She's done it again!

The amazing, talented, unstoppable Bonnie Hunter has done it again!
She's releasing another book soon and the title is String Fling!
She has requested that we help spread the word that preordering in now available.

I was lucky enough to take a class by Bonnie last year.
I may have made one or two or five quilts from her book Leaders and Enders.
What can I say? The lady has talent and energy and she really inspires me!

(I made this for David from Leaders and Enders)

(I made this for Danny from Leaders and Enders)

Please note my professional quilt holders are now 13, so this is really the best I can hope for. Sigh.

(I made this for my guest room from Leaders and Enders)

I made this for my niece Sarah, from the workshop with Bonnie Hunter!

Bonnie in person, giving her lecture (is this getting a bit stalkerish?)

And this is my favorite one, just for me, from Leaders and Enders.

Clearly I need to take a better photo of this one.

What can I say, I was trying to position the camera shadow out of the shot but my holder said his arms were getting tired and something about a game on tv. It is just so hard to get good help. :)

So are you going to preorder the book right now? I am still working my way through Leaders and Enders, but I am pretty sure this new one needs to sit on the shelf next to it!

Before and After

Before (I'm so ashamed)

After (what a relief!)

All that cleaning and sorting just wore him out.

Crimson Tweed

The colors show up much better in the daylight!

Once again, my helpers were very busy.

\
Really?

The Farmer's Wife

If you would like to see the whole blog post about how my Farmer's Wife quilt became known as the Pilot's Wife quilt you can read the original story over on my other blog HERE.

Or here is the recap of HOW THE FARMER'S WIFE BECAME THE PILOT'S WIFE...

No, I am not revealing a secret prior marriage!

I've been working on the quilt from the book called The Farmer's Wife by Laurie Hird. The only problem is that there are no piecing instructions or cutting directions. The templates on the CD are given one per page, so that they would have to be printed out on hundreds of pieces of paper (such a waste!)

So, I began with the simple blocks first and used the directions offered on several different blogs and websites. But the blocks started getting more complicated and the math more confusing. My seam ripper was getting way too much use!!

I started altering the blocks to make the math easier, the piecing simpler, and getting better results. So now these blocks aren't really the ones in the book anymore. Some are similar, but some are not even close! More than two thirds of the blocks in the finished quilt will be mine entirely. I had planned to use a different setting from the very start. I also changed the color scheme to red, cream and tan so that it would look pretty in my bedroom.

But after all these changes, I felt it only natural that the name needed to change as well. Since I am married to pilot, it only makes sense to call it The Pilot's Wife, at least I think so!

And THAT is how the farmer's wife became the pilot's wife. No messy divorce or tragic death, just a simple transition from one set of blocks to another.


And then...

Last night I counted up the blocks I've made so far and realized that I have 70 completed!

(this is NOT all of them, just the ones that would fit in the photo!)

I am going to change up the setting because I have this idea that setting the blocks in vertical rows with a dark red sashing in between the rows will look really nice on my King Size bed. I think I worked out the math last night, now I just need to make some final fabric choices.

I also think I am going to remake some of the blocks. Some of them are not going to look good set on point (just my opinion) so I will be going through the blocks and choosing which ones to replace.

Luckily, Randy over at the Barrister's Block  has offered up some really wonderful "bonus" blocks to choose from.

It's really just a matter of remaking a few blocks and getting it all together.

I can't wait to see how it turns out!

Crimson Tweed is Quilted!

I know this is a lousy iPhone photo taken at night from a chair, but...

I was too stinking excited to wait until tomorrow to photograph it.

I didn't have a quilting plan for it, actually, my plan was to decide block by block.

I gave the tree some bubbles in the background.

The flowers got some tiny stippling.

The checkerboard got some crosshatching.

These flowers got some outlining.

The pineapple got some eyelashes which you can't really see in this photo (and dang if it doesn't look like it's tilting even AFTER I fixed it!)

The birds and the vines got some simple outlining and I pretty much stippled anything that was left.

It was so fun, that I didn't want to finish it.

I also added a little red flange with the binding. I'll take a better picture of it tomorrow, along with a better overall picture to share.

Now I only have two other samplers to work on, Comfort & Joy and the Farmer's Pilot's Wife.

But those will have to wait for another day.

Right now I'm basking in the satisfaction of a finished quilt.

Sigh.

Happy Mail!

Almost anyone who has met me knows that there are few special quilt designers that I am completely smitten by. It may border on obsessive, but who says that has to be a bad thing?

Kim Diehl is one of those quilters that I am completely in love with. Okay, I've never actually met her, so maybe it would be more appropriate to say that I am in love with her work. So when I got a gift card for Mother's Day, I ordered her new book immediately! I already have all of her other books and they are so amazing!

It came the other day in the mail. I may have done a little happy dance. Or squealed a bit. Just a bit.

