In love.

I didn't fall in love with this quilt until today.

It's amazing how a fun backing

that goes with all your scraps...

some flowers quilted in....

and

a striped binding will do for a quilt!!!!

This time I was WON over!!!!

I wasn't too sure about this quilt until it was ALL done.

Now I'm sure.

Actually ....

I'm NOT sure I'll be able to give it away!!!!!

:0

Thanks to ALL of you who commented on

BREAKING rules in the last post!!!

I LOVED them all!

Weren't they FUN to read???

One Word Challenge.

We were challenged over at Modern8create

to make a little quilt with ONE word.

An inspirational word.

I don't know how inspiring this is....

But it's what I WANT to do this year!

Break EVERY quilting rule in the book!

How many rules are there???

1/4" seam.

Now.....

That's ONE rule that I already know HOW to break.

I'd love to hear about the "rules" you like to break!

Just Because....

Just because...

I needed a small project to work on this weekend at the cabin.

Just because....

Someone gave me a LITTLE bit of these pastel colors.

Just because....

Someone else gave me an even LITTLER bit of these 30's fabrics

already sewn together.

Just because...

I really like putting little bits and pieces together!

Just because....

Little quilts make me happy.

This little "just because"....

will now be in my quilt top stack....

"Just IN CASE!!!"

Snowball Weather.

Snowball blocks!

It's that time of year, right?

I began with a 5" square

and used 1 3/4" white squares in the corners.

Pressed them back and trimmed the excess.

I found that putting 1 3/4" squares in the corner

was a LOT different than using 2" squares.

I was AMAZED at how a little 1/4" can make

such a BIG difference!!!!

The 1 3/4" white squares are on the LEFT.

The 2" white squares are on the RIGHT.

The difference is not QUITE as obvious here....

but....

I liked the 1 3/4" better.

Too bad....

because I have a nice big box full of 2" squares

ALREADY cut!!!

Now to figure out how to quilt this sweet little baby quilt!!!

Little bag

I wanted to make a bag today

after seeing my quilt teacher demonstrate her pattern.

I don't need a bag.

But I made a bag.

See??? I knew you'd understand.

Mine is made in miniature.

I used 2 1/2" squares instead of the 5" Squares called for.

A little more Fiddly than 5".....

but cute!

And totally pointless!!!

:0

For your health.

Did you know quilting adds to a healthy life???

It does.

I'm not sure how much medical PROOF there is in my claims...

but I'd like to STRESS the medical benefits that I think sewing brings.

;)

I was given these blocks.

There were JUST enough to make a baby quilt.

The stripped pieces were already sewn together!!!!

What a BLESSING they were to ME!!!!

As I sat down to the machine...

my mind immediately began to think about a needy child...

OR...

Maybe a needy mom who would be using this quilt.

Automatically my troubles melted away!!!

It's truly AMAZING what quilting for OTHERS

will do for your MENTAL health.

And GOOD mental HEALTH means good overall health...right???

Try it today and tell me if I'm ON TO SOMETHING!!!!

Maybe we should do a REAL study about this phenomenon!!!!

;)

Please NOTE:

Results VARY by individual.

Results are not OPTIMUM if using VERY tiny pieces of fabric

that need to MATCH up perfectly.

Best results come when using LARGE

Happy squares of fabric!!!!

Hawaiian pillow

My Mother-in-law wants to make a pillow......

Hawaiian STYLE!

This is NOT a project I would have ever chosen on my own....

but when sweet Mother-in-law wants something....

then sweet Mother-in-law gets it!!!! ;)

I'm making one so that I can help HER make one.

We've made a few quilts together and I enjoy

the process and the time we're able to spend together

doing something fun!!!

There I was needleturning this yesterday as I sat in a hospital room

with a relative......

Thinking....

 I don't see too many quilts using this pattern in blogland.

Well!!!!!

Look what I saw when I got home from the hospital!

Victoria is making THIS!!!!!

NO...it's not Hawaiian quilting....

But it IS

AMAZING!!!

Here's the pattern my Mother-in-law and I are using.

Simple.

Victoria sure has me thinking about

some possibilities though!!!

Next up...

I need to begin handquilting this.

:)

Design Challenge!

