Bags and Blocks

I made a few bag/pouch gifts over the holidays. They were a little late getting out, but I can finally say they're with their recipients. The first is a great little lunch bag - pattern from Sew the Perfect Gift. It had some nice details and was fun to make!

 I also made 4 zippered pouches (Gina, I forgot to get a picture of yours!) from Elizabeth Hartman's Perfect Zip Bags pattern. I can't say enough good things about this pattern! I'm really not very skilled at these kind of projects, but this one is fun, easy and turns out perfectly every time - even with a zipper to install!

 My to-do list this week also included making Rene's block for our Redbird Bee. I love this block!! She used Elizabeth's Patchwork Wheel block tutorial but changed it to a whopping 20 inches. It's just gorgeous and I'm ready to go out and stock up on some more Cameo!

And finally, I'm on target with my Lucky Stars BOM. This was our practice block for December. I'm really happy with it, but realized when it was finished that I'm in a color rut. So I'll be redoing this one in my new palette...

I'm sticking with the navy, but switched to a brighter aqua and changed the orange to cerise (a purply, pinky, red). These were so much fun and I'm ready to do the next one!

I'm looking forward to our St Louis MQG meeting this weekend. It's always an inspiration and a few laughs! Hope your weekend is creative! . . . Cindy

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Catching Up...

You may remember I was trying to finish up some projects and start the new year with a clean slate. Well, the slate is still a little dirty, but I do have a few more projects that actually were bound at the very end of 2012.

My Ruby Strings quilt is done!

The back has some leftover "strings" and a nice red and gray fabric found on sale!

My Chevron quilt was nicely quilted by Annie, a friend from our St Louis MQG. You've seen this before, but it's nice to have it done. She quilted lovely, various designs in all the chevrons!

The back is again some leftover strips and I thought this zig zag fabric was a perfect choice.

And finally, this block made from Summersville got a border and some quilting to finish it off.

I also wanted to share my new cabinet with you. As you can probably guess, quilt storage is badly needed around here! I'm so thrilled with this cabinet, from Crate and Barrel. I've already put 7 quilts in it and there's easily room for 5 more. I just love a stack of quilts!

And you know one thing leads to another when you add something to a room. I decided to sew up some new pillows and used one of my absolute favorite Amy Butler fabrics of all time!

We're almost caught up! Next I have a few bag/pouch projects that were gifted. Then we'll be all caught up!  . . . Cindy

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Some 2012 quilts

I love seeing end of the year quilt-making wrap ups. Thought you might too!

I wasn't nearly as good as last year at keeping records, so I've gone through some of my photos and shared my favorites. Enjoy!

Wishing each and every one of you a Happy New Year! Thank you so much for visiting my little space and chiming in occasionally! I have lots planned for 2013 - including the pleasure of making a quilt for a new grandson! Hope you have lots of great plans too!  . . . Cindy

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Lucky Stars BOM

I've decided to join in the fun with Elizabeth and participate in her Lucky Stars BOM for 2013. After I took a paper piecing class with Marsha a couple of years ago (and loved it), I vowed to keep up with my paper piecing skills. This is so perfect - one block a month and I so love fancy stars.

So I took a little time collecting a palette from the stash. I've been drawn to navy recently and thought the high contrast shade would be perfect for these complex stars. 

Though it officially starts in January, we got a bonus block today to get started. Hope to do that in the next few days. 

Have I peaked your interest? The club is only $10 for 26 patterns (13 blocks each in a 6" and 12" size) until the end of the year when it goes up to $15. Such a bargain for 13 blocks! More info: Lucky Stars BOM  . . . Cindy

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Kitchen Window quilt

This quilt top has been on the UFO pile for maybe a year? In my quest to finish up, this one is finally quilted! The pattern is from The Practical Guide to Patchwork and most of the fabrics are from Patty Young's Sanctuary line.

I procrastinated on this one because I was struggling with a quilting design. The dark brown frames posed a problem with thread color - a difficult decision for me when I have such contrast in color. I ended up with a soft orange thread and did a simple cross-hatch on the blocks. I went back with green thread and used loops in the sashing.

The backing is one of my absolute favorite prints from Sanctuary.

This is really a great pattern to show off a gorgeous fabric line! And one of the easiest in the book!

And finally, I want to wish all of you a very Merry and Blessed Christmas. May your holiday be filled with family, friends, good health, yummy food, and some fun presents (maybe some fabric!).

Peace . . . Cindy

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So where were we?

Thank you, thank you for all your comments, thoughts and prayers. We came home from the hospital, had a little slip-up and landed back in the hospital for a few days. We're home now, both of us feeling good and all is well! Amidst the tragedy that's on our minds and everyone else's, we are so thankful for the kindness that has come our way from family, friends, doctors, nurses and many of you who barely know us. My husband read all your comments and especially loved being called "Mr. Hyacinth". And if you ever find yourself stuck at St. Luke's Hospital in St. Louis (and I hope you never do), be sure to get the wonderful homemade soup in the cafeteria. There's a new flavor every day!

So I thought I'd share what's been on my design wall for the past few weeks. 

I pulled a stack of grays, aquas and soft melon fabrics and have started these blocks. The quilt is called Starstruck and is in The Practical Guide to Patchwork.

The fabrics I'm using are from Simply Color, Marmalade and Dear Stella, combined with coordinating scraps. The blocks are fun to make and I hope to keep moving along on this one.

I've also had this project on the wall for a while. The blocks are Anna Maria Horner's free feather pattern. I spent a half day playing with these blocks and came up blank with an idea for them. I would like to do something with just 4 blocks. I finally gave up, sewed them together and added a border. And honestly, I'm not real happy with the result.

The plan is to take off the borders and stare at it until the perfect idea comes along. Maybe a lap quilt with lots of negative space?? I'm open to your suggestions!

I'm continuing to try and finish up some UFO's! With just a binding to finish, I'll have another quilt to show - hopefully by the end of the week!   . . . Cindy

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A bump in the road...

You may have noticed that I've been absent for a bit. Yes, we definitely hit a bump in the road that brought my quilting to a halt. After 4 days of doctor visits and tests, my husband had open heart surgery on Friday to repair a valve in his heart. The whole thing took us by surprise and scared the dickens out of us. All is now well, though we're in for a long recovery time. But in many ways we are so thankful and looking forward to a quiet, relaxing winter at home.

So, before the bump, I did finish a couple small projects. This pincushion was for a Christmas party exchange at my quilt guild. I didn't get to go to the party and I think I ended up with a super cute pincushion.

the back...

I also had this unfinished pouch sitting on my UFO pile. Sometimes I wonder why I wait. It took me 20 minutes to finish it! And it will make a nice gift!

Just so you know - my blogging may be sporadic in the next few weeks. I'll be taking care of my favorite guy before any sewing gets done. He really is not very demanding, so hopefully I'll sneak a little quilting in here and there. Say a little prayer for us - we'll be over the bump in no time. . . .Cindy

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