BOM Rehab, A Finish . . . .

What's better than wrapping up the year with a finish?

My Memories of Provence BOM is done and I couldn't be happier, happy that it's done and happy with how it looks.  

This is Lifetime Quilt Number 99

It finished at 84" x 101"

The pattern is Memories of Provence by Monique Dillard for Open Gate Quilts.

The fabric is Memories of Provence by Monique Dillard for Maywood Studio

It has approximately 1,312 pieces.

If you like the looks of this quilt and think you would like to  make something similar, Monqiue at Open Gate Quilts is introducing her free BOM tomorrow.  Stop back by, I plan to sew along and have pieced my first two blocks.  I'm going with something totally different than this quilt and something totally different for me, but so far so good.  

This will be my last BOM rehab for Sinta's sew along, I don't have any other BOMs to work on! But if it weren't for Sinta's sew along I know I would not have finished this quilt this year.  Thank You Sinta!!

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An Almost Finish . . .

So I was looking at all the finished ornament blocks on my design wall and I just couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing.  It took awhile for me to figure out what, then it hit me, the ornaments were levitating not hanging!  After decorating 3 Christmas trees this season, I have a lot of experience with hanging ornaments.  So I decided to make my ornaments hang by adding a little gray "ribbon" to the top of each ornament block.

The strip of gray fabric is 3/4" which finished at 1/4".  And just a reminder, my blocks are 6 inches, not 9 inches like the blocks in Camille's Vintage Holiday pattern, which is the pattern I'm using for my project.

Then I got to thinking some more, how I didn't want all the ornaments hanging exactly the same, so I added 3 different lengths of "ribbon" to the blocks and came up with this.

Then I added my sashing and ended up with this.  It doesn't show up in this picture, but the sashing fabric has the prettiest little green leaf design.

Right  now this project is around 44" x 51", I plan to add an outer border, but not yet.   If I added a border to this project it would be done and go on my Lifetime Quilt list as number 99.  But I want Memories of Provence to be Lifetime Quilt Number 99.   And if I added the border after I got MoP finished this would be Lifetime Quilt Number 100, and this is NOT Lifetime Quilt Number 100, so it looks like I'll start the year with a UFO after all.  I know a lot of you are so relieved to hear that!

We had the nicest Christmas at our house,  my daughter was able to make it home for a few days and we enjoyed every minute of our time together.  I hope Christmas was just as merry at your house.

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Nothing says Merry Christmas like sixteen 6 inch square ornament blocks!

These blocks are fun and easy.  I adapted my blocks from Camille's pattern Vintage Holiday.

I'm done shopping, decorating, and wrapping, nothing left to do but have fun.  I hope you have a wonderfully happy holiday season. 

 Best wishes to you and yours,

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Next Up . . . .

Do you work with jellyrolls very often?  I use one every now and then and I like them.  You get a long strip of fabric that is  2 1/2 inches wide for every fabric in a family of fabric.  I'm amazed by what I can make with those strips.  I usually complain a little when I work with jellyrolls, how do I account for those little clipped points on each side and those clipped edges usually produce fuzz that floats around my sewing table.  I'm not complaining about those clipped edges anymore, this is what a jellyroll use to look like, when they were cut with a straight edge.

This is a jellyroll of Roman Holiday by 3 Sisters for Moda, I'm not sure when that family of fabric was released, but I think it was at least 5 years ago.  By the looks of this roll you would think I've been carrying it around in my purse for 5 years, but it has just been molting in a bin in my sewing room closet.  I figured I better use this roll for a quilt before it was just a useless ball of thread.

And this is what I'm going to make with that fabric.

Vintage Holiday by Camille Rosekelly for thimble blossoms.  I've seen these adorable ornament blocks pop up all over blogland and thought I would join in the fun.  That Roman Holiday jellyroll is the only holiday fabric  have in my stash, that sure cut down on the fabric drama for this project.

I think the blocks in the pattern finish at 9 inches, I'm shrinking mine down to 6 inches.

The blocks are easy and they go fast, the perfect little project to squeeze in between all the holiday hoopla.  I just love working on a holiday project during the holidays.

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Wild Air is Done . . .

It took me no time at all to make the flying geese for that border and finish up this quilt.

The pattern is Wild Air by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.

