Birthdays and Blocks

Whew!!  Wow, y'all -  I've survived Birthday Central.  Our three kids have their birthdays all in one week, which in some ways is awesome and in other ways, is crazy busy.  And for some crazy reason, I'm convinced that they each have to have a homemade (as in, by me) cake.  Our kitchen becomes a cake sculpting station covered with frosting and all kinds of sugary sweets that just sends the kids in fits and giggles and maybe just short of a frenzy fit for a king.  I need to upload the rest of the pics, but here is my oldest son's cake.  He loves all things Star Wars and his favorite is R2D2.  His cake definitely had the "homemade" look to it, but as long as it looked like R2 to him, I was going to be happy.  He loved it!  As did his friends, so it was worth every bit of it.

We also did a special treat for his class - Yes, the child has started kindergarten - Ack!  I'm so proud of that kid.  Anyway, again, he wanted Star Wars, so we made cupcakes and then put a sugar cookie we had rolled out and stamped with a Star Wars figure on top.  He chose orange for the glaze color, which upon seeing he said looked like they'd been covered in cheese!  Ya know, it kinda did.  But it tasted good, and by all accounts, the kids loved them.  Again, worth it.

 For the twins, I try to alternate who gets a more "complicated" cake every year - this year my son wanted a fire engine cake while my daughter wanted a purple heart cake.  Purple heart?!  Done!  Easy peasy.  The kids get so excited to pick out their cakes, and usually pick the next year's cake the day after their birthday, and shockingly, don't really change their minds during the year.  But, we'll just think about that later...

I haven't had much blogging time this summer but I have been sewing when I can.  We had our block exchange with the Triangle Modern Quilt Guild.  I've shared a few I made for other people but here are some more:

For Terry

For Sylvia

For Jenny

For John

For Sara

For Becky

For Kate

And here are the blocks people made for me:  

Aren't they beautiful?!  I provided everyone with some of the solid blue fabric and a mix of bright fabrics, and requested any block with a triangle in the design.  I love how creative people were and I look forward to  pulling this quilt together.  But alas, that will have to wait until some other things that are higher on the quilt-to-do list are taken care of.  I'll be back soon!

Meeting Jacquie

OK, I know it seems I've been MIA around these parts lately...we have had a fun-filled, travel-filled crazy busy summer and I have barely had a chance to catch my breath.  We were in Chicago for nearly two weeks, and when I knew our trip was on for sure, I could not stop thinking about trying to get together with Jacquie Gering, of Tallgrass Prairie Studios and co-author (with Katie Pederson) of  the newly released FANTASTIC book Quilting Modern.  I mean, I was going to be in Chicago (where I grew up), and she now lives in Chicago...how could I be there, just strolling about my daily business and NOT try to connect with her??  But all the classes she was teaching during that time period were out of town.  What's a girl to do??  Why, write her an email and invite her to coffee.  Which I did!  Can you believe it?!  Oh, but don't get the wrong idea.  I never actually sent the email to her... because I sounded like a crazy person!!  How do you not sound like a crazy person when you invite someone you've never met before to coffee??  But I just knew in my heart that she was a lovely person, and I'm a lovely person (at least, my friends say so), so why not??  But can you believe, the very next day after composing the email and NOT sending it, she announced she was doing a book signing at a fabric shop in Chicago the very day our flight was arriving.  Fate, I tell you!  Our flight landed, I got the kids settled in with the grandparents, and hubby and I scooted off to The Needle Shop - a hip, urban fabric shop in trendy Bucktown.

Here's me and Jacquie - she's holding a piece I made inspired by the Tipsy City Quilt from their book, which we also happen to be standing next to.  So many (all??) of the quilts from the book were there in the shop!  She welcomed us to hold, touch, and examine them, answering all kinds of questions, and I must say, teaching me a thing or two right on the spot.  LOVED it!!  She also had some of her other quilts there, including Building Bridges, which was so amazing in person.  The piecing and texture were stunning.  If you haven't seen it, please follow the link through - it is truly inspiring.

Here's Jacquie and some of the women from The Needle Shop - shop owner Rachel on the far right.  These ladies were so fun and helpful.  You can see from the pic below that Rachel displays her fabric on these wonderful rolls - I've never seen anything like it for quilt fabric.  She was explaining how it made more sense to her to display it this way - encouraging you to feel the fabric and describing how tactile fabric selection should be.  We do it for home dec fabrics, so why not??  Makes sense to me!  And those little pieces of fabric on the end of each roll you see hanging there???  Why, those are  fabric samples - have you ever heard of such a thing??   It was a magical place, I tell you, and I felt right at home.

