Blog Giveaway

Here's a giveaway I'd really like to win: http://bittybitsandpieces.blogspot.com/2009/07/charmed-gift-bag-giveaway.html. Isn't that the cutest little bag? If you visit the blog, be sure and take a look at the previous entry with the cute quilted placemats. They're just darling.

New Inspiration

No wonder I can't get my UFO's finished.....there are too many new project calling my name. I got the July/August issue of Quiltmaker magazine primarily for the new Bonnie Hunter mystery that starts in this issue, but I found a new inspiration even though I wasn't looking for one--the Thirty Something quilt project:

I love this quilt, and I've been collecting reproduction thirties fabrics for a long time hoping the "right" project would come along. Something that would justify cutting into all those pretty prints. Here's a pic of some of my fabric--this is just a small sample--LOL!

The quilt requires 56 blocks, but I've already got about 30 of them stitched. Pretty good progress considering I'm hand-sewing them. I hope to hand quilt the finished top; I haven't done any hand quilting in a few years, and I'm surprised how good it feels to have a needle in my hand again.

Happy quilting,

Carolyn

July Block of the Month

I only managed to get one block of the month posted for June, but I was away for a significant part of the month because of a death in the family. I have been very lucky to still have grandparents living (even at my age!!), but in February 2008 I lost my paternal grandmother, and now in June, my maternal grandmother has gone to heaven. I had planned on a quick trip to West Virginia for the funeral and ended up staying longer than originally planned.


So anyway, on to the block. The one I chose for July is called State of Georgia, and the instructions are on Quilter's Cache.


I had never made this particular block before, but it's easy enough with no new techniques, just simple sqaures and half-square triangles.



Here are all the patches laid out after I finished sewing the hst's.
















And, here's the finished block:




When you open the instructions on Quilter's Cache, be sure and click over to the second page to see how the blocks look once they are all put together. It's really neat how the secondary pattern develops and forms "circles" across the quilt. This block would make a great quilt in planned colors or even in scraps if you are careful with the light-medium-dark contrasts.





Have fun sewing!
Carolyn

Birthday Fun

Kathryn Grace, darling granddaughter and light of my life, is two years old! How about that for a milestone? The birthday party was Saturday at the park.

The problem with a two-year old's birthday party is getting the birthday girl to hold still long enough to get her picture taken.

Apparently, playing on the playground is more fun than singing Happy Birthday or opening presents.

At least she seemed to enjoy the cake! How big a bite did she put in her mouth?!

What I've Been Working On

I've been busy sewing.....not sure it can be considered quilting though. I got a pattern a few months ago called "Little Glam Bag" and finally got time to try it out. Here's some pics of the five I've made so far.

The one with the cherries is for me (of course!). I really enjoyed making these little bags--each one uses less than a fat quarter quilted to some fusible fleece, and it's a good way to use up some of those little pieces of ribbon and trims that I can't seem to throw away. I also made a set of pillowcases. Sorry the picture's not better--they're already on my bed. I like that novelty fabric with the chocolates on it. Now I can have chocolates on my pillow every night with no calories.

Happy sewing,

Carolyn

Choices

I recently saw a picture of an old quilt and decided I wanted to figure out how it was made. Before I knew what was happening, I had 24 blocks done! The old quilt in the picture had the blocks set solid without sashing and without borders. I really didn't want to match up all the points on the edges, plus there would be a lot of bulk where the points meet, so I decided to use some sashing. I thought the bright pink would brighten up the blocks which turned out a little more blah than I had envisioned. Of course, the problem I run into when I really have little or no plan is that the planning part of my brain is slow to catch up with the cutting and sewing part! I want to add some cornerstones but can't decide on the color. I thought maybe I could lay out two rows of blocks with a strip of sashing and insert little squares of my two choices and take a picture of it. Sometimes looking at a picture makes it easier to decide--at least for me. Anyhow, I am posting the pictures of both options and asking for opinions. Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know which color cornerstones looks better.


Option 1:



Option 2:



Thanks!
Carolyn

June Block of the Month

Here's the BOM for June. It's a ten-inch block from Quilterscache I really like called Marion's Choice. Here's a link for the instructions:
http://www.quilterscache.com/M/MarionsChoiceBlock.html

It's all 2" squares and half-sqaure triangles so nothing we haven't already been doing. The way they're arranged makes a really nice block. You might want to keep the picture handy while you're sewing the block. I didn't the first time and managed the get the half-square trianges upside down when I made the first row. It was easy to correct

after I looked at the picture. I spressed the rows

with the patches going away from the half-square
triangles, and I pressed the middle row with the
patches going toward the outer patches and
toward the red center patch. Sorry I didn't take a
pic showing how I pressed it, but here's a pic of
the finished block.



Until next time,
Carolyn