Love Is Timeless

I know i've been quiet, but I HAVE been baking. :) 

Check out Moda Bake Shop today and see my latest.

I really love this line...Sherbet Pips....

I really love this quilt actually. :)

What do you think?

Much Love!!!

I Promised...

...and I always keep my promises! That's important, you know. :) 

I have a few surprises for you. More "somethings" to add to your to-do list perhaps. Hopefully a couple somethings that you will enjoy...

Do you like this? 

How about this?

You do!!?? Yayyy!!! Well I have a tutorial for each of them over at Moda Bake Shop today!! The tutorial for the pillow is in the printable version. 

I hope you like them! :) 

Leah has made up kits with enough fabric to make the quilt and pillow. Not only that, but Sweetwater has designed a quilt label to go in the kit!! Soo excited about these labels!! If you'd like to purchase one, head on over to Burgundy Buttons to get your kit before they sell out!

Much Love!!!

Cooked Goose?

Well, not quite. 

But I do have some flying geese for you!! 

Head on over to Moda Bake Shop to see my newest full photo tutorial!! 

Not only that, Leah is kitting up this quilt for me and guess what!!??

THE Kate Spain designed a quilt label to go in those kits! How freaking awesome is that??!!

So want the kit? Click HERE to go grab it up! :D

Thanks Leah!!!

Thanks Kate!!!

You both rock!!! Seriously! :D

Much Love!!!

I Smell Java!

Sooooo....I've been baking again! I had so much fun making this quilt and I hope all of you love it as much as I do!! 

If you'd like to see the entire quilt, along with the complete tutorial, please head on over to Moda Bake Shop and maybe even leave a comment there to tell me what you think. :D

Here's a sneak peek of Java Stars ...

As promised in the tutorial, here are some ways to use up those scraps from putting this quilt together! 

You will have a bunch of triangles left over from trimming the corner squares of the block. If you keep these together after trimming, just run these through your machine using a 1/4" seam allowance to make half square triangles. Then use my HST Tutorial to trim them to the same size, 3 1/4" square. You should have 36 HST so you can arrange them in a 6 x 6 layout. 

HST are one of my favourites because there are so many possiblities to arrange them. Play with them until you find a layout you like and then make it into a pillow!  Here are a few to get you started... I went with the bottom one. If you play with the blocks, you can actually arrange them so all the words face the same way. :)

The other pieces that you have left over from the layer cake and the background fabric you can use to make 9 blocks to put in a baby quilt or perhaps even use it as a wall hanging.

Take these, and sew them together as so using a 1/4" seam allowance...

Press them towards the darker fabric. 

Next you may need to trim the end of each of the 36 pieces so that you have a straight edge. Trim the end that has the wider edge of the background fabric. (In this case the cream fabric). 

Divide your pieces into 4 piles of 9 so that the direction of the words is the same in each pile. 

Arrange your blocks as so, once again making sure that your words on the background fabric are all in the same direction. You will use one piece from each pile. 

Flip the pieces on the right, to the pieces on the left and sew where the fabrics meet...

Press each half in opposite directions...

Then sew the top and bottom halves together, matching center seams.

Press.

Next we need to trim the blocks as shown.

Rotate the block and trim the other two sides.

Square up your block if necessary.

Now you should have 9 of these cute little blocks that you can put into a quilt any way you please.

You can just sew the 9 blocks together and add borders. Or you can add a sashing with the blocks and then add your borders. OR....you could incorporate these into the backing of your Java Stars quilt too! That would save you from purchasing more backing fabric. :) 

If you want to take it one step further, with the remaining pieces you just trimmed off from these, you can repeat the process and even make 9 more smaller blocks to use as you please.

And just to show you that all my quilts DO get used...

Oddysey (on the left) just happens to be sleeping on the quilt that will be my Moda Bake Shop tutorial next month using Kate Spain's Central Park. :)

Enjoy! 

Much Love!!!

Guess What?!

Nooooo..not chicken butt.. LOL! (Sorry, I'm in one of those goofy moods today!) ;)

The International Quilt Festival was in Houston Texas this weekend and I was so excited when I was asked if I wanted my quilt to be a part of it!!

Mary from The Tulip Patch is lucky enough to live near by and was able to attend and she snapped some photos for me of my quilt! Thank you soooo much Mary!!! 

