First finish of 2012

So this is the first of hopefully at least 12 finishes this year.  It's a quilt I did for Melissa of Happy Quilting's QAL this summer.  I finished the quilting and binding this weekend and am posting on the last day of the month...so, I'm on target for 12 so far!  This quilt will be donated to a summer camp for kids with cancer.  The backing is mostly the dragonfly fabric with a strip of blue bubbles going up the center.  I normally puzzle piece meander my quilting but tried something slightly different with a swirly-loopy quilting design.  I think I may use it again in another project as it went pretty well.

Cupcake Quilt

 So this is the embroidery pattern I won this week from Three Kitchen Fairies called Sharing is Good.  You can purchase it on etsy.  I love this pattern!!  I just used a simple back-stitch with french knots.  I am planning 9 blocks, the others I will just put the cupcake in (mirror the frosting so it is "whole") and the birds will be the last "frame".  I'm planning to use these fabrics as the block borders.

I decided I needed a bit of a break from the finishes I was working on, one charity quilt which needs quilting and a queen size binding...now I will try to avoid the lure to work on this until I can say those two are done!

January's Blocks for Craftsy.com

 Amy Butler's Daisy Chain Wonky Pound Sign Block

Asterisk Block also in Amy Butler fabric

So these both went together easy and quick.  You can tell I have an engineering background though on this wonky stuff because while I can appreciate others' designs my wonky is pretty ordered!  You can get in on the free BOM at Craftsy.com.  It is a sampler with 20 blocks of different techniques.  The videos are well done and it would be especially good for beginner quilters but I'm expecting to get some tips as well since she is going to talk about paper piecing. 

I probably need to buy a lottery ticket as I have won 2 giveaways this week!!

The first was for a gift certificate to Pink Chalk Fabrics  from Jacquie Gering .  There are so many great things there it is hard to pick but I'm leaning towards the Alice Kennedy Orange Crush fabric or maybe a couple of the new patterns that are calling my name...

My other win was the cutest pdf embroidery pattern called Sharing is Good from Paloma Nunez-Regueiro through the new e-zine site &Stitches .  I love their new e-zine and it was a bonus to win this cute pattern, I see birdies and cupcakes in my stitching future!!
Now, hopefully I can finish my embroidery block for Promises and Borders today! 

Am I Swoon-worthy?

Ok, I.am.weak...  I withstood the allure and pull of Camille Roskelley's Swoon pattern for about 6 months or so.  I first saw it this summer on a Moda blog hop when I first encountered her blog. http://www.camilleroskelley.typepad.com/
And I said, ooh I like the Ruby line and love that pattern.  But I resisted.  Enter in Flickr's Swoon-along http://www.imagingermonkey.blogspot.com/2012/01/shall-we-swoon.html and I caved this weekend.  Much later than the 500 + souls on there but caved nonetheless! Looking at all the gorgeous blocks posted there is so inspiring!  Love some of these ladies color choices!!  
Above you see my Swoon test block.  I am planning a full-Swoonfest with Robert Kaufman's new Concerto black and gold batiks...when they get here...I downloaded the pdf pattern from the Fat Quarter Shop fatquartershop.com but you can get it from Roskelley's site as well. 
If you've been under the same rock as me and been resisting...  This pattern goes together easily and the block is huge...24".
I think I may turn the above block into a baby quilt or use it as part of the back for the BOM Promises and Borders from elefantz.com as I am using these Robyn Pandolph fabrics for that, as well.
So now, let's see how long it takes me to get her new pattern, Vintage Holiday which looks like a "must-do" also!

So this is what happens...

7 yards Amy Butler Daisy and Heather Bailey cut into fat quarters

When you go to the lqs with three like minded quilty friends - pool your resources and buy sale yardage.  Fat Quarter Swap!!!  Several of us plan to use these for the Craftsy.com free 2012 BOM.

