I just really love fabric with words on it and knew when I saw this one Etchings by 3 sisters for moda, I had to have it! I have a few plans for it and one will be with using the new solids I bought to try. Centennials by Judie Rothermel. They have a great feel to them and I love the colors! This is a great cheddar if your looking for a solid cheddar, one I need to buy yards of and stockpile it! I was thrilled when Moda started coming out with Bella Solids , the feel of those as well are wonderful and easy to applique. Its nice that the fabric companies are coming out with great solids again in mho. I am using the moda bella fig tree cream 9900 67 for the background of my applique blocks for this quilt, so many of you asked. This is such a perfect color for a background to my reproduction fabrics. One I will use over and over again as well as the Ivory 9900 60.
I am trying to add more and more solids to my quilts. I love the look and hey they are a great way to expand our fabric collection budget! I am happy to have more to chose from.

Ever since I started reading Debs blog I knew I had to change the way I bought backgrounds, I wanted to be a bit more adventurous in color choices. Look at the one in the middle it has a taupe/ grey tint to it, hard to photograph its going to make a great background for an antique quilt I am going to reproduce that my friend lent me.

The other fabric is just great, architectural drawings I think making a house quilt using this as the background fabric will just be fun. Lately I have been buying backgrounds and thought you would like to see , I am trying to give more thought to my background fabrics rather then just play it safe! Some quilts just need a solid color background but lots of them adding interesting fabrics makes them even better. Do you agree?
Have you checked out Whittles lately?
they have Betsy's crossroads to texas fabric on sale! I ordered one I missed when it first came out! I was thrilled to be able to buy a few yards of it. that rusty color print , the last one pictured on the site.
so thats my fabric shopping lately....now back to sewing, have a great weekend hope you find time to spend with a needle in your hand or listening to the humming of the sewing machine, for me it will be both this weekend!

ps did you see this new scrappy quilt magazine! I love that house quilt unfortunately I sold the quilt a few years ago....thanks Tara for posting about my quilt in this magazine!
and then did you see this!!! Thanks Pam for posting about my quilt in this book, I need to order one of those books!
and did you see Pam's Journey 3 is just about available, Love these little quilts! I can't wait to get mine in the mail!

I was waiting for the right project to use this red fabric. I was inspired by Bev's (no blog but you see her work on Quilts in the Barn blog and Quiltmania #85 issue!) blocks I saw recently. She is making it in red and white as well! The pattern is in Mary Kovals book, Blue and White Quilts.

I was so excited to use my new applique bag that Taryn sent me as a RAK...this is just the greatest applique tote bag I love it!
the pin cushion box is a giveaway I won on Shelia's blog, isn't it adorable, I just really love it. you can see all the goodies that are inside the box at her blog. Make sure you look around her blog she has made some amazing little quilts!
Its up on a bookcase now for me to just admire everyday! thank you!!!!!

Awhile ago my friend Lorre bought an antique quilt, I just loved it, besides nine patches I love making stars!
I knew I had to reproduce this quilt. Above is my version of the quilt. Instead of making a quilt inspired by an antique quilt this time I was going to try and reproduce this quilt as closely as I could. I spent a few months collecting fabrics and swapping with friends (special thanks to Mary Jo) for some of the odd fabrics in this quilt.

Here is the antique quilt , I was lucky she lent it to me to study and reproduce. Yes, I have permission to share this with you as well.

So do you think its a pretty close reproduction? I thought I would share with you my process of making this quilt.
I thought the quiltmaker was bold with some of the fabric choices in the blocks, I loved how the quilt is such a mixture of light and very dark blocks, something I don't see often in quilts today. I have to admit it was hard not to change the quilt to fit into "our" way of making quilts today! I was determined not to. I learned a lot by making this quilt, fabric combo's on the blocks, she used what she had in some of the blocks, all the fabrics what not the same but the color was. black was black, beige was beige just use it!

first I just started making a few blocks

auditioning fabrics

next the blocks go on the wall and then I start pinning fabrics I will make blocks with onto the design wall in their spot on the quilt. This is my way of getting ready for sewing the next day. I normally tried to have 5 star fabric choices pinned on the wall ready to sew the next morning.

a close up of some blocks....

now to decide how to quilt it, by hand or custom quilted by Lorre on the long arm.
any suggestions????

