Blueberries are in season!!

Well I may have got a few peoples attention, blueberries are in season at my house anyways. I just finished getting the basket blocks ready for applique using the no melt templar method. Since I was already making the berries for the basket blocks I made them for the tulip blocks. I didn`t realize that I had been missing leaves as well on these tulip blocks and had to make more!! a quilters work is never done so now to applique these
This pattern I had started 2 years ago and it is from the Your Invited Book by Adams and Allen Black Bird designs, this quilt was designed by Lorraine Hofmann it is called Country Sunshine, every quilt in this book is worth making so get the book.

I also have the Aunt Millies blocks all pieced together with the lattice work sashing I am also going to piece the boarder like long brick work in different off whites and beiges to keep with the really scrappy look then I have to start the applique on the boarder..I am not using the same applique boarder there will be some changes to that as well since the boarder will be a bit wider.

I am also in a doll quilt swap and my swappy already knows what she is going to do it is Micki

Irish Muses, she has been a faithful follower of mine and I am so fortunate to get her. She lives in my most favorite part of the world, click on her name and read her wonderful and creative blog.

Thanks to Christine of Once Upon a Quilt who has hosted this swap and also holding auctions of her wonderful quilts to help the Australian flooding organization. You can visit her blog to read more about it.

I have a great idea for a doll quilt for Micki but can`t post anything about it cause then she will know what it is right away. I hope she doesn`t guess when we post bits and pieces as we go along.

well back to quilting work..thank goodness it is the weekend!!

I need a break!!

this picture won a quilt photo award in the Connecting Threads Quilt with Us forum.. I am just stunned. there are over 13,000 members on this forum and they have only been open for a 1yr... they have had an online store for ages though with really excellent buys. I just bought books from them with 40% off their already great prices! (when I get them I will post them you better hurray one if them is Petal Play I have been drooling over this book since I saw it on someone elses blog!!)
As an anniversary they had a voters choice for different catagories. I was very surprised to see my name there in the first place(betweens is what i go by)but to win too!! The photo below is what everyone voted on The Aunt Millie's Garden quilt. What a great incentive for me to finish this quilt!! but this is what they will be sending me
Each winner will receive a $25 Connecting Threads gift certificate and a hand painted, specially designed, one of a kind, Golden Ripper Award! These fabulous plaques were designed and made by our own very talented MaryJo Tuttle, and the seam rippers (yes, they are real), were generously donated by Clover. what a wonderful keepsake...just put yourself in my shoes and you will know that I am just in quilting heaven right now!!
I am thanking the members and CT for their wonderful votes and comments and for having a great site take a visit.. there are thousands of quilting pictures thousands of quilters starving for quilt talk and great deals!! but you don't have to buy to join it is all FREE!! very clever eh??


Over new years holidays I went to my mom and dad's stayed a couple of days and then was ready to go but couldn't...why you ask?? my brakes seized!! the back wheels were locked!! being in a small town the parts were not to come till Tuesday so I had an extra 3 days with them. (blessing in disguise since my dad had lost his best friend and we had a service and funeral) we were telling everyone that they sabatoged my van to have me stay longer!


But a quilter never leaves home without hand work well I don't I carry a case with me all the time that people think is a laptop until I pullout my applique. I was able to get 3 AMG blocks done. I took photos of them but messed up and deleted them these 2 are all done I have a little of another one to do which I will post.

Working nights I have odd hours in sleeping and staying awake so at 3am I was awake and couldn't really do much cause I didn't want wake my Parents.. but I would pull out my applique and I was very happy on how much I got done. I didn't need the television...their neighbours have a sauna and being New years week and young.. they were partying and I could hear them since the sauna was next to my bedroom window.. these people had never last week to call my parents to turn down their television..now I know that t.v. is not on after 11pm..after my parents didn't complain of their partying from 2am to 730am during the week of New years...geesh.

I have also started my sewing and cutting to get a break from applique....every appliquer knows that it takes time and patience and sometimes you don't see results on a quilt becoming closer to finish for a while.. for a quick fix it is always nice to piece something inbetween for a break...this is the BOM that I have posted on the side Fall Fancy
if you are making this gorgeous pattern or want to click on the button to get to her site or if you want the Yahoo group click on the title of the blog

last I wanted to show you my Christmas decoration I have had this for many years it is a lava lamp I love lava lamps..it amazes me what a little warmth from a lightbulb can do. This is as far as I got with the decorating..to see it in movement is lovely.. oh I see that I got my new shelves in there for my fat quarters..bought them at Canadian Tire and they are perfect.. they fit all my FQ there is actually 6 shelves there..

