Full Day Of Sewing!!

It's so nice when you get a full day of sewing in. It's a rarity with two boys at home :) so when the stars aligned haha I ran with it. 

This was my first time to paper piece letters. It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. I was looking for a fun, funky block for a surprise quilt a group of us are making for someone ;).  I picked a block out of the Sew Out Loud QAL. I have always loved this quilt and thought this block would be perfect. You can check out her post and get the template here.

We are doing a mugrug swap between our guild and the Las Vegas MQG. I found a great one on Pinerest and got to work. I did some echo quilting and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the way it turned out. Finishing it up with yellow binding yay!!!

And lastly it was my turn to pick a BOM for the guild. I found this one on Pinterest, again ;) It was such an easy paper piece and went together super fast. You can check out the post and get the template here. I thought it would look good on point so I added some boarders and voila. 

I was kind of surprised at how much I got done in just a few hours. It felt great to finish a project haha.

~January~

Blogger's Quilt Festival - Wonky Paint Chip Mini

This is my first time to be apart of the Blogger's Quilt Festival. It seems I never finish one on time to participate. Today is the day :)

We had a fun challenge at our MQG called the Wonky Paint Chip Challenge. We each got to pick out a paint chip and had to use 2 of 3 colors on the chip. I picked one that was golden to pale yellow and knew immediately that I wanted to pair it with gray. I have been loving that color combo lately.  I got to thinking about the "WONKY" part of the challenge and looked all over pinterest for inspiration. I fell in love with this pin. It went together really fast and was a lot of fun to sew together. There wasn't a lot of hard thinking. Sometimes it's so nice to not think and just sew :) I named it yellow lighting for obvious reasons, but when my mom saw it she saw gray lighting. Well! It's interesting to me that people can look at the exact same piece and see something completely different. When you look at it what do you see, the yellow or the gray lighting? For the first time ever, I tried my hand at hand quilting and it was a lot fun. I don't know if I could do a huge project yet, but something this small was perfect. The mini finished up at 15" X 20".  

Be sure to stop by and check out all the cool quilts linked up at the Blogger's Quilt Festival and pick your favorite or link up your own. There's still time and a ton of great prizes too! I hope your having a wonderful week!!

~January~

And The Winners Are...

Thanks to everyone who joined in on the fun!!! If you didn't win I'm so sorry, but I hope you will stick around :) The way this year is flying by there will be another Giveaway Day before you know it. The winners have already been contacted - The Random Generator picked #28 For the FQ Bundle

#28

Allison CMay 6, 2013 at 2:45 PM

I'm a follower! I really like the Single Girl pattern.

And #65 for the Ruby Star Wrapping Book.

#65
MichelleMay 8, 2013 at 8:30 PM

I follow via bloglovin

I am new to quilting, so I don't have a favorite quilting book yet. I do enjoy looking through back issues of different quilting magazines for inspiration though!

Thanks again for playing!!!

~January~ 

Giveaway time 2

I love me some giveaways and I know you do too!! 

Yay, it's Giveaway Day! Be sure to check out all the cool loot people are giving away :)  and please stop by my other giveaway HERE.

I'm giving away a Ruby Star Wrapping Book. There have been a ton of blog hops and all sorts of hype over this book so, I thought it was a perfect giveaway.  "This is the ultimate resource for those who are as creative as they are willing to conserve. Ruby Star Wrapping inspires you to think resourceful, think reusable, think unusual when it come to gift packaging."

Such a fun and creative book!!

I'm making it easy to enter: Just be or become a follower and leave me a comment telling me your favorite quilt book :)

  International bloggers are welcome to join in on the fun as well. Giveaways end on Friday May 10th and I will randomly choose a winner through random.com on Saturday morning and announce it on Sunday. Make sure to check out all the great giveaways at Sew Mama Sew.  I hope you all have fun and good luck!!!

~January~

Its that time again -- It's Giveaway Day!!!!

I can't believe it's Giveaway Day already!!

