Quilted at the point Tuesday morning with my quilting buddies Gwen & Frank

a pair of Mug Buddies Coasters ready for binding

 

yesterday morning I joined my quilting buddies at the point for our usual Tuesday morning quilting session.  we each worked on items that we want to place in the Holiday Craft Fair.  It was a nice cool autumn day and we were getting and matching colors for our projects.  I chose more fabric for my mug buddies that I am making.  I have 5 sets of 2 sandwiched together and ready for binding and just need to make 5 more sets.  I also started working on a hot pad similar to the ones I made last year.  I want to make 10 of these for the sale in different kitchen colors using a crazy quilting pattern.  Wow I have a lot to do.  I am also working on a Halloween Candle mat using a free table runner pattern I downloaded from a blog.  I am using fabric from my winnings when I went on the Fall Harvest Shop Hop Bus trip.   

Scrappy Pot Holder 2012

Halloween Fat Quarters "My Winnings"

A tutorial for a "Spinning Diamonds" Quilt by Kaye Woods

Spinning Diamonds a pattern
by Kaye Woods

This morning I awoke early so I was looking on Pintrest for some quilting ideas using my smart phone.  I came across this YouTube tutorial by Kaye Wood on "spinning Diamonds".  The technique seemed easy and the quilt looked complex.  I guess that is why I pinned it.  I watched the video on You Tube while I ate my breakfast and visited the website and decided to order the pattern.  So now I can't wait to receive the pattern in the mail, but I will collect the fabric I want to use.  I have decided to use Batiks for this quilt.  This will be my 1st time using batiks and I am excited about that.  I have seen other in my quilt club using batiks for a blooming 9 patch and they were so pretty.  The pattern uses 9 different fabrics ranging from light blue, pinks, purples, greens and deep blues, cut into 2 1/2" strips with strips sets of 5 pieced together.  I will post pictures of my project when I start working on it. 

It was a dreary Saturday morning until I went to my Hudson Heritage Quilting Guild meeting.

I awoke early this morning to a dreary cloudy & rainy morning.  It was cold out this am, only 36 degrees.  I contemplated staying home this am instead of going to my HHQ mtg.  I am so glad that I decided to go tho.  A lot was covered regarding the upcoming Patchwork Harvest Quilt Show XI we are having in November.  When I entered I noticed a table with a few items on it, and a couple of beautifully pieced and embellished crazy quilt style blocks.  I was immediately drawn to them.  I love to do crazy quilting myself and was delighted to see that someone else did too.  We discussed the upcoming Fall Holiday Quilt Show at the Middle School and other guild business then it was show and tell time.  after a break we had a presentation by Linda Lemon Keller, she showed us her wall hangings she had done using wool and doing it in crazy quilting and embroidery.  Wow what a great inspiration was she.  she also shared her library of good books on Embroidery and creativity.  I already have on book by Judith Baker Montano on Elegant Stitches.  I plan on adding to my own library some of the books she had on her list.  Here are some pictures of my own crazy quilting on hot pads and embroidery and applique block with beaded embroidery on it.
 

Halloween is fast approching and I have a Surprize!

With Halloween on the way I have been busy making some cute goodies using the 5 Fat Quarters I won on the Fall Harvest Quilting Shop Hop Bus Trip I went on recently.  These fabrics are the cutest Halloween fabrics and I am enjoying working with them.  Keep tuned in to see what these fun fabrics become.  :)

A SMALL NEEDLE CASE FOR YOUR EMBROIDERY, APPLIQUE, SEWING & QUILTING NEEDLES

This Friday at my ASG mtg, (American Sewing Guild), I am in charge of the craft instruction. I put together a kit for each person at the meeting to make small needle case.  This could be part of your sewing kit, kept with  embroidery or applique threads or as a part of your quilting kit to hold your quilting needles.  I use mine when I need to finish my quilt binding and to bury knots on the quilt top after machine quilting.   

 

A small neelde case

Patterned fabric - 2 1/2" x 4"

Batting or Felt 1 1/2" x 2"

button for front

needle & a legnth of of thread

Directions:
fold pattern fabric in half wrong sides together - it will measure 2" x 2 1/2" - finger crease fold then open

place batting and/or felt at the top of the fold.

Thread the needle and sew thru all fabrics near the fold, catching the batting along the legnth of the fold.

sew button on the front of the case.

place needles thru batting - Now you have a needle case to use with your applique projects or quilting projects or to place in your sewing kit.