Even though I couldn't be there personally, I am still so excited to see my quilt hanging with so many other amazing quilters quilts!! 

Lookie Lookie!!  Do you see it? It's my Random Reflections quilt there on the ladder, sort of in the center! Mary's quilt, A Ritzy Cracker Quilt, is right next to it. Aren't they so cute together? :D

Here's a close up look! I know she is in safe hands but I can't wait until she comes back to. You know how it goes with first children and all... :) 

I hope all of you had a fabulous weekend!!

Much Love!!!

Boxed In With Lollipops

Sounds kind of fun huh? Well, it would be if you liked lollipops anyway. :)

I'm not talking about the sweets though, I'm talking about Sandy Gervais' new line for Moda called Lollipop! Ohhh...her lines are always so fun to work with. They just make me smile!

Here's a peek at my latest Moda Bake Shop Goodie using these fabrics...

"Boxed In"
Began September 22nd, 2010
Finished September 26th, 2010
Quilted and Pieced by me

Click your mouse right HERE if you'd like to see the entire quilt and the tutorial that goes along with it. :)

Enjoy!!!

Much Love!!!

Wowzers!!

There is no doubt that it feels great when someone wants to make something you have made a tutorial for!! It really is the highest form of flattery! So thank you...to all of you who have made something I have done a tutorial on! It totally makes me grin from ear to ear! 

I am especially excited about my latest Moda Bake Shop project!! Leah from Burgundy Buttons (love her shoppe!!!) has put this into a kit for me and is selling it in her shoppe! 

I received an email from her the same day my tutorial posted and she told me she had sold 32 kits!!! THIRTY FREAKING TWO!! **still jumping up and down** :D

We were both so excited at the interest in this that Leah decided to order more supplies from Moda to put more kits together! Woo Hoo!!!

So don't think you missed out!! 

If you want to make this...

Pop over HERE and order a kit!! They are on back order right now, but she says they can still be mailed out with in 10 days!! That's really quick and at a fabulous price of $45.00!! She also has the backing for sale for $26!

Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!! Thank you so much Leah and to everyone who has purchased this kit, or will be, and to everyone who will be making this adorable quilt! 

**WARM FUZZIES** :D

Much Love!!!

Did Someone Say Chocolate?

Guess What?

I've been baking again ;)

Head over to Moda Bake Shop to see more :) 

Much Love!!!

GO!! Have Some Fun

Not too long ago I told you all that I received this in the mail...

I also told you that I'd be reviewing the product and giving my 2 cents. Ok, maybe 4 cents. ;) I say 4 cents because I also have a tutorial for you after my review! Yay!

Let's just say I have been a busy little turtle (turtle...because I like them better than bees!) today playing with this awesome tool! I knew I'd love it, but I didn't know that I'd love it as much as I do. 

When I was asked to review this item I was offered three dies and I was allowed to choose them myself. One of the dies that I chose was Drunkards Path. I have been eying quilts made with this block for months and I've been wanting to make one but I was scared of all those curves. However, I was more intimidated with the fact that I had to cut all those pieces out. Let's be real. I don't like cutting. It's my least favourite part of quilting so that quilt never would have made it to my machine. Well, maybe four blocks or so before I got tired of it...lol! 

Today I decided to give it a whirl. I pulled out my GO! and grabbed a layer cake and some yardage and went to town. 

I read the instructions on how to use it like 5 times. I didn't want to ruin my new baby, ya know! They make it so simple though! 

• Open the GO! cutter. 
• Lay out the die FOAM SIDE UP on the cutters "table"
• Place your fabric on top of the die
• Place the cutting mat on top (they make this two sided so you can't mess that up either!)
• Then gently place into roller and crank the handle till it comes out the other side! 
• Say "Weeeee!!" Yes,  you have to say that as you do it. Each time. Trust me. It's fun :D
• Then remove the cutting mat and squeal at what you've just accomplished!! (My neighbors may have thought I was nuts...LOL)

That's it! Easy peasy and so fun! Each and every time you do it! No hand cutting. None. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Zeta. Nil. Diddly Squat! <--- that's my favourite...haha! 

Now you're probably asking how long this took me, right? Of course you are! 

First imagine if you had to cut out enough pieces **by hand** to make 36 drunkard path blocks. That's one each of the arc and the quarter circle, so 72 pieces. Estimate how long that might take you. 

