I kid. I kid. This was a monster once I had both sides quilted and slapped together though!! Warmth will not be lacking;)
Kumari Garden and Michael Miller prints with Kona Ivory for this side and I continued the Ivory into the binding to soften it all up some. I did the binding at 2 1/2" which is not my usual "go to" size,but the corners came out perfectly. Very pleased.
When I flipped the quilt over to take some shots of this side, it just wasn't happening! The clips wouldn't hold its weight so that is why it is folded. We have also been having random thunderstorms the last couple weeks so I didn't want to linger outdoors for too long. If you know what I mean.
Where's the hearts?
Here. There.
Everywhere! Loops and hearts randomly appeared probably because of the all cotton top giving me the freedom to do so. Good times!
One quilt. One pattern. On BOTH sides!! It is possible. With some wonderful patience and time.
The custom label done by an awesome friend of mine quickly. Josh also was a sweet hubby and did all the leg work to get the sample work from my friend to me and then get the fabric for the final piece to my friend. Finally, he had to get the final piece from my friend and bring it home to me! Phew! Why all that? Well she lives about 40 min. away and our hubbies work together so it was much easier. She had sent me thread colors in pinks and I picked this fuschia one through a phone pic. I think it turned out matching perfectly. Yeay! My client, of course picked out the verse and it is a beautiful one at that!
June Lucky Stars BOM
Tricky center issues arose,but she is done and I am pleased with her now. It took a couple days for this block to grow on me since there are a few flaws,but who's perfect?! Certainly not I. The color balance I truly am crushing on!! I chose a Timeless Treasure Sketch in Candy print for the star points and the Kona Bahama Blue is pretty cool in my book;) So now I am totally caught up on my blocks for this BOM!! Celebratin' good times!
Bought this pattern from Tasha Noel after she mentioned on her blog that we could request a pattern of whatever character we wanted from her fabric line, The Simple life. This little girl with the strawberries caught my eye. Once I had the pattern, it sat for months. Recently I had the itch to stitch:) This is my progress so far with all the berries stitched up. I am using a pale pink Kona for the fabric and Finca cotton #8 for my thread choice. I will probably be working on her some more while I travel up to WI to see family next month. Less than a month to go until some R&R.
Once in awhile I like to do some posts on other areas of my life that are very special to me. They are sort of my other passions.
Strawberries are in season and they are the yummiest! Josh loves them. Ayden LOVES them. I adore them from time to time. Specifically,once a day at least. We have a local farm down the road from us about 5 miles and they have a U-Pick kinda thing every year. I went and got my first batch a month ago. Let's just say they weren't the greatest I have had from them. I have resorted to Walmart. Yes I know not as fresh,but what can a strawberry lovin' girl do?! Gotta get that fix from somewhere. We buy strawberries at least every 2 weeks maybe less. 2 qts of them. We eat them several ways 'round here too. Sometimes in smoothies, sometimes with cream cheese,some on waffles or pancakes and some in yogurt. (I am feeling a Green Eggs and Ham moment coming on)
Recently,a friend of mine let me know that she had been to one of our local grocery stores and purchased rhubarb. Now this girl, ME has not had rhubarb in YRS and YRS. I missed it in the worst way. So as soon as the hubby got home I was off! Little costly at $4 a lb,but TOTALLY worth every penny in my eyes.
In comes this recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Bars. I cut down the sugar by half and the butter by at least a 1/3. Try it if you like fruit bars and you will not regret it!
I froze some too in apple juice using this reference. Don't you love the name rhubarb? It could make a really good quilt name hey?? I digress.
This next food that I am going to submit you to is not a favorite of the boys in my house. I,on the other hand will eat it just about every day. They are good for you too ya know?!
Avocado in sandwiches, in smoothies(yes siree!), in salads and on top of Mexican food. Yum,yum,yum!!! I eat half of a whole one a day.
I put the other half in an empty container like this one. It must be a white one. You can add a piece of onion too,but I usually don't. This will keep your avocado fresh for the next day or the next. You will have a slight brown discoloration,but I will skim that off the top with a knife. Avocados are a staple in my diet!
Now this next favorite of mine is a given if you read my blog,but I have some more to show off so here we are!
Some purple lilies from Ayden's garden in our back yard.
Today I decided I was going to cut some hydrangeas from my bush out front. The hubby wanted me to leave them alone. I won! lol They are sooo pretty that I had to bring some of their prettiness indoors.
I watched this video for some guidance. Listen for this lady's great accent!
While on the subject of our back yard.....