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

The Harvest Sampler Shop Hop Bus Tour October 12th 2013

 Saturday October 12th


Pumpkin Hollow by Bunny Hill Designs
Block of the Month at Quilter's Haven in Rosemont MN

I went on a bus ride with my quilting friends from Hudson for the HARVEST SAMPLER SHOP HOP.  I awoke early at 3:30 am, (a whole hour before the alarm went off)     It was still dark out, the air had a chill to it and the wind was picking up.  I dressed and ate breakfast and left the house about 6:15 to drive downtown Hudson, WI to my 1st Hop Shop -  "Sew Little Time" Quilt Shop in to meet the other ladies and wait for the bus. This is my Local Quilt shop and I enjoy taking classes and 1st Tuesday Quilt club and Meeting my friends in the Civil War Quilt Club.   Judy and Carol were already there and Karol-Lee drove in just after me.  The parking lot began to fill with the other ladies coming to catch the bus.  We were all excited and chatted while we had coffee and doughnuts at the shop and signed our "PASSPORT'S" for the trip. Linda gave us our pair of fat 8's & our 1st Block, "Autumn Basket", and a goody bag to take with us.  The Finished Quilt Showing all the Blocks was hung on the wall above the counter. 

Finally the bus arrived and we were off to our 1st shop. As we started on our way names were drawn from a bag for door prizes.  To my surprise and delight my name was drawn and I chose a prize of 5 fat Quarter of Halloween fabric.  I already had a project in mind, earlier in the morning while I was reading an email from www.FreeQuiltPatterns.info I downloaded a Free Pattern: Fall Table Runner by Melissa 

Our 1st & 2nd Blocks - "Autumn Basket"
 from Sew Little Time QS in Hudson WI, &
  "Doris Delight" from Quilter's Haven in Rosemont
MN with 2 fat 8's each 

Halloween Fat Quarters - My winnings

The fabrics I bought while on the Shop Hop

My Third Block, "Richmond" at Eagle Creek Quilt Shop

 

   

Our 1st stop was "Quilter's Haven" in Rosemont MN.   This was my 1st visit here, the staff were friendly and I enjoyed looking at all the fabrics and displays and was able to find some fabric for the Sock Monkey Baby Quilt I plan to make.  The fabric was a dark brown printed with Baby ABC Blocks.  They had Coffee ready for us and while taking a break in their classroom I enjoyed the Pumpkin Hollow Block of the month by Bunny Hill Designs Quilt that was taking shape on their Classroom wall. 

Back on the bus everyone was checking out each others goodies.  The Chatter & laughter was intoxicating.  We soon arrived at our 3rd Hop Shop Eagle Creek Quilt Shop in Shakopee MN.  It is located in an old renovated Train Station building.  I had visited this shop last winter on another Bus shop hop and could not wait to go inside and check out what they would have in store for us.  On the wall were displays of quilts large and small, felted projects and needle punch.  Every nook and cranny had purses, fat quarters, patterns of all sorts.  On the wall by the children/baby fabrics was a Dr Seuss "Cat in the Hat" Quilt using a panel - wow what an idea it gave me.  I had pieced together a Dr Seuss child's quilt at Quilt Retreat this past summer & that would make a great backing teamed up with some cuddle fabric.  Yes! I did buy the panel.  After coffee and cake we Hopped on the bus and headed on to our next Quit Shop.  We still had three more shops to go,  The Noble Quilter in Elk River MN, Quilted Treasures in Rogers MN and Four Seasons Quilt Shop in Maple Grove MN, each with their own specialties

I enjoyed my visits to each of these last 3 shops.  Each one was so different than the other.  At the Noble Quilter I fell in love with a quilt that was on display there designed by shop owner Angie Roberts whose shop and quilt pattern called Perfect Palette had been featured in Quilt Sampler spring/summer 2013 issue. 

The perfect palette

 

At Quilted Treasures I found some cute baby quilt pattern kits in adorable childrens fabric backed by soft cuddle material.  Then we went to Four Seasons quilt shop in Maple Grove.  I had been here before so I headed towards the back of the shop to thumb thru their 30's materials in children's prints for my Baby Quilt Projects and did pick up 1/2 yard of Civil War Fabric for my Sampler Quilt. 

We arrived back at "Sew Little Time" Quilt shop in Hudson WI about 6pm and Linda the Shop Owner had some treats waiting for us.  Brownies and Ice Cream.  Yum!  I signed up for a finishing kit for the Harvest Quilt and the went home.I got back home about 7pm and looked over all my goodies and reviewed my day, I ate supper and went to bed early that evening.  It was a fun day spent with my quilting friends. 



















Working on Baby Quilts this week

Choo Choo Dinoz Pattern

This Summer I was able to piece 4 baby quilts and this week I started to quilt the Winnie the Pooh quilt that I am making for my Grandbaby Amelia who is due in November.  I also started to piece together a very cute quilt for my Great Grand Baby Emmet who arrived last week 10/3/2013 - My daughter Marie gave me the quilt fabric and pattern late summer but I was going away going on my 3rd road trip and didn't get home till late Sept.  What a pretty quilt pattern from Studio E Fabrics named Choo Choo Dinoz.  The panel with coordinating fabrics are colorful and the Dinoz Characters are adorable.  I finished cutting apart the panel today and pieced together the 1st section.  tomorrow I will work on the second section. 

Polka Dotted Dino

Soft green stripes and yellow squares surround this Polka Dotted Dino.  Of course Dinoz Babies travel the world over.