When I saw scrap bags of Kaffe and Kaffe style fabrics for sale on Glorious Color I just had to buy them! I don't have a fabric collection of these type fabrics , wish I did sometimes! so its nice when I can purchase scrap bags like this. I was hoping for lots of bright fabrics and this time around there are mostly darker fabrics. Hopefully they will have more in the very near future.
I thought I could use them to whip up another donation quilt.
Oh so why was I on the Glorious Color website???? When I saw Taryn's post about her ordering the Stars and Sprigs quilt pattern I knew I had to finally order it as well.
I have loved this quilt from the first time I saw it. And the fact that it was inspired by an antique quilt I knew someday I would have to make it! I vowed not to buy it till I had one of her quilts finished I had the patterns for already. Oh well a year is long enough right? After seeing Janet's blocks and then her finished quilt top I knew I was getting closer to buying that pattern ! Now having a friend to challenge and a little friendly competition to making blocks each week I will be starting this quilt soon. The pattern arrived yesterday!

A new book I bought recently. oh my what wonderful quilt pictures in here, full page color pictures, just beautiful.
One that I am happy is now in my library. If you love antique quilts this is a book that you should consider buying.
The book is available thru the DAR museum shop

I have only 4 more rows to go for the donation quilt I am making, I am very happy with the way its coming out and not having any problems sewing at the machine. My foot is healing and I have been given the go ahead to sit and sew "legally" LOL
I learned how to use the other foot on the pedal! thanks for all your get well wishes...
stay tuned I feel a few sewing marathon sessions on my machine coming on!

this is how I audition fabrics for applique leaves, I cut squares or rectangles and then fold up and pin to where they will be...
do you have a method you use to audition fabrics? I am always interested in how others work...
When I find the ones I like I trace the pattern with my generals chalk pencils, love these ! nice big line I can SEE to turn under and needle turn applique using my favorite straw needles. Jeana Kimball's size 11 straw needles.

Flower Garden quilt pattern by Kim McLean , since I don't have a flower garden per se I thought this would be a fun quilt to make and make it my own....I am enjoying choosing my fabrics for each and every block. A bit more challenging then using Kaffe style fabrics but hey I am a reproduction fabric type girl!
I think it will be a bright and happy quilt by the time I get done, don't you? here is a picture of all my blocks on this post.

when I saw that Victoria was asking for more quilts to be donated to the homeless in the Bronx again I knew I just had to whip up a quilt for her.
Decided it had to be a happy and bright quilt, hmmm considering 99% of my fabric collection is reproduction fabrics, hmmm how do I accomplish this???? Lucky for me I just happen to have a few Summer in the City by Urban Chiks for Moda charm packs. Add white squares to it and look I have a nice big quilt that will be sewn up and quilted to donate !
I really enjoy making quilts to donate just wish I had more bright charm packs I just might whip up another one or two to donate. I watch those sales at Fat Quarter Shop for charm packs they really come in handy! I used 4 charm packs for this quilt and will add one row of white to the top and bottom the quilt will then be 72 x 81
don't you think some teenage girl will love this quilt? I will have it heavily machine quilted so it can be washed easily.
I truly think its important to make quilts to donate that you would be happy giving a gift to one of your own friends or relatives...
I was given the ok by my dd's today they would love this quilt and were a bit disappointed when I told them no its not for you!
When I told them who was getting it they said oh some lucky girl will love this quilt.. just the response I wanted to hear!

surprised???? purple binding, it works for me! gives the quilt the aged, antiquey looking I am always trying to accomplish.


The little tumbler quilt that was suppose to be donated to the The Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI) Its too big so trying to decide where to donate it instead. I will make another one and will make it smaller and make sure I check the size before I put the binding on! They are strict about the size requirements and I understand that, I just kept going and forgot to trim the quilt back by 1/2"


Here is the quilt I am hand quilting now, I made this awhile ago and posted about then. Again trying to play with the hand quilting , I am thinking the 2" grid on the outside border may not be enough quilting. I will probably go back and quilt in between each line again...my theory is there can never be enough quilting in this case more is better!

and yes did you see the next quilt underneath thats the next one to be hand quilted, YES another red and green quilt!

adding texture to my little quilts with the hand quilting is always a goal of mine. I love the way the alternate block looks. Instead of just doing a grid on this quilt I decided to hand quilt the blocks differently. I chose to just do an X in the nine patch blocks and then in the alternate block where you will really see the quilting I repeated the nine patch block. I am happy with the results, when the quilt is on the wall and mattering which way you look at it you will be able to see the texture the hand quilting gives the quilt. I tried to capture that for you in this picture. Can you see it?

