Spring Stars Quilt

I bought the fabric for this quilt (with the exception of the white background fabric) as a quilt kit, but I didn't like the pattern. There was NO background fabric! It just didn't show off these great prints. They remind me of spring and should just be allowed to shine. The fabric is Aviary 2 by Joel Dewberry. I just decided to add some background fabric and whipped up a bunch of stars. This is the first quilt I have finished that I made without using a pattern. Figuring out the math to make sure I had enough fabric was much harder than I thought! Kudos to all of those pattern designers out there! It's a lot of work!

I am thrilled with the way this quilt turned out! It currently resides in my family room on the quilt ladder so I can see it every day. I think it will eventually become my daughter's quilt as these are her favorite colors.

Thanks for stopping by and make sure you check out all the fabulous quilts at the Blogger's Quilt Festival!

Treats!

Normally I don't share paper crafting projects because I don't do much of it. However, I am making an exception today because I love these little treat bags!

I picked up these little treat bags at a local scrapbook store. I only bought 24, but I probably should have picked up triple that many. I can see now that 24 isn't going to last me very long! They are fully lined with some kind of plastic so you can put whatever baked goods you want without worrying about the grease spots.

I have a confession. The Cricut machine I have been using is actually my sister's. I kidnapped it. She can have it back, just not right now.

Another reason I wanted to share this project today is the Independence Day cartridge is free to use in the Cricut Craft Room this week! All of the cutouts, except the star, are from the Independence Day cartridge. The star is from the Star Spangled Fun Layout, available in the Cricut Store.

I also used my favorite glitter spray, Radiant Rain Shimmering Mist in Ice, on the star and the firecracker. Unfortunately, you can't see the glitter since I used Instagram to take the picture. Note to self, don't use Instagram for sparkly stuff.

Have fun!

Desert Candy

Do you ever read a blog that just sucks you in every time you read it?
There are a couple of blogs I really love, but most I read only if the topic interests me. However, there is this one food blog, that I just love. Desert Candy. It's written by Mercedes. I don't know her, but I know I would like her if we were ever to meet.
I think what sucks me in every time is her honesty and her obvious love of what she is writing about. It is a food blog, she mostly blogs about dishes that are not what I would consider mainstream. I have a tried a few of her recipes, and they really are delicious.
I hope you will take a minute and go visit Desert Candy.

Friday Finish ~ Bags ~ Can't have too many!

 For my daughter's 8th birthday (which was way back in January, and yes, this bag was done in January for her birthday, so were the pictures), I made her a new bag for church. She needed a new bag to hold her new set of scriptures, plus a notebook, pencils, water bottle (we live on the face of the sun), etc. I knew she would want something bright. She never likes dark or drab colors. And this is the bag I came up with. It's simple, but great for showing off some fun fabrics. The fabric is Cuzco by Kate Spain for Moda.

When I finished the bag, it needed a little something extra, so I found this flower from Thirty-one that I had. It matched perfectly! What are the odds!

 Easy to keep everything organized.

 I liked the bag so much, that I made myself one with these fun fabrics I had sitting on my shelf. Aren't they pretty?

Plenty of pockets for organizing smaller stuff, too.

Spring Wreath

This wreath makes me happy every time I look at it. Every single time.
I made this wreath a couple of years ago, and just never got around to taking a picture. Big surprise. It always takes me a while to get a picture.
This wreath was really easy to make. And it matches the entry perfectly.
Paper is Blossom Song by DCWV. There is a tutorial on the DCWV blog.

Friday Finish ~ Hexagon Chateau

This quilt has actually been done for several months, and I just took a picture. Yeah, I'm good at procrastinating.

Last August I went on the annual quilt retreat with my quilt group, and we, of course, went shopping while we were away. I loved the Chateau Rouge jelly roll (French General). So pretty! Well I wasn't going to get it until one of the ladies found this pattern, Hexagon Garden ~ Just one jelly roll pattern by the Quilt Room.

We sewed our strips and cut our triangles, and some of the ladies even got their tops assembled. I didn't get my top assembled until I got home. I quilted it (not well, I might add), sewed the binding on with my machine, and then stuck it in a bag. I wanted it ready to go for our annual drive to my parents for Thanksgiving. It gets cold driving north, and it's even worse since my husband insists on driving with the air conditioner on, even when we get to the point where there is snow on the ground. It helps him stay awake.

It was nice having a quilt to do the hand stitching on the binding while driving north with my family. I think that's the warmest I have ever been on that drive! It was nice! I will be doing that again, hopefully, every time we drive north.