Well thanks for visiting always great to hear from you.. I am behind on my blog reading been trying to keep up but January has brought on a flurry of activity and you bloggers are just full of energy. There are numerous BOM for 2010..gotta love those designers!!

New and old...

I was in a wonderful Secret Santa Swap and we were not allowed to open our gifts till today...what a time trying not to open this gift since i know who it came from. PAWS from one of the sites I chat on sent me this adorable wall hanging mini..a great keepsake we have been friends for a couple of years now..so glad she got my name!! the cute little bows and buttons are a treasure..I even loved the wrapping paper and the cute card..thanks so much

I had "misplaced" my Aunt Millie's Garden blocks but found them and have been working on them. Got this one done and have started another one. They were on a roll and fell behind some material in my cupboard. Now they are all on the design wall and I just take one down and start workin' on it.. ain't lose'n them again!!

about half way done on my 3rd Love Letters block and am going to lay out 2 more...

and then look at this!! what did I do?? I joined a BOM with Stitchin Heaven Affairs from the Heart.. is this not adorable!! I haven't done the embroidery but have the applique of the first block done. This is a perfect choice for winters blues if people get them.. I don't I love winter and wish I could get snowed in for weeks!


Well Happy Holidays to all and a wonderful New Year...not sure when I will be posting again. All this applique is keeping my fingers busy and it is a slower process.. plus I have a quilt on the frame I have to get quilted!!

prep work

I have got the prep work done of my first Love Letters block "The Hedge Apple" and have started to applique the leaves and stems..what a large block to work with!! Stitchin' Heaven made a great selection in their BOM program. Normally I would pick my fabrics but I have been doing so many quilts just doing that and making a mess outta my fabrics. I needed to not think and to enjoy a process.. Stitchin Heaven has great BOM's you can click on their name and it brings you to their wonderful link..

I am needleturning everything except the stems I have the Clover bias maker and I just love it!!

I also wanted to invite you over to one of the girls blogs that is in our group of Aunt Millie's Garden. Her fabrics are fantastic!! go and see Crispy Quilts I just love her blocks!!

All blocks are ready to applique

I have all my Aunt Millie's blocks prep'd and ready to applique I have 4 appliqued already but just really got in the mood to pick fabrics and get the rest done.. there may be changes on 2 of the blocks.. (the one with the little dots I am thinking of changing the little dots to strips material or a gingham type) but we will see. I have posted a little slide show on the side so that you can take a look.. I am missing one...can't find the pic of the tulips but I know I had posted it earlier.

There are many AMG (aunt millie's garden) being done out there.. one blog you may want to take a look at is Carrie's. She is an applique teacher and some of her students are doing this block their colors and workmanship are awesome. Carrie also has a great tutorial on Prairie Points. Megan also has a great twist on her AMG blocks as well.. a wonderful assortment of chocolates for her backgrounds and her colors are exquisite!!

Thank you for all your encouragement I think it helps having a blog this way you get a good cheer now and then and it keeps you going so that you can show the next one... now to start with those Dear Jane blocks I got my next 10 in soo..

Just a Hurray for Blogger and Picasa.. they let you do amazing things for your pics.. I can crop and then also have a slide show and there are other things that I am investigating.. there is so much..

Don't forget to check the Yorkshire Rose blog on my side bar that is the Quilt guild we belong to and we really want to see some of your mini quilts so that we can have some great ideas on what quilts to make.

Sewing piecefully

AMG-Aunt Millie's Garden

this Cat tree is in my bedroom..you can see why there is a window there to peer outta...Molly is usually the one on top.. the next one is my only handsome dude Joey..isn't he the "cat's meow" I love those dark grey strips upon his silver fur.. and that long skinny tail. And he is a charmer.


Molly thinks the best thing to do is jump from that pedestal to the bed while I am sleeping..
I am not impressed... she should be wearing a little "kitty kape"-screeching "geronimo"!!!



















well I thought I would post a pic of what they all look like together so far..
I still have to play around with the blocks alittle and still have another 4 to do.. I have the one on the top right done now too.. next time.. but you can see that the pieced background will work.. I think I will put some sashing to go with the blocks.. I know I know can't make up my mind!!


since I took this pic.. I have rearranged the blocks with the new one and it blends in better. It is best to audition your blocks together to try to get a variety of color and see what you are using to much of.. I can see.. that I am favoring the orange/rust colors.. time to touch it up a notch..
well get back to sewing Blogger friends so you can post what you have been doing and so that I can take a peek.
piecefully quilting..

