Last weekend, my darling hubby took me to Minneapolis to IKEA! I have been wanting to visit an IKEA store for years. I got lots of tips from veteran IKEA shoppers and they all came in very handy, especially the one that told me to plan on being there the whole day. We did that easily and logged in a few hours on the next day, too. 

 Jocelyn @ Happy Cottage Quilter said it perfectly, "IKEA is like the Disneyland of retail!" She was so right!! I hate having my picture taken, but Russ insisted I pose with the two carts we filled up. Trust me, it was tempting to buy more, however, we had limited space in our car, which really was a good thing in the long run. =)

Even so, we still bought more than we planned on!! Drawer organizers, wrapping paper, a popcorn bowl, trivets, kitchen towels, adorable wire baskets, area rugs and more. =) 

The new living room area rug. =)

I have wanted this button rug for my sewing room for a long time. It's so bright and happy. =)

But my favorite purchase took some assembly...

A Stenstorp kitchen island to replace the peninsula! The lip that is on the counter will go away when we get a new counter top. The white bin holds my kitchen towels.  

We have a few modifications that need to be made eventually to make it level with our floor. We are also thinking about adding sides to it and adding doors to the front to enclose it. I love the butcher block top!

Its probably a good thing that IKEA is so far away from us. I think I could live there! Besides, it is nice to have a place to run away to for a weekend away. =) 

For those who have been to IKEA, what is your favorite IKEA find?

Last weekend, my darling hubby took me to Minneapolis to IKEA! I have been wanting to visit an IKEA store for years. I got lots of tips from veteran IKEA shoppers and they all came in very handy, especially the one that told me to plan on being there the whole day. We did that easily and logged in a few hours on the next day, too. 

 Jocelyn @ Happy Cottage Quilter said it perfectly, "IKEA is like the Disneyland of retail!" She was so right!! I hate having my picture taken, but Russ insisted I pose with the two carts we filled up. Trust me, it was tempting to buy more, however, we had limited space in our car, which really was a good thing in the long run. =)

Even so, we still bought more than we planned on!! Drawer organizers, wrapping paper, a popcorn bowl, trivets, kitchen towels, adorable wire baskets, area rugs and more. =) 

The new living room area rug. =)

I have wanted this button rug for my sewing room for a long time. It's so bright and happy. =)

But my favorite purchase took some assembly...

A Stenstorp kitchen island to replace the peninsula! The lip that is on the counter will go away when we get a new counter top. The white bin holds my kitchen towels.  

We have a few modifications that need to be made eventually to make it level with our floor. We are also thinking about adding sides to it and adding doors to the front to enclose it. I love the butcher block top!

Its probably a good thing that IKEA is so far away from us. I think I could live there! Besides, it is nice to have a place to run away to for a weekend away. =) 

For those who have been to IKEA, what is your favorite IKEA find?

Irons are a must have tool for every quilter and every one has their idea on what the perfect iron is. When I first started quilting, I bought a Rowenta. I liked it okay, but I really didn't like how it turned off all the time and I didn't think it was hot enough. I began my hunt for the perfect iron...I bought several vintage irons and they were better, but not quite perfect. At an antique shop I found a General Mills Betty Crocker Tru Heat iron. I brought it home to give it a try and it didn't take long to discover, that this was the perfect iron. I love everything about it! It got hot, didn't turn off and no steam holes to mess with my seams. 

Because of its age, I figured it wouldn't last forever, so I had been keeping my eye out for a spare. I found it last summer at another antique shop. I was set! 

Maybe...

This week my iron died. We took it apart and hubby tested the hearing element. It was shot. Time for the spare to get some use. Though they were the same, I immediately noticed there was a slight difference. My spare was a bit lighter than my old one. Looking at the back of the iron, there was a model number. My favorite iron was a 1B. My spare was a 1BB. After more research, I quickly realized there are several versions of this iron. My spare was not the perfect iron. *sigh* 

Hello, Ebay!! 

