The GiveAway!!

Girl's Night at my house last night was a hoot! I will post more about that later. Now! on to the giveaway! Next Wednesday, I will have been blogging for one month! Unbelievable! I have had some great hellos from people and love reading your comments...my humble thanks to you all. I have, can you believe it, followers! Again, my heartfelt thanks! All in all, the experience thus far has been uplifting because of all the great feedback. I wish I could gift you all......boohoo:( So a fun giveaway to celebrate is in order. I have a cute little bag made from Fig Tree fabrics, a Jelly Roll pattern for a full size quilt, a simply gorgeous Moda charm pack of Marcus's Cause for the Cure, and two complementary FQ's. The draw will start from now and close on Monday, Feb. 1 at midnight. On Tuesday, I will draw the winner and annouce it on Wednesday! Entries must be made under this post only.

Here's how to enter:
One Entry: Leave me a comment to say hello and tell me your favorite fabric color
Two Entries: Leave me a comment to say hello, tell me your favorite fabric color and that you have become a follower of my blog **NOTE** those who are already a follower as of Jan. 28 already have qualified for the second entry so just leave me a note telling me you want entered and your fav. fabric color.

Any questions, give me a shout. Tell your bestest friends! Let the fun begin!!LOL

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

Finally, Some Stitching!!

I don't do alot of paperpiecing but when Quiltmaker came out this month, I knew I had to make this adorable little cell phone carrier for my niece for her birthday. She's an orange girl just like I'm a red girl! I used some fossil fern fabrics for the first time--see girls! I can use other fabric besides country!! LOL, just don't expect to see any more of it! It turned out really neat. Almost makes me wish I had a cellphone but then I realized it would make a great rotary cutter carrier too! How Cool! I, also, made her a little orange photo scrapbook.


I finally have a nice stack of red star blocks. Tonight is Girl's Night at my house so I expect to get these plus the borders sewn on to the centre.


Today is my friend Janet's birthday; and, I made her this little stitchery. I think it turned out cute; and, of course, that's a self-portrait!LOL Looks just like me! Just don't tell her, because I haven't given it to her yet!:)

Tomorrow, I'll be giving you the details about my giveaway so be sure to check back in!

Challenge Update!

It's another busy few days! Sometimes, one just has to stop, sit, and do nothing but mindless tasks so that the mind can recuperate! Yesterday was one of those days. I was worn out .....Tuesday, the shop had been busy with the first day of the sale, I hadn't felt good all weekend and it just all caught up with me. My total accomplishments for yesterday were running a few errands, preparing chicken supper and baking these yummy cupcakes for the afterschool kids I keep. I love seeing their eyes get big as saucers and the drool almost starting when they spy treats I prepare for them. Of course, they're usually starved by the time they get off the bus and these dissappeared very quickly. No, Bob, there's none left...:(

Here's another peek at the Coffee Can Challenge. I am happy with the ease that the strips went on but yikes, you should see the next step! I get to "play" with placement. I am not a fan of "freestyle" quilting...I like a plan and this doesn't come with one which means it will be more like painful work than play for me. The good news is that my 13 year old nephew previewed it last night and he thinks it's cool, so yep, dear nephew, it may be coming to live with you when it's done!:LOL

Kim over at Kim's Big Quilting Adventure is not having a very good week so go over to wish her wellness and cheer her up! Thinking about ya, Kim! Also, Nicole at Sisters Choice is having a bummer time with her eye! Get well soon Nicole! We don't want you looking like a pirate!:) P.S. You must see her stash but be sure to have a kleenix to wipe the drool!LOL

A Celebration Give-Away!

Next Wednesday, I will have been blogging for one month! I can't believe how time flies; and, I have been having so much fun!! You all have been so patient with me and thank you to all who take the time to tune in. So, to celebrate one month in blogland, I am going to have a little give away! Yes, you heard me right! I love entering the lovely give aways on other blogs; and, I want to give a little of the love back. February is the month to show love, afterall.

Don't sign up today!!! I have to get ready, post a picture and etc. Stay tuned to hear the official entry dates!

Until later..

Remember when...

Remember when selvedges had only the slightest amount of information on them?! I cut this off some fabric from 1991 that I am putting to use in my Scrap Therapy class. Notice there is no useful color code, no pattern name or #, no designer name or collection reference----just the company who made it. I really can't for the life of me recall when the selvedges started carrying more information. Does anyone out there know?

Off to work at the fabric store tomorrow. The shop is having a big week long sale! Quiltingly,

Scrap Frenzy Has Hit!

Are these scraps? Which of these pieces would you consider a scrap? All? Some? Just the smallest?

