Productive......

It has been a great relaxing productive sewing week.  I have enjoyed being home and spending time each day with my machines.

It is Spring Quilt Market in Kansas CIty this year and I am totally disappointed that I did not get to go...:(    I pacified myself by going to MQS 2012.  It was wonderful of course.  So many beautiful quilts...so many vendors...thread, rulers, longarms...everything.  Even saw a booth selling shoes??? really?  If you have never gone to Machine Quilters Showcase, go next time you get a chance, it is quite impressive.

I dug up a UFO that I have been staring at for almost a year.  Don't know why I did not finished this as it is one of my favorites.  So bright and colorful...

This may be next on the quilter.  I have many tops hanging in the doorway.  My new effort is to get them quilted.  No excuses for not getting them done...just need to do it.



This is what's on the quilter at the moment.

I am hoping to finish this up today!

In honor of Spring Market the Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild and the St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild

are hosting a gathering tonight.  I volunteered to help so I will be there!!  Would not have missed it anyway.  Hope to meet some of the quilters I only know from Blog/Flickr land!!

Until next time......

My Precious Finish!

My "Precious QAL" entry is finished, quilted and bound!!  If I did not have vacation this week I probably would not have finished completely.  I am very happy with it and took a number of photos!

Anyway......this QAL was lots of fun.  Come join us for the next chapter of the "My Precious QAL" on Flickr.

Oh! It's Friday!!!

Finally.....I have been waiting for this day for several weeks, no, months.  While it is not payday Friday, it is VACATION Friday.  I will be on vacation next week and I am thrilled.  I only have a list of 15 or 20 things I need to get done today before I go!  No sweat, right!

Just so happens my vacation week is Quilt Market, MQS and KCMQG Meet Up week!  I chose the dates well.  Amy Butler is in the house on Tuesday at Nelson Atkins, sponsored by Harpers.  Denyse Schmidt is in the house next week sponsored by my favorite Bernina store!  Weeks Ringle is in the house for the May KCMQG meeting.  Jacquie Gering will be here for market and she is giving a class on the Flip and Stitch method in her new book "Quilting Modern".  Yes I am in Quilty Heaven!  Vacation will definitely include hours of sewing and quilting.  I think on Sunday I will not leave my machine.

I have been working on Some things.....this is my entry for Round One of the My Precious QAL on Flickr.  This will be first up on the quilter this week. I love how it turned out.  The pattern is Out Fox the Fox by Lizzy House and the fabric is my precious Lush by Erin Michael.  The solid is an organic cotton I got on sale from Marmalade Fabrics.  Can't wait to finish.

I have also finished my Bleachers quilt top that I made from Habitat and some Kona solids.  This is a new pattern from Empty Bobbin Studio.  I did not test this pattern for Shea Henderson...

 but I did test Crosshatch.

Well enough for now.

I have to get this day

started so I can get it done!



Enjoy your Friday!!

"Precious QAL"

I left my beloved KC Scrappy Bee for this upcoming year.  Trying to divest myself of obligations so I can focus on getting some gaols of mine taken care of.  It has been fun and informative the past two years being in this Bee.  I am only going to do things that are at my own pace as other things have stolen my sewing time.  In this light I have joined the "My Precious QAL" on Flickr.  This QAL was desinged for us fabric hoarders to use some of those "Precious" fabrics that we have hoarded and only look at an touch occasionally.  Oh yes, I have several of those!

This is my little stash of Anna Maria Horner Bohemian.  Nope, not using this....yet.

These are the rest of them...my precious stash of out of print (OOP) fabrics and yes, mostly Tula Pink goodies.  I have worked hard stalking the internet to collect this fabulous grouping!
The Moda Lush is absolutely impossible to find except for a few pieces so I have really just looked at this on the shelf for some time.  I am finally motivated and I am going to cut it up to make a quilt and pillow.  Hope I don't cry!!!

We quilters are funny beings about our fabric.  We all have favorites and I think we all share angst when it comes to cutting those favorite fabrics up and putting them in a project.  Even though that was the reason that we bought the stuff!

What are your favorites??  What have you made with them??  If you are still looking at and petting those fabrics come join the "My Precious QAL" on Flickr and lets cut them up!!

Happy Easter!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter holiday.  I'm spending time with family today, eating wonderful traditional foods, and if I am truly blessed I will get a little quality time with my "Nina"!

Enjoy.

Up Early

I am and have always been an early riser.  This morning a bit earlier than usual.  Five phone calls between 9 pm and 1am so on the last one I just couldn't get back to sleep.  So up I am, showered and ready to start and finish this Friday.  Oh, thank goodness it is Friday.  My job is overwhelming these days with another assistant come and gone in a matter of 6 weeks.  I am on the hunt for help again!  My New Years promise to myself of finding balance and working less this year has not come to fruition...yet!  It is still my goal.

On to better things...Doll Quilt Swap 12 is about to draw to an end.  I made this for my secret partner
It is a paper pieced log cabin block, actually 30 blocks and the quilt finished at 17 inches by 21.

 I am very happy with this little quilt and if my partner does not like it I hope she sends it back to me!  I sewed sparkly little beads in the center of each purple "flower" and sewed tiny buttons at the junction of each block.  I used a SID quilting pattern so as not to obstruct the look of the quilt.  I love it!

I put a fabulous Kaffe print on the back.  Need a label and then mailing and my deadline is Tuesday.

Now for the little quilt I received...   Isn't it wonderful?  Also a paper pieced project and I love it.  Jan made this for me!  Love the colors and the unusal design.....It is fabulous.

swaps and this and that...

i have been busy, busy.....working and sewing.  It is Big 12 basketball week and being in the parking business in downtown kansas city means i have been busy.  how great it is to see the mass of humanity descend on the city, it is fantastic.  really cuts into my sewing time!

i have once again, against my more intelligent inner voice, joined my two favorite flickr swaps, for the love of solids 2 and the doll quilt swap 12.  both are almost at an end so i will soon be swap less again which is my current goal.  time to get started on those three christmas quilts i want to get done.

this is my main item for floss 2 and my first ever pillow cover.  i will be making more pillows.  it turned out quite nice i think

for the doll quilt swap 12 we had certain blocks that we were allowed to choose from to make our doll quilts.  the quilts are very small of course, and  must contain at least 6 blocks.  We could choose drunkards path, which you would think would be my choice, log cabin, churn dash....etc.  i chose to make these.  more on this later!

i made this quilt  several years ago from a quilting magazine love the fabric but would not be my chosen pattern today.  the fabulous angela quilted it for me and my great niece chloe got it for christmas.  from the scraps of this quilt came this quilt...

i like this one much better for some reason!!!  it will go on the quilter today so i can get it finished up.  it is going to a friends first female grandchild.  I do love this one.  hope the quilting turns out well...we shall see!

i bought this backing fabric for less than $5 a yard.  i get excited when i get fabulous quilting fabric for less than $5 a yard!  especially when it is such a fabulous purple.






Hope you have a great weekend sewing.


Sharon...hope you like the mug rug!  Forgot to take a photo before the kcmqg meeting!