Welcome Fall-Into-Fall Blog Hoppers

The Winner is Quiltaholic.  Congratulations, Bridgette!
This Giveaway is Closed!

You are in the right place if you came to see what I have for you as part of the Fall-Into-Fall Blog Hop.  Are you a speed hopper or a slow and easy browse hopper?  I've been both.
 Bloggers and crafters are so varied and individually creative that you are sure to be entertained and inspired.  Maybe not by me, but somewhere along the way:)
Although I do hope you will like it here and visit again.

Let me show you my giveaway. Full disclosure - I love the Peanuts Gang. I made a miniature pillow that can be a pincushion. I cross-stitched the autumn-leaved tree on the front, using a pattern by Frimouse (http://www.leschroniquesdefrimousse.com/), and used fabric with Lucy and Snoopy for the back.

 
Apples not included:)

 

I also have a set of sunflower fabric and nine sunflower buttons.  Total yardage is about 2.5 yards.  The smallest cut is the polka dot print, about 22 inches.  Full disclosure again.  When I bought this fabric intending to use it I washed and dried it.  So the selvages do not meet.  But that part is done for you:)

And there is a trick or treat bag.  With treats and Charlie Brown, no tricks. 

If you like this package, leave me a comment on this post.  I only need one comment from you, and I need your email address, so don't be a no-reply.  If you are, you will need to either email me or visit my blog on the day of the drawing, the 15th of October.  I have so many overseas friends, and you are most welcome to enter.  You do not need to have a blog to enter, but again, if you don't I need your contact information.   

The hop ends on October 15th and that is the drawing date.  I will email the winner (if possible) and post the winner on that day also.    

This is a fun event, and I want to thank Debi from Quilting with Debi for organizing it. (http://www.debiquilts.blogspot.com/)  I hope everyone has fun and discovers new blogs to read and new crafts and ideas to try.  You'll also meet wonderful people who are willing to share their talent.  That's the fun for me in blogland.   

God Bless you all.   



More is Less Syndrome

This is a peek at one of the items in my giveaway for the Fall into Fall blog hop that begins on October 1st.  This is my very first giveaway and very first blog hop participation, so I'm hoping to get it right.  It's going to be fun, so I hope we'll all visit all of the blogs on Debi's list and see what's up with them.  If you want to know more, click on the scarecrow button on the left.  Also, are you aware of the designers blog hop that began yesterday?  Click on the Fall-O-Ween button.  The designers involved are each featuring a how-to pattern on their blogs.  So far, I love both that were posted. 

My post title tells you a little something of where I am craftwise and brainwise right now.  The more I try to get things done, the less I accomplish, or so it seems.  I am determined to finish the Erik Homemade quilt top this week.  There are just two borders to added, and the top is done.  I also have the intention of finishing the quilt sampler from Amy's Creative Side.  The sandwich is sitting there waiting for me, but I just keep moving it around.  I began to finish my polar bear wall hanging, made a big mistake, unsewed it, and left it.  At least I have my giveaway gifts made and ready.

Saturday I walked in the St. Vincent dePaul Society's Walk for the Poor.  I meant to bring my camera and forgot.  But I had fun, although the autumn coolness I keep hoping will come and stay awhile isn't here yet.  Those pesky tropical storms keep interfering.   I spent Sunday doing my slow bounce back after all the exercise from Saturday.  Getting older is lovely, but I definitely need more down time after any exertion. Oy!

See Charlie Brown's look of wonder?  That's definitely me.  What the heck is going on? 

A belated Happy First Birthday to little JP.  You are a doll, and I love your blinky kisses.

God Bless Everyone!

Free Motion and A Pillow Resizing

This is my latest exercise from the free motion machine quilting how-to on A Few Scraps.

It may look as if I used the decorative stitches on my sewing machine, but I did this with a darning foot.  Although I did look at my decorative stitches to get ideas.  I have much more practising to do, but I think I do the "L"s pretty well.  

Have you ever done this?  I have a down pillow that was so soft that I never used it because it was like sleeping directly on my mattress.  Before getting rid of it, I decided to try to resize it.

This is the pillow when I began- normal size:

I held the pillow so that the down fell to the bottom.  The pillow is in a zippered cover, and I left that on so feathers wouldn't get everywhere.  The zipper is on the bottom.    Then I measured evenly from the free end to the point for stitching.

I just stitched on my marked line, then cut the excess case off allowing a 3/4 inch seam allowance.  That I folded in twice and sewed to create a closed edge. 

The pillow now measures almost 19 inches square.  I need to find the home decorating fabric I have left over from my slip covers, and then I'll make the cover. It's still a very soft pillow, but now it has more body.

I went to my sister's on Sunday, and she, Katrina, who is nine, and Brenna, who is five, and I did some shopping and then watched Monsters, Inc. and some of Peter Pan.  We had a lot of fun.  Is Monster, Inc. not the funniest movie?   One of the places we shopped in was Trader Joes.  There isn't one near me, so this was my first visit, but I do want to go back. (are your reading this, Ging?) 

On the way home I stopped in at Sears.  I needed a new vacuum, and knew that the Kenmore Progressive was highly rated by Consumer Reports, but the price was high for me.  So, I walked in the store directly to the vacs, and low and behold, what is on the end of the aisle on sale?  The Progressive.  It's a close out sale.  I bought it and am in vacuum cleaner bliss.

I am doing housework this week and got the grass cut today.  But, I do plan to sew.  I want to catch up on my Erik Homemade quilt top.  Next week is the last week.   They are having a Christmas mystery quilt along, and although I said I wouldn't, I am going to join.  I will work with fabric I like and will have a beautiful quilt for Christmas.

A big thank you and welcome to my new followers.  Hope all is well with everyone.  God Bless You.

    

Sewing with Nancy, Giveaway Info, Pumpkins and Apples

Today's Sewing With Nancy show on the Create channel was an Amish Quilt show.   Nancy's guest was Claudine Hanson, and I really enjoyed hearing about how the little girls are introduced to sewing and quilting when they make their first quilt.  I have hesitated using black in a quilt, but this show was very inspiring and interesting, and showed how the black is used in the designs. The quilts have a simple look, but the designs and color choices have a purpose, and it was interesting to hear what those are.  One thing I learned was to use spools, cups and bowls to draw circles or half circles for the quilt design.  I have to try that.

The second section of the show was about Mongolian women learning to become quilters, and that was fascinating.  The next episode continues both of these topics, and I don't want to miss it. 

 
There is a giveaway at It Seams to be Sew. You could win a honey bun of Beach House.   The drawing is Monday, September 27th.  Click on the title of this post to reach the site.

I quilted and finished two of my small quilts and have them on the coffee table where they look great and make me happy.

God Bless You.

Pumpkins, Free Motion Quilting, and Followers Request

This was the pumpkin wall hanging from Gooseberry Patch that I put aside to work on the Christmas QAL. I replaced their pumpkin pattern with my own pattern, and it looks better I think. It's not done. I'm doing a brown inner border and an orange or green outer border. I like it very much.

I want to thank Christina from A Few Scraps (http://www.afewscraps.blogspot.com) for the free motion machine quilting tutorial she is hosting on her site. I have progressed to the point that I can do wiggles, loops, and leaves. Here is the proof (click on the pictures to see the stitching better):





It's amazing that her encouragement and practise advice have such good results. If I don't get any farther along, I'll be very happy with what I've learned so far. But I don't doubt her ability to get us all further along.

I need followers. I would like to be listed on the AccuQuilt facebook page in their list of blogs, but I can't be considered until I hit 100 followers. As a business, they are looking at the numbers on the blogs that apply. Once on their list, I would be considered for receiving an AccuQuilt GO! which I would love to have. It's the much coveted device that makes cutting for quilts much more accurate, faster and easier. The traffic visiting my blog is very good which makes me very happy. If you are reading this and you are not my follower, please consider becoming one. I would be grateful and happy to have you join my followers list.

Christmas Quilt Along

5:39 p.m. I'm stopping. I need to find some fabric I can use to augment the charm squares, but that can wait. I'm happy with all I've done so far.

Thanks to Sue for this qal. I get so much done, it's amazing. It's fun. Thanks also to everyone who has stopped by and left comments. I enjoy visiting your blogs and seeing what you are up to.

Have a great weekend. God Bless You.