 This is such a fun time and I love being a part of it - both playing and doing some giving of my own. And who doesn't love a giveaway!! I know I sure do :)

I have been hosting a low volume swap and have really loved all the low volume goodness. Round 2 will be in the near future as well ;) So I thought I would share the love and offer a Low Volume Fat Quarter Bundle. It's low volume in my opinion - there is a wide range on low volume depending on who you ask :) 

My bundle will include 4 FQ's.

Timber & Leaf Bird Flora Blue

Dear Stella Cleo Large Chevron Sand

Architextures Draft Paper Ivory

1001 Peeps Illuminate Light Blue

I'm making it easy to enter: Just be or become a follower and leave 
me a comment telling me your favorite quilting design :) International bloggers are welcome to join in on the fun as well. Giveaways end on Friday May 10th and I will randomly choose a winner through random.com on Saturday morning and announce it on Sunday. Make sure to check out all the great giveaways at Sew Mama Sew. Pop over to my other giveaway HERE!! I hope you all have fun and good luck!!

~January~

Cutting Fat Eighths

We are cutting Fat Eighths today!! 

First let me start out with this - If you are cutting fabric for a swap like the one we're doing here, be sure you get extra fabric for cutting errors. I cut (in my opinion) pretty precisely, however when I got to the end of my fabric I was a bit to short. I had no idea what had happened. Did I miscalculate how much fabric I needed? Did I somehow cut it wrong? It seems that I was actually shorted just a bit on fabric. This makes me feel a tad bit better, but it's very annoying especially when you call the company and they now may be out of the fabric your using. So, that being said I will now buy more fabric than needed and I will measure it before I cut it when I'm doing a swap.  

What is a Fat Eighth:
It is one-eighth yard of fabric that is usually cut 9"X22" instead of the typical one-eighth yard cut 4.5"X42.

I'm sorry my directions confused some people earlier so here is an easier way of cutting. Press your fabric before cutting it.

Cut 10 9" Wide strips by Width Of Fabric (WOF).

Hold down your ruler firmly while cutting. It's easy for it to slip and move around while cutting. It also helps to have a very sharp blade in your rotary cutter. You should never have to saw your fabric.

Then cut them in half.  You should end up with 20 9"X22" Fat Eighths.

Fat Eighths are a great precut. They allow for bigger prints and are very versatile.

I hope this helps everyone make there Fatties!!

Have a great day!

~January~

Epic Fabric Fail!!

This month in my Mo-Stash Bee we're making blocks for Kristin And Chips. She picked out the Tallahassee Block. It's a really cute block and they look like little flower blooms. However mine turned out fugly!! Feast your eyes on this!!!

It's funny how things can go so wrong so quickly. Well, I'm off to try again - wish me luck!!

~January~

Low Volume Mod Fat Eighth Swap

I'm so excited to be hosting this swap!! Low Volume is getting a lot of attention lately and I have already seen a few swaps pop up. Since we are doing such a fast turn around this is going to be a domestic swap this time. There are 20 spots available minus 1 for me :) So hurry if you want to get in on this swap. Leave me a comment with your email and I will send you a confirmation.

Fabric Requirements: 
Buy two and a half yards (2.5yds) of designer low volume modern fabric cut into Fat Eighths (9"x22"). You can buy 3 yards if you want some extra or just in case there is an accident. 

Press your fabric first and then cut 20 Fat Eights out of your 2 1/2 yds of fabric. I will try and get a post up on cutting soon. 

Choose a modern low volume fabric: Low Volume can mean quite a lot of things. It can be predominately white with small graphic prints (text fabrics are great) or it can just "read" as a white or neutral. I also think a colored fabric that is more muted can be a great low volume choice. Some examples below of low volume.

Fabric should be Quality Quilt Shop 100% cotton. No Joann's, Michael's or Hancock's. Make sure it's something you would love to get in a swap. Lots of online stores are getting more in. 

You will need to post pictures of your fabric on our Flickr Group to make sure we don't have any duplicates. If you have questions about a certain fabric please ask your swap mates. 