Look at this beauty I found on Ebay! The exact same model number and BRAND NEW! It was delivered yesterday and it is even more perfect than the one that died! I am so thrilled with it! I expect to have many years of happily pressing quilt blocks with this sweet iron. =)

So, am I the only one obsessed with finding the perfect iron? What is your perfect iron? 

Now if only I could find the perfect purse, but that's another story! 

Irons are a must have tool for every quilter and every one has their idea on what the perfect iron is. When I first started quilting, I bought a Rowenta. I liked it okay, but I really didn't like how it turned off all the time and I didn't think it was hot enough. I began my hunt for the perfect iron...I bought several vintage irons and they were better, but not quite perfect. At an antique shop I found a General Mills Betty Crocker Tru Heat iron. I brought it home to give it a try and it didn't take long to discover, that this was the perfect iron. I love everything about it! It got hot, didn't turn off and no steam holes to mess with my seams. 

Because of its age, I figured it wouldn't last forever, so I had been keeping my eye out for a spare. I found it last summer at another antique shop. I was set! 

Maybe...

This week my iron died. We took it apart and hubby tested the hearing element. It was shot. Time for the spare to get some use. Though they were the same, I immediately noticed there was a slight difference. My spare was a bit lighter than my old one. Looking at the back of the iron, there was a model number. My favorite iron was a 1B. My spare was a 1BB. After more research, I quickly realized there are several versions of this iron. My spare was not the perfect iron. *sigh* 

Hello, Ebay!! 

Look at this beauty I found on Ebay! The exact same model number and BRAND NEW! It was delivered yesterday and it is even more perfect than the one that died! I am so thrilled with it! I expect to have many years of happily pressing quilt blocks with this sweet iron. =)

So, am I the only one obsessed with finding the perfect iron? What is your perfect iron? 

Now if only I could find the perfect purse, but that's another story! 

After several false starts, and time spent with my seam ripper, I settled on some simple double crosshatch quilting. I used wool batting which makes it light and warm. Perfect for cuddling on the couch. =)

You can read more about my process for the Postcard From Sweden quilt here and here. 

Have a happy Tuesday! 

After several false starts, and time spent with my seam ripper, I settled on some simple double crosshatch quilting. I used wool batting which makes it light and warm. Perfect for cuddling on the couch. =)

You can read more about my process for the Postcard From Sweden quilt here and here. 

Have a happy Tuesday! 

Snowy day here in Iowa today, so no work for me. I thought I would share how I kept organized as I made my Postcard From Sweden quilt top by Jeli Quilts. 

{Note to Craftygramma: I didn't have an email to respond to your comment. =) I was already too far in my process to make this into a quilt along. I hope this post is helpful for you. =) }

After I cut my squares, I immediately cut them into the triangles, then used my Wonder Clips to keep them together with their color name and number. In my picture, the ones with only the number are the ones I had that were the exact color she had in her list. As you can see, a vast majority of my colors were replacements. 

I followed Kelly's suggestion of having stickers with a row and number to help keep track of where it belonged. When I matched the triangles that went together, I put the sticker on the upper right section before sewing, that way I would know which way the triangle was to lay. I then chained pieced the triangles for each row. After each row was made, I marked it off. It helped me keep my eyes looking at the right spot. 

Here is one of the piles of triangles sewn together waiting to be trimmed and them put together in a row. The number/row sticker is still on each HST. I did not remove them until the row was all put together. For my quilt, I chose to press all my HST's open to eliminate bulk in the seams. 

The rows go together quickly. These have the little stickers removed and now each row is marked with their letter to keep them in order.

Here they are all done and waiting to be put together. =) 

And here it is! All sewn together! I made the larger version. It finishes at 60" x 75". It's such a bright and happy quilt. =) 

I am going to use this text 108" fabric by Windham for the back. 

Before I let you go for the day, I have been getting many no-reply comments, which means I am unable to respond to your comment. If you doubt whether or not your setting are set as no-reply, please consider leaving your email in your comment so I can reach you. =)  

Have a happy day!! 

