I can finally share a finish now that Christmas is over and the gift has been received. Brooklyn commissioned me to make her other grandpa a quilt for Christmas. Apparently grandpa steals grandma's quilt frequently and she thought he needed one of his own. I wholeheartedly agreed! I had not made a quilt solely out of batiks before, so this was a fun project for me. Batiks are a dream to sew with! 

I used a Moda flannel for the back and hand dyed wool for the appliqué. The red heart bled a bit after it was washed, but not too horribly. (whew!)

Since I am sharing gifts, I may as well share them all. No worries, there isn't much to show, since our Christmas gift, our Harley Tri-Glide,  came early last summer. =)

Russ needed a satchel to transport his laptop. I love this satchel so much!! I may have to borrow it sometimes! 

Russ gifted me with this cone thread stand to use with my feather weight and other vintage machines. 

My mother-in-love always gives us kids the gift of cash. I usually buy fabric or something for my sewing room with her gift, but this year I wanted to do something different, so I ordered an Erin Condren Life Planner. I am so excited for it to arrive!!  I love my iPhone and use it for keeping dates and schedules, but I find I really need to be able to physically write things down and see it for me to remember. Now that I'm working part time, I need to do better with keeping organized and getting things done. I am hoping this will be the ticket. To go along with my new life planner, I took a trip to Hobby Lobby and bought some stickers, wash tape and pens. 

This will be my last post of 2014, so I want to take the time to thank all of you for your support, your comments, and your friendship. =)

I'll see you again in 2015!! 

Have a happy day!

I can finally share a finish now that Christmas is over and the gift has been received. Brooklyn commissioned me to make her other grandpa a quilt for Christmas. Apparently grandpa steals grandma's quilt frequently and she thought he needed one of his own. I wholeheartedly agreed! I had not made a quilt solely out of batiks before, so this was a fun project for me. Batiks are a dream to sew with! 

I used a Moda flannel for the back and hand dyed wool for the appliqué. The red heart bled a bit after it was washed, but not too horribly. (whew!)

Since I am sharing gifts, I may as well share them all. No worries, there isn't much to show, since our Christmas gift, our Harley Tri-Glide,  came early last summer. =)

Russ needed a satchel to transport his laptop. I love this satchel so much!! I may have to borrow it sometimes! 

Russ gifted me with this cone thread stand to use with my feather weight and other vintage machines. 

My mother-in-love always gives us kids the gift of cash. I usually buy fabric or something for my sewing room with her gift, but this year I wanted to do something different, so I ordered an Erin Condren Life Planner. I am so excited for it to arrive!!  I love my iPhone and use it for keeping dates and schedules, but I find I really need to be able to physically write things down and see it for me to remember. Now that I'm working part time, I need to do better with keeping organized and getting things done. I am hoping this will be the ticket. To go along with my new life planner, I took a trip to Hobby Lobby and bought some stickers, wash tape and pens. 

This will be my last post of 2014, so I want to take the time to thank all of you for your support, your comments, and your friendship. =)

I'll see you again in 2015!! 

Have a happy day!

Happy Monday, everyone! It is a rainy, foggy day here in Iowa. No fun! I know some would be upset, but I am so ready for some snow!! 

This last weekend, Russ and I took off for some r & r in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to visit the Harley Davidson Museum. We had a very nice time, except for the crazy traffic. Yikes!! I confess, the traffic triggered a panic attack. =(

I won't bore you with pictures of the motorcycles, but I did want to share this colorful display of the motorcycle tanks that have graced the bikes since 1903.

Look at those great colors! 

I could have stayed at this part of the exhibit all day long to study the different logos, fonts and colors that were used over the years. My favorite is the bottom right. 

Last week, I finished quilting the Shortcake Quilt by Cluck Cluck Sew. Erin Jensen and hazel stitches, are the two ladies that began the Shortcake Quilt along on Instagram. You can search for it using #shortcakealong. I really love this pattern!!

I debated on what to use for the binding and decided to go bold and use the Miss Kate navy. I went with the twin size pattern so it's a big one to cuddle up with on a cold winters day. I mixed in some Bliss, Ruby and Scrumptious with my Miss Kate jelly roll. This quilt squealed its way up to the top of my favorites pile. 

