Design Wall Happenings!

Last week I told you I'd be AWOL from Blogland because I was going to Runaway Retreat -
      Well, I'm back!!!

And I had a wonderful time!!!  I'll share more about the retreat in a few days, but for now, I'd like to share some of the things I worked on while there.  It's exciting to see projects taking shape.  I have a combination of new and old projects going on .....

New.... Bargello Tree Skirt

Two sections of this hexagon-shaped skirt assembled.

I was TOTALLY excited when I got these two sections sewn together and saw a glimpse of just how amazing this tree skirt is going to be!!!  It is not an easy project, and I was worried that the sections would not line up correctly.  I had to get two complete sections done and trimmed with the oversized triangle template I had prepared before I could tell for sure that it was working - so you can imagine how delighted I was when they lined up perfectly!

When I put it up on the design wall at retreat, everyone said it is too striking to be stuck under a tree and that it needs to be a wall quilt.... hmmmm..... that's definitely a possibility - we'll have to see! :*D

My original intention was to make this in blues and whites to look like a snowflake, but then I went shopping for fabrics and fell in love with this focus print.....

It is a Jason Yenter Wintergraphix print and I just loved the colors!  I added in a wonderful bright blue, a nice spectrum of greens, and some golds......

 But then I ended up taking out the lightest gold and adding in the black instead, and I think it was a good choice.  You can really see the black add some definition in the first picture above.  The light gold was just too mushy and died out when put in the bargello spectrum with the deep colors.

I've had these fabrics for this project for quite some time, but as usual, the project got pushed to the side for more urgent projects.  Then as I shared in THIS POST, I decided that I really want to get some of my Christmas UFO's done so they can decorate my house rather than a UFO box this Christmas.  I joined up with Needle, Thread, Happiness for her 2013 Christmas QAL in order to have some accountability to get them done :*)  This will be my second UFO I've tackled so far.  The August project - Midnight Runner - is complete - quilted, bound, and ready to be proudly displayed this Christmas!  Yoohoo!!!  You can click on the quilt name if you'd like to read more about it's progress :*)

So far so good!

I also began another NEW project while at Runaway - a small quilt for my mom to fit in her tabletopper frame I gave her last year.....

She asked for a Vintage Valentine block to switch out with the Sonshine sunflower table-topper quilt I made for it last year, so I got it all ready for stitching down while at Runaway.  All the button-hole stitching was completed at retreat, so I just need to quilt and bind it, and then add the little hanging sleeve for the frame.

I hope to have this ready to take to her when I visit at Thanksgiving :*D

As for OLD projects on my design wall, I still have to get Genevieve's Banners sandwiched and quilted....another project that needs to be ready to go with me at Thanksgiving!

and I'm hoping to get the appliqued border for Amish Beauties applied and stitched down soon....

And don't forget....
              Today is the first day of the Crazy About Wool blog hop over at Pieced Brain!!!

My day is Thursday so be sure to come back and see what I'm playing with.... here's a sneak peek....

Hmmm..... what could it be?

Here is the Blog Hop schedule for today:

CJ Stitching and Blooms

Negligent Style

Sweet P

Reluctant Quilter

Racie Baby

Patchouli Moon Studio

The Raspberry Rabbits

Hope you have a marvelous week!  Here in Nashville, we are enjoying fall-like weather and it is gloriously cool and crisp - yum!!!  I don't know how long it will last, but I plan to enjoy it while I can.  Mornings will be pleasurably spent on my side porch with a little stitchery =^..^=

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=

Linking up with ....
Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times
Christmas QAL at Hazel's Quilts
Tuesday Linky Party at Freemotion at the River
WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

Hooray for the Red, White & Blue!!!

And a Giveaway too =^..^=

It’s finally time for me to reveal my design for the Red, White & Blue Blog Hop!  I was beginning to think the day would never get here!  Oh my, I’m SO excited!!! 

What do you think?  I wanted to make something that I could put on my Table Topper frame, and it looks just darling there I think :*)

I began the project by choosing a royalty-free clip art for the fireworks (I’m not an artist!) and created a paper-pieced background to frame it.   

I had a ball picking through my stash to get just the right rich reds & blues to showcase the “pop” of the fireworks.  

A white sparkle fabric worked perfectly for the fireworks, but the sparkle is hard to see in the photo.  Cutting out those tiny pieces was pretty tedious, but I just knew it was necessary for the design to work.

I finished it off by quilting with a silver metallic thread to sparkle it up a little more :*)   After all, what’s the Fourth of July without sparkles, right? =^..^=

Isn't that a cute bias stripe binding?

This is my second design for the Table Topper frame.  The first was my Mom’s Sonshine Sunflower which you can see HERE.

I really want to send a Big Thanks to Jane at Jane’s Fabric and Quilts for hosting this amazing Hop!  Hosting one of these is a big deal and a lot of work, and we appreciate you Jane!

And speaking of appreciation, I really appreciate YOU too, my wonderful followers!!!  Remember, I promised a giveaway, so here you go…  If you are a follower of A Quilt and A Prayer, just leave a comment on this post telling me how you follow (GFC, RSS feed, email, etc), and you’ll be in the drawing to win these…..

