Charming Guys and Girls Quilt Club

February Goals

I didn't fulfill all my February goals- Sigh! :-) It's definitely not an excuse but it was a short month. I'm not going to beat myself up - it is what it is! :-) Maybe March will be better. teehee!

I didn't even get my Gratitude & Generosity Challenge #2 done. So, you can bet that in March I will have G & G Challenge #2 & #3. #2 will happen very, very soon. :-)

I did manage to piece, quilt & bound my Lincoln Schnibble quilt and I pieced my Mill House Inn log cabin quilt.

I don't have a picture (yet) but I did my fair share of Olympic stitching the past two weeks.

Thank you so much for stopping by to visit with me. Come again soon.

In Friendship!

The Party is Over

Thank you so much Kelly and Joan for hosting an incredible Spring Sewing Party - I had so much fun. I will do my very best to attend every Charming Girls and Boys Party :-)

I finished my project - it's officially a flimsy and I'm thrilled with the results. If I can find some backing in my stash I plan to quilt this one ASAP. It will look adorable on a small quilt rack in my home this Spring.

I used fabrics from several Me & My Sister Designs/Moda lines and the Feed Sacks pattern from Scrap Basket Surprises by Kim Brackett of Magnolia Bay Quilts.

Thank you so much for partying with me today. I hope you had as much fun as I did.

In Friendship!

Update

(1:30pm)

4 of 20 blocks - I'm finding myself humming "In my Easter Bonnet" LOL
Yes, there is a second little pile of cute fabrics (aka kit) for YOU to make one for YOURSELF.

Now I'm off to check in on some of you - don't want to miss anything! Be back later.

PAR-TEE

TIME

UPDATE

Time to party - been out to breakfast with my sweet hubby and now I'm in my sewing room ready to sew the day away.

Remember these - it's two piles for two (hopefully) sweet quilts. One for me and one (kit) for you. teehee
Here's the start of mine! :-)

See you later!

Party Time

Tomorrow is the day - I'm going to a Spring Sewing Party - woohoo!!!! Spring is my favorite season so I'm really excited. Need to make my final project decision later today. See you tomorrow.

In Friendship!

Embroidery Tutorial

I've been asked questions via e-mail regarding my embroidery. I'm definitely not an expert but I thought I'd share what works for ME.

The following pictures will explain a little better: (the explanations are under each picture)

1. I prefer to use a spring hoop because I find that my fabric is nice and taut and doesn't get loose. I lay the traced design on the outer ring of the hoop and insert the spring. And, I like to put the handles at the top in the 12 o'clock position

There is no right or wrong way to use this hoop it just happens to be what works for me and I've done it this way for over 20 years. :-)

You may also notice that I trace with a mechanical pencil - again a personal preference.

2. I like to do my embroidery with two strands of embroidery floss but I don't like to have knots on the back of my work. So, I strip one strand of floss - twice the length I think I will need - fold it in half - thread the two ends through the eye of the needle leaving the loop on the end of the length.

Bear in mind that purists will poo-poo this method because floss and/or thread does have a nap and now you've got opposing strands. I'm not a purist so it's all good. :-)

3. To take my first stitch I bring up my needle from the back of my traced design.

4. To complete the stitch I go down and then put my needle through the loop in the floss.

4a. Another view of my needle going through the loop of floss.

5. The back of my work with the first stitch being locked into place. I don't like to use anything on the back of my embroidery work (i.e. fusible, batting or muslin) . This is just a personal preference.
6. The loop method will not work with variegated threads unless you want a blended or tweedy look.

I strip two strands of embroidery floss, thread my needle, take my needle down from the top of my work, away from the traced design, keeping a length of the threads on the top (long enough to thread my needle later and weave the threads through stitches on the back) You can also make a knot at the end of the two strands and do the same thing thereby parking your threads off to the side.

6a. A view of my thumb holding the two strands of floss while I take my first couple of stitches.


I hope this tutorial is clear and answers some of the questions you may have about what works for Me. Please pardon the condition of my hands - I live in Arizona (it's a dry heat but it's also a dry cold)


As always, thank you for stopping by to visit - please come again very soon.


In Friendship!

In My Mind's Eye

You get excited about the 'next' project once you've selected the fabrics and pattern. It looks fabulous in 'your mind's eye' and you sew full of anticipation. And, then it happens - suddenly it doesn't look so fabulous and you start experiencing doubt and disappointment. You come close to scrapping the whole project, walking out of your sewing room and slamming the door. Dejected and done!!!!! Instead you persevere and hope that it will work out just fine in the end.

