this is one of my favorite little quilts I made this year, I am thinking I may make a few for Christmas presents is this a little quilt you would use during the holidays? I am thinking on using it on my dining room table with a poinsettia plant on it or maybe a Christmas Cactus. I am really thrilled with this little quilt, Lorre did a great job quilting it, perfect colors for me all year round :)
ok so wouldn't you use this quilt all year round too????

I have 4 blocks completed now only 12 more to go! You can see Bev's completed top here.

I find myself wanting to make Christmas quilts in Dec, now why don't I start in the summer so they may actually get finished for this year? I pulled out this kit over the weekend from The Fat Quarter shop and decided I want to make something else with the fabrics instead! I may just have to start cutting and sewing today , I love this fabric line, Grace by 3 Sisters, and the red, green and tan just perfect for our home, yes this quilt will be for me!
Am I the only one that buys a kit and takes it apart and makes a different quilt with the fabrics? When you can buy kits on sale its well worth thinking outside the box and just buy it for the fabrics!
I love buying fat quarter bundles gives me a great variety of fabrics to use in my scrappy quilts or even sometimes , rarely, I will just use that fat quarter bundle for one quilt...
When you can buy them on sale its even better!
IF YOU LOVE ANTIQUE QUILTS LIKE I DO.....
then you need to check out Laura's blog she is doing her 25 days of Christmas with a different antique quilt posted every day, pure JOY!
I look forward to this every year! Thanks Laura for doing it again this year.

this is the little quilt I chose to make first out of Sarah Fielke's new book Quilting from Little Things. this book is just starting to be available here in the USA. As you can see in the picture of the book I have quite a few post its and plans to make a few more from this book. I bet you may be a little surprised as all of Sarahs quilts are made from what I call bright fabrics....not reproduction fabrics. I don't buy books cause they look like my quilts, I buy books when the quilts inspire me, I can look past the fabrics they use and know I can make it my own in my own palette of fabrics. Don't you do the same thing? If not give it a try next time your looking at quilt books, you will be amazed at what books you will buy!
Sarah's quilts are bold and graphic I love that but I can do the same thing with my historical reproduction fabrics, yes I can!

Here is the quilt in the book...ok so I changed it a bit I used one fabric for the background , a great cheddar I have been saving for the right occasion! So what do you think now? Is my little quilt as graphic as hers and mine is in reproductions.

the color is off in the background here (truer colors in the first picture) but wanted you to see the comparison shots...

Did you see Lurlines eagle?


I have to share with you my first attempt into working with wool again in quite a few years, I have JUMPED on the wool bandwagon just wait a few weeks and see what I have done! Isn't this gingerbread man cute and well the fabrics behind him are even BETTER! Ah yes the Friendship line from Howard Marcus for Moda's Collection for a Cause program. remember I posted about it here...
I am so thrilled over these turkey red fabrics, Thanks Moda!

Happy Thanksgiving after all the family festivities I will be doing a little hand quilting this weekend,
I think I got carried away with the basting...quess thats what happens when I talk on the phone and baste I guess!

My growing wall of little quilts...I am constantly adding to it, rotating a few of them as its great to have so many you can do that, and thinking of new ones to make!
Here is the book that inspired me to have my own little wall of quilts...

JUST look at this! isn't it grand?, I have blogged about this before but now I finally have carried out my plan to have my own wall. Next is an art gallery look in a hallway I need to make about 30 more little quilts, no problem right!!!



I need to get the ladder out and add a few more over the table hard to reach. I also realized I need to add a few of the applique ones up there. I love that I have a selection of them now I can rotate them when I want to .
I use the flower head pins to hang them I just push the pins right into the wall 2 per quilt usually and they stay up there.
So have I inspired you along with Mary Ellisor Emmerling the author of the book to make your own wall of little quilts? Do you have a favorite of the ones I have on the wall now? I would love to know!

Yes it is true I have made quilts with other fabrics then reproductions !
I LOVE the fall and the changing of the leaves is always amazing to me. The colors are just so beautiful. The quilt is made from Batiks, machine buttonholed, hand quilted and embroidered.
it was a bit challenging but well worth the effort, to this day I just love this quilt, it hangs in our home all year round. (and yes those santa's and feather tree stay out all year round too, I just love them!)
I wanted the quilting to reflect a forest floor with leaves scattered all around...





