little quilts that I'm anxious to get started on.

But right now I'm holding my breath waiting for the results of yesterday's ultrasound on my leg. I really hope the blood clots are gone, but I've been feeling something in there for the past six months. And the ultrasound tech did a lot of clicking. How is it that I'm not allowed to look at the images of my own leg?

I should get back to the fabric and distract myself.

I won goodies from Needles and Pens. Isn't that yellow print gorgeous? And the buttons -- I don't know what I'm going to do with those, but it's going to be cute!

wfmw - the space bar

2011-11-15T19:38:00.000-08:00

Did you know that instead of scrolling down with your mouse wheel and hoping that it'll stop on the right line, you can use your space bar to page down through one screen of text at a time? It makes skimming through the eye candy on the quilt blogs much easier on your hands!

There are all kinds of useful shortcuts. Especially when your daughter's bird bites a hunk out of your mouse cord. There's a more detailed list here that shows which shortcuts work in which browsers.

Just a handful can make your life a lot easier. In addition to the helpful space bar, try these --

Ctrl + c -- copy
Ctrl + v -- paste
Ctrl + f -- find
F5 -- reloads the screen

For more Works for Me Wednesday posts, visit We are THAT Family

only nine quilts

2011-11-15T09:36:00.000-08:00

The stupid pulled muscle won, and I only finished nine quilts. But seven of those quilts didn't exist at all a week ago, and the other two would've sat until who knows when. And isn't that the point of a challenge -- trying to do something you know won't be easy?

The two other times I've tried this ten-baby-quilts-in-ten-days madness, I've had a stack of partially started projects to start with. This time, I had one top and nine blocks and no real plans.

So I'm calling it a success. I'll try it again, but it's not going to be soon!

This post is linked to Fabric Tuesday and Finish it up Friday.

Baby Quilt Binge - Day 10

2011-11-14T09:38:00.000-08:00

#9 is done --

It's just this one with brighter colors and without the pieced background.

I have no idea what I'm going to do for the last quilt, but I've got fifteen hours or so to figure it out and get it done.

To see more design walls, head over to Patchwork Times.

12 1/4 Yards!

2011-11-13T08:50:00.000-08:00

That's got to be a record for me, especially since all of this week's little quilts were brand new projects. Excuse the bindings, they'll be sewn down soon!

#7 is the same as one of the blue sheet quilts

#8 is the isosceles triangle die again. And it's polyester. I cut the pieces for it when I did the two color quilt video. I'm not going to claim that it goes together the same as nice cotton from the quilt shop, but it's really not that bad to work with.

Two more quilts to go and two days to do them in...and one very pulled muscle in my shoulder. Have I mentioned how much I miss Ibuprofen?

Fabric Used this Week: 12 1/4 yards yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 74.5 yards
Added this Week: 8 yards
Added Year to Date: 1020 yards
Net Added for 2011: 945.5 yards

Yarn Used this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Used year to Date: 6640 yards
Yarn Added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Added Year to Date: 14075 yards
Net Added for 2011: 7435 yards

To see more weekly stash reports, click over to Patchwork Times.

Baby Quilt Binge - Day 7

2011-11-11T17:31:00.000-08:00

I've caught my breath and I'm back to work. This is baby quilt #7, all quilted and waiting for me to measure the purple binding and see if there's enough left. And I've got definite plans for #8 and #9. Three quilts to go....three days to go...I can do this!

Baby Quilt Binge - Day 6

2011-11-10T08:48:00.000-08:00

I'm going to step back and catch my breath today. The next three quilts are planned out and I'll be up early tomorrow morning, making them a reality. I'd forgotten how much fun these little quilts are to whip up one after another. Decide to try something to see how it will look, cut some squares, make a few blocks, dig out something to back it with, meander fun little curves and swirls, repeat!

Did I mention that I've been operating my the foot pedal of my sewing machine with my right foot for the past five days?

Baby Quilt Binge - Day 5

2011-11-09T08:39:00.000-08:00

Today, I am going to work on a quilt without a blue background! Because, as much as I love this color, they're all starting to look the same.

This is the third time I've made this heart pattern, which I found in an old quilting magazine. I changed the setting triangles to make them pieced and totally ignored whatever measurements the designer used, and I've gone by memory for the past two versions, so I'm not sure how mine compares to the published version. I thought I might have it out of my system for a while, but looking at it this morning, I still think a bed-size version with a white background could be a fun way to show off scraps.

