HOT ITEM!!

This octopus quilt has been a hot item lately...

.I haven't counted how many I have done in the last two months but there have been quite a few.

 I recently got an order for this octopus and they wanted the pink and brown polka dots like the one they saw.

 Thanks heavens I know where to get more fabric.

 I had enough but I was in my room late one night and was prepping this octopus

 and was able to maneuver the octopus on the pink polka dot scraps to where it would work.

 I was sooooooooooooooooooooooo excited that I wouldn't have to go and buy new fabric.

 Well...maybe it was the late hour,

Maybe it was the fact that my light bulbs were out over head

 and I was working by a lamp across the room.

 What ever the reason.

 I fused the octopus on the right side of the fabric.

 WHAT!!!!!!

 If I were a cursing woman, you would have been able to hear some not so nice words...but since I am silent in that area I just called myself all kinds of names (don't know which is worse).

 So...the next morning I make my way to the fabric store to buy another yard.

Other than that, this octopus went together like a breeze.

I don't think I have ever had a quilt go together so effortlessly.  It was a pleasure.

Maybe it was because I did it in between a project I am doing....have been doing...seems like I have been working on this one project forever and can't wait to show you.

Anyways, when I would get bored....I would pull out the octopus...and work...put it away until it was needed to chase away the monotonous routine....

The one receiving this is Samoan so I used some of my Samoan fabrics for the back.

UMMMMM Ummmmmmm stinking GOOD!!!

Just a plug for this octopus pattern,  if you would like to purchase it, just email me.  

Quilt of Valor

I finally finished my "Quilt of Valor" from the hop that Marjorie did.

I gave this to my Navy son.

I chose this pattern so I could practice my FMQ

 but my son came home the other day and said he needed a smaller blanket for his bed.

So I debated on whether to just meander this quilt or put it aside (for a longer period of time) until I could get to it and do some pretty stitches.

As you can see......the boy's need took over my desire to save it for a time I could quilt the dog out of it.

 

Was a nice Saturday project.....

 

even tho...once again

 

 I am doing the things I don't need to be doing

 

and

putting off the things I should be doing....

 

 

Oh well....Tomorrow is another day!

LAUNDRY IS ALWAYS FREE AT MOM'S HOUSE!

My son came home the other day to do his laundry. Here is a picture of the laundry bag I made him about five six years ago. I was surprised to see that he was still using it. Here is a laundry bag I made from the measurements.... This truly is the easiest laundry bag ever!!!

Here is a laundry bag I made up from the measurements of my son's Navy Laundry bag. His laundry bag was just a white mesh (not mess) and so I decided to make something us gals might like to carry over our shoulders.


 His Navy bag also didn't have a draw string....

Then while I was making up this laundry bag the thought came to me.....to make a Laundry Wall hanging.

 I can't wait to hang this in my laundry room.  I was even thinking it would be great for a dryer runner.  Now you are thinking Dryer What????

I have had several (two) dryers rust in spots on top because of the laundry soap. 

No where to put the laundry soap but on top of the dryer.  Besides wouldn't this be cute there?

For the time we were in Virginia I had a beautiful towel Betsy from Fiesta made for me and every time I saw it I would first think of Betsy and then just admired it.  So think about it....not such a bad idea.  At that time I was trying to protect the dryer because it was not ours and it already had rust spots on it.


So what do you think is it worth it to drive to mom's house to do laundry?   It is always free with a batch of cookies.

Three Dude's Jelly Roll Tutorial by MIssouri Star Quilt Co.

This quilt was done using the tutorial below, Three Dudes jelly roll quilt show by Missouri Star Quilt Co.

I love how it has hearts on it.  This is the second quilt I have done using this method and both are soooo very different.  I love it.  Talk about fast.....this whips up in no time.

GREEN FAIRY QUILTS CHARITY FOR ROMANIA

Most of you know Judi and Clint at Green fairy quilts and I am sure you all have seen Judi's awesome award winning quilts...she is amazing.


