The Great Swap of 2008

Last Spring, Carol and I were chatting via e-mail about the sweet quilt Wendy showed on her blog and how much fun it would be to swap 3" 30's rail blocks. We got super excited and we asked Wendy, Judy & Sharon to join us in swap. Kathie was going to swap with us but life got in the way! Everyone was thrilled and enthused and we started swapping immediately. We finished the swap a few months ago and my blocks have been sitting in a basket waiting to be sewn together. The other day I decided that I needed to get this quilt assembled before the new year!

Here's a word problem for you - teehee!!!

When you add five bloggy friends, Carol, Wendy, Judy, Sharon and I

Plus - 414 3" 30's rail blocks ( 1,242 1.5" x 3.5" pieces)

Plus - 374 3" white Kona alternate blocks

Plus - 78 white Kona setting triangles

Plus - 4 white Kona corner pieces

Equals - 76" x 100" adorable quilt filled with great memories!

Ladies, thank you so much for playing along with me - it's a treasured quilt and one with a great story!

This quilt would be adorable made with darker prints for the rail blocks and beige/tan/cream, etc for the alternate blocks and setting triangles (Libby made one and it's great). Whimsical brights for the rail blocks with black for the alternate blocks and setting triangles would be super cute!

Thank you so much for visiting and please come again!

In Friendship!

Hug Quilt #3 & #4

I hope that your Christmas was merry, bright, and jolly!

I was able to finish and deliver Hug Quilts #3 & #4 on Christmas Eve day but this is the first opportunity I've had to post pictures. I need to get #2, #3 & #4 back to complete the bindings and labels.

# 3 - made for my friend who lost her sister this year. Her sister was very fond of dogs so I used a Moda Posh Pooch jelly roll and the Fields of Flowers pattern by Sandy Gervais. It's very blendy but my friend loved it.

Hug Quilt #4 was made for our friend who lost his son this year. I used some Kansas Troubles fat quarters with a pattern called Cake Walk by The Calico Horse. I like it's simplicity and think it looks very masculine. He was very happy to receive this hug from my DH and I.

I'm very excited that I was able to make all four Hugs Quilts for our friends. And, I'm especially excited to say that all four were made entirely from my stash! WooHoo!

I hope that you're enjoying a relaxing week end plying your needle and thread.

Thanks for stopping by and please come again very soon!

In Friendship!

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas!

HUG QUILT #2

I finished piecing and quilting Hug Quilt #2 and we delivered it this evening. This quilt was given to our friends not because they suffered a loss in their lives but because they've been incredible friends to my husband, Ron and I. They are very special friends and we decided that a quilt would show them how much we appreciate their friendship. They were thrilled with this quilt and it was fun to watch her sitting in the chair "hugging" the quilt with a huge smile on her face. No one has ever made a quilt especially for them! I opted not bog myself down with the binding so I'll get all the quilts back next week to attach labels and binding.

This pattern is called Boxed Squares and is on Mary's website. Thank you so much, Mary for sharing this pattern. I like it so much I'm planning to make one for me! :-)

I've challenged myself to make all four comfort/hug quilts from my stash. This quilt was made using a Shangri-La jelly roll and Vienna Nights scraps I had from a quilt I made a couple of years ago.

If you're living in an area that's been hit hard by snow please stay warm and safe. Perfect time to spend time with your needle and thread. :-)

Thank you for stopping by - I do appreciate that you do. Come back soon to see quilts #3 and #4.

In Friendship!

Gifts for you and for me! :-)

I'm finally here with winners of my little "Can we talk" drawing! Thank you for your patience.

Without further ado - here are the winners:

Paula - A Latte Quilts
Teresa - Stitchin Friends
Sweet P - Coffee Time Stitches
Lurline - Lurline's Place
Julia - Little Girl Quilts

Please send an e-mail with your mailing address and I'll pop a little surprise in the mail ASAP!

This week the postman brought packages with surprise gifts for me.

Nan sent the sweet Snowman door hanger and there was a sweet scissor fob, too but I failed to include it in the picture. Duh! Nan remembered that I love Kim Diehl designs and knew I'd love this little fella! She's absolutely right - I love him! Thank you for remembering! :-) Thank you so much, Nan for thinking me during this holiday season! You've touched my heart - you're a true friend.


And, then there was this BIG box from Carol. The tape was removed and inside I found this.....

Wrapped in the 'cute beyond words' tissue was this........

