Chicago Quilt Festival Goodies

Had a great time at the last Quilt Festival that will be in Chicago. Next year it moves to Cincinnati, Ohio. I wasn't going to go at first since I"m going to Paducah this week, but well, when I heard this was the last year in Chicago I figured I had better go. Lots to share with you, more than one post can handle, so I"ll try and limit it here! Above are 2 purses I made from a kit (the one on the left) and pattern I bought at the show. That is going to be my purse for Paducah! The one on the right will be for my friend as a gift.

Also made these 2. The one on the left is for my sister and the one on the right is for Holly. Jenna said they were ugly - so none for her. And I knew Emily would stick her nose up at them! This is the pattern I used.

This year they had a lot of antique quilts in the show. Oh they were SO GORGEOUS. How could I ever pick a favorite. So here are just a few favorites.

Ta Da!

It is finished! It is finished!!!!! I finally finished hand quilting my little Friends quilt like the one I made Laura years ago! My top has been done for years, I just never quilted it! So now I can cross one more UFO off my list!

And of course I always like to see the backs.

And closeups.

A bit more progress

A bit more progress on my wool wall hanging. This will be the quilt that I hang my wool water can from! I used some of my fun barn fabric for the center! Of course when I hang up the wool center that will be covered up - but I still will know it is there! Still need to figure out how I want to quilt it.

And here is close to what it will look like when I hang up the wool part on it. I'm going to attach the wool with magnets! How cool is that! You sew those rare earth magnets into pockets that go onto the back of the wool piece. Then you attach it by putting another magnet behind the quilt and click the wool piece into place! I need to trim down the wool piece yet, but this will give you an idea.

This pattern actually has 12 wool centers so you can switch out the center each month. It is by Under the Garden Moon and is their "As Time Goes By" set of patterns. I have the winter ones (but not made yet) and the fall ones (also not made yet). I need to get a summer one next.

Paducah Gifts are Done!

I've been working on my Paducah roommate gifts the last 2 weeks. I'm SO HAPPY to say they are finally done! They really aren't hard, just putzy when I've been busy. They could be better, but for what little time I've had not bad. I"m hoping my friends like them.

I used the pattern by This & That - Nifty Notes.

And I've also been working on this wool wall hanging. It isn't done yet, but I"ll leave the rest a surprise. I finished sewing down the leaves tonight.

I also wanted to share this with you. OK, I might be the last one to know about this, but in case I'm not I wanted to let you know too. The International Quilt Study Center has lectures recorded for download free via iTunes. A lot of them even have the visual with it, not just the audio. I"ve been watching them on my computer. What a treat!

My favorite one was "A Life in Extraordinary Stitches" which is about Grace Snyder and her quilts. I read a book about her called "No Time on my Hands" years ago. It was such a great book. When you think about all the inventions and things that this lady saw, on top of the gorgeous quilts she made, it makes your head spin. If you haven't read this book you have to read it.

Little Bits

I"ve been busy doing this and that. Lots of putzy little things and nothing really to show yet. Above is a bit bigger peek at my small quilt I"m hand quilting. I only have 2 borders to go!

And here is a peek of a small round robin quilt I quilted. I can't show the whole thing yet because it is suppose to be a secret to the owner. But I thought I would show a small part since I spent quite a bit of time this past weekend working on it.

Then a real treasure. Lori and I got talking about old quilt blocks we have found and I told her about this beauty. My mother in law gave this to me framed about 20 years ago. She had the story about it hand written on the back. Then in 1994 my oldest daughter (I think she was in 3rd grade) had a story in reading about a grandma, a girl and a quilt. So she wrote about this quilt block and took the framed block in to school to share with her class. I of course pasted her story to the back of it! Reading it now gives me such great memories!

I even went in one day and taught the class how to hand sew some 4-patches together. I was so surprised how much the boys enjoyed it! Each student made a 4-patch (by hand) and then I brought them home and made a small quilt with them. When it was done I gave it to the class. The teacher made a small book and each student got to take the quilt and book home for a few days. The kids wrote about what they did with the quilt while they had it, and some even put in pictures. The funniest one was the boy who used the quilt as a parachute for his army men and threw it off the roof of the house!

Look what I won!!!

What quilter wouldn't be thrilled to win this! And I did! I can't believe it! I couldn't wait for Anett to mail it to me to share! So I"m using her pic of the prize!

Stop by and visit her blog - Mouse House. Thank you so much Anett!