Here's my haul from the day - purchased yardage and some freebies!

Oh, and I forgot to mention, Jacquie had this sweet fabric bundle for me - eeek! - for traveling so far to come to her book signing.  She's sweet like that!  Aren't these the cutest prints?!  I've already cut into them to put into my x & + quilt...you know those will be some of my favorite blocks...

And as if my luck couldn't get any better, I WON a mini quilt made by Jacquie from a drawing they had at the shop!  ACK!  

                                     
It's a mini of the Fiesta Wall Quilt from the book and it's going on my sewing room wall!!!  I'm still on could nine about it, and it makes me smile every time I walk into that room.  (For what it's worth, in the book, it's hung like this one on the left, but I think I'm going to rotate it like it's pictured on the right...not sure.  Thoughts??)

All in all, I can say my time with Jacquie and The Needle Shop was a highlight of my summer...you simply couldn't help but be inspired by her - kind, generous, warm, and eager to share her knowledge of quilting.  It was great!  And for what it's worth, I think I could have sent that email inviting her to coffee without inciting a restraining order...

Summer Sewing Time!

Jennifer, at Ellison Lane Quilts, is hosting a Summer Sewing contest on her blog. I thought I would enter my recent quilt finish, River Stones. I know a lot of people think bright, saturated colors when they think summer (I do too), but I think there is something to be said for the quietness of neutrals that are found in nature. We spend a ton of time outdoors in the summer, and I love the peaceful serenity that happens simply by being outside. This quilt reminds me of stones from a river, and the quilting (hopefully) looks like ripples in the water. I, for one, am looking forward to hanging out with the kids along the bank of the river, feeling the coolness of the water on our toes as they collect rocks for their every growing rock collection. Now that's a good summer! (p.s. A word of warning: if your kids like a collect rocks, remind yourself to check their pockets befor you do the laundry. I have washed some of the strangest things by forgetting this step. We don't want the joys of summer to lead to buying a new washing machine...)
Be sure to check out all the other links in the contest!

A couple of blocks...

Just popping in to say a quick hello before I'm off for bed.  I feel like I've been sewing up a storm without much to show for it.  Why do I always get more done in my head than with my hands?!  People, there are some beautiful quilts in my head...if even 5% come to life I'll be a busy (happy) girl :).  So here's a couple of blocks I've done recently:

 This one is for Megan, my sweet, fellow Kingsport, TN friend, who happens to be the VP of our guild (TMQG).  She provided these fun solids and asked for clean lines. I've been toying with the idea of a filmstrip looking block, and I was excited to try it out here.  I hope she likes it!

And next are blocks I made for me! - It's my turn in the Modern Blocks Bee and I spent ages trying to decide which block to have bee members do.  I changed my mind about a zillion times, but in the end decided to do the practical thing and ask for help with a quilt for my little guy's bed. I sent out various fabrics in solids and prints in the color scheme of red, blue, gray and white, asking for square inspired blocks.  I'm hoping for a variety of blocks in different sizes, unified with the color scheme and square shape repeat.  Here are two I've made:

This is a giant (24 inch) block I just sort of improved.

This one is from the book we are using (Modern Blocks) and is called Pinball Machine by Jessica Brown.

This has been so fun and I'm excited to see how this quilt turns out!

Winner!

Did y'all have fun?!  I know I did! Whew!  That was a lot of flying around the internet in the name of all things crafty.  The generosity of people is amazing!
The winner of the Full Moon Forest fabric is

#239, who is:

Congratulations, Linda!  I'm off to send you an email and will get this in the mail as soon as I hear back from you with your address!

Thanks to all of you who stopped by to enter and share your sewing insights and ideas for the kids - and refrigerator suggestions!  I'm happy to report we do, in fact, own a refrigerator again.  First thing we bought?  A giant watermelon (well, and beer)  - yay for cold food and drinks!  I loved your ideas, and will definitely be trying many of them (can you say, homemade sidewalk chalk??  Brilliant!)  Thanks again!

It's Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day!

                                           

********Comments now closed. Will post winner this weekend!****** OK, things are hoppin' in quilty blogland with Blogger's Quilt Festival and Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day (really, a giveaway week!) happening at the same time.  Fun, fun, fun!  And it's only slightly unfortunate timing that this is the last week of preschool which means class parties and picnics and sniff, sniff, a graduation for our oldest (he's headed to kindergarten - ack!). So really, that boils down to all I want to do is hang out online with all this quilty love spreading through the internet, but alas, it'll have to be pieces of moments that I can steal away.