And then I removed the bow and found this...................

wait for it

here it comes

LOL

I was stunned, surprised, speechless (that doesn't happen very often - LOL) and had tears in my eyes! I will love and enjoy this beauty for years to come. Carol, thank you so much for this gift from your heart - how do I ever thank you? I appreciate your friendship - you, too are a true friend.

I had a rough week - demands made on my time that I just wasn't willing to give. How many times do I have to say "I'm on vacation". It's been very stressful so receiving these gifts from two lovely ladies was exactly what the doctor ordered. :-)

I'm diligently working on my comfort/hug quilts for my friends. My sewing machine and I have become "One" - LOL!!! Quilt #2 and Quilt #3 are pieced and will be quilted and bound immediately. Have to make a decision on Quilt #4 but I'm sure I'll think of something. Patti asked me how I could possibly give four quilts made in time for Christmas - focus and determination will help me. :-)

Thank you so much for popping in to visit - please come again!

In Friendship!

Whew!

The past couple of weeks have been super busy in my little corner of the world. Some days have gone by in a complete blur - Sigh! My 'work life' is a bit different - I am self employed and I work a parttime job, too. (and on occasion there's been a third job, too). I've been working diligently to get all my work done and out the door so I could take some much needed time off - I really do need some Darlene-Time! Call it a vacation, a staycation, a break, Darlene-Time, etc - it doesn't matter - this is a much needed break.

Wow, thank you so much for all your wonderful comments on my previous post - it's been so much fun to read everyone's thoughts, ideas, solutions, etc. I promised a give away and if you left a comment I'd toss your name in a hat/basket/jar - I'll be back tomorrow with a list of winners! Yes, more than one but I need to see how many prizes I have. LOL

I'm in the midst of making four comfort/hug quilts for four friends who suffered losses of family members this year. I decided that since this was going to be their first Christmas without their loved one and the hugs of their loved one then a quilt with hugs sewn in would be a nice thing to do! I finished one on Saturday for a couple who lost their son this year. We delivered the quilt and explained why I made the quilt for them and they were a little shocked but very excited by our gesture.

It's a pattern called Patchwork Tiles for Moda University and I used fat quarters from Aunt Purdy's Parlor by Kansas Troubles. I was trying to achieve a masculine look but keep it a touch feminine, as well.

Pieces Parts for the second and third quilts. Bear in mind that I want to have all four completed by Christmas Day
I'll be back sometime tomorrow with contest winners! Thank you so much for visiting - do come again a real soon.




In Friendship,
Darlene

Can we talk?

When I started quilting almost 10 years ago the major fabric companies had already started making fabrics in coordinating prints and everyone I knew was purchasing the coordinating prints like wildfire! I would walk into a local quilt store and purchase a fat quarter bundle (aka tower), yardage for borders, binding and backing, take it all home and make a stunning quilt. Everything matched perfectly. Made me a happy girl, after all, I didn't have to do much thinking or planning. I've never been comfortable walking into a quilt store and selecting a variety of fabric from the color walls to make a quilt. Yes, I've done it but it's very difficult for me - however I do find it easy to do it for others. Go figure! LOL

It started with the fat quarter bundles and then charm packs, followed by Jelly Rolls and Layer Cakes - whew! They are very difficult to resist however I have found them easier to resist in recent months because in my mind's eye they are all starting to look alike. Please, this is just my humble opinion and I don't want to press it on you - we're just talking! :-)

So many of you have such a talent for selecting a variety of prints and making stunning quilts. You buy fabric because you like the color and/or print and then take it home and coordinate it with others in your stash! I can't do that! No, really I can't. Oh, I've purchased fabrics in the quilt store because I liked them but seldom do they get used - the drawers and shelves are stuffed with these fabrics - Sigh!

Take a look at the fabrics in the next picture - they are going to go in the same quilt and my quilt will look beautiful. Kathie shared these from her stash with me so I can add them to my Itty Bitty Basket quilt - see I'm going to needs hundreds of Itty Bitty Baskets - LOL I could never, in a million years, go out and purchase these different prints and use them in a quilt. I'll use them because Kathie makes beautiful quilts and I trust her judgement. And, how do I repay her for her generosity? I'll think of something. :-)

So, what's my point in all of this? Oh, I don't know - guess I'm just thinking out loud and would love to hear your thoughts and opinions.

If you leave me your thought and/or opinion I'll toss your name in a bowl/hat/basket, etc and have a drawing for a charm pack or two. :-) I'd love to share with you.

Thanks for visiting!

In Friendship!