VILLA ROSA AND SOUTHERN CHARM

 I am back to the sewing room again, thank goodness.  Technology is a wonderful thing until it isn't.  The new computer is working great.  The only wrinkle was my iPhone quit, and I had to take it in for a new battery.  Well, seems they no longer make batteries for that old 6 year old model.  Great news, Verizon not only got me a new one at 50% off but very successfully updated the new with all the old ones information.  Yes, a few new features, but Utube has tutorials and all is working well.  I can truly return to the sewing room this week with all technology issues solved.  Thank goodness my Bernina's have never been this much trouble.

I just got the nicest Villa Rosa prize this past week.  I recently used two Villa Rosa patterns to teach a couple beginning quilting classes at our local quilt store.  I posted them on From Bolt to Beauty and was contacted by Villa Rosa Designs that I had won this wonderful prize.  So fun, and I plan to get busy with this project very soon.  

A another fun new project to look forward to.  I love the fabric that I purchased from Southern Charm Quilts.  This pattern is perfect for them.

Melanie Traylor stocks the pretties fabrics for her patterns. 

 

I am also back to working on my Garden Party project.  

The best part of this project is picking out all the different colors to blend together for the appliqué pieces.  The worse part, trips to JoAnn's for matching appliqué thread.  However, they do have a sale this month on thread.  Buy 3 get 2 free.  I'm a repeat customer!  

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

MID WEEK MAKERS

CONFESSIONS OF A FABRIC ADDICT 

ONE DOWN AND NUMBER TWO TO GO

After a horrific two weeks of battling a new computer things are looking much better.  I am convinced that my Apple devices talk to each other. No sooner than I got the computer all up and running the iPhone decided to stop working.  Off to the Verizon store to discover the battery was dead and of course a replacement for it is no longer available.  So a new phone was purchased.  Pricey little things, but Verizon knows its stuff and all info was transferred and it works great.

I finished the first Gone Fishing quilt top this past week.  Now working on the second with a gold colored lattice.  I have a dead line for these to be quilted and bound by April 14th.  They are both huge, like 74 by 95.  Both grandsons are tall, the 16 year old is already 6'4" and the 14 year old is headed that way.  They share a bedroom so I wanted them to match but also at least be a bit different thus one with blue and the other with a gold lattice and borders. 

My goal of 12 charity quilts is almost complete for the year.  This is number 10  And I actually seem to be seeing the scrap stash looking a bit reduced. 

And number 11 done as well.  For some reason it is hard to make boy quilts.  The charity group gets very few.  I may try later in the year to somehow manage pumping out a couple more guy quilts.  Right now I have almost met my goal and I am off to working on some of my own projects.  I know that next month the group will meet to make pillowcases for a local children's hospital, so I have that event on the 18th of March.  So time to start cutting out a couple pillow cases.

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

MID WEEK MAKERS

CONFESSIONS OF A FABRIC ADDICT

 

  

 

 

 

I SURVIVED A NEW COMPUTER AND MADE IT BACK TO QUILTING IN ONE PIECE

 This past week has been a nightmare of computer issues.  We purchased a new computer.  An iMac, 24 inch screen just wonderful.  Well, not so fast.  Major issues with the file transfers.  Hours and hours on the phone with Apple that only made things worse.  I finally at my daughter's insistence called Eli her husband.  Took him just 15 minutes to get everything straightened out.  Needless to say I got little time in the sewing room.

I was digging around in the closet looking to update my entry hall wall hangings and happened upon this one.  I quilted this myself and the appliqué was done with invisible thread.  It reminded me that I can do a decent job quilting smaller items and should attempt my own quilting rather than sending things out to a long arm quilter.  I have often said I cannot do free motion quilting, but my Bernina serpentine stitch did a really nice job on this piece. 

I was particularly happy with the little fussy cut birds on the boarder.

I showed this piece off to my the students I was working with at my last table runner class I was teaching at our local quilt store. Several of the ladies have been asking about appliqué classes.  Now they want a class on appliqué so I may have gotten myself into another program to teach. 

I got my Christmas quilt back from the long arm quilter and it is all bound and a hanging sleave on the back.  She did lovely quilting on it, but it is so busy one can't really see it.  My husband really likes this quilt.  Originally it was to go to my charity group, but he insisted we keep it and hang it in the dining room during the holidays.  I admit it is pretty and colorful.  

I have not completely forgotten my charity group.  In between fighting with the new computer and Apple Care I have managed to work at completing some of the blocks for 2 more quilt tops.  The large blocks are 14 inch and the smaller ones 10.  The good news is that the scrap bins have actually started to decrease in volume.