Blah, blah, blah - get on to the goods, woman!  OK, here is what I'm giving away, because A)  I am a nice person.  Really.  Ask anyone who knows me.  and B)  I take my responsibility of spreading quilt/fabric love quite seriously.  Which is why I'm giving away THIS:

Some FULL MOON FOREST!  It probably goes without saying, but just in case you missed it, this is the very first line ever from Tula Pink, that fabulous designer we all know and love.  I think it's from back in 2007...and is currently out-of-print, and therefore, hard-to-find.  But not today!  It's right here - and soon will be with one of you!  I'm giving away layer cake size cuts (10 inch square) of the ten different prints you see here. 

This one is my favorite - do you see the squirrel??  It looks all viney and lovely, and then wait, those are squirrels in there!  There's a bunny in one of the prints too.  Have you seen the owl one?  I don't have any of that one, but it's amazing.  She is masterful at hiding little treasures in her designs.  I love it!

To enter, please leave a comment telling me, oh, I don't know, your favorite sewing tip.  Or your best advice for filling long summer days for three small children.  Or, if you have a french door refrigerator, what model do you have and do you like it.  Seriously.  Our fridge up and died the other day - been using a dorm size fridge for our family of five for a week! - so I need some info!  (I'm too tied to online reviews and for every model we look at at seems 10 people LOVE it and 10 people HATE it.  Well, what do you do with that?!)

Giveaway ends May 25 at 5 PM PST.   Winner will be chosen randomly.  Happy to ship internationally.
Good luck, and thanks for stopping by!  

It's Blogger's Quilt Festival Time!!!

Yay - it's time for Blogger's Quilt Festival!  Amy from Amy's Creative Side, is the brilliant hostess behind this event that sweeps over the crafty internet two times a year.  I had the privilege of meeting Amy at Sewing Summit last fall and she is just as delightful as you would imagine.  Hundreds of people link up their quilts to share in the festival, and it is a ton of eye candy so make sure you stop by and check them all out (prepare to stay a while, better grab that cup of coffee first).  

Here is my entry: 

Quilt Stats:

Size:  50"x43"

Pattern:  Love Beads from the Modern Quilt Workshop 

by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr

Fabrics:  Background Kona Snow

Binding Kona Charcoal

and assorted prints for the stones

This quilt is called River Stones and I made it for my parents for (cough cough) Christmas.  So I just finished today, what can I say?!  You know how some quilts just come together like magic and every step of the process just flows into the next?? Riiiiight. This was not one of those quilts.  My parents just re-did their family room in grays and when I offered to make a quilt, the idea of a wall hanging got tossed around and we went with it.  I love the calming effect of the gray and taupe tones together, and as I was making it, the idea of stones with all those different natural shades kept coming to mind.

         

                                                        The back shows a bit more quilting detail.

  When I was planning the quilting part, I thought the wide wavy stippling would seem like water flowing over the stones.  Let the metaphors start rolling:  my parents were both my rock-hard foundation for security and support over the years, but also flexible like water to allow me to be myself; I was stubborn like a rock in say, my teen years (maybe a little bit now too?   I can't help it!  I have opinions!) and their constant washing over me of wisdom and insight smoothed out my rough edges...I could go on and on with the symbolism, but won't, you know, for your sake (your welcome).   Let's just say, I have been blessed with fantastic parents, and if they asked me to climb Mt. Everest for them, I totally would - with oxygen and a sherpa, but still, I'd do it.  And piecing all those circles just might be my Mt. Everest of quilting - those are not appliqued, people!  And I'll admit, after working on this a while, my eyes just craved C O L O R!  

And do you really even want to hear about how my machine broke down just as I was trying to quilt this?!  I mean, honestly!  I could get 2 to 4 inches of FMQ in before the thread would break.  I tried absolutely everything from you tube and tutorials to fix my problem at home, then went to my local sewing repair shop for some professional help.  On two consecutive days, I was in that shop for hours trying to figure out what was wrong.  We tried different needles, thread, tensions, bobbins, and buffed out the bobbin case and the throat plate.  My machine just kind of limped along but just being around people who could help was an amazing lift to my spirits that this quilt would in fact, get finished.  A special thanks to Chris, Mike and Ms. Perry for all your help - I couldn't have done it without you!  I'm thinking some homemade cookies just might show up at your shop this week...

I'm off to check out some more quilts in the Festival - thanks for stopping by!