I won't have as much quilting time today and tomorrow, so I'm going to try to find a quick idea that'll work with the fabric on top of the pile.

wfmw - just go ahead and call poison control

2011-11-08T18:20:00.000-08:00

When I was pregnant with my daughter, my supervisor at work told me a very sad story about the little neighbor girl who drank bleach. Have I ever mentioned that I'm a bit paranoid about keeping the bleach completely inaccessible to my kids? Nasty cleaning supplies, vitamins, medication...all of that stuff is where they can't get at it. And after seeing a story on the news last night about button batteries, I've really got the heebie jeebies about those now. My kids should be getting too old to put stupid things in their mouths...I hope!

It's the weird little things that have given me trouble. I mean, who gets mad and deliberately swallows his older sister's tooth? Who eats a glue stick? Or tries to suck the ink out of an empty printer cartridge?

Or the things that you can't believe they got their hands on. I was Christmas shopping with my youngest in my arms a couple of years back, digging through my purse and standing in the checkout line. With that awful speed that only young children headed straight for trouble have, he reached right over my shoulder, grabbed a fistful of petals from a poinsettia display I hadn't even noticed, and stuffed them into his mouth.

That scared me. It was too early to call the doctor's office and I was in an absolute panic, imagining my little baby in the emergency room getting his stomach pumped. Called the emergency line for our HMO -- and they had me call poison control. It turns out that poinsettias aren't as deadly as we've all been warned they are.

And why would anyone take a swig from the bottle of food coloring?! (Not to mention, who got it down from wher I had it hidden?)

The nice man at poison control actually laughed at me this week and suggested I take pictures to blackmail my child with once he's older. And I was pretty sure that it was harmless, but wanted to be prepared with real answers when Daddy got home and I had to explain the dark green teeth.

If you even think your child might've gotten into something, give them a call. I'm convinced that they have information about everything (Including ink cartridges...did you know that those have antifreeze in them?) They'll tell you what symptoms to watch out for. Or if, God forbid, you need to head to the emergency room.

And, every single time I've called, they've told me it was going to be just fine.

1-800-222-1222

This post is linked to Works for me Wednesay at We are THAT Family.

Note -- if this seems like a lot of calls for one Mom to have made to poison control, please keep in mind that it was spread over four kids and almost fifteen years!

Baby Quilt Binge - Day 4

2011-11-08T10:31:00.000-08:00

I may need to start looking for another brightly colored sheet, because finding ways to combine this blue sheet with my scraps has been so much fun. Having the blue to work with took care of one big decision. All I had left to do was pick out a pattern and the right handful of scraps.

Last night, I pin basted and quilted Blue Sheet Quilt #1 and Blue Sheet Quilt #3 -- those names are terrible, but at least it helps me keep track of which is which!

Bear with me, I only got half of the binding sewn down last night before the migraine won and chased me off to bed.

This is the one that started it. I wanted to do the scrappy churn dash blocks and was getting ready to dig out a white sheet when I stumbled across the blue one.

Once these two around bound and I get the binding hand stitched on the kaleidoscope quilt, that'll be five of my ten baby quilts done. Now I've got to start the next five from scratch.

This post is linked to Sew Cute Tuesday.

Rustic Pot Pie

2011-11-07T18:09:00.000-08:00

This afternoon, I took a little break from the baby quilt binge to go to the grocery store. The kids had finished off the last of the milk and I was running out of diet Coke and I really did need to figure out dinners for the next couple of nights...

I've been spectacularly uninspired for a long time now, rotating between spaghetti and tacos and white chicken chili. And with the cold I've been fighting this week, nothing sounds yummy.

There were a couple of emails in my inbox from Pillsbury that I hadn't deleted because they had decent looking possibilities. I couldn't remember exactly what they were, but I decided that was what we were having for dinner tonight.

So I made Rustic Pot Roast Pot Pies.

I substituted beef broth for the beer and cooked up some beef stew meat to chop up and add to the filling because I wanted it to be a little more substantial. And almost everyone ate their dinner -- that's a rarity lately. We'll be having this again.

Now that our fridge and bellies are full, it's time to get back to the quilts!

Baby Quilt Binge - Day 3

2011-11-07T06:30:00.000-08:00

Instead of sewing binding before bed last night, I put together another quilt top. I can do binding no matter what else is going on. Time to lay out diagonally set blocks without little feet stampeding over the top of them is harder to come by.

It's just Pumpkin Carving without the pumpkins. And another excuse to play with the blue sheet. I think there's just enough of it left for a fourth baby quilt, if I plan the blocks carefully.

The kaleidoscope quilt is quilted and the binding just needs to be hand stitched. I originally bought the fabric to make an Irish Chain, but this is so much better!

One of my biggest fears with two color quilts like this is what to use for the backing. I was sure I'd have enough if I pieced the two colors, but I still had to find a twelve inch strip of something else to bring it up to size. Not quite what I had in mind, but it works.

This post is linked to Patchwork Times and Fabric Tuesday.

Baby Quilt Binge - Day 2

2011-11-06T17:45:00.000-08:00

Late last night, I was sewing bindings and watching old television shows on Netflix, keeping an eye on my cell phone's clock to make sure that I didn't stay up too late. With the time change, I figured that as long as I went to bed by two, I'd get enough sleep before I had to get up at seven. And then somehow or other, I completely missed the part when the clock jumped back an hour and wound up going to bed an hour later than I meant to.

But I got the binding on the mouse quilt (Baby Quilt Binge #2) I'm still not wild about that wide border, but the quilting makes up for it.

This morning I pulled out my isoscoles triangle die and some cotton yardage that I bought last January and started making kaleidoscope blocks.

I love the illusion of overlapping curves, maybe more than I love real pieced curves. I definitely won't be up as late tonight, but hopefully I'll be able to get this one quilted and bound. After that, I've got one more top to quilt and the third blue sheet quilt...and then I'd better think of something new to start.

I'm going to stay home!

2011-11-06T06:16:00.000-08:00

Finally, I've got a stretch of days where I don't have to leave the house. I can go somewhere if I decide I want to, but there's no place I have to be. After weeks of running here there and everywhere, staying home sounds like the best idea ever.

So I'm planning another baby quilt binge - ten quilts in ten days. The last time I tried, my sewing machine died around day five or six. But I still wound up with six completed quilts and four new tops. This time, I don't have a head start, just the mouse quilt top and the blocks for Blue Sheet Quilt #1.

Saturday was day one. I got the blocks for Blue Sheet Quilt #1 assembled and cut the blue pieces I'll need for Blue Sheet Quilt #3. It looks like there's enough left for that fourth quilt I was hoping for.

And here's Blue Sheet Quilt #2 (Also known as Baby Quilt Binge #1) --

I made the blocks and assembled them Saturday afternoon, then got it quilted and bound before bed.

The applique mouse is quilted and waiting to be bound. I love the way the quilting makes the mouse and cheese stand out.

Weekly Stash Report

Fabric Used this Week: 5 1/2 yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 62.25 yards
Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 1012 yards
Net Added for 2011: 949.75 yards

Yarn Used this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Used year to Date: 6640 yards
Yarn Added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Added Year to Date: 14075 yards
Net Added for 2011: 7435 yards

Except for the yard of Ghastlies Mom gave me, I haven't brought any fabric home for a solid month.

To see more weekly stash reports, click over to Patchwork Times.

blue sheet quilt #1

2011-11-05T06:18:00.000-07:00

The blocks for the first blue sheet quilt are done. Somehow, I keep coming back to Churn Dashes, even though it's not one of my favorite blocks...maybe one of these days I'll figure out why!

I do like the way they look in this project. There are twenty different fabrics in each block, except for a couple I made at the end when I was running out of triangles.

Once I get the sashing on these blocks, I'll cut the rest of the squares I need for blue sheet quilt #2. And I'm almost positive I've got enough fabric left for #3.

I'm keeping my eye open for more bright solid sheets -- this is fun!

purple and white finish

2011-11-04T05:21:00.000-07:00

More proof that everything looks better once it's quilted!

This little purple and white top has been sitting since I cut the pieces while I was making the video for the Two Color Quilt. It was a wrinkled mess and I must've assembled these blocks in a hurry -- nothing lines up quite as well as it should.

I wasn't ever going to take those blocks apart and put them back together, so I pressed the worst of the wrinkles out and backed it with a purple striped sheet.

And I got the tutorial for the bats done before Halloween. And helped my daughter with a finish of her own that I can't blog about here because it's hers, but believe me, I'm glad to see it done!

This post is linked to >Can I get a WHOOP WHOOP? at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

How black does black have to be?

2011-11-03T12:08:00.000-07:00

With just a little bit of digging, I came up with some more blacks.

What I've really got to do is stop looking at finished quilts and seeing the black fabrics I've already used up. They're not in my stash anymore. I love the quilts I used them in. There's no point in wishing I had just a little bit left to add to my black pile for Orca Bay!

Before I took the picture, I was a little more concerned about my choices. The background of the witch hats is a bit brownish. The polka dots are polka dots. But they all seem to play nicely in the picture.

