Quilt Monster in my Closet: July 2012

Monday, July 30, 2012

Here & There...

My internet time will be limited here pretty soon...so I want you all to know I am thinking of you... Won't be by my sewing machine or computer...depending on how lucky I am... there may be wi-fi. Will post pictures of my adventures soon...hope to be back in just a few weeks... Check Back Mid Month... if I can get back sooner I will *wink*

Till then... Happy Quilting.. I look forward to doing lots of catching up soon....and sharing some hand stitching progress and fun pictures...

PS... Our Yester Year Challenge is going to retire for awhile...will hopefully be back again soon....

Happy Quilting.....

Friday, July 20, 2012

My Friday Finish -Modernista

TGIFF gets a WHOOP WHOOP!!!! and today I am sharing with you my Modernista Homemade Swap Items that I made for my Secret Partner. I have to admit... I LOVE these FLICKR Swaps... I find it challenging to try something new and to work outside my normal color genre...which is causing me to have NEW favorite colors.. *wink*.

During these Secret Partner Swaps you try very hard not to giveaway who you are to your partner. On Flickr you build a Mosaic of your favorite items and try to capture the colors you like the most and the item you hope to recieve. The Partners I've had in the past have been perfect and have made me wonderful items to cherish. This time in the Modernista Homemade swap the item you are making is for your partners sewing room. SEW..... I made a couple items for her. I made a Sewing Machine Cover, I am a little concerned about it fitting...and I have my fingers and toes crossed that it does. Originally I was going to make it with closed ends. But the pattern I was using and her size machine weren't working out in my head...causing me to panicked and make it with open ends. I just didn't want to ruin it... Sew....That would be why I am a bit worried.

I loved working on this project. I have to give a Thank You Shout Out to Lori for the tips on how she made hers... I found the orange and blue fabrics at an Etsy Shop and cut the fat eights length wise each strip is 1.25 inch. I cut Five strips then Added large Gray print to each side. Once I had two pieces the same size I put the wrong sides together and then cut both pieces at the same time on the bias... that made it easy to line up my pieces for the zig zag. After that..I pieced together I added a fusible fleece for the batting and ...Did a bit of handstitching to accent. Basic machine quilting and WaLaa.... Finished

I added Ties to the sides to keep it all together I just HOPE it FITS.. *concerned grin*

Then I decided since I am so very concerned about the size of the Cover and hoping beyond hope that it fits..I made a fun Pincushion/Thread Catcher for her with the left over scraps from the project. This was a FUN project and I plan to make one of these for myself... Handy!!! This pattern I found over at Sew Mama Sew... called Weighted Pincushion Organizer. The instructions were very easy to follow... I loved how easy it was to put together. and I hope she likes it.

Here they are together.. I am going to add just a couple more little goodies to her package...But I should have it all in the mail by Monday! What a fun swap. If you haven't had a chance to participate in one a Flickr Swap... I say JUMP in and give it a try.. You'll become an ADDICT like me.

Linking up at....TGIFF at Plum and June and Can I get a WHOOP WHOOP make sure you stop over and check out all the other great finishes at both sites... I just love all the inspiration!!!!

Hugs,

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Photo Montauge of Sisters

I made it home today from a WONDERFUL weekend with some Fabulous Women in my life and I relaxed on the couch with my laptop and prepped some of the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show pictures for Viewing... BUT there are soooo Many... I decided to share these Absolutely AMAZING pictures from the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show in Sisters, Oregon with you Via MY FLICKR Page...

The Show was Saturday July 14th, 2012. There were over a 1000 quilts on display.. I didn't get nearly enough pictures, but I took shots of the quilts that grabbed my attention. I have finished cropping all the pictures... and these are a few that I just had to share here... But at the bottom of this post will be a LINK to my FLICKR Set from the Show...and you will see even MORE of my Favorites... Here's a taste of what's to see...

There are soooo many more... I hope to add my notes on the FLICKR photo pages... But until I get there... Here's the LINK so YOU can enjoy the quilts

LINK To My FLICKR SET of Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show

Let me know which ones are your favorites too! *wink*

There was another exhibit of quilts in the Gallery that I am going to try and figure out the best way to share those photos next. Hope to get that done sometime this week.

ENJOY!!!!!

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Sisters with my Sistas!!

This Weekend includes July 14th..

I am featured for the RWB Blog Hop and you will find my post HERE...

BUT...I am currently in Sisters, Oregon for the OUTDOOR Annual Quilt Show...Oh-M-GEEE...there are so many quilters here and SO many Quilts to see! I am here with four of my bestest girlfriends and I consider them Sisters. *giggle* We arrived on Thursday, we have a wonderfully cute little rental house we are staying at and we had massages and facials on Friday and walked all over town to check out the shops.

And even though only 2 of us are quilters we are all having a great time visiting and seeing all the shops....

