I Won and a Quilt I've Never Blogged About

Did you know that Connecting Threads has a blog. I didn't, but I do now. It's an interesting blog. Let's you know more about their products and designers. It also highlights current designers who have written books and patterns. They also have  giveaways and I won one. This is a real rarity for me and I must tell you it is really fun! Here is what I received in the mail today. Two stacks(ten inch squares) of their beautiful batiks. The top is the sunset collection and the bottom is waterways.

 If you would like to check out their blog, click here.

I'm not sure what I going to do with these fabrics yet. I have not worked with many batiks.  

Here is a project using batiks I pieced about 3 years ago. The fabrics are Kaufman and the pattern is Curvalishish by Sew Be It. It was fun to make. You may recognise it because Hancock's of Paducah used it promote the pattern and the fabrics. It was really fun to make and one I may have to revisit.

Design Floor Monday

Since I'm having a major mental block on this quilt,

 

I've decided to pull this one off of my design floor and get it quilted.

 I started this quilt many years ago, I think it was in the late 90's. This is one of my PhDs(projects half done) and I have made some progress this spring. Six of the block were either appliqued or partially appliqued and I've finished all the applique. Then there was the dilemma of how to put it together. At first I had planned on a single quilt, but finally decided that the triple banner would make it more versatile for hanging and would be much easier to quilt. So this is today's project. Hopefully I'll make good progress, I really want to finish this one. It's been on my plate way too long! 

Be sure to check out other design wall projects over at Patchwork Times.

Bloggers Quilt Festival

I waffled back and forth on which quilt to feature for Amy's Creative Side Blogger's Quilt Festival, 2011 and finally decided on this one.

 One thing you need to know about this quilt is that it is a mini. It measures just 14 inches square. I made it as a Christmas gift for my oldest son and his wife two years ago. It is made mostly from a collection of fabric that he picked out for me. I also made another quilt from the same fabric that you can see here. I love this fabric and still have a bit more and another project planned using it. I hope you like my tiny quilt. Be sure to go see all the other lovely quilts. You can find them by clicking on the link at the beginning of this post. Thanks for visiting!

Another Baby Quilt Finished!

It's finished, quilted, labeled and everything! I'm hoping my little grandson's parents are as happy with the results as I am.

 On a sadder note, our little Cocker Spaniel died one week ago today and left a huge hole in our lives. The house seems way too quiet. As my daughter remarked, he was our empty nest child. Things are slowly getting easier, but he is much missed!

What's On My Design Floor and More

Here it is May 2nd already and I have been missing in action for more than two weeks. Our little grandchild that was due the first part of May decided to put in an appearance a little more than three weeks early. Mom and baby are fine as well as beautiful. So I have been busy helping anyway I can as well as sneaking in a little sewing. So here's what's on my design floor right now. 

 It another baby quilt for this for my new little grandson. I'm going to use this pattern somewhat. My son requested a quilt that featured a transportation theme. We found this design in a Leisure Arts Book called "Quick Method Quilts" published in 1994. 

  However as always I will just be using the pattern for inspiration. I want to design my own vehicles, change the size of the blocks, put vehicles in the empty squares, and make the quilt square. Stay tuned for future progress!

I finished the quilt top that was on my last design floor posting. I hope to sandwich it today and start quilting. I changed some of the colors and I'm glad I did. I like the brighter colors much better.

I've also been knitting in the evenings, nothing too spectacular, just some dish cloths. I love the knitted ones and I also like to be able to bleach them when I wash them, so mine are made with white or unbleached cotton yarn. I love to knit patterns so I vary the design with each cloth to prevent boredom. It's a good way to make vegging in front of the TV productive and guilt-free.

 Be sure to check out Judy's Patchwork Times for more great projects!