Mandala Beginnings

Mandala Quilt Layout Plans

Have I told you about my Mandala Quilt yet?  I am really looking forward to starting this one after the New Year.  These aren't the true colors I will be using, but I have finally selected them.  All of my fabrics are sitting here waiting for me with little murmurs of "why aren't you working on us?   My first step will be to create the applique center.  Isn't that going to be something?  I'm planning on piecing the straights and then ironing under the curves and hand appliqueing each of the layers.  Does that sound like a good plan to you?

I am actually planning this one to be 100% mine.  So often I get wrapped up in working on these huge beautiful quilts and especially in the spring it's a real bummer to make my own bed, with something that doesn't begin to compare to what I've spent all day working on.

What are your plans?  Promise me you've taken a moment to just enjoy the season and breathe, without having to worry about anything.  Are you done with your holiday shopping?  I've been done since my last box arrived yesterday.  Thank goodness, now I can just cuddle with my daughter and pat my sick husband on the back and enjoy the season.  I wish you all the same, minus the sick spouse of course!

Christmas Teach-In Quilt

Great American Teach-In Quilt

Detail of DD's picture

My theme for this year's Great American Teach-In  was "What makes me Me".  I was very impressed with Spoonflower's new color profile as it captured the children's drawings just as they had drawn them.  With no shift and nice texture.  DD said it was like I took all the drawings and sewed them together.

I wrapped the quilt in a pretty pink bag and off it went to school today for the Teacher.  Next year I'm thinking perhaps I'd like do have the children make a small project, likely with fabric that they could take home.  The rush of making a quilt last minute, right before Christmas like this really doesn't suit how I'm making quilts these days.  

Our Tree With Packages

I mentioned my Christmas tree in my last post and you all were just the push I needed to have DD help me wrap up DH's presents, of course because I had everything out, so I just flowed from wrapping gifts for one person to another and another. 

Tiny is coming for Christmas.

Our School doesn't do a traditional Christmas program as I recall from years gone by, but she reads to a really great group called Tail Waggin' Tutors (they are an international program staffed with amazing owners, and fully trained therapy dogs), this was her second Christmas party with them and they did a wonderful job.  The below picture is DD singing and signing in Sign Language.

Sing and Sign

We are all ready for Christmas and just in time to, with the cold front sweeping the nation.  How are you on your Christmas Shopping and Wrapping?  Only 4 days left you know.

First Package of the Season

Tiny my Wrapping Elf

Merry Christmas!

How is the holiday season treating you?  We seem to be running in slow motion.  I wrapped our first presents last week for my friend that I make the dog dresses for.   What did I give her?  Dog Dresses of course.  The first one is a fleece one that I made two of (cut from the same fabric but turned out very different) with one going to a dog my mom knows and the other to my friend.  Then the purple dress, I actually made in November and it was just so pretty I couldn't part with it for the normal rate so my friend Vicki suggested it as a Christmas gift.  Both Dresses were wrapped in tissue paper and then into their own wrapping paper packages.  I had lots of help from Tiny!

Christmas Gifts of Dog Dresses

Do you have anything wrapped up under your tree yet?  Mom always maintains a tree with nothing under it looks naked, but personally with pets and DD asks silly questions about whose is whose, it's easier to leave off the wrapping for a little bit.  I actually wondered if I would hold off and let the elves bring the presents on the 24th...  But really all the wrapping needs done before DD is out of school for Christmas Break - right?

Quilts for Sale

Hello everyone.  I emptied out my Zibbet Shop for the moment in order to place most of my quilts that are finished and awaiting homes on ebay.  With our furnace out I'd like to buy one of those media electric fireplaces for DH for Christmas (or have enough for a replacement furance) and I don't have anywhere near enough without selling a couple of quilts.  Current listings end Monday evening and include Free Motion Strip Quilt, Lollipop Quilt, Peppermint Burst Quilt, Scatty Stars, Earth Turtles, Hawaiian Ocean Applique, and this year's CQAL Mystery Quilt-a-long Quilt.  So if you have ever wanted a Sand and Sunshine Quilt now is the time.

All quilts are listed with free shipping within the United States and as I have more than one or two followers from outside those boundaries if you one of those and are interested in making a purchase just let me know and we'll work it out.

