Love Blooms - Again

Whoo....hoo.....it is another quilt festival.....
Since #1 this quilt festival is right during our anniversary, #2 it is just getting cold enough here to put on this warmer quilt on my bed, so it is on my mind and #3 one of my daughters just got engaged....I am thinking about love and this my "Love Blooms" quilt. This is what I made 2 years ago for our 30th anniverary.

Happy Anniversary!!!

We went out-of-town for the weekend before, so on Monday (our actually anniversary day) I had a free day, that of course I didn't want to do anything I usually do and especially not any housework. So I escaped to make us a quilt for our bed. I had recently purchase a small jelly roll of strips in fun colors that I couldn't resist. I looked around in my stash and found a sparkly maroon that I liked with it and I was off. I really didn't have a pattern in mind but just started making block. I took 8 1/2" block out of the maroon and sewed the strips to the outside. After I got all those sewed the next step was to figure out how I was going to place them, straight or on point and what in between. I decided for simple and straight with just a plain block of dark green (from a bolt I had from a possible upholstery project. And I was going to town. I got a lot of it done. In the next few days I just had to pick out my favorite 4 prints to buy and add for borders and then off to Jaime's to quilt it with a wonderful flower stitch, going along with my love blooms quilt.

Lesson learned:
Love does bloom just like quilts. Sometimes we don't know exactly what we will get or end up with. We make a decision, choose our mate then we just jump in whole-heartedly. We make decisions as we go, keep working and working and working. Giving our all and doing the best with what we have. Bordering it all with lots of love, adding a little spice & sparkle or highlighting the favorite parts here and there. Behold we look back at the whole picture after 30 years of love and hard work and say WOW! Look what we have done and look at where and how our love has bloomed!!

Check out all the other wonderful quilts in the festival here
http://amyscreativeside.com/2010/10/29/bloggers-quilt-festival-fall-2010/

#5 Dot to Dot

When I first started thinking of a quilt for Michelle, I wanted to do something with Circles. Because she is currently (& seriously) dating Mike, when I think of them I think of M&M's. Just in time, I noticed a fun quilt pattern in my Quilting Magazine. It had a circle on every block which was a bit much for my simpler taste but being the "maker" of the quilt, I realized I could change it up any way I wanted. So " Dot to Dot is my version. Still filled with lots of wonderful dots (I love the dot fabric) and just a smattering of appliquéd dots to make it fun!!
I hope they get lots of use and fun out of this PicNic quilt and many, many happy memories.

So what have I learned......
I LOVE dots!!

#6 Turtle Crossing

This is the fourth quilt in the series of quilts made for the downstairs girls room. I originally got the pattern we used from a friend in the ward. We have used the same fabric and the same pattern each time and just mixed up the denim color placement each time (see Michelle's Magic on page 6). The plaid material was given to us by a friend. This one was made for my daughter that loves Turtles so I quilted it with turtles crossing all over it.

Quilt Bk Vol 1

I did it - I published (OK - just for me and my family) my "Quilt with Love...Lessons learned" quilt book. I have been wanting to document all my quilt I have made and given. Explain a bit about the process and the lessons I have learned while making each quilt. I finally gathered everything and published it. It is so nice to have this first volume in hand.

Just LOOK!!  (Click on the link and you can scroll through every page of the book)

It's fun to look at and remember all the quilts I have made. Most of these I have given away to others, so it is nice to remember.

I already have enough quilts tops (OK, ok they are not quilted yet) to do the next book. I need to get busy quilting!!

#2 Fruit Salad

I was shopping and saw a fabric that made me think of Nikaela. I loved this fun fruity print. I bought a small amount and set about to make a fun picnic quilt for Ammon and Nikaela. I was able to pull from my stash everything but the green with pink dots fabric. I had The green denim, and the other fun fabrics and thought a bargello quilt would be the perfect (and quick) was to put together a picnic quilt. When I was done is so reminded me of the yummy layered fruit salad that Nikaela made for us at a girls retreat. (the one at Camille's). Thus the quilts name was born.




So what have I learned...... memories are special and they creep into our lives from everywhere. A piece of fabric or even the look and placement of a pattern.

Bloggers Quilt Festival - My Entry!!

Amy is once again running her Online blogger's quilt festival. If you have never seen this, you ought to block out several hours over the next few days and sit down and check out all the great work. At the link here and below (where it sais check out all these other great entries!!) you will already find over 600 people's URL's with a posting of their favorite quilts.