 I have been friends with Judi since day one of my blogging and I think the beginning of her blogging as well....she just draws you in with her wonderful family and husband.

 Well...each year they go to Romania with quilts and food.

 This year they are focusing mostly on food for the impoverished in Romania.

 They would like to have enough money to give so when they leave Romania that there will be food for months afterwards.

  Notice the button on my sidebar, you can hit that button and donate even if it is a dollar.


 ALL of the money goes to Romania...Clint and Judi pay their own way there and back and their own expenses. That is why I love this Charity so much.

 What I would like is to donate half the proceeds from this Reindeer quilt pattern to their Charity. You can find the pattern here

Now....don't comment and say oh Barb...that is so awesome of you...Not so.  Carroll from Attic Shop Windows is half designer of this quilt.  I emailed her and told her that I had the pattern in my shop and wanted to give her half of the proceeds.

She said she didn't want half, to do with her half whatever I wanted to.  So....this is what I want to do.  So I am donating half of the proceeds in Carroll's name.  So the praise goes to her.

Please share this post so we can raise money for This charity.....

DO YOU SMELL THAT? THAT IS THE SMELL OF FABRIC!!

Yesterday I had to go to the Post office. I didn't want to be out long, just go to the Post Office and home. RIGHT!!!

Well....as I am driving to the PO....a thought pops up in my mind that I should go to Tuesday Morning.

So I squish the thought......

I just want to run this errand and go home.  Tuesday Morning is like 20 minutes from the PO.

Thought pops up again....

SQUASH IT!!!!!!

But it won't quit bugging me (No pun intended).

so......my nose gets to work and I say to myself...it smells like Fabric.

 

So.....I relent and go to Tuesday Morning!! 

 

 

What harm can it do, just a few minutes out of my day.

 

 

OH MY STINKING GOSH>>>>>>>>>>

 

 

$4.99 for two yards......ummmm ummmmm


Heart Be still me!!!

Seven fat quarters for $2.99, I got five of these bundles and feel I should have taken them all.

Okay...so they are not from a Quilting shop....

I don't claim to be a fabric snob.  If you are and find this offensive....well....my apologies (NOT).

Come and feel this fabric...it feels great, not thin....it is a purty nice quality and I am proud as a peacock.

Oh...so you say that I don't need more fabric????  Don't judge me!!  I just can't help myself.....I truly can't and when the nose gets to sniffing out those fabrics, how can I deny myself.

Have a fabulous day, back to the HST's

Trying to get the Monkey off my Back!!!

Seeing  how I can not pay attention long enough to finish one thing.....

I go from ironing these blocks (finally have all 400 ironed)...whohooo

 trimming these blocks up (only have half trimmed)

cutting

Iroining again

to sewing again.....so now I have about 4 stations that might keep me focused for a while...what ya think?

Just trying to get this monkey off my pack!!!!

THE WINNER OF MY LITTLE GIVEAWAY IS......

 suemac

" I have a cute pattern for a travel bag using vinyl that I am dying to make. I could sure use the vinyl for that. I also have been trying my hand at bags and fabric baskets. I have not tried much applique yet but the Heat N bond lite sounds like it would be good for that.
 Thanks for all the info. I too am light on knowledge when it comes to fusibles."

. I found all of your comments to be of worth to what I am experimenting with so thank you so much for commenting.

Now back to my HST......400 of these buggers....



.
Now I have to iron them out and size them..... (did that sound like a complain)...hummm hummmmm



 

PRACTICE BLOCK - OLD MAID'S PUZZLE

If I were asked what is my worst part of quilting, I would have to say piecing.

Okay....close your mouth...

it is gapping open.

I said piecing.


Why?

Because I am horrible at it...totally horrible.  This is not me being humble...it is plain fact...why do you think I love applique so much?

So I am making some Old Maid's Puzzle blocks for the border of the "Tree of Life"...am I insane?