Equal and Opposite

All things are obey the laws of physics.  Especially quilting.  Now hold on there and let me explain.  For each and every action a quilter takes that quilter has a opposite reaction that will also happen.  For example.  A quilter takes a quilting class and learns a new technique.  The results?  You'll either be swearing off ever doing that again, or you'll certain to be making something that utilizes what you learned.

Take for example my friend Sue.  She thought she would border out her Lone Star Quilt with friendship blocks.  The results?  Having to make 56 friendship blocks.

My personal example is this.  If you make a huge border and fill it with applique...  You'll have a lot of applique to quilt!  Remember all that Wisteria?  Uh hu.  Remember all those leaves?  Remember there being no good way to travel through all that quilting?  Yep hours and hours of quilting.  And so many starts and stops I was actually having to cut my jumpers to quilt within the each new area.  What a challenge!  I told DD that I promise not to take on another contract quilt for a (long) while.  She paid me no mind one way or the other.  I'm not sure if she didn't believe me or not.   But thankfully I can say that I now have every speck of Wisteria quilted.  No, I can't show it to you.  The threads aren't tucked, and it looks - oh such a sight!  Which is more to my physics point.  It doesn't look pretty yet so I don't want to show you.

All of my sewing meant that I missed my Lone star Quilt-a-long day.  Thankfully I wasn't hostessing hu?  Anyway I don't have anything to show.  I had thought I'd dig out the Fabrico pens and see if I could get a bit more ink out of them.  But really, didn't you notice?  It's December 1st!  That means it's 23 days until Christmas!    ACK!  Someone slow down Santa!

Lilly's Garden Quilt Grows White Wisteria

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!  For Thanksgiving I seem to have picked up a bug, after days of just feeling bla with my bones aching, the fevers where actually somewhat of a relief.  Don't bother worrying, I felt better enough today to work in the sewing room.  Right I bet you gals know exactly how much better that makes me.  LOL!

White Wisteria and Fairy Ring Applique 

I affixed all of the Calla Lilies, and changed the toadstools into more of a fairy ring shape and then I added a branch of White Wisteria.  The angle of the new branch allowed me to lengthen a couple of the distant purple Wisteria and it you look you can see there is a bit of a graduation line between the white the purple and then the pink.  My next step will be to applique this and then I can start working on filling up that second side of this border and getting on to the remaining 2 borders.

Oh and I have learned a trick to cutting the Wisteria leaves.  Now that I have a solid grasp on how the grow I can rough sketch one on the Steam-a-Seam (2).  Carefully cutting the first branch out I can then rough in the next branch using the spaces of scrap bits to draw in the first side of leaves, then the branch is drawn and the second side of leaves drawn to match.  It goes more quickly this way and my scraps are even smaller than before.

Lilly's Garden Quilt Races to be a Flismy

Lilly's Garden Quilt Flimsy
nearly finished

Lilly's Garden Quilt is really coming along.  As I mentioned it was delivered yesterday (along with some glowing compliments on what I've done so far.    I have run working on it ever since.  I worked on it yesterday until about 15 minutes to midnight, before it let me have my peace to call it a night.

DH took the pictures and this image on the left which I thought was perfect, he cut off the bottom. Then the one on the bottom he cut off the sides, but we'll let him squeak by about it this time.

Lilly's Garden Quilt Flimsy Second View

Right now I'm thinking a slender branch of Wisteria coming off the end of the branch and into the background space a bit more is in order, as well as the big calla all the way on the bottom right, I have quilt a long stem for that which I didn't cut off.  I'll plan to run that up a bit more to make it taller.  What else do you see?  Any thoughts?  Now if you're wondering where this is going I've added a thumbnail of the quilt at the bottom so you can see.  I need to add a long strip of the dark blue to each side.  Then around that will be the piano key boarder that I've been looking forward to (with occasional dread) and it will be all ready for quilting.

Lilly's Garden Quilt
Mock Up

Black Friday Double Check Confirmed

It seems the old adage that I grew up with; Sears will make things right still rings true.  They sent a email to DH, apologizing for the issues with the doorbuster tv we purchased Sunday during their Member's only Black Friday preview sale.  They made it right in such a way that we were able to pick a tv which better suited our needs within our shoe string budget, and DH brought it home and set it up today.  DD loves her coat, DH is glad he doesn't have to face a 2 am cold closed store on Friday morning, so now everyone is happy.  