It seems everyone is blogging about scraps this month! What is it about the scraps we save that is suddenly sending us into this frenzy of "gotta do something with them!" mode? Is this continued fallout from the bad economy that is making us re-examine our frugality? Or, is it pressure from fellow quilter's, those crazy one's-LOL-who make use of every single itty bitty piece, seemingly without blinking an eye? Is it the quilt industry which seems to have spun out more "Scrap-style" books in the past year and a half than ever before? Or, have we always been scrap frenzied and we are just all "coming out" at the same time? Perhaps, there is a whole quilting underworld of "closet scrappers"! LOL What is our motivation behind using scraps; and, is it temporary? Are we driving ourselves crazy fretting over these little pieces of fabric? We now live a lifestyle in North America that does not necessitate us to scrimp and tweak every little piece of usage out of an item, at least, not like our ancestors had to. Fabric is readily available to us and for those on a budget, sales are usually not too hard to find. How far should we feel we have to take this scrap business? As usual, more questions than answers; but, it is important, I think, to stop and take notice of where we focus our time, energy, creativeness, and why. Quilting should be fun! If you want to work with scraps, it should excite and challenge you, give you peace and re-energize your mind, give you satisfaction and happiness. If it's not, then perhaps it's time to re-examine where the process has gone awry. Just because scrappiness makes some people happy and fulfilled does not necessarily mean it will work for you! And that's okay too! Collect your scraps and find that member of your guild who LIVES for scraps and pass them on! It's still being frugal to pass them to someone else--they haven't ended up in the garbage and they aren't in your stash pressuring you to use them either! Have a scrappy happy quilting day!

The Challenge Continues

I mentioned the Coffee Can Challenge a few weeks ago. Here are the contents of the can. I spent the first week in shock! Panic, really....these fabrics are so out of my comfort zone that I couldn't even begin to imagine what on earth to make out of them. I am not even comfortable with the colors! But, I committed to this challenge, so an effort I must make! After several weeks of browsing the internet and my stash of magazines, I finally settled on a new technique using strips of fabric sewn on top of blocks to create grids or lattices. I am a very traditional quilter and this new technique is definitely not going to produce anything even remotely resembling traditional but I figure if I am going to venture out of my comfort zone, I may as well go whole hog, as they say! I started the whole process last night and was surprised to find it quite fun, actually. Now, I don't think it's going to be the next quilt Picasso but at least it will be interesting. Or, just plain ugly! Stay tuned to see how it comes together! It will be a surprise for me too! LOL

I'm in Therapy!

Yes, it's true...I'm in therapy. There are some that will probably say I should have been there along time ago. They say the first step in therapy is to admit you have a problem. So, here it is, my confession--I'm a non-cutter! So, I have started therapy to help me overcome this huge obstacle in my life. SCRAP THERAPY that is! LOL!

Scrap Therapy is a new program at my local quilt shop. I attended my first therapy session this week. Come to find out, I am not the only non-cutter in my area! We had a ball!! Scrap Therapy first helps us to recognise that we don't have to feel guilty anymore about all that fabric that is sitting on our shelves or scrapboxes, unused, uncut, unloved. It shows us how to take that fabric weight sitting on our shoulders, bogging us down and turn it into something useable! I loaded up my bag with fabrics that had been sitting on my shelf for more years than I care to say and headed off to my session. That's when the real therapy began with the first rotary cut into the fabric! Wow, what a feeling it was, what a rush!! Be stil my beating heart!LOL! Suddenly, that ugly wasn't so ugly anymore. Dated fabrics took on a whole new look once they were cut! And it felt so good to be doing Something with all that fabric.! Plus, we get a cool button and containers to organise all the cut fabric.

Here is just a sampling of what I cut at my first therapy session. I have lots more to continue cutting before my next session. There's always homework when you are in therapy!
I, also, discovered this great new Qtool. It's similar to the glow tape except that it is thicker and goes on the bottom of the ruler. The wonderful thing I like is how the strip, because it is thicker, butts up against the fabric for a more accurate cut; and, if a tool works and makes my job easier, I'm all about buying that tool. Happy quilting everyone!

I'm Feeling Red

Good morning my little chickiepoos! The projects I have been working on the past few days have been with mostly scraps and I am in "red" deprivation so today I am having a RED DAY. My cup of joe in my fav red polka dot mug, my red socks, wearing my red snowflake apron and this red project which I WILL finish piecing today!


I worked at my local quilt shop yesterday where we added 200 new bolts of fabric to the shelves! Whew! It looks so great and handling all those lovelies sure gets you in the mood to sew!
My mind was bursting with new ideas!

