Tuesday, November 29, 2011

No shortage of photos here.............

Okay - it only took me a month to complete. Wow - that's hard to believe, but with family visitors and a week long trip - add in kids and you can hopefully see why I don't get things done super fast. I have realized that I don't like to rush my quilts anyway because I am a perfectionist and I want them to look amazing for my customers.


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This quilt was pieced by Thelma, you can see her process for this quilt here. Let me tell you that Thelma is an incredible piecer - seriously STRAIGHT piecing. It really makes a huge difference for me when I quilt. So, great job Thelma!

Here's a description of the quilt by Thelma:

The pattern is called Nottingham Star by Grace's Dowry Quilts. The original pattern was done with blues, grays, beiges and browns. I substituted red for the blues and grays. It's also Lifetime Quilt Number 62 on my Lifetime Quilt List tab on my blog.

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When I was deciding what to do on this quilt I remembered that Thelma had mentioned this quilt had a Civil War theme to it. So, I decided it would be best to get researching Civil War quilts and I ended up at this blog and found out that there are a ton of blocks out there that have meaning to them. So, I decided that I would take each square in the quilt and create a civil war block. I learned a few things and that the star block in this quilt is called the North Star. I never knew that.

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The main design that I decided would work best in the center of the quilt is a block called Order Number Eleven. I drew the block in my EQ6 and created a template that would work for quilting this block. It ended up being my favorite block.

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The stars were quilted to show the points. I didn't want to take away from the design of the star.

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Here's a close up of Order Number Eleven. I absolutely love this quilting design!

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Okay, as you can see - I have each of these nine blocks quilted differently. I had a total of 11 different quilt blocks for the quilt and I had to make a chart to make sure I got them in the right place.

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You can also see that I created a border in each block. I wanted to focus on the theme of the Civil War blocks and if I had quilted to the edge of each square, then I wouldn't be able to accomplish the look I wanted. So, I came in each block at 1/4 inch and quilted the straight border before I quilted the rest of the block.


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I think I kind of like it!

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Now, are you wondering how long this took me? Well, each block took 10 minutes to quilt - that's 24 hours for just the blocks. The borders, thread change, and marking the quilt are a different story.

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Let's just say that this quilt that is only 69" square took me over 40 hours of quilting.
Sometimes I think I am slow, but really - I am a perfectionist and I can't go any faster than I do.

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I think the blocks that have the two sided Order Number Eleven are my absolute favorite. When I quilted the first one - I fell in love with how it turned out.

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Don't you just love how these two come together?

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Borders - yes, I love the borders. It took a little planning and marking to get these little beauties finished. It's funny how I hated math in school - I told my mom I was never going to use it when I grew up and now I depend on math to quilt.

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I used my straight edge ruler for the zigzag lines, but the straight stitching and feathered design are all free motion quilting. Don't judge me if they aren't perfect - I'm no computer.


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I love the back - I always do.

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I really get attached to these quilts, it's hard to send them back. The only consolation that I get in sending them back to their owners is that I get paid. Hehe!

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Here are my blocks and templates. I had to use each block as a reference, then I drew the design on the quilt and quilted it. I used 4 colors for this quilt - that's a lot of thread changing, but well worth the outcome of this quilt.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Cyber Monday Sale - All Layer Cakes $24.50!!!!

Did you like our Black Friday sale? Well, we're doing it again for Cyber Monday, but this time all our Layer Cakes are only $24.50!!!!!! This is today only, so get yours before your favorites are gone!!! Today is the busiest online shopping day of the year, are you going to help make that true??? Click here to visit our Layer Cake page.


Thursday, November 24, 2011

Black Friday Jelly Roll Sale!!!!!!!!!

HEY!!!!! All our Moda Jelly Rolls are on sale for Black Friday at our lowest price of the year - only $24.50!!!!!!!!

Click here to go stock up on this incredible offer, but hurry - two days only!!!!

Monday, November 21, 2011

Clarification..........

Okay - my last post about the markers has made me realize that I need to clarify that I don't draw all my quilting. I only use the markers for outlining my quilting stencils and straight lines. I free motion quilt everything else, feathers, swirls, fillers - you name it! Free motion quilting is how I roll!

My little stash of goodies.....

marker's baby!

Everyone has there little tool or notion that they can't live without. I am always out of these little purple markers - so I told Clint to just buy me a ton, and I won't need them for at least 8 quilts. I go through 3-4 markers per quilt. So, my little stash for just me. It's exciting to have all these markers and I won't be going crazy at the end of the quilt because I can't see my lines.

Also, I wanted to thank all you for your love and support from my last post! It's so nice to know that I am not alone and that a lot of you think exactly like me. So, THANK YOU!

One more thing - we have a couple giveaways going on - so go here and here and you can enter to win some fabric goodness!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Quilter's Cramp............

