The Test Block

Made myself a test block of the Cog and Wheel and can I just say, I'm in love with this block!

It came together very nicely and having done the single girl before, it made it that much easier.  I am really happy with the yellow.  I ended up using the Kona solid Banana instead of the Maize.  When I actually saw the Maize in the fabric store it seemed kind much lighter than it looked online and almost had a green undertone to it (which was probably the ugly neon lighting in the fabric store) so I opted to go with the Banana.  It also makes me start to think really seriously about getting one of those Kona color cards because the difference with how it looked online and how it looked at the store was kinda big.

I'm so excited to get started on this quiltalong!  

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Today I'm linking up with: 

     

The Pips

I finished (or thought I finished) my sherbert pips quilt.  I am not quite sure what to call this one yet.  To me it sort of makes me think of one of those DNA readouts.  Anyone else see that?

This quilt ended up totally different than the plan I started with.  I just kept sewing things together and then thinking, well what if I did this instead and cutting or adding and then this is where we ended up.  It ended up quite a bit bigger than I had planned.  I had started off thinking it would be a nice throw quilt but now its most definitely bed sized.  The big question is is it too big to quilt on my Bernie?  I'm thinking straight line quilting for sure.

One thing I did not see was that the white I thought I had and used for the side border was not the same white I had used in the original strips I cut out.

Woops!  That's what I get for choosing fabric in soft lighting at night.  Oh well.  Easily fixable and I think it will be really great once its done and quilted.

Today I'm linking up with:

   

Its here!

I got my Cog and Wheel pattern in the mail Saturday.  Woo hoo!

My last "to do" before I can really get started is I need to get my background color.  I am thinking of using something like this light yellow Kona solid called Maize.

I can hardly wait to get started!  I got one taker to quilt-a-long (my bestie Jamie from college, so excited to make this with you girl!) so anyone else interested, join in.  I think we'll make the official start August 1st to allow for time to gather fabrics and supplies. I made this button if anyone wants to join us.

<a href="http://silverlilysews.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j421/SilverLilySews/Cogandwheelquiltalong2.jpg" border="0" /></a>

 And as of July 1st we're in full Taff Family Vacation mode.  My step-daughter arrives and we are off and running for a month of family fun so we might be a little quiet around here.  I'm planning on pulling out the pattern and doing a good thorough read through and doing a little test block before Mady gets here and I'll do a get ready post.

Finished It Up Friday {#11}

Happy Friday all!  This week I can't say that I have a finished project of my own to share but I did make some seriously respectable headway on my Sherbert Pips quilt which I'm hoping to have done by next week.  

Last week we had some awesome tutorials link up.  I LOVE these scrappy bangle bracelets from Peekadot!  What a great idea and a fun way to add a little pop of color to an outfit.

Our other tutorial was this great link from Karen at Sew Much 2 Love for a zipper pouch.  I have seen so many great little zipper pouches around the blogosphere and this is a great tutorial if you're interested in making your own.

And now its your turn!

Its been so lovely around here and the combination of summer sun and my baby turning 1

(really!  one!?  how can that be??!!!)

I haven't put in too much time with good ol' Bernie here.  Oh and our loft where the sewing machine is tends to be the hottest room in the house.  Yeah.

Anyhoos, 

I felt the need to brave the heat today and started putting in some time with my sherbert pips jelly roll.  I'm still not sure exactly where we're going with it but I just keep sewing strips

 and we'll just watch it unfold together, shall we?

One thing I can always find a little bit of time here and there for is my hexie quilt.

This baby just keeps getting crazier and crazier and I love it.  How big am I going to let this little lady get?  the jury's still out on this one.  I have a huge ziplock baggie full of squares already cut so I suppose we'll just keep going till I feel like stopping.

Today I'm linking up with:

More on my Denyse Schmidt obsession and a call out for a quilt-a-long

I've been eyeing this pattern pretty much since I finished my Single Girl.

I'm most definitely in a Denyse Schmidt phase right now and finishing that Single Girl has me thinking I can sew anything these days.  I just ordered it via FabricWorm.com and I'm wondering if anyone might be interested in quilting along with me on this one.  It looks tricky but no trickier than the Single Girl which was most do-able in a quilt-a-long with all the help and support.

Any thoughts?  Anyone feeling ambitious with me????/

Finished It Up Friday Woops

Woops! So I programmed the linky wrong when I did today's Finished It Up Friday post which made it impossible to link up.

Woops! I fixed it now so anyone who would like to share what they've completed this week, its ready to go. Sorry about that!

Finished It Up Friday {#10}

The quilt top is finished!  I'm calling it Rainbow Crossroads and it turned out perfect size for a picnic quilt.  Above you see my Carver testing it out.

The full front.....

Me and my boy and our new quilt (top).  

Next step is to figure out the right back for it and to quilt it up.  Its small enough that I think I can quilt it at home on my Bernie.  

I'm thinking its a good quilt for some straight line quilting.

Now its your turn!  Show of your creations from the week!

Finally!

The other day I went to my closest JoAnn Fabric and they only had THREE bolts left of the Denyse Schmidt Picnic and Fairgrounds fabrics.  I was so bummed.  I'd had an incling that if I wanted to get some I should have acted on it way back when they came out but its a bit of a drive so I only go out there when I have a bunch of things on my list to get an a good pile of coupons to use.

three. 

BUT my mom and dad live quite close to a very well stocked JoAnns and she agreed to go and pick me up a bit of what bolts they had left.

At first the lady didn't know what my mom was talking about when she asked for the Denyse Schmidt Picnic and Fairgrounds fabrics but after a call to me and I looked up the SKU numbers online, we figured out that they in fact still had bolts of the entire line.  Yippee!

