tag

I'm participating in a little game of blog tag. Read on if you'd like to hear more about me than you ever wanted to know!

I've been tagged twice! First by Jenny at Sew Kind of Wonderful. You really should check out her work! Her quilting is amazing and she's designed a wonderful set of patterns using her ruler for cutting curves. Here's one that caught my eye and sent me right to the designer!

So here are Jenny's questions for me and my answers:

1.) What is your favorite snack?

Is ice cream a snack? It would be my favorite snack if my waistline allowed it.

2.) Besides quilting what your next favorite hobby?

Decorating - I could paint and redecorate constantly if my budget allowed it!

3.) If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

San Diego, CA. for the year round beautiful weather - I love to garden too!

4.) Where does your inspiration come from?

Everywhere! When I shop, vacation or site-see, I see quilt designs in paper products, tiles, art, walls, etc.

5.) How much fabric are you hoarding right now?

A lot! I really couldn't even guess and don't think I want to. I do a lot of sewing, so I do use it and really I do love just looking at it.

6.) Do you where makeup, and if you do, how often do you put it on?

I wear makeup every day - even on those days when I'm working at home, my husband's traveling and no one will probably see me (except the UPS man bringing fabric:)

7.) What is your favorite part of the quilting process?

Pulling the fabrics for a quilt and making the first block.

8.) Are you a part of any local Quilt Guilds?

Yup! Love my guilds! I belong to Bound Together and the St Louis Modern Quilt Guild.

9.) How many quilting projects are you currently working on?

If you don't count tops needing to be quilted, I'm usually working on 2-3 projects at one. If you do count tops needing quilting - we don't even want to count.

10.) If we went to a movie, what type of movie would you pick out?

Romantic comedy.

11.) If we went out for dinner, what restaurant would you pick?

Big Sky Cafe in Webster Groves, MO.

For a little break from "me", here's my favorite Easter quilt.
Secondly, I was tagged by Carla at Lollyquilz. Carla lives in Kansas City and found me through a friend of hers that I met in San Diego (does that make sense?). Anyway, I'm so glad she did because we have similar styles and I love seeing her wonderful projects. And she often has an inspirational message posted on Sundays. Love them! So here are my answers:

1. Morning person or night person?

Definitely morning. My clarity and energy level are on a downhill spin from 2pm on.
2. Do you save the selvages on fabric? If so, have you ever made anything with them?

Nope, never saved selvages. I really don't save tiny scraps either. They piled up and I never used them.
3. Which color of fabric is most prominent in your stash?

Blue, blue and more blue - more towards the aqua shade of blue. And I have lots of blues with green and blues with red!
4. What is the smallest scrap that you save?

Maybe 2" x 2" if it's something I really love. Otherwise probably more like 3-4" squares.
5. What food do you crave?

Ice cream :P
6. How often do you change your sewing machine needle?

Probably once a week - which is probably about 24 hours of sewing.
7. Pre-wash or right off the bolt?

Pre-wash. I went through a phase where I stopped washing, but didn't like the chemical smell my fabrics were giving off. So last year when I reorganized, I washed every fabric that had not been washed. I actually really enjoy ironing my fabrics after washing - I really get to look closely at them and dream about what I might do.
8. What quilting project are you most proud of?

The "Secret Garden" quilt in my first book Gathered From the Garden.
9. How many hours a day do you spend reading blogs?

I've decided to limit myself! 30-45 minutes in the morning and the same at night.
10. What's your favorite music to sew by?

I used to listen to Coffeehouse on Sirius XM radio, but we've switched to cable so I've made a similar station on Pandora and love it!

It's my turn to tag!! I'm tagging:

Elizabeth at Don't Call Me Betsy

Jenniffier at Jenniffier's Sometimes Creative Life

Dianne at Suburban Stitcher

Nancy at ...with thread in hand...

Here are my questions:

1. If you're not quilting, what are you most likely doing?

2. Do you buy fabric with a specific project in mind or "just because"?

3. How many quilting projects do you have going at once?

4. How many completed quilts do you own?

5. How do you use your quilts, or are they stored away somewhere?

6. What is you favorite food?

7. What is your current favorite color combination?

8. Where do you get your ideas and/or inspiration?

Well, that was fun. Have a glorious Easter!!!

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Honeybees

This Honeybee block is from a quilt in my book Flowers All Around. I've always loved this block and wanted to try it in modern fabrics. The inspiration fabric, used in the border, is Washi.When the blocks go together they create this cute ring of petals.
I used a tiny zig-zag stitch (1 width and 1 length) and matching 50 weight Aurifil thread for the appliqué stitch. I'm liking the organic look and this simple method of appliqué!