I took these blocks back out yesterday I think its time to finish this quilt.
I am thinking about adding an applique border to it.
guess I am not done with my red and white phase yet!

after seeing Lucy's nine patch quilt yesterday I am inspired to finish this quilt I started too...before I start another nine patch quilt , I love how light and airy Lucy's quilt is now I want to make one like that too! hmmm maybe some red toile instead of blue?
ah yes I just love nine patches! and a bit of cheddar what could be better? I was inspired by an antique quilt to make this one...

YES I get to make a few more nine patches before this one is done! I will add in some of my latest favorite fabrics to finish this one and oh yes it may just need a border.
so does this inspire you to make a nine patch quilt????

I bought this DVD set last month and finally this week was able to watch it from start to finish. I need to watch it again! I learned a lot, saw A LOT of great antique quilts and enjoyed hearing many peoples opinions on antique quilts. From dealers to historians it was interesting. 250 minutes of talking about quilts, what could be better? This series will be on PBS so check your local stations. Or you can buy it here, Why Quilts Matter.


I ordered this book from blurb a few months ago. I was hoping to start making a New York Beauty quilt , at least a block before I posted about this book. its on the list for 2012. I have been following Bill Volckenings Blog for a long time and when he said he was writing a book and sharing pictures of his collection of NYB quilts I was thrilled.
Its a book worth having in your collection in mho. You can preview the book, Beauty Secrets, here and purchase it as well...check it out.
Nifty quilt blog did a great review of the quilt exhibit of Bill's NYB quilts on her blog...just look at those quilts!


Thanks to all of you who entered my little giveaway and for all the nice comments about my quilt. I truly appreciate it.
the winner of the Sew Scrappy Magazine (book in mho!) is Kaaren from The Painted Quilt blog. just send me an email with your mailing address and I will drop it in the mail to you next week

SEW SCRAPPY MAGAZINE, Vol. 2 quilts for Fabric Lovers
by American Patchwork and Quilting.
I was so thrilled to see my quilt on the cover!
For me it truly is all about the fabrics. I love making scrappy quilts the more fabrics I can add in a quilt the happier I am!
Would you like this magazine???? see giveaway below.... FIRST
Here are a few close ups of the quilt, just enjoy the fabrics!


there are lots of wonderful quilts in this issue here are a few of the designers
Check out Gumdrops from Sherri of A quilting life blog
this would look great in repros don't you think!
Scatter leaves by Pam Buda of Heartspun Quilts
Polka Dot Fest By Becky Goldsmith of piece of cake fame!
oh my gosh I want to order red and white polka dots to make this quilt!
Sew Small , three little quilts by Roseann Kermes of Rosebuds Cottage....
Lynda Hall has a great little fall wallhanging , ah yes I need to make this one too..primitive pieces blog
A snowball quilt using soft colors very pretty, peach cobbler by Pat Sloan...
ok you get the idea I love this issue !!!
oh you want to see more????? guess you really need the magazine!
I am giving away a magazine to one lucky winner, just tell me would like the magazine
I will ship anywhere in the world.
If you love scrappy quilts this magazine is for you! I truly hope you will check it out at your local quilt shop or book store its like have a book of many different quilts I know you will want to have in your library.
Fat Quarter shop carries it here
thank you for all the nice comments yesterday about my latest scrappy quilt I made. check it out if you didn't read that post yet....

Here is another one of my quilts I put the binding on this past week. I thought you might like to see where the quilt resides now over a chair ready to use this winter in our living room. I used so many of my favorite fabrics in this quilt . I decided to share a lot of them with you.

just had to show you it opened up! oh my just look at all those great fabrics!

gosh how I wish I had even a fat quarter left of this blue it makes my scrappy quilts sing....

oh one of my favorite background fabrics it is just so sweet, wish Henry Glass would reprint this! Its from Judy Roche and Corienne Kramer collection...another one I wish I had yards of !

oh Patty I put this pink in for you :) thanks for adding so many happy fabrics to my fabric collection I would have never bought , now I do!

didn't you want to see the back? a cheater cloth! how fun is that? you know I have become fond of them for the back of my little quilts. I was lucky enough to buy this one on sale for the back of this quilt.

oh look at the black in there...makes the fabrics around it just sparkle, yes I have learned to add black fabrics in my scrappy quilts.

