Twofer . . .

Twofer - something that satisfies two needs or criteria simultaneously.

I have the need to blog about two subjects but the time to create one post, it's bargain day at Cupcakes n Daisies!

First up, my living room wall hanging update.

I've been hanging quilts on this rack in my living room for over a year now. I went back and read my post about the first quilt I hung after" Oh Christmas Tree", the quilt that motivated me to use that blank wall for displaying my quilts. This time last year I hung "Father's Fancy" and wrote that I wasn't sure I would be hanging any more! Boy I'm glad I got over that idea, I've hung and enjoyed quilts this past year that would have probably never got off a quilt rack or out of the closet.

Like this quilt.

This is Lifetime Quilt Number 30, named Clara's Enchanted Nutcracker Dance. (click here to read all about it) I've made nearly 50 quilts since I pieced this quilt! I love it, yet I've never displayed it, until now. Technically it's a Christmas quilt, made from a Christmas family of fabric. But the print isn't overly Christmas and the colors match my living room perfectly. I plan to enjoy this quilt, for the first time really, for the month of January.

Its sister quilt, Lifetime Quilt Number 29 named Snowbird Migration, is currently on my bed.

(click here for more detail)

The blocks were from Patchwork Party 2007. I made two sets of blocks then went with two different finishing patterns. My original idea was to hang the smaller quilt on the wall in my bedroom, but I don't have a wall big enough to hang it, so I've used the large quilt but have not done much with the the wall hanging until now. It's great to be enjoying both quilts.

For a peak at another finishing option for these blocks check out Judi's latest finish (click here). Someone else is enjoying their Patchwork Party 2007 quilt too.

Next topic - Sew Alongs and BOM's for 2012

There sure are a plethora of Sew Alongs, Challenges and Block of the Months starting up. I'm tempted to join every one of them but you know how it goes, so many projects so little time. So I plan to follow several, like that Building Houses from Scraps Challenge, the Fat Quarter Shops latest Designer Mystery BOM, and this It Just Takes Two sew along. Good luck to everyone who is participating in all these wonderful online quilting bees, I'll love watching your progress.

Here are the two I've decided to tackle for 2012:

Another Year of Schnibbles, hosted by Sherri at A Quilting Life and Sinta at Pink Pincushion.

I've had a few projects in past Schnibbles parades but hope to give it a better effort this year. Especially now that I have a perfect place to hang smaller quilts. The first project is Full House, a favorite pattern of mine. I plan to use Countdown to Christmas for my Full House, the perfect companion for my Starry Eyed quilt.

I've also decided to participate in this Block of the Month.

Memories of Provence by Monique Dillard for Open Gate Quilts. I picked this BOM because it's not a mystery, I not only love the fabric, it suits me and my house to a T, and I think the blocks look challenging, in a good sort of way.

In addition to these two projects, finishing Evening Bloom, my needle turn applique project is a high priority for 2012. Other than that I don't have much in the way of plans and really haven't decided what I'm going to work on after I finish Starry Eyed and Full House. I'm sure something will call my name, but right now, I have no idea what it will be. When I do decide, you'll be the first to know!

Read more

Starry Eyed Progress . .

I had no idea how popular Angela's Starry Eyed pattern was until I blogged about my project. There are many Starry Eyed quilts done and many many more on your To Do Lists. I'm in good company. Most folks, like me, are going with Countdown to Christmas by Sweetwater for their quilts but some folks have used different fabric, I've not seen any pictures, just heard tell, I would love to see some Starry Eyed quilts in other fabrics. I think this is one of those patterns, like Swoon, that will look good using any fabric.

Angela of Fussy Cut has asked folks who make a quilt using her pattern to send her a picture. Maybe she'll create a Starry Eyed Flickr Account so we all can see.

So here's my progress . .

Star blocks, all done.

4 patch blocks nearly done.

Several folks ask for my cutting directions to make the blocks bigger, since this is a free pattern I'm happy to pass the information along.