I've just described exactly what happened to me on Friday.

A few weeks ago I found a wonderful Log Cabin quilt pattern on Debi's blog (you'll find the tutorial in the left column of her blog). I wanted to make this log cabin quilt - I just needed a Moda Layer Cake (Mill House Inn was my choice) and 2 yards of a background fabric for the light side of the log cabins. The clotted cream dots arrived from Kelly's Cotton Charm Shop last week and I cut and sewed all 80 blocks full of anticipation. Sigh!

What's my problem? Well, I'm not sure I like the super dark eggplant color in the quilt - they seem to stick out way too much. I'm not as unhappy with the quilt as I was initially because I think if I use an inner border and dark eggplant colored outer border then it'll look just fine. I've chatted with Debi a bit and she doesn't always use a border when she makes this quilt - now I'm wondering if I should quilt it the way it is and bind it with the darker eggplant color.

What do you think???

Wow, I just spotted a problem - guess I'll have to call on my friend Jack the Ripper. The last two rows are in need of his assistance. It's amazing what you spot when you take a picture. LOL

Leave me your thoughts and ideas, please!

I appreciate your visit - come again soon.

In Friendship!

Wuzz Up? :-)

I can't believe it's been almost a week since I've posted - bad, bad blogger. LOL

Joan, one of our Charming Girls and Boys Club fearless leaders has tagged us to post a few of our favorite things.

1. My BFF, my Janome 6600. She's always there willing and waiting for ME.

2. I love to precut projects - I find that I can get things done much faster when I take time to precut. Here's a future project in bright, cheery colors. There's actually two - could one be for YOU? teehee

3. Two finished Snowbound blocks for Kelly & Terry - gives me warm fuzzies to do these for them every month in 2010.


4. 80 Mill House Inn blocks waiting patiently to be laid out and become a new quilt - YUM!

5. A finished (quilted & bound) Schnibbles Lincoln quilt. Double YUM!
(yes, more swirls - some people like to meander, I like to do swirls - LOL)

6. A huge favorite thing - my RED quilt cabinet in the entry way of my home. Holds 50+ quilts and makes me smile :-) everytime I walk by.

7. Mary Ellen's Best Press - a must have staple in my sewing room.

8. My most favorite - Cooper our 19 month old Shiz Tzu. Keeps me smiling. :-)
He's snuggled into his favorite spot - with my DH at the footrest of the recliner.

Thank you so much for all the anniversary wishes. We had a wonderful day - out for breakfast and then dinner later in the day.
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Thanks for stopping by to visit - come again soon.
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In Friendship!

Thirty Three Years - Wowzer!

It was February 12, 1977 - thirty three years ago Ron and Darlene promised each other 'til death do us part'. We're growing old together and having fun.

I can't promise to love you for the rest of your life but I can promise that I will love you for the rest of mine!

Happy Anniversary!

February Charming Guys and Girls

Quilt Club Goals

Love this new logo - don't you?
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Here we go - new goals means new projects - woohoo!!!! OK, some are a carry over from January :-)

First let me apologize for the glare on the picture (grrr)

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1. Schnibbles Lincoln - Wiscasset charms

2. Schnibbles Tuffets - I will get these done this month

3. Schnibbles Cindy Lou Who - ditto

4. Schnibbles Picnic - ditto

5. Tumbler quilt with Baskets of Flowers by Mary Englebreit

6. Log Cabin Quilt with Mill House Inn (need to place an order with Kelly today)

7. Kitchen Sink from Scrap Basket Surprises by Kim of Magnolia Bay Quilts - this pile of fabrics has been sitting near my sewing machine for a couple of months - time to git 'r dun teehee

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Hopefully I can stay focused! LOL Yes, yes I have some gift flimsies to quilt but I'm sure you're sick of seeing those - they will get done, too.

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There are so many other projects I want to work on but I need an 8th day of the week - we can call it Someday - what do you think? LOL

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Stay tuned - Gratitude & Generosity Challenge #2 is coming this week. :-)

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Thanks for visiting with me today - I appreciate you.

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In Friendship!

Year of the Schnibbles Finishes

I finished January's project - Madeline


I don't recall which month - this is Winter White - finished!

And, I've just learned that the February Schnibble is Sunday Best - I made mine last week and it's finished. WooHoo! Maybe I can spend February doing the ones from past months (really need to catch up-LOL)

Enjoy your day - thank you for stopping by.