I also got back to working on my Farmer's Wife Revival quilt and finished up class 5. There is a button in my sidebar that will take you to the information on the classes. I can't recommend them highly enough! My next decision is whether to stop here and make this the lap top size, or keep going. 

Next up, stash building! Mochi Dots linen blend fabrics by MoMo found their way into my stash during the Black Friday sales. The colors are so rich and I adore the linen blend fabrics. 

I've also been having a crush on the Moda Grunge fabrics and ordered a fat quarter bundle. I think these two piles of fabric will play nicely together. Now to come up with a solid plan for these lovelies. Or, I suppose I could just look at them for a while. =) 

source

When you buy fabric, do you always have a plan for it? I rarely do. I usually love the fabric and decide on a plan later. =)

Have a happy Monday, everyone!!

Happy Monday, everyone! It is a rainy, foggy day here in Iowa. No fun! I know some would be upset, but I am so ready for some snow!! 

This last weekend, Russ and I took off for some r & r in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to visit the Harley Davidson Museum. We had a very nice time, except for the crazy traffic. Yikes!! I confess, the traffic triggered a panic attack. =(

I won't bore you with pictures of the motorcycles, but I did want to share this colorful display of the motorcycle tanks that have graced the bikes since 1903.

Look at those great colors! 

I could have stayed at this part of the exhibit all day long to study the different logos, fonts and colors that were used over the years. My favorite is the bottom right. 

Last week, I finished quilting the Shortcake Quilt by Cluck Cluck Sew. Erin Jensen and hazel stitches, are the two ladies that began the Shortcake Quilt along on Instagram. You can search for it using #shortcakealong. I really love this pattern!!

I debated on what to use for the binding and decided to go bold and use the Miss Kate navy. I went with the twin size pattern so it's a big one to cuddle up with on a cold winters day. I mixed in some Bliss, Ruby and Scrumptious with my Miss Kate jelly roll. This quilt squealed its way up to the top of my favorites pile. 

I also got back to working on my Farmer's Wife Revival quilt and finished up class 5. There is a button in my sidebar that will take you to the information on the classes. I can't recommend them highly enough! My next decision is whether to stop here and make this the lap top size, or keep going. 

Next up, stash building! Mochi Dots linen blend fabrics by MoMo found their way into my stash during the Black Friday sales. The colors are so rich and I adore the linen blend fabrics. 

I've also been having a crush on the Moda Grunge fabrics and ordered a fat quarter bundle. I think these two piles of fabric will play nicely together. Now to come up with a solid plan for these lovelies. Or, I suppose I could just look at them for a while. =) 

source

When you buy fabric, do you always have a plan for it? I rarely do. I usually love the fabric and decide on a plan later. =)

Have a happy Monday, everyone!!

How is everyone doing? I am sure busy with the holiday season in full swing. I know I have been. =) My poor neglected blog was getting lonely. I had no idea how much busier working part time would make my life! Trust me, that is not a complaint. Just a fact. =) 

There hasn't been much to blog about lately due to working on secret Christmas projects. Now that they are done and ready for gift giving, I did get to work on a couple of projects that I can share. =) 

Last month I worked on a shop sample. Wow....I was a bit nervous and I knew it was going to be sent out to a longarmer to get it quilted. A first for a quilt I have made. We got it back last week and now it's hanging up for all to see. It turned out so nice!!! The fabric is Moda's Atelier and the pattern is Tapestry that can be found in Fat Quarter Shop's book, Fat Quarter Style. 

Next up, I found some motorcycle fabric to make Rusty a quilt. Poor guy is severely neglected in the manly man quilt pile around here. I added in some grunge fabric by BasicGrey for Moda. I love the grunge fabrics! 

The weather is daily today, so inside photos are the best I can do. I wish the blue grunge fabric photographed better. It's a richer blue that what shows up in the pictures. 

I backed it with a Moda flannel and used a wool batting. It's been napped tested and approved couple of times already. =) 

We have had some busy weeks at the shop getting ready for the Christmas season and I worked extra hours. So far, this week looks like to be a more normal week so I can get some stuff done around here. 

Russ and I are planning a weekend away in Milwaukee for my birthday this weekend. We will do some quilt shop looking and we are going to take a tour of the Harley Davidson museum. Can't wait!!

Have a happy Monday, everyone!! And have a very merry Christmas...