Now how excited would you be if I told you that I cut each block piece that I needed to make an entire quilt in 30 minutes? Yep! Enough blocks to make 36 quilt blocks!! That includes cutting time for my solids! I think I even had a potty break in there! LOL! 

I love the fact that you can cut more than one layer at a time! I had the best results using only 3 layers, but 4 worked too. I just had to snip a few threads here and there, which is no biggie. 

I've heard a lot of talk about the waste that comes with using this tool. Yes, you will have waste, but you would if you had to hand cut this as well. In my opinion, my time is much more valuable than having a little bit more waste in fabric! I also haven't thrown my scraps away. I figure I will find some kind of use for them! :D  ((ohhh.....light bulb moment...maybe a wonky log cabin block quilt...ohhh...or a string quilt....! See...sometimes waste is a GOOD thing! ))

Here is an example of what is left when using  Layer Cake pieces on one side of the die. (I say one side because you can actually cut two complete blocks with this die if your fabric is larger.) Not too much, really.

Another feature I loved about this die and tool set is that there is no guessing. When you cut out the two pieces, they have corresponding notches (you can see them in the above photo) to match up for sewing! How cool is that!? Ingenious! 

So, my overall perception on the Go! cutter is that I LOVE IT!!! A lot! More than a lot! I need more dies now, like the hexagon one! :D  Way more positives than negatives and I'd recommend it to every quilter out there! Seriously......let met tell you one more reason why...

I made a quilt top that measures 58" x 58" today. In 5.5 hours total...that includes some laundry time so even less than that. I think it took me like an hour to sew the 36 blocks together. **gasp** Yes, circle piecing all those blocks in an hour!? Then just a little more time to sew them together and put the borders on! Eeeeeps! When was the last time you made a quilt like this in 5.5 hours?! I can't say that I ever have! 

A HUGE thank you to AccuQuilt for giving me a chance to use this awesome machine!!! Love every bit of it and I can see a lot of use in the future!!! :)

*******************************

You've been waiting patiently for the tutorial so here you have it....my drunkards path quilt top... 

 Drunkards Medallion

**Supplies**

1 layer cake
1 1/2 yards of a coordinating solid
1/2 yard for binding
3 3/4 yards for backing

Start by setting up your AccuQuilt GO! machine.

Choose 20 layer cake pieces. Your leftovers will be used in the border so don't leave all your least favourites in the pile. ;)

Next you need to cut your solid fabric.

Cut ten strips that are 10" wide. Then sub cut them into 10" squares.

Now you are ready to cut!

Lay your fabric on top of the die. I did three pieces at a time. You can do four, but you may have to snip some threads here and there. Test it out and see what works for you.

Do this for all 20 prints and all 20 solid pieces. 

This is what you get! Woo Hoo!!

**Note: I forgot to take a photo of the white pieces, but the process is the same.

From the prints you need to have 20 of the arc pieces and 16 of the quarter circle pieces.
From the solid you need to have 16 of the arc pieces and 20 of the quarter circle pieces.
The extras, you can set aside for scraps or to use in the back of the quilt.

Match a print arc piece and a white quarter circle piece and sew together according to the instructions with the die. Make 20 blocks.

Next, match a white arc piece to a print quarter circle and sew together according to the instructions with the die. Make 16 blocks.

Then lay them out in a pleasing order. This is how I chose to lay mine out. Hence, Drunkards Medallion. :)

Then just sew your blocks together to form rows. Then sew your rows together. This should measure 42.5" squared when you are done.

From the solid, cut 5 pieces that are 4 1/2 inches wide for your first border. You will have to piece two sides.

I also added a scrappy outside border with the left over Layer Cake pieces. I cut them in half (5" x 10") then sub cut them randomly. Just sew pieces together until you have a strip that is as long, or a bit longer than 42.5".  Repeat for the other side. Press and trim ends if necessary.

Repeat for the top and bottom, only making the strips longer. Sew them on. Press. Trim ends if necessary.

Then you are ready to sandwich, quilt and bind your new quilt top that only took you a few hours!

Once I have her quilted I will show another photo. I was just so excited to have a "what looks to be complicated" quilt top done in 1/2 a day! Woo Hoo!!!

Don't forget to keep your eyes out for a giveaway here soon too!! ;)

Much Love!!!

Crossing Paths

Happy Friday!!!!! 

Guess What!? Remember a few weeks ago I showed you a sneak peek of an Origins quilt? I am pleased to say that I can finally show it to you!! 