Now check out Dawn's leaf quilt!
Mine was made with a pattern from Laura Heine

What can I say as soon as I saw this fabric line, Friendship by Howard Marcus, on Moda's website I knew I had to have it! I was lucky enough to get a package in the mail yesterday with this included!
These turkey reds are just to die for!!!!! I love so many of these prints, ok, ok I love them all. These turkey reds you should/ need to buy yards of and hoard in your closets trust me . Turkey reds don't come around that often that are this good. Here is the whole line.

When I laid out the fabrics my eyes went to the browns and blues, just soooo nice together in mho , yes I admit it I am becoming a blue fan! I may need to make a brown and blue little quilt once I can buy a 1/2 yard bundle of this line! or even a big quilt.

and you KNOW I love red and brown quilts, yes I see another one in my future! these are perfect together!

oh and add in some of these great creamy beige fabrics....Perfect don't you agree?????

I started a fund to buy bolts of these turkey reds the line will be out in March of 2012, start asking your local quilt shops or favorite on line shops to order it now! I love that Moda does these collections for a cause fabric lines, not only are the fabrics from antique quilts but the profits are used to support so many wonderful causes, This friendship line it says
Supporting the Cause…
Feeding America
“Whose mission is to feed
America’s hungry through a
nationwide network of
member food banks and
engage our country in the
fight to end hunger.”
nice to know a company is giving back and my purchases will help support this cause too, even if its just a little dent in the whole picture makes me feel good.
disclaimer NO I don't work for Moda just a VERY satisfied customer
now we just need those limey bright greens that are in the turkey red prints made into fabric for leaves and stems! I need a few bolts of those too!

I made the basket block last Saturday morning before my power went out due to the snowstorm. This snowstorm in October mind you is just so odd! wrecked havoc in our town. The heavy wet snow took down so many trees, limbs, power lines, etc it was and still is an incredible sight to see as you walk around . The town is littered with trees and branches on so many peoples property including ours. It will be weeks before this is all cleaned up. Most of the town lost power and there are still people without power here. We have a tree company coming this week with a crane to take care of some of the trees , so with just that image you can imagine how bad it is.....
I really try to keep my blog all about quilts and quilting related materials, but losing power for almost a week again in less then 2 months I am so behind in answering comments and visiting your blogs. At this point I decided to just move forward I will be starting fresh , I hope you don't mind. I love getting comments and do try and answer everyone of them. this week I just need to be in my sewing room sewing away! I will get back on track from this post on! Again thanks for your comments I love hearing from you.

I had prepped the tulip block, I drew myself from a block in this book and yesterday I drew and prepped the next block to make as well. I am not much of a drawer/artist but I got out the freezer paper drew some shapes took the scissors and started cutting. If I didn't like it I just trimmed and cut until I did. My next block was inspired by this block, and I do think I may have to make another one using the leaves in the block as well....ok I admit it is was fun and freeing to draw the blocks myself and just cut the templates until I was happy. This quilt will be blocks from this book Album quilts of Ohio Miami Valley. This book is a treasure trove of quilt blocks and album quilts. My plan is just to keep making blocks I like using the solid fabrics and this great word fabric as the background.


A few new books I bought recently...oh my what fun I will have making a few of these Schnibble quilts from Carrie Nelsons new book another bit of Schnibbles
here is the first quilt I want to make from this book (are you seeing a trend here???? solids I NEED to collect solids!!!) I love this quilt the fabrics just sparkle in mho, great quilt I can't wait to make it.

The Reasons for Quilt book by Edyta Sitar is a must buy book for anyone who loves antique quilts, oh my there are some amazing antique quilts in this book, lots of patterns. Not all the quilts in the book has patterns but I don't care, I am so thrilled to see these quilts. So are you surprised I bought the Quilt a new Christmas by the Piece of Cake ladies? oh this book is just so fun, I have been a fan of their work for years. When I saw the preview for this book I thought omg this is just so whimsical and right now I need a little whimsy in my life, I need to collect some brights and happy fabrics and polka dots, just look at this page doesn't it just make you smile?????

and do I ever wish I would have had the bindings on all these little quilts this week I could have sewn them all down! Another pile of little quilts I had machine quilted by my friend with her long arm machine, I will show you them again after I bind them!
I am thrilled with the results....

I can't wait to hang a few more on my wall of quilts and probably send a few more to blog friends and friends as just a RAK
isn't it fun getting a package in the mail?
Have a great weekend, take some time to quilt and lets hope the power stays on!