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Good to be home...

We've got some catching up to do! I've been home only one out of the past 5 weeks and had the granddaughters here that one week at home. It is good to be home and I hope to have something to show soon!

My husband and I just returned from a great vacation in Charleston, SC and Savannah, Ga. Am I the only one who looks for quilt shops first thing when arriving in a new city? I've been on the lookout for some modern shops especially, since they seem few and far between. My favorite was Fabrika in historic Savannah. Catering to the local students of Savannah College of Art and Design, it was filled with plenty of inspiration. I had to laugh when a student came in the shop to buy fabric for a project that was due at 4:00 that day! College students never change!

Here's a bit of my stash from the trip. I've been collecting washi tape - don't know what to do with it - but I love it. Any ideas?
I got back just in time to attend Saturday's sew-in with our STLMQG. I quilted this baby quilt that my daughter had pieced. We're donating it to our local Crisis Nursery.
I tried a new quilting design which you can see better from the back. It's from a new book, "Modern Quilting Designs", filled with tons of easy, good-looking patterns.

I came home to lots of bloom in the garden!
I had to share with you this perfectly formed bleeding heart. It made me think of Joyce Kilmer's poem, "poems are made by fools like me, but only God can make a tree"... or a bleeding heart.
I'll be back soon! I've been tagged twice!

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halfway there...

Lately I'm feeling halfway done with a lot of projects with not much to show for it. Here's a few things on my to-do pile.

I pieced this top on retreat last week. I've been wanting to try Heather Mulder Peterson's Spanish Tiles from her Living Large 2 book. You just need 9 FQ's and some sashing fabric, so I quickly pulled some Secret Garden that I've been stashing. It went really well with some of Joel Dewberry's Heirloom collection. The top turned out very soft and pretty, but definitely needs some quilting. That might be a while!
I'm also getting ready to quilt this little baby quilt that my daughter pieced, to be given to a local children's shelter.
And finally this week, I'm readying some random Dresden blocks to use for teaching this Summer. I had to show you this, as it's not a typical color combo for me - but I'm lovin' it!

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quilt recognition

I was super excited when I was asked by one of our local quilt guilds - Bit's and Pieces - to be a judge for their show. Although I hate the word judge. How can you possibly judge a quilt? How can you critique a piece of lovingly hand-crafted work? I can't - so I like to think of it as recognition for a quilt that stands out in the crowd. Something unique and beautiful as the result of painstaking work or happenstance {as both have happened to me}.

I got to choose a favorite. Phone pics don't do them justice, but Candy Grisham's Dresden quilt was my pick. An original design with a pieced background, beautiful colors and Dresden blocks perfectly placed; it was also nicely quilted.
I almost chose this one - Lollipop Trees by Carole Braig. I loved the colors and I believe this was her fist appliqué quilt.
It was a tough job giving recognition to these quilts! Here is a precisely pieced and beautifully quilted star quilt by Marsha Bray.
It was also fun to see {not judged} a display of quilts created for the Robert Kaufman solids challenge by our STL Modern Quilt Guild.
The show runs through today {Sunday} at Queeny Park in Saint Louis.

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Sunburst quilts

I finished two quilt tops on retreat this week! The first is another Sunburst. This quilt was patterned in McCall's Quilting America Quilts for the Home last year. I'll be teaching it at an event this Summer and wanted to make a few more samples. This can be done in sooo many fabric combinations! I'll show you a full picture when it's quilted.My friend Rene also did one using Amy Butler's Lark collection. It's just gorgeous! Yes, you'll probably be seeing more of these :)

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Pouch Swap

I can finally reveal the pouch I made for my partner in the STL Modern Quilt Guild swap. Mine went to Mary Claire, our talented vice-president, who blogs at Splendorfalls. I had so much fun playing with chevrons again. I've got some directions posted here.

The pattern is Perfect Zip Bags by Elizabeth Hartman - using a great method to insert a zipper and construct the bag.
The fabrics were the very modern Echo line by Lotta Jansdotter.
I started this one using a little strip of chevron piecing I had hanging around, but decided the colors may not be exactly my partner's taste. So I get to finish this up for me!
And I received this adorable pouch from Miss Nancy at Tea and Quilts! My grand-daughter claimed it last night and there was a bit of persuasion to get it back!

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