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

MID WEEK MAKERS

CONFESSIONS OF A FABRIC ADDICT   

  

  

  

GONE FISHING

I am attempting to update my blog this week from my laptop.  Our old Mac has been traded in for a new model.  Both are with the the Geek Squad transferring information. While this little baby seems to work well, it is a bit of a chore to work on.  

I started a new project this past week.  After gifting a fire engine quilt to our oldest grandson Elijah, I feel like the other two boys should get ones for their birthdays too.  Noah and Ben are both avid fishermen, so I figured to make both fishing themed quilts.  They share a bedroom so they will be the same pattern, but I am making one with the blue lattice  and the other with gold shown below.  The size will be 74" by 94".  They are both tall, Noah who will be 17 is already 6'4" and growing and Ben is fast headed in the same direction at 14.

I finished my Picnic Under the Stars quilt top.  I am just waiting for a 108" back to arrive from Connecting Threads then it is off to the quilter.  

Other than that I continue my quest to somehow trim down my scrap bins with some work on Happy Trails blocks.

Five blocks done and just 4 to go.

And I cut out one in this 14"block size and another in a 10" block size.  I think I am actually making some progress emptying those scrap bins.

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

MID WEEK MAKERS

CONFESSIONS OF A FABRIC ADDICT

  
   

PICNIC UNDER THE STARS & CHARITY QUILT TOP TURN IN

 This past week I have been supper busy trying to get some major quilt tops finished and turned into my February Warm Wrapping meetup.  Plus I finally got something done on my own major project.

I got the center finished of my Picnic Under the Stars quilt.  Now on to a small border and a larger border.  It is larger than the pattern measurements as my star blocks unfinished are 11 inches.  Right now it is approximately 63 by 83 and adding a 2 inch border and a 4 or 5 inch border will increase it even more.  I love it, and can't wait to get it done and off to a quilter.  

Tilda fabric scraps, and it didn't even make a dent in that scrap bin.

I appliquéd on the curved pieces on this quilt top.  

This quilt top I was very surprised to see that it actually is rather pretty.  These three quilt tops were turned in this month at my Warm Wrappings charity quilt meetup.  My goal this year is to make 12, basically one each month.  I only have to do a quilt top and prepare binding to go with them.  Others carry on with quilting, and binding.  I am doing fairly well at this point as I turned in 2 in January.  So hopefully can keep up the pace and finish off early.  Maybe even put a dent in the scrap bins along the way.  

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

MID WEEK MAKERS

CONFESSIONS OF A FABRIC ADDICT

  

  

HAPPY TRAILS & VALENTINES

This week has been a bit of a this and that and hit and miss in the sewing room.  So not much going on to show off.

I stumbled across this Scrappy Project Planner by Lori Holt in a drawer and found this quilt project thinking it would be a good scrap buster.  Well, two blocks into it and all those tiny four patches made with 1.5 inch squares made me decide it has to be modified if I was going to make a charity quilt with this pattern.

So I substituded them for just a white 2.5 inch square and moved things along fairly well.  The center should have been 4 of the 2.5 squares, but I made it 4.5 instead and that seems to be working well.  So two blocks done and 7 to go.  The completed blocks are 16 inches finished so I plan to lay it out with 9 blocks, making the top then 48 by 48, and can add 3 inch borders all around and it can finish at 54 inches square.  A good size for the charity quilt group.

I must admit that this project has actually put a good dent in my scrap bins.

We have three daughters, Kendra falls between our youngest and oldest daughters.  Her birthday is coming up on the 10th of next month.  I thought I would add a fun little runner to her other gifts.  I have been teaching this runner in a 5 heart size at our local quilt shop, so decided to scale it down to just 3 hearts for her.

Now, I am not a free motion quilter, just have never been able to manage it.  However I often use these Borders Made Easy and other paper quilting templates along with the multiple fancy stitches available on my Bernina 750.  So I am off to quilt this runner.

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

MID WEEK MAKERS 

CONFESSIONS OF A FABRIC ADDICT

     

  

 

 

 

BERRY SMOOTHIE & TABLE DECORATIONS

 My quest to rid myself of some old fabric and scraps has me looking for easy and either free or inexpensive patterns.  My local quilt store Blossom Quilting in Oakdale, California has a huge wall of Villa Rosa Design patterns.  They are just postcard size and only $2.00.

Two afternoons and I have a completed quilt top for my Warm Wrappings Charity Group. The size is 52" by 64" and is fat quarter and scrap friendly. 

Time to head out to the shop and see whatever Villa Rosa has in store for the next project. 