I did make one small change to the pattern, I used the same fabric for the center and corner squares in the pieced blocks, the pattern has two fabrics for the squares, one for the corners and one for the centers.  You know how I'm always trying to match everything up, I decided it would be easier to match two fabrics, one for the geese and one for the squares,  instead of three fabrics, one for the corners, one for the center and one for the geese.  Now that's it's done I'm thinking maybe I would have liked having those corners a different fabric.

This is Lifetime Quilt Number 98.

It finished at 76" x 76".

It has approximately 2,261 pieces.

The green background fabric is Covey Toile for Andover Fabrics

The red floral print fabric is Annandale by Jo Morton for Andover Fabrics.

The majority of the remaining fabric is also Jo Morton fabric.

If the geese in this pattern are stopping you from making it, you need to think up a better reason, this quilt goes together in no time, and those geese, if you use the Fit to be Geese ruler, are fun, easy and go  quickly.

I'm so glad I dug this project out of its project box and finished it up, if I'm able to get all the blocks together for Memories of Provence here in the next couple weeks I'll be able to start 2013 with no UFOs! Imagine that!

Now that Wild Air is finished maybe I can focus on finishing up the items on my Christmas To Do List.  The decorating is done, done as in I quit, let the wrapping begin.

Monique at Open Gate quilts blogged about the Supply List for her Blogger Girls BOM that's to start in January.   Go look it over so you can be deciding on your fabric! (click here)

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Decorating Progress . . .

I'm still decorating, but the tables are set.

This year I decided to create some Christmas table scapes so I could enjoy a few of my holiday dish sets.

This is the kitchen table.

This is the dining room table.  

The goblets belonged to my great-grandmother.  The little presents hold name tags on top and a little chocolate truffle inside.

The tree plates are hand painted plates by Blue Ridge Pottery.  When I was young, eating off plates like these at my grandmother's house was a tradition I fondly remember.  I also remember that the plates had to be washed by hand after the meal.  My grandmother's plates are still in the family, but I was able to find a few for my own table setting.  

Since the plates were hand painted, each one looks just a little different.  These plates were made over 50 years ago by Southern Potteries in Erwin. Tennessee.  At one time that company employed over 1,000 workers.  The factory closed in 1957, after the invention and wide acceptance of plastic dishes!

I'm in the mood to try a new dessert for our Christmas feast. Last year I made Ina Garten's coconut cake, it was pretty enough to be on the cover of a magazine, but was as dry as the desert.  It sat in my cake dish for days before I finally just dumped it in the trash.   I couldn't talk anyone into trying a second piece.  Do you make a yummy Christmas dessert that you think I would like to add to my menu?  Pass it along, thanks!

My Wild Air geese are coming together quickly and stacking up, they're a nice diversion, sometimes, too much of one.

I won't address the tragedy that occurred Friday in Connecticut, I like my blog to be a happy diversion for folks, but it sure was hard writing about dishes, decorating and the upcoming holidays with such a heavy heart.

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A Little More Wild Air . . .

My Wild Air blocks went together in no time. The inner border came together quite easily too, or so I thought, until I looked at this picture!!!!!

Bottom right, see it, I've got one block sewn on backwards!  UGH!!  Haste makes waste, there's a reason these old sayings are around, mainly because they're right!  Oh well, it could be worse, I could have noticed once it was back from the quilter!  Although I'm sure one of you would have caught the error too, you're good about that.

I'm not sure this large floral print was a good choice for the focus fabric.  I tried to match up that border as best I could with the blocks, but it doesn't look as good as I would like.  The quilt on the pattern cover used a smaller print fabric, I now see how that would probably blend better.

I'm hoping once it's all done and quilted the piecing won't be so obvious.

Now it's on to the 23 bazillion geese for the border.  If they didn't look so cute on the pattern cover, and if I didn't have my Fit to be Geese rulers, I would be tempted to call it quits right now.

But I enjoy making geese and look forward to sneaking in a few while I juggle everything else that needs to be done.

I'm still decorating and shopping, I sure hope I'm not the last person doing so.

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Decorating With Quilts . . . .

I'm still decorating the house for Christmas, I'm starting to think "quit" may happen before "done".

One aspect of my decorating that is done, all my holiday quilts are out.

This is the third year I've hung my Christmas Tree quilt, Lifetime Quilt Number 53, "O Christmas Tree" in the living room.

In an earlier post I mentioned no one used our guest room, well someone's decided he likes that quilt and has been napping in the guest room most afternoons.

This is Countdown to Christmas, Lifetime Quilt Number 78.

