Dresden Fan retreat

I just returned from a productive quilt retreat with a wonderful group of talented quilters!

The Dresden Fan was the project of the week with 9 out of 14 of us working on our own version. Several chose polka-dots like the original and they were oh so cute!

Of course, there's always a rebel in the group who has to try something way out of the box. These blocks turned out awesome. I think the design has tons of possibilities!

I came home and finished up my last 4 blocks and they're ready to be sewn together. I think I'm going to love this one!

Here are a few other projects I was able to get a snapshot of:

And I finished a top that I'm so happy with. I'll get a picture soon, but one of our ambitious quilters sewed my cut-offs into these super cute little blocks (2 1/4").

You might want to head over to the Martingale blog for an awesome free pattern. It's also a great time to pick up something in the shop as everything is 25% off! Have a great weekend!

. . . Cindy

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STL Modern Quilt Guild Challenge

First, I have to say how much I admire all of you young mothers who manage to get so much sewing accomplished with little helpers at home. I babysat my 2 granddaughters last week, ages 2 and 4, thinking I may have a little time to sew every day during naps and bedtimes. Somehow the time disappeared or I was just too exhausted at the end of the day to do anything other than put my feet up! I enjoyed every minute of it, but to those of you who think I get a lot accomplished, it's nothing compared to what you do!

I had my challenge done early for the STL Modern Quilt Guild, which was revealed this Saturday. We had several choices for inspiration and I chose the song "Yellow Submarine". As a super, duper uper   (I've been with kids all week!) Beatles fan, it was the perfect inspiration for a quilt idea that's been on my mind.

My quilt is called "We Never Lived In A Yellow Submarine" and represents the 5 homes we have lived in. The house block is from Modern Patchwork by Elizabeth Hartman.

I included a girl...

and a boy to represent our 2 children...

For the roof, I printed out each address on a printable fabric sheet.

My practice block landed on the back to represent the next house. I found this wonderful scrap from an old Sweetwater line, "Make Life", and fussy cut my favorite adjectives for the future.

Here's the full back. Now I need to find a good spot to hang it!

So this week I'm off on a much anticipated quilting retreat. I've got a new project cut, my Dresden Fans, and a few UFOs to work on.

My camera's packed, so I hope to be back with some inspiring pictures! Have a great week!

. . . Cindy

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Striped Star

I stayed up sewing and watching the Olympics way to late last night.

This Striped Star pattern from the Purl Bee has been bookmarked for a while.

And I thought it might be the perfect block for my fat quarters of Summersville.

As much as I love the fabric, I found it a tough group to use with all it's light backgrounds. But I'm pretty happy with how the block turned out adding the gray Quilter's Linen.

The tutorial is spot on, but be aware that you waste a lot of fabric with all the trimming. I have a nice pile of pieced scraps and triangles left.

The block is around 20" square. I think I'll add some borders (maybe using some of those scraps). I'm thinking maybe a little pop of red around the star might be in order. I'm open to suggestions!!

. . . Cindy

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"just doing what i love"...

As I've finished up some big projects, met some deadlines, and completed my current obligations ~ 

I've found myself just doing what I love...

not worrying about when it gets done...

being super spontaneous and working on what feels good at the moment.

I so appreciate the opportunities that have come my way,

but much like Jolene expressed in yup! quilting still does it for me

and Camille vowed in A Plan

I'm enjoying sewing just because I love it.

The result is ~ you may be seeing lots of "starts"...

Modern Alphabet by Tula Pink

String Quilt by Film in the Fridge

"Honey" from Modern Patchwork

and I've got an idea for Summersville

 and  hopefully some finishes...

but I'll be doing what I love and loving what I do

. . . Cindy

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new machine quilting designs

I'm trying out some of the designs in Angela Walter's new book Free Motion Quilting

I'm pretty comfortable with free motion quilting and I'm always excited to try a new design

I want to try every one in this book! It's fabulous!

I'm starting with "Flower Power"

I love that the book has step-by-step diagrams with explanations for each design

I sit with the book next to me and do the steps one at a time

It's not long before I've got it and can put the book away!

There are "Concentric Circles" going on this baby quilt

This book is going to be worn out before I'm done with it!

. . .   Cindy

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Final Sunburst

I've made and blogged about this pattern too many times.

I'm sure you're tired of seeing it ~

one final version (maybe?)

a little bigger...

fabric ~ Verona

. . . Cindy

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Sew Sweet Weekend!

On Friday I drove for almost 3 hours, making 3 turns and landed in the small town of Brunswick, MO. 

And there it was - Sew Sweet Quilt Shop - one of the most adorable quilt shops I've ever visited (and there have been many!)

With 2 floors (and an elevator to get you there!), the fabric, patterns, samples and inspiration blew me away.

With a warm, friendly staff that made me feel at home immediately.

And I love seeing shops venture out into fabrics other than quilting cotton. Home dec and laminates by some of your favorite designers...

The fun part of the trip was hanging out with some talented, fun and eager to learn students. We made modern Dresdens...

And got a start on some Sunburst quilts

 

One of the highlights of my weekend was meeting and getting to know Tula Pink.

We stayed at the same B&B and I so enjoyed basking in her quirkiness and passion for quilting.

As we left the event she told me to email her ~ I think we're friends?!

More happy faces: Dear Sewful Participants

As much as I love teaching, I'm always a little jealous of the opportunity to sit and sew for a whole weekend. It didn't take long for me to fire up the sewing machine and make some progress on my latest Sunburst once I got home. . . . Cindy

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