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Hopping Blogs!

I’m excited to do some Blog Hop Show and Tell today!  It’s finally my turn to reveal the project I made using Happy Hour Stitches Lindsay Mayland’s free Charming Mini Pattern!  As you can see, I made a little doll quilt for Stella, (a charming mini herself) and she is delighted!  Didn’t that work out well? 🙂

I used a couple bundles of Moda Mini Charms; Lydia Nelson’s “Darling little Dickens” which has sweet little animal faces and characters, and Sherri & Chelsi’s “Bright Sun” for added contrast.  I also wanted to make the quilt just a little wider, adding a half-drop block to alternating ends of each row.  This also staggered the seam allowances, so there were no seams to match as I was sewing the rows together.  BONUS!!

14 1/2″ x 15 1/2″

The half-drop blocks were the perfect size to show off these bunnies from Elizabeth Hartman’s “Paintbox Basics” in a few different color-ways.

Every garden needs a couple bunnies!

Obviously this is a very versatile pattern, and I know you will want to check out the other participant’s projects:

Dec.5  Happy Hour Stitches  Lindsay Mayland

Dec.6  Riceford Streams  Tracie Henkel

Dec.7  Punkin Patterns  Vanessa Lynch

Dec.8  String and Story  HollyAnne Knight

Dec.9  License To Quilt  Sheila Sinclair Snyder  (me)!

Dec.10  Pat Sloan

And now, it’s YOUR turn!  Let me know what you come up with!

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Love making Table runners!

Black Eyed Batik

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I’m just like a lot of you, I love a quick project now and them sprinkled in with the more complex quilts I work on.  Table runners are one of my go-to projects, when I just want to FINISH SOMETHING…….., ANYTHING!  These pics are of table runners, and one horizontal wall hanging that have helped me keep my sanity that way!  I love rich saturated colors, and making a small piece gives me a chance to work with different fabrics and colors I might not automatically choose otherwise.  I can see how they work together, and that will give me confidence to use them in a larger piece as well.  All of these runners were designed in collaboration with Lisa Bee-Wilson over at Towerhouse Quilts, so be sure to check her site to get a look at her versions.   Click here to download the FREE patterns for each of them! The wall hanging, Waves of Hospitality is an art piece I did a few years back, and of course I teach classes in this technique, and have added my signature pieced borders to this one.  Hope you enjoy seeing them!

For previous posts about these runners:

One Hour Table RunnerBarber Pole Table RunnerPiano Key Table Runner Summer Star Table Runner.

The featured image at the top of this post is a table runner from “Perfect-Fit Pieced Borders” called “Black Eyed Batik”, another colorful favorite!  That book is out of print, but I have copies available on my shop page.

 

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A Little work with P&B Textiles

I’ve been designing a few quilts for P&B Textiles over the last few months, and will be able to share the designs and quilts with you along the way!  It’s been a fun, new adventure, and I’ve loved the time I get to spend at the sewing machine producing the quilts!  This collection, called Harrington, is an elegant design and I thought would show well in this star medallion which I’ve called Harrington’s Guardian Stars.  The pattern will become a free download on their website, and I’ll let you know when it becomes available!  Any of you going to Spring Market will be able to see the quilt (and others) in their booth.  You know me!  I love a new challenge, and this has gone very smoothly, so there will be more to come!

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Cozy Flannel Quilts!

wintergreen quiltJust noticed that All People Quilt was featuring some cozy flannel quilts on their weekly newsletter today! I thought I should check it out, and what did I find but MY QUILT Wintergreen featured on the first page! What fun to see it again in a wonderful setting. This quilt is on my guest bed right now, awaiting our company for Christmas. It is made of flannel, and homespun, both plaids and prints, and even a stripe thrown in for good measure! I used a shot cotton backing as I wanted to keep it light, but I used a wool batting for the warmth. The quilting is pure fun: a large paisley in the plain blocks with contrasting thread so it would show against the print, and horizontal zig-zags in the background. My good friends helped me meet the deadline: Wendy Fast pieced the quilt top and Lisa Bee Wilson of Towerhouse Quilts did the quilting on this one. It’s fairly loosely quilted so the loft of the wool is maintained, and believe me, this is a cozy one. All People Quilt is offering it as a free download now, but originally it was published in “Quilts and More“.
I hope you will send me a pic when you finish yours!

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Deviating from the norm! Sewing vs. Quilting

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I just can’t decide!  What do I like best, sewing or quilting??  It depends on my mood, how much time I have available, and what project strikes my interest at the time.  I started out doing a LOT of garment sewing over the years and then got seriously into quilting.  Now, I like to do some of each!  The FREE project for this month is a fun Picnic Napkin Pattern!  You know, the kind you take with you to a pot-luck or picnic, where you’re supposed to take your own table service.  This is so fast and easy to make, and what I love best about any project–it is functional!  Hop on over to Lisa Bee Wilson’s blog to see her versions.  We’d love to see yours too, and let us know what events you’re taking them to!

Find some spunky fabric–you know it has to suit your personality–or make a statement!  You’ll have it done and ready in no time.  I’ll be using mine for the first time this Saturday at my quilt group.  When I come home, all I have to do is put the silverware in the dishwasher, and throw the napkin in the laundry!  Make a bunch of these, enough for the whole family, and then start planning your next picnic!