I'm especially happy and it has nothing to do with Black Friday at all!  I now have my hands on the center for Lilly's Garden Quilt, and I've been up most - oh I see - all of the night working on it.  It now measures a glorious 56" x 88", look for an update very soon when I spread it out and photograph it.

Serger Lace

Did you know you can use a Serger to make lace?  I was looking for information on tension adjustment and discovered it.  Unlike a blanket edge or a hem that goes around and around, this little dress on DD's AG Kailey Doll is actually a dog dress so there was some stopping turning and heading back. I really like the design though.  I think my thread stash needs to swell a bit to include these heavier threads so I can do it more often.  Don't you agree?

Today is the Great American Teach-In.  My theme is What Makes You, You?  I have sheets of paper cut into squares which each child can draw whatever they like.  Ideally they will all have colored pencils so the medium at least will be the same, but if not then when I scan them in I'll just have to hope I can color adjust the tones evenly.  This will be a custom printed panel as I did when DD was in VPK.  Wish me luck!

CQAL November Evening

 A Day's Worth of Pot Holders

I wanted to make pot mitts and so I did.  I took the free Hoffman Pattern I have listed on my sidebar and tweaked it a bit.  Personally I found the mid-line pocked to be to small and knew I wouldn't like it.  So instead I went with the pocket you can see on the upper right pot holder.  The patter also called for two pieces of fabric folded in half for the part over your hand, that seemed skippy and you never know when the oven timer is going off and you might try to grab something out of the oven with the pot holder on upside down - can you hear the voice of experience?  So I stuck all the heat resistant batting in there that I could as well.

These are quilt thick with two layers of fabric plus two layers of batting in each side, so I shoved the tops through the serger before I added the binding.  Can you tell I ran out of the blue binding?  I think the red looks nice though.  I was planning on giving these as pairs which would mean one person would get a red and a blue.  What do you think about that?   Or should I share the love and give them as singles?   

Currently I'm trying to think of what to attach to the top so these can hang?  DH just got home and when I told him my concerns about the pretty little bows touching 350 degree metal, he said they would be ruined.  So what can I use that my little trees can hag up?  

I hope you had a good day sewing.  I spent some time shopping the preview ads for Black Friday.  I wont be venturing out, but I bet I can find a loyal husband who will do it for me...

CQAL: November Morning

Good Morning Everyone!  I have so many things that need doing, I wont begin to list them.  Though I will say I'm sorely tempted to just chuck everything out the door for the day and work on some Christmas Tree Pot Mitts.

I'm moving slower than normal because of an injury to my right hand, night before last and things like writing and holding a needle are painful.   I even found folding a load of laundry and tidying up the breakfast dishes a challenge this morning.  But no matter, it's Christmas Quilt-a-long Day and our Queen Bee Hostess Superb Sue at Quilt Times is in charge today.  How about we all send her cookies and milk and beg her use her influence with Mr. Fit It Santa to up our Santa Claus gifts this year.  After all we've been very good quilters haven't we?

Connecting Threads Wist List Giveaway

Yes they are at it again, the Connecting Threads Christmas Wish List Giveaway.  You should go and enter.  Even if you've just been eyeballing a new cutting mat, or would adore an entirely new studio.  Keep in mind the winner gets a $50 gift card, and who couldn't use a little of that this Christmas?

Want to peak at my wist list?  Well here it is.  Just keep in mind that I had a hard time restraining myself.  I'm actually very interested in their laminated fabrics as I recently decided that my Grandmother's Sunbeam Mixer should live on my kitchen counter.  The cover is an old 1970's sad quilted laminate.  I'm sure you'd know the pattern.  Yellow, and Orange with Garlic on it.  Personally I'd like to remake it with their Pitter Patter Laminate.  Then there could be fluffy cloud curtains for the window - and oh I could tie in their Mirage  Patriot Blue...  Wouldn't that be wonderful?

October's NewFO's

Time to wrap up October.  This group isn't about finishing anything.  It's about starting new projects.  Though I do like to tack a finish or two into each month so my studio doesn't end up flooded with UFO's.  Thanks to our generous hostess Barbara at Cat Patches you can win a quilter's pin for listing the projects you started this month along with us.