It's my turn to help out with guild program in March so I have been busy piecing this little miniature. The rails are cut 1" and finish at 1/2". The block finishes at 1 1/2"! This was so fun! I just used scraps. Speaking of scraps--I am in therapy now but I will post more about that later!LOL

Just a tip about making miniatures. When you use such tiny pieces and press them over, the seam allowances start getting very close together. At some point, you have to start pressing the connecting seams open to reduce the bulk and allowing the finished top to lay flat. This, also, helps reduce thickness when you start the quilting. You can see at the stiletto point where I have pressed open the seam that joined two rows of blocks together. When you stitch the miniature blocks, use a tiny 2.o stitch length. Then, when you have to press open seams, you know they are NOT going to be weakened. Also, the small stitch length keeps the blocks from unstitching when you are subcutting strip sets into smaller blocks.



Here we are with the final borders on--the whole thing measures about 9 1/2" x 13. Isn't it sweet! And it only took 2 hours start to finish! Think how many quilts we could make if they were all miniatures. Have a great day and blessings!

How Much is Too Much?

Two different guild members asked me on Saturday "How many projects do you have on the go?" This seems to be one of those questions that I am asked alot. Same as the question "How much stash do you have?"Currently, I have 9 WIPS( works in progress). That means I am working on 9 different quilt things at the same time. Well, not the SAME time, I would need more heads and arms for that but I do rotate the projects daily and even hourly. Most days, I work on 3 different projects. They are not UFO's because they have never been set aside for a period of time then dug out, looked at guiltily and finished. This got me to thinking How Much is Too Much? For me, I have never been a "do one project and focus on it until it is finished" kind of person. Some people are and that's okay but I have always been a multi-tasker and it seems the older and more experienced I get, the better I multi task. I cannot for the life of me imagine doing things any other way. This is how I am wired. I have tried to just work on one project at a time but found it way too boring. I will admit that 9 projects is pushing my limits and can, at moments, if I allow myself to lose focus, be a bit overwhelming. But I do like to be challenged! And this way, I get alot accomplished! I don't set strict deadlines for alot of my projects as I don't want to sacrifice quantity for quality and my number one rule is that I must be enjoying the process of the project. As for how much stash do I have--well I have enough to keep 9 projects on the go concurrently plus enough more to be planning the next nine! LOL

How Much is Too Much?----I don't know, I haven't reached that point for me yet. And yes, I do have a life outside the quilt room! LOL!

How Much is Too Much for you?

Crazy 24 Hours!!

You're staying up HOW LATE? To SEW!!??? Are you NUTS! What about me? How will I ever get any sleep if you're not in bed with me? Mummy, I am seriously worried about this plan of yours.....please, rethink it! Misha was very concerned!

It's been a crazy busy 24 hours here at Red Quilts! The were a lot of pieces to this pattern and they were really odd shaped.
So here I have all the pieces fused onto the fabric ready to cut. I use the donut hole method for fusing because it really makes the centres softer and easier to stitch through. The directions with this pattern are awful! It's a good thing I have some experience and can know how it should go. A beginner would be lost doing this pattern.


I have it all cut out and fused on. Now the job of machine appliquéing the pieces. That will take up most of an afternoon as long as I don't have any interuptions. He turned out really nice. You can probably tell from the fabrics that this is an older kit but better late than never! The poor reindeer looks like he's part cowpoke! I was going to make his legs straighter but decided it gave him character! LOL!

Today was a guild work day and I had promised to teach someone paper piecing. I dug out some old patterns I had laying around and I think she's got the hang of it. It's been a while since I have done any teaching and like anything you don't do constantly, it took me a while to get my groove back. I worked on some paper pieced heart blocks for myself. I am loving the reds and yellow, a favorite combination of mine. I also won a door prize!... two FQ's and some new needles. Then, I came home and made some yummy killer chili and went to my BIL's birthday party. Yummy cake....now, my belly's full and I'm too tired to sew any more tonight. Hopefully, we're off tomorrow to the city for some shoe shopping! I love shoes....maybe I'll be lucky and find some red ones! What a great sew-in!

My Sewin Project

Well, it's time to start sewing! Here's the little project I am go to do first. Yes, I know it's not Christmas but this is a little project for a friend. I am also going to be working on the project that I showed a few days ago with the black and red HST and nine patches. I reallllyyy want to get that one done!

I went shopping this afternoon at a discount store where I had heard they had some quilting fabric on sale..Did you say SALE! Yippee! I bought these three pieces of Come Quilt With Me by Pat Yamin. Aren't they yummy! Now I just have to find the right pattern to use. Actually I am seeing pinwheels with that stripe but who knows.
Sew I am off to my sewing room with my cup of green jasmine tea!

