New York Beauty

As quilters, we are always collecting fabrics and tell ourselves, "Someday,  I want to make......".
A few things on my list of things to make are a Wedding Ring, Cathedral Windows and a New York Beauty quilt. I was up for a challenge.  I wanted my winter project to be "different". I have done block after block of repeats.

 I have been collecting fabrics from a line called "Kansas Troubles". I have added a few fabrics from other lines that work well.  The dark outer fabric is plum and will be on each of the 10 block patterns. This will be the prominent color in this quilt.  I will make 4 of each of the 10 blocks which are all 8 1/2 inches. This is also my first paper pieced quilt.

This is where I found my pattern.
http://www.lenzula.de/pattern/free/nyb.php?l=en

Then I searched for PP'ing videos online and took notes. This took several months. I asked myself, can I really do this.  Who needs another UFO? I am not a PP'er so there was a learning curve here.

This is the first block and each of the four blocks will have the scrappy points with the same basket weave center. We will see what my other 9 blocks come up with as I do them. All the blocks point sections will be scrappy. The centers will also change.

Life has been so busy this year. I think I have not been in my sewing room for almost three months. I finally said, "That is it, I am spending the day in my sewing room". It was one of those nasty, rainy, windy PNW days with the fireplace going and homemade bread in the oven.

Did I pick up a UFO waiting for me? No....It's New York Beauty time.

So here we go:

 I was really impressed with PP'ing when I did the center of the block. It sewed up quickly. Rippit only came out once because I did not get my lights and dark's in the right order. Love those points.

Then I did the center, basket weave fabric.  rip rip rippit! My fabric folded over so many times and got in the way. It included some tucks too. I started pinning the excess fabric to hold it out of the way. That worked for me. Curved pieces.

Then I did the outside, the dark  plum fabric. It is two pieces and I sewed the narrow ends together, sewed it to the block, pressed it.  No No that is not a square. Shhheessshh rip rip rippit! A few more times too! Oh dear, who folded that fabric over?? rip rip rippit! This is curved pieces and I was afraid I would stretch out the fabrics.

The entire afternoon was spent doing ONE block as the rain streamed down my sewing room windows. I was thinking this was going to take me forever and why am I doing this? Oh yes, I wanted a challenge.

Now one block is completely done it is 4 pm DH is hungry....but wait...I loved doing this challenge. So back to my sewing room and I now have centers done to the other 3 block 1's. Maybe it took me 30 minutes to complete this section. I think I have the PP concept down now.

I love that all my points are there! Precision with the PP'ing is terrific.

If anyone wants to leave me some pointers on attaching the other pieces please do.

More PNW weather for today, so back to the sewing room I go. I really want to complete the other three blocks for this so I can start Block 2.

Wild Flower Rhapsody~~~August

Talk about busy summer months! This sure does explain our house. So many good things happening keeping us busy. It is hard to find time for quilting when the weather is making things grow in the garden, that included the weeds. They seem to grow taller than anything else.

In the beginning of August I was able to cut out this block.  It must not of been a good day because I cut two of the fabrics wrong.  Doing BOM's there is not room for "do-overs". 

I put it aside for a few weeks.  My next trip to town I stopped at the quilt shop and asked about matching fabric.  There was no luck there. Now a wild goose chase so I could finish the block on time. It is really frustrating when this happens.

We searched the fabrics, walking up and down each isle.....ohhhh cute bee fabric, old cars done in a patriotic theme,.....Christmas fabric everywhere.  Come on, lets focus on what we really need.

 I did find a floral blue that worked. The little flowers had the same pink hue as the pink used in this block and the greens matched too. You can see this in my HST's.  How lucky was that. I was thrilled! 

When i returned home to sew the block together I discovered I needed some pink fabric too.  My trip to town was not well planned i guess.  I went through the scraps I had been saving for this project and came across the lighter pink.  There was just enough to complete this.  I sewed the darker pink in the center which is what the pattern called for; the lighter pink on the outside.

Next month I will definitely be more careful when cutting. I love this BOM!! The fabrics and colors are wonderful.

Wild Flower Rhapsody for July

Here is the July Block for Wild Flower Rhapsody.

