Giddyup Cowboy!

There is a young couple in our church who are expecting their first child at the end of November... a boy.  I have been trying to decide what to do for them. Hubby came in as I was pondering and said "What happened to those cowboy blocks you were playing with a while back?"  That "while back" was a couple of years ago!  I started these for a project... wasn't happy with how it was going... set it aside and did something else. So I dug around and found them and the fabric and such and started again. I cannot say this is my absolute favorite quilt (I really love scrappy quilts!) but I do think it turned out cute and I know they will like it.  It will be quilted after the wee one is born. I want to put his name and birth date on the label.

Fun Sunday Afternoon Project

I pulled fabrics for this project yesterday, but never got started on it. So this afternoon I dove in and got it done from cutting the fabric to the last stitch. It is a quick and easy project and turns out so cute! There is a link to my first try at this project in yesterday's blog post.  Go to that first try and you will find a link to a great tutorial.. step by step with photos!

This bright and cheery pin cushion/scrap bag organizer will be going off to a quilty friend very soon. I am sure it will be used and loved in its new home. :-)

"Belle"

Quilty Saturday!

Today has been a very quilty day! Worked this week on a t-shirt quilt I am making for my son's girlfriend. It was supposed to be her birthday present but I missed that deadline!  I would LOVE to post pix, but she might look here and see, so I will have to do that after Christmas. I will say it looks great! Cannot wait until it is all quilted and done.

I found some blocks and fabric that I started some time ago for a quilt for a little boy. For some reason, I don't remember why, I abandoned it and did something else. So I ironed everything out. And am going to finish up the blocks and make the quilt for a little boy due in late November.  The fabric is a vintage cowboy theme. Really cute!

I am also working on a pincushion/thread catcher thingie. I made one for myself earlier this year (see A Happy For Myself ) and love it. I use it all the time when working on my GFG quilt.  I am making another one for a quilting friend.  The fabrics are ironed and ready for me to cut (once I get off the computer).

Hubby and I basted a quilted today. Last year I won some lottery blocks .... a group of quilty friends have a quilt lottery every quarter. The blocks I won are mini-bowties made with 30s repros. I put them together.. added a couple of borders and a flange. (see Happy Quilt Day )  Looks so good!  Hubby (the Mad Quilter) is going to quilt it for me. I cannot wait to see it done. It will be lovely on the couch this spring!

That same group of friends (the absolute best Quilt buddies ever!) do a Mystery Swap Box thing every so often. Someone gets a box and over time fills it with fun quilty stuff (and usually a few non-quilty things that she knows we will like). These can be new or things she already has but doesn't use or no longer needs. Once full, she mails it off to one of us. We go through the box.. pick up to 6 things to keep and add 6 new things.  It is a lot of fun to see what folks put in and what they take. SO here are the 6 goodies I got took from the box today...

There were 3 cute patterns that I just loved (well more than 3 but I am limited to how much I can keep!)...

I also took a cute little magnetic notepad with matching magnet. I love those things. Poor Hubby... he dreams of a day when the refrigerator has nothing on it. For that to happen he will have to outlive me! :-)

I am not a huge fan of this next pattern for a fall table topper BUT I really love the fabric. The photo does not do it justice!

And the last thing I kept is a Quilt Panel...

I love Snowmen and Red Birds!  This will make a cute Christmas quilt.

It was an exhausting task! If you don't believe me just ask Mac...

and Mia...

They are such great helpers!

I put some wonderful things back into the box.. but I cannot share what they are. My quilt buddies read my blog and that would spoil the surprise!

Back to Quilt Land!

"Belle"

A little fabric fun...

I needed a birthday gift for a certain young lady.  I had planned on going to buy her something, but life just kept getting in the way.  So this weekend I decided to whip something up. I had seen a cute idea for covering a mat in a frame with pieced fabric. So I started out with that plan and tweaked it... her favorite color is green, followed by purple, so I created a small string block with green fabrics and embellished with various fun stitches and purple thread. I opted not to cover a mat with it, however, as so much was lost.  Instead I mounted a photo of her and her fella (who just so happens to be my son) on the block and put it into a frame.

I really loved the look of the string block with the embellishments and wanted to make more, so I decided create a pillow.  I made another string block, larger, with green fabrics again.  Added the decorative stitching with purple thread. Decided to add her name and then to frame it out with the same fabric I used for the letters. I love this fabric!  In fact, I have more and I noticed tonight that I have 2 other green with purple fabrics that look great with it.. I think I feel a purse coming on!

Back to the pillow.... grabbed some scrap cream fabric and polyfill to create an insert. The back of the pillow is split and overlaps to close so the cover can be removed and washed.

I think it all turned out really cute! Cannot wait to give it to her tomorrow night.  "Belle"

Star Flowers

The StarFlower quilt is done... bound... washed... crinkled! I love using all cotton fabric and batting and thread so that when the quilt is washed and dried it will crinkle up.. gives it an old-timey look and feel to me.

This blocks for this quilt came from a group of quilty ladies. One of them donated fabric for the back. I have to admit that the first time I saw it in person I had two thoughts.. first I LOVED IT.. it is very much a ME fabric!  And secondly, I am not so sure this is going to work with the quilt top. I had seen a photo of the fabric, but it was brighter in person and the top is more muted soft colors. Well I love them together! I feel like this is a 2 for 1 quilt.. the front is soothing and comforting and the back is cheery and uplifting!  I think I am going to look at backing fabric a lot differently from now on... not sure I will always aim to be matchy with the front.

I had 4 extra blocks so made up a pillowcase that holds the quilt for shipping and storage and can be used with a pillow if our friend wants.

The quilting is straight line and creates these neat Xs and Star patterns on the back.  My sweet quilty husband, whom I affectionately call the mad quilter, quilted this. The man loves to quilt and is sooo fast!

Cannot wait to mail this off next week... wish I could see the recipient's face when she sees it!

The best part of quilting is giving it away!

"Belle"

Thank You for Serving

I have shared before that my husband is a quilter. After watching me for a couple of years, I challenged him to give it a whirl. He did.. and he loves it. He is a big fella and he makes BIG quilts!  One of his co-workers and friends has been was sent to Iraq a few years ago with the military... then after being home a year or so he was sent to Afghanistan. While Randy was gone, Bill decided to make him a quilt. You can see pictures and read about it here  Three Cheers for the Red, White and Blue  The back contains a huge label that was signed by others in the office, many with notes thanking Randy for his service. I really love the back!

Shortly after Randy returned to work, the office took him out for a celebratory lunch... at the same restaurant they took him before he left... and while there he was given the quilt.  I think he liked it. :-)

The guy that looks like Santa is mine. :-)  "Belle"

Finally some time to sew!

A group of quilting friends are making a love quilt for one of our own. I am the collector of blocks. Saturday my quilting hubby and I had time to lay them out and get them put together into a top. I think it looks great. Tomorrow we plan to get it sandwiched together with the back and some batting and then "Let the quilting begin!"

On a very different note, I had a bit of fun this afternoon. My mother needed a little happy for a young couple in her church expecting their first child.  They are using bees in the nursery decor. I whipped up 3 burp cloths for them.

The how-to for this project can be found here: Basket-O-Burpies

2 things I did differently. The instructions say sew down the top and bottom before the sides. I did that with the first one and ended up with a bit of a crease in the diaper when I sewed down the sides. So for the other two I just sewed the top then the sides and then the bottom. Worked great! Also, I used a straight stitch with the first one.. and it looks fine.. but with the other two I did a small zigzag right along the edge of the fabric. I really like the way it looks.

I will most definitely be whipping up some more of these for future baby showers!

"Belle"