  I think so.

  When you know you are not good at something but you go ahead and tackle it....you truly must be insane.

I know...practice makes perfect but I have yet to achieve perfection.   So you say it looks good, well..on one side it is 1/4" off....do you hear whimpering in the background?  If so, that is me.

Thank goodness this is practice but these are the fabrics I am using.

 

 Now I love these blocks below....turned out just how I wanted them..

 

 

Now back to the drawing board with the other block.

 

--------------------

 

Thanks for all of your wonderful comments about Heat N Bond...a lot of useful information.

 

EDUCATION IN "HEAT N BOND" - THERM-O-WEB ADHESIVES

In my quest for finding another source of fabric adhesive since the JoAnn's here was sparse on the Steam A Seam

 I wrote two previous articles here and here

During which time Julia from "Heat n Bond"  had sent me the following items to try out.

  I have to admit that I have been so busy that I have not been able to try out much except for the
Heat n Bond iron on fusible which I had purchased in my quest.

I also have to say that my eyes bugged out of my head when she sent me to this website.

  You can call it ignorance,

a gal having her blinders on

whatever but I truly did not know that "Heat n Bond" had so many items that would make a quilters life so much easier.


I looked through the website with a drool rag.


So let's take a look at some of the things that were sent to me.



Three different fusibles.....for three different abilities.

 Like I had mentioned, I am mostly in for applique and what fusible is best for me and I have found that I do like the "Heat n Bond" lite for that purpose.  I have used it in several projects since first posting about it.



Fusible fleece and Sew in Fleece....wonderful for those of us who make totes



Sew in interfacing and batting tape.

 To be honest I have not heard of batting tape (or were my blinders on)....and it is for piecing your batting together for small or large quilts.  Great use of your batting scraps.  I won't tell you how I put my batting together....trust me it is more time consuming than using this tape.



Adhesive by the yard, this is lite.    I usually don't by fabric adhesive by the yard and I am asking myself, WHY NOT?  I saw a lady buying some the other day, is it cheaper?  You can buy it in the rolls as seen in this picture but never dawned on me to buy it by the yard.

I do remember using iron on vinyl in Samoa and had it shipped in but for the life of me can not figure out where I got it or what brand.  Oh well....my son lifts weights and needs a bag for his chalk....so I think this will work perfect (more on this later).




Then two brochures on the products themselves and what they can do.  This is so valuable to me because I NEVER KNEW!!!  And now I do....

So Thank you Julia in helping with my quest to find a fabric fusible that will do what I want it to.  As you can see here, there are many options....and many items that go beyond the fusibles.

Finished the octopus and I used Heat n Bond lite on it, except for the" G".  I used Steam A seam, it was easy to reverse the "G" that way.

Would any of you like to try the Heat N bond lite or heavy?  I will send one person a yard each and I just might throw in a half yard of vinyl....just leave a comment.

Sick of my Octopus yet? Maybe Mermaids will help?

This week has been a whirl wind of events. My husband and I drove to Louisiana one day, stayed a day, and drove back the next. So....I finished this quilt totally before I left. I took it with me to mail out but didn't that is why it is crinkly.

This quilt is ready to quilt....

Then I designed this quilt and finally quilted it today.  Now to bind it.

So.... the Mermaid quilt

 It took me three hours to decide on fabrics and to cut everything out.

 Probably another three hours to blanket stitch it.

 Then another three hours to quilt it. 

 So that is nine hours. 

 That does not count for actually coming up with the idea, drawing out the figures and deciding on how to place them and what to add and not add.

Most of us do these things for the love of quilting, the love of creativity, the excitement of chosing the fabrics and watching the project take place.

I am in it for the creativity...what are you in it for?  What do you like best?  If this was not a customer quilt, it would probably be sitting to be finished.  Once the top was created, I was done and ready to go onto the next fun thing.  

So what are you in it for because obviously something keeps us going?