Firstly the dog dresses.  I made 20 in October, I became enamored with the concept of making 27, like the movie with Katherine Heigl, though obviously different.  While I didn't make it to 27, I do have a new customer that I will begin making dog dresses for her two dogs this month, so I am very excited about that.  New to my collection this month is a serger which so far seems to be a big help to my sewing.

I also made a diaper stacker for my new niece who was born at the end of October.  According to her mom it's prettier in person, with lots of glitter.  Can you tell her theme is butterflies?

I also made quilter's pincushions, which I gave away when I was hostess for this months CQAL.  Both of my winners have already received their cushions in the mail so I'm sure they've been stabbing them as they deem appropriate.  I also made one for me, but I haven't started using it yet.  I need to add Velcro so it can sew around on my midarm when I quilt.

Last but not least, while I'm sure many of you made your children's Halloween Costumes, or perhaps you did in the past, DD picked a store bought one this year.  I happily added a little black pocket for her to keep her Vampire Fangs in when not in use.  DD's favorite holiday is Halloween, so I spent some time shopping this month for a future NewFO buying fabrics for a Halloween Quilt for her.  Only the prettiest most friendly fabrics will do as I'm certain you understand.

I hope everyone had a safe Halloween!

Lonestar Nov. Dinner

Scrolls Passing the Tiny Test

Well now, how was your afternoon?  Tiny joined me after lunch.  I took that as a good omen, after all if she likes it enough to sleep on it, surely it passes the Tiny test?

Tiny said my struggles didn't matter,
and who cares if she's in the way?

Anyway I don't think I've given my fingers this much of a workout in a long time.  About halfway through the first corner I wondered if the two Fabrico markers I purchased could handle this entire job, and now with half of the scrolls done I'm certain I need to buy at least two more.  One for each of the remaining corners, and perhaps one for touching them up.  It was odd using them, the first one did an entire corner with some breaks.  But the second one seemed to star out with less ink and the wide end make a different color ink in the beginning?  More greenish than brown?  At the end of both corners I felt like I was struggling to lay down enough dye to make it through the pattern.

All the same that's HALFWAY!  Wow, who would have guessed?  Yippie!  When these scrolls are completed my Lone Star flismy top will be completed and ready to quilt...

A Lonestar Nap

For now both Tiny and I are calling it a day.

Lonestar November Afternoon Check-In.

Hello again!  Has everyone been busy so far?  I am finding I'm making faster progress than I had expected.  That's good for you as it means I have something to show!

First thing this morning I got down to the nitty gritty of my curved ends.  Some of these didn't print with the smoothest of curves and I wanted to refine that before I started cutting out the template.  Cutting the template was fine but my goodness it's delicate, and with all those hooks on the ends of the curves it wants to catch on itself.

Tracing the template is working out fairly well.  I've found I need to trace one side of the line and extrapolate the second curve and that seems to be working better than just tracing both sides, the curves transition more smoothly when I offset them without the template.

So far I've learned it's good to keep a wet edge on the Fabrico ink line, working from your last marked edge outwards.  That makes a nicer mark.  Not much else to add.  The part in the pictures is all I have done.  My white marking pen makes really nice lines but they wear off if left to long so after I'm done with these scrolls I'll be working up this side of first corner with more tracing.  It's a process, but one I hope will be worth it.

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, No it's Lonestar Quilt-a-Long Day!

Good Morning!  How are you today?  Autumn has finally started showing her face around here, and the mornings are nippy.  I like that actually.  It makes me more inclined to do a bit of baking or do a bit of quilting.  I actually will be doing none of those things, at least not by normal quilting standards.  Last night DH and I printed many pages of my scrolling border and taped them all together.  Yes, I know I said that I was going to have it printed and I was but then I forgot, so just as well do it this way.

Today I plan to go through and thicken up the lighter scrolling areas before starting to cut this out.  Then I'll use it as a template and trace around it onto my Lonestar.  Once the tracing is done for the first corner I can start using my Fabrico markers to fill in the scrolls.  Are you up to anything today?

Happy Halloween 2012

Happy Halloween Everyone!  Do you have anything good planned today?  DH and DD have packed their day, so I'm the support team.  Aka sew until they show up and need something.  Sure sounds like a fun day to me.  Be sure yours is safe as well!

DD is what she is calling a nice Vampire.  That's what we call 30 minutes of hair, 25 of makeup, and half an hour of misc. support.  I wonder what that would equal if I was being paid in fabric because it sure made for a lot of joyful screaming!

