Happy Dance

It's time for a Happy Dance. I have the green pinwheel quilt done and ready to send off to the quilters. "Oh Happy Day." Is it not a great feeling when you get a quilt done? The quilt looks better in person than here. I think that my friend in St. Louis will be happy with it. I am sure it will find a home on his couch. Sorry for the cut off border.


While I was doing research for my blog I ran across this picture and thought to myself that would be great in a quilt. I just love all the shades of green with just a hint of red. I am guessing this will be a sunflower some day. Wouldn't it be great to print this off on fabric and use it as the center of a quilt with some type of blocks surrounding it? Maybe print off four stages of a sunflower and do it kind of like a postage stamp. What do you think? Has anyone ever printed their own fabric?

I did get a start on the Through the Woods pattern yesterday and got most of the fabric cut. Just have a few borders left. I do like to save my borders for last, but since this quilt is made up of mostly borders I am thinking I best cut most of them now. Tomorrow I will finish cutting the borders and get started on my 98 flying geese. That seems like a lot of geese.


I had enough of the above fabric left over that I am going to make placemats out of it. I am kind of getting into this Christmas in July. This is a free pattern form Red Rooster Fabrics, show casing their Vintage line by Amy Barickman, but I have done mine in the Mary and Bright line from Sandy Gervais for Moda.

Charlie

Project X

I have only the outer border left on the green pinwheel quilt and then I need to find something else to work on. I am not in the mood to do the same old same old. I want to try something new and fresh, but not sure what. I have been tossing around a few ideas, but nothing concrete yet.

I have a new tool that I am itching to try out, but I am not sure on what project. The tool is new and there are not many patterns out for it. It's the tall triangle ruler by Darlene Zimmerman.
I checked out a new book from the library called Simply Stunning Woven Quilts by Anna Faustino and I think I might want to try the following quilt, however I would change up the center as these flowers are not my thing.


I also got a book called Blendable Curves by Peggy J. Barkle a few months back from the library and thought I might try out a quilt from it. I like the fact that she takes very simple blocks, cuts them up and sews them back together. The best part of this whole quilt is there are no seams to match up. There is always something that draws me to a quilt weather it's the design, color, style, shape or the content. I was drawn to this quilt for its content and colors.



The last quit that I have come up with is the Lovers Knot quilt found in Pat Sloan's I Can't Believe I'm Quilting Beyond the Basics book. I love the colors and the fact that it uses one charm pack.


While I was looking for a photo of the the lovers knot quilt I came across this great table runner called Domestic Diva by Thimble Blooms. I love the pattern and colors. It uses the new Cotton Blossoms line from Moda.


I did notice that all these great quilts have curves in common. Maybe someone is trying to tell me to try something new and get the hell out of the box of all straight lines.

What do you think?

Charlie

P.S. Just look at all this yummy fabric that I got a while back. It's just calling out to be used in a quilt. I just need a pattern now. Maybe I will design a pattern to go with this fabric.

BOM-Friendship Stars

Below is our second block for our quilt. I just love stars blocks and this one teaches you about HST (half square triangles). We will be speed piecing them. Click here for a how-to.

Friendship Stars
Click here for instructions

Dog Days of Summer

"It's so hot you could fry an egg on the sidewalk."


And here's some good advice from the American Egg Board:
Sidewalks are not very clean. So, if you see someone try to fry an egg on the sidewalk, don't eat the egg!

I'm not a quilt everyday kind of person. It's a quilt a little here, a little there type of thing. With it being so hot I do not feel much like quilting. These are the type of days that I want to be in a pool. If I only had an outdoor pool. The complex that I live in only has an indoor pool and the last thing I want to do is go swim indoors in the summer. Maybe this winter when it is 10 below.

I have been thinking about my next quilting project when the quilting bug strikes. I went ahead and bought a quilt kit of Through the Wood using the new Merry and Bright collection from Sandy Gervais. I was drawn to this pattern because for one it looked easy and second the colors were not your typical Christmas colors. This will be a quilt I can use all year long.


I'm also on the web just about everyday looking at quilting sites to see what is new and sometimes it makes me want to write my own pattern based on what I have seen. I take a little of this and a little of that and before you know it, I have a quilt in the making. I am going to share with you just a small part of a quilt that I have come up with. It is using the new line from Moda Fabrics called Portugal by April Cornall. Don't you just love Moda? I may have to buy some so I can make this pattern.


You may remember me telling you about my BH starting on a project last weekend and I was going to help. Maybe one of these days we will get it done. I did not ever put it on his honey do list, he came up with this one all by himself. The picture below shows why he hasn't started yet! The jumbled mess of wires behind the TV need to be straightened up and organized. I'm just afraid I'll get back there and get tangled in a wire and never get out. I'll keep you posted on his progress.


Charlie

P.S. How do you like the BOM that I am posting? Is anyone making them? Let me know.

Update...

I thought I would give a quick update on the pinwheel quilt.

I just need to sew the rows and sashing together then add the borders. Maybe I can get that done this weekend, unless I am helping my better half with his project all weekend.

Stay tuned,

Charlie

P.S. I told you that the snowflakes would not show.

Look what I found...

I was out reading one of the many quilting blogs that i read and just had to share this with you.



It's from Ms. Schmenkman Quilts. She teaches us her favorite rick rack trick. Don't you just love it? I might have to make something like this. Way cool.


Charlie

What are you reading?

O.k. I want to know. What are you reading right now?

Thought I would ask this question. I am always on the look out for a good book. So post some comments and let me know what you are reading or at least what you plan to read if you are not reading anything right now.


Here is what I am reading.


I am about half way through this book and it's really getting good. Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson. I say get this and read it for yourself.

I had read two of her other books before this one. Betweens, Georgia and the Girl Who Stopped Swimming.

• Loved Betweens, Georgia. This book made me cry. It's a must read. I am getting this one for my mother.

• The Girl Who Stopped Swimming was o.k. Started off slow then picked up about half way though. Rainy Day with nothing else to do read it.
  

So what are you reading? Let me know.

Charlie

BOM-Basket Weave

Below is our first block for our quilt. As you can see it is an easy one. Good luck! Any questions let me know.

Basket Weave
click here for instructions

Note: As of yet Blogger does not allow file sharing, only pictures and links therefor I have to use Scribd. The worlds largest document sharing community. I like to do all my blocks as PDF files. You may print or download the file from their site.

Happy Birthday America

Hope your day is full of celebration. Have a safe and happy 4th.

P.S. I love comments

A Poster

If you were around in 1919 (just before prohibition started) and came upon the following poster...

I mean seriously, would you quit drinking?