In Friendship!

Charming Girls January Finishes
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I had lots of goals for the month of January for the Charming Girls Club but I only accomplished a handful.

I finished (quilted & bound) two Valentine Table Toppers (the first has been delivered)
I finished (quilted & bound) January Year of the Schnibbles project - Madeline.
I finished (quilted & bound) Year of the Schnibbles - Winter White (still need to make Cindy Lou Who, Picnic & Tuffets)

I got carried away this month with Schnibbles - finished (quilted & bound) Two Bits and Sunday Best. They weren't part of my January goals so I'll share those pictures later.
Three Piece of Cake quilt tops - still flimsies - didn't quilt & bind as planned. There's a good reason but it doesn't matter to all of you. :-)

I had plans to make a gift for a bloggy friend with a Laurel (by Moda) Jelly Roll and I selected the Sticks & Stones pattern. I came to a complete stop because I was second guessing my pattern decision. I think I like it and plan to finish it this week. Let's hope the planned recipient likes it, as well.

edit - this pattern is called Strip Stacks and it's by G.E. Designs - that's what I get for trusting my memory. Sorry for the confusion.

I'll be back later this week with my February goals & plans.

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I hope you've spent time with your needle and thread. :-)

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Thanks for stopping by - come again soon.

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In Friendship!

Between Friends Sighting

:-)

Do you remember a few months ago when I published my first quilt pattern - "Between Friends"? You can go back to my November 8, 2009 post to read more about this pattern.

You can find my free pattern here.

Bear in mind that I'm not a pattern designer - I tried my best! I hope you download and enjoy it.

I have a huge smile on my face because Lizzie at Quilting in Northern California has told me numerous times that she loves my pattern. Well, Lizzie has made a third version - guess she really does love it. Thank you, Lizzie!!!

This is from Lizzie's blog! Thank you, Lizzie, for letting me share your beautiful quilt. :-)

In Friendship!

Sewing, sewing, sewing

Oh No.....................empty bobbins!!!!

AH! Full bobbins. Bliss!!! ;-)

10 empty bobbins is a signal for me to clean & oil my sewing machine. Change the needle, too.


And, now......................
sewing, sewing, sewing!

Having a good week? Thanks for stopping by.

In Friendship!

Scrappy vs The Safe Zone

Well, hello there! :-) Have you missed me? I haven't been ignoring you, I've been spending lots of quality time with my BFF. She's ready for a little respite and I need to get caught up with YOU. :-)


Scrappy

Back when my quilting mojo went missing a fabulous designer asked if I'd be interested in doing a quilt or two for her. screeeeeech................of course! Well, I made one almost immediately because I used a coordinated Jelly Roll (the safe zone). The second quilt needed to be super scrappy. screeeeeech...............what????? I can't do scrappy..............I can do planned scrappy! But true scrappy; oh I don't know!!!!! Sigh! Well, I've been agonizing but didn't want to let her down so I finally came up with a plan and jumped in with both feet (well, three feet - mine and my machine's foot - teehee). On Friday I made a handful of blocks and sent a picture to her for her approval - she liked them. Onward! WooHoo!!! The quilt required 30 blocks, an inner border and an outer border. Guess what???? I did it - it's super scrappy - I mean SCRAPPY! The designer seems to be happy with the results but last night I dreamed that she really doesn't like it and doesn't know how to tell me. LOL - she's assured me that she really does like it. I think I'll know more after she actually gets the quilt in her hands. Sorry, I can't show you the blocks or the quilt - it's a secret. teehee!!!!

The Safe Zone

After I finished the scrappy quilt and breathed a HUGE sigh of relief I headed to my closet to find a new project and work in the comfort of the SAFE ZONE. You know a coordinated Jelly Roll, Layer Cake, Charm Squares, etc. I found 3/4 yard of a background and 2 Peace on Earth charm packs - what to do, what to do???? A Schnibble, of course, LOL. Miss Rosie's Sunday Best required exactly what I had - perfect!!! I played in my Safe Zone last night and today; Sunday Best is officially a flimsy.

Have you ever thought about Scrappy vs The Safe Zone???? What's your comfort level? Please share your thoughts with me and others.
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I hope you've been spending tons of time with your BFF (the sewing machine).
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Thanks so much for visiting - come again soon.
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In Friendship!

