Just Had to do it!

Just had to do it!

I have been MIA for a couple of months due to some serious surgery, and am finally getting some of my energy back....yippee!!  Thanks to all of my wonderful friends who sent me cards, FQ's, emails, texts & well wishes.  It really did help me to know you cared.

So....that said... and today being National Quilting Day I just had to come on here and wish everyone a Happy sewing/quilting day. 

Here's what I'm doing today.............

I'm sewing some batik fabrics into vertical rows and making a Chinese Coin Quilt....easy and fun!  I don't know how long my energy will last or if I'll get it finished today.......but I'm sewing!  Yippee!

What are you doing today in honor of National Quilting Day?

Thanks for visiting!

It's All About Time......

Seems like I do real well on a few blog posts in a row.....then wham!   My "work life" gets in the way of playing!  Can't believe it's May 1st already. 

My fabric strip jelly rolls inventory was running low and I had to quit sewing and playing and do some work for my Etsy Shop.  I did accomplish a lot.......really I did.

See..........  here's proof!



Here's another view........just to make my point a  little stronger.....I've been just a bit busy cutting with my AccuQuilt GO cutter. 

In my last post I showed you a batik quilt top I finished and is waiting to be quilted.  I sure had a lot of batik strips leftover from that quilt    What do I like to do with the leftovers from my projects?  Make another quilt, naturally.

Well.......that entailed more cutting, and I consider the sewing part being my reward.  Sometimes I just want to sit and sew, sew, sew.   I really had no idea what I was going to do.  I just knew I wanted to use up some of the leftovers......cut and sew!  mmmmh?  off set the rows, like laying bricks??

And it ended up looking like this, so I named it

Butterflies In My Garden

I embroidered the antennae by hand with some black embroidery floss, and did some free motion meander quilting and loopy loops on it, and bound it in black kona cotton.  

It's soooooo much fun to play with leftover fabrics from a previous project. I just never know what it's GOing to look like.  I'm happy with this one. 


What about you and your leftovers?  Do you make an entirely different looking quilt project from them? 



Thanks for visiting.

Oops! What budget?

Budget!  What budget?   (as she stares off into space......)   And where do I have room for more fabrics and stuff? 

You know you just can't go on the Bluebonnet Trail Shop Hop   (you can read more about it) .....without blowing your monthly quilting budget.  Trust me, I know this is true! 

And then she walks into the first shop....... "But, I get lots of Free fat quarters......'cause each shop gives me a Free Fat Quarter"...sure!  Those Fat Quarters probably ended up costing me about $10 each......lol


We didn't make it to all 13 shops this year, and probably just as well.  It probably would have cost me about $15 each!   I did get 7 pretty ones, though.

A quilter can never have too many gadgets!   I should have bought 2 more packs of those clips...what was I thinking?

Was thinking Spring and all the flowers......I guess.

A girl can't pass up some pretty batiks for $5.00 a yard, can she?  Again.......that staring off into space..."sure hope I can fit these in my fabric closet with all my other batiks".

Of course....these tightly packaged batik strips don't take up that much room, do they?

These charm packs were my first purchases and started the whole thing!  I'm sure I can find room for four more tiny packages in one of my plastic storage tubs.

It's their (the charm packs) fault (not mine) I bought all this yardage to go with the charm packs... I wonder if I'll be needing more fabric storage space?  There's always the closet in the bathroom.

Can't visit with ya'll anymore, I've got to GO cut and quilt!

Thanks for visiting my blog.

I have a Question for You??

Today was our monthly Tied Together Quilt Bee.  It seems like I always take too many UFO projects and end up not getting much done.  It couldn't possibly be all the socializing/yakking/laughing/eating......could it?

Oh...you mean we are supposted to be sewing and quilting something??  Ok...just kidding.  I did manage to get something done. 

These quilt tops were already pieced......so I layered and quilted a couple new Batik Table Toppers using 5 inch charm squares.  

I like using charm squares from my ETSY Shop and sewing them together for simple quilts.    It gives my buyers and beginning quilters ideas on what they can do with just the simple 5 inch square and an easy simple border.  Just cut the charm squares in half........sew end to end.   The quilting is elongated straight stitch with variagated thread sewn diagnonally across...both directions.

Here's a shot of the backing too.