How is everyone doing? I am sure busy with the holiday season in full swing. I know I have been. =) My poor neglected blog was getting lonely. I had no idea how much busier working part time would make my life! Trust me, that is not a complaint. Just a fact. =) 

There hasn't been much to blog about lately due to working on secret Christmas projects. Now that they are done and ready for gift giving, I did get to work on a couple of projects that I can share. =) 

Last month I worked on a shop sample. Wow....I was a bit nervous and I knew it was going to be sent out to a longarmer to get it quilted. A first for a quilt I have made. We got it back last week and now it's hanging up for all to see. It turned out so nice!!! The fabric is Moda's Atelier and the pattern is Tapestry that can be found in Fat Quarter Shop's book, Fat Quarter Style. 

Next up, I found some motorcycle fabric to make Rusty a quilt. Poor guy is severely neglected in the manly man quilt pile around here. I added in some grunge fabric by BasicGrey for Moda. I love the grunge fabrics! 

The weather is daily today, so inside photos are the best I can do. I wish the blue grunge fabric photographed better. It's a richer blue that what shows up in the pictures. 

I backed it with a Moda flannel and used a wool batting. It's been napped tested and approved couple of times already. =) 

We have had some busy weeks at the shop getting ready for the Christmas season and I worked extra hours. So far, this week looks like to be a more normal week so I can get some stuff done around here. 

Russ and I are planning a weekend away in Milwaukee for my birthday this weekend. We will do some quilt shop looking and we are going to take a tour of the Harley Davidson museum. Can't wait!!

Have a happy Monday, everyone!! And have a very merry Christmas...

For those who follow me on Instagram, this is a repeat of what I have been up to the last few days. =) 

Erin Jensen and hazel stitches, are the two ladies that began the Shortcake Quilt along and it's happening on Instagram. You can search for it using #shortcakealong. The pattern is called Shortcake by Cluck Cluck Sew and it is a beginner friendly quilt. I love how easy and fun this quilt was to put together. 

These are the A blocks. 

These are the beginning of the B blocks. 

I was up way too late getting it put together, but I couldn't wait to see it all finished! When I had both the A and B blocks all finished, I sewed them in pairs and then laid them out to see how to do the final layout. I was a little stressed about the bold navy block. 

Here it is all put together! The blue block doesn't bother me so much anymore. I chose to make the twin size which took a 1 jelly roll and 15 extra strips. I dug out Bliss, Scrumptious and Ruby I had in my stash to add to it. I have the back all ready to go. A while back I bought some Scrumptious yardage from Donna's Lavender Nest and there was just enough. Love it when that happens! 

For now, I need to let it sit. I have some secret Christmas sewing to get to and another store sample to make. =)

Have a happy weekend!

For those who follow me on Instagram, this is a repeat of what I have been up to the last few days. =) 

Erin Jensen and hazel stitches, are the two ladies that began the Shortcake Quilt along and it's happening on Instagram. You can search for it using #shortcakealong. The pattern is called Shortcake by Cluck Cluck Sew and it is a beginner friendly quilt. I love how easy and fun this quilt was to put together. 

These are the A blocks. 

These are the beginning of the B blocks. 

I was up way too late getting it put together, but I couldn't wait to see it all finished! When I had both the A and B blocks all finished, I sewed them in pairs and then laid them out to see how to do the final layout. I was a little stressed about the bold navy block. 

Here it is all put together! The blue block doesn't bother me so much anymore. I chose to make the twin size which took a 1 jelly roll and 15 extra strips. I dug out Bliss, Scrumptious and Ruby I had in my stash to add to it. I have the back all ready to go. A while back I bought some Scrumptious yardage from Donna's Lavender Nest and there was just enough. Love it when that happens! 

For now, I need to let it sit. I have some secret Christmas sewing to get to and another store sample to make. =)

Have a happy weekend!

I have been trying to catch up on some quilt tops I made last year and get them into the finished pile. This is one of them. =) A little pink overload, don't you think?

The back isn't very pretty, but it works for me. I don't normally buy Christmas fabric, so I was pretty limited on what I could use for the back and I am trying to shop my stash before I go out to buy more fabric. 