HST and a 4-Patch. The more I work with the fabrics for this project the better I like it. No new fabrics this month which is the first thing I look for.  Lots of tiny ornate flowers.  It will not be long and I will be sewing the blocks together. 

Crazy Quilting by Machine

The month of July sure has been a busy one. Summer is finally here and it has me catching up everywhere I look.  The grass, weeds, cleaning, painting.  Grand kids with birthdays. Get aways! Car shows too.

Last night I escaped into my sewing room to do some machine crazy quilting. July's block is called Queen Anne's Lace. Wow do I ever like it. She is all done up in purples.

Usually my crazy quilting is all done by hand so machine crazy quilting is a new concept for me. I am liking how quickly a block works up.

Next month is dragonflies.

Wildflower Rhapsody BOM June block

We are home from our annual fishing vacation. We came home to some really wet weather so while catching up with putting things away and laundry I cut out my block and got sewing.

This month two new fabrics were added. Imagine my excitement when I found PURPLE! Not much but I am sure there will be more.

The blocks in this BOM are really"pieced" but I enjoy them. the four patches are cut from 1 1/2 inch strips. The floral's are very delicate and blend so well.

Now I have to admit when I found this BOM online and really hesitated to get involved. I couldn't touch it to make sure the fabrics were nice or know the business I was about to work with.  This quilt has been a dream and the instructor has made this so easy for us.  She has posted her next BOM to start this fall.  There is trouble brewing.....it's tiny sunflowers with bees!

Now to wait for July's block.

WildFlower Rapsody BOM

I did exactly what I said I was not going to do. I joined another BOM I could not resist. All done by mail, no leaving the house which is a great idea with the way gas prices are.

Here is the site where I signed up. As of last week she still had room for 6 sign ups.  Wildflower Rapsody
The  fabrics are marvelous. Chocolates and pink shades done in fabulous florals.

She has given us a Blogspot to post pictures too! Right now the blog is empty but I am sure we will be fixing that as we sew our blocks.

Here is block 1 for April.  There are still fabrics I have not seen but ohhhh look at this yummy color combinations.  This block used 7 of the 17 fabrics we will use.

The fabrics are from Timeless Treasures called "Wing and a Prayer".

Now to wait for May's block.

Linen Water

I was recently and frequently on a quilting blog reading about what everyone else is making. I do this with my morning coffee for inspiration. I come up with so many interesting projects to keep me busy.

We were discussing a product we use for sizing/stabilizing our fabrics as we sew. Most of us agreed the products can get expensive. Then a few other ideas started ; home recipes for the same product.

The "best press" made at home recipe was used the most.

1/4 cup vodka
2 cups distilled water
essential oils  (lavender, rose or ???)

There was huge discussion on "linen water", and the chemicals we use to freshen rooms and bedding.  I started reading about linen water and remembered my grandmother using it.  She has a glass coke bottle that had a cork in it that was attached to something that looked like the end of a gardening watering can.  Can you remember this?

As far back as ancient Egyptian and Greek times, people used lavender, rosemary, tansy, and other herbs for cleaning.

They freshened their linens by placing fragrant sachets, herbs, and flowers in drawers and closets. Homes were “sweetened” with garlands of lavender and mint.

With this simple formula you can “sweeten” your linens, too, and if you aren’t sensitive to essential oils, even use it to freshen and uplift rooms.


Lavender Linen Water

Sprinkle on sheets or other other linens to freshen.

Spray onto linens before ironing.


1 teaspoon (100 drops) lavender essential oil

5-10 drops peppermint, spearmint or rosemary essential oil (optional)

2 oz. 80+ proof vodka

24 oz. distilled water

Pour essential oils and vodka into a bottle, cap and shake to emulsion.

Mix with distilled water.
The mix will cloud, and eventually separate.
Shake well before each use.



Linen Water


by Natasha Palewandrem

Bring the Mediterranean fields of lavender or the honeyed rose scents of Grasse indoors with your own homemade linen water!