Meet our mama killdeer that has taken up residence in our yard and will probably be there for 24-48 days until her babies come out of their temporary home. I discovered her by accident when Ayden and I were playing tag one day. I almost walked right into her! Then I got an earful! I read that they will actually sound out K-I-L-L-D-E-E-R in their squawks. To protect their babies,they will fake a "broken: wing too which I have seen a few times to date.
I have been told that the babies are really cute and comical! We are anticipating some upcoming good times:) No I cannot tell you how I got this pic *whistling and putting my head down in an attempt to hide*
Besides snapping pics of eggs, I ordered some more flannel for the other top that hopefully will come by Wed.
For the quilting,I finished those inner squares and then did straight lines with the walking foot in both directions in the sashing. This is one soft quilt!! Maybe I will use this idea in a future quilt and use it as backing.
Pluses:
~makes it SO soft
~at the starting position , no need to pull the threads up to the top as they will be covered by the other quilt top in the end--get me?
~the soft flannel makes it a smooth,easy ride while quilting
~if you match the thread to the flannel,it's all good!! no boo boos showing;)
~ also,no matching the two quilt tops so all those blocks are in the same position on both sides which is the real reason why I did this in the first place
Today, I printed off the templates for the Lucky Stars June BOM,picked out my fabrics to include a Kona solid and new pink print. All of the templates have been cut out while watching and LOL during this movie . Melissa McCarthy is a RIOT!!!!!!
Around each of the 56 blocks inner Kona Ivory border. You know what though? I will take it. I thought it would be a bother,but it is rather relaxing. A little at a time and I will get there. No fretting here. The Aurifil thread makes it even nicer. Plus on Wed. I will be having a sewing play date with my quilting buddy, Brittany. Yippee!!
Guess what???? Ya'll are so AWESOME to me! Y'all left me the best comments last post and gave me your vote as I had asked. Thank you so, so much!
This is how I press my seams. I like to use as little ironing as possible when paper piecing so as not to disturb the seams so much.
Look at all those seams butted up against one another.
Armed with my walking foot to get over those rough spots of thickness.
#2 won!
The next day I printed out the templates for May's BOM and got right to it. This was an easy block to piece until I had to put all the pieces together. There was a pic of how to do the A pieces. No pic for the B pieces. After trial and error I was able to get it all figured out. So I thought. Then came the realization that there would be a frayed edge exposed in the grey center. Oops. This was going to bug me. What to do? I measured the block out and it was about 1/4" bigger than the 6 1/2" it should be. This obviously worked in my favor. I stitched over a little closer to the marking on the paper for 1/4" and viola! As you can see in the pic the corners are a little hodge podge. In my defense,that was the shape of the template given. No problem. Once I am done with the year,I can hide those edges in a seam allowance as best I can and move ahead:)
I promised a quilt top pic! Here she is! The other side of the double sider. I had to get it near my easy on the eye Nikko Blue Hydrangea.
Nothing better than that!!
OK I gotta talk about the trip to Raleigh! Ayden and I had an amazing time with Pam. See the two in the background there?! This was the 1st place we visited and the BEST by far.
The owner was tops!!! So friendly, sweet, and she even had Ayden helping her with boxes and unwrapping a new Halloween fabric line. He loved it and was rewarded in chocolate. Who can beat that?!
The house used to be another quilt shop before Cary Quilting Company took the reigns. This place is 82 yrs old and a diamond in the rough!!! I recommend it to anyone! Anywhere lol
I got some Simply Color Leafy Stripe by V. and C. in Aqua and a darling hedgehog pattern. I also ordered the quilt pattern that goes along with it and it will come in the mail I was told. I have had a thing for hedgehogs in fabrics lately.
We decided that Wish Upon A Quilt was next in the line up. We went there last year as well. Great store! Lots of FQ's and Kona was on sale for $5 something a yd!
Westminster Philip Jacobs Feathers in Soft
Out to Sea by Sarah Jane My Favorite Ship in Sky
Far,Far Away by Heather Ross Playing Horses in Natural
Flea Market Fancy DS Bouquet in Turquoise
Full Moon Forest by Tula Pink Trees in Pink score! done by Pam!
Salt Water by Tula Pink Submarines and Seaweed in Coral
Flea Market Fancy by DS Posies in Turquoise
This stack has yum written all over it:):):):)
Oh and look at what Pam sewed for me!
The paper dolls are her and I as friends! Isn't that the BEST gift ever?????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you,thank you Pam!! She has more of them that she has sewn and posted here.
Maybe some hand embroidered faces for these two in the future;)
It was a long,FUN packed day!!!!!
To reward ourselves, because we weren't rewarded already enough we went to an ice cream shop specializing in homemade ice cream in front of our last quilt shop. It was divine!!
Someone had to do it!!!! It was tough!
Relaxing
Playing games in the car with Ayden while traveling from one quilt shop to the next