There are only 3 quilts in the sunroom right now, Olde World Stars, LQ#67, is on the love seat on the left and Fathers Fancy, LQ# 20, is on the couch on the right.

Neither quilt is technically a Christmas quilt, they aren't made from Christmas fabric, but I think they look festive.

Instead of the usual 4 quilts on my quilt ladder I'm going with just one for the holidays.

Red, White and Wonderful is LQ#64.

And finally, Toulouse, LQ# 54, is on my bed.

In the past I put a Thimbleberries row quilt on my bed, Hometown Christmas, LG# 13. But  I just wasn't in the mood for the dark colors of that quilt this year.  I'm really enjoying Toulouse.

So I don't have as many quilts out as usual, but I'm loving the few that are out.

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Wild Air Update . . . .

My Christmas decorating has been put on hold while we work on some home improvements.  This has  given me some sewing time.

All my Wild Air blocks are pieced.  Having everything cut out and ready to go really helped speed things along.

All the fabric is by Jo Morton, mainly from the Annadale family, except for the green toile background fabric.

The home improvements are done for now and I finally got started on my Christmas decorating.  I have no excuse for being so far behind on my shopping, but it is what it is!  Not to freak you out or anything, but Christmas is TWO WEEKS from TODAY!

I sure enjoyed reading what everyone was wishing and hoping for for Christmas, we are an easy group to buy for; give us some time with family and something quilt related and we're happy.  Here are the winners of "The Crumbler", I'm thrilled you love the name too.

Amanda A - who is asking Santa for a lightweight sewing machine to take to quilt group

jmniffer who is asking for "The Crumbler (better take that off the list!)  EQ7 software, and fabric.

Teri at Patchwork Playground who is asking for some quilting books.

Thanks to all for leaving comments and participating in my give-away.

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It's Tools Tuesday . . .

A special edition of Tools Tuesday, special, because it's Friday and not Tuesday, special because I've not had a new tool to blog about in months, and extra extra special because I'm reviewing

 "The Crumbler"!

"The Crumbler" is a tumbler template created by Carrie Nelson for Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.  Guess who came up with that interesting and distinctive name, ME!  For some reason I just love to name things, and I'm constantly trying to name and rename things for folks all the time, even when they don't ask for my input.  It must be genetic, my brother does the same thing, he calls no one in my family by their given name, it's always something else, to my brother I'm Lulu!  Anyway, this summer, when Carrie told me she was working on a tumbler template, I immediately ask, "What's its name?"  She was up in the air but leaning towards some sort of practical name.  Well I came up with "The Crumbler",  C for Carrie, R for Rosie and Umbler from tumbler.  Carrie got a good laugh and moved on.  But then my name sort of caught on, and folks said they liked it, and then Carrie decided she liked it too.  So "The Crumbler" it is, for now and for forever.  I'm hoping this template becomes so popular that "Crumbler" is someday recognized by spell check.   

And here it is!

Before today, I had never played around with tumbler blocks.  I bought a tumbler die for my Go Cutter but had not used it.  When Carrie mailed me the template this summer, just the ruler, no instructions, I looked it over, thought it looked nice, and threw it in my tools drawer.  I didn't even take the plastic off!

This week I got my first look at the directions (8 pages of directions) that come with this ruler, and let me tell ya, I was digging that ruler out of my drawer and ripping the paper off and making blocks in no time.  I'm amazed by the possibilities and versatility of one little block.

Cutting the blocks is a piece of cake and like most other templates just decide on your size and cut your strip accordingly.  Then just line up the template and cut each piece.  You can cut several layers at once.  I put a little strip of double sided tape on the back to keep the ruler from sliding.  I do that with all my templates.

You can make tumblers that measure 3", 3 1/2" ,4", 4 1/2", 5", and 5 1/2" from top to bottom.

The directions provide information on cutting regular, pieced, horizontal strip, vertical strip, 4 patch, jelly roll, and mirror image tumbler blocks! That makes for some very interesting tumblers! There is also a table telling you how many tumblers you get from each specific strip width.  Not that that isn't something you can't figure out on your own, but how nice to have it provided.

So the cutting was a piece of cake, next up the piecing instructions.  The instructions are easy to follow and come with wonderful illustrations, but I had my doubts that I would get it all right the first time.

Here are the directions, "Joining the tumblers is easy - once they get lined up properly.  And that's easy too - just find the right starting point".  Basically the corners don't line up, it's up to you to align the edges and offset the corners.  You offset enough to where your needle comes down right where that"v" is created when sewing a 1/4" seam allowance.