It's my second Moda Bake Shop quilt! Woo Hoo!!! I'm still pinching myself that I have designs posted there but I am having so much fun with it and I can guarantee you that you will see more in the future!

Have a looksie.....let me know what you think?....then you can head over to Moda Bake Shop for the instructions if you'd like.  :)

Aaaannnnnndddddd......Leah over at Burgundy Buttons has put a kit together!! Click HERE if you are interested! I am so excited about this and let me just tell you that Leah, she is as sweet as they come and she has the cutest little accent ever! :) Thanks so much Leah!!! You rock! 

Enjoy!

Much Love!!!

WIP Wednesday #2

I've been working on a few things this week.

A few bee blocks, that I will share as soon as I have them done. :)

And this....

More on this soon ;)

Much Love!!!

Did Someone Say Shopping?

I know it's Tuesday and normally I would do a tip for you all....

....but...

I'm not going to because I have some more exciting news for you!! *whoop* 

I received an email today from Anna at Crafty Girls Workshop who was pretty excited about my Charm Pack Quilt Along! Guess what!?? She was so excited that she is going to offer all of YOU 10% off any of the charm packs in her shop!! **Whooop** 

Guess what??!! Her charm packs are on sale right now too!! So....you get the charm packs for $6.50  each, PLUS the 10% discount!! **Whooop**

Guess what??!! Yep...there's more!!! Not only is she going to offer you 10% off the already on sale charms, she is going to take 10% off your ENTIRE ORDER!!! Anything in her shop!! Go ahead....give me a *whoop*whoop*!! LOL!

This means that you can get ALL your supplies for this quilt along ON SALE!!  Here are the direct links for Charms and yardage!! 

This also means if you want to get the jelly rolls to make my Moda Bake Shop quilt, you can get those on sale too!!!! I can just see this quilt in 12 Days of Christmas!! Ohhhhh.... :) 

So here's the deets: Head on over to Crafty Girls Workshop, fill up that cart till it's overflowing and at check out, use the coupon code CHARM to get your 10% off your ENTIRE cart full of goodies!! You have until the end of July to use this code at Anna's store. THANKS ANNA!!!! 

Let's all give her a **WHOOP**WHOOP**...hahhahah! :)

If you have any questions, feel free to email Anna or me.

Have fun shopping!! 

Much Love!!!

Oh Happy Day!!!

I never thought today would get here! Oh happy day!! It finally has!!! **jumping up and down**

You know when you have a secret and you really really really want to share it but you really can't. Well...I can FINALLY share my secret! Even though some of you may have already guessed! =P

I would say, back in January 2010 was when I really got back in to the quilting scene. I've known how and dabbled in it for 12+ years but never really got hooked, so to speak. That is until I found Moda Bake Shop. It started with Rachel's Scruffy Quilt. Here's mine. I still love that quilt! Then I found blog after blog after blog of inspiration and I was hooked. The designs. The fabrics. It was all I could think about for a while. Sometimes it still is.

I have always followed patterns though. Always. I never thought I was good enough to change things up and if I tried, I was afraid I'd mess it up and all that work would be lost. 

That all changed. I'm constantly playing around with designs now. I usually start with a pad of graph paper and a pencil, and once the idea is formed I take it into EQ7.

I learned one day that anyone could submit designs to Moda Bake Shop. It wasn't just limited to those that had already posted tutorials. It couldn't hurt to try.....could it? 

May 13th, 2010 I submitted my very first design. 

May 16th, 2010 they said yes to my design. **heart still flip flops at this thought...lol**

First I freaked out on Twitter. 

I re-read the email just to be sure and then started freaking out on the couch. 

It may have looked and sounded like the men in white coats needed to come get me...hahah! 

Needless to say, I was extremely excited! 

My very first design. 

My very first submission to Moda Bake Shop....

I introduce you to.... Random Reflections....

In Eva by Basic Grey 

In Fandango by Kate Spain

I can't help but toot my own horn on these babies! I love them so much! 

Do you love them too? If you want to make one, head on over to Moda Bake Shop to see my tutorial!! Then make sure you add yours to my NEW Flickr group ( Freckled Whimsy - Show & Tell ) so I can give them some lovin' too! :)

Psst....This is my first project idea....but I promise you it won't be my last! *wink*wink*

Much Love!!!