I made this quilt top as a store sample using Atelier by 3 Sisters. The pattern is Tapestry from the book Fat Quarter Style by It's Sew Emma. Our shop will have it sent out to be longarm quilted. I really love how this one looks. =)

A few weeks ago, I finished Pineapple and Figs by Fig Tree & Co. using Autumn Lily by Blackbird Designs. It's sitting while I decide if I want to add a border or not and I have no clue how to quilt it. I may have to save up and send it out to be longarm quilted. I have never done that before, so the thought makes me a bit nervous!! 

Lastly, I began cutting the fabric to make Shortcake by Cluck Cluck Sew. Someone, somewhere on the web/Instagram was/is doing a sew-along using this pattern. I am way behind to join in on the sew-along, however, this is one pattern I have always wanted to make and it is perfect for my Miss Kate jelly roll. I decided to make the twin size quilt, so I added strips of fabric from other Bonnie and Camille lines I have in my stash. I admit it, I am a huge fan of Bonnie and Camille. HUGE! 

May your fabric always be pressed and your scraps in control. =D Have a happy Wednesday!!

I have been trying to catch up on some quilt tops I made last year and get them into the finished pile. This is one of them. =) A little pink overload, don't you think?

The back isn't very pretty, but it works for me. I don't normally buy Christmas fabric, so I was pretty limited on what I could use for the back and I am trying to shop my stash before I go out to buy more fabric. 

I made this quilt top as a store sample using Atelier by 3 Sisters. The pattern is Tapestry from the book Fat Quarter Style by It's Sew Emma. Our shop will have it sent out to be longarm quilted. I really love how this one looks. =)

A few weeks ago, I finished Pineapple and Figs by Fig Tree & Co. using Autumn Lily by Blackbird Designs. It's sitting while I decide if I want to add a border or not and I have no clue how to quilt it. I may have to save up and send it out to be longarm quilted. I have never done that before, so the thought makes me a bit nervous!! 

Lastly, I began cutting the fabric to make Shortcake by Cluck Cluck Sew. Someone, somewhere on the web/Instagram was/is doing a sew-along using this pattern. I am way behind to join in on the sew-along, however, this is one pattern I have always wanted to make and it is perfect for my Miss Kate jelly roll. I decided to make the twin size quilt, so I added strips of fabric from other Bonnie and Camille lines I have in my stash. I admit it, I am a huge fan of Bonnie and Camille. HUGE! 

May your fabric always be pressed and your scraps in control. =D Have a happy Wednesday!!

Sweet Addelyn, enjoying her new quilt. I sure wish I could have hand delivered this one, but a trip to Texas just isn't in the budget. 

She even graced her mom with her first smiles for the photo op!! Now that makes my day!!

Sweet Addelyn, enjoying her new quilt. I sure wish I could have hand delivered this one, but a trip to Texas just isn't in the budget. 

She even graced her mom with her first smiles for the photo op!! Now that makes my day!!

Fall is in full swing here in Iowa and this year, the trees are giving a beautiful showing. This tree is outside my sewing room window. When I moved into this house, it was a small stick. We had to be careful to not mow over it! 

Last week, I did marathon quilt back making and spray basting. I have five quilt tops all ready to go. Even though I cover my floors and furniture with sheets, my floors still get sticky from the over spray. Yesterday I scrubbed and oiled my hard wood floors to make them look nice again. I need to figure out a better way to spray baste my quilts. When the weather warms up next spring, I am going to start using the garage. Until then????

Anyway! When I sat down to quilt the first of five quilts, I found this mistake!! How did I not notice it when it was sitting around for weeks and when I basted it? I don't know!! It took some work to take it apart, and fix it, especially because of the basting spray making it sticky, but I had to fix it. It was going to drive me nutty... At one point I was ready to toss the whole thing. Tell me I am not the only one who feels that way at times. 

Here she is all fixed and quilted up. I am very glad I didn't toss it!! 

And the obligatory view of the back. Yes, I layered the top on the back a bit crooked. Such is life. Its meant to cuddle with and not win any prizes. *wink*

Now that I got my living room floor all prettified, I have gotten in the mood to do more deep fall cleaning. I need to strike when the iron is hot! The one time I am not thrilled with being an empty nester is during cleaning time. I miss my helpers. =) 

Have a happy Thursday!! 

Fall is in full swing here in Iowa and this year, the trees are giving a beautiful showing. This tree is outside my sewing room window. When I moved into this house, it was a small stick. We had to be careful to not mow over it! 