Break for Doggie Dresses

Two fancy dresses - black has a bubble skirt

 I didn't take a picture of the last 8 dresses I made, so luckily you can see one of them there in the pink oriental print.  That one turned out really well last week.

On the left that you will find a black Stretch Velour bodice with a bubble skirt.  The picture doesn't really do it justice.  This dress had me concerned about how well it would turn out, but when I stitched that skirt on and flipped it open, even I gasped!

Three tiered dress with hand sewn feathers
Miss Princess dress in upper right

Above is a three tiered skirt dress, the purple tier is top stitched with glitter thread.  The bodice is lined so it has a nice weight.  The feathers were hand sewn because I knew the sewing machine would just mash them down.  Of course I figured out that there is a trick to it when I was three quarters of the way done - which will be good to know for the next time!  

DD deserves a bit of credit for the pink dress.  She opted that the white dog princess button should be sitting on the purple cushion (another button) and that the house button should be below.  I knew when I sewed that one together she would have the best answer for where to put the buttons!  When I was finished she also opted that I make and attach a bow in the princess crown ribbon.

Stretch Velour dress and lady bug dress

This red dress is another stretch velour number with a paw print skirt.  Both of the dresses on the left are lined.  The green dog dress is covered in lady bugs, even the buttons are glittery ladybugs.  These I opted to sew on in random directions ask though they had minds of their own, and I also used a little trick to making the bow that I saw on YouTube the other day.

Earlier this morning, I  made a little fang pouch for DD's Halloween Costume.  Its purpose is to blend with her dress and to help keep her from forgetting them on her lunch tray or the like.

My next step?  On to Calla Lilly and Toadstool Applique for Lilly's Garden Quilt of course!

More Wisteria Leaves

Let's look at these together now shall we?  I added more leaves to the Wisteria, and now I'm just not sure.  There is at least one of the newly added leaf clusters that I really don't like but I'm not certain where to move it to.  I really need to get all these leaves settled so I'll be able to move this piece out of the way to work on some other things before moving on to the bottom of this same border, the one that has the toadstools and the Calla Lillies.  Currently I have fused all of the upper leaves, all the Wisteria blooms, and of course the branch.  It's in there somewhere I think.  LOL, no it really is fused but the layers are certainly making it harder to see.

My sister, and as of yesterday evening mother to my first niece (okay the first one I didn't marry into having), suggested a hummingbird might be collecting nectar near the wisteria.  I was thinking perhaps in that bottom right corner there, but now I wonder, what about hidden in the cascades of flowers?  I found some nice embroidered patches, I might try one of those.  What do you think?  I do worry about plopping it down in the center though as that will have the large 20" embroidered center there...

And thank you yesterday for your kind works about all my leaves.  That sure felt nice after three days of cutting them.  Oh I'd stop and place some and then say "ugh, need more" so back I'd go...

Wisteria Leaves Update

Hello there.  How have you been?  I've been busy making dog dresses, and have come back around to working on Lilly's Garden Quilt.  The leaves are slow going, but I think I have enough now.  What do you think?

All of the individual flowers as well as all the details within the leaves will be quilted in later.

Diaper Stacker al la Butterflies

I had been wanting to make a diaper stacker for my sister, but hand't actually set my nose to the grindstone. After all when you have a list of things that needs doing, items not on the list rarely get done.  But all that aside I did find time yesterday afternoon to make this.  The directions I found said it took the person half an hour.  Well clearly I wanted more than they did, so mine has piping and a gathered ruffle as well as the butterfly and dragon fly patches.  It was worth all the extra work of that I'm certain, but it took all afternoon, half an hour - right would have be nice.  Anyway inside is a sleeve and within the sleeve is a piece of my old hand-me-down cutting mat that had split.  That holds it open so no need for a bent piece of cardboard like my stacker had.  What do you think, to much?  Just right?

CQAL: My Pincushion Winners!

Okay well we only have two entries for the orange pin cushion and two for the blue.  Really.  So my winner for the blue is Joanna, and my winner for the orange is Reenie.  Gals if you can pass along your mailing information I will get these in the mail to you.

A special thanks to everyone who joined us yesterday.  I had a good time, but only carved away at my to do list, by working on some alterations for a neighbor.  The good thing is I got them done so I can work on something else today!