I love this quilt so much, in spite of my lack of quilting skills, that it sits on the back of a chair in my living room. I made it for a chair in my bedroom, but it's not going to make it there for a while. :)

My husband just looked at this post and told me that I had far too much to say about a blanket. Here's what he thinks I should have said: "Here's my blanket. It's red and I took a picture of it laying on the grass. It's cute."

This guy makes me laugh!

befrayed

At Glitter Academy, I won this darling bag! It was made by Kellyn of befrayed. You should check out her etsy shop. In addition to these darling bags, she has ties for little boys, including bow ties. Because, you know, bow ties are cool!
In addition to this darling bag, are the bracelets which you see still tied on to the bag on the left. They are so cute! I assure you, I will be wearing them regularly.

Glitter Academy Fun

Tonight I went to the Glitter Academy. It was so much fun! The food was good, the craft was frustrating (more on that later), and the company was great! I spent time with good friends, got to know other friends even better, and met some great new people. Sorry for the crappy cell phone pictures.

GNO

The Dessert Table, isn't it great?

The Glitter Academy was at Macayo's in Tempe. They did a good job hosting so many women. There were giveaways and contests and swag. Glittery swag, obviously. And a craft. 

The craft was to decorate our swag bags with Cricut's glitter iron on vinyl. It's a great concept, but the cutting machine did not cut all the way through the pink glitter iron on vinyl. It seemed to work just fine on the silver glitter iron on vinyl. It was very frustrating so I didn't even finish. My bag is still plain black. I would use the glitter iron on vinyl if my design was simple and I could use a pair of scissors. Clearly there is still work to be done in the product development department on glitter iron on vinyl.

Even though the craft was a bust, it was a great night out!

W.I.P. Wednesday ~ January 9, 2013

Wow! It has been a while since I posted. I have since finished two quilts. Start to finish. And, no, I haven't taken pictures yet. What's up with that? I'm usually super excited to take pictures of finished projects. 

The above little blocks are for Madeline, one of the many great Schnibbles patterns by Carrie Nelson. The top is actually all pieced together now, but not quilted yet. I have to say, I love the mini quilt! It's definitely good when you need a little instant gratification. Hopefully, I can get this little beauty quilted soon.

W.I.P Wednesday ~ August 29, 2012

I spent a day and a half working on these stars at my quilting retreat. Sadly this is only 1/3 of the blocks I need for the center of the king size quilt I am making for my bed. I love the stars and the fabric, and I can't wait to finish! However, I still need to make 296 more flying geese to finish this project. I have 112 flying geese waiting to be trimmed and sewn into blocks. I will get there. Eventually. This will be a good exercise in patience.

Fabric = Rouenneries Deux by French General for Moda

Friday Finish ~ Quilting Retreat

Last weekend, I went on a quilt retreat at Quilting on the Rim. It was great! This is the second year I have gone, and I loved every minute! I took a large project that will take me a while to finish, so I didn't finish much. I did have the forethought to know that I would want to come home with at least one finished project. So I took this tree skirt. It is an instant gratification kind of project, and after making close to 250 flying geese, instant gratification was necessary. I will show you the flying geese W.I.P. next week.

I have since decided that this will not be a tree skirt, as I don't want to cut a hole in the middle. I am going to use it as a table topper or wall hanging.

Pattern = Star Medallion Tree Skirt by Deonn at Quiltscapes
Fabric = Holly Jolly by My Mind's Eye for Riley Blake (white is from my stash)

W.I.P. ~ August 15, 2012

So this isn't my W.I.P. This is where I am going on a quilt retreat! I went last year, and loved it! I am sure I will love it again this year!

My W.I.P. is the fabric I have been cutting. I have spent the last week cutting fabric so I can spend all my time sewing when I get there. Hopefully I will have a finished project to show you when I get back.

Fabric = Rouenneries Deux by French General

Have a great weekend!

Next Project

Now that my Halloween quilt is all but finished, it is time to start thinking about my next project. 

As soon as I saw Little Black Dress, I knew I had to make a quilt from this line! So pretty!

The pattern is Marigolds by Fig Tree & Co. I think these two will pair up nicely. Don't you?

Can't wait to get started!

W.I.P. - August 8, 2012

Here is a glimpse of my Halloween quilt. The top is all put together, and I love it! However, it is smaller than what I want, so I am debating what to do. Add borders? Add more rows? I don't know. I will show the top once I figure out what I am doing.

