I promise, this will not turn into a blog about my grandchildren, however, I had to show you Bennett's hair!! I am hoping it stays red! 

This panel is an older line by Cotton and Steel called Sleep Tight. I have been waiting for a boy to quilt it up!

The backing print is hard to see, but it is white with the alphabet letters scattered all over. I added orphan flying geese to give it some more interest. 

This will be Bennett's quilt when he comes to visit Grandma's house. 🥰

One more picture of the wee babe and now I am done! 

For now. 😉

I promise, this will not turn into a blog about my grandchildren, however, I had to show you Bennett's hair!! I am hoping it stays red! 

This panel is an older line by Cotton and Steel called Sleep Tight. I have been waiting for a boy to quilt it up!

The backing print is hard to see, but it is white with the alphabet letters scattered all over. I added orphan flying geese to give it some more interest. 

This will be Bennett's quilt when he comes to visit Grandma's house. 🥰

One more picture of the wee babe and now I am done! 

For now. 😉

The Free-Wheeling Single Girl Sew Along is nearing the end. I am very thankful for Sewtopia, The Next Stitch and Denyse Schmidt for hosting this fun sew along because I don't know if I would ever attempt to make this quilt without their tips and support. They saved this amazing pattern from languishing in my stash.  

As I mentioned in an earlier post I chose to use mostly Denyse Schmidt fabrics with a bit of Moda Grunge and Cotton & Steel in the mix. 

For a while, I toyed with the idea of changing the background to Grunge Fig instead of Kona Snow. I like how it looks together, but I needed a second opinion.  The consensus was the Grunge Fig was too prominent and took the eye away from the rings and I really wanted the rings to shine. 

I let the blocks sit like this for a long time. I was very nervous about sewing those curves!! 

Some of the time I used glue to put the pieces together and other times I used the pinning method. My 2 cents. When using the glue method, my sewing was more accurate but took longer to put them together. Pinning them was faster, but I was less accurate because the fabric shifted, even with a lot of pins. In the end, I used the pin method more often. I knew that they were all going to be trimmed and I had 64 of these blocks to make with two curves to each block. It would have taken forever to use the glue method. The key to sewing curves is to take your time. They are not as hard to sew as I feared. 

I am glad I used Kona Snow. I like the traditional look. 😊

My next decision was what to use for the backing fabric. I loved the sheep in the Cotton & Steel Panorama line, so I bought half yard cuts of each color to audition which one I liked best. They all looked good! 

I gave hubby the choice, since this quilt will be on our bed eventually, and he chose the PINK! Yay! 

I have all 16 circles made, but there isn't room to lay them all out! Each circle is 22"! It's going to be a big one. I haven't decided how big to make the border. I do know I want it to be square so it can lay on the bed in any direction. Until I decide, I am not going to sew them together. Easier to store a pile of blocks instead of a large quilt top. 😄

Have a great fall weekend!! 

The Free-Wheeling Single Girl Sew Along is nearing the end. I am very thankful for Sewtopia, The Next Stitch and Denyse Schmidt for hosting this fun sew along because I don't know if I would ever attempt to make this quilt without their tips and support. They saved this amazing pattern from languishing in my stash.  

As I mentioned in an earlier post I chose to use mostly Denyse Schmidt fabrics with a bit of Moda Grunge and Cotton & Steel in the mix. 

For a while, I toyed with the idea of changing the background to Grunge Fig instead of Kona Snow. I like how it looks together, but I needed a second opinion.  The consensus was the Grunge Fig was too prominent and took the eye away from the rings and I really wanted the rings to shine. 

I let the blocks sit like this for a long time. I was very nervous about sewing those curves!! 

Some of the time I used glue to put the pieces together and other times I used the pinning method. My 2 cents. When using the glue method, my sewing was more accurate but took longer to put them together. Pinning them was faster, but I was less accurate because the fabric shifted, even with a lot of pins. In the end, I used the pin method more often. I knew that they were all going to be trimmed and I had 64 of these blocks to make with two curves to each block. It would have taken forever to use the glue method. The key to sewing curves is to take your time. They are not as hard to sew as I feared. 

I am glad I used Kona Snow. I like the traditional look. 😊

My next decision was what to use for the backing fabric. I loved the sheep in the Cotton & Steel Panorama line, so I bought half yard cuts of each color to audition which one I liked best. They all looked good! 

I gave hubby the choice, since this quilt will be on our bed eventually, and he chose the PINK! Yay! 

I have all 16 circles made, but there isn't room to lay them all out! Each circle is 22"! It's going to be a big one. I haven't decided how big to make the border. I do know I want it to be square so it can lay on the bed in any direction. Until I decide, I am not going to sew them together. Easier to store a pile of blocks instead of a large quilt top. 😄

Have a great fall weekend!! 

