Friday, August 31, 2012

A Little Porch Time for August

Here are all my blocks so far. I am loving this quilt!!





Next month let's do E1- shoofly blocks and hand prints ( I plan on appliqueing something other then hands)
D2- chunky basket and D1- star
Let's piece section C so we are ready for the applique.

Once these are done section E and D can be sewn together!! Woo-Hoo!!

Feel free to add links to pieces we may not have seen yet!!

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Git Along Little Doggies!

Here is cowboy quilt #2!!
 
 
Patchwork backing with Karen's awesome appliqued Indian that I used for a label.
 
I asked my friend Kathy  to do a simple all over quilting. I hope it gets lots of use and wear!
 
Couple of close ups of the fantastic fabric my readers shared with me.

Thank you so much!!
Here's close ups of the one I showed you earlier in the week.
And here's the cowboy and cowgirl on one of the quilts. (The other one was on the other bed in the other room)  See the cute stencils on the wall? A perfect fit!!
Angela, if you see this, sorry Alyssa was almost naked! lol


Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Frixion Pens

I have seen several blog reviews about the Frixion pens by Pilot. (these use thermochromatic ink) But after yesterday' s post I realize there are still some that do not know about them.
This is what they look like. I got mine in a pack of 3 at Staples. I wish I knew where the blue one was!
I sewed two strips together, similar to my red and white border and used the black pen and a stencil to mark my lines.
Then I put a hot iron to it.
It is completely gone on the lighter color. My experience on darker colors is that it removes some of the fabric dye as well. I stitched over my pen marks so I wasn't concerned about white marks on my red border. You need to test before using and think about your specific project and how it will affect it.
My quilting may not be perfect, but it isn't because of any pen lines!!

I hear the lines can come back if quilt/fabric is exposed to temperatures below 14 degrees. If I have one of my quilts out in 14 degree weather I'll be thinking about living and preventing frostbite, not if my marking lines are coming back on my quilt!! LOL


Monday, August 27, 2012

YeeHaw!

 One cowboy quilt DONE!!
 Here's the patchwork backing.
I was hoping to get the second binding stitched down this weekend but made it only half way. Hopefully tonight I'll get it done!!
The stencil Randy sent fit perfectly!! She also sent the powder pounce, which would have worked fine, but it was so much easier to use my frixion pen. Time to cut a binding for this one!!

Happy Monday!!

Thursday, August 23, 2012

2 Little Quilts

These little baskets were from a challenge that Kathie H. started. She made the blocks and dispersed them and threw out a challenge. I finally completed mine.

I'm calling it Indian Summer. Everything about it reminds me of the that time in late summer/early fall when we've had a frost and the nights are chilly, but our daytime temps stay fairly high, like summer lingering until the last possible moment. I'm always a little sad when fall officially arrives in late September.
 I have been asked again this year to put a quilt in the fiber works show at Campbell Pottery in Cambridge Springs, PA and this will be my entry. 
Here's an adorable quilt that I've been enjoying. My friend Jill gave it to me for my 50th birthday. Isn't it fantastic?! I love the quilting. It is so even and precise!
She knows I'm a sucker for anything patriotic and the back is as pretty as the front. Thank you Jill!!

PS I found a small quilt to do for a fall quiltalong!! Anybody up for that?

PSS If you haven't seen the August adventure of Sven click here!

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

600 Post Celebration- Winner!

Mary who wrote
I have one of those little Nisse also. Mine is a little rounder and hangs from a string (like he's climbing up it). So fun - it belonged to my mom. Congratulations on your 50th year - celebrating every month? Wish I'd though of that!

Is the winner!!
 Because I won the kit for this little quilt I thought it appropriate to gift the winner of my give away with it.
If you would send me your address, Mary, I'll get it off to you.

Happy Tuesday!!