Quilt Sue was a busy lady as always and headed out early to to teach a workshop (so fancy!) and then came home and sewed a slew of blocks together to make a Christmas quilt top.

Donna was busy terrorizing her cat, not sure what became of her Jacob's ladder quilt she was planning to work on, likely she ended up having her fabric stolen and it's under the bed now with the cat!

Reenie had a very productive day taking bags and bags of scraps ironing and cutting them into beautiful piles, that look like expensive bundles that you'd find at your LQS.

Joanna is a busy woman working on a deadline, she made amazingly beautiful sleeves for her newest Granddaughter's Christening Gown.

Mrs. Pickles had big plans for sewing with us. when her DH said he would be arriving home early, so she did all sorts of other things, and yet somehow found time to get all of her Mystery Christmas Quilt-a-long blocks sewn together and they look great.

Christmas Quilt-a-long October Lunch

Well ladies, how are your projects going?  I myself have only just finished wading through my morning emails and so forth, so I haven't had the joy of stopping by any blogs yet, let alone sat down in front of my sewing machine -how is that for a Halloween Horror?  I'm so glad you're here.  Why don't you join me for a spot of lunch, it's hot here in Sunny Florida though so take off all your Autumn gear, it's 80 degrees and the sky is bright blue with puffy white clouds, if it weren't for these decorations, you'd never know it was Autumn!

I believe everyone who had visited so far has entered in my little pin cushion giveaway, but if you haven't just dart over to my Mr. Linky post and leave a comment.

Christmas CQAL Mid-Morning Check In

Halloween is my daughter's favorite holiday.  For the life of me I don't understand it.  I was always a fan of Christmas myself, but she loves this time of year.  I imagine someday she will own one of those brightly decorated amazing houses filled with plenty of Halloween Fun.  So when Sue said, who wants to host and gave me the choice of October I knew I had to seize the opportunity.

How are your projects going today?  Did you remember to leave a comment on the Mr. Linky post so that you can win one of my pin cushions?

Well grab a snack, or whatever is left from being picked over from breakfast and I'll join you for a cup of bloody raspberry tea.   I'm just now getting up so I'd love to hear what you've done so far.

October's Christmas-Quilt-a-long

Welcome!  Come inm come in!  I am so glad you could join me this month for October's installment of our Christmas Quilt-a-long.

I know how some of you are over on the other side of the pond are early risers and so forth, so I have laid out breakfast for you.  Nothing like grabbing a bite of something and sitting down in front of the sewing machine is there?  Help yourself, but try to keep it down because some of us are still asleep - like me.

Now since you're here and nibbling so quietly, I want to tell you about the giveaway I have planned.  You see I made these delightful year round quilter's wonky pincushions, which you can see below.

The rules are simple.

1. State if you want the orange one or the blue one.  Any "I don't cares" will be awarded into the pincushion with the lowest entries to increase your chance to win.

2.  It doesn't matter where you live, anywhere on Earth is okay, but it you live someplace else you'll have to pay for your own shipping and provide detailed shipping directions.

3.  Who can enter?  Any of my blog regulars, these would be the ones who know who they are and so do I, as well as anyone who has done at least one month previously of the Christmas Quilt-a-long.  Everyone else is just out of luck and if I'm not sure if you qualify I will be checking with Sue our Supreme CQAL hostess, because this isn't about a giveaway; it's about having a little fun with the gals I spend so much PC time with!

So if you're here for the CQAL enter with the Mr. Linky below.   Those that qualify may enter in my pincushion drawing by leaving a comment.  I'll be selected the lucky winners Sunday.  Oh yes and it would be nice if the winners would give me a plug when their pin cushions arrive, but hey I'm a firm believer of you want do whatever you want with your gift so if you'd rather not I'm okay too.

What are you working on today?  Anything good?  Holiday orientated perhaps?  Hehe.

October's Christmas Quilt-a-long

Good afternoon everyone!  I am Miss October and my month has finally arrived!  Of course it arrived when I am covered up in projects but that will just make our day together that much more fun don't you think?!?

That said in honor of being the hostess for the CQAL this month I have made some goodies for you and unlike candy, these will be good all year.  I made wonky pincushions!  Who doesn't need another pin cushion, especially one painstakingly made by a non-crafter like your's truly?

Now the rules are going to be simple.

1. Say if you want the orange one or the blue one.  Any "I don't cares" will be awarded into the pincushion with the lowest entries to increase your chance to win.

