The Mystery Continues....

I was able to catch up on all the steps (so far) for the mystery quilt. I made lots of little four patches (step 1)... then some cute little HSTs (step 2 - part 1)... then I put the 2 together to create some really cute blocks (step 2 - part 2). I like the look of these blocks! They would be a cute quilt all by themselves! I also cut some squares of my dark pink fabric and my heart fabric (step 3).. and then I made some more 4 patches (step 4). So I am caught up... or WAS! Then Jody sent out the next step! Oh well, that is fine. I am ready for it! Now let's just hope I don't run out of any of my fabrics along the way! "Belle"

I got the Blues.....

.....but in a good way! I do a charm swap each month with some quilty friends and this month we are swapping blues. The past year I have been using what was in my stash, but this month I decided it was time for some new fabric to share! There is a new quilt shop in my area (http://www.quiltartsonline.com/ ) that I have fallen madly in love with! I would go there daily if it were closer!

I was there on Saturday and found the 5 blue beauties above. The photo doesn't do justice to the colors and the center one is the creamiest, softest fabric! I really want to go back and buy more! It is from Japan... which I thought was cool!

Can't wait to see the charming blues that I receive from my friends. I love swapping fabric! "Belle"

Braids, Mystery and a Wedding....

I am done with all the Round Robins... YEAH! I enjoyed working on every single one, but one of my absolute faves was the last one. I could add anything I wanted! I have been wanting to try my hand at a braided border and this top seemed the perfect candidate for one. I used Bonnie's technique at http://www.quiltville.com/ I love anything that is fairly simple, but looks complicated.... and a braided border definitely fits the bill! Very easy...the main thing is the time to cut and sew!

So now I am on to another project with my online quilting buds... a mystery quilt..... another first for me. I am not good at following rules! LOL! But I was caught up in all the neat fabric combos I was seeing the others post and had to join them. It is no surprise that I am using pink, but honestly I didn't set out to do so. I bought very little fabric this past year! I have been making myself work with what I had in my stash and while I still have a lot, I don't have a lot of yardage.

But I finally found 3 fabrics.. a light, a dark and a contrast that went well together and I had enough for the requirements.

I have even started on step one.. some cute little four-patches... one down.. a "few" more to go! LOL!

And I continue to work on the wedding quilt. I decided it needs to be bigger, so I am making more blocks! 9 more. I will lay it out 5 blocks by 5 blocks.. add sashing and borders. I like square quilts, not sure why.

Hoping I have LOTS of quilty time this weekend! "Belle"

I love my Quilty Friends!

I am part of a small online quilt group through yahoogroups... and I love it! God has drawn us together and made us family. And now I have a most precious token of them. We recently participated in a Round Robin... and I received mine in the mail this week. WOW! It is amazing! I created the center with the wild and wacky house... the rest was added by my friends.... some who are wild and wacky like me and others who are a bit more subdued. I am going to add one more border... a wide one... I just need to find the right fabric. Then I will back it (with something bright and cheery) and quilt it and love using it! "Belle"

Back to the land of sewing.....

It seems I have been away from this blog and away from my sewing machine for a long, long time! Actually, I have done some sewing since my last post. I have been working on some Round Robins with my online quilting friends. Unfortunately, I cannot post pictures as the end results are to be surprises and they read this blog! But trust me, the RRs are looking grand!

My online friends also do a block lottery each month... something new for us and something I have yet had time to be a part of. I was determined to send in blocks for the January lottery... even purchased some fabric for them... but alas it wasn't meant to be! But I had the fabric... and even had part of it cut and ready to go. So what was I going to do with it? I hated to just toss it in the scrap box. Then it hit me... a friend's daughter is getting married in April and I need a quilt for them!

I took the fabrics I had cut... grabbed some others and went to work this weekend. I now have 16 lovely blocks... Scrap Zig Zag pattern from http://www.quilterscache.com/ ... solid white backgrounds with green prints. I really do like the way they turned out. I am planning on adding more of the white for sashing. After that.. who knows! It is certainly not large enough! I just haven't decided how I will add to it... several basic borders... some applique...pieced border... who knows! I will get the sashing cut and the center of the quilt formed and then see what it wants to do!

It feels good to be back behind the "wheel"! I have a number of projects that need to be finished up before I start anything new... I have one more Round Robin to work on (which I have been working on, but I had to stop and order some fabric and am now on hold until it arrives.. hopefully this week!)... then I have several tops that need to be quilted... one in particular for a friend (it is wayyyy over due!). I have several other quilts I need to make this year... I have 2 nieces who are pregnant (so 2 more baby quilts)... a nephew graduating from high school and headed off to college... and a friend's son who will be 18 in the fall (I have given her other children quilts for their 18th birthdays).

It doesn't take long for my to-do list of quilts to fill up... and notice that none are going to be staying at my home! Oh well... they are all gifts of love and I love giving them! "Belle"

Seeing Stars ... Mile-a-Minute

My online group of quilty friends is trading star fabric charms this month. I did some digging and found some great fabrics in my stash! I think they all look rather nice together. Can't wait to see the stars they send my way. Maybe I can use them to create a quilt based on Ps. 147:4 "He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name" or Ps. 8:3 & 4 "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?"

One of my goals for this week was to finally finish up my Mile-a-Minute top. I knew what I wanted to do borderwise, but I needed to find the right fabric. Hubby and I hit the Veterans' Day sale at Hancocks on Monday. I was trying to choose between 2 fabrics.. one was a pretty vibrant blue that seemed to tone the blocks down a bit... the other was a bright green that made them sing! As Hubby said "When have you ever gone the subdued route!?" LOL! He knows me so well! So green it is... but the blue is being used too... for the back and the binding.

I am going to try something knew for the quilting... new to me anyway. Stay tuned for the results!

Belle

Underground Sampler Done

My dd and I finished the Underground Railroad Sampler this week and, in fact, she gave her presentation on it and made an A! I think the sampler turned out very nice. It was a challenge to make these blocks... not for their difficulty, most were rather simple, but it seems this project came along in the midst of a turbulent time in our lives with a family death, health problems, a new job for my ds (so more time on the road taking him to and from) and more. But I've no doubt that my trials don't begin to compare to those of the slaves who travelled the UGRR and those who worked on it (providing shelter etc.).

Belle