28 different fat quarters

Now I suppose I will have to decide which fabrics to make the Pound Sign and Asterisk blocks from as these are the blocks for January.  Thanks ladies!  You are the best!

As for my other BOMs...

This is the Fat Quarter Stars BOM block 9 from www.moosequilts.blogspot.com.  I like this block well enough that I am considering making a quilt from this or a variation of this...maybe out of an old Sandy Gervais line called Fresh Squeezed that I have been hoarding...stay tuned...

And, I have finished block one of www.theraspberryrabbits.blogspot.com new BOM called Harrington and Hannah.  I have a buttons below for both if you are interested.

If You Don't See the Sun Quilt it!

So this is a QAL called Hello Sun found at april-makingendsmeet.blogspot.com.  I made it yesterday and it was a good cheery project for a dreary day.  50 degrees and muddy in the middle of January in Indiana.  I like her technique for free-stitching raw-edge applique.  Makes the project look like a child's drawing.  I added to the effect by simplifying the snowman a bit and am pretty happy with the end block.

Dresden Plate QAL

 So I have joined a couple QALs, among them is the Bunny Hill Scrappy Plate Club...see bunnyhillblog.com for the information and Flickr link if you are interested.  It utilizes the Easy Dresden template by Darlene Zimmerman and we are making 10 1/2" plates.  I am using a feedsack / 30's stash I have collected for many years.  The pic above is my first plate...of 12...or maybe 30...these are going together really easy and they are sooo cute.  My son is reading The Hobbit right now and it makes me think of Gollum and his ring, trying real hard not to stroke this ring...er, plate and mention my preciousssss.  Pretty though, eh?

Another BOM I am signed up for is the free one through Craftsy.com.  January's blocks are Asterisk Block and Wonky Pound Sign Block.  The videos are well done so far and the blocks easy and fun.  I have done both before, still need to decide what fabrics I want to use...may use my stashed back Terrain and Central Park by Kate Spain.  I have a Layer Cake as part of the stash though and the first two blocks start with a 12" square so I may have to heavily substitute with some solid yardage...

I am also stalking Jenny of elefantz.com  and her 2012 10 month BOM called Promises and Borders.  Like. Like.Like. Go to http://www.elefantz.com/2012/01/new-free-bom-quilt-pattern-for-2012-and.html to find the patterns.

Bee Block for January-Done!

 So my new Bee (Sew.Bee.Create) is off to a good start.  Leah of Burgundy Buttons burgundybuttons.blogspot.com sent us some luscious blues and oranges and greys...("evil Kris" wanted to set aside that big orange dot print to get swallowed in my personal stash...isn't it great!!  Reluctantly I did use all she gave me :) !)  Anyway, once I got finished oohing and ahhing and drooling over her fabric choices, I started trying to decide which print should be where and it went together pretty quickly.  The pattern was to be a wonky log cabin.  She used the Block Party book by Alissa Haight Carlton & Kristen Lejniecks (Amazon has this if you're interested) for inspiration and lucky enough I have that book too so I was able to get a good look at the blocks in Alissa's quilt.

Leah has a great online quilt fabric store so I suppose that may have influenced the amount of fabric she sent but it was enough I was easily able to make a second block.  I will send her this one too and she can pick which one she likes better.  I almost prefer the second but would have put more pops of orange in if I hadn't run out of them on the first!!  I think it looks like a "door to nowhere"...or maybe it's a door to that big orange dotty!!

Fat Quarter Stars QAL Block 8 Done

Well, here is number 8!  This one goes together really fast!  I'll say it again, grab the button below if you want to join in!  I mentioned in a prior post that I won the drawing a couple of blocks ago and here is my prize...

Konda couldn't have picked a better prize for me...I have been waiting for this line to hit the stores!  I especially like the orange, grey, and black pez-prints!  So that should give you all extra incentive to join in if you haven't already...cool prizes!  You just need to join the Fickr group and post pics of your blocks as you finish them and you are entered.