I have the first two rows sewn together of my Picnic Under the Stars quilt and rows 3, 4, and 5 ready to finish off as well.  So a bit of progress on this quilt completed.

Rigbee one of my daughter's cats believes he is a perfect addition to her fall table decoration.  Unfortunately he also does a bit of redecorating on it as well.  He is not above kicking a few pieces and parts out unto the floor to make a bit more room for his afternoon naps. 

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

MID WEEK MAKERS

CONFESSIONS OF A FABRIC ADDICT

 

BUTTERFLIES AND CHRISTMAS

 After doing a bit of reorganization in the sewing room, with the discovery of a complete take over of overflowing scrap bins and folder fabrics in the closet I decided my New Year's resolution was to get some charity quilts going.  I only have to do a top and prepare bindings then others take over from there.  My guild distributes about 300 quilts a year through their Warm Wrappings Program to 5 different local agencies.  Some of us make the tops and binding, others in the group with long arm machines do the quilting, and then a crew of others bind and finish the binding on them.  In October they are distributed to the various agencies.   

This is one I finished up this past week. 

The fabric used for the centers was a real prize to use for this quilt.  However not without an issue. 

I needed 25 blocks and thought I had them all complete until while laying them out I was short one.  OK, a made search in the fabric closet and the center block a perfect addition to cure that issue.  

I even had enough of that butterfly fabric to make a runner for my youngest daughter's sister-in-law for her birthday.

And yes, the scrappy Christmas quilt top is finished too.  My original plan was also to give it as a charity quilt top, but husband really likes it and says it will look great next Christmas on the dining room wall.  So, it is a keeper.

A fast scramble into Joann's for a back and binding while they still had some 70% off Christmas fabric on clearance and it is off to the quilter this week.

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

MID WEEK MAKERS

CONFESSIONS OF A FABRIC ADDICT

 

STARS AND MORE STARS

I have been busy in the sewing room these last two week after Christmas.  It has been raining a lot here, we really need it, so I am just staying in and getting some projects done and others started.

I managed to get 8 of my 12 star blocks complete.  I ended up ordering fabric online for the last 4 so have to wait for it to arrive.

I have the last four pinned and ready to finish this morning.  

This is pattern I purchased, but I decided to make my star blades more irregular.  That pattern I selected for them makes them finish at 10.5 inches so I will be adjusting all the blocks as well to fit that odd size.

To make the star points and keep them consist I ended up making a template to aline them properly.  Worked great. All I had to do was lay my 4 inch square down and line up the blades on the lines.  

Have the rest of my fabric ready to move on.

This project is done and ready to be turned into the charity division of my quilt guild next month.  My plan this year is to try to de-stash some of my fabric.  Some of these prints have been in the closet for more years than I care to think about.  Time to move them along.

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

MID WEEK MAKERS

CONFESSIONS OF A FABRIC ADDICT

 


 

NEW YEAR'S CLEAN UP AND NEW PROJECTS

Christmas over and the new year begins.  Lots of things in progress and a sewing room re-organization is necessary.  Seems like every year at this time I find myself with pretty much a disaster in the sewing room.  Fabric all over the place in complete upheaval.  So I spent Friday refolding and re-stacking fabric.  I have to de-stash some of this mess.  I see lots of charity quilts in my future this year. 

Last week I showed off my grand daughter Suren's decorated cookies.  On Christmas Eve she brought me these tree decorations she made that were just like the cookies.  She makes them from some sort of clay that you then bake in the oven.

I have a huge bin of Christmas fabric.  That did not stop me from heading into JoAnn's and buying some more.  Who can resist 70% off.  Now that also means that one gets into the post Christmas spirit and decides to make a Christmas quilt.  

I happened on this free Christmas quilt pattern over the holidays, and decided to give it a try.  

One nice thing about this pattern is I was able to use up a number of Christmas fat quarters and only used the white fabric strips out of the new fabric purchase.  Getting rid of a good deal of old fabrics scraps with this project, but ended up adding more new than old used to the bin.  

Our oldest daughter has two English Mastiff dogs.  This is Loki, he is 11 months old, and weighs in at right about 200 pounds.  FedEx delivers their dog food.  Their security system caught the entire scene of my daughter flying out the door after Loki when she opened the door for the delivery and Loki made a bee line for the truck.  He had this all figured out, and my daughter was really worried about this huge dog climbing right into the truck.  The lady delivery driver was not even fazed and she even happened to have a dog treat for him. 

 

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

MID WEEK MAKERS

CONFESSIONS OF A FABRIC ADDICT