Road Trip!!!

It’s no secret I love a quilt retreat…my (non-sewing, non-quilting) sister made a comment about a year ago that I seemed to be away at a quilt retreat every 3-4 weeks. I wish!

Anyhoo…tomorrow morning, two of my favorite quilty peeps and I are heading off on a road trip to here. Stopping at three shops along the way, (#1, #2, and #3) and when we get to the bungalow, we will be joined by two more quilty peeps for a weekend of sewing, eating, sleeping, and shopping… A combination road trip/shop hop/retreat all in one?!? Its’ like a little slice of heaven…

See you on Monday!

Snap Happy…

….or Snap Crazy? I made seven more of these cute little snap bags this week. Six of them are thank yous from my small group members to the small group that hosted us for our Picture Piecing workshop two weekends ago. We made coordinating tissue cozies, and filled these with goodies to thank them for the day of fun they gave us!
This fabric came from the stash of one of our group members, it has little bumble bees, spools of thread, and the words “Quilting Bees” all over it, from South Sea Imports, it’s a release from a few years ago…cute, huh?!I made a seventh one as a birthday gift for a certain little glamour girl I know. Adding a shoulder strap to it, it makes the perfect little purse size for a six year old.
I have a huge stash of LakeHouse brights, and this was a great project to use a few of them on…
And finally, I thought I would show you the free fabric I received this week. That’s right, free fabric! I won a $25.00 gift voucher from Bunte Fabrics, through True Up, for participating in the Favorite Fabrics of 2009 carnival. Yvonne at Bunte carries European imported fabrics, these are from Germany, one yard of each poplin design (57″ WIDE!), and are now in my sewing studio:That pink cherry print may even make it into a Valentine themed project this weekend at retreat… Yvonne’s service was amazingly fast, I ordered on Thursday afternoon and had these in my mailbox on Monday! Go visit her shop…

And one last pic, I thought you might like to see my sewing companion. Her favorite spot to rest/sleep/hide/groom herself is between the two quilts that hang on this quilt rack in my sewing room. She probably spends 18-20 hours a day in that spot. The other night I walked in to get something, and she was peeking out the side. I had to snap a picture. It’s almost as if I caught her in the middle of something…. hmmmmm…. The log cabin quilt she is sitting under is one I bought at an auction about 5-6 years ago in Cedar Falls, Iowa. I don’t know anything about the maker or provenance, but it’s a lovely, soft, treasure. The one behind it is a pink and white drunkard’s path, also an auction purchase.

Medallion Musings

You were so curious about my sneak peek last week…this sweet little pink Kaffe birdie:

(a sure sign of the Spring I am dreaming of…some people dream of a White Christmas, I dream of an early Spring!) I didn’t mean to keep you waiting so long for the reveal–so, without further adieu… she belongs to this 12.5″ block, a medallion for a new quilt:

These eight little birdies represent me and my seven small group friends. I designed this “Birds of a Feather” medallion for a Round Robin exchange we are doing over the next six months or so. Each month, the medallion moves on to another member of the group, who will add a border onto it, then pass it along to the next quilter in the line. I won’t get to see this sweet little quilt again until late June or so. I added a few fabrics to the box to inspire the other “birds” in adding their borders:

Passing along my creation, knowing I have NO control over what it becomes was tough for a minor control freak, slightly anal-retentive person such as myself. This should be a good growing experience for me! Learn to let go, Doris, just let go… Here are the center medallions made by the other members of Seam Sew Easy:


Emma also chose a bird theme,
Beth and her husband admire the architecture of old barns, so she created a red barn medallion using Printed Treasures…

Our soldier, Sergeant Dawn made a paper-pieced star in patriotic colors…

Lisa recreated the facade of her home in fabric…

Teresa designed her own applique. Love the brights in combination with the black and white!

And Veronica made a maverick star in all her favorite colors.

Tricia couldn’t make it, for some reason, I just cannot fathom, she decided to flee ice covered Iowa to visit her parents in Phoenix. I’ll show her medallion another time. Some of these girls are very new quilters, but they have all produced great work and I know our quilts will all be wonderful!

Have you ever participated in a round robin project? I’d love to hear about it!

Jack Frost Stopped By

I complain about Winter weather (often)…but I openly admit that I missed the four seasons when I lived in South Carolina. Three years without all four seasons was enough for me. And for all the complaints I utter, I have to admit, Winter does have its charms, and certainly, a beauty beyond anything else. I snapped these photos on Tuesday morning, following a visit from Jack Frost the night before…
It was like Des Moines was covered in crystals…
These berries took my breath away…
Unfortunately, this is what they look like today, most of Iowa is covered in 1/2 inch or more of ice… It is still beautiful, but many trees don’t survive the weight of the ice, and many people go without power because the ice takes down the utility/power lines. Safety is a major concern following an ice storm, in more ways than one.

I am always humbled by the beauty of what Nature can create.

Just a sneak peek at what I’m creating this week (notice the Spring colors and theme?!?)…
May you be safe and warm in your corner of the world, and take a moment to appreciate the beauty of Nature around you.

Picture Piecing

I love a three-day weekend, but, wow, do those three days fly by, or what? Saturday was a fun sewing day with my quilt group, Seams Sew Easy, and our sister group, six lovely ladies from our Guild who invited us over to show us what they learned in a class they took last year with Cynthia England. Cynthia authored this book (which has been in my library since 2005, but never read) and is one of my quilting idols:

Her method involves foundation papers, but you piece it from the front or “right” side of your fabric, not the back as in traditional paper piecing. This is the block I made on Saturday:

Check out my friend Emma’s star block here. It comes from this practice pattern in the book:

The idea is that you can take any photo or image, and adapt it using Cynthia’s method, into a quilt block or quilt top (Like the American Flag in the photo).

I wasn’t sure what to do with my little practice block. When I got home and moved onto my next project (Beth’s Sew Connected 2 January Bee block), I realized my little star block matched her fabrics perfectly so I made a “stars outside the cabin window” block, for Beth:


Saturday also brought some “sunshine in the mail” for me, in the form of a bright yellow Hancock’s of Paducah envelope. (Don’t you LOVE those yellow envelopes!?):

My new supply of Kona Cottons for some upcoming swaps and Bee blocks:

Buzzin’ in the Bees

The Bee I’m hosting over at One Block Over is well underway, I think this is the fifth block completed for Michele already….
And Heather is on the ball sending out her February fabrics early, so I got on the ball and whipped up this wonky cabin block for her:
Dubbed “Sunshine in the Cabin” by yours truly…
February is my month in the Sew Connected 2 Bee, and I am so anxious to get my fabrics sent out on Monday and start getting blocks back in the mail! I need to get Beth’s January block sewn up this weekend and off to her in the mail…

The person who thought up this online “bee” idea is a genius. This is so much fun and such a sharing of creative ideas!