I've dug out my Easy Angle ruler, which I bought because one of Bonnie's other patterns called for it, and one that I thought was the Companion Angle but isn't. (It's actually part of a different set that I bought for a different project that I never made.) I'm sure I bought the Companion Angle when I bought the Easy Angle...hopefully I can find that one before the step that calls for it.

getting ready to plunge into Orca Bay

2011-11-02T06:31:00.000-07:00

Bonnie has announced her new mystery quilt, Orca Bay. I hadn't really thought about participating in this one until I read her fabric requirements. Then that little voice in the back of my head, the one that gets me started on so many different projects, started to remind me that I've got plenty of reds and blues and neutrals -- lots of neutrals... and this quilt is little enough that it doesn't scare the heck out of me!

It's the black I'm not so sure about... I've got blacks, just not a huge variety of them. But I'm sure I'll find more when I'm cleaning up my sewing corner. And if all else fails, Mom's got lots of blacks and maybe I can mooch a few pieces from her.

Back when Bonnie announced the colors for Roll Roll Cotton Boll, I had stacks of pink and green right in front of me, but decided not to go through with it. Bad decision.

This time I'm going to try not to let myself get too intimidated before the first step is released.

wfmw - Removing Glass Splinters

2011-11-01T16:00:00.000-07:00

I couldn't think of anything good to write about for works for me Wednesday this week. Now I'm wishing that I still didn't have any ideas!

My teenage daughter was doing the dishes and had nested two juice glasses in the strainer. I picked them up to remind her not to do that because they suction together and it's almost impossible to get them apart...They came apart. Very easily. And left me with shards of glass in the palm of my right hand.

Splinter removal is not one of my skills. I got rid of the glass bits that were visible, and I think I might've snagged this last one out when I was pressing on it with a towel to stop the bleeding, which was almost nonexistent, but any amount of blood gives me the heebie jeebies lately.

Just in case, I Googled "glass splinter removal" to see if there's a method that doesn't involve digging blindly with a straight pin.

Suggestions included pressing a piece of tape onto the area and then peeling it off. Or applying a layer of white glue and letting it dry before peeling it off. Or applying a paste of baking soda and water to draw the splinter. And there was one article on how to remove a splinter with bacon fat...we won't be trying that one! There are also a lot of different suggestions at NaturalNews.com.

The best bit of new-to-me information was to apply a bit of Baby Oragel to the area to numb it before trying to get the splinter out with tweezers or a needle. With a pack of kids who insist on running outside without shoes, I'll be using that trick next summer!

Regrouping

2011-10-31T09:37:00.000-07:00

re·group v. To form into a new grouping; To reorganize

Yup, that's what I need to do here! I'm done with deadlines, for the moment at least, and it's time to figure out what I've got in all of these piles next to my sewing machine.

There's Quinn's green quilt....and the alphabet sampler....and the first two blue sheet quilts...the pattern and fabric for Swoon....cheddar bow ties...some 1 1/2" strips I started cutting because I want to make a Lego quilt...Texas Braids...some little tops that need to be quilted...Scrap Vomit, if I can ever figure out what safe place I put my red and black Kona in...the applique mouse with the wedge of cheese...the hobo quilt...North Pacific...By the Lake...

And then there are the things I still want to start, and the possibility that Thanksgiving is coming and maybe I should move most of the fabric out of the corner of the dining room...

I've got a lot to do!

To see more design walls, head over to Patchwork Times.

Apple Core Bats

2011-10-30T11:41:00.001-07:00

Halloween is tomorrow?! How did that happen? I'm nowhere near ready for this. But I did get my bats, which I've been planning for months, finished this morning.

Did you realize you can make bats with the AccuQuilt Go! Cutter and the Apple Core die? Want to try some of your own?

In addition to the Apple Core die, you need some black cotton and paper backed fusible web.

For each bat, cut two rectangles of black fabric and one of fusible web. I cut my rectangles 6" x 8". If you're using a different apple core pattern, measure and cut a rectangle slightly larger than the cut shape. Iron the fusible web to the wrong side of one black fabric rectangle, then peel off the paper backing and iron the second black fabric rectangle to the exposed fusible web. You're creating a slightly stiff sandwich of fabric.

Cut out your apple core. The die leaves a little triangular tab in the center of each curve to aid in piecing. Trim those off so that the outline of your bat is smooth.

To give the wings some dimension, sew a straight seam down the center of the piece, using the longest stitch length on your sewing machine. Leave long strings on either end and do not back stitch.

Gently tug on the threads to gather the bat's body. When you've got it how you want it, knot the thread at both ends and trim it.

For the body of your bat, cut two 1 1/2" wide strips of black fabric. This time, you'll add the fusible web to both pieces.

Lay one 1 1/2" strip under the wings and one 1 1/2" strip over them, carefully lining up the edges. I used one of the bigger pieces of paper backing left over from the wing sections to make sure that none of the fusible web got onto my iron. Gently press the pieces together until they're fused. It will flatten your bat's wings a bit.