My goodness the community has grown!!

Well it is so wonderful to have so many wonderful quilters following my blog. I visit as many quilting blogs as possible too..you learn so much and see so much eye candy. All your blogs really keep the incentive to continue with my quilting journey. The only question I have is how can you quilt and type at the same time!!?? I have been visiting other blogs.. new bloggers congrats on a job well done!! and the continous bloggers..I love to visit..take a look on my side bar you will have to scroll down a little and you can keep up with everyone's updates.

I have been very busy with my quilting that is why I have not posted in a while I have not found a way to do both...I wonder if there is voice typing for blogging yet?? to start with...I have 2 Dear Janies done!! my first 2 blocks from Stitch in Heaven. The coordinator is called Texas Jane and the Creator of the book Brenda invited me to a wonderful Dear Jane List to chat about how too's and other Dear Jane (DJ) activities!! Brenda is a super lady and I thank her for the invite to a great group of DJ's so here is a couple of photos to my first approach.
So this is the wonderful package I got in the mail (minus the book..LOL). I got the fabric for the first 10 blocks and also some wonderful backgrounds that are all different. My way to make a quilt of course...the variety of backgrounds I found always makes a quilt sparkle. A list was attached to the bag as to what color goes with which block.
this is not block #1 but block # 5 my 1st block I made...then I went to block #1
all these blocks will be hand piece (there is only 225 of them!!) but the process is so comforting!! I was absorbed into making these I don't remember what was on the telly!!

Then next item I have been working on my "Country Sunshine" I had started it last January and put it away due to other commitments for the year!! I had been doing it on line with another group when I pulled out the 2 measley blocks I had done I realized Icut the background to small...they will become a part of a "misfit quilt" (talk about those later) I remade all 4 of my tulip blocks and also got the center laid out for appliqueing.


these are my wonderful Tulips that are going into the quilt you can see the layout. I have them all laid out and glue basted to the background with my stems and leaves.. I just have those wonderful circular berries to do and then the Flowers that are in the pots...then it is the Boarders!! isn't it just an awesome quilt!!
Here is the Center of this awesome quilt all my backgrounds will be a different shade I had them all up on the design wall but then when I uploaded the pics I noticed that I didn't take a pic...drats!! next time. In the center will be my Name and Year of making this treasured quilt.
what else...lets see what else have I been doing...what every quilter loves to do in early January I went to a fantabulous sale!! Our local quilt shop had the best sale I had every seen and well
I could not pass it up and this was the first visit I had with her. Usually we chat at the quilt shows... look see.. oh the little helper that is showing off my purchases is my quilty bear my mother bought me many moons ago. This bear my Cousin in Florida made (this is for my Bear Friends..they always make me smile).
Now I am sure if you click on the pic you will see the most beautiful background fabric in the middle..it is wild horses bucking don't you worry I am going to find a great quilt for that one!! I love that fabric. I am sure you will see some of the fabric already in my quilts that I dove into and used.

I am working on my AMG's blocks I had them ready for applique and now getting them done. I will soon get a couple more ready. I am also finishing up the Primitive Flower Pot one as well.. I am diving into my Australian Patchwork Quilting Mags to find what I am going to do for my next round I am going to make that one into a Medallion quilt.

MBG's quilt will be done this weekend and I will be sending it off. I have to sandwich and quilt it then I think I am going to put the Prairie Points on to finish up the fabs she gave me. I will post after that . I put on a couple of boarders on some quilt tops that I am getting machine quilted in exchange for classes I had taught at the Cozy Quilts (if you click on cozy quilts you will see in the background pic my stack and whack with the blue background..that was a nice surprise!! Shahena is a wonderful person to work for and has great fabric if you are ever out for a drive.She also does beautiful LAQ) in Port Hope Ontario

Well I think I have just reminded myself to post more often.. it has taken me 2hrs to post all this stuff and I will have to update myside bar on what I have done as well.. that I will do later.
There is another great sale and also a Super Bowl quilters party at Cockadoodle Quilts check out her blog as well on the side bar Jo-anne is posting main events everyday and her daily menu is to literally go every day. I was in there the other day and saw amazing new Henry Glass fabric

You may have to read all this in sections I appologize for taking up so much of your stitch'n time but I hope it is worth it.. until we meet again...I'll be visiting you..