Here is one of my very favorite fabrics, that blue, another one thats all gone now from my fabric collection
oh I don't even know whose fabric it was I just wish I had a BOLT OF it (ok I would be happy with a 1/2 yard of it to add to many more scrappy quilts) all the quilts I have added pieces of it too just make me smile every-time I see it.
Did you see any of your favorite fabrics in this quilt?

love the pumpkin seed quilting in the blocks...

choosing the clamshells for this little quilt was perfect....oh this is such a great way to use up your little pieces a true scrap quilt, some of my favorite fabrics in this little quilt....

the Japanese taupe fabrics in the center of this quilt are just so beautiful, in mho. the pumpkin seed quilting pattern in the center just perfect. From across the room the quilting on this quilt is just perfect. I am still trying to decide on binding fabric, I am leaning towards black or a very dark brown, any opinions?
I am happy to have all these little quilts quilted and ready to use, since I have made so many this year its hard to hand quilt them all in a timely fashion. I wanted you to see what amazing work the longarmers can do now , yes keeping it traditional in my style. Rather then having lots of quilt tops find a long armer you admire and trust, go ahead and have one or two quilted you will be glad you did. REMEMBER this is coming from someone who just LOVES hand quilting but I do feel machine quilting has its place in some of my quilts.

Here is another little quilt I had long arm quilted. I love red and brown quilts!
16.5" x 16.5"

Just how sweet is this little quilt ? A very simple quilt but look how much it comes alive with all that quilting. I love how the clamshell quilting adds so much texture to the quilt 12.5" x 12.5"


At first I felt really guilty having these little quilts machine quilted, seeing the way these turned out I am happy I did it.I still have many that need to be hand quilted and two more to bind from the machine quilter :) maybe I need to give her a few more!
I am learning to make choices hand quilting time vs hand applique time, I am choosing to hand quilt my favorite quilts. If you found a way to do it all please tell me your secret! I LOVE hand quilting, the look, the process, the feel but I can't hand quilt every quilt I make, or can I?
Yesterdays quilt is 1" squares , 13" x 15" so you can really appreciate those tiny baptist fans.

yesterday I picked up a few quilts that were long arm quilted...
I just love the way this one came out! Its amazing what those machines can do!
Look how she took the baptist fans and shrunk them down to fit my little quilt!
Its amazing what a simple little quilt can reach another level by the quilting. This quilt was enhanced tremendously by the quilting in mho

Baptist fans is one of my favorite quilting patterns.
do you have a favorite? I would love to know.

don' t you just love when the mailman brings you surprises in the mail!
Dawn from Quilts and Pieces blog made me this little quilt and she hand quilted it just so beautifully
thank you Dawn! what an amazing surprise.

As soon as I saw this book on Quiltmania's website I knew I just had to have it.
I am a HUGE fan of red and green applique quilts. It is an AMAZING book I carried it around with me all day yesterday, I could not stop looking at these incredible quilts. This book is a must have if your an antique quilt lover, applique lover or just for inspiration. It is one of the top 2 quilt books published this year in mho .
The Red and Green quilts from the Poos Collection , Kay Triplett
If you go to their website and click on the book you can see a preview of whats in their books.
thank you Dawn, Collector with a needle blog for seeing it at AQSG and thinking of me. Check out her blog, great antique quilts and sewing tools from her recent trip to the East Coast.
I really hope that Quiltmania finds a distributor for their books here in the USA, I hear there will be a lot of new books coming out next year from designers I really admire.

This fabric was given to me by a friend, Tara, Sew Unique Creations blog, last year isn't it just beautiful, Blessings by jan patek and linda brannock for MODA, its calling out to be made into a quilt next....doesn't the fabrics in your closets talk to you too?
thanks friends!