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!

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T Stands for . . . Thankful!

Just in time for Sinta and Sherri's Schnibbles Parade, here's my "T Stands for Thelma" top. As I mentioned in a previous post, I thought this pattern needed 100 "T"s.

This is Lifetime Quilt Number 82

It finished at 58" x 58" and has approximately 782 pieces

The pattern is technically Bibelot by Carrie Nelson for Miss Rosie's Quilt Company (it pains me say that but for historical purposes I must be accurate)

I have around 50 different red fabrics in this quilt.

(Huge Gasp......It just dawned on me that I'm only 19 projects away from quilt number 100! I should be making quilt 100 next year! Oh my, the pressure of finding the perfect fabric and perfect project for my 100th quilt, good thing I have some time to plan . . . . )

I had a couple of rules when I was arranging my "T" blocks on my design wall, no like fabrics touching plus a diagonal row of upright "T"s going from the top right corner to the bottom left corner. ( I have no idea why the corner to corner row of upright "T"s was so important to me, but it was so I went with it!)

So I did the same thing I always do, put the blocks on my design wall, get the perfect combination, then go to bed and sleep on it. If it still looks perfect the next morning I'm good to go with sewing the rows together.

After spending so much time getting just the perfect combination, there's nothing more frustrating than getting your blocks mixed up when connecting them. And in my case, it's a four step walk from the design wall to the sewing machine, but somehow I'm able to jumble up those blocks if I don't have them marked. This is how I avoid that disaster.

Using a permanent marker, I wrote numbers on the tops of these pins. I keep them in this special pin cushion.

Before I take a row of blocks off my design wall to be sewn, I put a pin in the block, numbering each block.

I put the pin in the same place on every block, sort of in the upper left hand corner, but not too close where it gets in the way of sewing. I put them in the same place so I know how to orient the blocks. I leave those pins on until the entire row is connected, then I double check to make sure I didn't make a mistake. Then I take all the pins out of the blocks except for the pin that identifies the row. If this was the first row, then pin number one stays in the block. When I finish the second row, pin number two stays in the block. I usually sew row one to row two as soon as they are ready, and when they are pieced I take pin two off the project. Pin number one stays in that project until all the rows are connected. I always like to be able to identify the top of my quilts. (I don't know why, I'm just crazy that way!) So that's how I get that perfect layout every time!

Thanks Sinta and Sherri for picking what forever will be to me my very own pattern. I can hardly wait for the parade, hope to see you there!

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Take on down, pass it around . .

One hundred blocks of "T"s on the wall . . . .

One hundred blocks of "T"s . . . .

I'm not the only one working away on "T" Stands for Thelma, here's a cute story about two more "T" Stands fors . . . that are done! click here

Monday I'll be participating in a Blog Tour for Monique's new book, "Traditional Fat Quarter Quilts", or as I have renamed it , "More Fat Quarter Winners by Monique". Be sure to stop back by. I'm up first and there will be giveaways and a whole week of fun with some pretty nice bloggers. AND I heard that the person who gets the biggest response on their giveaway wins a prize, like Monique's dog Tillie or something.....I hope that's not just an ugly rumor because I'm in it to win it or in this case her!

Enjoy your weekend!

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T is for . . . .

Time to work on the March Schnibbles . . .

Since this pattern is really "T Stands for Thelma" I figured I should make my top out of, what else, reds! This is my red scrap bin,

and this is how full it WAS!

And this is how full it isn't!

I was able to cut all the pieces I need for my project from that scrap bin. In some instances I only had a piece big enough for the border, but that's OK with me, some of those little pieces are all I had left of some of my favorite reds. Looking at this quilt will be like looking at all the red quilts I've made so far.

I'm using TheAngler 2 for this project, so I don't have to draw the lines on the back of all those squares.

It's going fast.

I've seen three finished "T Stands for Thelma" projects online so far. This is an easy project, you still have plenty of time to make the parade. Nicole made hers in a day!

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JRB and Winners!

Can you hear it, it's the sweet sound of contentment emanating from my sewing room.

It's like a retreat, except it's going on in my sewing room, no drama, no math, just simple sewing and trimming.

I'm ready to make some James River Blues blocks, everything I need is right here. I'm making 144 blocks and have decided to make 72 blocks with a random assortment of browns and blues. Of the remaining 72 blocks I plan to make 36 all blue and 36 all brown.

I think this will help with the scrappy look I want when I'm ready to throw 144 blocks on my design wall to get that perfect combination. (You know know rule, no like fabrics may touch!)

I sure enjoyed reading all the Schnibbles comments on my last post. Bec suggested using Sweetwater's Hometown for Full House, I like that idea and may just copy it! And I think Gretchen said what I was thinking but just couldn't put into words, " They are so addicting and a perfect way to get a wonderful fabric line out of your system. You know those lines that you just gotta have but don't really need a big quilt made of it."

Thanks for stopping by and sharing your Schnibbles stories with us. We are a wonderful assortment of Schnibbles lovers, I'm pleased to be in such wonderful company!!

I'm also glad to know that a few folks agree with me when it comes to the name on this pattern, I may have to start an official campaign of some sort, stay tuned for updates!

So here are the winners:

Nancy E who has made 6 Schnibbles and left a comment on 9/9 at 5:55 am.

Paulette at Sweet Pea Quilting and Creations who has made only 2 Schnibbles, even though she has plenty of wall space. I think there are more in your future Paulette. Paulette's comment was left on 9/9 at 9:05 am.

And

Kristen at Meadowbrook who is struggling with Honeycomb but not giving up on Schnibbles! Kristen left her comment on 9/9 at 6:44 am.

I'll let you know what Schnibbles they pick!

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Schnibble'n Along . . . .

Are you a Schnibbler? I'm a Schnibbler!

Schnibbles are mini quilt patterns that use a couple of charm packs and a little yardage to make an amazing work of art and are the brain child of Carrie Nelson at Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.

Two years ago, September 2009, Sherri at A Quilting Life and Sinta at Pink Pincushion started a little sew along called A Year of Schnibbles. (I know, can you believe it's the second anniversary of the "Year of Schnibbles!) ((I wonder if anyone besides Sherri and Sinta has participated each and every month, they deserve a legacy prize, or at a minimum, to be the first in the parade!))

I had only been blogging for a few weeks and was so excited to get to participate in my first sew along. The first Schnibbles for the sew along, "Winter White"!

Since that time I've made 4 Schnibbles, maybe I should say I used 4 Schnibbles patterns to create some quilts.

Carrie's "Winter White" finished at 34" x 34", mine, named "Eat More Pie" finished at almost twice that size! (see Lifetime Quilt #51 for more detail on "Eat More Pie")

Next up was "Cindy Lou Who", which finished at 33" x 33", I made my blocks bigger and added a few. (see Lifetime Quilt #52 for more detail on "One Star Two Star Red Star Blue Star" or click here to see the finished quilt on my bed)

I did make "Good Fortune" exactly as called for in the pattern but surrounded it with "Madeline" who I enlarged. (Lifetime Quilt # 59)

The main reason I kept tinkering with the patterns, besides the fact that I'm a nut who always has to be just a little different, I didn't have any place to hang those mini quilts. And even though I have 7 or 8 quilts stacked on one bed, one on top of the other, they are still bed quilts and serve a purpose. I just couldn't talk myself into making little quilts, even if they were adorable, if I didn't have any place to put them.

And it drove me crazy, what a great way to use up scraps, to experiment with fabric choices, to learn some new techniques, by making Schnibbles.

And while I was able to resist making Schnibbles, that didn't stop me from buying the patterns. They are like candy to me, a real treat! I love reading them, love finding out how they go together, love the math that makes up the designs. They're better than a Sudoku puzzle. Plus they are portable, I stick one in my purse and read it when I have a spare minute. I actually left Nash at the dentist's office. When the receptionist called to tell me I had left it behind, and wanted to know where she could buy the pattern, I just gave it to her. Once I've figured out the "man behind the curtain" I'm pretty much done with them. It's like those find the differences in two pictures puzzles, once you've figured it out, you're ready for the next one.

Well all that's changed! This summer I replaced the bedroom outfit in my guest room.

And I intentionally didn't order a mirror to go over the dresser, I'm filling that space with Schnibbles! What a perfect place to hang mini quilts, that dresser stretches out 66 inches long and Schnibbles usually run less than 40 inches square.

I just got the latest 6 new Schnibbles patterns in the mail and can hardly wait to make them all!

One of my favorite things about Sherri and Sinta's sew along is the monthly parade, where all the projects for that month are revealed. I just love seeing the same pattern made with different fabrics, I am always in awe of the projects that are in that parade and the fabric combinations that folks use. Well Carrie has created her own Full House Parade, click here to see this pattern using 4 different families of fabric and two different pattern sizes! House blocks in quilts always appeal to me, I have a few houses in a Thimbleberries Christmas quit, but this one is better, a whole little town!

This pattern is called "T stands for Thelma" I'm not sure why the cover says "Bibelot", the back of the pattern says bibelot is "a small object of curiosity", I'm not small but I am sometimes an object of curiosity. I'm going to make "T stands for Thelma", I hope you do too.

This is "insert snappy title here", maybe we could call it "Bibelot" and get the right name on "T stands for Thelma"

When I make this quilt I'm gong to hang it like this, because I think this is the way it's meant to hang.

"Summer Day" out of light, bright fabric, how about Fall Day out of Sandy Gervais, or Winter Day out of Countdown to Christmas or Spring Day out of Fig Tree, the possibilities are endless!!

These are the last two of the latest Schnibbles patterns, I've yet to read the directions but just know Carrie has come up with a clever way to make these complicated looking quilts go together easily.

Sinta and Sherri have decided that September is quilter's choice month. We can make ANY Schnibbles pattern we choose, I've been waffling on my choice for days now and have still not made up my mind. But as soon as James River Blues is done I'm starting on my Schnibbles, you'll just have to come back by to see which one.

I sure hope you participate in this month's Schnibbles parade too. To give you a little incentive I'm giving away 3 Schnibbles patterns of your choice to 3 folks who leave a comment or send me an email. New, old I don't care, which ever patterns call your name they will be coming to your house.

Any comment about Schnibbles will do, like how many you've made, why you've not made any, why you like Schnibbles, why you don't, your favorite (my favorite is Picnic) just share a little Schnibbles trivia and you're in. You have until 5 am, CST on Monday, September 12th to leave a comment, I'll announce the winner later that day.

Thanks for stopping by!

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