Another Saturday Sew Day!

 Today I got some outdoor photos of Packer/Celtic Solstice!  I love, LOVE, love it.  Thank you Ms. Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville for all you do for all of us scrappy quilters!  If you are doing this quilt, feel free to add your pictures to the Flickr group too!  There are some real beauties there.  I am trying to get through ALL the linked up blogs on Bonnie's site and comment but I have many more to go!

 So excited to have made every Bonnie mystery, including the ones in Quiltmaker.  Cannot wait to see what next year brings!

 I also took an outdoor picture of Marmalade Squares Two for the Winters' soon to be born baby girl!  Last night I started, and today I finished making Bonnie's "Maverick Stars!"  These stars were so much fun to put together and I loved that the points came out of my scrap bag!

 After I added the white borders I felt it needed more and needed to be a little bit bigger.

I had lots of leftover pinwheels (from Jack in the Box bonus triangles) so I sewed them into borders and auditioned them.  I felt like they fought with the simplicity of the stars.

 Then I auditioned a 1.5 inch scrappy strip and thought about it (for several hours while we ate dinner and watched the Patriots get into the Playoffs) and decided to go for it.

 I rearranged the colors some and added a pink strip.  Then another white border and it is done.  This one is for a Deaf friend of mine back in Wisconsin who is having baby number four (her other three are much older) and I just wanted to make her a quilt.  I need to quilt it though and haven't figured out how I am going to do that!

I should mention that I got out my "new" 99 Martha and sewed this entire baby quilt on her.  I now know what Bonnie is talking about when she tells us how certain machines purr!  This machine has the best sound to her, very relaxing!

In other happy news, it was a great mail day!  An online friend (and fellow Quiltvillian) offered to send me scraps...boy did she ever.  I love them and know they will find their way into both Wild and Goosey and the BOM Pineapple blocks that I need to get started on!  Thanks Sandy!

Free Friday Funday!

Today I got a massage and then sewed the day away.  It was so nice and relaxing!  I got out the Viking machine and quilted my cousin's baby quilt with a serpentine stitch.  It turned out pretty good and Zoey jumped right on it for the picture.

 Here you can see I got it bound.  I put a label on it Bonnie style for the first time and it was super easy to do.  I washed and dried it so after  I write on the label I can get it out to my cousin Ashley and her hubby Ches.

 We got the border fabric in the mail today so that inspired me to get the dark green borders on Packer/Celtic Solstice.  I put a three inch outer border on instead of a two inch.

 I also sewed up the backings for the Packer quilt and for the Mickey Mouse NYE Quilt.  They are now all loaded in the car (along with Jack in the Box) for Ros.  I can't wait for her to get back from vacation...:)

Then since I had so many finishes I decided to start something new!  I have a pregnant Deaf friend back in Wisconsin that I promised a baby girl quilt to.  It hit me the other day that I really wanted to do Bonnie's "Maverick Stars" so I am doing a baby sized one!  My stars are definitely wonky!  I am enjoying making them and the top should get done this weekend.  

Oh I also quilted two more Rock Candy tabletoppers and got them ready for binding.  They didn't get done in time for Christmas, but we didn't really need them so I guess I am ahead for next year! 

More Blue Rainbow BOM Blocks

Angela's Attic Window was really simple to make (grabbed a few strips from my already cut and sorted bin and in just a few minutes VIOLA!) More blue Rainbow BOM's for January.

Attic Window

Kathy's Crossroads Block

I have more complicated blue blocks to get to but I have had so many big projects going that they have had to wait.  I love having so much to sew but I hate feeling like I cannot get to it all!  

Next weekend I must tackle quilting my cousin Ashley's Marmalade Squares baby quilt--it has been waiting patiently since November and the baby will be here in a month or so.  I also hope to get the fabric for borders and get it on Packer Solstice!  

Another Taste of Rock Candy!

