Where the Flowers Bloom Blog Hop

                                   

Hello, and welcome to my blog post for the Where the Flowers Bloom Blog Hop. Thank you, Carla, for allowing me to be one of the stops on this fun hop. I love flowers and I found a perfect project. Here is the schedule for this week:

Where Flowers Bloom Blog Hop Schedule

Monday, June 11th
MooseStash Quilting
In The Boon Docks
Seams To Be Sew
Lily Patch Quilts 
Days Filled With Joy
Elizabeth Coughlin Designs
Seacoast Quilter   (Me!)

Tuesday, June 12th
Life in the Scrapatch
Words & Stitches
Kwilty Pleasures
Patchwork Breeze
AllThingzSewn
VroomansQuilts
Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats
Why Knot Kwilt

Wednesday, June 13th
Just Let Me Quilt
Hazel’s Daughter
Nettie Sews and Lucky Quilts
ShirleyC
Cynthia's Creating Ark
Songbird Designs
Creativeblonde
Patchouli Moon Studio

Thursday, June 14th
Sew Incredibly Crazy
selina quilts
PamelaQuilts
Ms P Designs USA
sunshinequilting
Melva Love Scraps
Quilty Pleasures

Friday, June 15th
Den syende himmel
QuiltFabrication
Blessings From Our Nest
DesertSky Quilting
Just Because Quilts
Quarter Inch Crafter
Creatin' in the Sticks

Unfortunately, I ended up in the hospital for 10 days in the middle of May. I was very restricted when I came home, and I was unable to finish my project. I’m sorry but it was completely out of my control. No one plans emergency surgery on a Saturday night!

I do a lot of embroidered quilt blocks, so when the theme of the hop was announced I went right to one of my favorite websites, Sweet Pea Machine Embroidery Designs. They are based in Australia and they do fun quilts and in the hoop projects like bags, toys, etc. If you are a machine embroidery fan, do check them out.

These are called Abstract Flowers. They look like a hold over from my teen years in the 70s. I keep solids like black white, indigo and several shades of grey Kona cotton on hand. I wash and iron with starch all my fabric before I use it. So I had black and white all prepared. I started with the black blocks and made one of each design and started another round, but discovered I was out of black prepared fabric. So I jumped over to white and started there. You can see I didn’t get very far. I had complete forgotten my date for the hop and was reminded by an email from Carla (thankfully!).

I am sewing 5” x 5” blocks. I will continue to work on this over the next couple weeks as I have time. I am also in the process of moving from New Hampshire to Connecticut but these are perfect blocks to sew at the end of the day when I can‘t sort any more stuff.

Please come visit me again and watch for the finish of this project. I am really enjoying making the blocks. My move will intrude on my sewing for a bit but I’ll be moved by the end of July. I’ve already closed on the new house and have a buyer for mine. On to a new chapter in a new place, near where my family lives.

Thanks,

Mary

Another Month Gone by in a Flash!

I can't believe a month has gone by so fast. I've been busy sorting things in my old house. I have accepted that a move back to Connecticut from New Hampshire is not going to happen this year. There is too much to do still, and I haven't decided to build or go house hunting. I have blueprints that I bought in the mid 90's when I was thinking of buying land from my grandmother's estate and building. It never happened but I still love the house plans. There is no rush, in any case.

I would like to say I've been sewing up a storm this month but I just don't know where the time goes. I did finish a top that was supposed to be shown at the February Seabreeze Quilt Guild meeting. I wasn't able to go due to illness. And the March meeting was cancelled for snow.  I'll be showing it on Wednesday when it's my day for the Quilt Qwazy Queens Blog Hop.

We've been having weekly snow storms on Tuesdays, usually 20 inches or so. There was another coming this week but the forecast seems to have changed and it's looking clear for the week. My sister and I are headed to Lancaster, PA for the AQS Show. We've got 3 nights in the hotel where the show is, so as long as we get there, it can snow as much as it wants!

Gloaming Fat Quarter Bundle

I don't remember how I stumbled across this but I purchased the fat quarter bundle of Gloaming from Cora's Quilts. Oh boy, do I love the colors. I don't have a plan for it yet but I'm sure I'll find something.