Trim the ends of the strips to shape the bat's head and tail.

I plan on joining a dozen or so bats at their wing tips to make a bunting.

Weekly Stash Report

2011-10-30T08:47:00.000-07:00

This is the third or fourth week in a row that I've resisted temptation. I think I'm starting to hit that point where the longer you go without shopping, the easier it gets.

Fabric Used this Week: 1.25 yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 56.75 yards
Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 1012 yards
Net Added for 2011: 955.25 yards

Yarn Used this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Used year to Date: 6640 yards
Yarn Added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Added Year to Date: 14075 yards
Net Added for 2011: 7435 yards

Blogger's Quilt Festival - Birds in the Air

2011-10-29T18:42:00.000-07:00

It's Blogger's Quilt Festival time again, and because I haven't finished anything big or ambitious in a while, I'm pulling out one of my favorites.

I'm honestly not sure how or why I made this quilt. At the time, I'd never worked with triangles before. I certainly didn't know how to do applique. About the time I was starting this one, my best friend had decided to do an improved nine-patch, complete with curves and templates. Compared to that, maybe this project looked easy!

Many quilts after I'd finished this one, triangles still made me nervous. I remembering stumbling across it at one point and having this weird "Hey, I've done this many triangles before -- what am I so scared of?" moment. It's also proof that I can manage enough blocks for a bed size quilt. I originally wanted to make it smaller, but I didn't want to sacrifice any of the blackbirds and didn't want to crowd them together.

This is my favorite leap-before-you-look quilt, and it proves what you can accomplish if you don't think about it too hard before starting that first block.

being afraid

2011-10-29T10:24:00.000-07:00

Why is it that so many of us are afraid of our quilting tools? Not the sharp rotary cutters and hot irons -- that's the kind of fear that makes sense. I'm talking about the fear where you're afraid to take your new toy out of the box.

I've got a basting gun I've never tried, and a Cricut I got for Christmas last year that I haven't even touched. And then there's my Featherweight -- I'm beyond scared of breaking that! What if I can't get them to work?

I've been having trouble with the bobbins on my Janome for a couple of years now. They just don't wind properly anymore, even after I've had my machine serviced twice in the past year. I have to turn the speed down and hold my breath and sometimes rewind the same bobbin four times just to get one I can sew with.

This week, I finally broke down and bought a Sidewinder. If it saves me even a fraction of the time I spent fighting with the bobbin winder on the Janome, it'll be an absolute Godsend. But anything to do with bobbins stresses me out lately.

If I didn't need something to blog about this morning, it would probably still be in the box.

It wound my bobbins -- now I guess the question is whether they'll work for free motion quilting. Are they wound evenly enough? I think I've forgotten what a properly wound bobbin looks like.

getting it done before we go trick or treating

2011-10-28T08:49:00.000-07:00

I set the second drab top aside while I worked on baby quilts. Once something in my sewing corner gets set aside to work on something else, it can take me a while to find my way back to it, but Finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts is giving me some motivation. So I could get this one photographed this morning, I hand stitched the binding late last night while the kids were at a Halloween party and I was off in a corner with the other moms.

My first drab quilt started as a way to use up some scraps that wouldn't work well in the baby quilts. Then I pulled in some favorite scraps from my darks bin and really started to fall in love with the combinations. And now I want a big version of this quilt for myself!

I'm linking it to the Abundant Thanks linky party over at I gotta Create. I'm very thankful for my abundance of scraps and warm quilts to snuggle under!

I've entered Carving Pumpkins in the Halloween quilt contest over at Quilting Gallery. Voting is open through 11:59pm Sunday night and there are some fantastic Halloween quilts over there to drool over!

wfmw - just let them enjoy themselves

2011-10-26T11:13:00.000-07:00

When we took the kids to the Denver Zoo a couple of months ago, I got a case of the Mommy Guilts. We'd been wandering through the zoo for hours and come to the fish. I don't think anyone in our family was too enthusiastic about the fish -- by that point, we were trying to find the komodo dragons so we could see them and get back to the car.

I saw another mommy who was reading every sign to little ones, making sure that they understood the fish in the tank was the one who kept its babies in its mouth, "like the one in Finding Nemo!" She was so perky and so enthusiastic, puffing out her cheeks and everything.

And it hit me that I hadn't read my kids a single sign in the entire zoo. I'd skimmed a couple myself to answer questions, but I definitely wasn't being a perky tour guide. The kids have watched enough Animal Planet and National Geographic that that probably know most of what's on those signs...but I still felt a bit like I was shirking my mommy duties.