Infuse your linens with the scents of summer bottled to last the whole year. Whether adding a sumptuous touch to bedding, or creating a personalized gift for a friend, these heavenly scents are sure to impress! While linen water can be purchased, it is cost-effective, creative and satisfying to create your own with this ultra-simple plan.
Materials:

Glass or plastic bottles with caps (or spray bottle)
Essential oil (try lavender or rose for traditional scents, jasmine or plumeria blossom for exotic scents)
90 ml non-flavoured, high proof vodka (approx. 3oz)
750 ml distilled water (approx. 25 oz)
Directions:
If you are using a glass bottle, sterilize it with boiling water. If you are using a plastic bottle, pour a little very hot water into your container to rinse it. Let it dry before mixing your linen water.

In the cooled bottle, mix the vodka and 1 teaspoon (5ml) of essential oil together. Close the bottle and shake it well to mix the oil with the alcohol. (The alcohol emulsifies the oil so you will have an evenly mixed solution.)
Add the 750 ml of distilled water to the bottle. Close the container and shake again to mix the scent and the water.
Use your linen water when making the bed, pressing your linens or simply by misting the air to freshen a room. You can also try misting linen water while you are ironing or try adding a little into your dryer while your table linens are drying. You can store your linen water for 6 to 8 months. Cap your bottles tightly and store them in a cool corner to make them last.

HINT: Lavender and rose oils in pure form are safe for use on skin, so your linen water can scent your face cloths, your pillows or even your hairbrush.

(LAVENDER LINEN WATER - Lavender repels moths and smells great.)

I am going to give this a try, as soon as I pick up my essential oils. I am one of those who do not purchase room sprays due to allergens. This just might work for me.

Baby Sewing

I have been baby sewing the last few months.  We are expecting our eigth grandchild on March 8th.  Her name is going to be Kennedi.  She will be born in Japan and she will be about 9 months old before we get to see her.  Way past that new baby stage.  With an older brother and sister I bet her personality is going to be "outgoing".

For each of the grandchildren I have made a quilt.  This one is for Kennedi.  I am putting it in the mail today in hopes it arrives before she does.

The front of the blanket has  the cutest bunnies on it. The center bunny is dressed in a hat and apron surrounded by flowers.  This block is hand embroidered.

The back of the quilt is dainty pink rose buds with a creamy yellow background. 

The finished size is 55x42 and will be perfect for her crib.

Anyone up for a New Handbag after the First of the Year?

Henrietta's Handbags  I Belong to a caazy quilting group (no not a group of crazy ladies) and came across this site.  I had to share it with all of you.

Save this link if you are wanting that new purse for yourself. Give yoruself a treat after finishing all the hours of christmas sewing.

When the hustle and bustle makes way for calmer days, treat yourself.

A Special Gift

 November was a very different month for our family. Both of us were sick for several weeks and a very close family member was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Breast Cancer. It was a very emotional time while desicions had to be make as the gamot of medical tests were done.

Stuck at home, I went to my sewing room and pulled fabrics, thinking I was sorting.  I came out with a group of fabrics and announced I was making a quilt for the patient and it was to be done before any surgeries. Now I was on a mission.  This was November 12th.

Our families decided to have Thanksgiving together, so that date became the day she would recieve this.  I chose the Dresden Plate pattern I had been doing as table runners.  I made 12 plates placing 4 lengthwise and 3 across. Adding the borders made it twin size. I needed to work quickly and time allowed for everything to go just perfect.

This picture is a closeup of the peices that make up each plate. They are topstitched to the block with a feather stitch. The center circle is hand stitched in place.

The border of the quilt was done in a patchy fabric bringing the colors together. The actual quilting was done by machine which saved me a lot of time.  I placed double hearts in between the plates and stitched around the blocks of the border.

Now it is almost Christmas and I have her pillow case done. I used all the same fabrics and chose to use french seams. The fabric on the end of the pillowcase, purple roses isthe same fabric use to back the quilt. It is going in the mail this afternoon so she has it before her second Chemo treatment.

A Special Lady is so deserving of a special gift.

Last Minute Gifts!!!

I received an email from my favorite quilt shop about making last minute gifts.
The headline was: 10 Minute Table Runner and Coasters Too! My thought's were: no way, now just how hoaky is that. Meanwhile, my other hand was sending an email to them signing up! Now I had to see this.

The table runner has four seams. Yes, that is it. Sew a tube, turn it inside out, sew the short sides and flip for a point. No batting no sandwiching to quilt it. I love it and it is very decorative. It actually took more than 10 minutes-classroom setting.