After weeks of agonizing over this decision, these are the fabrics I have pulled from my stash and purchased for my Free Wheeling Single Girl quilt by Denyse Schmidt.  Notice the pink fabric with the sheep. =) 

Fabrics: Flea Market Fancy, Grunge by Moda, various other fabrics lines by Denyse Schmidt and Cotton and Steel. The background is a safe Kona Snow. 

You can find more information in this blog post about the sew along that has just begun. Come join us!! 

After weeks of agonizing over this decision, these are the fabrics I have pulled from my stash and purchased for my Free Wheeling Single Girl quilt by Denyse Schmidt.  Notice the pink fabric with the sheep. =) 

Fabrics: Flea Market Fancy, Grunge by Moda, various other fabrics lines by Denyse Schmidt and Cotton and Steel. The background is a safe Kona Snow. 

You can find more information in this blog post about the sew along that has just begun. Come join us!! 

I recently received some Cotton + Steel fabrics, which meant I got to play with it and make a sample. =) 

I love the back!! The selvedge was so cute I kept it on. 

I was on a roll, so I dug into my stash and made another pillow cover for the couch. The picnic basket fabric is so cute! Being a larger print, I didn't want to cut it up so it is perfect for a pillow!

And one more small project using the make up print from the Jubilee line by Melody Miller. The bag pattern is a free tutorial by Lori Holt which can be found here: Quilty Zip Bag. I have no idea what I will use it for. I needed a quick small project that I could get done in a day. Zipper bags fit that need nicely. I need to make a boxy bag using this print to use for my make up. =)

What quick projects do you like to make? 

Have a happy Wednesday!!

I recently received some Cotton + Steel fabrics, which meant I got to play with it and make a sample. =) 

I love the back!! The selvedge was so cute I kept it on. 

I was on a roll, so I dug into my stash and made another pillow cover for the couch. The picnic basket fabric is so cute! Being a larger print, I didn't want to cut it up so it is perfect for a pillow!

And one more small project using the make up print from the Jubilee line by Melody Miller. The bag pattern is a free tutorial by Lori Holt which can be found here: Quilty Zip Bag. I have no idea what I will use it for. I needed a quick small project that I could get done in a day. Zipper bags fit that need nicely. I need to make a boxy bag using this print to use for my make up. =)

What quick projects do you like to make? 

Have a happy Wednesday!!

The weather in Iowa has been gloomy and foggy for weeks. I can't remember the last time I saw the sun. =( I have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and the lack of sunshine makes it much worse. Sewing with pretty colors and keeping busy does help, but I am never quite myself again until spring comes. These last few weeks have been rough. The point of mentioning SAD? No sun also means it is super hard to take decent pictures of the projects I have finished so I can share them here, or on Instagram, for that matter! I decided to stop waiting for a better time and just go with the less than stellar photography. 

First up is Christmas Swoon! 

I made Christmas Swoon last January with the plans to have it done for this last Christmas. Best laid plans and all that... But it is done and I love it!! I did my typical wavy lines to quilt it, but this time I chose to not make the wavy lines as curvy as I usually do. The texture is amazing!

It measures 65" x 65". The back is pieced with the left over half square triangles. 

Next up is another quilt top I made last January using my Cotton & Steel stash. You can find more details in this blog post. This one finished up at 62" x 76". 

I chose to straight line quilt it using my walking foot edge about ¼" away from the seam as my guide.  Totally eye balled it. I love the star and hexagon shape that emerges at the points of the triangles. Oh, and trust me, I stratigcally took a picture where my points matched up perfectly. Not all of them look this good. Just sayin!

For the back, I chose a newspaper print by Zen Chic by Moda. 

 My next project is to get my Patchwork Swoon quilted. Oh, I also have a shop sample I am frantically trying to get done, Sweetie Pie by Lori Holt. Another gal is helping with the embroidery and the hand appliqué parts. It will be cute when it's done. =) 

Thanks for hanging out with me on this Thursday morning! Have a happy day!!

The weather in Iowa has been gloomy and foggy for weeks. I can't remember the last time I saw the sun. =( I have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and the lack of sunshine makes it much worse. Sewing with pretty colors and keeping busy does help, but I am never quite myself again until spring comes. These last few weeks have been rough. The point of mentioning SAD? No sun also means it is super hard to take decent pictures of the projects I have finished so I can share them here, or on Instagram, for that matter! I decided to stop waiting for a better time and just go with the less than stellar photography. 

First up is Christmas Swoon! 

I made Christmas Swoon last January with the plans to have it done for this last Christmas. Best laid plans and all that... But it is done and I love it!! I did my typical wavy lines to quilt it, but this time I chose to not make the wavy lines as curvy as I usually do. The texture is amazing!