Then last week my littlest one came running up with a book about fish showing me a picture and telling me, at the top of his enthusiastic little lungs, that it was a glass catfish, just like we saw at "that place we went that time" and he could see right through it.

THAT'S why we took them to the zoo -- so they could have fun and learn about the animals for themselves.

For more Works for me Wendnesday posts, visit We are THAT Family.

Barns and UFOs

2011-10-25T05:38:00.000-07:00

Old barns fascinate me. Since we moved to the country five years ago, I'm lucky enough to see them every time I leave my house. Actually, I can see a couple just by looking out the window.

The one is at our favorite nursery. I always find myself wondering what it was like before it was converted to a gift shop...what dusty treasures might be hiding behind those upper windows...

Because there are never enough neat old barns to drool over, check out Barn Charm Tuesday.

I'm getting a little work on my projects done. Now that the 100 Quilts for Kids challenge is over, I pulled out and pin basted drab quilt #2. I'm wavering between really loving this flannel as a backing and just thinking it's good enough. Either way, I'm using it.

And I'm getting ready to cut up this pile of 4" squares that I found in one of the scrap bags. The very darks and very lights will get cut into strips for my next log cabin variation, and the rest will get cut into 2" squares for By the Lake, a long forgotten UFO.

It feels so good to be working on projects again!

This post is linked to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

Design Wall Monday

2011-10-24T05:48:00.000-07:00

Here are the first two of the blue sheet baby quilts.

My little helper insisted on laying out the last two blocks himself, but you get the idea. My older helper walked past and thought it was going to be one quilt with a churn dash border around a nine-patch center. I think I like that idea and will try it later with a different background and scrappier fabrics to make it more of an everything-goes scrap quilt.

One quilt leads to the next, which leads to the next...

To see more design walls, head over to Patchwork Times.

Weekly Stash Report

2011-10-23T05:02:00.000-07:00

This is the second straight week that I've managed to avoid temptation. I haven't even looked at Craigslist, have stayed out of the thrift stores, have avoided Joann's... I might've walked quickly through the fabric department at Walmart, but that barely counts. And I did go to Ben Franklin Crafts, but they got rid of their quilting department a while back, so that doesn't count at all. And the yarn prices were too terrifying for me to even be tempted.

That one yard of fabric I'm reporting? It's a yard of Ghastlies Mom picked up for me on a shop hop. I'm counting the days to the Ghastlie Event so I can figure out what I want to do with it.

Fabric Used this Week: 1.5 yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 55.5 yards
Added this Week: 1 yards
Added Year to Date: 1012 yards
Net Added for 2011: 956.5 yards

Yarn Used this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Used year to Date: 6640 yards
Yarn Added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Added Year to Date: 14075 yards
Net Added for 2011: 7435 yards

To see more weekly stash reports, click over to Patchwork Times.

130 Mini Quilt Blocks

2011-10-22T06:49:00.000-07:00

I've been to the library again, adding to my list of books I'd like to own.

130 Mini Quilt Blocks
A collection of exquisite patchwork blocks using ready-made fabric bundles
by Susan Briscoe

This is a neat little book. The hundred and thirty blocks promised by the title are divided into ten chapters. Many of the blocks are familiar, but there are quite a few that I've never seen before. If I've got one complaint about this book, it's that the blocks aren't all the same finished size, so if you plan on using it to make a sampler quilt, you'll have to pick all of your blocks from the same chapter.

The few necessary templates are all included in the back of the book and are all full size. There's an introductory chapter that briefly covers fabric selection and cutting, different techniques used to assemble the blocks, and quilting. Scattered through the book are suggested uses for the blocks. I found several little quilts that I'd like to make. Those tempting little projects are what sets this book apart from other block collections.

the accidental purple quilt

2011-10-21T05:02:00.000-07:00

The accidental purple quilt is quilted and bound. I was planning to go back and make the quilt I thought I was making once this was done, but now I'm thoroughly distracted by that blue sheet and my plans for it.

I'm glad I dragged my feet a bit once the top was done. The fabric I planned to use as a backing, just to get it used up and out of my stash, will be much better for the blue sheet quilts.

This post is linked to Finish it up Friday over at Crazy Mom Quilts and Can I Get a WHOOP WHOOP? at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

our coconut puzzle

2011-10-20T05:56:00.000-07:00

Hubby bought a coconut at the grocery store. I'm not sure what his ultimate plans for it are -- guess that's the first part of the puzzle!

After he'd baked it in the oven and split it open and somehow got the meat separate from the shell, he left the pieces out. That's when the fun started.

This has got to be the BEST wooden puzzle ever!

