Sew Sunshine

I decided to join Cheryl @ Meadow Mist Designs  for Best of 2016 Linky Party. I really felt that I did not do much this year so it was hard to pick my best so I picked most viewed.  1. The "eyes" have it quilt. A kit on one side makes the giant pixel eye and on the flip side I made my own version of a God's eye.  A few finishes post 2.  Scrap Busting 3.  My Way 4.  Cutting room floor 5.  Around the block party   tied with.......... Closer to you This was a lower production year but a fun year of making none the less.  Linking up with  Meadow Mist Designs Linky Party

Happy Holidays! I have been working on a few gifty things that I didn't want to share yet. Yesterday I got hit with a bit of vertigo so I was not able to sew much but I did put together the glass balls I have been experimenting with. I got some ranger inks and played around with coloring them. Found this cool vase and decided to put together a little holiday card.  The words are part of a hymn that my dad always loved and I think it is especially fitting this year.  I hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday Season and a Happy New Year! linking up with  Sew Fresh Quilts Let's Bee social

    Mini quilted trees happened today.    I have many many orphan quilt blocks that were pattern samples my mom made when she was trying blocks out.  Most of her blocks are from a picture then she makes a grid and cuts out cardboard templates.  Many times the block didn't come out exactly as she wanted.  She would fold up the block with the templates and label an envelope with the block name or idea.  I inherited boxes of these.     I decided to try this sort of unattractive rust color block as a sample and randomly quilted it.  Once it was quilted I drew tree shapes on the block not caring where they fell really. I took matching thread and stitched over my drawing several times then cut them out.  I really like the way the cuts took on sort of a wonky appearance but like it was meant to be.  I dug out moms button box and added the button to the top and tied a string to make in to ornaments.   While ...

This is the mini I whipped up for our local guilds mini swap.  We were supposed to make anything but keep it between 12"- 24".  I made "Listen" approx 16" x 16" and it is matchstick quilted.   The fabric in the center was the inspiration and it spoke to me so much as to what to add to it so thus..."listen".  Since it was a hurry to finish I added the quick corners at the top for hanging and I added the small one at the bottom for a label. Was super quick to just sew it in the binding.  The guild swap was pretty fun but stressful. We chose the mini's white elephant style so there was lots of stealing of quilts. Not my favorite thing to do as you briefly get attached to the ones you had in your hands.    "Sweetness" is the mini I won made by a new guild member. It is sweet and I am so looking forward to getting to know her in the new year.  Here is the attempt to get our OMQG guild group in a pho...

  Happy Day! I made a  Bionic Gear Bag  as a sample for one of my lqg Saturday Sew Days.  I had a piece of AGF pastel thrift letter fabric and it just happened my initials were in the fabric together.  Since I love text so much I decided this was the way to go to make "myself" a gift.   I used some more text in the inside and some happy colors.  Perfect to house those clips. This bag is so wonderful I could use it for make-up and jewelry. Or ...maybe I just need to make more?   Linking up to  Show off Saturday  @SewCanShe

This quilt I made using the  Quick Curve Ruler  by Sew Kind of Wonderful. I just love how easy it is to make curve blocks using this ruler.   I made this and several of their patterns for a demo I gave at one of my quilt guilds quilt show this last month.   This is one of those times that a deadline was good because that is almost all the sewing I have gotten to lately.  The pattern for this quilt is in their book One Wonderful Curve. I highly recommend this book if you want to give curves a try. Every pattern is so very different. And .......no I am not being paid by them I just love this product. :) I used all Moda Bella solids for this quilt. It measures approx 45" x 45" and simple straight line crosshatch quilting.  I love the movement it has. Makes me wish I had quilted it in circles.  Linking up with Kelly for  Needle and Thread thursday   and  Finish it up Friday  with Crazy Mom Quilts.

