Monday, April 30, 2012

There's No Place Like Home . . .

I'm happy to be back home even though I had the best time in Paducah at the AQS Show.  I have plenty to show and tell you about the show and my classes (I didn't win a ribbon and that's ok) but that's going to have to wait, Settler's Trail is going to have to wait too, it's the end of April and time for a Summer Day, Sinta and Sherri's April Schnibbles Sew Along.


I'm going with some Hope Valley by Denyse Schmidt scraps I have in my sewing room.  I used my Fit to be Geese ruler by Monique at Open Gate Quilts to make my perfect flying geese units. 


I bought the Summer Day pattern as soon as it was released, I just loved it.  I'm so glad Sinta and Sherri picked it for the April Schnibbles of the month, it forced me to move it from my ever growing To Do List to my Do It Now List.  

April has been a very hectic month for me, and for some reason, this pattern suddenly also felt hectic to me.  In an effort to achieve some calm in my life,  I decided to try and add some calm to my project.


I thought going scrappy, but just within each color way, would bring some calm to the project, but that wasn't enough calm for me.

My next attempt at tranquility was to add some white space, but that was little too quiet for me.


Then I decided to add some dots to those white spaces and decided I liked that. 

I also arranged the blocks into units of 4, with three flying geese units pointing towards a dot unit in a clockwise motion.  The perfect combination of order to the chaos.

It's like a little island of relaxation surrounded by the hectic days of summer. 


 Together I think they add up to a summer of fun, so that's what I've named my April Schnibbles, Summer Fun.  

To keep things even I had to add an additional row and column of blocks.  ( you know me, ever the accountant, debits must equal credits,  everything has to be even steven!)


I think it may need another border or two,  I'll give that some thought, stay tuned for an update, maybe!

Tomorrow will be the big Schnibbles Parade over at Sinta and Sherri's blogs, don't miss it, I'm sure it will be a fun Summer Day!


Monday, April 23, 2012

I'm a Traveling Girl . . . .


This week I'm traveling to Paducah, Kentucky to attend the AQS Quilt Show.  This is my seventh straight year attending this show.  It's a fun week of learning new things in classes, drooling over the amazing quilts on display, playing with all the latest gadgets and machines that are currently available, and trying not to spend too much money at all the vendor booths.  Leaving the menfolk behind at home to do their own cooking and cleaning is a nice little perk too!

I always come home from the show full of inspiration and ready to tackle new challenges. 

 The quality of creativity and craftsmanship on display at this show rivals no other show I've attended.  Each year I've attended I've always wondered in the back of mind if I had one of those amazing quilts in me.  Turns out I do have one or two of those quilts in me! 

 I'm so happy to tell you that I have two quilts  accepted into this year's AQS Show in Paducah!

First up,  my Red and White Tribute Quilt!  


What an adventure this quilt has been.  When I started this quilt I was just wanting to quench my desire to make as  many red and white quilts from the NY Infinite Variety Show as I could.  When I got going on this project I had no idea how it would all come together.  To go from that to the AQS Show is mind numbing!

The official title for this quilt is, "My Tribute to the Infinite Variety: Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts show".  It's in category 9 - First AQS Entry -Large and is Quilt #905.


This quilt was accepted into the show also.  


I have no problem admitting that it's not my piecing skills that got this quilt being accepted into the show, it's Judi Madsen's quilting that turns this lovely quilt into a masterpiece.  Not only is the quilting exquisite and perfectly executed, it's unique.  I'm so happy folks from all over the world will get to see in person the wonderful work Judi did on this top.

The official title for this quilt is, "Two Score and Seven Stars", it's in Category 7, Large Wall Quilts, and is Quilt #706.

If by chance  you are going to the show, I would love nothing better than to get a picture of you standing in front of one or both of these quilts!  Email your photos to me at cupcakesndaisies@gmail.com.

For more information on - 

Red and White Tribute Quilt see Red and White Tribute Quilt tab on this page orclick here.

Two Score and Seven Stars see Lifetime Quilt #62 in my Lifetime Quilt section orclick here.

I'll be back next week to share all the great stuff I saw and bought!  I hope you have a great week too!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Settler's Trail Update . . . .

Ta Da!!

I've finished piecing all the Block A blocks! I'm surprised how quickly it went.



Using strip sets to complete these blocks was definitely the way to go.

Now it's on to Block B



Here's my inspiration block. Now I just need to piece 463 two inch nine patches, yup, that's all I need to do!

I decided to go with the nine patches instead of strip sets to get a nice variety of fabric in each block. I'll let you know if it was worth the effort!


Monday, April 16, 2012

Settler's Trail Update . . . .

I didn't have much time to sew last week but I did spend a little time on my Settler's Trail blocks.



I'm in the process of connecting my strip pieces. When I pieced my original strip sets I always pressed away from the background fabric, not open like I normally do. By pressing the seams to one side it allowed the strips to go fit together perfectly. I hardly needed to do any pinning at all.


