Bits of This & That . . .

and a bit of Whimsy by Fig Tree . . .

How gorgeous are these colors???? I’ve already got most of my 12 little blocks done and hope to finish off the little bits tonight. Didn’t want this little collection to gather any dust – love that light green print. Actually I’m not even using these fat quarters yet – found myself some little 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch bake shop pieces and I’ve been happily sewing away. Can’t wait to get this one quilted up!

Stopped in at Simply Sewing, a little quilt shop over in Killarney, Manitoba last week and was able to find the one piece that I was looking for a table runner that I hope to get made before Fall. This is a group project . . . so whenever the group gets organized and quits going on so many road trips, this will be the project that gets worked on. The Undercover Strippers went to Plumas to Kickass Country Store for their March get-together and the plan is to take another road trip in April to the Quilt Reflections Show put on by the Manitoba Prairie Quilters group. So really we won’t be back together to work on any projects until June and we’ve already decided to work on fabric dyeing as the group’s windup for the 2009/2010 season.

I guess the table runner will be the first project (I hope!) to kick off the 2010/2011 list of dates. This little stack of fabric may have some dust on it before it gets cut up!

Of course I couldn’t stop at just one piece of fabric . . . I also found a package of fat 1/8’s in a collection of white-on-white (great for snowmen!) and also found some more little buttons. I’m starting to get quite the collection of buttons started here . . . love the teeny, tiny ones and all the bright ones too – guess I should have been a magpie!

My quilt made it’s way back to me last week and I got all the binding on – it is now all parceled up again and on it’s way to another destination . . . can’t wait to see what happens to it next.

Off and away for the weekend again! I need to get a portable sewing machine that I can use in the car . . . anyone ever do such a weird thing? Battery operated machines, ehm! They have battery operated cars, so maybe sewing machines should be the next big thing . . . not those cheapie 1970’s ones, but one that really works - maybe should market that idea! Nah, don’t think that would be a seller – I better stick to handwork in the car.

Oh, well, movin’ on – have a great Easter weekend everyone.

Quilt Group Night

Finally on Monday night I was able to make it to one of the Peace by Piece quilt nights in Brandon.  Seems like forever ago that I had been in for one of these meetings – it was great to catch up on what’s been going on and to chat with some gals I haven’t seen in a couple of months.

 

This is a wall hanging from one of the workshops that they had (which I also missed!).  Love the tropical feel of this one – the colors and the palm tree are very creative.

 

You may remember I mentioned quite some time ago that this group has decided to have a group block of the month program.  Each member is to take a turn at designing their own block, make two blocks and then circulate her pattern to the rest of the group so that they can make a block for their quilt.  The extra block gets put into a pile that will eventually get made into a donation quilt.  So far there are the birdhouses . . .

and attic windows block that each person can decide what they want to put in their own windows (love the dragonflies!) . . .

 

the country angel and all her flowers . . .

 

the bright sunflower and the bee buttons . . .

 

and the tubby little lady with all her “puff” flowers.

There was also a watering can and an angel block that I think I had posted about earlier (those are the only two I have done so far!).  All my blocks of the month projects have taken a back seat to everything else going on, but I hope to spend a weekend really soon just working on them and my PhDs.

I learned some very interesting news that was just released today . . . Anne over at Bunny Hill Designs has just announced that her newest line of fabric will be available for Spring Market and that she is now designing for MODA!  Way to go Anne!  I’ll have my VISA at the ready to pick up a pack of the new fabrics.

I haven’t been too busy sewing this past week but I did get a pattern design emailed out this morning (FINALLY!) and I got the binding sewn on the quilt that just got back from the machine quilter.  What a gorgeous quilting job – can’t wait to show it off!

Oh . . . I also finished off my income tax stuff and got it shipped off to the wonderful lady who will try and make sense of it - that feels good too!

Princess and the Pea

I should have snuck a little pea under this stack to see if the Princess would really have noticed!

Still not any sewing going on here . . . lots of meetings this week (which are sooooooooooo draining) and trying to get the cat hair off each and every quilt in this stack.  Mysty hasn’t been on every quilt in the stack but there always seems to be tons of loose threads or fuzzes of some kind or other that migrate to quilts.

Quite a good chunk of this stack is going to a nearby arts center for a one month display and I need to get them ready to travel.