Monday, August 20, 2012

Red and White

Look here! It pays to make a commitment to my fellow bloggers.
Straight lines, straight lines, straight lines......It was about as boring as making this two fabric, two color quilt.
More lines, more lines, more lines....
Ta-da! So worth it!! I am going to quilt a cable in the border and my stencil was not the right size. Good friends to the rescue! Randy sent me a stencil that should work perfectly!
Meanwhile I got the latest batch of Just Takes Two completed. Ok, so my Goose in the Pond is traditional while the one Gay and Brenda made is not. (the 4 red-white-red strips are going a different direction on my blocks) I got my pattern from Electric Quilt because I am really getting tired of paper piecing blocks that don't need it! I also made the block on the right 1" too small and will add a little border when the time comes to assemble it.
This is another version of the non-traditional Goose in the Pond! Yes, that is a seam ripper!! lol

If you can all wait one more day I'll draw a name tomorrow for the 600th post celebration. Thanks for your patience!! I'm spending the day with my hubby and Sven away from the house today.

Friday, August 17, 2012

Adventures of Sven the Nisse

Christmas "Nisse," a small Danish mythical creature that you definitely want to stay best friends with, since he is able to control your fortune.The Nisse was usually a small, old man with a white beard, dressed in a grey sweater, grey trousers, a red pixie cap, red stockings and wooden shoes.

In June we made a stop at Jamie Two-Coats Toy Shop in Shelburne, VT (and you thought they only had quilts!)  and found Sven, waiting for the holidays in the attic of this great toy store. My plan is to celebrate every month that I'm 50 and he was coming along for the ride!! We would start my June celebration.
 A test run at Keepsake quilting.
 He gets around, that's for sure!!



 Five states in one day!!
 NYC skyline in the background! This fella knows how to party!!
 My July celebration was spent with good friends at Eagle Crest. Looks like he got a start on the champagne glass on the left!
 Looks like he had a little more then champagne to celebrate!! (a crazy woman from Australia was a bad influence on him!) lol
 But he did help finish a quilt made for AAQI.
 Sven is getting ready for his August celebration. GPS. check....
 Map...check...GPS..uncheck..can't figure it out.


50 years and 3 months and I'm still going strong!! Watch for a post next week on my Get to Goal blog to see how Sven helped me celebrate!!


PS It's been a crazy week, I hope you enjoyed my goofy post!!

PSS 600th post! Leave a comment of any kind and I'll choose a name next Monday for a giveaway.  I'm thinking maybe a little quilt from my stash.....

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Quilts for Sale! AAQI Quilts for Sale!

I just noticed that the AAQI site put three more of my quilts up for sale. These are collaborative efforts between Kathie, Inspired by Antique Quilts, and myself!!

Buy 1! Buy 2! Buy all 3!!
Click on the quilt title to be brought to the AAQI page.
Billings
Billings- SOLD! Thanks Julie!!


Cheyenne
Cheyenne- SOLD! Thanks Libby!!

Del Rio

Del Rio- SOLD! I think it is Kelley. Thank you!!
All sold within hours of posting! Oh my! Thank you all for your generosity!!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Jane Stickle and Friends

2012 Sisters, Oregon
I've been wanting to do a post about my Jane Stickle Quilt. The two friends with me are Carol (From Canada) and Gabe,(from Australia)  who I met as we were all doing the Jane quilt. What a fun journey with a group of friends. There was 11 of us from the beginning and we have tried to get together here and there over the years.

In 1998 I met Janet in Arizona. She has since died of breast cancer.
I first met Carol in Sisters in 1999.

Lancaster, PA seemed to be a popular spot for us.



We even went so far as Chebeague Island, Maine!!

The talent of this small group of women quilters is extraordinary!




 We've made quilts to commemorate, births, deaths and sickness. We've had numerous block swaps, done round robins and row by rows.
We come from all walks of life, all backgrounds, and an assorment of political persuations.

I bet Jane Stickle had no idea what an impact her Civil War sampler quilt would make on women 150 years after making it!!