Fabric must be new/unwashed & from a smoke free environment. 

Put your fabric into a ziplock bag and include a card with your name, email and address on it. As soon as you sign up and get conformation from me you can start looking for your fabric. 

Deadline to send your fabric is May 1st. As soon as I have all the fabric I will get them back to you ASAP. The faster you get it to me the faster I get it back to you :) I know life can get in the way sometimes so if something comes up please just let me know so I can keep an eye out for it.

 When mailing your fabric, you must include a prepaid self-addressed stamped envelope. Just use the same postage you used to get your Fatties to me. Put that envelope with the postage inside your package of fabric. Smaller package envelopes are fine too, but keep in mind there is a risk of tearing in the mail. Self sealing envelopes are the best because they are super sticky and won't pop open while in transit. 

I'm so excited and have already been searching for my fabric :)
I will keep an updated list as people sign up. Remember there are only 19 spots available. 

ALL SPOTS ARE FILLED FOR ROUND 1

             1. January T.          11.  Amber 
                   2. Gayla T.             12. Jennifer B.
                             3. Jolie M.              13. See Life Marvels
              4. Gabrielle R.        14. Karri G.

           5. Bonnie P.            15. Wendi  

             6. Carla                   16. Jenn N.

               7.  Sara S.               17. Leona A.
                8. Lindsey G.          18. Krista W.
            9. Daniela               19. Kim G.
         10. Jess H.                20. Jenny


I look forward to swapping with you!!
~January~

X and Plus Love

I first saw the X and Plus Quilt on Amy's Blog Badskirt and quickly fell in LOVE. Then I joined a Flickr group that was doing a swap. I was so excited about swapping blocks and getting this quilt done that I quickly sat out to make a ton. Still fairly new to sewing in general it took me some time to get them done. You can see the fruits of my labor Here, Here and Here. I sent them off and waited anxiously to get blocks back. I was a little less than happy with the blocks I received back. I really haven't swapped since -until I joined the Modern Stash Quilting Bee. This has been a great experience!! The ladies are amazing and really produce wonderful things. I started seeing these blocks pop up again and again in the last couple of months and I really wanted to have another go round. Funny enough my bee mate Deb picked this lovely block for this month. I have a fire in my belly to do some for me now, they are so addicting. I will have to add this to the top of my to do list - haha. It's amazing to me what a difference a year can make in your sewing life. What seemed like forever to get a block finished took just minutes. I remember when I first started sewing and couldn't sew a straight line - I really had thoughts that it might never happen for me.  So, to all you newbies out there keep at and one day in the not so distant future you too can sew that elusive straight line :)

Cheers and jump on this train WOO WOO!!!

~January~

QuiltCon Recap #2 More Quilts

Going to QuiltCon was really a great experience. I found the Quilt Show to be extremely inspiring. Here are the Winners if you haven't seen them yet. Also if you haven't seen my quilt Times Square you can check that out here. Each time I went through, I saw a new quilt that I know wasn't there before and I went through 4 or 5 times in 2 days. I'm sorry to say I didn't get a picture of every single quilt, but I did take a ton. So get ready to scroll :) I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!!   

Reflection Min-Quilt

Made and quilted by Josee Carrier

 Chopsticks

Made and quilted by Silvia Glaubach

Defin Circle for Me

Made by Krista Withers and the girls from Fresh Modern Bee Two:

Reene Witchard, Leila Beasley, Amanda Slee, Lynne Goldsworthy, Danielle Auckens, Justine Henshaw, Susan Sobon, Lil Fissiest, Yvonne Fordham, Alison Robins, Amy of House of Bad Cats, Lisa of Shiner's View, Jessica of Quilt Happy and Pioneer Valley Girl. 

