Amy's Bloggers Quilt Festival

Oh don't you just love this time of the year, when we all get to see the beautiful eye candy!  You have to just love that Amy, for bringing us all together for the biggest "Show and Tell" around.  Thank you, thank you Amy for being a huge resource in our blogging community!  You know we all LOVE you!

This time of year is one of my favorites here in the US. The trees are turning and the colder temperatures are rolling in... Before you know it, winter will be here and the Christmas holidays will begin.

I got a jump on those cooler temperatures this year with my "Snowman Soup" quilt.

 

I fell in love with this pattern when it was released at Angie's Bits and Pieces.

 

 

Hot Cocoa and cinnamon sticks... Yummmmmmy!!

 

 

Silly Snowmen and candy canes!

 

 

All the ingredients for Snowman Soup

 

 

Kisses, did someone say Kisses?

Those delicious drops of chocolate goodness!

Hey, I can even brag now about knowing someone who makes these

things at Hershey! Yep another blogging buddy. :-)

 

 

And the fabulous jar of hot chocolate mix, complete with marshmallows.

 

Stats:

Snowman Soup

56" x 65"

Fusible Applique

(cause I love that best)

Quilted on a domestic machine

Category: Favorite Applique Quilt

Favorite Art Quilt

 

 

Now if that just doesn't put you in the mood for cooler weather...

:-)

 

I am off to make me a big ole cuppa hot chocolate, and visit my other blogging friends at the festival. I sure am looking forward to make a few new ones too!

Thanks again to Amy.

Enjoy and have a great day!

 

 

 

 

 

Give me 4 days off work part 2

Next project I was working on at retreat was this wonderful Halloween 1904 pattern, from Blackbird Designs. I have long admired quilts I have seen online, but finding the book was difficult. They no longer carry it on their website. I found it on Amazon awhile back, but I see it's no longer available. It's such a great quilt that it's really a shame!

 

You can tell my copy has fallen on hard times. But it still worked! Hurray!

 :-)

So now the down side...

I had to go back to work!

Rats!

 

Just give me 4 days off work!

And I can make good use of them.  A few weeks back I went on a quilt retreat in Keystone. You didn't see too much of what I was working on, by I actually worked on about 3 different projects while I was there. Finishing none of them I might add!  :-)  But with 4 days off work, I was able to finish a few!

This one, is a kit my quilting sista bought me for my birthday. Ohhhh she knows me so well. I fell in love with the Ghastlies last year during our Ghastlie Blog Hop that Madame Samm headed up.

This pattern is "Bricks" from Mountainpeek Creations. (it's linked) The pattern looks completely different with the fabrics you choose. Needless to say, I love the Ghastlie version best though! It's a fast and fun pattern to make. The piecing goes like lightening. What a great quilt to show off those favorite fabrics you have collected! 

But these Ghastlies... 

            who wouldn't just fall in love with these "ghastlie" faces?

Don't ya just want to share a dinner with these guys?

 

Or share in a good knitting bee?? 

Do they call knitting get togethers, a bee?

 

 

All this fun as topped off with a great pantograph called "Pizazz" by Kristin Hoftyzer. It's one I have had in my "pile o pantos" for a very long time, and never used. It was so much fun to do, that I am definitely going to be using it again! It's been a long time since I was able to play with my long arm , and I sure did miss it!

:-)

 

 

 

 

Where I sew

I was just reading a post today on the Quilting Board Digest. Misskira was asking about our home made or re-purposed sewing tables, and it got me to thinking, and I thought I would share...

My hubby built me a great table, years ago for that very first HQ home frame, the one that had rails that taped down to a table top. It was a horrible frame, but I HAD to have it! That frame didn't last to long in my sewing room, but the table that hubs built, has become my greatest asset.

It's a full 12 foot long, and I use every foot of it daily. The frame is just simple
2" x 4" lumber. The top and shelf underneath is plywood with a few coats of enamel paint in it. It's no beauty, but its very functional.  My favorite part is the recessed light box on the end. With all the fusible applique that I do, it's been a god send! 

I know that many like the drop down for their machines to sit in. I have found for me, that with having the over sized table top, I haven't really needed the recessed machine bed. I also keep my table about a foot away from the wall, so as I work on a large project, it can drop down behind if needed. (it's also a great place to store extra "stuff" like batting scraps, etc, etc! And NO, I am not going to show you my mess back there!! :-) :-)  That's the joys of hiding places!

 

 

A small set of drawers on one end is a great place to store all those "supplies" we collect. You all know those 100 different pair of scissors, etc... LOL!!

And by attaching pegboard to the side of the cabinet, I had the perfect place to hang all those rulers we collect, too!

 (rats my hidden batting scraps are showing from behind)

 

 

Hubs had no idea that I would find a use for every nook and crannie.

It was easiest to attach the cabinet to the table by screwing it into the end of the frame. The gap from the legs makes for a perfect place to store those big rulers and extra cutting mats.

 

 

Then there is all that storage. It's a great place to keep "stash" and scraps. I never dreamt that I would ever fill all those drawers, when I bought them! Gheez, just how does that happen???? I probably shouldn't mention the hiding places on the floor under the table too!!

 

 

Here is the most important part of it all, those "Sliders". They are a must for moving this thing out to vacuum on the rare occasions that I can't stand the mess anymore!! This table is one HEAVY beast, but I can move it myself with these things on it! :-)

 

 

When I am not using my light box, I have a 2' x 4' ironing board that sits on top of it. It is just the best! Home Depot sells 1 inch plywood pre-cut into this 2' x 4' size. I just rounded off the edges with a saw, put 2-3 layers of cotton quilt batting down, then bought that silver ironing board cover fabric from JoAnn's fabrics. You just wrap it around and duct tape it down. When it needs replaced, you just peel it off, put on a new cover. It really can't get much easier than that! 

 

 

 

 My table is 3 foot wide, and the ironing board is 4 foot, so for a long time I kept my trash can under it.  They I found a great sale on these drawers. Can you really have to much storage space in your sewing area?

 

 

Now the down side to all this, is the more flat space I seem to have, the more "stuff" I seem to have strung across it, piled up on it, stashed underneath it, etc, etc, etc... Some days, I even scare myself!!  LOL!

I have a very minimal amount invested in it. My guess is the table would be in the $200-$250 range if I had to built it today. I had the set of drawers on the one end hanging around this house for years and I waited for a sale for the others. The pegboard was rescued and recycled from another project.

The options are endless, and this table can grow and change as my needs do!

 

:-)

 

 

 

 

 

Yikes, I should be ashamed

 

I was so excited to be asked to be a pattern tester by Sindy over at Fat Cat Patterns.

I immediately did this adorable little train for her this summer, and knew it would be perfect for a baby quilt that I was needing. Yep, it was just what I needed...

 

And it's done (finally). Bound and ready for delivery.

 

Yep it is, and only almost 3 months late!

Gheez, where has the time gone! 

 

And why the heck did it take me that long to quilt it???  One of those questions with no answers in life!

 

:-)