Block swap adventure

This is my December block for Kim.  This block is called garden patch block. I tried to do it without paper piecing (or using a template) but I couldn't do it. It's a pretty block though!

 I hope you enjoy it Kim!

Missing fabric update

Well I was unable to find the fabric I needed. No one I knew had any, and one employee at Joann's told me she remembered it going on clearance, which means I'm out of luck :(

I did find this one fabric at wal-mart, that I'd thought about using in the border. (You can see the shades are similar, but the wal-mart print was definitely more green.

But I think I've found a layout that shall work. And once it's done I'll share it with you all :)

Sewing tonight…this weekend!

I'm excited I'm spending most of the weekend sewing. I need to get things ready for the long arm next week!! Hopefully I can get rid of three or four UFOs!

Watching old episodes of law & order. Enjoying myself too much to head to bed right now!!

Two fabric quilt block 9 & 10

This block is a bunch of bow tie blocks put together! I love it!  It almost looks like a bunch of circles!

This one I believe is called an amish square.  Or that is one name I found online. 

On the search for fabric. . .

Hello! I have been posting about my two fabric quilt on Thursdays, well the darker fabric I picked, I ran out of, and even after being to 5 Jo-Ann stores, I cannot find it ANYWHERE!!

So I was wondering if a) anyone else has happened to see it at a Jo-Ann's and could get me the SKU b) anyone has some at their home they would be willing to sell me?

I was hoping to finish this quilt by Christmas, but I am not sure what I will do now that I have run out of a key fabric (I really thought I had enough!)

Here is a picture of the fabric.  It's brown with green and blue dots/circles.  This was NOT a clearance fabric.  I bought it off their calico wall.

(I don't even have enough fabric at home to take a picture of just the fabric!)

Thank you SO much!

Long arm part 4

 This is going to be my last post about my long arm practice quilt. 

Bonnie hunter did a quilt with spider webs, so I thought I would try one! it's a toughie (hers was a pantograph)

 Here is some hearts I did along with some fill I practiced.

These last three are my favorites.  I didn't have a pattern for this one, but I did end up seeing it online other places, but I love the swirl and the flower!

Free fabric

I love fabric. I'm betting most people that sew do! A family friend was downsizing their fabric stash and offered it to me! Of course I said yes!

There is a wide variety of fabrics here! Cottons, fleece, velveteen, polyester, etc. it's fun going through it and trying to decide what I'm going to do with it! But I can guarantee these will be seen again!

I have already cut some of it up.  But I am not going to tell you what for - just yet :)

long arm part 3

Here is part 3 of my long arming adventures!  I really enjoyed just playing and getting to know the machine.

I really want to be able to do flowers well!! so I will keep trying them!

Here you can see the bumps I did, and the fill-ins I tried.  Then below I tried some loops, again the motion of the machine gives me issues.

I kind of like these hearts :)

Trying more loops.  they ended up more like hearts because when I would go through and to they I would over compensate!

Long arm part 2

Here is part 2 of my long arming.  (This was a BIG quilt!)



Here you can see some pebbling I did.  I thought that was kind of boring.  I have also found I do not like heavy quilting.  Pebbling was too close for me.  Then next to it is a flower I tried to do, I found it online, and LOVED it! but I couldn't get it to look as pretty as the others I had found.  Again I think once I get used to the feel of the machine it will be easier.

Here I practiced some writing, Melissa loves Scott (Although I didn't go back and dot my i).

Here is some more writing I did.  Along with trying to draw a flower.  I LOVE all the flowers I see, but I am not that good at them!  Then You can also see some swirls/snails I did.

Here I just did some x's and practiced more swirls/snails.

Two fabric quilt block 7 & 8

While I was in the DC area I got quite a bit of sewing done.  It's tough to sew when you travel, because you never know how much to bring.  I ended up being just a little short, but I still got quite a bit done!

 Churn dash.  I enjoyed making this block.  I think it would make a great ispy quilt!

Ohio star (done correctly!) Although when I did it, I did it wrong and had to rip half of it out to get the "star" to be going the right way.  I could see this one being pretty as a three color way block.

Long arm

Every once in a while Jo-Ann's has clearance fabric go 50% off.  I go a little nuts, because you can get some really good fabric for really cheap.  Well about three weeks before I was going to go use the long arm machine, Jo-Ann's had their clearance fabric on sale.  So I bought some fabric that I could sandwich (without having to piece) and practice using the long arm.  So this is a cheap blanket but I learned a lot :)

I also should stick to buying batting in 2 yard increments, because buying 6 yards I had a lot of left overs that couldn't be used in another quilt.