ORANGE BLOSSOM JOYZ
This is my entry.....

This fun little quilt was all (OK just the inside) from scraps. It was all the little leftover pieces from the quilt "Kimree's Krumbs" and leftover scraps from a white sheets I have used in the past. I did plan it from the beginning though. While I cut out the pieces for "Kimree's Krumbs" I noticed I had leftovers in small short (about 8") strips of 2 1/2" wide, so I decided to use those stripes with my leftover sheet scraps (many which also happened to be 2 1/2 inches wide too) and make 9 patch blocks. I LOVE 9 patch block with white and color. It makes them so bright and fun. I love the magic made by just placing them in diagonal rows instead of straight and adding a white block in between each 9 patch.










What I have learned.......
Every little bit counts....every little bit adds....when you add it all together....WOW. It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes. "We may not have it all together but, TOGETHER we have it ALL!
If we each stand alone, we are OK but can get lost and looked over easy but when we unite ourselves together....
..watch out world;
we become magnificent!"



When I got this quilt top done, My DH named it. He thought it looked like an "orange blossom special", I tweaked that just a bit and named it the "Orange Blossom Joyz" both for who it was made for and it is so happy and joyful with that bright fun orange. This quilt is backed with soft fuzzy orange just great for cuddling and quilted with blossoms to match the "orange" blossoms on the border.


Remember to check out all these other great entries!!!

Copycat and Expanding

I saw a great tutorial here, teaching a fun quick way to use turnover packs. I loved it, I even had the exact turnover pack already so I copied them and their idea.

Here it is so far. Still needs a border and quilting but I love it. So much so that I decided to make another with another turnover pack that I had. Funny enough my other turnover pack I already had was exactly the one they demonstrated on, oh no - copy cat again???


Here is the next one which is currently on my design wall.
This is a work in progress, I am branching out an expanding just a bit, because I used tutorial to put together my blocks but I am laying them out in my own way. As you can see I am planning on sashing the blocks with cornerstones. Using one turnover pack, you can make exactly 10 blocks, so I chose to use them all. This quilt will be 3 blocks across and 4 rows down. That left me with 2 empty spaces to fill.

The blocks made me think of fun flowers. So I decided to add a yoyo in the center and a button to help you really think flower.



I decided to fill the empty spots with some favorite flower quotes:

Concentrate on the flowers of life and not the thorns.
We should savor the smell and beauty of both
the rose and cactus.

The other quote is by Abraham Lincoln and will say:
All my life I have tried to pluck a thistle
and plant a flower,
wherever the flower would grow
in thought and mind.

Love this long arm quilter!!

I love looking at the work of this long arm quilter. She just got voted best long arm quilter - which is TRUE!! She is having a give away here
While you are at it check out her awesome work. She takes everything from nice to INCREDIBLE!!!

Quilting Bee Blocks

 

I have had a chance to try some new things this month in my quilting bees.
I have stayed away for the most part from too many 1/2 square triangle and this block has a zillion of them. (OK that's a big exaggeration but it has lots of small triangle) Actually this block, I hate to admit is from February, Not March. Yes I am late but at least I got it finally done. (Last month was a bit overwhelming for me with the 4 youngest kids in a play - tech week then 2 weeks of late night performances, sewing 10 dresses for the play, a son doing an Eagle project that HAD to be done this month, getting his Eagle application and paperwork in by first week of March and happily grandbaby #7 arrived. - Yes a little much.) This block took me quite some time because I kept messing up. I would get the triangles mess up and twisted around. That's a problem with having my layout board a ways from my sewing machine. But this quilt is going to be beautiful. Just look at this example! I am glad I got to work on it and contribute.


 
 
This next block was my first time ever paper piecing. Definitely a new challenge but it turned out good for my first time. I did have to take out a few seams and redo more than once but glad to have a great finished product.
I would love to do one of theses when it is my turn for the bee.
Here is the inspiration block and tutorial.

Favorite quilt to try...

I was able to attend the Tucson quilt show and fell in love with this fun quilt for a group of people. I would love to do this for my birthday with my daughters and beyond. So to help me remember the idea, I am posting it here to my quilt blog.
 
 
 
 

Quilting Bee Blocks

Thought I would like to share some of the blocks I have made for others in the quilting bees that I belong to. It is fun to share with these quilters. Looking forward to my month to be "queen bee" and have my blocks worked on.

