#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.