I heard about this challenge a couple of days ago...

and my WHEELS are turning!!!

;)

Looks like there are some AWESOME prizes.

This here looks like a GREAT place to begin!!

You know I love APRONS!!!

Singer and Coats & Clark are sponsoring this FUN challenge!

March 12th is the deadline...

I'd better get busy!!!!

If you decide to join in and need to purchase a pattern...

Here's a discount code: VMCB

20% OFF!!!!

Yeah for Good deals! ;)

A finish!

Here's a recent finish.

If you want to see quilts made with similar blocks....

VERY different SETTINGS....

look over here!

Here's the very first block.

I didn't really know what I was signing up for when I began!!!

Isn't that the way quilts are???

They take us on a trip we never planned to go on sometimes! ;)

I NEVER thought I'd make enough of these...

but I finally did.

I AM happy to have used these fat quarters for the backing.

Number ONE..... I didn't have enough of the RIGHT fabric

and second....

They were gifted to me by a friend

so...... I'll think of her EVERYTIME I cuddle with this quilt!

I DO like the swirly quilting.

You can imagine I was CELEBRATING when I got to this point!!!!

:0

I was So HAPPY to be done.....

PIECING those little TINY Half Square Triangles!!!!!

Now it's DONE

and I can MOVE on.....

Next time I decide to border a quilt with

VERY small half square triangles...

I hope you'll STOP ME!!!!

********

There is STILL time to add your

PINCUSHION(s) to the PARADE!

Pincushion Parade!!!

I'm hosting a PINCUSHION PARADE this week!

Very Impromptu!!!!

Hope you'll share your pincushion

or PINCUSHIONS with us!!!

Maybe you have a collection??

Or...

Something you made without using a sewing machine.

There might be a sentimental pincushion on your shelf.

Or something cute.

Is there a pincushion you designed??

A pincushion that was inspired by someone else??

An OLD one....

A UNIQUE pincushion.

Link up this week!!

Show us your stuff.

We ALL love these little work horses, don't we???

Maybe you don't like pincushions......:/

Tell us why.

You can link up with an old post...

or a new one!

I hope I get to see LOTS of FUN pincushions THIS WEEK!

Add your post here:

Sometimes.....

Sometimes....

I like to brag.

Ooooh! Just a little!

I carry the family photo in my purse and

Whip it out now and again.

Recently I've been appoligizing for the

awful plastic cover....

It was looking really RATTY!

I fixed THAT!!!!

Now I"ll pull out this spiffy picture....

AND this one!

;)

All it took was ONE sheet of this

and a 2" wide scrap!

Oooh! I also added a piece of cardboard inside.

These pictures will get a LOT of ABUSE in my bag!!!

One thing leads to another....

I did some stitching on fabric today.

Of course, there was a little batting and backing involved!

All because....

I bought a sketch pad!

And SKETCHES just AREN'T DONE...

Until they're done...

IN STITCHES!!!

;)

Beginnings

It's a beginning.

I love this part....

Choosing the block....

digging around for fabric....

Finding some little pieces of SCRAPS!!....

Figuring out how to arrange the blocks!

I love beginnings SOooo much...

I feel like BEGINning some more quilts today

WITHOUT

finishing THIS one!

Silly???

I know...

But there are SOoo many quilts swimming around in my HEAD!

I want to get them OUT!!!

Maybe making ONE block for EACH idea will help!????..

Have you ever felt like that?

After ALL....

I have ALL year to finish them.

Right?

Edible Scraps

These LOVELY green scraps appeared at my house yesterday.....

As a result of buying........

ONE big BAG of GREEN apples.

;)

Good thing my 18 year old son was around to EAT half of them!

I hate to see GOOD scraps GO to WASTE....

Even if They're NOT FABRIC scraps!!!!

The apples were quickly seeded and pared.

Thrown into a pot with a TINY bit of water.

While they cooked on LOW.....

I did a bit of stitching.

IF YOU'RE going to COOK...

YOu're going to need NEW POTHOLDERS

every now and THEN!!!!!

I need to add a binding on this one

and I want to see if I can do it ALL by hand!!!!

The apples cooked in a short time.

We ALL enjoyed APPLESAUCE...

and then.....

 I got back to STITCHING the IN-edible kind of scraps!!!!