All day, my little guys were putting the pieces back together and karate chopping them apart. They made it into a little building like the African huts we saw at the zoo a couple of months back. They did not lose a single piece. Not until I decided that I wanted a picture of it.

As wonderful as I think they are, I gave up on wooden puzzles a long time ago because as hard as I try, we cannot keep them intact. But my sons will take care of a coconut. And, really, it is neater than the puzzles were. I'm betting they'll find that missing chunk by the end of the day.

Should I mention that this thing is not that easy to reassemble? I'll stick to wondering how many baby quilts I can get out of that one blue sheet. I'm guessing at least three...but now I've got five ideas I want to try.

I needed a new project...

2011-10-19T05:32:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to experiment with some big Churn Dash blocks since I started dreaming up the extra scrappy pinwheels. When I put it together, this will be a 12" block. I'm thinking that nine of them with some sashing will make a good baby quilt.

I do not remember buying this blue sheet. I know I bought one when the thrift store was closing, but I'd have sworn it was a totally different color. Usually when fabric and yarn changes color while I'm not looking, it's changing away from the color I want. This blue is going to be a perfect background, and I've got a print for the backing that I think will go well with it...assuming it's wide enough. I really should go measure that stuff!

WFMW -- Itty Bitty Apples

2011-10-17T16:04:00.000-07:00

My little guys love to eat apples, but only if they're whole apples. Cutting them into slices ruins them -- at least that's what they tell me. They want whole apples, but they rarely eat more than a few bites.

That's why I'm loving these itty bitty apples that I found at Wal Mart. They were about the same price per pound as the regular apples and my little guys will eat almost the whole thing before deciding that they're done. More apples in my kids, less apples in the garbage or the chicken coop... definitely works for me!

For more Works for Me Wednesday posts, click over to We are THAT Family

It's all in my head

2011-10-17T05:30:00.000-07:00

I've got all of these ideas for things that would be on my desgin wall today...if I'd had time last week to work on them. This week is going to be different! Giving up my quilting time and going to bed early didn't leave me any less tired than staying up and quiting does (twice the sleep, and I'm more exhausted -- I blame the increased dose of blood thinners) so I think I'll stay up and quilt.

These little tops need to be finished --

And I've got a bunch of other projects I want to start!

resisting temptation

2011-10-16T05:43:00.000-07:00

No new fabric or yarn or anything to report this week. I did order a new die for my Go! Cutter, but I used Swagbucks gift certificates, and it isn't fabric or yarn, so that doesn't count. (If you're wondering what Swagbucks is, I've blogged about it before here. Basically, it's a search engine that rewards you with random points you can use to earn Amazon gift certificates. I've bought quite a few dies that way.)

No fabric used this week, but I did deliver three baby quilts to the pregnancy center and get the pattern for the pumpkin quilt done.

Fabric Used this Week: 0 yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 54 yards
Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 1011 yards
Net Added for 2011: 957 yards

Yarn Used this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Used year to Date: 6640 yards
Yarn Added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Added Year to Date: 14075 yards
Net Added for 2011: 7435 yards

To see what everyone else is up to, click over to Patchwork Times.

my Nutella didn't swirl

2011-10-15T09:02:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what the proper technique for swirling Nutella into pumpkin bread batter is, but that's okay. This whole project was mainly an excuse to eat pumpkin anyway. And there was just enough Nutella in my piece to convince me that it would be fantastic if I could figure out how to get it through the whole loaf. Without it, it was darn yummy.

I used this recipe and made big loaves instead of muffins.

It was supposed to be dessert after we finished the pot roast, but my husband dind't know what I was up to and brought home ice cream. So the kids had blackberry ice cream and pumpkin bread. Except for one, who had leftover pot roast with her ice cream. I can't decide which is the weirder combination.

having a nice morning

2011-10-14T12:05:00.000-07:00

It's kinda chilly outside, damp but not really raining. I've got a pot roast and lots veggies to put on the stove later. The activity we were supposed to attend (and I was guiltily planning to skip) was cancelled at the last minute.

This is nice. I like staying home.

Maybe I'll try baking something yummy for us to nibble on while the roast is bubbling away. These look good.

We all know I don't have the time or patience to make a bowl full of felt pine cones, but that's not going to stop me from wanting to. I have some felt, but there's definitely not a Styrofoam ball to be had anywhere in this house. Because Styrofoam is just too irresistibly crumbly (remember, I've got little boys) and wouldn't last a second if it did find its way in here.

I absolutely want to tape vintage pie tins to my kitchen wall. And I know I could find some at the estate sales around here.

And I kinda want to make a Capri Sun Bag Tutorial like this one at Me and My Boys.