I also found a monthly pattern subscription website called Pattern Drop. I saw a photo of the February quilt pattern and had to have it! So for a very reasonable fee I will get a new pattern every month. I've got stash of Island Batik's Fresh Pick'ins that will work wonderfully for this.

Hope to see you on Wednesday. I've pulled out several UFOs for my day on the blog hop.  I also saw on Facebook that Barb Vedder has mailed back our blocks from the Churn Dash block swap. Can't wait to see them all!

Mary

Quilt Qwazy Queens Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to my blog. I am very happy to be participating in this blog hop, organized by Marian at Seams To Be Sew. Thank you, Marian, for all the work you do putting together these fun events. Down at the bottom of this post you will find out how to enter for several giveaways each day of the hop. The list of sponsors is incredible!

The schedule for Quilt Qwazy Queens is:

Quilt Qwazy Queens Schedule

March 16

Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats
Resourceful Momma
UCanQuilt2

March 17

Freemotion by the River
KwiltKrazy
FunThreads Designs
Pink Doxies

March 20

Jane’s Quilting
Seacoast Quilter
Words & Stitches
Quilting Affection

March 21

Thrift Shop Commando
Batts In The Attic
Adventurous Applique and Quilting
Sew Many Yarns

March 22

MooseStash Quilting
Life in the Scrapatch
Seams To Be Sew

A number of the participants have shared their sewing spaces/studios. If you are looking for great ideas, or just enjoy seeing other's studios, be sure to visit everyone. Daily prizes will have expired for past days but there are more to come.

I do not have a room that is my sewing studio. I am in the process of cleaning out my husband's family home (he passed away last year). There have been 3 generations of his family that have lived in the house since 1916, and no one ever threw anything out. So I thought I'd share some photos of where I am making due and sewing when I can. 

First is the kitchen cart that actually works pretty good for a cutting table. It holds a 12" x 24" cutting mat and has a wing I can flip up to hold bolts.

My stash looks pretty organized, doesn't it? I have fat quarters and smaller yardage sorted by type (batik, repro, modern, etc.) and by color. This is only about half the boxes. My husband gave me a monthly anniversary gift for the 15 years we were married, wrapped in fabric, or just gave fabric. He mostly purchased fat quarter or half yard bundles of full lines of reproduction fabric, from Reproduction Fabrics. I've tried to continue his habit of getting the new lines as they come out. 😊

My final sewing essential is my machine, a Bernina 830 with embroidery. It sits on a desk from Amazon at the end of my bed. I put a 12" x 12" pressing board on my desk and I'm set. I try to spend a couple hours a day sewing but fell behind last year. I'm dealing with a few health issues and don't have much energy some days. Oh well, we all take breaks from sewing sometimes. 

When I moved to the Seacoast area of New Hampshire in 2002 I joined 2 guilds as a way to meet people. I belong to the Cocheco Quilters in Dover, NH, and the Seabreeze Quilt Guild in Exeter, NH. Seabreeze has their show coming up on April 22nd so I've been trying to finish some projects for the show. You would think in the 2 years between shows I would have something. Well, I do, and I have some photos!

 

My friend Bea and I decided to do the block of the month for Seabreeze for 2015/2016 and created the original sampler pattern shown here. Each month in the newsletter, for 12 months, you got a block pattern in 6", 9" and 12" sizes. You could make all one size, or combine all 3 into the sampler layout shown. Bea's is on the left, made from batiks. Mine is on the right, made from Thimbleberries stash. There were some filler blocks to make everything fit together, and Bea used all neutrals for hers. I used prints. I like the two different looks!

This quilt is called Pointing to Center and I designed it for a short block of the month for 2016. With the show coming in April we wanted something that could finish in December. I know of at least 2 other guild members who have made this quilt and will have it in the show. Should make a nice grouping, don't you think?

Both of these patterns will be available in my shop at Craftsy, and at QuiltWoman for wholesale purchase, very soon. I just need to reformat them from the monthly newsletter layout.

I have two more at the quilter and expect them back any day. One was a mystery quilt that one of the other Seabreeze members provided in the newsletter. The other is the Bonnie Hunter Quiltville Mystery from this past year. I have been saving her annual mystery patterns that start after Thanksgiving for 5 years. This year, I made it, too! I used many fat quarters to substitute for the yardage required and so finally made my first scrappy quilt. When I started to assemble the blocks I thought I was going to hate it. But I love it now. I'll have photos soon.

Ok, I think it is time for the fun stuff. First I have a bottle of Terial Magic Fabric Spray. This is a fabric stiffener like heavy starch. It works great for anytime you want a firmer hand, like with cutting machines, scrapbooking, etc. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Northcott Fabrics has given the Quilt Qwazy Queens a whole bunch of fat quarters. My prize for today is from the On The Green collection.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The last chance to win here today is a $50.00 gift certificate from the Fat Quarter Shop. Good luck to all.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

One final good thing today is the discount available for Electric Quilt. I use this program all the time and would highly recommend it. 

Use the promo code: EQHOP201 for a special hop price, good till 3/27/2017

Exclusions: Electric Quilt 7, EQ7 Migration Kit, Upgrade from EQ Mini to EQ7, EQ Mini Migration Kit, EQ Academy classes, and EQ University classes.

Don't forget to visit the other blogs today, and be sure to stop by and see Marian for the winners. 

I hope you have enjoyed your visit with me. Hopefully new medication should have me feeling better and back to work on the 101 Patchwork Patterns quilt that I've been sharing here. It's been on hold a bit but I'm ready to jump back in the water.

Thanks again,

Mary

101 Patchwork Patterns Block 14

Welcome to another block in the delayed, but ongoing 101 Patchwork Patterns. After a tough couple months I've finally been able to sew again and I'm really enjoying it. You don't realize how much you love something until you can't do it. Well, hopefully I won't have to be in an arm brace again, because it really makes it hard to type or rotary cut. I'm very right handed and I could push pieces through the sewing machine with my left hand but that was about it!

Before we get started I want to tell you all about a blog hop that started today. A Fresh Snow is today, and Monday through Wednesday. We will be sharing projects that include fabric other then cotton. As quilters we tend to use mostly cotton so it will be interesting to see what everyone does.
The schedule is:

Jan 20 (today)

Jane’s Quilting
Lulu & Celeste
Quilt In Piece
3Patch Crafts

Jan 23

Quilted Fabric Art
Ravellry
Bdieges

Jan 24

Elm Street Quilts
Resourceful Mama
MooseStash Quilting
Any Pattern
Seacoast Quilter

Jan 25

Life in the Scrapatch
Sew Many Yarns
Elizabeth Coughlin Designs
Seams To Be Sew

I hope you can stop by and visit all these wonderful blogs. There is a daily prize to be had! Thank you to Marian of Seams To Be Sew for organizing another fun event.

Download Milky Way Pattern

This block starts a new portion of the quilt, and the blocks are going to measure 10" in the quilt, so 10-1/2" including seam allowances. I have detailed making half square triangle units several times before. This time we are making 9, 4-patch units. The following walks you through a quick and easy way to do this.

Start with 2 strips of each blue and white, cut 1-1/2" x 14". Sew pairs of blue and white strips together as shown above. Press towards the blue fabric.

Next,  place the two strip sets right sides together with the colors opposite each other.

Place your ruler at the right end of the strip set. Align any ruler line with the horizontal seam. Make a cut to the right end of the strip set, just a quarter inch or so, to give you a clean edge.

Spin your mat around, or carefully pick up the strips and turn them around. Use your ruler to cut 1-1/2 inch sections from the strip pairs. At the sewing machine, sew a 1/4 inch seam on one cut edge of each pair. Open and press.

Using the 4 patch units, the half square triangle units, 2 yellow squares and 2 background squares, lay out your block. Sew into rows, then sew rows together. It looks like a lot of piecing but goes fast.

So, here is a drawing from Electric Quilt of where we are at. This round will be 20 blocks. If you haven't had a chance to assemble your center portion yet, the assembly instructions are here.

Be sure to stop by on Tuesday and see what I've been working on in wool.

Mary

Happy New Year

I love the beginning of a new year with a blank calendar and lots of plans.  I read a suggestion recently that said to put a slip of paper into a jar with every good thing that happens during the year.  At the end, review all the good that happened, rather than looking over what didn't.  I am a positive person in general and I love this idea!