Different colors



And the binding is cut, pressed and ready for the quilts.......just have to get it sewn on tonight.

Now to my question for you. 

I'm thinking of offering these table toppers as Quilt Kits in my Etsy shop.   I'm trying to appeal to the beginners so they can sit down with a SEW FUN QUILTS Kit and have some easy, simple sewing fun in a short time frame.   

What do you think? 

The kits could include;  charm squares, borders, corner squares, and binding.  Should the kit have the backing fabric too?   They would measure approximatley 26" square when finished.

Please tell it like it is......I can take it.  I wouldn't have asked you what you think unless I was willing to hear your opinion.  AND..........by the way,   Thanks a bunch.

Thanks for visiting my blog.



Yesterday's results......and Today's too.

What DID I end up doing yesterday?   Yesterday?   What about today?

Woke up today feeling great until my eyes opened......then.......Wham! 

The dirty floors, cat hair and the dust bunnies came into focus and I just knew it had to be done.   I told all three cats......"This house is dirty and we need to spend some time cleaning it today".     They looked the other way....then told me in no uncertain words...... they wanted their breakfast.  NOW!    Ok..ok.  Let me fix my tea first.   We had quite a morning with me trying to get them to pick up their toys.

It's mid afternoon, already and I just finished cleaning!  Whew!  I think I must have vacuumed up a whole cat there was so much cat hair.  It's almost summer and it's my own fault for not brushing these furbabies more.    They love to "help" me when I'm working on my blog too.

Well.......what about yesterday?    Oh yeah,   YESTERDAY.......




Wanna see?

Every once in a while I just got to  do it!

  

Yes!  Just had to clean off the top of my cutting table before I could even think about doing something else.  It helps me see more clearly........(remember about my eyes focusing up above?)

I Still had a lot of  fun, though........cutting with my GO cutter.

I still want to cut some more fun appliques, as I'm going to be offering more of them for sale in my Etsy Shop..........but not today.

This afternoon, I'm going to...........

layer and quilt this batik table runner.  Remember?  It was one of my choices from yesterday.

Thanks for visiting.

Excuses! Excuses! Excuses!

I have  good excuses for not posting the last 2 weeks.  First off, my camera broke.....(no pictures to post)...and just my words get very boring!   So, I decided to just do some work and more work...cutting and sewing, and quilting for my Etsy Shop.  

Bought a new camera (Nikon S4100) and just love it!  So, today I'll just flood ya'll with pictures of new things for my shop.   To find out more about the items, just click on the title above the pictures.

New Color: Aqua - Teal - Turquoise Fabric Jelly Rolls 

New fabrics for my Bubble Gum Hot Pink Jelly rolls

New: Batik Fabric Charm Squares

New:  6 Moda Java by Deb Strain Mug Rugs

There's six different ones!

Another mug rug, but way smaller - Love that Aqua again.

and

Free Shipping too!

Sold Batik Table Runner - (making another one)

Another Time Saver Kit - Watercolor Quilts

I have more excuses than good sense....so stayed tuned next time for some more;   new floor in my kitchen, before and after pictures.  Help!   No more....I want to get back to sewing!



Thanks for visiting!

mmmmh Giveaway Times.

Great Giveaway over at Fabrics'nQuilts blog.   I love this Sugar Pop Fat Quarter set in the Chartreuse colorway.  It's mine, it's mine! 

Hey..I'm not being selfish, 'cause there's other things in her giveaway for ya'll to win.  Go see!






Another Giveaway over at
Canton Village Quiltworks...mmmmh! Kona Cotton Solids Bundle



AND........just for the fun of it.....one more at Patsy Thompson's Blog....BATIKS!  She's been celebrating her 54th Birthday and having an 8 day countdown.  What fun!




That ought to keep everyone busy and out of trouble for a while, don'tcha think?

Thanks for visiting!

PURPLE BAG - WORK IN PROGRESS

This is the latest W.I.P. (Work in Progress) I've been doing. These pictures do not do show these purple batik fabrics true to color. I adjusted the camera, but still not correct. Trust me.... they are gorgeous vibrant majestic purple Indonesia batiks.




I am making a special travel tote bag for a good friend of mine who is going to Germany in 10 days and she is a Purple Lover. The embroidered "P" is her initial and will be on the front pocket, and I plan on doing some hand beading too.

So, off the computer and into the sewing room.