Quick and Easy

Here is one of my instant gratification projects. I love these bags and anyone I have ever given one to seem to find it useful. This is made from Sheryl Kahn's Fire Within fabric.

Zipper Bag   Feb. 2012 

This is for someone that loves my raw edge drunkards path quilt I made many years ago. I found these leftovers and made them into a potholder for her.

Pot Holder from raw edge drunkards path leftovers
Feb.  2012

Check this quilt out on my Flickr stream. This was way before I blogged so the picture isn't great but you get the idea. Once this is washed all the edges of the circles fray and get very soft. 

I have been working on another project but I can't share it with you until after our modern quilt guild meeting at the end of March.

Fabric therapy is the best. You should see the mess in my sewing rooms!

Picnic Play Quilt

My retreat quilt has been finished since Tuesday.The clouds and wind have been around or the Husband has not been home to hold the quilt while I photograph it. 

I had so much fun making this quilt. I have never bought fabric and a week later the quilt is made. I bought the fabric with the Picnic Play quilt in mind. That is another thing I have never done. Buy fabric with a quilt in mind. Not!

Feb. 2012 

These are not my usual colors and the change was nice. For the next retreat I think having everything cut prior to the weekend would be a good plan.

The pattern is in this issue. It is rare that I find a magazine that has more than one quilt that I am interested in. This one has three!

The Husband and I are on our way to Hawaii next Saturday for two weeks. I have been trying to figure out what to take for hand sewing. I have been working on a few instant gratification projects since I am already going through withdrawals from my fabric therapy. 

Until next time ... happy sewing.  

Retreat Report

Our MQG retreat was a success and tons of fun was had by all. I could not have been with a nicer group of women. Sewing with other women is so nourishing to the soul. It is fabric therapy to the max! The house we rented was like something out of a storybook. Check it out here. 

The 'theater' side of the basement.

That is a TV screen on the wall of one side of the basement 'playroom'. The other half of the group was lined up behind the couch and the other side of the pool table. There were also 3 bedrooms, a bathroom and a small kitchen down there. 

My retreat project.  2012

I tried working on the girls quilts but the blocks were such a mess, meaning the blocks I needed weren't there and the ones I had, I had way too many of.  Instead of crying in my soup (well, I did a little bit of that) I put that project away and brought out one that I hadn't started yet. It will take me a day or so to finish it and I will post a picture when I do. I now understand a little bit more about reading patterns and actually understanding them thanks to the help I got over the weekend.

Hope your week is filled with fun sewing projects.

Pick Up Sticks Top Finished

This quilt was too big for my design wall so thanks to Husband and no thanks to the slight breeze, I got the best picture I could at the time. I love the border. The black lines seemed to be too stark and in your face until I added the border. It helped pull everything together. I don't usually do borders but this one sure worked.

Pick Up Sticks   Feb. 2012

I'm getting packed up for our Modern Quilt Guild retreat in Utah. So excited for our first annual event. 

Happy quilting!

LOVE Block

Our MQG group does a block party where we trade blocks with everyone who wants to and everyone ends up with enough blocks to put together a quilt made by others in the group. We start with an inspiration block so participants get the idea of what to do. 

Block Party block for Zany Quilter   Jan. 2012

As you can tell I had some issues. I did that 'E' over 3 times! I have never done letters before so it was certainly a learning experience. She said I could do something a little different so there you have it. Hope she likes it.

Oh No, Granny Squares!

I went to my Farmers Wife group last night but I did not work on my Farmers Wife blocks. I was naughty and started a new project that I had cut with my friends Accuquilt Studio over the Christmas holidays. Lots of women in our group have finished or are working on this and I caught the bug.

Granny Square       Jan. 2012

Yes, it's the granny square! Not your typical granny square though. I made two last night so this will be an ongoing project. The second one took me about 2 hours. I hope to finish 30. The background is the black and white so it should be fun. My fabric therapy is coming along very well. 


It is amazing when you cut the fabric but don't start the project until a month later. It seems like the cutting (which is my least favorite part) was done by someone else! The Accuquilt cutting system really cuts down on cutting time.


Happy sewing!

Farmers Wife Night

Tonight is Farmers Wife night with the girls. Where do the weeks go? I needed some motivation to do some more blocks so I photographed each one that I have done so far.

Block #1. I know this is over the top with the prints but the one thing I do know is you won't find another one like it!

Block #2. I had not decided my sashing would be black when I did this block.

Block #6. I have to do #4 and #5 over. I forgot when you paper piece that you have to cut your strips much wider than I did. Oops!

Block #9. I decided to do mine a little different. Who would guess?

Block #9. The blue fabric is one that I LOVE, is old and I never wanted to use it up but it was perfect for this block. We all have those kind that we just hate to cut up.

Block #11. This is another I did before I decided on black sashing.

Block #19

Block #20

Block #21

Block #29

Block # 64


A total of 14 with the other 3 I posted some time back. For those of you who aren't familiar with Farmers Wife all these blocks are 6 1/2". Over the weekend a friend in another Farmers Wife group showed us her finished top! She added a few extra from the Insane quilt (we had started but discontinued) to enlarge her quilt. At this point I can't even imagine Farmers Wife finished.


Have a happy...