It’s also getting to be tax time here in Manitoba, so I’ve been busy pulling out receipts and trying to make sense of all this paperwork.  BUT I’m hoping that this weekend I can get back to my machine and also finish writing one of my patterns that I drafted last weekend on my trip.

I’ve also had a chance to pop over to The Pattern Basket  . . . Margot has some wonderful new designs just coming out.  I love the fresh, crisp prints that she is using . . . very Springy!  Pop over and have a drool!

Have a great Friday . . .

A Little Retail Therapy . . .

and, I really do mean little!

Every place we go I check to see if there is a quilt shop in town.

Unfortunately I usually overlook and pass by shops that say “fabric centers” as I immediately picture satins, polyester and corduroy.  Well this weekend we were in Weyburn, Saskatchewan and I did pop into a “Fabric Center” and they actually did have a Quilter’s Corner (lesson learned here!).

 

I really didn’t have a list of any kind with me, but grabbed up three fat quarters that caught my eye and also some tiny buttons – I have a thing for tiny buttons right now and you’ll see more in May.  There was a lovely selection of batiks and quite a large selection of quilter’s cottons as well – I will be adding this site to my “must stop and look around again” list.

Did you know that this Saturday, March 20th is National Quilt Day?  I was just over at the Moda  website and they have an awesome word search for all of us quilters to try our hand at . . . pop over and get a copy for yourself or for your group (right click and print picture).

Have fun!

Another week . . .

GONE!!!!

Just like that . . . you blink and POOF! it’s all gone.

Not too many things have happened  in the past week.  I don’t think I even turned on my sewing machine once – that hurts me terribly.  I have to keep walking past it to get to the computer and I would love to detour over and work on one of my PhD’s or heaven forbid! – something new.

I have one pattern written for using these tiny little squares.  I asked a good friend to give it a proofread to make sure that it made sense and I now understand that she is part way through MAKING the darn thing!  Can’t wait to see what hers looks like.  This particular pattern is going to be used for a class I’m currently scheduled to be teaching at the end of April, so I can’t show it just yet – but I’m thinking that I may post it as a little tutorial on here sometime around the beginning of May.  Could be fun!

 

  So far I’ve only used one little packet out of the Sampler Box, but I couldn’t resist taking another one apart and playing with the little squares.  I have another plan for one of these packages, but I need to stick to writing patterns right now – not creating new ones - sure is fun to play with the squares though!

This partly put together appliquéd block is sitting next to my sewing machine and I would LOVE to get back to finishing it.  Unfortunately, we’re off on another road trip to visit family and these things will just have to wait.  I will at least be able to take my pattern files with me and put them into draft format during the six hours travelling we will be doing – I don’t think the battery on my old laptop would stay alive that long to let me get them into the system, but more concise notes would be progress!

My red and cream quilt has been sent off to a machine quilter and this super lady and I spent an hour on the phone the other night discussing what designs could be used where . . . I’m so nervous to see how it’s going to turn out!  I’m not used to sending my quilts off to be quilted, but this one needs done and needs done better than I would be able to do it on my Pfaff.  Once it gets back to me it will quickly get the binding put on and then shipped off again – this quilt will have a few miles on it before it returns back home to me!

Did you notice the new background?  What do you think – is it too much?  Distracting?  Just right?  I’ve been so long with a plain white background that having something pop up there now seems weird to me – what’s your reaction?  I’d love to hear from you.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Another one down!

  

I LOVE this one!

I think it is the bright colors on the crisp white background – everything just seems to pop.

My job today is to sit down and write the instructions for this one and another one.  New patterns are coming very soon and will be popping up here and there.  Let me know if there is anything that catches your eye and I’ll do my best to get the pattern to you.

This week has been a hoar frost wonderland . . . every morning there is a new scene to greet me on my way to work.

 

Time to get moving here . . . I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

One down . . . five to go!

 

Finally . . . all the threads are darned in and all the little details are complete.

Including the little beads I used on the Scottie’s collar . . .

and the teeny, tiny buttons that I found for the baskets . . . 

This is one of my favorite blocks in the quilt and now I can officially say that I’m “hopping” on to the next project.

One PhD done (see sidebar) and I almost have the next one ready to post.

Stay tuned . . .