The fabric is Happy H"owl"-o-ween by Deb Strain for Moda.

Pinwheel Pincushions

I decided my daughter needed to learn a new skill this summer. I gave her a few choices and she chose to learn to sew. We included a couple of friends. I made them all cute little pincushions. Can't have any pins poking the little feet!

We have almost finished her project. All we need is a big button to sew on. Hopefully she can show off her first project later this week!

Just in case you are wondering, the fabric is Clementine by Me & My Sister for Moda. I had a bunch of scraps left from a skirt I made.

W.I.P Wednesday ~ Week 2

I did get a few rows sewn together of my Halloween quilt. I didn't take any pictures yet. I probably won't until I have the top all put together. 

I also made this baby blanket for a friend's granddaughter. I just love these baby blankets with minky. They are so soft. I think everything "baby" should have minky. I made my little guy a bib while we were visiting family (because I forgot to pack a bib) and backed it with minky. It almost makes me want to wear it.

The fabric is Sugar and Spice by The Quilted Fish for Riley Blake. Love this fabric! My friend's daughter didn't want pink stuff for her baby girl, so this fabric was perfect. As you can see I used the blue argyle with red flowers.

W.I.P. Wednesday ~ Week 1

I am going to try something new. Every Wednesday I am going to blog about a project I have been working on in hopes that I can finish up some UFO's. I don't like UFO's. They nag at me to finish them. Unfortunately, I am easily distracted by pretty new fabrics.

I am currently working on a Halloween quilt. Yes, I know, it is a little early to be working on a Halloween quilt, especially with a Patriotic quilt sitting on the shelf staring at me and begging to be finished. I am hoping to have the squares all trimmed and a few rows sewn together by the end of the week on this Halloween quilt.

Twirly Girly Skirt

My daughter and husband went to Venezuela for Christmas to spend it with my husband's family. It was my daughter's first time going. She was so excited to meet her only female cousin and they just happen to be the same age! 

Every time we went shopping, she would ask me to buy them matching outfits. And I did buy a few things, but I wanted them to have something really cute to wear for the holiday parties they would be attending. So I came up with this skirt. (I bought the blouses from French Toast. Their blouses tend to run a bit small, so I just buy the next size up.) The skirt is a mod podge of several patterns. I am thrilled with the way it turned out, and so were they as this turned out to be the ultimate twirly skirt. I know, it has been months since I made this, but I finally took my kids out to get some decent pictures of them. And I still really love this skirt!

The fabric is Terrain by Kate Spain for Moda. The skirt was largely inspired by the dresses in the wonderful book Girls World by Jennifer Paganelli. Just the pictures make it worth purchasing! Beautiful book, great patterns! Can't say enough good stuff about it.

I am linking up to Made by You Monday.

Quilt for Abuela - Bloggers' Quilt Festival

I love the Bloggers' Quilt Festival! I really look forward to seeing all of the beautiful quilts.

The quilt I have chosen to show is a quilt I made for my husband's grandmother. He doesn't get to see her often as she lives in a different country on a different continent, but they remain very close and he calls her every week just to chat. When he does get to see her, he always wants a special gift to give her. This time he asked for a quilt. How could I refuse?

The pattern is Diamond Diva by Heather Mulder Peterson. The fabric is Eden by Lila Tueller. I managed to find some at a local quilt shop that was having a moving sale. It was perfect for this quilt because it has all of his grandmother's favorite colors. The small dark diamonds are actually a marbled dark purple and match certain fabrics in the quilt beautifully. Unfortunately the lighting isn't good because, the picture was taken at 1am when the binding was finished so it could be packed in a suitcase and taken to Abuela at 6am.

A little bit of what I have been up to

I don't get much time to sew since I have a little guy home with me all day, but I have been working on so many things! I have some quilt blocks done for one of my family room quilts. I have been knitting socks, but haven't finished another pair just yet. Soon, I hope. Here are a few of the things I have finished.

A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine moved to the east coast. I wanted to do something for her darling little girl, but I wanted it to be more than something I just happened to pick up at the big box store. I decided to make a personalized tote bag and matching crayon roll to go with the coloring books I bought. I love the way it turned out!

The triangle crayons are supposed to help toddlers learn to hold a pencil properly.

My daughter saw the tote bag and asked for one of her own with the exact same fabric. No problem. I love these little tote bags!

I had a baby shower to attend last week and she is having her first girl. So I made a car seat canopy. I love these car seat canopies! The best part is they keep germs off of baby. They also help keep baby cool on the face of the sun, which is where we live.