2.  It doesn't matter where you live, anywhere on Earth is okay, but it you live someplace else you'll have to pay for your own shipping and provide detailed shipping directions.

3.  Who can enter?  Any of my blog regulars, these would be the ones who know who they are and so do I, as well as anyone who has done at least one month previously of the Christmas Quilt-a-long.  Everyone else is just out of luck and if I'm not sure if you qualify I will be checking with Sue our Supreme CQAL hostess, because this isn't about a giveaway it's about having a little fun with the gals I spend so much PC time with!

Do not enter now.  Pop back in tomorrow (regulars need not attend the party, simply stopping by is good enough) and enter then by leaving a comment on the post with the Mr. Linky (I will mention it in that post too).  Clearly at that time if you don't leave a comment I will not know you wanted to be in the draw so no comment = no count.  The giveaway will be open all day long and I'll be pulling out the winner on Sunday.

See you tomorrow!

Free Fabric for Life!

Lots of thinking not much doing today, at least until I found the latest Keepsake Quilting Fabric giveaway.  Have you seen their catalog?  It is filled with beautiful expensive fabrics that I'm sure we'd all love to own, and I have often daydreamed of being one of their gold members.  Anyway all that aside they are giving away A Lifetime of Fabric.  Yes, that's what I said.  Now if you follow this link when you register I'll get an extra entry for each person that enters the contest through my link.  http://ck.upickem.net/r/6xPaDr7TAZp?r=102073  On the odd chance that I win, I clearly will have some formerly fabric ear marked funds for giving back to a little to my followers, and if you win of course you can just dance around and be happy and I will applaud you.

Wisteria Branch Growth

...And I don't mean plant growth.  Now I thought I was settled on pink Wisteria blooms but now I'm not so sure.  What about both purple and pink?

Progress on Lilly's Garden Quilt

The Beginnings of Lilly's Garden Quilt

Today was a delightful day to be holed up in the sewing room.  If you were in yours I'm certain you understand and if not, hey maybe next time right?  I have been working on the Lilly's Garden Quilt.  After fretting for a while, I overcame my fear of cutting the embroidered fairy blocks wrong; you know a slip of the blade or reading the mark wrong.  My fears were unfounded and everything flowed nicely from there.

For floor space I have shown the top and bottom together, but in fact there is a big garden scene planned for the center that is missing and the teal fabric border will go all around that.

I have started on the applique as well and have made the Wisteria branch, but at this time it looks more like a large chunky log and is rather boring so you'll have to look at that after I add the leaves and depending on how that looks perhaps not until after I add the flowers too!  Did you sew anything today?  Here on the Gulf Coast I'm certain it is hotter than it was even in July, yuck!  Good thing for air conditioning hu?

October NewFO's

It's that time again!  What did you start in September?  Oh I'd love to hear!

I made oh gee how many? I made 12 Doggie Dresses for my friend's therapy dog.  Together they are both turning heads everywhere they go.  Two of the dresses were my own design.  This one off to the left with the butterflies and then one that looks like a mermaid.  Tigger doesn't do the later justice though.  So if you're lucky I'll remember to post it when I have a picture of the rightful wearer in it.

I also made a baby quilt for one of my sisters, who is due this month.  The quilt is reversible pink safari themed with raw edge applique butterflies.  It is quilted with loops of the butterflies flight patterns, the baby's name, hearts and a couple of stars.  It was a really quick and easy quilt so it's okay if it ends up loved to pieces.

I also put thread to fabric on this delightful quilt backing, which is part of my Lilly's Garden Quilt Project.  This back went fast but the front will surely take longer.  I have started cutting the fabric for one of the borders on the front but haven't actually started sewing the it yet.  I have another fabric order that needs to arrive first and there is one last embroidered block which is the center point that I don't have.  I'm worried about accidently cutting one of the embroidered fairy blocks to small so I've been putting it off.  Likely tomorrow or Monday will be soon enough.

Does anyone remember this?  It's my wall hanging River Art Quilt, showing our minor Florida rapids. I started it in June, and finished it this month. Everything is applique with just a little bit being raw edge, to give a more organic look to things like the palm tree in the upper right corner.

I've already completed 6 doggie dresses for this month, so time will only tell what I will have to share next time.  Until then, happy sewing.