 

 I did get in some sewing this weekend despite making homemade chicken soup, Chicken Mahkani, pumpkin bread and spice bars this weekend and watching an incredibly long, nail biting Packer game--which ended in a tie--WHAT!  I made several sets of hand warmers to send back to the boys in Wisconsin that are on my Christmas list.

 I took a picture of four of the Rock Candy tabletoppers we had already made (one we gave to Lexi when she was here).  These Halloween ones will go to my sister, sister in law and mom for Christmas.  LOL they won't be able to use them til next year, but it was SO much fun to make them with Halloween fabric.

 Here is a shot of my quilts and backings in my guest room closet!  So happy to get them out of the drawer they were stuffed in, and I am sure Ros will be happy about that too!  I am seriously getting behind on getting them quilted, but the budget just isn't allowing me to go nuts just now.

 This is block FIFTEEN of Wild and Goosey.  Slow and Steady I say.

 Kathy has been working on quilting this block by block and is at this very moment attaching the last two rows!  She will be giving it to a friend of hers for Christmas.

 We both got our 35th Ave. BOM done (mine is pictured).  In December we will get the instructions to put the whole thing together!

 Bug has found a new place to keep warm..in the leftover bits and batting bucket which has been out while Kathy has been working on quilting block by block.

 Saturday morning Randy and I went to the Swap Meet in Mesa.  I got some Christmas gifts (which I spent some time organizing and wrapping today) and I got us three different things for our Packer guest room.  It is coming together.

 I also made my pressing board.

 I played in my button collection.

 I made the first ornament for the online swap I signed up for (on yahoo, not a blogger).  Free tutorial is at Bugs and Fishes.

 Then I made ornament number two for the same swap.  The free tutorial is at  Stumbles and Stitches I also made an extra one...

 Then I made thirteen more in Celtic Solstice colors for the gals who are coming to In Stitches this Saturday for our Sew-Off party!  Shh, Ros don't tell the others..I think you are the only one that reads my blog from the group.  I even made an extra one to send to Bonnie!

 Then I made these two Packer Rock Candy tabletoppers for the Packer guest room too.  We have plans to make more (Kathy does the quilting, I did the rest) in Packer colors too.

 Here is one on the table!

We also spray basted and pinned the baby quilt for Ashley's baby girl.  I really meant to quilt this this weekend, but I ran out of time!  I should also mention that this Marmalade Squares baby quilt (free pattern on Moda Bake Shop) has an updated pattern on there now.  You may remember I had a slight rant about my difficulty with the pattern.  I never thought it would find its way to the creator of the pattern--Katie of Swim, Bike, Quilt  but it did.  She was gracious enough to write me and apologize for the error and let me know things had been corrected.  I feel bad to not just have emailed her and mentioned my problem--but really didn't think she would take notice of it.  So big shout out to the enormously talented Katie!  I will be making this quilt again--because I really do love it!

Here is Kathy's Crossroads Quilt for Susan--she finished while I was still blogging!  I think I can hear her doing the scrappy binding now!

Marmalade Squares and Floribunda

 In between watching the sad Packer game today I managed to sew, iron, subcut and sew the rest of the Floribunda blocks.

 Eventually I had a box full of four patches and hst's waiting to become blocks!  I am quite happy with my progress on this one since there are eight or so blocks total.  23 are blocks and the rest will soon be!

I also spent some time tonight trying to make Marmalade Squares from Moda Bake Shop.  I love the look of this pattern but was VERY UNHAPPY with the directions.  The picture of the original quilt doesn't match the pictures or directions in the pattern (there is a note telling you assembly is different but not that the finished quilt will not look just like the picture).  In the end I just had to figure out how to make it work...

 Here is the top in the end.  Not exactly as lined up as I wanted, but the fact that it is together is a hell of an achievement if you ask me!  I am a direction follower and I need decent pictures and directions or I about lose my quilting mind!

**edit** Katie of Swim, Bike, Quilt contacted me to tell me she updated the pattern on Moda Bake Shop.  I am SEW glad it wasn't just me (because at times I thought it was!) and that it is fixed so I can make it again!  Thanks Katie--you rock!