Sunday Stash and a quick book review!

Two posts in one night. Must be the sun today. I need to grab Pink Chalks button. The girls at this store are amazing.  They will bend over backwards to help you find what you need. So, I wanted to mention the Monthly Solids Club. Has anyone else joined this but me? You can choose FQ, HY or FY and I suppose any amount that you want. I chose FQ because every month for a minimal price (like a pizza) you receive one of these lovelies.

No, you do not get the Perle Cotton or the Mason Jars but you do get eight beautifully coordinated colors with an awesome color card telling you exactly which company and color they are. I have a kona color card but with the little swatches sometimes it is not spot on. This is like having a large color card on file that you can use! Some of the colors I would never think of ordering but they are heaven in person.

They began this in March and I think it is worth the investment. 

THIS arrived today

I can honestly say where some lines there are a few prints you are not crazy about. This is not one of them. The colors are divine. Fussy cutting....get ready. Tula Pink has outdone herself with Prince Charming. I cannot wait to see what all will be created with this line.

No pic but I finally finished collecting all the voile in Little Folks 

Now I am on a stripe and polka dot kick

I am getting ready for major destash. I am tired of looking at quite a bit of what I have.

Finally, I received two books I have been interested in looking at. I am just as bad about buying quilting books. I have seen these patterns online most of the time so I do not know why I do it other than I cannot get enough of beautiful, creative quilts. I can waste a lot of time doing this instead of creating them.

One I love, the other I will be sending back. Block Party is a delight. I know of and follow most of the girls in it and it is not really a quilting book, although it is, just more like a story. A story that you and I and all the girls/guys we swap fabric with, blocks with, mugrugs with but mainly the way most, not all of us learned this new way of quilting. By reading blogs and finding inspiration. To me it is fascinating. The way we help each other, support each other, have our own language. We understand each others artistic abilities and struggles and inability to cut into that fabric. I loved the intro by Denyse, she was spot on. Anyway, definitely a book worthy of reading, the quilts are adorable and is generally a fun book. The second book, Fresh Fabric Treats,  I was really disappointed with. I thought Moda would put out a book with, I don't know, something I couldn't get off Moda Bakeshop? I mean no offense to any of the bakers. All the designs are good and the quilts pretty but I do better looking through them on my own on the website. If anyone wants to buy or swap this book I am in!

Have a great holiday weekend!

I hope everyone gets to sew!

Leslie

Family heirlooms

Well I went to Walmart....yes....Walmart to replace my camera. I know...I am usually not caught dead in there unless it is an emergency. I decided to get an inexpensive camera, holding out for big daddy at Christmas. I chose a Fuji. Honestly out of all the cameras I tried it had the sharpest pics and ease of use. Here is the kicker to this story. You know when you download a pic say...to flickr? Do you know what mine reads? Fuji/model#/then it states/Walmart!!! OMG! Now, not only was I in Walmart but I bought a camera and am taking my most precious pics with the dang thing. My hubby is trying to make it go away but it is not working. So just know I replaced my camera with a Fuji at Walmart like the complete dork that I am. So..I lost all my precious pics from   home but I can share with you what I scored in T-town (Tulsa) for those of you who know nothing about it.

1. Two t-shirts that boast of Tulsa or Oklahoma. I just had to mention that.

2. My parents met and fell in love when they were 12. They have been together since that time and they are now 75. This quilt is the one they slept under the first few years of their marriage and I wanted it bad.

Sadly, I have no idea who made this for them and it is pretty worn. I am going to have to patch several squares but I love its uniqueness and the unusual feedsacks that were used. My mom could not understand why I wanted this worn one when a pretty pastel nine patch that looked unused and had no character sat there for my choosing. I like my choice.

Then I went snooping out in the garage in their other home where my daughter lives and found this lamp. My mother found the urn in an antique store in the 60's and my Grandfather turned it into a lamp with wood and metal workmanship. It became separated in a couple of spots so it will visit the lamp doctor here in town. I think it is awesome.

Next, I took my mother to a lovely place called Windsor Market where they have a little something for everyone and i found these unbelievably awesome curtains. they are 100% linen with French script and these babies are big! I can't wait to get them up. Won't they look great with the lamp?

No heirlooms but picked up a bit of stash from a LQS along with a couple of rulers that looked interesting

That is all I could salvage out of the trip to OK. I will be back with a stash report soon.

If it is as nice where you are as it is here get outside and plant some things!

Look at this beauty from Japan

A climbing "bleeding heart"

I thought i would just die when i saw it.

Happy Saturday!

Leslie

A Poll

 I need your help. I have been on vacation, going back home to Tulsa for the last week. It was wonderful to see all of my friends, family and especially my two year old grandson Jackson. He is really something else. I cannot believe how much he reminds me of my daughter and the love I feel for him is so similar. I will not go on and gush but I was looking forward to sharing some pictures with you all of an awesome family quilt i scored, the pile of fabric I obtained from the LQShops in the area.

The dilemma. I left my camera behind at my parents house. Ordinarily this would be no big deal but you do not know my parents. It is gone for an eternity. It will eventually surface but who knows when. *sidenote* They are not hoarders. They have a lovely home. A very large home with tons of decor, shelving, etc. My mom lost her Ipad and we ended up finding it two weeks after she lost it. I needed a new camera anyway as I have expressed the last couple of times I have posted. Somehow I could not get things just right. So this brings me to you fellow bloggers, artists and photographers. I have been doing my research by reading and even looking on flickr at who takes good pics and the cameras they are using.



interesting



i personally think this is awesome



i like to look at this



do these work? hmmm...

Okay, enough fun. If you all could help me I would be grateful. You know how many cameras are out there and you know what we use them for. I want something reliable, takes multiple shots without a lot of hassle. ease of use is huge to me although I do have photography experience and know how to adjust f stops and lighting and it may be nice to do that sometimes. I need a motion stabilizer. I like to do all my editing on the computer not the camera. I do not like to use aa batteries because it is not cost effective. I am looking at anything in the range from $200-500. I am looking at another Canon but I kind of like the Nikon for motion stability and the speed of rapid shooting. I know very little about fuji, pentax, olympus.

Please leave me a comment on your experience or opinions.

thanks to all my friends,

leslie

MUGRUGS!!!!

Hi, ya'll! Okay, I will say I have never made a mugrug or a dollquilt before but....WOW....instant gratification. I am intrigued although I suppose you could only make so many. With my first mugrug swap pending and an additional present needed for my mother for Mothers Day I decided to try my hand. I could use a little practice like all of my projects but these were super fun.

I agonized over what fabric to use for my Mom. She knows absolutely NOTHING about quilting or designers of fabrics. She wears lots of diamonds, has maids and an interior decorator that would gasp in horror if I hung one of my quilts in that house. So, on that note I poured over everything. She loves toile. Great. I have only Jennifer Paganelli bright pink, mint and lavender. Nope. Nope. Nope. Then I thought if I am making one for my Mom why not make one for my Dad. He was easy to make a quilt for this Christmas. Well, the only masculine fabric I had in my stash other than solids was Lush, then it occured to me! I could make a practice run on block making for the his and hers Lush and Uptown Paint by Number quilts I have planned (when...hmmm..sometime) for my husband and me! So there you go! Solution. Then the guilty question. Should I use my prized fabrics for someone who has no idea how hard these are to come by? Why, of course! I should use those on the people I truly love and who wants to work with crummy fabric anyway....toile...arrrggg.

These are easy and fun. I did have some issue with FMF as binding as it is so soft or maybe the piece I had has been passed around for ten years but it gave me fits and did NOT want to cooperate. It shows but my mother will never notice. The other thing I did that kind of bugs me is this was a last minute decision. I am leaving tomorrow. (If you are a robber my husband and big black biting dog are still here.) I used monofilament thread. I have used it before when I had a color situation. I would have rather hand quilted this and would have if I had time. I had no issue with the thread but I sure wish I would have thought of doing this a week ago.

That's it for now. My bee blocks are on hold and I will not be able to sew for a week. They do have a cute LQS in my hometown and I have buy back bucks to use there. yippee!!!

Fabric....so diverse

WORDS

Have a good week everyone,
Leslie

ME PLUS YOU CROSS QUILT COMPLETE

It seems like a long time ago but the West Virginia MQG had a quilt along, for whoever chose to participate, on any cross quilt project. I went with the Me + You quilt as I had agreed with a friend to make one. We both got very busy and I completed it last night. I love the aqua and red version but i was yearning to use some modern meadow and fell into a navy and lime combo. It is hard to tell but I added Amy Butler lime full moon dots as well as AB lime seeds and used a navy pindot for the opposite effect.

Sorry for the poor lighting but we have had no sun for a long time. I was lucky to be dry.

I quilted it in a double grid pattern on either side of the seams in navy and since then wished i would have hand quilted it but I am already ripping out two quilts so that is not an option.

I tried my hand at machine binding. I know some of you love to bind by hand but sometimes I just want it done and last night was one of those nights. I used this tutorial by RPQ. I had a few errors that needed touch ups but with a little more practice I could have it down.

Now onto the rest of those blocks and it is time to dig into something new.

thanks, leslie

what do you think?

I showed a part of the block I was making for the 3x6 bee. I finished it but while I am looking through the other blocks there are quite a few of these. They are based on Oh Fransson's Mod Mosaic Pillow. It is also a wee bit time consuming. It is virtually paper piecing without the paper as I have to sketch it out because all blocks have to be the same design. For those of you unfamiliar with this bee you make six identical blocks with your fabric based on each persons color preference. You receive six blocks back in your color preference. I have already seen one of the blocks I am receiving and it is awesome, very unique. You can view it here. Oddly the block I chose to prototype is hers....shhhh..I do not think she follows my blog. Should I proceed with five more or switch up so mine will be a little more original? hmmmm...

Have a good night!
Leslie

Okay I am back!

On my last post i promised to end hoarding. I have to start at the beginning. To make a long story short we just had a wave of bad luck since the last post so I apologize for the lack of anything resembling cuteness. I am working on that now. My poor husband had several heart stents, had multiple complications, Christmas came and I was flying from Oklahoma and back over and over.

It seems to have calmed now. Everyone is well including my sweet hubby. I will be leaving in a week for a week back to Oklahoma. My daughter is expecting her second and I need to see my parents.

Now that that is out of the way I did manage to finish up a few items before Christmas. One was my fathers quilt. The earthy S quilt out of Kaffe Fasssetts Country Garden Quilts. The pictures I apologize for as the colors are not accurate. The pictures are underneath this post. A new camera is in order. Those pictures i have posted. I chose that quilt as I am native american and that came from my father. I thought this quilt had a native american feel to it and was masculine as well. I was very pleased with it.

The second quilt I rounded up before Christmas was for my sister. I chose "Dream On" and used a layer cake in a very simple design using every part of that layer cake.

 I found a vintage sheet for the backing. I chose this line for my sister because it reminded me of every sheet we ever slept on as little girls. It was the 70's after all so I felt like I recognized them. She knew immediately and loved the quilt so all was well. That was about as much as I could do under the circumstances. I even forgot to photograph it before I left town and left that to them. This sounds so pitiful.

So...that was then, this is now.

Since then I layed low and kept participating in the 3x6 sampler quilt mini bee. The blocks around Christmas were done quickly and very late but I got them out!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tulsagirl/5507860619/in/set-72157623556479760

The following blocks were the first round of this year

For some reason I cannot get away from strippy blocks....I just love them.

Speaking of strippy try making a quilt from a honeybun log cabin style. I am trying to focus on destashing my Wonderland stash. All I have managed so far is this one pitiful baby quilt top.

I will finish the others up shortly. I have promised myself and I do have a new grandbaby coming!

How excited are we at the new DS prints! I will post on that later. I have now gotten myself into another strippy block situation. here is a sneak peak at what may or may not become a block. These are a little time consuming.

Wish me luck on this! Thanks for being patient and I apologize for the long delay. I have since joined a mug rug swap as well so if you are visiting from that site welcome!

FYI...as i go through this destash process there WILL be giveaways....good ones i promise!

cheers to all,
Leslie

For my Father

color, a photo by mrssorrells2009 on Flickr.

this was my first hand quilted quilt using perle cotton. It took a while but it was worth it.

"from the earth quilt"

"from the earth quilt", a photo by mrssorrells2009 on Flickr.