But look at this!

And this!

And this!

And there is so much more!!!
I don't know where to start?

Comfort and Joy Part 2!

Wow, it's already time to share part two of this fun quilt...

I really enjoyed making this block, but I will be adding the stitching for the face and arms later.
I'm still not sure if I am going to use ribbon or just perle cotton for the arms. I'm open to suggestions!

And here is the little extra block I made for my additional section. Remember, I am making this quilt large enough for my guest bed. I am adding a row of 12 inch blocks and an extra border.

Now I have to go take a peek at all the other's over here...  cottonsnwoolens.blogspot.com

Or you can visit them at the following blogs:

Karen - My Red Farmhouse - http://yellowfarmhouse.typepad.com/

Sharon - Red Geranium Cottage - http://redgeraniumcottage.typepad.com/

Karen - Log Cabin Quilter - http://karen-logcabinquilter.blogspot.com/

Anne - Cottons n Wool - http://cottonsnwoolens.blogspot.com/

A special thank you to Anne for getting us all organized!
Enjoy!

I've hit the BIG TIME!!

Not only do I have my very own personalized STAMP...

but I made my first SALE!!!!

Granted the buyer was a friend and she is just the nicest person ever, but still...

I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

Bloggers Quilt Festival

I'm joining the BLOGGERS QUILT FESTIVAL for the first time over at Amy's blog.

It's a really fun way to view lots of amazing quilts without ever leaving home!

I have been enjoying it for years, so to be entering one of my own quilts for the first time is super exciting!

I call this quilt CANDY KISSES and it is based on the quilt by Material Obsession called Gypsy Kisses. I fell in love with the pattern the moment I saw it. I knew I needed to make it and had so much fun piecing the blocks. The directions called for applique to set the blocks on the background, but I chose to make a template for the background pieces and used curved piecing the set the blocks. I am super thrilled with the results. Thanks for taking a peek!

This is a view of the back:

If you haven't seen enough quilts yet, you can pop over to my other blog at Stories & Pictures

to see lots of my quilts! I'm in the process of moving them over to this blog, but that takes some time as I am finding out!

Enjoy!!!

Time to tidy up a bit!

How did I get here?

This saying is just SO TRUE for me.
I am not really sure how I ended up at this place in my life,
as a wife, mom, friend, and quilter... on this creative journey.

I look at the face of my sweet 14 year old girl and remember that time like it was moments ago.
She is as carefree and uncommitted as I was then. Happy and healthy exactly as she should be.
My wish for her is that she experience all the joys in life that I have and all the adventures.

I think having an open heart and a willingness to seek out new adventures is what molds us.
My journey to this place has been such a crooked path, with so many side trips.
I am grateful for each and every day of all of those experiences.

While I have graduated from college, worked a weekly grind, traveled the world as a flight attendant,
taught sweet little children, raised and loved my own babies, and learned to be the wife of a travelling husband, my need to design and create has found it's way into each of these roles.

I am embarking on a new phase of this creative journey and is feels so GOOD and so TERRIFYING
at the same time. I am so mindful of the support and encouragment that surrounds me.

Looking at the place I am currently in, it is clear to me that this journey has just begun.
I am so thankful for the friends, lessons, gifts and skills I have collected so far along the way.
The anticipation of what is yet to come THRILLS me!

A closer look at Crimson Tweed

I finally finished the top! I am so excited to start quilting it. I think the machine quilting is really going to make the applique dance. I hope so anyway!

I changed the vines to ric rac because I love ric rac, and I really thought it would be fun here.

I also did a bit of editing to this pineapple after the photo was taken. It no longer looks like its tipping to the right. It was a very slight change, but I knew it would bother me if I didn't straighten it up. The pineapple is my addition, the original version has a pomegranite here.

Right now these birds have button eyes. I like them but they are too thick, so I am almost positive that I will change them to black thread before it's all done. I think I will be happier with them that way, but still not totally sure.

I also changed the center of the flowers from the original pattern. I loved the way Sue designed it, but I thought this would be easier, and it would give me a chance to use some cute stitches.

I think I actually made this block almost exactly like the directions. I changed the embellishments on the leaves a bit, and I tweeked the placement of the branches. I'm starting to see that I have a hard time leaving things alone...I hope that's not a bad thing!

I made the tree almost directly from the pattern as well. I might have added a few more ornaments. I do plan to embellish them with quilting. I will add some texture to them with lines or maybe swirls. This is totally still a work in progress.

And this is what it looks like as of right now!!! I am super excited about the way this is coming together. I hope Sue Spargo doesn't mind about all my "alterations"...you can see the ORIGINAL here at her website. Really special isn't it?

I was lucky enough to buy the book from her in person and she signed it for me!

Now I'm itching to quilt it!