In the original pattern the star blocks squares are 4 1/2 inches, I made mine 5 inches. For the star points I cut my blocks 5 1/2 inches and cut once diagonally. For the patches, the pattern calls for 2 1/2 inch blocks/strips, mine are 2 3/4 inches. Just a half inch here and there and you get a block that finishes at 18 inches instead of 16.

Since I'm making my blocks bigger plus making more blocks you pretty much use an entire fat quarter bundle of fabric and you need almost 4 yards of background fabric to get a quilt that finishes at 90 x 90.

I had a great week last week, the Christmas decorations are all down ( don't get that confused with packed up!) and I got to spend some time in my sewing room. I'm a girl who likes a schedule, it sure felt great to get back into my normal routine.

Read more

Christmas Countdown . . .

Christmas came and went far too quickly for me. It seems like I just got all my before Christmas To Dos done and now it's time for my after Christmas To Dos. I was hardly home to enjoy my decorations and wasn't even tired of them, but I packed them all up just the same. Someone PLEASE remind to get an earlier jump on Christmas for 2012, a reminder note after Labor Day would be much appreciated!

Time to move on. Well not totally on. Back in July, when that Countdown to Christmas fabric by Sweetwater for Moda came out, I got all excited and started counting down to when I would make something out of that fabric.

Then this free pattern showed up on the Moda Bakeshop website and not only did I have my Countdown to Christmas fat quarter bundle I had my pattern.

Here's a nice closeup view of Angela from Fussy Cut's Starry Eyed.

But I like to work with Christmas fabric when it's Christmas. So I just sat my fat quarter bundle on my shelf, printed the pattern, and started counting down to Christmas.

Well a funny thing happened on the way to Christmas, I got busy, but after waiting 6 months to make this quilt I decided I wasn't going to let a little matter of Christmas being over stop me, that's the thing about Christmas, it will be back, and I'll have a new quilt when it is.

So my daughter went back to California, my husband went back to work and Cooper went back to daycare. What's a girl to do but get back into her sewing room. And I did.

Here are my inspiration blocks. They could not have gone together any easier, I think this will be a fun and fast project.

Angela's Starry Eyed quit finished at 64" x 80", four 16 inch blocks wide by five 16 inch blocks long. This quilt is going on my guest room bed and needs to be a little bigger than Angela's finished quilt. I decided to go with 5 blocks wide by 5 blocks long, but still came up a little short so I'm making my blocks 18 inches square which will give me a finished quilt of 90" x 90", just right I think. I've cut the entire quilt out and pretty much used up that entire fat quarter bundle! Nothing left to do now but sew.

Read more

End with a Finish

How about wrapping up the year with a finish,

Birdseye is done!

The last time I blogged about this project I showed you all my finished star blocks. I intentionally didn't photograph the alternate blocks because I think this is a a very clever pattern and don't want to spoil the surprise of how it all goes together.

Sometimes my finishes have to grow on me, I don't know if I get tired of working with them and they overstay their welcome or what, but I've loved this project from start to finish and am even a little sad to have it done. If I didn't have such a long list of other patterns calling my name I would make this one again and again, it was fun and easy. It's one of those patterns that looks like you spent forever working on but didn't.

I'm still calling my project Birdseye, generally I like to give my projects a different name but sometimes its first name, the pattern name, sticks. Maybe something new will come to mind after it gets quilted.

This project finished at 79" x 79" and has approximately 1,877 pieces.

Counting the number of pieces in each one of my finished projects is just a fun little thing I always do and add to my posts when blogging about my finish. I don't know why, I'm just a numbers girl at heart I guess. Since it's the end of the year, I thought it would be fun to add up all the pieces from all my 2011 finishes.....are you ready....

20,145 pieces !!

approximately...

That averages out to 55 pieces a day!

The pattern Birdseye is by Carrie Nelson for Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. I love this pattern, I've said it before and I'll say it again, I think there should be more Birdseyes in this quilting world, if you've not already done so, put this pattern on your To Do List for 2012, you'll be glad you did!