Since this is a celebration of all things patriotic, I decided to pull a few of my favorite patriotic fabrics and add in a pattern from Buggy Barn – Crazy About Hearts and Stars – 

I just LOVE this sweet little pattern!!!!  Most of the fabrics are close to being a fat quarter, but some are smaller pieces.  I just put in whatever I thought you might like :*) 

I will keep the drawing open until the end of the Blog Hop on Monday, July 16 to give everyone a chance to enter.  Sorry, but I will have to limit the drawing to U.S. mailing only.

If you are not already a follower, I hope you’ll consider coming along for my journey.  I’ll try to have some fun and rope you in for the ride :*)

And don't forget, here are the other bloggers who are featured in the Red White & Blue Blog Hop today… Please be sure to go over and give them some Patriotic Love too!!!

July 3rd

Heather K

Just Carol

Quilt Doodle Doodles

Sheila's Quilt World

Teresa in Music City (hey, that's me!)

*** Linking up with Applique Thursday at A Quilting Reader's Garden ***

Hugs & Blessings &

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Teresa

=^..^=

May NewFO Challenge

I didn't realize I had started so much “New” stuff in May until I looked back over my posts – Wow!!!  For someone trying to finish stuff up, I really filled up some new project boxes!!!

But that is almost always the case when I take classes, and remember Edyta Sitar visited our Music City Quilt Guild this month! I started two quilt projects in classes with her, and although I often abandon projects after a class for one reason or another, I've decided that I really like these two and will finish them up into quilts.  They are....

My Eldon block from Edyta Sitar's class

Two of my spool blocks from Spools by Edyta

Then I designed and finished this sweet table topper Sonshine for my Mom for Mother’s Day….

And last but not least, I started my June Calendar Quilt.  It’s one of my favorites from Kim Schaeffer’s Calendar Quilts book!  The top is finished, and all I have left is to sandwich, quilt and bind – yoohoo!!!

You can read all about the process of working on these projects by looking back at my May posts.

How did you do on your NewFO’s?  Start anything new?  Share it with us at Cat Patches!!!  And while you’re there, wish Barbara Bon Voyage… she’s off to Ireland, the lucky girl =^..^=

Hugs & Blessings,

Teresa

=^..^=

Stash Report & Rainbow Scrapiness!

I have been pretty busy the past few days getting ready to go on retreat at Red Rooster again – woohoo!!!  I’m really excited to go in the spring/summertime.  I’ve always gone in January or October, and it will be interesting to experience Alabama at this lovely time of year.  I’m also excited to see what kinds of eye candy Jennifer and Jim put up in May.  It is always as much fun looking at all their decorations as it is sewing & quilting!  Don’t worry, I’ll take lots of pictures :*) 

I finally managed to spend a little time sewing on my yellow scraps this month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge over at SoScrappy.

I had a super fun time digging into my scrap bins to find just the right yellows and oranges to make this sweet sunflower for a small table topper for my Mom. 

I gave her the table frame for her birthday, and this quilt is her mother’s day gift.  Mom reads my blog, so she will see it here before I can get it to her.  So, Mom, I hope you like Sonshine =^..^=

I designed this quilt especially for my Mom, with the bright happy sunflower and the words “You are my Sonshine” quilted in at the bottom because they have a very special meaning to her.

When my mom was little, her life was not very stable, and she was alone a lot of the time.  Not a lot of hugs or love were handed out at her house.  But she had a favorite aunt who would pull her up into her lap in the old rocking chair and cuddle her every chance she got, and then she would sing softly to her, “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine….”  My mom remembers those times with her aunt as bright spots in her otherwise stark childhood.  Today, as a Christian, mom spells it Sonshine for her beloved Jesus, so I spelled it that way on her quilt too. 

For that little finish, I used about half a yard all told.  I did buy more fabric this week.  I really needed to add more aqua, gold and rose colors to my stash in order to begin putting Eldon together. 

Although I’m not entirely unhappy with my numbers, I’m glad that I don’t have a lot of things coming up that I need to buy fabric to complete.  (Good thing there are no more quilt shops between here and Red Rooster anymore! LOL)  Hopefully I now have almost enough to begin putting together Eldon.  I also have to purchase one final piece before I can start on my niece Raney’s quilt.  And I need to purchase the backing for Moonglow.  I’m planning to take care of that during an upcoming trip to Whittles in late June.  After that, I’m thinking I can work on UFO’s and scrap quilts for a while until I get my “Used” numbers a little closer to my “Added” numbers. =^..^=

So here are the final numbers for this week:

Used this week:      .50 yards

Used YTD 2012:      74.00 yards

Added this week:   4.00 yards

Added YTD 2012:   99.50 yards

Net Used for 2012: -25.50 yards

Head on over to PatchworkTimes to see how others are doing with their stashes.  And don’t forget to see what everyone has been working on for their Rainbow Scrap Challenge too!  I am always amazed at what we can accomplish with even the smallest scraps of color!!!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=

Also linking up with Such a Sew and Sew for May Stitches in Time: