Bloggers Quilt Festival

Park City Girl started a great trend and I have a few minutes to post what I think I have done as my best quilt that I have saved as a pic.

This is a Piece of Cake design called Flourishes.. it is still not completed but the top is almost done just the boarder.

Why do you think I like this quilt? It was when I was just starting to build my stash and I had to get fabrics for the boarder to look like bricks.. so it was the start of a neverending stash buildup. I collected fabrics as I went along and made the florals and baskets. The store that I did this workshop in has now closed.. another memory of many quilting friends. I still considered myself a beginner at the time but it was great to pick the fabrics until this day now I try to make sure all my quilts have a variety of backgrounds (I have to dig this outta my chest and finish it!!) I was smart enough to put the fabrics I used in this quilt aside so that when I do go back I will have the same feel

to see all the other bloggers and what they had posted please go to her link you can either click on the title and/or her name. I will also post a link on the side bar you will see to go directly to the link that she has posted all the wonderful people that played... already close to 252!! quilters are a very small community aren't they!!

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

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..

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.

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.