I followed the directions and my tumblers came together perfectly.

I didn't realize how many different patterns you could create using these blocks until I got my instructions.

How about opposite fabric but top to top and bottom to bottom, matching seams.

How about same fabric, top to top and bottom to bottom, matching seams.

More of the same . . 

Maybe off-set  is more to your liking.

There are a lot of possibilities!

There are also instructions on cutting and piecing the perfect side setting pieces.

You just follow the directions for cutting, 

and sewing, it could not be any easier.

See how perfectly that side piece fits on the end of that row to create a straight finished edge.

Don't like the width of your tumbler,

there are directions on how to cut a narrower tumbler.

There are also instructions for making a quilt with two different sized tumblers, along with fabric requirements.

The template is precise, easy to use, and fun to play with.  But the best thing about this template is the directions that accompany it.  Do you remember all summer, most every time I would try out a new tool, how I would have to look online for additional directions, because the directions provided with the tool were so lacking, and then, after figuring out how to use the tool, I would usually end up saying something like, "well it works, but I don't know what I would make with it".  The instructions that come with this template explain how to use it and give several patterns and suggestions on what to make.  It's almost like they were written for a quilter, imagine that!

I'm not sure I see a whole tumbler block quilt in my future, but I definitely plan to work on a tumbler block border, maybe in my 100th quilt.  If you're a tumbler novice, like me, you'll love this template and the directions, you'll be a tumbler pro in no time.  If you are already an experienced tumbler quilter, I think you'll love the accuracy of the ruler and the size options it gives you.

You can buy your own "The Crumbler" from several online stores like The Fat Quarter Shop or Carrie's online shop, it runs around $13.50.  

Give-away now closed.  Thanks for stopping by.

Disclosure - Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Co did not ask me to blog about this template and is not providing the templates for my giveaway.   I did receive one template for my personal use, a fair exchange for providing that excellent name I think.

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BOM Rehab - MoP

I finished up my Memories of Provence setting blocks in November and almost forgot to blog about it!

They would make a very pretty quilt all on their own.

But will look so much prettier when added to my focus blocks.

Here's a reminder of what the finished quilt will look like, well mostly look like.  I have made a few little changes.

Almost every time I blog about Memories of Provence someone wants to know where I got my BOM and can they get the pattern.   I've got some great news, starting in January Monique Dillard, who designed the Memories of Provence pattern and fabric, is going to be offering a free block of the month on her blog, Open Gate Quilts.   And here is the pattern.

If you like Memories of Provence you'll also like this quilt. I think it has the same look and feel as MoP.  There are a couple of choices on the size and Monique will be offering some kits to make the quilt pictured using her latest line of fabric, Royal Gardens.  

For more details read Monique's blog here.  I plan to sew along,  I hope you can squeeze this into your 2013 quilting schedule too!  Check it out and join in the fun! 

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More Wild Air, Again . . .

Remember this project, Wild Air by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co?

I started this project by attending a class at the Corn Wagon Quilt Shop back in May of 2011.  (click here for class detail)

I didn't finish my Wild Air in class, (does anyone ever finish their project in class???) and in June, 2011 blogged about my fabric drama and how I was going to save this project for the fall.  (click here for that  post, or not, you may have enough of me and my fabric drama)  Well at the time I thought I was talking about the fall of 2011, and here it is, the tail end of fall 2012, but I'm going to finish this quilt, before the first day of winter, December 21, this year!  And I think it's going to be easy, even though this is a busy time of year.

This is my only UFO, I usually start a quilt and finish it during one space of time, or, I start it, hate it, and move on, never thinking about it again.  But I sure am appreciating the benefits of having UFOs with this project.

Here's my project box, it's like a little quilt gift.

I've already gone through the fabric drama phase of fabric selection plus everything is cut out!

And I even have some blocks made, this quilt practically made itself while it was sitting in that project box.

I looked on-line to see if anyone else had made a Wild Air but didn't find a single finish in blogland, which surprises me, I love the look of this quilt.  I wonder if all those geese  scared quilters away.  I'm looking forward to making those geese using my Fit to be Geese ruler, plus that method of geese production makes geese in groups of 4, perfect for this project.  Maybe you have a Wild Air UFO too, want to join me for a great finish to 2012?

Another reason I'm wanting to finish this quilt, it will be Lifetime Quilt #98, making my Memories of Provence BOM #99, and a clean slate for starting #100!

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