Quirks

Definition - a peculiarity, peculiar trait or mannerism)

Do you have a quirk or two (more)? I have several but I'm here to discuss only one. :-)

You know I usually refer to myself as a processor - for me, it's all about doing and staying busy. I don't like to 'just sit'; when I do I start yawning, release deep sighs and decide it's time to go to bed. However, if I have something keeping me busy then I'm good to go for many hours. I can spend hours in my sewing room but there are some evenings I do enjoy watching TV (NCIS, Criminal Minds & CSI, NY) so I like to have some handwork handy. It might be binding a quilt, hand applique or embroidery.

So, where's the QUIRK in that? Well, I enjoy doing embroidery but whether it ever becomes a finished item really doesn't matter to me. Silly, I know, but I seriously don't care. I could suddenly get a wild hair and decide to 'finish' one but quite frankly it's doubtful. LOL Recently I had a friend say, "Why do you do so much? Why do you bother? What are you going to do with those? I don't understand?" I tried hard to explain but she just didn't get it but does she have to - I do these because they keep me busy, they make me happy and because I can. :-)

Here's a sampling of some of the embroidery projects I've done that are just sitting in a cute box. Be still my heart. LOL

Tisket-A-Tasket by Bunny Hill Designs (2009 free BOM)


2009 Free BOM by Gail Pain Designs

Ring In The New by Kathy Schmitz

Gingerbread Men Monthlies by Cedarberry Stitches (you can purchase it as an e-pattern) I worked on these between Christmas and New Year's last month.

A few more - left to right
Sewing Bird by Kathy Schmitz, Winter Wishes by Cedarberry Stitches, Santa by Bird Brain Designs & a Fall Friday Freebie by Kaaren at The Painted Quilt.

Let me share a little story - a few months ago I offered to do some embroidery for a fellow blogger (she doesn't enjoy handwork). She said she'd think about it and get back to me but she never did. Sigh! Earlier this week I offered the same to another fellow blogger and she flatly turned me down. Oh well - I'll just keep stitching and enjoying myself. :-)
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So, do you have any quirks? I'd love to hear from you. :-)
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I appreciate your visits - come again. BTW, I have no idea what the Wabbit Daze Gang is up to in that last post - I heard them laughing, snickering and giggling. Stay tuned. LOL
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In Friendship!

Be vewy, vewy quiet! shhhhhhhhh!!!! teehee

The Wabbit Daze Gang

Two Bits, Four Bits, Six Bits a Dollar

(dating myself? LOL)

I simple couldn't help myself - I had to do it. Another completed Schnibbles flimsy - this one is called Two Bits and once again the big old copy cat that I am I used Old Primrose Inn just as Carrie did. This would be adorable in a larger version with very scrappy 4 patches.

I hope you're having a wonderful week and enjoying your needle and thread!

Thanks for stopping by - come again soon.

In Friendship!

Schnibbles & Stuff

Schnibbles, those cute small quilts, by Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Co, are popping up all over the Land of Blog thanks especially to A Year of Schnibbles. Carrie has been designing and publishing Schnibbles patterns for a few years now and while I own a pile of patterns I've only made two. Last year I used a Jelly Roll and made a larger version of "X-Rated" and I also made "State Fair". I joined A Year of Schnibbles and now I'm excitedly committed to making everyone that's selected & featured. When I posted my list of January goals Swooze left a comment asking what I do with my Schnibbles quilts - well use small Schnibbles type quilts as table toppers, on the back of a chair, on a small quilt rack, rolled up with others in a basket, etc.

Would you please leave a comment and share what YOU do with your Schnibbles quilts??? I, as well as others, would love to learn about your ideas.

Speaking of Schnibbles, yesterday I spent all day in my sewing room - literally all day - I walked in at approximately 10:00am and shut everything off at midnight! Truly a BLISSFUL day. :-)

I started and finished January's Schnibbles pattern - Madeline. I used Rouenneries and I'm glad it's done - I did not enjoy making this quilt - nothing against the pattern - it was the charm packs - I didn't have enough reds. Ugh!!!! I cut a strip off my backing fabric and managed to make it work. It's finished - enough said. WooHoo!!! I hoping to quilt it today or tomorrow and call it REALLY DONE!!! LOL

Saturday I received the package of fabrics I needed for borders on three "Piece of Cake" (Thimble Blossoms) quilt tops so I also spent yesterday adding borders - 2 with Simple Abundance & 1 with Cotton Blossoms. I plan to quilt these later this week and they, too, will be REALLY DONE! :-)

Have I told you lately how much I enjoy your visit? Well, I do so come again and come often.
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In Friendship!