3:20 p.m. From American Patchwork and Quilting magazine, an old copy, I saw a quilt that highlighted the fabric of snowmen. So I am following that pattern to some extent for the Fruitcake charm packs. I cut the light solids into 1.25" strips and sewed them to the bottom of some squares and the tops of others. The pattern is to alternate vertically. This is a rough arrangement so far. I need to move things around but you get the idea. I need to break open the other charm pack to see how big I can make this.
Taking another break, then I'll sew some more.





1:25 p.m.My polar bear is finished for today. I have to think about the backing because I want it to be reversible so I can use it as a table cover. But I'm happy with getting the top done today.
Now I'm going to play with the fruitcake squares. I'm with you, Sue, in that I hold back cutting them. That's why I think I would like a simple patchwork cover. I like to see the design in the fabric when it's a collection. It's time for a little break and peak at the projects of the other bloggers.

11:20 a.m. This is where I am at right now. I don't have enough of the strips I want to make a nine patch border, so it's a six patch or narrow checkerboard. I need to find something for the corners.


9:30 a.m. The projects I am going to work on today are very easy. I have a polar bear panel and a honey bun of Winter Song that I'm hoping to put together in a nice way, and two charm packs of Fruitcake that I'm going to sew patchwork style into a Christmas quilt. Very easy goings.


I just want to take a minute to mention that in the U.S. today we remember the victims of 911. In my town the gun salute took place a little before 9 a.m. We're praying that it never happens again anywhere.

Now on to sewing, but I'm checking out Soggibottoms' video first, and visiting the other blogs.

Inspiration

When I go into Savers, I head directly for the books or the notions. On Tuesday, I got very lucky in the book section. Their deal is buy four books and get one free. Tuesday is also senior discount day, so I bought five books on quilting for $10.00.
One book is a Thimbleberries, one is a Gooseberry Patch, one is about museum quilts and gives directions for them, and the other two just look very good to me. In the museum quilt book, Quilts Around the Year by Linda Seward, is this art deco fan quilt that was made in the 1930's. I think it's a treasure, and I hope to make it one day (not soon though.)



I found a sweet small quilt in the Thimbleberries book, A Thimbleberries Housewarming by Lynette Jensen, and I made the top between Tuesday and Wednesday.


I found a small pumpkin wall quilt in the Gooseberry Patch book, Country Friends Go Quilting, and I thought I could put the top together by today, but this is how the dining room table looks right now, and that top is going on hold. I'm putting this mess aside unless I have time tomorrow. Frankly, I feel sewed out for now.


I am determined to take time tomorrow to prepare my project for Saturday's Christmas Quiltalong. I've got all kinds of fabric, all I have to do is pick the project.

That's it. See you bright and early on Saturday. I'm going to get out a Christmas candle to set the mood.

God Bless You.

Updates on my Quilt Alongs

I changed the title of this post today, 9/29/10.  I didn't like what I had chosen, and I have come to like this quilt top.  Call me fickle:)
I hesitate to post the pictures of this quilt top, but since I have already mentioned the qal I was doing with the Erik Homemade website, it's only fair to show the results so far. In my defense, since this was a scrap quilt, I used my scraps. I do not have many designer scraps. If I ever participate in another scrap qal, I will not use scraps. I will choose the fabric as carefully as any other project. I also did not like the way sashing was sewn during the construction of the blocks, instead of after the blocks were done. Sewing them together so that the sashing matched was a problem, and I have lots of seams that don't meet.

The up side is that I like the size, and I like the fact that it's going to be a quilt that I will abuse and use.

Are you ready?





It's different, isn't it? Uh huh. Enough said.

If you visit the Erik Homemade site, you will like the quilt they have made. Their fabric is very pretty, and the sashing they chose is very nice. I haven't seen their finished top, but I bet it's nicer than mine. It should be posted tomorrow on their website (http://www.erikhomemade.typepad.com).

Now for something very cute:



The scarecrow is the September cross stitch pattern that Sylvia designed. Every month she gives us a design that is always charming. This sal I am very happy I joined.

I have been working on the free motion quilting practise that Christina gave to us to do. I'm already feeling more confident with this quilting technique.

I suddenly feel that due to all of the qal's and small projects in quilting that I have been doing I have arrived at a point where I trust my own choices and ability.

I put aside the sampler quilt I made with Amy's Creative Side because I am doing the free motion practise, so I'm hoping that I will use my improved skills to quilt that project. I love that quilt.

Take care and God Bless all of you.