Quilters cramp

Okay - where do I start. I have had this quilt on the racks for a while now - I have worked a ton of hours on it, but I still have three rows to go. It is taking all that is in me to finish this thing. It's going to be gorgeous and I know that I will be proud of it, but I am having a hard time finishing.

I am so disorganized that I get so distracted. I should say my brain is so disorganized that I can't face what I need to get done when I need to get it done. Please tell me I am not alone in this........

Every day I wake up thinking I am going to conquer the world by getting everything I need to get done that day. When it all comes down to it - I don't get everything done and I feel so far behind.

I am the kind of person that allows myself to get distracted when it comes to quilting because I feel so far behind. What I need to learn to do is to stick to a task until it is finished and not allow myself to get distracted. I have realized something about myself though - I have to make each quilt a masterpiece. I can not just skip the stitch in the ditch - I can't leave out the fillers, I want every quilt to be amazing! So, I end up taking so much time to finish one quilt that during the middle of it I get -- Quilter's Cramp!

Truth is - sometimes I just want to crawl up next to Clint on the couch and watch TV with him - even if it's football.

PS -- Please, please don't think I am complaining! I love to work on these quilts - I just need to find a better way to get them done faster!!!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Domestic Diva?

Domestic Diva

Ever since we have been married Clint has wanted homemade bread. I told him if he wanted to have homemade bread - then I need a Bosch to make it! My mom had her Bosch and I have always wanted one. So, today while Clint went to the "post office" he came home with an early Christmas present for me. He's so sweet to me! I dropped everything, ground some wheat and made my very first batch of fresh bread. I am so happy to say that it actually turned out - thanks to my Bosch!

Domestic Diva

There's nothing better than homemade raspberry jam to top it off! Thanks Mom!

I used this recipe, but I used half wheat/white flour - I don't think my family is quite ready to make the switch to all whole wheat. :-)

It's been a productive day - besides all the normal mommy stuff I got a lot of quilting done and I hope to have this quilt finished by the end of the week. I will be sure to post pictures soon.


Link

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

I'm back home............ and the winner!!!

Okay - it's been a long, but super fun week! First things first - the winner of Clint's "manly" giveaway is Carla G! (comment 612) She said she loves the "Winter Wonderland" by Ingrid Moda FQ bundle - so that's what she won! Hurray! Thanks to everyone for making this last giveaway a success! Plus Chemistry just arrived for all of you looking for some new Moda Fabric.




Cabin Retreat! From the left to right - me, Tammy, Rinda, Mom - WOW, I had such a fun time with these ladies! We laughed, cried, goofed off and sewed for 3 days! My Mom and Rinda are dearest friends from way back when - they grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico together and have stayed friends through marriage and kids. This is the first time I have been able to make it to the cabin quilting retreat. It's been going on for 4 years now - Tammy (Rinda's daughter) has made it 3 of those 4 years. I can not tell you how much fun I had. Seriously - my mom is hilarious and she can make anyone laugh. Rinda and Tammy are absolute sweethearts and it was so much fun getting to know them better. I can not wait for next year - I just hope we can get my sisters and Tammy's sisters to come - that would make the trip even better!



It was cozy inside the cabin and we really didn't even leave the cabin for 2 of the days - the snow was a fun sight to see since I just don't see snow very often here in Saint George.



What's not to love about this picture? The Moon is incredible! I am always in awe of the beauty of God's creations - it makes me realize that we aren't alone in this universe.



Look at these skinny ladies -not me - but Mom and Rinda have both lost a ton of weight and look so amazing. I am so proud of what they have accomplished! Here we are in front of the Flaming Gorge Dam and Green River.



This was our set up with the sewing machines.



We watched period dramas and sewed our little hearts out. Tammy and Rinda both completed their projects. Mom finished about 6 projects - she's amazing.



Always the over achiever - I assumed I would finish a full size quilt top for Lili's room - and pillows and pillow cases. Well, not so much! I got 25 quilt blocks done and I still have the sashing to do, plus pillows and pillow cases. I was hoping this would be a Christmas Gift for Lili, but it's not going to happen. I have too much catching up on quilting to do. But, I love how these blocks turned out - there are two different quilt blocks and not one of the 25 finished blocks are the same. I used Ruby and Bliss for the project. I will be sure to post the finished project at some future point -let's just hope it doesn't end up in the never finished pile.



It worked out that my dad could bring Lili back up to his house for the weekend, where I was staying, because he has a job down here in Saint George. The reason I stayed the weekend up at my parent's house was so I could go to my sister's baby shower. It was so fun being with my family. I missed Clint and the boys like crazy, but it was fun to have a "girls trip" with Lili. She loved that Grandpa has leaves and she wanted to rake the yard. She got tired before it was all raked, but she had fun!