It measures 65" x 65". The back is pieced with the left over half square triangles. 

Next up is another quilt top I made last January using my Cotton & Steel stash. You can find more details in this blog post. This one finished up at 62" x 76". 

I chose to straight line quilt it using my walking foot edge about ¼" away from the seam as my guide.  Totally eye balled it. I love the star and hexagon shape that emerges at the points of the triangles. Oh, and trust me, I stratigcally took a picture where my points matched up perfectly. Not all of them look this good. Just sayin!

For the back, I chose a newspaper print by Zen Chic by Moda. 

 My next project is to get my Patchwork Swoon quilted. Oh, I also have a shop sample I am frantically trying to get done, Sweetie Pie by Lori Holt. Another gal is helping with the embroidery and the hand appliqué parts. It will be cute when it's done. =) 

Thanks for hanging out with me on this Thursday morning! Have a happy day!!

My couch pillow covers were looking dingy and ugly. It was long overdue time to get some new ones made. I used this easy pattern. 

Now that I am on a roll, the rest of them are going to get new covers, too. I do need more zippers, however I can get the panels made while I wait for my order from  Zipit to arrive. 

Have a happy Monday!!

My couch pillow covers were looking dingy and ugly. It was long overdue time to get some new ones made. I used this easy pattern. 

Now that I am on a roll, the rest of them are going to get new covers, too. I do need more zippers, however I can get the panels made while I wait for my order from  Zipit to arrive. 

Have a happy Monday!!

I have been so paralyzed as to what to make with my Cotton and Steel fabrics I have been collecting. I did some self talk and told myself that making something was better than letting the fabric sit on the shelf and if I didn't like what I made, there is more fabric out in the world and it can be replaced. I have to have these type of conversations with myself often. I took a deep breath and cut into the Cotton and Steel to make myself a triangle quilt....And I love it!! I love triangle quilts. I have made several over the years, but never kept one for myself. =)

The stats, in case you all would like to make one, too. =)

150 - 8.5" 60 degree triangles makes an approximately 65" x 80" quilt.  

I am tossing it on the pile to be quilted while I decide on what to use for a quilt back. 

I have a fabric pull for my next project. I am on a roll!! lol!

Have a happy weekend!

I have been so paralyzed as to what to make with my Cotton and Steel fabrics I have been collecting. I did some self talk and told myself that making something was better than letting the fabric sit on the shelf and if I didn't like what I made, there is more fabric out in the world and it can be replaced. I have to have these type of conversations with myself often. I took a deep breath and cut into the Cotton and Steel to make myself a triangle quilt....And I love it!! I love triangle quilts. I have made several over the years, but never kept one for myself. =)

The stats, in case you all would like to make one, too. =)

150 - 8.5" 60 degree triangles makes an approximately 65" x 80" quilt.  

I am tossing it on the pile to be quilted while I decide on what to use for a quilt back. 

I have a fabric pull for my next project. I am on a roll!! lol!

Have a happy weekend!

I've hardly touched my sewing machine in weeks, thus the silence here on my blog. If not for the Sew Sweet Bee block I needed to make for dear Jane, my sewing machine wouldn't have been turned on! Not because I don't want to, but because my sewing mojo has run away. I hope it comes back soon!

The block Jane requested for her month as queen bee was the sailboat block from the Fatquarter Shop Snapshots quilt along. Her quilt will be so cute!

One of my self imposed goals this year is to not buy more stash, except for fabric I would need to help use what I have and only if necessary. That said, I am allowing a few exceptions. ;-) And, in my defense, much of what you will see today, I ordered last year. =) 

I think you can easily guess why I had to have Cotton and Steel's new line called Clover. =) Those lambs!! Eeep!

I also picked up the Cotton and Steel fat quarter basics. The colors are so wonderful! 

And the last splurge was a half yard bundle of V and Co Ombre fabrics. Don't they look nice with the Cotton and Steel fabrics? I wish you could see them in real life. They really shine....

 My other exception I posted about last month, Little Ruby. That will certainly join my stash. Ruby was the one line I regret not buying more of the first time it came out. I am not making that mistake again. =) 

I'm off to surf Pinterest to get some inspiration! 

Have a happy weekend!! 

I've hardly touched my sewing machine in weeks, thus the silence here on my blog. If not for the Sew Sweet Bee block I needed to make for dear Jane, my sewing machine wouldn't have been turned on! Not because I don't want to, but because my sewing mojo has run away. I hope it comes back soon!

The block Jane requested for her month as queen bee was the sailboat block from the Fatquarter Shop Snapshots quilt along. Her quilt will be so cute!