Snowy day here in Iowa today, so no work for me. I thought I would share how I kept organized as I made my Postcard From Sweden quilt top by Jeli Quilts. 

{Note to Craftygramma: I didn't have an email to respond to your comment. =) I was already too far in my process to make this into a quilt along. I hope this post is helpful for you. =) }

After I cut my squares, I immediately cut them into the triangles, then used my Wonder Clips to keep them together with their color name and number. In my picture, the ones with only the number are the ones I had that were the exact color she had in her list. As you can see, a vast majority of my colors were replacements. 

I followed Kelly's suggestion of having stickers with a row and number to help keep track of where it belonged. When I matched the triangles that went together, I put the sticker on the upper right section before sewing, that way I would know which way the triangle was to lay. I then chained pieced the triangles for each row. After each row was made, I marked it off. It helped me keep my eyes looking at the right spot. 

Here is one of the piles of triangles sewn together waiting to be trimmed and them put together in a row. The number/row sticker is still on each HST. I did not remove them until the row was all put together. For my quilt, I chose to press all my HST's open to eliminate bulk in the seams. 

The rows go together quickly. These have the little stickers removed and now each row is marked with their letter to keep them in order.

Here they are all done and waiting to be put together. =) 

And here it is! All sewn together! I made the larger version. It finishes at 60" x 75". It's such a bright and happy quilt. =) 

I am going to use this text 108" fabric by Windham for the back. 

Before I let you go for the day, I have been getting many no-reply comments, which means I am unable to respond to your comment. If you doubt whether or not your setting are set as no-reply, please consider leaving your email in your comment so I can reach you. =)  

Have a happy day!! 

Have you seen the Postcard From Sweden quilt made by Kelly @Jelliquilts? Please, please, please go to Jelliquilts and read all about Kelly's inspiration. Its awesome!! I'll wait....

Is not Kelly's quilt serious eye candy? I fell in love with it the moment I saw it last year sometime and knew I wanted to make one someday. In fact, a picture of her quilt is my wallpaper on all of my Apple devices. =) I love it that much!!

Source: Jeli Quilts

Kelly offers a free pattern of Postcard From Sweden on Craftsy. The pattern is really well written with a chart and tips. Or you can order a kit on Craftsy. =) 

Now that I am on a roll here after such a long dry spell, I printed the pattern and began to study Kelly's Kona color chart then I began a fabric pull. I went to the Kona site, looked up the color Kelly used and matched that color as close as I could with what I already had in my stash. I was surprised how well I was able to do! There is a lot of purple tones in this quilt and that is one color I have very little of in my stash. My fabric pull includes solids I had left over from the sample I made for Craftsy for my quilt pattern Amy's Stars, Moda Grunge, Michael Miller Cotton Couture and Cotton + Steel. 

Let the fun begin!!

Have a happy Monday!! 

Have you seen the Postcard From Sweden quilt made by Kelly @Jelliquilts? Please, please, please go to Jelliquilts and read all about Kelly's inspiration. Its awesome!! I'll wait....

Is not Kelly's quilt serious eye candy? I fell in love with it the moment I saw it last year sometime and knew I wanted to make one someday. In fact, a picture of her quilt is my wallpaper on all of my Apple devices. =) I love it that much!!

Source: Jeli Quilts

Kelly offers a free pattern of Postcard From Sweden on Craftsy. The pattern is really well written with a chart and tips. Or you can order a kit on Craftsy. =) 

Now that I am on a roll here after such a long dry spell, I printed the pattern and began to study Kelly's Kona color chart then I began a fabric pull. I went to the Kona site, looked up the color Kelly used and matched that color as close as I could with what I already had in my stash. I was surprised how well I was able to do! There is a lot of purple tones in this quilt and that is one color I have very little of in my stash. My fabric pull includes solids I had left over from the sample I made for Craftsy for my quilt pattern Amy's Stars, Moda Grunge, Michael Miller Cotton Couture and Cotton + Steel. 

Let the fun begin!!

Have a happy Monday!!