October's Block

It's the very last section to the quilt. Wow, I can't believe how quickly the time has gone! Well a winter themed quilt needs a string of lights. We have our lights up on our house all winter long. Every year I think it would be a good idea and string the lights outside before the snow falls. I really think the ideal time would be right before Thanksgiving but after Halloween. But my hubby always wants to wait until after Thanksgiving. We've been out in the snow hanging lights and they stay up until spring. Mainly because they are frozen in place or buried in snow until the weather warms up agian. I hope that you have fun with this month's section. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's 'String of of Lights'. I will be putting together some extra embellishments for you to add to this section of the quilt, so check back! This way you can make your quilt your own!
The 'String of Lights' pattern can be found  HERE and on Craftsy. If you missed Chilly Silly Snowmen, Cozy Cabin or Big Tree, Sparkling Stars, Fir Tree, Northern Hockey Skates, Toasty Mugs, Sweet Tooth, or Evergreen Tree,  it's not too late to get the patterns. They can be found for a small fee on Etsy and Craftsy.  Again, everything is based on 2 1/2" squares, you will want to try to match this block with how you did the other blocks in this section so that it all goes together. Let me show you how I completed this month's block.

Some of what I have left from my fabrics for this project.
I picked out colors that work well as Christmas bulbs.

All of my 2 1/2" squares are all ready to start sewing.

For the triangle squares I have paired up the background
blue fabric with my brightly colored fabric for the bulbs.
I lined them all up on my 3" quilt ruler. Now watch this
nifty trick....

I can lift all of my squares to my sewing machine
with ONE hand!

I found a new use for my favorite quilt ruler....
Maybe you will find this to be a handy tip too!

Here is part of the strip all ready to be sewn together. I made the red and yellow
blocks first, then I finished the green and orange blocks, (Following the pattern)

Iron on the top of the bulb lining up the edges.
(The corners of the bulb cap lines up with the
seams of the bulb.)

String of Lights, the final section for the quilt. It's now time to piece all of the sections together.

October's layout....

Remember to post your finished String of Lights 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 a weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's lights! It's now time to sew your sections together! Next month I will release the finishing details for the quilt.  There's still some surprises! I'll be announcing the prize for this month's block around the 15th and the winner will be announced on November 1st.

I'm thinking it would be fun to have a blog hop in January. Let's have a virtual show and tell!

Happy Quilting,

Cindy

Congratulations!

Pat Vetterlein

Pat won....
A Quilt Minnesota Charm pack and Needle Case

Please email me your address so that I can send you your awesome prize!

The Great Bazaar

It's Saturday! Sweet Saturday.... today's blog post is centered around a diary entry by Emma Florence LaConte Furman. Emma writes about a bazaar that was held at the State House. She talks about all of the lovely items that were made, cakes, jellies, candies... it's quite amazing how much they were willing to pay for some of the items. "A small sized cake at the Tennessee table sold for seventy-five dollars." This reminds me of the pie raffle a small country church that my sis belongs to. I do believe her apple pie sold for three hundred and fifty dollars last year. It's for a good cause and she does make really good pie!

So let me show you my block titled, 'The Great Bazaar'...

I dug thru my Civil War fabric and found the perfect floral
fabric. I remember picking this fabric up during a shop hop years ago.

The key to this block is to fussy cut the fabric around a
floral design and then centering it while you paper piece the sections.

'The Great Bazaar'
January 18, 1864

Have a wonderful week! Remember to post your progress on the Civil War Diary Quilt Group on Flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1547598@N25/

I will be working on 'Panic' out of Rosemary's book next. Hope that you have a great weekend! It's hard to believe that September is almost gone... I'm loving the cooler weather and love the fall colors.

Happy quilting and perfect stitches to you!

Check out Rosemary's website.  Her books and Cd's can be ordered there too!

Knitting and Reading

This weeks block is called 'Knitting and Reading'. (I wish I had more time to do both!) In this passage in the book, Emma Florence LeConte Furman writes in her diary about a rainy day. Emma and her mother spend the day knitting and reading. Emma writes about her mother knitting a pair of socks and 'turning the heel'. Turning the heel can be tricky the first time you knit socks and it's no surprise to me the her mother asks a couple of times on how to do it! I can't imagine having to knit socks for my family... I would be devastated each and every time there's a hole worn into one of them. After putting so much work into knitting a pair of socks, of coarse you would take time to darn them.

So let me show you my block titled, 'Knitting and Reading'...

I picked out fabrics that I thought would work nicely
for this block. 

I write in the fabric colors on my foundation
paper, it's the only way I can keep track of what
goes where! 

I usually cut strips of fabric to work with while paper piecing.
I found it super helpful to cut triangles to work with.

'Knitting and Reading'
January 6, 1864

Have a wonderful week! Remember to post your progress on the Civil War Diary Quilt Group on Flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1547598@N25/

I will be working on 'The Great Bazaar' out of Rosemary's book next. Hope that you have a great weekend! I'm hoping to find some time to sew....

Happy quilting and perfect stitches to you!

Check out Rosemary's website.  Her books and Cd's can be ordered there too!

September's Prize ~ Giveaway!

It has been another busy month for me, I can't believe that September is already half over!  The leaves are starting to change here and I am finding myself taking the long way home so that I can drive by Orchard Lake and see how the leaves are changing. I'm loving the cooler nights and the brisk mornings. Fall is almost here, my favorite time of year. 
 I am happy to see everyone's trees start to show up in the flickr group! I have a fun giveaway this month.  I picked up a couple of 'Minnesota' shop hop items to give away this month. One lucky winner will win a 'Quilt Minnesota' charm pack and a Quilt Minnesota felt needle case.

 I am also still looking for/ waiting to hear from my two winners from LAST month, they won a PDF copy of  Geese Around the Sun. from Soma. Please email me!

One lucky winner will get this!

 Remember to enter the giveaway for this awesome prize, post your pictures of your finished Quilt Doodle BOM 2014 blocks or sections to the Flickr Group, Blogging about the Quilt Doodle BOM 2014 and send me a link for a chance to win these fun Quilt Minnesota items. Links to all of the past patterns can be found HERE. It's been fun to see the completed blocks and sections.  Here are some of the pictures that have been posted so far....

Happy Quilting

Love Letter

Love letter.... when was the last time you received a love letter... it's been awhile for me.... I might have gotten a couple from my sweetie before we were married... I'm sure they are tucked away somewhere in my closet. I'm now lucky if I get a sappy Hallmark card. I can't imagine my boys writing an actual love letter, writing for young people these days is a text message.  I do hope that my boys will someday take the time to write a sweet letter to their loved ones. Will we loose our ability to write letters to one another with today's technology? Just think, back in the 1800's, the only way to communicate with your loved ones when miles separated you, was a written letter. No wonder letters were tucked away in boxes tied with ribbon, they were so treasured. In war time, sometimes the written words from their soldier is all they have left....

So let me show you my block titled, 'Love Letter'...

I picked out fabric from my Civil War stash that was similar to the
picture in Rosemary's book. 

I find it helpful  to write the colors on my foundation paper.

'Love Letter'
June 23, 1864

Have a wonderful week! Remember to post your progress on the Civil War Diary Quilt Group on Flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1547598@N25/

I will be working on 'Knitting and Reading' out of Rosemary's book next. Hope that you have a great weekend!

Happy quilting and perfect stitches to you!

Check out Rosemary's website.  Her books and Cd's can be ordered there too!

Lincolnites Whipped

 When I first started this blog, I started a 'Civil War Saturday' group in hopes it would  motivate me to work on this huge project and also give me something fun to share with you.  Well, again, I've taken a huge break or breather from this project...  It's been awhile since I've worked on my Civil War Diary quilt. (almost a year) I spent time sewing on my blocks during quilt retreat a few weeks ago. I'm looking forward to sharing my progress with you. In fact, I only worked on my Civil War Quilt during retreat, I'm really pleased with how far I got... still have so much more to do. But the exciting thing is, I'm over half way! woot! woot! Happy dance!!! Wilson, how about a roo-roo-roo! Half way!!! 

So let me show you my block titled, 'Lincolnites Whipped'... so what is a Lincolnite. Well a Lincolnite is a follower of Abraham Lincoln and his policies. Lincolnites support/serve the 'northern' side of the Civil War.

Here are the fabrics I'm working with for this block...

Paper piecing appears 'messy' until you trim your sections...

Sewing along the 'line' for the seam, sewing sections together.
It's so different not having to pay attention to my quarter inch
seam, it's all drawn out for me on the foundation paper!

'Lincolnites Whipped'
May 10, 1864

Have a wonderful week! Remember to post your progress on the Civil War Diary Quilt Group on Flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1547598@N25/

I will be working on 'Love Letter' out of Rosemary's book next. Hope that you have a great weekend! I've survived my first week back at school... time to rest up. It great to see the kids again and see how much they've grown over the summer! I need to work on a routine and get back to juggling being a library clerk and quilt pattern designer....

Happy quilting and perfect stitches to you!

Check out Rosemary's website.  Her books and Cd's can be ordered there too!

September Block Quilt Doodle BOM 2014

I know, I know, it's another tree, an 'Evergreen Tree'. I hope you don't mind another tree but I can't have a forest unless there are a few trees. I hope to someday have a cabin in the woods next to a lake, doesn't that sound wonderful. A quiet place to go with no traffic noise. A place to listen to the birds sing... This month's block is the final block for the center section. It's a cabin in the woods.  I hope that you have fun with this month's section. I will be putting together some extra embellishments for you to add to this section of the quilt, so check back! This way you can make your cabin your own!
The 'Evergreen Tree' pattern can be found  HERE and on Craftsy. The pattern is free for the month of September. If you missed Chilly Silly Snowmen, Cozy Cabin or Big Tree, Sparkling Stars, Fir Tree, Northern Hockey Skates, Toasty Mugs, or Sweet Tooth,  it's not too late to get the patterns. They can be found for a small fee on Etsy and Craftsy.  Again, everything is based on 2 1/2" squares, you will want to try to match this block with how you did the other blocks in this section so that it all goes together. Let me show you how I completed this month's block.

Following the pattern I cut out all of my 2 1/2" blocks, 2 1/2" strips etc.

Here I am sewing my triangle squares to form the
evergreen tree. I am sewing corner to corner on my paired
2 1/2" blue and green blocks.

I find it easier to sew the sections of the block
together if I have it all laid out by my sewing machine.

Sewing the blocks all together...

'Evergreen Tree'

Remember to post your finished Evergreen 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 a weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's trees! As you can see with the quilt layout that the quilt is coming along nicely. There's still some surprises! I'll be announcing the prize for this month's block around the 15th and the winner will be announced on October 1st, when the last section is out.

Happy Quilting,

Cindy

Congratulations!

Painchaudnicole

Joanna Perry

Geese Around the Sun

Our winners won a PDF copy of 'Geese Around the Sun' from Soma from Whims and Fancies.

Please email me your address so that I can send you your awesome prize!