#7 J-Blue & #9 Simply Slade

I found a flickr group that was doing a modern sampler quilt along I decided to join. http://www.flickr.com/groups/modsamplerquiltalong/ (Just look at all these fun and yummy quilts!)

I loved all of the blocks, they were so fun. As I look through all the fun pictures of other peoples quilts, I found that I loved the back side of the quilt as much or more than the front side. I needed quilts for the boys in their room and I thought that these blocks would be the perfect touch of quilting and simplicity and look very manly at the same time. I took two sheets, a dark blue and a medium blue and cut those 1/3 by 2/3 for the front. I used my fabrics and made all the blocks for the mod sampler then we placed them all up on my design board and I let each boy choose a favorite block. We went around and around till they each had their choice of 7 blocks. I got the blocks in a strip and pieced in and then there they sat...waiting for me to finish. Christmas gave me the push to finish. Also at that time J was going to be getting a bigger bed than a twin size so I quickly used some of the leftover blocks and made his quilt wider. (I thought it was quite ingenious and a good thing I had more blocks.


I still have a few more blocks and plan to make some toss pillows for their beds....someday!


So what have I learned...... a quilt can have as much or as little piecing
as YOU want on it.
Go with what you like and want....that is right for YOU.
Maybe that is why I like to quilt....I can be my own boss and call my own shots.

#4 Piece o'Papa

I have been saving old jeans and shirts from Jon for awhile now and have wanted to make a quilt to enjoy using them. I saw the idea for 1/2 triangles with shirt strips that I thought would be fun to do. As I collected together the fabric scraps because they were mostly in the red and blue colors they made me think of Camille and her home. So I decided that for the Steven's picnic quilt it would right match. Rugged jeans (light and dark) and old boyish shirts for her male dominated family. Just for fun I threw in a fun fun extras (like the smiley fabric from a pillowcase she got for Christmas one year). I hope it brings fun memories for years to come, memories of home, memories of her dad (Papa Jon) and many new memories as used.

It makes me so happy...a place of honor in her home!




So what have I learned...... it's all about layout. This is made by the exact same block but the color of the jeans and the placement, make the design pop!!
And of course the fun dots on the border just make it fun!

#3 Redical ....dude!

This Christmas I wanted to do picnic quilts for the older kids but Kathryn already had a great one she had made. She had just moved into a big spacious home so I wanted to make a quilt for her home. Especially for her family room to be loved, used and cuddled with for many years to come. I enjoy looking on the Internet for ideas and I saw a picture of the back of someones quilt and loved it and knew I wanted to make one just like it (as the front - the real quilt). I backed it in cuddly corduroy with leftover scraps and quilted it with triangles.

So what have I learned......

Simplicity is powerful.
I love the simple blocks that look like they are inter-connected. It was so fun figuring out how to make this one as I only saw a picture. I can figure out things, it's fun to design things from scratch with only an idea and the guts to try!
You may be surprised at what you can do if only you will try.

#10 Kimree's Krumbs

#8 Orange Blossom Joyz

What I have learned.......
Every little bit counts....every little bit adds....when you add it all together....WOW. It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes. "We may not have it all together but, TOGETHER we have it ALL!
If we each stand alone, we are OK but can get lost and looked over easy but when we unite ourselves together....
..watch out world;
we become magnificent!"



This fun little quilt was all (OK just the inside) from scraps. It was all the little leftover pieces from the quilt "Kimree's Krumbs" and leftover scraps from a white sheets I have used in the past. I did plan it from the beginning though. While I cut out the pieces for "Kimree's Krumbs" I noticed I had leftovers in small short (about 8") strips of 2 1/2" wide, so I decided to use those stripes with my leftover sheet scraps (many which also happened to be 2 1/2 inches wide too) and make 9 patch blocks. I LOVE 9 patch block with white and color. It makes them so bright and fun. I love the magic made by just placing them in diagonal rows instead of straight and adding a white block in between each 9 patch.

When I got this quilt top done, My DH named it. He thought it looked like an "orange blossom special", I tweaked that just a bit and named it the "Orange Blossom Joyz" both for who it was made for and it is so happy and joyful with that bright fun orange. This quilt is backed with soft fuzzy orange just great for cuddling and quilted with blossoms to match the "orange" blossoms on the border.