The Last of the Brownstone Blocks - Maybe

I got my last 4 brownstone blocks done! I"ve got all 49 done - that is unless I decide to make it one row longer, then I need to make 7 more. I have to dig out what I bought for the setting fabric first and see if I have enough!

The end of the weekend is here

Yup, it is the end of the weekend, so this is about all you will see until next weekend. Sometimes I find time to finish a few things during the week, but lately that is the exception instead of the rule. Above 3 more Brownstone blocks!

And 2 more Dear Jane's.

Click HERE to see my dear jane so far.
Click HERE to see my friend Joan's dear jane so far.

National Quilting Day - Brownstone

Spent National Quilting Day catching up on some Brownstone blocks!

Still have about 5 or 6 more to do to be totally caught up!

2 new Dear Jane Blocks and 1 Redone

Yup, I redid the one block from yesterday, and I so love the new one! The old one was fine, but I remembered I had this fabric from the back of a quilt and knew it would be perfect.

And 2 new ones.

See my Dear Jane.

Dear Jane and New Project

Here are 2 more blocks for my Dear Jane. But tonight I got a really good idea on a fabric I have in my stash that I think I want to use for the one below. I think I may remake that one just to use this other fabric! At least it was an easy block!

And I"ve started a new quilt. I"ve wanted to make this quilt since last spring when I saw it at the Chicago Quilt Festival. When it showed up on the cover of Quilters Newsletter Jan/Feb 2010 issue I knew I had to do it. Then I saw Andrea's first block and new it was time! Here is block one! I won't be doing this fast, I"ll do a block now and then. No hurry.

What I"m working on

Thought I'd show you what I"ve been working on - well at least a peek. Mostly I"ve been working on bindings - so nothing exciting to show there! But above is a long time finished wall hanging that I made 2 of. One for Laura and one for me. Needless to say Laura's was long finished and gifted. Mine - well it just sat! So I finally got it out and started hand quilting it.

I also got 4 placemats made to go with Holly's Table Runner. Still have to quilt those. I think I want them a bit bigger but I"m out of dark blue, so I may put a small border of light blue on them. Just can't decide!

Tumber Quilt is Almost Done!

I have my tumbler plaid quilt all pieced and back from the quilter! I even got the binding sewn on it tonight! Now just to stitch it down on the back. It is huge so I got as good of pictures as I could.

And look at the fun back I pieced! I just love how the back turned out! Another finish for 2010!

Cheddar Doll Quilt

The top is finished!!!!!

Almost There!!!!

And as of Saturday night....

This mornings cheddar progress

Here is where I am as of lunchtime....

Cheddar Doll Quilt, Xmas Tree Skirts and more Bday fun!

I FINALLY got a chance to play. As I've mentioned this is my year for finishing up things that had been started but not finished. And I"ve done a good job of getting things finished already this year. If I"m not finishing I"m doing gifts. So tonight I decided I was going to play! I finally started Lori's Cheddar Cheese and Cracker doll quilt! Tomorrow I'll be doing more. How cool is it already!

I also got another bday gift this week. Here is what I got from my good friend Lynn. A green tea towel to applique something on, a medium size thread catcher and a really FUN chicken pillowcase! Lynn knows I love chickens and just look at these! Are they just not so funny! It is going on my pillow straight away!

The thread catcher is bigger than my mini ones, but smaller than the normal size ones. I took a picture of it with the others so you can get an idea. I saw one she had made up in this fabric and just had to have one. She knows I love green and look at that lemonade fabric! Isn't it the best! And look at the fun lime fabric inside! I was so excited!

And if you have been wondering where I got the pattern for those awesome tree skirts I've been making; Tazzie now has the pattern up on her website for sale. It is on special for March and April. Go check it out.

Tazzie's Christmas Tree Skirt Pattern

Winter Table Runner and Bday Gifts!

Yes, you know I always run behind! Well I just finished the snowflake table runner for my sister, now that it is almost spring! I still have to finish quilting Holly's and mine. But oh well. In the magazine it had 3 snowflakes but the thing was HUGE! Something like 72" long. None of us needed that long of a table mat, so I just changed it to make it one! It was in the "The Quilter - 2009 Holiday issue".

And then look at the cool goodies I got for my birthday from Jody in Australia! Did she spoil me or what!!!!! I can see she new what I liked now that she visited last fall!

I took her to several Fossil stores here during her visit, can you tell I like fossil purses and wallets! And I got this lovely Eucalyptus Hand and Nail Cream!!! Mmmm!!!!