Just a reminder that the Blogger's Quilt Festival is open for voting.  My "Conversation of a Marriage" is in the small quilt category.  Check all the small quilts out  HERE   and then check out all the categories . So much fun to see all of the quilts from so many talented quilters.  Linking up with Let's Bee Social with Lorna @ Sew Fresh Quilts

"Conversation of a Marriage" Weight of Love Pattern by Libs Elliot 53" x 59" My entry into the  Blogger's Quilt Festival  Small Quilt category. I took a class with Libs Elliott thru my local modern quilt guild.  I collected many of the fabrics for a while as I love text.  These have some special meanings to me and I tried to include elements that represent my husband and myself over the years.  Some of the fabrics includes are the Pastel Thift text letter fabric that I used to put the "lbs." to represent another kind of unit of measure in the 'weight of love'.   Also I ordered this great Pride and Prejudice fabric from a designer at Spoonflower. (sorry I could not find your name to link to) The backing has tons of text and graphic prints.  Please stop over the the  Blogger's Quilt Festival 2016 fall edition  and vote for your favorites when it opens.  Also linking up with Lorna @  S...

  I am a Maker 24" x 24" pattern by Liz Harvantine   HERE matchstick quilting I have loved this pattern since it came out and this is my third time in making the small wall hanging size.   It is really fun to make.  This piece was inspired by a piece of text fabric that a friend who happens to be co-chair of this quilt show, gave me a few weeks ago. It has text and sheet music on it. Then I found some fabric that has sewing pattern terms and quilt blocks on it. Some fabric with writing, photography, architecture and diagrams and put them all together to represent the makers of many beautiful things. This wall hanging will be donated to one of my local quilt guilds for their quilt show auction coming up Oct 6-8 to raise money for the guild.   I might have to buy it back I love it so much! If you are in Lincoln Ne during that time stop by to see the show or bid on a favorite piece to own.  linking up with  Crazy mom qu...

First off, I finished a small version of the Libs Elliot "Weight of Love" from her class here a few months ago.  I am finishing the bigger one from class right now but I took time to play one weekend with some friends. They had a Accuquilt Go Big and so while they played around with these shapes I used my Hex n more Ruler by Jaybird Quilts and cut small pieces to play. This time I played with color and it came out looking like a "Persian Sunrise". I love it and have to say I don't mind sewing Y seams.  Next up, I had to finish a kit I made up for Quilts for Kids. This was a design challenge last year in one of my guilds and this simple design by Maryann Morris won.  I had this cute flower fabric and made up the quilt with circles to match. This quilt would make a sick child smile so can't wait to turn this in so it gets to one soon.    Another local guild is having a quilt show soon and we are all asked to make up some things that would be great f...

A week ago while at the county fair a small group of lovely ladies gathered to sew on some quilts for Lincoln Quilts for Kids. The vintage look fabrics were donated to this organization to make some sweet quilts.  I thought it would be fun to do a scrappy trip quilt using Bonnie Hunters  Tutorial .   Part of the fun of working on a quilt at the fair or anywhere out in the community is to see the wonder in the eyes of the children who come up and watch you sew. The interest in their eyes gives me faith that the art of quilting will keep passing on.  It was really a fun experience.  I found the whole experience so rewarding and fitting as I am co-chair on a lqg challenge for their show this year. The theme of the show is "Celebrate Community".  I truly believe that each of us with the love of sewing and the love of quilting should share what we know and do at every opportunity.  Part of being in this lovely world of the quilting community is suppor...

approx 30" x 30" I have been super busy with county fairs and have a few other irons in the fire so.....did not have much of a chance to get a great pic of my crosscut quilt. This is from the crosscut quilt along by Debbie at  A quilter's table  on IG.  I decided to post my pic anyway.  I made the light background blocks and decided to add a frame of the opposite and i really love it. (that is the more)  Wish my quilting was up to par.  Oh and i tried to quilt up the binding.  before quilting I did sort of a scribble on the binding with different colored threads.  Such a fun project so shout out to Debbie!! linking up with Needle and thread thursday with  Kelly @My quilt infatuation and  Confessions of a fabric addict for @ Whoop Whoop Friday