Fat Quarter Cobblestone Quilt Along

It's been a while, sorry about that, lots of personal issues I am dealing with, but I did get a chance to join some fellow quilters in a Fat Quarter Shop sponsored Quilt Along!  This quilt sews up really quickly and was lots of fun to make.  If you've got fabric you just don't want to cut into, then this is the quilt for you.

I chose to use Kate Spain's Christmas line, Merry Merry which is filled with birds, Christmas trees, roses, pine branches, and an adorable village fabric with a cute cat.  What's not to like, right?!

It's nice to have something already made for Christmas, I cannot believe it is already October.

A special thank you to the Fat Quarter Shop for providing the pattern and materials to make this quilt~

Holiday Greetings!

                  Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Third Time's the Charm

I finally got to shop at Suzanne's Quilt Shop in Moultrie, Georgia on Tuesday past.  The first two times things just did not work out.  The first was a timing issue having arrived for close of business, my second attempt I decided I'd stay in a nearby hotel and visit in the morning.  Well, just about every farmer in a radius of 500 miles was in Moultrie for the whole week for a big Agricultural Expo so that meant there was not a hotel room to be found anywhere.  At this point, what started out to be a casual trip to a quilt shop I'd never seen, segued into a bit of an obsession for me.  Lots of pictures to share…

I love this! I have the pattern just haven't made it yet.

So many Asian fabrics, the flip-side of the shelves are filled with them also.

A whole section of Batiks.

My favorite quilt on display, simple red, white, and blue but it's wonderful! I want to go on a picnic looking at it!  Here's a closeup...

A huge section of Civil War Reproduction fabrics.

I forgot to take a picture of my purchases, I'll post that tomorrow.

Today, I made a drawstring bag using Jeni's tutorial on In Color Order.  I'd made the size featured in the tutorial but decided I'd enlarge it which is what I did.  It turned out about 13 by 8 by 4 inches. A perfect size for neatly wrapping my niece's Christmas presents.

Thanks for stopping by~

Fruit Salad

Today's post has nothing to do with fruit salad, I just couldn't think of a title and I have dinner plans breathing down my neck! You are probably saying what did yesterday's post have to do with tossed salad but that is the name the designer gave the block.  I'll leave you to follow the link to AURIbuzz to read why. Not much sewing today, mainly organizing, finishing up, and wrapping gifts for my Secret Santa Swap.  I am happy to say I am done there but can't share yet.

I did find a stack of books at my library.  I don't know why but there have been so many craft-related books recently showing up on the New Books section.  Quite the pleasant surprise!

I really need to just go ahead and buy these two.  They have some great projects and I love looking at the photographs.

I did not even know this one was out.  Mary Fons is so funny and the quilts are really different.  But a good different. They all have what I think is a masculine-bent to them.  It's hard to find quilts in books like that.  I am only familiar with Mary through her Quilty magazine, not having a T.V.

And lastly, I made up a few Christmas-themed pillowcases to donate to a group collecting them for kids in the hospital over the holiday.

That's it for now, see you tomorrow!

No-Sew Zone

I just wanted to check in and wish everyone a Merry Christmas!  DD has been home since December 4 so I blame her for contributing to my Sewing Delinquency!  I did manage to get a recently started top finished before she showed up.  My LQS has a Strip Club once a month where they make-up a jelly roll and pair it with an easy pattern.  I found November's colors hard to resist.

I added some fabric from my stash to make it larger including these cuties.

 Segueing along,  I love this new book by Elizabeth Hartman of ohfransson! fame.  The quilts all have a contemporary feel and are mostly quite easy except for one that's appliqued.  It's a great book for the beginner and experienced quilter.  I particularly liked the fact that she made and machine quilted all the quilts herself.  It really comes across as a labor of love.

I've got to run, loads of last minute things to do today.  Best wishes for a wonderful Christmas to you and your family!   

Fall Weather

It looks like Autumn has arrived in my neck of the woods (West central coast of Florida), at least for the past few days, until we are back up to the 80s which are forecasted for the end of the week.  Thank goodness, I hate the cold!  And by cold I mean 46 degrees this morning with an afternoon high of 70.  Spoiled, I know.

After participating in the Year of Schnibbles I've lots of charm squares left over.  I used some from the Holly Jolly and Merry and Bright lines by Sandy Gervais to make a table runner.  Both lines work so well together.  Here's the back,

I figured today would be a good day to hand-sew the binding down on the back what with the house so cool.

I did a simple meander stitch on my Bernina.

My daughter was funny when I showed it to her through a Skype video chat, "blue  Christmas fabric?" She's a bit of a traditionalist, like her Mom!  I won the charm packs from a giveaway.

Hope everyone is keeping warm today, talk to you later.

Merry Christmas!

May you have the gladness of Christmas which is hope; The spirit of Christmas which is peace; The heart of Christmas which is love.
~ Ada V. Hendricks

Merry Christmas everyone!

Owl Love

I've had owls on the brain ever since I saw my first ones a few days ago, right across the street from our house. And look what I ran across this morning at Jessica Levitt's blog. I think you'll agree these are a must-make any time of the year. I think I need to order some felt.
Talk to you later.

Dear Santa

• 

Have you seen the very clever giveaway at the Jolly Jabber? Here's my letter,
Dear Santa,

I'm hoping when you make a stop at the Fat Quarter Shop you bring me something good, like...

or maybe,

I'll leave it up to you and the elves at the Fat Quarter Shop to decide. I figure you brought me some really well, duds in the gift department through the years and now it's make-it-up-time. I really don't want to embarrass you by going public with the details, but what happened to that pony back when I was eight? And what was the deal with all those pajamas? Anyway, what's past is past, when you stop at the Fat quarter shop keep me in mind, will you? You know I've been good!
Love,
Mariannne