The project was the coaster. We purchased assorted Christmas prints, which were on sale!
They ran them through the Accurate Cutter into 5 inch squares. It took 5 squares per coaster. When they are properly stacked your sew all along the outside edge, turn them inside out and poof a coaster. I am sure many of you have made these, they fit nicely around stem ware too. The fabrics were festive and will be fun for gift giving.

Until then, stay warm!!! All week long we have had single digit cold weather. Max and Fritz ask to go out, but when I open the door they run and hide! Does that tell you anything? When it warms up i guess it will snow for me.

Holy Cow it's a Blog!!

I finally found my blog.....not really but life has been crazy. I am still vertical and breathing in air.

We vacationed for three weeks in Japan, cleaned out my MIL house where she lived for 50 years and signed final papers on the sale this month, all new windows in our house, plus a BRAND NEW ONE over my sewing desk, upgraded my car to a 4WD, added another Model T to our collection. Whew!

Okay, yes, I have been adding and using fabrics and thread. Now that the nights start so early I have started a hexagon quilt by hand. Very scrappy for all those odds and ends I have kept. I took a quilting class on Dresden plates. Wow! This is so simple and pictures will be up soon, well as long as I do not loose my blog again :)

I always have my eyes out for great gift giving projects and found a couple of great sites I would like to share.

Here is the "Moda Bake Shop" . I have this linked to a hexagon quilt and Dresden plate projects. Both of these are projects that jog warm memories from my past. Finally, I am taking that memory to a reality.

Calico quilt has a list of the fabric suppliers all on one page for us. Browse the links and find all sorts of quilt patterns. Grab your coffee.....no grab the coffee pot, take your time.

Happy sewing everyone

New Crazy Quilting Group

I am leaving this information on my blog so that all of you can check out the new "Crazy Quilting" group. Many of us belong to several but hopefully you will have the room or time to join one more.

This group is new, swaps 8 1/2 inch blocks which are randomly swapped. Most of the members have embroidery machines. Do not let that scare you away if you do not have an embroidery machine.

In the past, I have completed all of my crazy quilting by hand. I am learning a new concept here, making the block using my embroidery machine. It should save me some time.

Come on in and join the creativity.
Use this link to find us: "Crazy Quilting"

34 Matching Blocks

I am just coming in to show you what I have been doing with my sewing machine.




















I signed up for a swap and the only rules were 12 1/2 inches and something to do with floral.

Oh now doesn't that open a lot of ideas for most of us. My first step was to rummage through my stash to see what I had. It was my lucky day and I found three matching fabrics. There was a solid one too so I wanted to find a small embroidery design to use.

My first attempt at cutting was a disaster and I panicked that I would not have enough fabric for 34 blocks. Back to the thinking block and this is the pattern I came up with. When I started recutting my fabrics it dawned on me that the kids were coming home from Japan on leave, staying at our house..........yikes.....cancell the swap.

I stuck it out made 34 matching blocks without embroidery. A blank solid piece of fabric will call out to anyone with an embroidery machine. I was being nice and didn't know it, wasn't I.
These go out in the mail Monday so I am not late.


I have to to run. The stuffed turkey is in the oven, six of the seven grandbabies are here. One is sick on the couch. Oh, and one of the three grandfirbabies is here. A couple of the dads and DH are at the gun show (hope they bring me home a surprise). Man, I should of gone to the gun show and left the cooking to all the girls.

Fairie Wall Hanging

This is a wall hanging I made for my grand daughter. The final measurements are 45 inches square. The four outside fairies are seasonal fairies. I needed five stitch out's so on a quest I went. The center one I am calling the "Grand mom". The four floral blocks are also fairies but it was hard to capture that in a picture. There is a border of matching flowers for the fairies to hide in and a border of fairy wings.

The next pictures are blurry but it was too late for me to retake them. I rushed to get this wrapped and shipped to Japan on time for Christmas Day. I will have to wait for good photo's at the other end. Besides, I am missing a closeup of one of the blocks. That is what I get for being in a hurry.