I decided I was just going to play.  I used some of the designs from my iPad and then kind of experimented.  So you can see the lines across, just like when I draw on a whiteboard I cannot make a straight line, I couldn't on the long arm, so I used some chalk and drew lightly on the quilt.

 This is where I started.  The hearts were difficult for me to do!  I will definitely need to practice on the motion of the machine.  The second row did NOT turn out how I thought it would! again I am going to have to practice on the motion of the machine.  The third row was supposed to be spirals and swirls.  Not bad for a first try ;)

Then I tested some straight lines back and forth.  Then big loops and little loops.

I added a pen to this picture to show the size of the quilting.  This was

Then I played with meandering and more swirls and loops.

Black Friday shopping

I have never been really into black Friday shopping, but my friend Christine is, and when we planned to go out this year, we planned to go black Friday shopping together.  We decided the only place we REALLY wanted to hit up was Jo-Ann's.  The flannel (among other things) was on a HUGE sale.

We were the first ones at the door on Friday morning.  And we both spent a lot of money! I bought a lot of flannel, some for quilt backs, some just cause it was cute (I don't have a quilt in mind for it yet).

Then Friday night we set up Christine's sewing room, except I never got a picture of it! I think it's really cute, and this is the best I have.

Except it doesn't show her awesome mannequin (whom we named Claire), or her large table she has her machine on.  This weekend I worked on quilt blocks and Christine finished an outfit! it's a one piece jumpsuit tube top type thing.  I don't want to post pictures of it yet, because she plans on wearing it soon, and I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise!

My view today

Sewing with Christine. Two heads are better than one!!!

Two fabric quilt block 6

Well things have been speeding up! so I don't have as much time to sew as I would like.  But every once in a while I get something done ;)Well things have been slowing down, so I don't have as much time to sew as I would like. But every once in a while I get something done :)

Thanksgiving

Last year my husband and I went to DC for thanksgiving. We're visiting my friend Christine.

Her and I are going Black Friday shopping at Jo-Ann's. I don't need a lot, but the sales will be nice.

We are also going to spend some time sewing. I didn't want to try to lug my machine around or have to put it in the over head compartments. So I asked if I could borrow the featherweight from my MIL.

I didn't have a wheelie bag that would fit under the seat (and fit the featherweight) but I do have a Vera Bradley miller bag, which the machine fits into quite well.

I wrapped it in my HST quilt. The only snafu, was that TSA wanted to take it out :/ so I had to put it back. But it's good now, and I'm ready for our flight…in two hours!

Scrappy Jacobs ladder

So I have been posting about my scrappy Jacobs ladder.  I have shown you a few finished blocks, and some of them put together.  Well now it's the time to show you the FULL quilt!  I am quite excited about this, while I was making it, I was kind of eh (notice a pattern?! I don't like scrappy as much while I am working on it, but put it together! and boom! I fall in love!). This was going to be my first thing on the long arm. Well technically second. The first thing I made I haven't posted about because I haven't finished it yet! I wanted to have something to play with first, I didn't want this quilt to be my guinea pig! This quilt is my baby!

Although it doesn't belong to me anymore. I have shipped it off to my grandpa. I wish I could have given it to him in person, but living 6 hours away kind of hinders that. I have this desire to quilt for all the people I love. I made my grandma a quilt first, then my mom then my sisters, etc. I want to make everyone in my family quilts, but I am pretty sure I have said it before, but I am bound by my imagination. If I don't have an idea, the quilt won't come. I have been trying to decide what I would do for my grandpa. Making quilts for girls is easy. Making quilts for guys: SO TOUGH!!! Well I started the jacobs ladders block and decided it would be GREAT for my grandpa!

So I was able to get it whipped up in no time when I finally knew who it would be for :)

Without further ado here are pictures.

Two fabric Quilt Block 5

One lone block today.

Shoo fly.  I am not sure how this block got it's name, but I like it :)

Two fabric quilt Block 3 & 4

Eccentric star

Friendship Star

Quick post

I've meant to post this all week! But it's been a crazy week at work!

On Monday I rented the long arm machine. I was there from 10 am- 5 pm. I didn't get as much done as I would have liked (ran out of batting!

I will be writing more about the long arm later as I get those projects finished.

I just wanted to share this picture my husband took. (I brought him along so he could see a long arm)

Two fabric quilt block 1 & 2

I am going to show you some blocks I have been working on, and in a few weeks you'll see the finished quilt!

The first block is one you have actually already seen, so I will just link to it : Jacobs ladder block

Here is the second one

I found this block in one of my quilting books, it said it was called Pennsylvania.