Tons of Antiques to Find, Wine to Drink & Quilts to See....

Friday I walked into the Stitching Post...The Local Quilt Shop and I was in AWE!!! I didn't make more than 6 feet before I picked up 4 bolts of fabric to go to the counting counter! I was laughing as I gave the gal my bolts to cut... Here's a sneak peak..of some of those fabrics I bought.

It wasn't too much longer after I finished getting the above cut that I was inspired by this print and bought the solids to go along with it... I have an idea..Now I just have to implement it :)

Friday after our massages at a great little spa at the end of town called Facial Oasis... We head back to our rental home to enjoy some fantastic wine, cheeses, crackers, and fruit. All that time in the sun Friday made us all a little sleepy so to bed early it was... and in the morning..We (Georgia & I) were off to the quilt show!

I couldn't believe how many quilts there are to see... I have over 250 pictures of just the ones that caught my eye. There were at least 1000 quilts on display! So many were for sale as well. AND THE PEOPLE!! LOTS and LOTS of People! Here are a few pictures to share.. I'll share more I promise...

Outside the LQS in the AM... The ladies were lined up *wink*

Local Firefighters hanging the high Quilts :)

At the end of the main walkway... CRAZiNESS!!!

Here are a few of the Group shots of the quilts I couldn't resist...

I promise to add a LINK to Flickr and you can see all the wonderful

shots I took over there...

I first want to crop out some of the extras not necessary. *wink*

I WILL Post More Pictures....... I PROMISE!!!!

Friday, July 13, 2012

RWB Blog Hop...My day has arrived!

I am so very excited... I LOVE Red White and Blue..
Can you tell from the quilt featured at the

Top of my Blog? *wink*

This Blog Hop is all about RWB and Blocks!

Lots and Lots of BLOCKS = Lots and Lots of INSPIRATION!!!!!

I want to say...

THANK YOU to Madame Samm for putting together a great idea
for a Blog Hop and also...

a BIG THANK YOU to Jane for organizing
and keeping us all on schedule!

You ladies do an AWESOME job and I love working with you.

Please make sure you visit all the other's that

are on the schedule for today...
July 14th

Diann C (Jane is hosting)

Quilt Monster in my Closet (that's ME..*wink*)

You can also check out the Master schedule to see all the wonderful RWB Blocks past & future...Link at bottom of post.

Now...Let's get on with the Fun!!!!
My first block is a simple 9 patch ...

Put some Simple 9 Patches together and make a GiAnT 9 Patch...
6.5 inch blocks make GREAT mini quilts for the tops of ROUND tables *wink*.
Quick Side Note....I made smaller blocks for this project to fit my Table...
a 12.5 inch 9 patch uses 4.5 inch squares instead..

I freemotion quilted stars into the quilt and am Very Happy with how it turned out... My Patriotic Mini

To make this block into a wonderful mini quilt you'll just need 9 different fat eights...and some 1.5 inch sashing strips. Cut (9) 2.5 inch squares from each of your fat eights. Note...I did use 4 solid white squares for 4 of the blocks..just to offset the lights and darks for my GiAnT 9 Patch when setting the blocks. Easy Peasy! You'll love how easy it is!! Let me know if you make one..I'd love to see your color combination..

The Next Block I have to share is inspired from my
Wee Bee Learning Flickr Bee.
I am in LOVE with this BLOCK!!!
The Block is a type of Free Form block called Lightning Zig Zag.
Here's a Link to Jenn's blog with a Fantastic Tutorial >>> Click Here.
You could make this in a variety of sizes... just change the size of you background square and strip to meet your needs. Enjoy!!

Here's a 10.5 inch version of the block... I used 2.5 inch squares with 1.5 inch strips..added a 1.5 inch border around the edge and here's how it turned out...

Still Need to do some quilting on it :)

Before I made my Bee Block and because I am in LOVE with this BLOCK!!! I wanted to play a bit with this block, so I added two rows to the instructions and made some VERY FUN placemats....

I used the 3.5 inch instructions from the tutorial and did some primitive hand quilting to set it all off. I LOVE IT!!!

Finished just in time for our 4th of July Dinner *wink*

I loved the 4th of July Mug Rug Swap I participated in this year.. .This is the Mug Rug I mailed to my partner....

This Wonky Star is 6.5 inches and finished up at 6 inches...I added the Wonky Coins to the side to add some room for a cupcake are or brownie to go along with a that cup of coffee or tea. :) Not sure if you can see the stars quilted into the background..but they are there..*giggle*

Since I received a RWB Mug Rug back...here's a picture of what sew.whitney sent me..I LOVE IT!!! It's a strip pieced star with a zig zag appliqued edge and then handstitched around it for a extra special touch...

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy all the other great RWB Blocks during the RWB Blog HOP!