The Gracie Quilt

Another quilt is finished. I call this one "The Gracie Quilt". In my sewing group we were talking about how most of us stashed fabric in every nook and cranny. One of the ladies pulled out some boxes of fabric and laying on top was this gorgeous purple fabric. I immediately grabbed the top piece. I looked at her with big eyes, and please do not make me put this fabric back. As wonderful as she is I was fortunate enough to come home with the this fabric. She had had this fabric for about 10 years. I was feeling so very lucky!

This fabric has a cream background with little girls with Blondie hair all standing in the same direction. She is in a purple polka dotted dress, 60's style with white socks and black patten leather shoes. Above each girl is the name "Gracie". This happens to be the name of our youngest grand daughter. Here she is on Christmas with her new blanket.

At the age of 2, she can not read and it was a blanket. This is where reality set in, I was more excited about this quilt and our little Miss Gracie has no idea.

The quilt is not pieced. It was November when I received the fabric which meant I was in a time crunch, There was still other projects to finish.

I had a yard and a half of "Gracie fabric" so I only framed this fabric with a single border. Simple.

I did do some different things as far as quilting. Remember the embroidery machine? I had downloaded several quilting motifs and used a simple circle within a circle pattern to quilt this. It left a flower design on the back which shows up nicely. I wanted a simple design so that it did not distract from "the Gracie's" on the front. There are also strings of random hearts on the border and a single heart in each corner.


This closeup shows her name above each little girl. Now you know why I could not resist.

Warning Quilt Pox Symptoms

In my morning browsing I found this article which is worth the read if you need a chuckle or help explainging "why" for those who do not understand.

I found this on Kathy's blog. I was actually looking at her lessons and wandered. She even has a section for sending "quilty postcards".

WARNING!QUILT POX VERY CONTAGIOUS TO ADULTS!

Symptoms:
Continual complaint as to need for snuggling under a handmade quilt. Patient has blank expression, sometimes deaf to spouse and kids. Has no taste for bedspreads or electric blankets. Hangs out at Quilting Bees. Mumbles to self "Log Cabin", "Double Wedding Ring", "Ohio Rose"...

NO KNOWN CURE!
Treatment:
Medication is useless, Disease is Not Fatal. Victim should attend as many Quilt shows and Quilt shops as possible.
Cause:
Fabric Effect
A recent study has indicated that fabric gives off certain Pheromones, that actually hypnotizes women, and causes them to purchase ungodly amounts.
Sound tests have also revealed that these fabrics emit a very high-pitched sound, heard only by a select few of the breed of women known as "quilters".
When stored in large quantities in enclosed spaces, the Pheromones cause memory loss and induce the nesting syndrome (similar to the one squirrels have before the onset of winter, i.e: storing food), therefore, perpetuating their species, and not having a population loss due to their kind being cut up into little pieces and mixed with others.
When played backwards on a LP, the sounds are heard as chants "buy me, cut me, sew me"!
In order to overcome the so called 'feeding frenzy effect' that these fabrics cause, one must wear a face mask when entering a storage facility and use ear plugs to avoid being pulled in to their grip. (One must laugh, however, at the sight of women in a fabric store, with WWII Army gas masks and headphones!)
Studies also indicate that aliens have inhabited the earth, helping to spread the effect that these fabrics have on the human woman population. They are called FABRIC STORE CLERKS.

Birthday Pillowcases

Today was a productive day in the sewing room. I had seen samples of homemade pillow cases and thought it was time I give it a try.

Most of the seams are french seams. I treated the seams this way because I wanted the pillowcases to be able to live through a few pillow fights. Mom doesn't sew or mend and they are moving to Japan in the fall. Kids will be kids you know.

This is the Cinderella pillowcase.

This one is Barbie Princess fabric. I did not have a lot of yardage of this fabric. I pieced several different sized strips until I had it the length I needed.

Here is Spiderman. If you check a posting from last month I had purchased this fabric at the Sewing Expo Shopping Spree! Don't tell Spiderman that the fabric is attached to the border going in the wrong direction. This is for my grandson who thinks he is "Spidyman". Maybe this will help with bedtime.

They were fun to make. It is much easier if I have yardage and only need to add trim as in the Spiderman pillowcase. Piecing the other to get the pillowcase large enough was time consuming. A pain to say the least. Now to wrap them in birthday paper.