I plan to be better at posting whatever I am sewing on this year.  And I plan to try to sew every day, even if it is for a half hour.  Since my quilt shop closed in June 2011 I have not been very productive.  I get distracted and don't focus on any one thing.  I read something recently that suggested scheduling two or three things, with a set time limit, each day.  It worked the times I tried it so I've got my calendar out and I'm trying to plan! I'm thinking computer work in the morning and creative stuff in the afternoon.  We'll see how it goes.

I've spent a couple days poking around the internet, looking for exciting things to do this year.  If you are like me, you have enough fabric stash to last for several years.  I am determined to use what I have, one block at a time.  So with this in mind, I've built a list of various blocks of the month, quilt alongs, blog hops and challenges (not so many of these, I don't need anyone adding to my challenges).  Most are free but a couple have nominal fees.  I plan to select a couple and sew along with them.  A block or two a month should be do-able, right?
                                                                           Mary

Blocks of the Month

www.dontcallmebetsy.com

Lucky Stars BOM ($10)

This is a foundation paper pieced stars BOM that has a $10 membership fee till January 5, then it increases to $15.  This gets you a monthly block in 6” and 12” sizes, plus a bunch of extras.  Run by well known modern quilter Elizabeth Dackson.

 http://www.stitcherydickorydock.com/announcing-the-2013-sugar-block-club/
The Sugar Block Club ($7.95)

Yup, a new block of the month series! This time, I’m branching out and offering you a sweet monthly treat for your inbox- 12 fresh modern blocks (but all with traditional roots), laid out in clear, step-by-step printable patterns. Follow along with me and make a throw-sized sampler quilt from your twelve 12″ blocks, or let the blocks stand alone. Each is worthy of a quilt all its own! Plus, each block pattern will come with one of my tried & true favorite dessert recipes (and you all know what a sucker I am for sweets!)  

www.pileofabric.com

Skill Builder BOM (Free)

Designed for all levels, walk away in December 2013 with new skills or skills refreshed or sharpened. Goals that readers surveyed asked for:

·         Learn different piecing methods like paper piecing, sewing curves, etc.

·         Learn/practice free motion quilting.

·         Conquer a large quilt.

·         Finish one entire quilt in the year.

You will be making 24 blocks, 2 per month.  The first lesson will be posted on January 17, 2013, and each will be available as a pdf to download. This looks like a really fun quilt.  Sign up and receive occasional emails exclusive to BOM participants.

http://civilwarquilts.blogspot.com/2012/12/2013-block-of-month-dixie-diary.html

Barbara Brackman

12 blocks free, posted the first Saturday of the month

Civil War stories told through quilt patterns

Each monthly block includes a story taken from one of the great Civil War documents--Sarah Morgan's Confederate Girl's Diary, first published 100 years ago in 1913.

http://www.genxquilters.com/2012/12/sisters-ten-modern-bom-2013.html

Sister’s Ten Modern BOM 2013
Starts January 2013New Block tutorials post the 1st Friday of the month10 Block Tutorials; November and December will be spent finishing the quiltflickr group ooh-ing and ahh-ingSkill level:  Confident beginner - IntermediateNo mystery - You'll see the quilt design up front

http://opengatequilts.blogspot.com/2012/12/blogger-girls-block-of-month.html

Starting January 1^st, monthly free block from a different blogger, for 6 months

http://networkedblogs.com/GA5Wm

Little Quilt Ladies 2013 Quilt block of the month – 12” star blocks

http://www.sulky-international.de/scripts/clsAIWeb.php?seite_id=319

Sulky International

Free BOM “I Love Sewing”

http://quiltdoodledesigns.blogspot.com/2012/12/2013-block-of-month-club.html?spref=bl

2013 Block of the Month Club – piecing, appliqué, paper piecing, blocks are a mystery

Pattern free during the month it is released.

http://quietplay.blogspot.com.au/p/and-sew-on-paper-pieced-bom.html

And Sew On… A 9 month paper pieced BOM with a sewing theme.  Each month’s block will be a free pattern for the month only.

http://piecemealquilts.wordpress.com/skill-builder-series/test-your-skills-sampler/

Started in September, still going on.  Includes skill builder lessons as well as block patterns.

