Wednesday, April 30, 2014

May's Block of the Month 2014


April showers, brings May flowers, but what does rain and snow bring? Starting to wonder if I'm jinxing the weather by working on a winter themed quilt... it doesn't feel like May, but the calendar says it is! Well, at least I'm not feeling guilty staying inside to quilt... gardens will have to wait.
This month's block is called 'Fir Tree'. It's quick and easy to do. My cozy cabin is nestled in the woods, there needed to be more than one tree for 'the woods'. The block is similar to the 'Big Tree' block. I made my tree a little scrappy, using fabrics from my stash along with the fabrics that I picked up.  My plan is to embellish the center cabin scene with yo-yo snowflakes. I am also planning on having fun with the quilting.  Swirls for winter winds, smoke coming out of the chimney etc.  I am hoping this design will give you a little room for creativity on your own too! One thing to keep in mind is to do the background the same or similar fabrics as you did for your Cozy Cabin and Big Tree block. This will also be true with the block for September. The 'Fir Tree' pattern can be found  HERE and on Craftsy. The pattern is free for the month of May. If you missed Chilly Silly Snowmen, Cozy Cabin or Big Tree, or Sparkling Stars it's not too late to get the patterns. They can be found for a small fee on Etsy and Craftsy,.
My pieces are cut and all ready to sew...

Sewing corner to corner....

I like to 'chain' sew all of by block pairs at one time and
then I trim them up and iron them.

My Fir Tree block is all laid out and ready
to be sewn together...

To finish the block, sew the 2 1/2" x 14 1/2"
cream strip along the bottom to form the 'snow'...

'Fir Tree'
May's block
Layout so far...
Remember to post your finished Fir Tree Block onto the Flickr account for a chance to win the prize at the end of the month! If you blog about it, please email me a link so that I can attach it to the Pinterest Board I have going for the BOM 2014. I hope you have fun with this section of the mystery quilt. It can easily be done in an afternoon. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's Fir Trees! I'll be announcing the prize for this month's block around the 15th and the winner will be announCiced on June 1st, when the next section is out.

Happy Quilting,
Cindy

Congratulations!
craftingwithcindi
Cindi won the Turn Sharp Rotary Blade Sharpener from
Colonial Needle. I will be contacting Cindi to let her know
that she will never have a dull rotary blade again!

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Wilson

My sewing buddyMy poor Wilson is or has lost his sight... we are very sad at our home. A recent visit to the vet for some routine grooming confirmed what we sorta all ready knew... Wilson is losing his sight. He's not very old... We were hoping that it was just his fur in the way of his eyes, but it wasn't. I realized how bad his sight was when I brought him home from the vet.... he didn't know he was home and was bumping into everything. As soon as I pointed out to him where his dog dishes were, then it's like things clicked and his mental map of the house was in place again. I have been crying on and off about it all week. I am so sad that he's unable to watch the birds at the feeders anymore. It explains why he hasn't been camped out at his favorite window lately. With our long cold winter here, we haven't gone to the dog park. Now it breaks my heart that he won't be able to chase the birds out of the tall grass along the pond anymore. I don't think I dare let him off his leash again. Now that I know Wilson needs verbal cues, I have become his seeing eye person. I've changed up playing catch with a tennis ball to throwing a loud, rattly toys that he can follow the sound.  Wilson has another vet visit scheduled for Wednesday to test him to find out what caused his eyesight loss. (So here comes the shameless begging...) By buying any Wilson pattern, all proceeds will go to his vet bill which I'm guessing from the initial estimates will be a big chunk of cash.



Wilson and I thank you in advance for considering a pattern purchase to help defray the cost of his vet bills.

'Roo, roo, roo'  Thank you!
and Wilson too!

Monkeyshine!

This has got to be one of my favorite projects that I worked on this winter. It gave me the giggles as I sewed along. I was giddy with excitement at times too, my family thought I had finally lost it. The truth is, I love sock monkeys... don't know why, just do. It was no surprise that when I asked for testers, a ton of you jumped right in with both feet with enthusiasm. I am thrilled with the results, so I thought I would share the photos that they sent me on their progress as they tested the quilt....
Amy's Monkeyshine quilt pieces all ready to sew and applique
Monkey block all done! Beautiful stitching!

Love the bright colors that Amy used! So cheerful!
Cathy's finished quilt top. Love it!!!
Gale's finished Monkeyshines quilt, love it with pink too!
Here is Gale's quilt while she was working on it...
A sneak peek at the back... I really love the pieced back. I think this is
a great idea. Her label is nicely done too! There sure is a lucky little one out there!
Heidi's striped fabric and a monkey block... great fabric!
Heidi's applique is very nicely done, changing thread colors takes time
but is certainly worth the effort.
Love the quilt paired with a sock monkey, this would be a great gift idea!
Love this picture from Heidi, it just gave me the giggles!
Karen's quilt top turned out great!
Here's a close-up of one of Karen's blocks. Beautiful job with
the buttonhole stitch... love it!
Close-up of Rose's block. Great fabrics!
Rose's finished quilt top...
I owe these generous quilters a huge THANK YOU for their hard work and wonderful craftsmanship. If you are looking for a fun quilt to make for a little one, this is a good one! Use fabric from your stash or buy special fabric, this is a great pattern. I know I had fun making it and these ladies enjoyed the pattern too! A PDF copy of this pattern can be found on Etsy and also on Craftsy.

Happy quilting!


Wednesday, April 16, 2014

What Is My Superpower?

Super power, super power, what in heaven's name is my super power. This is a hard question, I wear many hats and depending on what time of day it is, I'm limping my way through.  I love to garden, quilt, stitch, design... so I made a quilt square that has it all. I like to think I'm good at it all.... whaaaaa haaaaa haaaaaa. Like I said there are days I'm limping my way through the day, my garden has weeds, I have UFO's, not all of my sketchings make it beyond the first stages of creation, but I find happiness in doing it all. I am blessed to be surrounded by my family and friends who chuckle to see me thru each day with a smile. So super power? Not sure if I have one, but I find much inspiration in all the little things that surround me as I limp through my day and I am fueled by the love of my family and friends. (and a little coffee too...)

I used variegated DMC floss and fabric from Marcus Brothers.


Thank you Mdm Samm and Pauline for hosting this fun hop. I get to share today with these super talented ladies! I hope that you have fun hopping around and get a chance to visit them all.

THURSDAY APRIL 17

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Prize Announcement for April's Block

BOM 2014
 It's been enjoyable to see a sky full of Sparkling Stars this month. I love how each Sparkling Star row is a little different. April's block can still be found for free on Craftsy and also HERE. There's still time to download your free pattern and sew along with us this month. The prize this month has been donated to us by Colonial Needle. They are donating a Turn Sharp Rotary Blade Sharpener. You can view a video on how it's used HERE. It looks like a wonderful tool to have on hand! I have been so tempted to open the box and try it out. It looks super easy to use.  All you have to do to win, is post a picture of your block in the flickr group for Quilt Doodle BOM 2014, or blog about the block of the month. If you blog about the BOM, make sure to email me a link so that I can check it out and pin it to my BOM group on Pinterest. 
Click Here to see a larger photo
The Turn Sharp Rotary Blade Sharpener is effortless, ergonomic, and economical. Comfort-grip knob locks a rotary blade in place for easy turning and perfect sharpening every time. Includes a FREE 45mm Rotary Blade Sharpener. May also be used with the 28mm and 60mm Sharpeners. Blades not included.




I will announce a winner May 1st when the new block comes out. So here are just some of this month's wonderful Sparkling Star strips that have been posted so far. There are so many awesome blocks in the flickr group.  Everyone has done such a wonderful job so far! It's fun to see the blocks and strips together. Our quilts are slowly taking shape.

Happy quilting,

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Bunnies and Chickies!

Happy Easter! I know I'm a week early but it's a week of celebrating Easter with my family and friends! The celebration starts today at mom's with Easter dinner. I'm bringing all sorts of treats, I was a busy, busy in the kitchen yesterday. I made sugar cookies, Jello jiggler eggs, Grandma Eva's mashed potatoes and this morning I got up at five and made dinner rolls. The house smells so good! So today I have some Easter fun to share....


Sugar Cookies

2/3 cups shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp almond extract
3/4 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
4 tsp milk

Beat shortening and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg; beat. Add vanilla and almond extract. Mix thoroughly. Stir flour, baking powder and salt and milk into sugar-shortening mixture. Chill dough 1 hour. Roll out and cut out cookies. Bake at 375 degrees on greased baking sheet 8-10 minutes. When cool, frost and decorate with your favorite frosting.

I made a batch of baby chicks....

and a batch of bunnies... I cut mini marshmallows
in half to make the ears.

Doesn't it look festive! A plate of sweets paired up with my chickiemug rug.

I spent yesterday decorating the house too. I couldn't decide how I wanted to use my bunny mug rug, with a bunny dish...

...or paired with an egg holder and some chocolate carrots.(The pattern is available as a PDF on Etsy and Craftsy)

My sis, Gena, passed this plate to me at our Chili Cook off filled with
Scotch a roo's...

I'm passing it on to one of my sisters filled with Easter treats.
I hope that you have a wonderful weekend. On Thrusday I get to join a group of friends and see 'Godspell' and then celebrate Easter again on Saturday with my husband's side. I'm planning on making more chickie and bunny cookies.

Happy Easter!