Jess, Amy, me and Abby at Abby's baby shower. I was able to give Abby her quilt. She loved it! Now, I have to get back to work - kids, laundry, vacuuming, and quilting are calling me. I had a wonderful time, but I don't think I can leave Clint for that long again - I missed him too much!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

MANLY GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

******GIVEAWAY CLOSED*******


Why is it considered a manly giveaway? Because Judi left me for the week to go have fun on a quilting retreat leaving me (Clint) with all the kids, and I need a little more excitement while Judi's away!

Here's how it's going to work, and you have to earn it! I just added future Moda Precuts for the months of February, March and April to our site. You will earn 3 entries by going to each of the 3 pages and telling me what your favorite Precut is from each month. I also just added a huge selection of our current Precuts to our Clearance page with deals from 40% off. You will earn an additional entry by visiting our Clearance page and telling me what your favorite Clearance item is. The winner will win one of the 4 items they chose.

So, once again, you have to visit the following 4 pages which you can click on below -

February Precuts
March Precuts
April Precuts
Clearance Page

and be sure to give me your favorite item off of each page. If you want 4 extra entries, blog about this Giveaway and help spread the word and let me know that you did. You can earn a total of 8 entries. This Giveaway will end Tuesday. Good luck!

Monday, November 7, 2011

Guilty as charged..........

Christmas Tree

I have to admit that I have been one of those people that isn't quite ready for the Christmas stuff to be out in stores before Thanksgiving - but I caved. I absolutely love Thanksgiving and will be thinking all month what I am thankful for, but I will have this tree in our entry to remind me of the Christmas season. I love this time of year, it reminds me of what is truly important in life and I want the season to be a little longer for our family this year.

Christmas Tree

This tree was quite the workout to decorate! I found the big ornaments at Costco, the big bells at Target and the snowflakes at Walmart. The theme of the tree is red and gold and I just love how it turned out.

I hope you all have a great week. I am being brave and taking off by myself to go hang out with my Mom at a cabin sewing retreat. I don't know why it is so hard to leave my husband and kids - probably because I never leave by myself. But, my first solo trip - I am sure they will survive - let's just hope I survive without them.

Take care!

Friday, November 4, 2011

Studio pictures!

My Studio

You know when you just need a change to help with the motivation? Well, I needed this little change in my studio to get me excited about finishing more quilts. Clint has been amazing - he moved all the furniture and put up new curtains for me! I love, love how it turned out. You can see what my studio looked like before we moved everything here.

My Studio

Okay - the quilting machine fits exactly across the room and makes some dead space in the bay window area, but that is fine with me. I will have to crawl under the machine to put quilts on and take off, but I am happy about being able to look outside while I am quilting. We removed the bottom bar that carries the batting so it will be easier to get in and out. Another plus is that I will be forced to move more and that should help with the added pounds - he he he!

My Studio

I also love that the room feels more open - there is a bigger space in the middle of the room and that will be great when I am laying quilts out.

My Studio

New feature - we added the quilt racks - made by my dad - I thought it would be fun to have all my quilted bags hanging there when I am not using them. They are usually everywhere around the house, but now I have a place for them and I quite like it.
The only thing missing in this picture is my sewing machine - it's at my mom's waiting for me to go to a little cabin sewing retreat next week. I can't wait! It's going to be fun - for me. Clint's stuck here with four kids - mwahahehehahahaha!

Best of Show?  Can you believe it?

And - I got these beauties in the mail today - there is nothing like a little mail to boost your confidence and make you feel better! Some days are harder for me - like yesterday - so it was fun to get these ribbons to remind me that even though quilting can be crazy, it is all worth it. This is my first "Best of Show." I still can't believe it - I got it for machine quilting the Dragonfly Quilt - there were over 700 quilts in the show. So, I am a little happy right now.

By the way - if you need fabric, we have a store wide 30% off sale going on through the weekend! Have a great weekend everyone!


Thursday, November 3, 2011

sneak peek

I can't think of a title for this post - my brain is gone. Here's another peak at what I am working on. Although - I didn't work on it today. It's been one of those days where I think I am going to accomplish a whole lot - as far as quilting is concerned - but I am so overwhelmed with how many quilts I have in que that I just don't want to face it! So, what do I do? I tell Clint I need a change and I want the studio rearranged! Well, as any good husband would do - he moves everything around and then forces me to organize my things. I feel like I can get a ton done now being organized - I just wish I could stay that way. I will get some good pictures of the studio tomorrow so you can see the change. I love it!

Remember this quilt? I finally got the pdf file ready for this stencil. I call it "Clover" and you can get it here for only $1.95

And this quilt? Same deal here! $1.95 for my "Serenity" quilt stencil!

Here's hoping that more quilting is done tomorrow - that all depends on if the kids will take a nap!

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Really? November Already?

November

I was fully aware that yesterday was Halloween, but when I looked at my phone and the date said November 1st - it hit me that the year is coming to an end! Holy Cow - where the heck did the time go? Clint already wants the Christmas tree up. Normally I would say "let's wait" - but I am super excited about our tree this year. Well, here's to another great month in 2011 - let's hope I can get some (a lot) of quilts done!