AMG-block 6

this is block 6 done (well almost ready for applique) I am 1/2 way there..I am starting to think about my boarders I love how they done their boarders in the pattern and I have some of the strips left from when I was working on my lone star quilt (still sitting on the quilt that needs to be finished quilting) so I am pretty sure I going to use them.
As you can see with the blocks I am trying to use as much variety of fabric as possible. I am trying to prove that you can use anything and it will still look lovely...it is more important to have different values of fabric (light/medium/dark) that is what really makes your blocks is the different values. I learned that long ago from the Quilts, Quilts, Quilts book.. how many of you ole' time quilters remember when that came out!! But it is an excellent resource book if you are afraid of color.
There is another great appliquer working on this project as well..she is using the red background and it just looks so awesome. Carrie she has a great title for her blog but i am keeping that a secret so that you can go look it...very much worth it.
The blogging world is very small..so I am finding out. I am so happy it is this way we can share everything and not have far to go.. in fact I have to go a lot farther for a cuppa tea!!

I love all your comments and really like to visit your blogs thanks in advance for those that I cannot visit due to anonymous. I know some friends visit that is not on blogger but I still like their company.

Have a great day.

I can't get no... na na na na..

I am not sure if you heard the song can't get no "satisfaction" well mine is sleep. I was up from 1230am until 300pm the next day and this is why if you look to your right. It is another group I belong to (sorry they are currently not taking new members) but this is the pattern they had selected for a "Small group project" so i started with cutting the templates and then thought I would select a few fabrics and then thought weellll.. I'll do it till I am tired and then I was done. Ihave it all "glued" to the background...no just to applique. It is a little bright still for primitive.. I started with the basket so did start and then the yellow was jumpin up and down and said pick me.. so I did..then those leaves with the turquoise lines..well I like it.

The block is 21 in and they said you can do a pillow. I am thinking of a Medallion. I love the Australian Patchwork Mags that do that I think I will try to design my own applique 3 round boarder after I piece the second round. If you look closely or click on the pic the circles on the vase..are little bunnies...just a little fussy cutting..LOL

Aunt Millie's Block 4

I thought I would post something besides Christmas...since that is all we are seeing at the present time. I bet you thought with all the holidays that I had put aside my AMG (Aunt Millie's Garden) blocks...well noway. I am just as excited to get this quilt done than ever. I have now got #4 block ready for applique.
I know it looks like it is already done but.. I use the no melt mylar method that means no marking and no pins and no basting. This is the easiest way to do applique. It is used more for quilts that have thesame pattern all over...like circles. I have a feeling that I will be making another one of these so I am making the templates so that I will not have alot of work on the second one.
I am choosing fabrics that are in my stash so you are probably wondering what my rhyme or reason is.. well there really is none.. just auditioning my light/medium and dark values and going from there. I was trying to use some "primitive colors" but I keep going back to those "Piece of Cake" frosting type colors.. but I have toned it down some... haven't I????

I am almost finished binding one of the signature quilts and I can applique this while I am on break at work...
I have another block # 3 that is almost complete....LOL you can still see the thread and needle I wanted to post it though cause on another sight we are talking about circles and I wanted to show what my circles look like using Karen Kay Buckley's perfect circles. They are a dream to work with and I will make the ones for the sizes that are not in her package.. but believe me there are many, many sizes to chose from.

From Aunt Millie's Garden-Piece O' Cake Design

Piece of Cake Centers-what I do

I made my template from a plastic cutting board that you get from the dollar store. I love them cause there is alittle rough side that helps keep your template in the material better. I traced the template image on the fabric I was going to use. I used applique pins to pin the pieces together for accuracy. Hand sewed the pieces.. you can machine if you like but I liked the hand work theme as I am also hand appliquing plus it is better control for such small pieces


I thought you would like to see how small the template is compared to my finger. It really is not that hard to work with since they are just straight sides.


You can see after all is together the wrong side is ironed with the spiral of the seams all going the same way this helps with your piecing as well as the bulk.
This is the right side of the block . See the fussy cutting that was done? you can see all the flowers are all going the same way and are also lined up. I love this one!!