This is my 13th finish for the year. One more than my arbitrary and completely random 2011 goal of finishing 12 projects. This time last year, when I was thinking about what I wanted to accomplish in 2011, I was training for a half marathon and not even thinking about running a whole marathon, the Infinite Variety: Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts show was months away, I had no idea I would be making a Red & White Tribute quilt, let alone one that would get in a magazine. I was thinking I would make Eventide, but hadn't really put together the notion of hosting an Eventide Sew Along. My year was full of wonderful unplanned surprises, thanks so much for following along.

I'm open minded about what I accomplish in 2012 but look forward to sharing it with you and hearing about what you accomplish too.

Cheers to you, quilters extraoedinaire, bloggers, lurkers and friends, let's all go out and have a happy and healthy 2012.

Added Later - I just asked my husband to guess how many pieces were in the 13 quilts I finished this year, his guess, 1,000!

No, he's not a quilter.

Read more

Tis the Season . . .

Greetings!

Seasons Greetings!!

How are things going at your house? Ready or not, here comes Christmas !

No sewing going on at all at my house, not even a quick 20 minutes over the last two weeks! I've been too busy to even miss it. I spent a couple of days with family, shopping, visiting, and baking, I had a wonderful time, time well spent. I've attended parties and gatherings and ate wonderful food.

I also squeezed in a quick trip to New York City. My husband had to travel to the city for business and asked if I wanted to tag along, who would pass up a few days of Christmas hustle and bustle in the Big Apple? Well me, almost. A quick trip to New York, days before Christmas, I've got decorating, shopping, baking, and parties to tend to and what if we got to NY then couldn't get home! Well I adjusted my schedule, threw caution to the wind and went and am so glad I did.

Here's the tree at Rockefeller Center, as amazing as it looks on TV, it looks even more impressive in person. That's one huge tree! So much to see in just a few days, but I enjoyed all the trimmings, every decorated store window, the shopping, the show and the food. Plus I made it back home in one piece, on time, sans cold or flu! Who could ask for more!

I wasn't the only person who decided to visit the city before Christmas, I'll NEVER complain about the lines or folks at my only local store ever again. It felt great to be surrounded by folks from all over the world for a few days, a little reminder to me of how many folks there are in this world, lots and lots of folks!!

Here's the latest picture of my miracle Home Depot $4.99 poinsettia,

it's still yet to drop a single leaf! I am in awe of how beautiful this plant continues to be! Several of you mentioned that my poinsettia would easily last until Christmas, I had my doubts but you were right! Now I'm wondering how long it will last!!

I went with a new theme for my kitchen table decorations this year. My friend Donna at Sugar Spice and Southern Life has a wonderful knack for decorating, go check out her blog for a wonderful tour of her house, it's amazing. (click here)

One thing Donna decorates with year round are cloche bell jars. Every time Donna would blog about her latest cloche landscape I would say to myself, "I've got to get me one of those cloches", well I finally did! Thanks Donna for the inspiration!

If I was sending Christmas cards this year this would be it, so consider this your Christmas card from me to you.

My daughter picked up that reindeer last year when she was home for Thanksgiving. When she went back home I took it to the pack mail store so it could go live with her in California. Uh, shipping reindeer as it turns out is an expensive venture, who knew!! After a little research we found out she could buy the exact same reindeer online for less than the cost of the one she bought at the store plus, get this, FREE shipping. So that's why I have a white reindeer at my house, and my daughter has its twin at hers!

Well I'm ready for the holidays, the last minutes to dos, like grocery shopping and wrapping are done. My daughter arrived yesterday, all that's left to do is enjoy the season. I'm going to attempt baking a coconut layer cake, my first, wish me luck!

I hope you have a safe, healthy and happy holiday full of cheer, your support and friendship to me this year has been a wonderful gift, thanks so much.

Read more