now to decide how to quilt the setting triangles
Do you give your hand quilting designs a lot of thought before you start quilting the quilt?
Do you have a favorite quilting design you find you use over and over again? if so what is it?
so happy I had a good variety of pinks to use in this quilt, they make it in mho!

here are the bowties I made so far after seeing Juliann's little quilt I may be reconsidering my dream of making a queen size quilt in these cheddar bowties!
or maybe I just need to make a little quilt AND a queen size quilt, I just love these bowties!!!! I am so glad Bonnie and Juliann both posted about this antique quilt at Sisters Quilt Show this summer.


of course even if I am not sewing up a storm on my sewing machine right now I am still pushing those buttons adding new fabrics to my collection, have to keep it fresh you know :) Thanks Tara for sending them right out to me! I can't wait to the yardage comes in!
Oh how I love these two new lines and LOOK how well they play together....
collection for a cause COMFORT and LATELY ARRIVED FROM LONDON
by Barbara Brackman. Just beautiful fabric line I have one of the fabrics pulled out of the bundle and will need a bolt of this one.

the Collection for a Cause bundle I still haven't opened up yet still savoring the stack of colors ;)
I KNOW there will be a few in there I would love bolts of for now I would be happy with a 1/2 yard bundle of the fabric line to whip up a quilt or two, a fat quarter bundle is just not enough of these beautiful lines of fabric
don't you agree????

Look what arrived today! My very own Go! Baby fabric cutter. I can't tell you how excited I am!!!!
Thank you so much Darlene and the Accuquilt Company.
I still can't believe I won this, I have wanted one for a long time. I can't wait to play with it and whip up a little quilt :)
stay tuned !

The wall above my cutting station is going to be filled with my little quilts. What you see here is about 1/2 the wall next time I will show the whole wall space. I decided they have to be hand quilted before I hang them up, I need to have the pink, yellow and green one taken down so it can be quilted! Lucky for me this is right across from my sewing machine so I can view these quilts all the time! I am now inspired to hand quilt a few more of them and to hang up a few more that I have hand quilted. Hopefully I can get some help to do that in the next few days! Getting on a ladder right now is probably not a good idea! My plan is to be able to rotate them thru the year some will come down and be used in the house others will stay on the wall all year round.
You know I have enough to fill the wall but trust me that is not going to stop me from making more! I find these little quilts fun to make and well its nice to have a finish inbetween a few of the LONG term projects I have started.....

A little quilt I had made using a pattern free from Kathy Tracy's website, going thru the pile of little quilts yesterday trying to get inspired to quilt one of them, maybe this cute little quilt needs to be next! I loved making the nine patches a bit scrappy . A little more work to piece but worth it in mho.
My favorite quilt book to be inspired by for my little quilts...

Funny how I never remember seeing this little quilt guess I am always ready to jump into the book and never read the dedication page. So many of you emailed me to say this little quilt was in this book! Thanks , now the book is back out and a few more sticky notes attached for future reference! My quilt I showed in the last post looks so similar! Guess thats where Andrea was inspired for her version.

thought this was interesting , look at the selvage on this fabric! I bought a bundle of fat eights of OLDER reproduction fabrics off ebay and was cutting it up for different projects There were a few selvages that are just so different then what we see today I decided I needed to share them with you over the next few posts!

So what is your favorite quilt book to be inspired by???? I would love to know and why?
What makes a quilt book a good one in your opinion????

small wonders
doll quilts by Andrea Balosky
friends of Latimer Quilt and Textile Center Tillamook, Oregon
looking for inspiration for little quilts?
this is a great little book. I first heard about it from Bills Blog. Wonkyworld! on this post.

thanks for the inspiration Andrea! I just loved this color combo and was happy to find these fabrics in my closet a few weeks ago when I made this quilt.
Yes its nice to always say where your inspiration came from for a quilt I think. give credit where credit is due don't you agree?

today I hope to start hand quilting it after I decide which direction the hst should go and oh how to quilt it.
Do you need a tutorial on how to make this little quilt?
Thanks for all the well wishes...sitting at the sewing machine is just not happening so its time to get excited about hand work.
I have to admit to just dreaming up new quilts since last week and maybe pushing a few buttons to buy fabric for future projects...