Last week, I did marathon quilt back making and spray basting. I have five quilt tops all ready to go. Even though I cover my floors and furniture with sheets, my floors still get sticky from the over spray. Yesterday I scrubbed and oiled my hard wood floors to make them look nice again. I need to figure out a better way to spray baste my quilts. When the weather warms up next spring, I am going to start using the garage. Until then????

Anyway! When I sat down to quilt the first of five quilts, I found this mistake!! How did I not notice it when it was sitting around for weeks and when I basted it? I don't know!! It took some work to take it apart, and fix it, especially because of the basting spray making it sticky, but I had to fix it. It was going to drive me nutty... At one point I was ready to toss the whole thing. Tell me I am not the only one who feels that way at times. 

Here she is all fixed and quilted up. I am very glad I didn't toss it!! 

And the obligatory view of the back. Yes, I layered the top on the back a bit crooked. Such is life. Its meant to cuddle with and not win any prizes. *wink*

Now that I got my living room floor all prettified, I have gotten in the mood to do more deep fall cleaning. I need to strike when the iron is hot! The one time I am not thrilled with being an empty nester is during cleaning time. I miss my helpers. =) 

Have a happy Thursday!! 

There is something so satisfying about making mini quilts. They are quick and fun. This basket pattern I purchased as a kit last summer. The colors in the kit was all 30's solids, but I decided to shake it up and use Vintage Happy fabrics by Lori Holt of Bee In My Bonnet. Its more me, though it was painfully hard to cut into my fat quarters. 

Still on the Lori Holt kick, I joined the bandwagon and made her birthday block in honor of the one year birthday of her amazing book, Quilty Fun. I used fabrics from several of her lines. She creates such happy fabric. =) You can find the pattern for the birthday cake block here.

Here it is on display in my kitchen. One of these days I will get that yellow cabinet repainted. 

Not a mini, but another quilt top I had to make. It was in my head for weeks. I used the Yellow Brick Road pattern to make the canvas out of low volume fabrics and appliquéd the letters on. I wish I would have had enough black to do all the letters in black, but alas, I was just short of having enough, so I improvised. The font is CAC Pinafore and one of my most favorite fonts....

I had 4 blocks left over, so I played with some Bonnie and Camille scraps and made some petals to make another mini quilt. As you can tell, I don't through away even the smallest of pieces of their fabric lines. I always find a way to use them. =) 

Lately, I have found myself using Instagram more and more often. It took me a while to really get into it, but now that I understand it better, it really is a fun place to do quick updates. You can follow me @aquiltingsheep.

Today is a "work" day, so I need to get going! 

Have a happy Thursday!!

There is something so satisfying about making mini quilts. They are quick and fun. This basket pattern I purchased as a kit last summer. The colors in the kit was all 30's solids, but I decided to shake it up and use Vintage Happy fabrics by Lori Holt of Bee In My Bonnet. Its more me, though it was painfully hard to cut into my fat quarters. 

Still on the Lori Holt kick, I joined the bandwagon and made her birthday block in honor of the one year birthday of her amazing book, Quilty Fun. I used fabrics from several of her lines. She creates such happy fabric. =) You can find the pattern for the birthday cake block here.

Here it is on display in my kitchen. One of these days I will get that yellow cabinet repainted. 

Not a mini, but another quilt top I had to make. It was in my head for weeks. I used the Yellow Brick Road pattern to make the canvas out of low volume fabrics and appliquéd the letters on. I wish I would have had enough black to do all the letters in black, but alas, I was just short of having enough, so I improvised. The font is CAC Pinafore and one of my most favorite fonts....

I had 4 blocks left over, so I played with some Bonnie and Camille scraps and made some petals to make another mini quilt. As you can tell, I don't through away even the smallest of pieces of their fabric lines. I always find a way to use them. =) 

Lately, I have found myself using Instagram more and more often. It took me a while to really get into it, but now that I understand it better, it really is a fun place to do quick updates. You can follow me @aquiltingsheep.

Today is a "work" day, so I need to get going! 

Have a happy Thursday!!

I am all caught up on my Sew Sweet Bee blocks. Now to get them in the mail! 

I am all caught up on my Sew Sweet Bee blocks. Now to get them in the mail!