So mom flew in today for Asher's first birthday and with her came 21 cuts of Denyse Schmidt.

I'm so excited.  I love them!

On the cusp of done

I've been churning out these blocks for the last few weeks and finally the other night I finished them up.

They total 100 and they are going to make a quilt that will be 10 blocks by 10 blocks

I'm guesstimating about 65" inches square.  

I laid it out the other night for the husband to see and then admire and praise me for which he did 

and then added that he wondered if it might be a little busy and bright.  

One thing I can always count on my husband for is honest critique.  Which when we were first married kind of hurt my feelings but now I really appreciate.  When he says he loves something, you know he really means it.

I think he is right but maybe I like busy and bright?  Its the same thing he says about my hexie quilt and the clutter of pictures and flowers in my kitchen sink window.  Both make me happy to look at so there you go. I do love that hexie quilt.  It is WAY busy but so bright and cheerful that I love it.  And really with my hexie quilt, its the process that I love, the way it turns out is really sort of second.

This quilt will be a playroom quilt so I think its okay that its a tad on the bright and bold side.  All that color and business can stimulate my boys' little growing brains?  Right?

This week will be working on sewing the blocks together and hopefully by the end of the week I'll have another (bright and busy) quilt top to add to my pile.  This one I think I plan on quilting here at home on my Bernie with simple straight line stitching.  

Stay tuned for Finished It Up Friday when I'll hopefully be able to reveal the finished top!

Garage Sailing

Yesterday when the boys and I met Joshua for lunch we noticed a HUGE yard sale being set up across the street from Josh's office.  We decided to get up early and check it out.   I found a jackpot of vintage fabric scraps and filled an old dry cleaning bag I found on the ground as full as I could before Josh had to declare it time up as he had to go to work.  I was so inspired by our deals that I dropped by a multi-family garage sale on the way home. 

Not pictured are a couple of kiddo books and some cookie cutters since my Carver likes his food cut into cute shapes.  The dresser was free (FREE!!) and the rocker just needs a little wood glue and it will be fantastic.  Its really quite comfortable and I don't think will even need a cushion (although it might be fun to make one anyway)

The best find of the day was the box of vintage scraps.  Some were pretty small but I still just loved the fabrics so much I had to pile them in the bag.  I figure they can still be usable somehow.  They are fantastic!  

Happy Garage Sailing!

Finished It Up Friday {#9}

Thanks for all your kind words about my single girl!  It feels great to have the top done and to start thinking about quilting and backing and those finishing touches.  This week my husband decided his new plan to help with some weight loss was to just not be home in the evenings so we've been field tripping to the beach or for hikes in the mountains around here each night after he gets home from work.  This has left little time (or energy) for sewing so as you can see, no other work done this week!

We had some fantastic link ups last week!

This was a lovely link up by Oxford Impressions showing some straight line quilting.  I just love the bright colors, don't you?  And how about that cute little pooch?

And I loved these little girl baby gifts from Sew Much To Love

Really cute and great ideas if anyone has baby showers coming up!

Single Girl Quilt Top FINISHED!

Its done!  Its FINALLY done.

Or at least the top is.

(or as my Carver would say, "the topper")

I love it. 

I

Love

it.

!!!!!

The last three blocks were waiting on one more yard of the white.  I bought it originally at my local quilt shop and when I got it home thought, "wait, this is a little off white...er...oh well, it will be great."  And in fact I really do like the color of it.  

Unfortunately I didn't bring the yardage requirements with me and just eyeballed it and wouldn't you know it?  I didn't buy enough.  

And by the time I went back to get more to finish off my last three blocks, they were out.  And every time I went back to get more, they didn't have any.  And the color was IMPOSSIBLE to match.  I can't tell you how much wrong white, off white, snow, cream, eggshell fabric I have around here.

I finally went ahead and asked her to special order it. And finally I just went in and sure enough, a big fat bolt of white was there.  And since it was the only one they had and they had only had one when I originally bought it I figured it was the same.

I figured wrong.

And really, its terribly low quality fabric too.  errrrr.......... frustrating.......

AHHHHHH!

But oh well.  My friend assured me that it will just be one of those things that will just be one of those sweet things that make it all cool and homemade.  That pioneer make do quality right?

I'm hoping as it washes and ages it will blend a little better. 

I still love it.  I can hardly wait to be in Washington next month so I can spend a little quality at my favorite quilt shop, Bayside Quilting and their long arm and get this baby quilted.

Today I'm linking up with:

    

Finished It Up Friday {#7}

Last night the husband and I parked it in front of the computer to watch The Voice and I set to finalizing a real plan for my scrap blocks.  I thought it was time to really put together a plan as to where this quilt was going.  Would you believe I had already done 83 blocks?  

I had no idea there was so many done so I'm glad I made plan.  

So my Finished It Up Friday was that I finished my plan and finished putting together the pieces for the unfinished blocks in pinned together little piles, ready to be sewn.  I decided its going to be 10 blocks by 10 blocks which should put it at about 65 inches square.

Last week we saw some lovely finished pieces!



I had to repost this link from last week  I was so impressed!  Way to go Edith!

WIP Wednesday: Hexie Heaven

Rather than the usual looooooooong list of my overflowing WIP list, I thought today I'd just post a little on my hexie quilt.

I've definitely had the hexie itch this week and have been working on it almost every night after the little chicks are in bed while watching my current Netflix fun, Christie (did anyone else watch that back in the day??  such a nice story....)

Anyway.  I've made some considerable progress. I almost have a nice full square which is kind of exciting.  The big question now is how big do I want to make this guy.  Its so busy I don't think I really want to make a full bed sized quilt but its also kind of delicate as to the handsewing that I don't know that I want it to be a play mat quilt either.

????????

Today I'm linking up with: