Sew Sweet Simplicity BOM (Giveaway Alert!)

I just LOVE the name of Jacquelynne Steve's upcoming BOM....

Sew Sweet Simplicity!!!

...... And I'm just tickled pink to be a featured blogger for this fun event!!!!

                Come along, and let's have some fun making these oh-so-cute blocks!

Jacquelynne is all geared up to start things off by publishing the first block on October 27.... are you signed up to receive your FREE blocks yet?  If not, it's not too late :)  Go HERE NOW to sign up!!!  Please note - even if you currently receive The Art of Home newsletter, you still need to sign up separately for the BOM blocks :)

The BOM will run for 5 months - you will receive 1-2 blocks per month (total of 6 blocks) for 4 months, then you will receive instructions for the borders and finishing on the 5th month.  And don't let the look of these blocks fool you - they may look complicated, but they're simply made up of squares, half-square triangles, and flying geese!!!  They're not named "Simplicity" blocks for nothing :)

And listen up.... We have OPTIONS!!!  Yep, we can make this quilt as simple or as fancy as we like!  Jacquelynne will provide the option of making a 4- or 6-block quilt!  And she is adding some lovely applique details for those of us who think no quilt is complete without an applique or two .... even some really cute embroidery designs for the hand stitchers among us!  (There will also be video tutorials to help any newbies out there!)  Or, you can choose to just make the pieced blocks only ..... the choice is yours!  Isn't it nice to have choices?

Of course, there will be lots of prizes and giveaways!  Starting today!  Jacquelynne is offering this AMAZING PDF Pattern Bundle with a retail value of $40 to one lucky winner on my blog!

All you need to do is leave a comment on this post - and be sure you leave me a valid email address to contact you if you are the winner.  The Giveaway will run until midnight October 23 (Central time).  Because it is a PDF download, it is open to all US and International readers!  Yes, that means YOU!!!!

There are quite a few other featured bloggers who are joining in to share their blocks and give you inspiration as we go along, so be sure to get the schedule on The Art of Home blog so you can see what each blogger is doing.  Jacquelynne is doing the sample blocks in her lovely Cottage Charm fabric line - and I gotta say, it's really hard to beat that!

As you know, I'm a COLOR GIRL and I like to be different (no snickering now - be nice!) - so I've chosen to use my bright solid scraps on a black background - BIG surprise, right?  =^..^=

Leftovers from Amish Beauties ♥♥♥

What I haven't decided for sure yet is whether I will include applique or embroidery - but I'm leaning toward a little of both maybe.  I think they will add a unique element to these sampler blocks - and I really love some of the sneak peeks Jacquelynne has shown of her designs!

Photo courtesy of The Art of Home

Looks like fun, right?

You betcha!!!

So, make sure you are signed up to receive the blocks -

And don't forget to leave a comment for the Giveaway!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=

Calling All Scrappers!

Today is the first monthly linky party for Scraptastic Tuesday! 
You can visit with either Leanne at She Can Quilt or Nicky at Mrs. Sew and Sow to join in - or just to look at all the fun, scrappy projects in progress!!!

I'm really excited about this new linky party, because as you all know, I'm a very SCRAPPY girl!!!  I absolutely LOVE stitching together small scraps of fabrics to make something beautiful and useful. There are so many scrappy projects in progress in my studio, you'd be snoozing before I could share them all!   However, you can check out some of my recent scrappy projects HERE and HERE :)

One of my favorites is this recent finish - Soul Searching!

I plan to get back on track making these fun Happy Dance blocks too...



Of course, a post about scrappiness would not be complete without sharing my latest completed Patchwork of the Crosses block - these are my latest obsession!!!!  You can see some of my earlier blocks HERE and HERE....

I just returned from a really wonderful visit with some fun ladies who were retreating at Quilting on the Mountain, and they allowed me to share a talk and trunk show of my scrappy quilts and processes with them.  I have to say though, these were some very scrappy ladies, and any one of them could have given that presentation!  Just look below at the amazing scrappy quilt one young girl shared - she made this quilt when she was only 9 years old!!!!  I wrote down her name, but of course I can't find it now.  But she and her sister (who is currently 9) were sewing up a storm - and not simple quilts either!  Let me tell you - I was impressed!!!




Although the Scraptastic Tuesday linkup party is the second Tuesday of each month, Leanne and Nicky share every Tuesday about all things "scrappy" so be sure to join them each week, and maybe even do a ST post of your own.  Next week I'll be away at retreat, and Internet is always iffy when traveling!  But for my next ST post, I'll try to share a little about how I store and use scraps.

Please be sure to come back Thursday for a little "Meet and Greet" in preparation for the new FREE BOM, Sew Sweet Simplicity, designed by Jacquelynne Steves!  The first block for this fun BOM will be released on Jacquelynne's blog on October 27!!!

Photo courtesy of The Art of Home

You don't want to miss this fun BOM - 

there will be a WONDERFUL giveaway too!!!  

Come find out more tomorrow :)

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=

Also linking up with
Freemotion by the River Lindy Tuesday :)

Design Wall Monday – MOONGLOW!!!

Today my design wall is empty!  Why?  Well, because the quilt is finished!!!  Here is Moonglow in all her glory….

Isn’t she just absolutely gorgeous???  That Jenny Beyer knows her stuff for sure! This was my UFO Challenge quilt for April (& May) - it took two months to complete it, but I am so glad I decided to just continue it until I was done.  Whew!!!

It's a good thing I took this picture early Saturday morning, because it started to rain just after and we’ve not seen a dry sky since!  Laying it out on the patio was the only way to get the majority of the quilt in the picture.  At some point I will get some friends to hold it so I can get a picture of it square on. :*)

The borders were actually not as much trouble as I had feared, but they did take a ton of time!  There were seven of them (as I'm sure you remember from my previous whining!), each 1-3/4” wide, starting and ending with the black fabric.  The in-between colors radiate out to echo that “glow” look in the blocks.   

And by the way, my friend Denise at Count It *All* Joy helped me see my "whining" in a whole new light.... " that's not whining; it's running commentary on the whole creative process, good and bad.   It makes for explicit, dramatic, and thorough documentation.  LOL!!!"


Yes!!!  What she said!!!


So, ahem, uh .. to get back to the business at hand.... Each border was cut 3-1/2” longer than the one before it.  Then I sewed them together, staggering the edges in 1-3/4" on each edge.

I also reversed the direction as I sewed the strips together to keep them from curving from the feed dog action.  I learned that little trick while making the Twisted Bargello!  I pressed the seams all toward the inside on two of the borders and toward the outside on the other two, so that I could nest them when I did the mitering.  This helped a ton in getting those seams to meet perfectly!

When the borders were all sewn together as one unit, I marked a quarter inch in on the tips of the corners of the quilt, and began sewing the border units on each of the four sides, stopping and starting at the mark.

Then all that was left was mitering the border corners for a nice finished look!  It was so late when I finished this part that I forgot to take pictures, but here is the finished result.  

Whew!  What a huge job done and off my shoulders!!!  It will need to sit for a while now as I figure out what I want to do for backing fabrics and quilting designs.

Also, it is possible that I may end up adding another border to it!  My husband likes the quilt so much that he wants us to perhaps put it on our bed!!!  He says it is the only quilt I’ve made so far that can rival Bargello :*)  But in order to do that, it needs to be slightly larger as it is only 86” square.  Let’s see, let me think about that…. for a good long while!!!!  Well, at least a few weeks.  I really need to work on something else for a while in order to keep my sanity, if you know what I mean :*)

That’s it for me.  I don’t have anything else on my design wall yet, but next week I’ll start posting process pictures of Vintage Valentine!  

It’s going to be so much fun to do this sweet applique after all the intense piecing of Moonglow!

Have a marvelous week my friends!!!  I'm off now to have a little therapy time with my sewing buddies :*)  The first lady on the left is Linda, and we will be without her for the next 6 months because she goes to Wisconsin for the summers.  Take care Linda and we'll see you in October!!!

You can go HERE to Patchwork Times to see what others have on their design walls! 


Also linking up with What a Hoot for BOM's Away! 

Quilting by the River's Linky Party

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Such a Sew and Sew May Finishes

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=

Design Wall Monday

Hopefully, this will be the last week I have Moonglow on my design wall because I am almost finished!!! 

Saturday night I finished up the FINAL BLOCK!!!  Look at all those points!!!

This block actually went together better than I thought it would.  

I allowed extra fabric for the curved outer sections and then trimmed off the excess as I squared it up after the block was assembled.

It worked out great doing it that way.  Much less painful than I had imagined – yay!!!  =^..^=

Yesterday I sewed all the rows together - it's almost a quilt!!!!  Then I cut all the strips for the SEVEN borders to complete it.  I decided to wait until today to start sewing them together and attaching them to the quilt center because I hate attaching borders and I don’t want to try to tackle them when I’m tired.  Smart, huh?

I'm sorry this is not a very good picture!  We took it just as the light was disappearing and a storm was coming up, so it is rather dull in this shot.  I’ll post a better picture of the completed quilt top just as soon as I finish it – promise!!!

Judy pulled #2 for the UFO Challenge for May, which is Vintage Valentine on my list.  Wow – another toughie! 

This is an appliqué hearts quilt.  I think I have four blocks done.  It’s going to be another beauty though, and the appliqué will be a nice change from the intense piecing in Moonglow!  I’ll start on it as soon as I can.  But first I have to begin working on my niece Raney’s quilt.  She graduates this year and goes off to college, and I want her to have a nice, soft lovable quilt from her Aunt Terrie when she goes! :*)

That’s it for my design wall this week – what’s on yours?  Go to Patchwork Times to see what others are working on!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=

Also linking up with: 

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? at 
Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Two Finishes!

Since I was not finished with Moonglow at the end of March, and the number Judy pulled for April’s UFO still has a lot of work to be done on it, I decided (at the urging of several very wise readers!) to just continue with Moonglow through this month until it is done.  Immediately all the pressure was off and I began to enjoy the process of bringing this quilt around the home stretch again. =^..^=  And since ENJOY is my word for 2012, I'm happy!!!

And guess what?  Moonglow Block #11 is DONE!  

Yes, it’s only a block, not the entire quilt, but it’s progress!  And the way these blocks are behaving, it almost feels like finishing up a quilt by the time I’m done with one of them!  LOL!!!

Hip Hip Hooray!!!  Only one more block to go now, and I can put the center together and then start on those SEVEN torturous gorgeous borders.  Next thing you know, I’ll be posting a finish for this quilt!!!

Here’s the process of how I put together this particular block.  

It was only partially paper-pieced.  The black and aqua pieces are paper-pieced.  I had to cut templates for three of the sections and set them in with Y seams – Yes, the dreaded “Y” word!!!  The blue and olive pieces had to be cut individually with templates, as well as the center square.

It was a royal pain, but I finally got them in.  They’re not perfect mind you, but they’re in, and they’re staying in!!!

Here is a picture of the entire center with a gaping hole right smack dab in the middle!  I can’t wait for that last block to be finished and placed there – it might be time to party, right?  As I’ve said before, that last block is a doozie and a half, so keep those ear plugs stuffed in nice and tight folks!!! :*D

My second finish is the Promises and Borders stitchery Block #3.  

I just loved working on this block, especially with the addition of my beloved hearts in its border! 

Can you see the sweet little bird perched on those spring flowers?  *sigh* I’m in love!!!

Here’s Block #4 for this project.  I’ve got it all prepared for beginning the stitching, and it will be a welcome project to have with me while I am visiting my family in North Carolina soon!  =^..^=

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

Hugs & Blessings,

Teresa

=^..^=

Linking up with:

Design Wall Monday - Patchwork Times

BOM's Away - What a Hoot

LAFF - Richard Quilts

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop - Confessions of a Fabric Addict

When the Dog’s Away…..

The cat will play!!!!  Not that my husband is a dog of course!  hehehe!  But he is indeed Top Dog in this household, and so when he is home I tend to adjust my schedule to his and play when he is at work or otherwise occupied.  But when he travels - woohoo!  I just play, and play, and play!!!!

Here is what I’ve been up to….

I’ve finished TWO more blocks on Moonglow!  The two new ones are the upper left and lower right corner blocks, and they are the same block design.  Block #10 in my BOM kit included making both of these blocks instead of just one.  This mariner's compass design was thankfully all paper-pieced except for the appliquéd center.  It actually went together quite nicely, for which I was shamelessly thankful :*)

Now I only have 2 more to go and one of them is about halfway complete.  The last one is a humdinger and a half!!!  The air may be blue by the time I get that one done folks!!!

I finally finished up the binding on my April Calendar quilt and it is ready to go up on my wall – and only 4 days late!  Not bad for the month I’ve had :*)  I really wish this was a better picture.... it is such a bright and colorful quilt!


I’ve also been making a complete mess in my sewing room picking out some cute novelty fabrics for my Bingo card.  

Are you playing along?  It promises to be lots of fun!  If you want to know more, go HERE to Marcia's Crafty Sewing blog to check it out.  She and three of her friends are hosting 2012 May for Me:  Tonya of HillBilly Handiworks, Sharon  of  Vrooman's Quilts , and Snoodles of LilyPad Quilting.  You can learn more about May for Me by clicking on the link below this button.....

2012 May for Me link

Who can resist a good game of Bingo anyway?  Not me!!!

I’m also working on those special projects that popped up for April – Edyta Sitar’s Silouette Challenge and testing blocks for Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Issue #6.  No pictures that I can share on those projects, but I’m having a lot of fun with them!!!

However, I DO have a picture of this wonderful little knitted Pincushion I received in the mail yesterday!  

I won this in a giveaway recently from Susan over at Hanging on by a Needle and Thread and I couldn't be more delighted!!!  I have a lot of cute little pincushions, but not a one is knitted!  Isn't this just the cutest thing?  Susan's daughter-in-law made this little treasure, and she has lots more cute hand-crafted things for children in her Half Pint Knits Etsy shop – go HERE to check them out!  Thanks again Susan & Noell – I am SO happy with my new pincushion!!!

Hope everyone is enjoying the lovely spring weather and looking forward to a beautiful Easter weekend!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=

Linking this post with BOM’s Away at What a Hoot!, and WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.