One of my self imposed goals this year is to not buy more stash, except for fabric I would need to help use what I have and only if necessary. That said, I am allowing a few exceptions. ;-) And, in my defense, much of what you will see today, I ordered last year. =) 

I think you can easily guess why I had to have Cotton and Steel's new line called Clover. =) Those lambs!! Eeep!

I also picked up the Cotton and Steel fat quarter basics. The colors are so wonderful! 

And the last splurge was a half yard bundle of V and Co Ombre fabrics. Don't they look nice with the Cotton and Steel fabrics? I wish you could see them in real life. They really shine....

 My other exception I posted about last month, Little Ruby. That will certainly join my stash. Ruby was the one line I regret not buying more of the first time it came out. I am not making that mistake again. =) 

I'm off to surf Pinterest to get some inspiration! 

Have a happy weekend!! 

Russ and I took a long weekend motorcycle trip to Wisconsin this past weekend. We stayed in Richland Center and spent our time riding the back county roads. It was beautiful and relaxing! The only picture I took of the scenery was this Amish field. Aren't the stacks cute? We are going to go back soon!! Honestly, I wish we could live there. 

On our travels, we stopped in Onalaska to visit one of my all time favorite quilt shops, Olive Juice Quilts. If you love modern fabric, this shop is for you. The first fabric I saw as I walked in the door was sheep fabric in a linen blend by Kokka. I adore linen blend fabrics. The designer is Ellen Luckett Baker and its part of her Charm line. Olive Juice Quilts carries many Japanese prints. I don't know of any other shop that is remotley in my area that does. I have looked at this particular print on line many times, but hesitated to buy it without being able to see it, as it is a more expensive fabric at around $20 a yard. I carried it and hugged it the rest of my shopping time. I bought 2 yards to come live with me at home, as well as some Cotton + Steel to add to my collection. The yellow fabric with the triangles is by Art Gallery, but it played nicely with the Cotton + Steel. FYI, Olive Juice has an online shop, too. =)

This is the collection of Cotton + Steel I have so far. I ended up ordering on line some of the Picnic line by Melody Miller that was just released. Now I need to come up with a pattern to make up a quilt of this fabulous fabric! I want something simple so as not to cut the fabric too small. 

As I was checking out, this pattern caught my eye by Sewn into the Fabric. The birds nestled into the left antler was the selling point for me. Had to have it! 

While I am writing, I figure I would share the bag I made for my friend Brenda. Brenda owns the Pink Pony, an ice cream shop in West Branch and is a frequent customer at Cotton Creek Mill.  She asked me to make her a sling bag. The pattern is free found at The Destashification Project. It took some studying to understand one of the steps, but as I was making it, it made sense and was really easy. It only took me a couple of hours to make it. I hope she likes it! 

I hope you are all enjoying these beautiful days of summer. =)

Have a happy Monday!

Russ and I took a long weekend motorcycle trip to Wisconsin this past weekend. We stayed in Richland Center and spent our time riding the back county roads. It was beautiful and relaxing! The only picture I took of the scenery was this Amish field. Aren't the stacks cute? We are going to go back soon!! Honestly, I wish we could live there. 

On our travels, we stopped in Onalaska to visit one of my all time favorite quilt shops, Olive Juice Quilts. If you love modern fabric, this shop is for you. The first fabric I saw as I walked in the door was sheep fabric in a linen blend by Kokka. I adore linen blend fabrics. The designer is Ellen Luckett Baker and its part of her Charm line. Olive Juice Quilts carries many Japanese prints. I don't know of any other shop that is remotley in my area that does. I have looked at this particular print on line many times, but hesitated to buy it without being able to see it, as it is a more expensive fabric at around $20 a yard. I carried it and hugged it the rest of my shopping time. I bought 2 yards to come live with me at home, as well as some Cotton + Steel to add to my collection. The yellow fabric with the triangles is by Art Gallery, but it played nicely with the Cotton + Steel. FYI, Olive Juice has an online shop, too. =)

This is the collection of Cotton + Steel I have so far. I ended up ordering on line some of the Picnic line by Melody Miller that was just released. Now I need to come up with a pattern to make up a quilt of this fabulous fabric! I want something simple so as not to cut the fabric too small. 

As I was checking out, this pattern caught my eye by Sewn into the Fabric. The birds nestled into the left antler was the selling point for me. Had to have it! 

While I am writing, I figure I would share the bag I made for my friend Brenda. Brenda owns the Pink Pony, an ice cream shop in West Branch and is a frequent customer at Cotton Creek Mill.  She asked me to make her a sling bag. The pattern is free found at The Destashification Project. It took some studying to understand one of the steps, but as I was making it, it made sense and was really easy. It only took me a couple of hours to make it. I hope she likes it! 

I hope you are all enjoying these beautiful days of summer. =)

Have a happy Monday!