Check out the others featured today...and here is a link to the Master Schedule...for all those past and future blocks!!!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Modernista Swap & Sisters Trip

I've been busy in my sewing cave these past few days after work...So excited to have all my swap blocks taken care of for the month...Now I can dig into my Flickr Partner Swap item. I signed up for the Modernista Homemade Swap on Flickr... We have to make an item for our Partner (who doesn't know who we are) We "stalk" their pictures and find out what their favorites are all while trying not to accidentally let them know who we are..hahaha. Well my partner had lots of pictures of sewing machine covers in her favorites and since our task this swap is a sewing room item... I'm giving it a try.. haha. Here's where I am at with it sew far....

I am using Fat Eights for this project that I ordered from Etsy and a Gray fabric I found at my LQS. I made these zig zags by taking the 2 sets of the five fabric cut them WOF (I added fusible interfacing to make them sturdier to match the gray fabric) and then added gray pieces to the top and bottom..then I stacked the wrong sides together and cut them on the bias. Laid them out and Viola...this is where I am at so far... Going to work on this while on a Girls Weekend trip we are leaving for Tomorrow morning...

You'll LOVE where we are headed to... SISTERS, OREGON for the ANNUAL OUTDOOR QUILT SHOW! We rented a house for a couple of days and 5 of us are driving down together! Should be a fabulous trip... Sisters puts on a show with over 1400 quilts on display every year. As I understand it 1000's of people visit from all over the world. So I should get LOTS of pictures to share with you. The Actual Quilt Show is Saturday the 14th (which is my day for the RWB Blog Hop..all ready for that one too) and so I'll be sharing all the great pictures on Sunday.. :) I can't wait to see all the INSPIRATION!!!!

Till Then... Hugs and Happy Quilting...

Monday, July 9, 2012

Wonky Log Cabin for Wonky Bee

This month in our Wonky Bee Quilting Bee we received wonderful Batik fabrics from Stephanie over at Stephanie's Stitches She told us she is working with Blues and Greens. I had fun with her fabric pack and made this wonderfully fun creation... I do have to admit that I had to add one TINY piece of my own batiks..hehe... Guess which one it is.. *giggle*.

We have finally had summer arrive and I am so happy to for some days where we are over 70 degrees. I am going to warm up in the sunshine... Have a great night everyone! Hugs and Happiness!!!

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Yester Year & Bee Blocks in the Making

OH MY GOSH... TIME has flown by and I almost missed the Yester Year challenge... Well...I have nothing to report this month on any of my old projects...BUT.. I did get two blocks made tonight... I am back on track for quilting and look forward to getting some more done this month. So There's a Linky at the bottom of this post for you to link up if you'd like... Please forgive me..I'll be back on track for AUGUST....I promise...

A new month has arrived so that means new Bee blocks to make :) I belong to TWO Virtual Quilting Bees... A virtual bee is like an old time Sewing Bee, but the participants are online and all over the world, we send each other blocks...sometimes the fabric is sent to you and you make the block for them...and sometimes you make a block for someone out of your scraps.

My Wee Bee Learning Bee is a Scrappy Bee and I am was so excited to get to participate with this group of gals...So excited in fact that when there was an opening in the second group I jumped at the chance to help catch up and participate. With this group you use fabrics from your stash and make the block that the monthly host gives you directions for. A fun way to use up your fabric scraps...or a great reason to go buy some new fabrics to add to your stash..*giggle*

Here are my blocks...Group 1 is for Phuong and she wants Red & Aqua fabrics to make a quilt for her niece.... The pattern she picked is called Lightning Zig Zag and I am in love with it..SO Easy and Fun to make!!!! I have already made two place mats using it..but I will share those on July 14th...the day I am featured in the RW&B Blog Hop since I made them with Red, White & Blue fabric for the Independence Day. :) Here's Phuong's Block...

For Group 2... Trina has requested a Purple, Black and White block...Her pattern is called Fireflies...and it is a Lovely Block... Very easy to put together so if you're looking for a easy block to do and want to practice your triangles...This is a great block for that!

My Fabric pack for the Wonky Bee has arrived and this month we are making a Wonky Log Cabin! So I'll be working on that block over the next few days...The fabric is lovely and should be fun to put together...I may just have to add one of my own to the grouping.. *wink*

Hope you are all working on great projects...Please Please report on your Yester Year progress.. I love to see what you have all been working on!!!

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Red White and Blue We Salute YOU!!!

There's a BLOG HOP going on right NOW and I've got a date to make! I've got some Great blocks in the making...and in the mean time..Check out all these great blogs during the next TWO weeks!! LOTS of fun Red White and BLUE Blocks to be made and admired!!!!

I'll be sharing on July 14th.

What a SPECIAL DAY IT IS TOO!!

Will share more on that later :)