Design Wall Monday Sept 24, 2012

Meh.  I'm not so much in love.  The fabrics make me so happy when I fondle and pet them, so I cut 10" squares, and planned to cut them diagonally twice, then insert 1" strips of a contrasting fabric, with a square of a third color in the middle.  The pattern is "Hot Cross" from Schnibbles Times Two.  Before cutting every piece, I decided to audition the squares with strips.  Just not feeling it, at least not today!  I'll play some more, and maybe put away the 10" squares and strips to use another day.  A dear friend of mine keeps reminding me that there is no requirement to finish a UFO, so I'm sure the same holds true for a design wall experiment :-D

However!  A friend was visiting last week and I showed her some things I'd snagged at a yard sale, including the Eleanor Burns' book, "Winning Hand."  She said she's had the book for years, but has never made one.  They are so easy-peasy, we agreed to have our fabrics pulled and we'd make one at our next get-together.  Here's what I've gathered -- the floral will be the border, while the cards will be scrappy yellow, green, blue and pink/fuschia.  I haven't decided on the background -- the floral print has a pale green background.  Wish I had enough in my stash, but, remarkably, I don't!

So there you have it, my design wall and future design wall in one show and tell!  Go see what others are working on at Judy's blog: PatchworkTimes.com and join in!

IHAN winner! YAY!

Lucky me!  Last week, sweet Kelly Jackson of I Have A Notion, sent me a sushi roll that she got on her tour of Hoffman Fabrics, as a giveaway winner!  Whoot!  It arrived on Saturday, and looky here!

There are some of Hoffman's wonderous batiks, to die for.  I've already added the four light greens and the pale lavender to a stack of fabrics I'm collecting for a project.  (I have no idea what the project will be, but I'm loving the look of the colors.)  At the top right of the picture is a cute Christmas print, together with a glimmery green -- I'm going to have to shop for some of that, it's striking!  

In the second picture is something I haven't even heard of yet -- 3D fabric!  Yes! You get these 3D glasses -- which are different from the old-fashioned red lens and green lens that I remember -- and while the fabrics are cute in themselves, the pictures actually come forward in a true 3D fashion!  I've got to come up with something really special to use these fabrics.  Kiddos will get a huge bang out of them, but Mr. Happiness and I had a blast going through my stash, looking at various fabrics that look really weird thru 3D glasses.  

Thank you, Kelly, for your generosity in sharing the yumminess!  Go see this special gal at her blog and shop, she always has some kind of mischief interesting things going on.  You can catch up with her (or try to) at Ihaveanotion.blogspot.com 

Whoop! Whoop! Sept 7, 2012

Fall Fantasia went to the Fair, and came home wearing a blue ribbon!!  I'm just thrilled :-)  Another quilt, my Mary Engelbreit "Friends" lap quilt also won a blue ribbon.  Woohoo, happy dance.  And Whoop! Whoop!  

The pattern for this quilt was pretty easy, it was a download from AllPeopleQuilt.com.  But the best part was the fun of pulling out all the batiks I could find that would work for an autumn quilt!  The blocks were pretty small, finishing at 6", but they were enlarged by adding 2 1/2" sashing strips, log-cabin style, on just two sides.  Alternating strips on the right side then the bottom quickly added up to be a 12" block!  You could use virtually any block for the center, add sashing to two, three or four sides and you've got a quick way to make a bigger block!

During the time I worked on the Fall Fantasia, I quilted a huge quilt (100x110, I think it was) for a friend, and forgot to take its picture.  She had made it some time ago, and it was doomed to the storage closet because she'd decided to hand quilt it.  But because it was so large, she just couldn't take that first bite!  I did a wavy line from side to side, inserting some swirls to give it a greater swoopy feel, and it turned out nice.  

I had a remnant of upholstery fabric I'd picked up years ago that I intended to use on the two bar stools we have at the kitchen counter. Just wanted to spiff them up a bit, and there was a spot on one seat that I just couldn't get clean.  I hadn't done any upholstery before, but after Mr. Happiness took off the seats, I cut and stapled awhile, and suddenly they were like new!  Easy, peasy, and quick! I really love this fabric and wish I had enough to redo the dining chairs.  

Somehow, I've managed to pinch a nerve in my neck and I have pain down my shoulder, along my arm and into my little finger.  So I've been chilling on the couch for a couple of days, and I really didn't feel like going to my guild meeting today.  But I promised someone I'd meet them there, so off I went.  I'm so glad I did!!  It's so refreshing to visit with my girlfriends, experience the comraderie of fellow quilters, and be inspired by the talents of the ladies in my group.  I'm chomping at the bit to start on another quilting project, but I have to be good for another day or two.  

Meanwhile, go to Sarah's blog -- confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.com -- and see what the Whoop! Whoop! is all about!

Celebrate the changing of the season!