Go to Lilly's Lace and look at all of those old wedding pictures. I'm swooning over some of those bouquets.

Meridian Road has reminded me that I've got a really neat paper cutter of my own. We adopted it, I think, from my grandparents' estate sale. Or when the appliance store closed. Either way, it's been in the family since it was new. I couldn't let the kids know that it even existed so it lived in a pantry cupboard. Until I forgot it existed.

Have you seen the Pop Bottle Curtain over at sewtakeahike? I have got to learn paper piecing. I sorta get how it's done, but I'm nowhere near as good as I'd need to be to tackle the projects I keep falling in love with.

What are you all up to today?

100 Quilts for Kids - the second batch

2011-10-13T05:30:00.000-07:00

I planned on making a bunch of new baby quilts for 100 Quilts for Kids. That didn't happen, so I raided my quilt ladder and the only baby quilts I found still hanging on it are on their way to the pregnancy center.

Now I've got to get the lap quilts to the nursing home. I was waiting for nice weather, then I was waiting for my knee to heal enough to make the drive, now I'm waiting for a free afternoon.

Pumpkin Carving!

2011-10-12T05:38:00.000-07:00

Every year, I talk about making a Halloween quilt. And every year, I spend the fall months working on anything and everything but a Halloween project. This year, I've got a quilt done and hanging on the wall with a few weeks to spare.

Want to make your own little pumpkin wall quilt? It's easy!

You'll need 1/4 yard of orange for the pumpkins (add a little extra if you're using a different die or pumpkin pattern), 1/8 yard of yellow to light up their faces, 3/4 yard black or dark grey print for the blocks and binding, and a yard of tan for the background and blocks.

You'll need to make nine pumpkin blocks as shown in the video (place your pumpkins on point on 6 1/2" background squares.) The sixteen nine-patch blocks are strip pieced from 2 1/2" strips -- or assembled from individually cut 2 1/2" squares, whichever technique you prefer.

For the twelve side setting triangles, cut three 9 3/4" squares twice on the diagonal as shown -

For the four corner setting triangles, cut two 5 1/8" triangles in half as shown -

Lay out the quilt blocks as shown in the photo and assemble in diagonal rows -

Quilt and bind and hang it on your wall in time for Halloween!

And come back in a few days so I can show you how to make bats with your Apple Core die!

wfmw - reserving library books

2011-10-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

With two little boys who still can't visit the children's section without an adult, picking out library books for myself can be a bit of a challenge. Don't get me wrong -- I totally agree that little kids shouldn't be wandering the huge library building alone!

Browsing the new fiction section with a five year old and a six year old is a bit challenging. The last time I tried it, I wound up hissing at another woman's little boy to stop bounding up and down and touching the ugly stained glass. I honestly thought he was one of mine, and I immediately apologized to her, and I still feel bad about it.

It's better for everyone if I can just spirit my youngest upstairs to the children's section where everyone is okay with bouncing and there's no tempting art to manhandle. That's where the online card catalog comes in. I can browse books from home, reserve the titles I want, and bribe my teenager to get them off the shelf for me.

The descriptions on the library's website are vague, if not non-existent. That's where Goodreads comes in. It's got all the descriptions and reviews I could ever want, and it lets me keep a list of books I want to read. I haven't had the best luck with the new recommendations feature - maybe because it's basing its suggestions on books I read a long time ago and not what I'm reading now. It works better for me to pick a book I just read and loved, go to Amazon, and look at the "customers who bought this item also bought" lists.

I decide what I want to read, add it to my list of books to read at Goodreads and pick a couple of titles whenever I'm running low on things to read.

Works for me! To see what works for others, click over to We are THAT family.

Best of Fons & Porter Scrap Quilts

2011-10-11T05:32:00.000-07:00

I've been reading a lot more fiction lately, so it's been quite a while since I remembered to check the library for new quilt books. But this week, I remembered and came home with Best of Fons & Porter Scrap Quilts.

I own a lot of books of scrap quilt patterns and I've borrowed and flipped through a lot more. This just might be my newest favorite (along with Bonnie Hunter's books and Scrap Basket Surprises.) The only thing that's stopping me from ordering my own copy right now is that "best of" in the title. I've got a lot of issues of Fons & Porter and might own most of these patterns already.

In addition to the cover quilt, I really want to make this one:

And this one:

And most of the other quilts in the book.

There's such a variety of quilts and techniques here, stuff I already know how to do as well as things I've been wanting to try but haven't tackled yet. Curves and applique and embroidery and set in seams...and there seems to be just enough instruction that I wouldn't need to go online or drag out anothr book to research techniques.