Once I've connected the strips sets I press those seams open. Here's the back of my block.

I'm thinking I still have around 6,000 pieces yet to connect!



Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Settler's Trail Update . . .


I don't think this Settler's Trail project is going to make for very interesting blog posts, but here goes!

The quilt is made using three different style of blocks, each block finishes at 4 1/2 inches. The directions call for using two inch 9 patches or one inch squares. I decided to try something different entirely.


I've decided to make this block using strip sets.


Here's my inspiration block.


And yes, you read that correctly, this block is 5 inches!
The good news, it didn't really take too long to make my strip sets and I'm happy with my fabric.
I think I need around 30 of these blocks.


Monday, April 9, 2012

BOM Rehab . . . .

Sinta, at the Pink Pincushion, is hosting a BOM Rehab. The rules are easy, work on your BOM project or projects, blog about it on Monday, and maybe, in addition to working your way through your BOM projects, you may win a prize!

It's a nice motivator, make a block or two and join in the fun. As luck would have it I'm working on a BOM, Memories of Provence by Monique Dillard at Open Gate Quilts.


I had enough time this weekend to make two blocks, this one




and this one!


That gets me up to 4 blocks total.
So far I like all the blocks I've made, not a stinker in the group!


Thursday, April 5, 2012

Moving Right Along . . .

So what's a quilter to do after finishing one quilt, move on to the next!
I usually sit down the first of each year and plan out my quilt projects for the entire year, as of yet I've not gotten around to doing that, instead I'm just going with what suites me when it's time to start another project, so far it seems to working out great, and here's the project I picked for April.


This is Settler's Trail, designed by Kathy Borgardt, for Primitive Gatherings.
I probably wouldn't have looked twice at this pattern if it was hanging on a wall with all the other patterns. But I saw the quilt at Primitive Gatherings when I was in the shop last fall, and it really grabs your attention. After I seeing the quilt I went looking for the pattern.


This quilt finishes at 50" x 59", and is made using, are you ready, 6,523 one inch squares. This will be a new personal record for me. "Oh Christmas Tree" has my current record of 4950 pieces.


My one inch strips are cut, I went with an assortment of civil war fabrics that have small prints. I used my Go Cutter to cut these strips, it went fast and the strips are accurate. I'm hoping the accurate strips at the beginning of this project pays off down the road.

Besides this project I'm planning to make "Summer Day", Sinta and Sherri's Schnibbles of the month, plus crank out a few blocks for my "Memories of Provence" BOM. That's enough to keep me busy and out of trouble, I think!

I was so happy that 145 folks were interested in my Simple Abundance leftovers. That fabric is too pretty to be on my shelf and not in your quilt. As far as the food goes, desserts, sweets, and chocolate were very popular, so was pizza. Enough folks left comments about rhubarb pie that I plan to try it one more time. But Rennie, your favorite food, raw haring and raw onions, there's nothing that would convince me to give that a try!

The winner is Bonnie, Institches with Bonnie. Bonnie's favorite food is cookies, who doesn't love a good cookie, not me!

If you've not done so, go check out Bonnie's blog and read about her behind the scenes quilt tour at the Smithsonian Institute. It's very fascinating. There's a quilt there by Martha Washington, and it's a UFO!! Unfinished quilt projects from the 1700's, some things never change!

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner . . .

Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving comments for the Traditional Fat Quarter Quilt Book Tour! I had fun reading all the comments you left. By the way, most of you need to give yourself permission to enjoy every minute you're on your computers doing quilty things. Just think of all the time you save by learning new and faster techniques, the money you save by looking for the best deals on fabric, and most importantly, the friends you make, it's our version of a quilting bee! Time well spent all around.

Here are the book winners:
Tuesday: Judy - Shade Tree Quilting
Wednesday: Michele G
Friday: Vicki T

I know, I didn't say Friday was a giveaway day but it was, a secret giveaway day!

All the winners have been contacted by email.

So here's my latest quilt that I made using Simple Abundance by Bonnie and Camille.

And here's my other quilt, Lifetime Quilt Number 60, that I made using Simple Abundance by Bonnie and Camille.


Both lovely, and all the quilts I need made out of Simple Abundance by Bonnie and Camille.


Here's what I have left over, some yardage, some pieces from a layer cake, some pieces from a charm pack and some scraps. Would you like to have a quilt or two made from Simple Abundance by Bonnie and Camille?

 - Contest Now Closed - 

I'm passing this fabric along to anyone who's interested. Just leave a comment on this post telling us what's your favorite food! Mine is pie, pizza pie, chicken pot pie, apple pie, coconut cream pie, you name it, if it has a crust I love it! (except that nasty rhubarb, who thought that was a good idea, to make a pie out of that!)


The box is packed and just needs an address to find its way to your house.