Quilted by Krista Withers

Puzzle Me Not

Made and quilted by Nicole Maroon

Clouds Unmapped

Made and quilted by Jenna Brand

 A Very Long Conversation

Made by Rossie Hutchinson

Quilted by Bernie Olszewski

Pods 

Made by Heather Grant

Quilted by Angela Walters

Orange Improv

Made by Bonnie Dwyer

Quilted by Ann Woodhead

 I Don't Wear Blue

Made and quilted by Cinzia Allocca

 Ode to Paul Klee

Made and quilted by Serena Brooks

Papercut

Made and Quilted by Rebecca Roach

Shattered Spectrum

Made and quilted by Lee Heinrich

Mini Zig 

Made and quilted by Vicki Christensen

Dazzling Diamonds

Made and quilted by Jen Sorenson

 Over the Rainbow

Made and quilted by Janice Ryan

Glam Garlands/Drip Mashup Quilt

Made and quilted by Elizabeth Hartman

The Caltrans Quilt

Beach Wedding

Jessica Pierre'Auguste

Network

Made and quilted by Cheryl Arkison

Both Ways 

Made and quilted by Lauren Hawley 

Bolt 

Made by Rebecca Roach

\

Plaid Houndstooth

Made and quilted by Leslie Lamb 

Migration

Made and quilted by Season Evans

 zigzigzag

Made by Allison Chambers

Quilted by Danielle Wilkes

Coloring With Kate

Made and quilted by Jane Bromberg

Paper Shredder

Made and quilted by Pamela Johnson

 Sunrise 1

Made and quilted by Erika Mulvenna

A Light in the Dark

Made and quilted by Elizabeth Dackson

 Fracture 

Made and quilted by Charlotte Newland

 In Defense of Handmade

Made by Thomas Knauer

Quilted by Lisa Sipes

Green for Gamma Maze quilt

Made and quilted by Susan Kephart

40 Watt Wonder

Made and quilted by Alison Robins

Honey in Space

Made and quilted by Elizabeth Hartman

 EssbeeCon

Made and quilted By Jim Smith and Andy Brunhammer

Streetscape

Made and quilted by Katie Blakesley 

  

Neutral and Neon 

Made and quilted by Latifah Saafir

Bang! You're Dead.

Made by JAcquie Gering

Quilted by Anne Christopher

A Zig and A Zag

Made and quilted by Angela Pingel

Gridlocked

Made by Tula Pink

Quilted by Angela Walters

C's

Made and quilted by Silvia Glaubach

New York Beauty Mini

Made and quilted by Kati Spencer

Broken Triangles

Made and quilted by Hollie Lobosky

She was very humble about her awesome quilt  :) It was really great to meet her!!!

Bias 

Made and quilted by Alissa Haight Carlton

Boy Zig

Made and quilted by Susan Kephart

Pinwheels

Made and quilted by Silvia Glaubach

Graphic

Made by Bonnie Lindblad, Linda Nussbaum, Kimberly Lumapas, Heather Davidson, Rachel Kerley, Nancy Stovall, Melanie Cho, Barbara Sanders, Katie Sciarrano, Jill Collins, Monica Solario-Snow, Anne Matlak, Cathey Fowler, Susan Beal and Michelle Freedman

Quilted by Nancy Stovall

Deconstructed Nine - Patch

Made and quilted by Jacquie Gering 

 Spin Dr

Made and quilted by Angela Walters

 Dream a Little Dream

Made and quilted by Angela Pingel

Orange Tails

Made and quilted by Leila Gardunia

From One Color To Another

Made and quilted by Mary Langenberg

Starburst

Made and quilted by Nicole Neblett

Blue Ice

Made and quilted by Jacquie Gering

 Intersections

Made and quilted by Alissa Haight Carlton

Up In The Air

Made and quilted by Latifah Saafir

 Fractal Quilt

Made and quilted by Megan Dye

Denyse Schmidt 

Snake Charmer

QuiltCon Exhibition

Denyse Schmidt 

Courthouse Steps 

QuiltCon Exhibition

Great Job To Everyone Who Had Their Quilt Hanging In The Show!!

Have a wonderful day!!

~January~