Tonights THE NIGHT!

Friday night sew-in is Here!! I have a busy day lined up but will be back later with photos of what I plan to work on! See you all here!

I machine quilted this top on the weekend with my Hobby Quilter. I think it turned out really nice. The pattern is one I made up with just hour glass blocks made from fall scraps. I call it Harvest Soup.
Here's another WIP I am trying to finish up this week. The blocks finish at 6 1/2" and I still have some wool applique to stitch on tonight at our Girls Night Out sewing group.


I whipped up this rail fence baby quilt over the weekend and finished putting the borders on today. What a simple but effective block! I am really pleased with this quilt top, it has such cuteness. It will be for sale at the local quilt shop after I quilt it. My local quilt shop owner is great in letting me put things in to sell. Check out the Christmas Crab Quiltery and sign up for the free newsletter which will get you a free pattern! I love free patterns! Free anything for that mattter!LOL

I ran into some cousins at the quilt shop today that I don't get to see very often. Their mother was a great quilt friend of my grandmother's so it wasn't very long and we were fast into quilt talk. It's so great to have this quilt connection with another family member. And of course, did I have my camera with me!!?? NO! I have got to remember to take it with me everywhere because you just never know when a great blog photo op may occur!

My Challenged Brain

This year our guild is revisiting projects it has done in the past to celebrate our 10th year. One of the past projects was the Paper Bag Challenge, which for this time has been changed to the Coffee Can Challenge. Same idea, different container. The can is given to some willing person who wants to be challenged. This time it was me. What is in the can? Well, some fabric and some beads. Some really "out of my comfort zone" fabric!! I can't show you, not until the challenge is complete. Suffice it to say, that when I opened the can, I said 'YIKES!" The challenge is to take these supplies, perhaps add some of mine own, and create something quilty in time for guild meeting next month. So that doesn't give me alot of time as it is already the 11th of the month!

Almost every time I sit down to sew, my brain-the creative part-goes into overdrive! Seriously, it is hard to concentrate on the task at hand because my mind keeps interrupting me. I have to keep pencil and notebook close by to "download" all the thoughts and ideas spilling out. Does anyone else have this problem? It's like the task of sewing unleashes my creativity. Don't get me wrong-I enjoy having the creative gene but sometimes it just gets in my way! Occasionally, it would be nice to just have the relaxation of continual piecing and pressing, to sew and think about nothing but the process. Mostly, these ideas just remain words or sketches on paper, sometimes they become actual projects. I just wish I had the choice of when they needed to be "let out" so to speak. When my brain is on overdrive, I make more mistakes, unstitch alot, reread directions alot, and don't get much accomplished. Is this an ailment of all creative people? Are people who are not as creative get more done? All I know for sure is that it is a good thing that I have lots of pencils and notebook!

Wool Applique

I've been plugging away at this folk arty wool project over the Christmas holidays. I wanted something to work on in the evenings that didn't involve the sewing machine. I am really liking this one but it has something like 32 leaves to applique on!! I will be a few more nights before this one's done. There are still more berries to add, his feet need claws and I want to add some beading also. I will be making it into a pillow when it's done.



When the girls were over sewing the other day, Da. was working on sewing this wool applique that she had completed into a pillow. Isn't is just gorgeous! This was a free pattern over on All People quilt and it finishes at around 22" square!
I love the colors! Working with felted wool is so cool as it doesn't fray and is so portable. Have a great day!

Friends and Mark Lipinski

Friends were over for a day of sewing! I have such great friends--they even let me feed them!LOL! And, yes, they're still alive to tell the tale! Where would we be without friends to share our lives with? Where else can we be our nutty selves without fear of judgement but with our friends? Where else could we feel free to steal/beg/borrow fabric but from our friends!LOL Yes, these kind of friends are a great blessing! D. was making the star blocks for a challenge in the guild and it's going to be beautiful when it's done. She is surrounding each block with scrappy strips which I really like!



Small return only from the shopping trip! Selection was a bust! I really think they take the good stuff, put in out back somewhere, then put out a truckload of stuff they brought in to get rid of on the "SALE". This is way I try to buy from independent quilt shops. I should have known better! I did pick up my favorite quilt mag--Quilter's Home! I love Mark Lipinski's forthrightness-=I know, he removed his name from the title, but he is still writing articles for it. If you've never met Mark and have the chance. GO! He's a hoot! I've nicknamed him "My Little Owl"! Mark understands the need for cute "titles"! Go say HI! to Mark.

Friday Night Sew In!