This is one of the blocks I don't have it all appliqued but it is in place. I think I will change the centre of the flowers on this...one though I like to see it better.. but I do love the dragonflys Probably can use them in one of the other blocks.

This one is almost done I have all the leaves done just starting the flowers.


I will have alot more to show you there is so much eye candy to catch up on.. I do hope the little tutorial helps with your center as you can see piecing comes out so accurate and you really can be fussy with your cutting...I hope I get to see others who are making this quilt and see what fabrics they are using if you know someone who is making it lemme know would love to see what they are doing.

Patience...

is a virtue. I am having problems with uploading pics with my camera and trying to resolve these issues. I will try to continue with great patience... but it is wearing thin...uuuuugh

I am known as the Stack & Whack (S&W)queen in these parts I love all aspects of S&W and thought I would show you some of my works.. these are old but they are still fun. I still teach this class at a couple of stores as you saw earlier with the tree skirt. I also teach One Block Wonder (OBW) another favorite and very addictive.

This one is called "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden" The pattern was from the Stack and Whackier Book pattern "Sarah's Roses" . The fabric I used was the Hydrangea fabric by Lakehouse that was so popular it was perfect for the roses and rosettes and so much fun to do. Many students took this one.




This one is made with halloween fabric that I just fell in love with the fabric was called the "Unhappy Hour" with ghouls and gobblins drinking and celebrating halloween. It was also a perfect name for this quilt. The background fabric is with cats eyes that glow in the dark very, very cool

This one here is outside my color spectrum I am not a pink/purple kinda gal.. but I just love these Kaffee fabs and it was perfect for the wonderful florals... it is currently hanging (and finished) at the http://www.cockadoodlequilts.com/ soon it will be down and ready for fall classes... I think it only took me 3 days to put this together.

Oh the title of this one is " Glad to Be Mine"

Well I will continue to work out my camera problem and hope I can post my Aunt Millie Blocks soon.. I have 4 done and they are looking pretty good. Plus I want to show you how I do my centers... Piece of Cake did post on their blog how to.. but I have done mine differently cause I had started it before they posted. http://pieceocakeblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/how-to-applique-circles-in-center-of.html

May piece be with you... Deb

catch up time!

Well I have been busy gettting things ready for the fall. I will be teaching the Christmas tree skirt which I finally have it how I wanted it with the scallop edging.
The class will be at Cockadoodle quilts you will see the link at the side.



Secondly I am trying to get my sample ready for January for the Piece of Cake Aunt Millie' Garden. They didn't put in the instructions how they do the center part with the circle so I pieced it together by hand and then hand appliqued it to the middle then I visited their blog and sure enough they had the process they had used.
http://pieceocakeblog.blogspot.com. You can click on the title and the link will come up... their method was to applique every other wedge onto a 6" piece then applique to the block. I will have to try that way so that I can give the students that option.

I still have to put a few leaves on and also the very center little circle but I had to show you.. of course. I have started the second block and have all the stems done and will be appliquing tulips soon.

My advise is try a little applique if you haven't already you would be amazed on how relaxing it is.. take a class so that you can learn the basic's and just practice a little. It will open a whole new world... I love to piece as well but an applique boarder really dresses up a pieced quilt!!

Deb

I can't wait to show you

Well I couln't wait I am so excited!! I have to show you my progress in just a couple of days...my days are work are so pleasant cause all I can think of is what I am going to do when I get home. This is the start of my Aunt Millie's garden. My choice of the pieced background still excites me and the colors of trying to go primitive is still what I am going for.


I have to put the dark circles in the middle of the flowers but I have them all cut and ready to put on my block.. there are still a few leaves as well as the pieced center.. I was not going to piece the center like they had but I have changed my mind and thought that it would really add to the quilt..

New Face

Well it was time to change the face of my blog. Black was great for the winter but summer sunshine is in and all things around is so much brighter.
I think I am in this frame due to a wonderful new project that I am working on for a class sample it is "Aunt Millie's Garden" by Piece of Cake designs (BTW one of my favorite designers. I am not going to use the reds background but continue in their fashion they use with the pieced background...to come in a later date.

I have also finished 2 blocks for Elly Sienkiewicz's new book for 2010 on Friendship Baltimore albums. Blocks are being made from all over the world and each country will represent itself... this is a very exciting opportunity and I am just so honoured to be apart of it - due to publications infringments I had to remove the pics of Elly's blocks her book will be coming out in 2010.. sorry for the inconvenience.