www.val-laird.blogspot.com

Consider the Lilies Embroidery BOM

www.craftsy.com
Craftsy Block of the Month 2013 with Laura NownesLearn new quilting techniques, make new friends and create a sampler quilt! Each month, Laura Nownes demonstrates one great quilting technique in this FREE class.

www.thequiltshow.com

2013 BOM “The Two of Us”

Designed by Sue Nickels and Pat Holly

Must be a member, but it is free to join as a basic member

http://auribuzz.wordpress.com/category/designers-of-the-month/

14 designers pieced blocks
Erin Russek http://erinrussek.typepad.com/Marie-Claude Picon-Iperti http://www.lessecretsdemarie.com/Jeni Baker http://www.incolororder.com/Katy Jones  http://imagingermonkey.blogspot.com/Jackie Kunkel http://cvquiltworks.blogspot.com/Wenche Wolff Hatling  http://northernquilts.blogspot.com/Polly Minick and Laurie Simpson http://www.minickandsimpson.com/Jill Finley jillilystudio.comKimberly Einmo http://www.kimberlyeinmo.com/Allison Harris http://www.cluckclucksew.com/Laurie Tigner http://ontheqt-quiltingtangents.blogspot.com/Lyn Stalowy http://www.bigforkbaycottonco.com/quilting-blog/Pat Bravo  http://www.patbravo.com/Pat Sloan  http://blog.patsloan.com

http://www.patchworktimes.com/2012/12/05/medallion-mystery/

Back to Square One Mystery Medallion

It will be a medallion type quilt.  The finished size will be 92″ x 92″.  Don’t panic . . you don’t have to do the whole quilt!

http://prettypmamabdesigns.wordpress.com/

Embroidery
Our new block of the month is a travel theme! We hope you come along on this adventure through 2013 with us! To download the free pattern click on the tab above labeled “Free BOM Adventure.” This is where all the patterns will be posted at the beginning of each month along with the colors of threads we used.

http://erinrussek.typepad.com/one-piece-at-a-time/2012/12/announcing-jingle-block-of-the-month.html

Jingle block of the month – 8 pieced blocks and 8 appliqued blocks

Quilt Alongs

http://amyscreativeside.com/2012/12/20/dancing-stars-quilt-along/

Paper pieced blocks with several size options.

Pattern is a free download at Craftsy.

http://www.sewstitchcreate.com/all-my-heart/

Nov 13, 2012 – Feb 5, 2013

Valentine’s theme with a variety of blocks including appliqué and paper piecing

http://www.persimondreams.com/quilt-alongs/lapaceks-orchard/my-favorite-block-quilt-along

My Favorite Block Quilt Along – starts Tuesday, January 15

http://beeinmybonnetco.blogspot.com/2012/08/announcing-bee-in-my-bonnet-row-along.html

Bee in My Bonnet Row Along – started Sept 2012, continuing.  Nice beginner project.

http://sewkindofwonderful.blogspot.com/2012/10/curve-it-up-with-qcr-qal.html

Curve it Up QAL – started in October and will be 12 blocks made with a specific “Curve it Up” ruler.

No details yet:

http://temeculaquiltco.blogspot.com/

Judie Rothermel 25^th Anniversary Quilt Along starting January 25, 2013

http://happyquiltingmelissa.blogspot.com/2012/12/starburst-quilt-long-coming-soon.html

Details coming for 3 different size quilts

http://sallysquiltingcorner.blogspot.com/p/quilting-beginners-mystery-quilt-along.html

Beginners Mystery starts in January 2013

Blog Hops

http://mrspicklesgarden.blogspot.ca/2012/12/quilting-secrets-blog-hop-day-one.html

Runs 12/31 – 1/6

http://thepeachpatch.blogspot.com/2012/08/blogger-block-of-month-blog-hop.html

Blogger Block Hop of the Month

Sept 15, 2012 thru Aug 15, 2013

Miscellaneous

http://www.shecanquilt.blogspot.ca/p/2013-finish-long.html

Starts Jan 7, 2013, runs quarterly – join for 1 or all and get encouragement finishing UFOs

http://apassionforapplique.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-new-year-with-ufos.html

Nothing but UFOs in 2013 – good idea, but there are a couple quilts I need to make from start to finish.  I’ll promise not to add to my UFOs this year, and try to finish one a month.