Come join the fun! Heidi @ Handmade is hosting a virtual Friday Night Sew In on January 15! What a great idea! Tell all your friends and hope to "see" you there! Click on the button in my sidebar to go visit Heidi and sign up!

Quiltingly,

So, the cat is still sleeping on the table quilt. I give up. He wins! That being said, without further ado, it is my privilege to introduce you to Sir Spoiled, hereafter referred to as Misha. Notice the fluffy tail and the tufted ears--yep, we have some Maine Coon Cat in us somewhere. This guy stole my heart the minute I picked him up and he laid back in my hands, purring. He was 6 weeks old and the first cat I ever paid $ for. He was well worth every cent as he is my constant companion....helping me to sew (putting paws on thread cone), ushering me to the bathroom(I need TAPWATER NOW!), making sure I eat everything on my plate(hurry up and get me my treat!), massaging me and singing me to sleep(could you give me some more room!),
waking me in the morning so I don't oversleep(I need TAPWATER NOW!) and so many other helpful things.LOL He's just a little Mother Hen.....did I mention he talks? Yes, he is very very vocal and has 11 distinct meows. We have MEOWT--I want out--, one for hello, one for Mum, one for I need TAPWATER NOW!, one for where are you?, one for treats please, one for pick me up and love me, one for are you coming to bed?, one for are you getting up?, one for can I get in bed now? and one that he does constantly, so I'm told, when I'm away. Seriously, he talks as much as a 4 year old on caffiene! And, he will sit and stay on command and do tricks for his treats! One Smart kitty!No , there is no shortage of cat/mommy interaction in this home!

Quiltingly,

New Bunny Hill BOM

So check it out! Anne over at Bunny Hill is starting her new BOM for 2010! I love Anne's work, what a talented lady! I put a button on my sidebar to go there!

Fab Quilts

Here's some photos from last night's Show & Tell. A fabulous Be Attitudes quilt! Can you believe this is her FIRST quilt! My first quilt wouldn't have given this one any competition, that's for sure. I didn't even know what I was really doing the first time I made a quilt. This quilt is what happens when you are smart and take a class to learn how to quilt unlike some of us who just are too stubborn to be told what to do!LOL I believe they call us nonconformists behind our backs!

This next quilt is the result of a BOM challenge done in black and white, where someone wins all the blocks. She took the centre blocks home and designed the rest of her quilt around them. All I can say is WOW! She really made that odd pink block work!

Tomorrow my quilting friends are coming to sew for the day. Will try to get some pics and I'll also introduce you to Sir Spoiled (better known as Misha and Babycakes). He was BAD today! I came home from shopping and he was sleeping on the table quilt....Naughty Kitty!!:) I also have some pics of my goodies from shopping.

Quiltingly,

Shopping Trip!

A shopping we will go! A shopping we will go! I'm off to the city for shopping today. BIG BIG SALE at the large fabric store and there are things I NEED! I'm sure there must be things I need....if not, it will be a treat to just gaze and touch.

See y'all later!

Is it right?

Well, this is the experimental first picture. This quilt was made from a No Peek Nine Patch swap we did at our guild last fall. This is the layout I chose to put my Nine patches into. It's very scrappy and has colors in it that I would NEVER think of putting together. That was the great idea behind the NO PEEK part. You just reached into the community bag and pulled whatever squares you got and put them together! What fun! As you can see, a red tipped stars form and chain across the quilt. I love it!

It's all New to me...

I know...what's a blog without photos....boring! I'm learning!!! Today's task is to read that pesky little CD that came with my camera so I can get my photos-and I have LOTS of photos-downloaded and posted. Logically, I know that if a child can do it that I can do it. So, be patient with me and before long, photos are what you'll see!

Guild meeting is tonight and I am so ready to meet with all my quilt friends again. We have such a great talented bunch of quilters in my guild who bring the most delicious Show and Tell each month. Very inspiring...I am always ready to sew, sew, sew when I come home from guild meeting and isn't that the way it should be!

I'll be seeing y'all later!

My First Post

My first post.....I was so inspired by reading other quilter's blogs over the past two years that I finally decided to join in all the fun. First, a bit about me. I love quilts, to quilt, to make quilts, to buy fabric, to fondle fabric, to sit and gaze at my fabric, to roll around on the floor...no wait...haven't done that yet! LOL I love my hubby, my two wonderful boys and my cat, who by the way, doesn't know he's a cat>he thinks he's Sir Spoiled and Come Meet My Demands Immediately. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the color red and think every quilt should have red in it. I am constantly running out of red fabric. I hope there are other red fabric lover's out there. I like most all quilt styles but right now I am into scrappy style. Hope to meet you all here in the New Year!