deals and squeals wednesday

oh wow i'm really excited to share with you my squeals for week . . . so i'll jump right into it! friday was the day i submitted my design for the briar rose quilt competition. (p.s. if you haven't gone over there to vote yet click  here and vote for your favorite quilt . .or if you can't decide on a favorite you could just **cough**vote for mine **cough**) how was that for subtle?? voting ends in 2 days!! 

 . .back to the story . . so i submitted my design and later that night i pulled out my trusty composition book where i like to doodle new designs. so i sketched up this little baby

 (sorry forgot to flip before i uploaded)

well you get the idea . . all the scribbles are sashing . . i wanted to visually keep them separate from the blocks even though they will be the same color as the star blocks.

later that night i pulled up my bloglovin and was enjoying the updates from the blogs i follow and one of my favorite quilters had posted one of her new patterns that was VERY similar! well the block on the right is actually what her quilt is made of ( i sketched that after i saw her update) but i got that little kid happy (giddy)  feeling while reading her update like we were on the same page or something :)  that just goes to show what a newbie i am if something that simple makes me squeal with delight!! i wanted to link over to her blog but didn't want to take away from her new pattern design?? what do you think?? you might already know who i'm talking about.

well i just put this little picnic quilt (that's what i'm calling it) under the machine and hope it gets quilted soon.

 i was just going to quilt through the diagonals of the squares but have seen this straight stitching done so much i wanted to try it out. maybe i should have made my rows bigger - it might take me all week (and then some) to finish! 

linking up to: wip wednesday, anything goes, sew cute tuesday, whatever goes wednesday, sew darn crafty. fabric tuesday, we did it wednesday

friday finishes

well i'm happy to report i FINALLY finished the grocery bags that i started (dare i say almost a month ago) here! and look at them . . does anything about this project scream "hard? time consuming? really tricky techniques used?" . .the answer of course is NO - simplest project ever . . should have finished them the day i started! anywhosers . . .

they were made from 4 fat quarters (2 for the outside and 2 for the lining) and some cotton webbing since i was too lazy to make fabric handles. great way to use up some stash though.

 and if you haven't noticed already . . they hold A LOT!! and maybe their best feature yet . . machine washable folks! 

here is my second finish! a virtual finish is still a finish right?

this was the design i submitted for the

briar rose quilt design contest

i'm calling it Miss Match Berry Patch

if you haven't heard about it or are wanting to submit a design, follow the above link as submissions are due by the 5th and voting will take place may 6th - may 10th. there are already so many lovely quilts and designs. at the very least show up and be inspired by the quilts and vote for your favorite one!

linking up to:  tgiff, confessions of a fabric addict, finish it up friday, richard and tanya quilts

block quilt

happy to have a finished project!! this bad boy was suppose to be finished last week but the binding ended up turning into this huge annoying ordeal! 

i was hoping to bind this quilt in orange but came up short (doh!) . . 

 . . so the teal was the next best option (even if it's teal on teal on the back - oh well) . . project completed and i'm a happy camper.

you can't really tell by looking at the back of the quilt (at least not in this picture) but i decided to quilt around each block . .and then each block inside a block. quite the patience builder.

it's kinda funny that it sat and sat without a binding and i thought "eh . .it's alright" . . but now that it's complete it's really growing on me!! i'm sure you could easily find a tutorial for making these square/block quilts but i learned from these books.

aside from a sporadic rain storm this week, the weather has been quite charming . . maybe i need to have a double date with that quilt and that swing sometime soon!

**UPDATE**
thanks to alison over at little bunny quilts i heard about an awesome swap by april over at kool beenz. she is putting together a fat quarter friends swap for the month of may. i signed up yesterday and i'm super excited!  who doesn't love a good swap?! only a few more days to sign up so if you wanna get in on the fun then hurry on over!

linking up to: tgiff, confessions of a fabric addict, finish it up friday, richard and tanya quilts

deals and squeals wednesday

this is a deal i came across last week - seems this week we've stuck around the house a little more. found these cute little party supplies at target . . which is perfect for my little monkey that will be turning 3 in december! my friend kara threw the cutest monkey party here and after finding these steals i can't help but want to duplicate it :)

you know it's hard being born the day after christmas, especially when you want to have a "friends" party because most people are still celebrating with their own families. this year though we will be out west spending christmas in arizona with my family so we'll get to have a party with aunts and uncles and cousins (oh my!)

most normal people would just buy party supplies if they needed party supplies . .i on the other hand . .well . . i just buy what's on sale and work the party around that! might not work so much when the kids get older!

reg price: $7.24 

(includes birthday banner, lunch napkins & beverage napkins)

clearance price: $1.12

now onto what's been happening in the craft room . . 

this has been a work in progress for quite the little while . .it hasn't taken quite as long as this one here . . but i'm hoping she'll be ready to reveal on friday (crossing fingers!) . .i don't know why i keep referring to this quilt as a "she" it definitely is more boyish if anything. my sister and mom both happened to give me the same fabric bundles (one for christmas, one for a birthday) and it was enough to put this large quilt together - maybe that's where the "she" comes from!

i pulled out these two books last night . .both can be bought at joann's fabric. they were the first books i got when i started showing interest in quilting. lots of cute, easy to put together quilts inside. the quilt above came from a design in one of these books that i altered a little bit. great books for beginners. different cutting techniques and variety of quilt styles. i was reminded that there are still a few designs i want to try out! happy sewing!

linking up to: wip wednesday and anything goes

pretty in pink blankey/mat?

have you ever know weeks in advance about an upcoming event and still didn't do anything about it till last minute??  . . well that's how this quilt was born! yesterday it hit me that i needed to put something together for a baby shower i would be attending tomorrow, so i quickly went to my pinterest boards and thought this would be a cute, fun gift! it came together quickly and that was key. i started it yesterday during nap time and finished quilting it tonight (stitch in the ditch style) while my husband and kids watched a redbox and ate popcorn to their hearts content.

i loved the idea of using a bunch of different textured fabrics and i loved even more that i had everything on hand.  . .well minus the binding, which i ran to hobby lobby and got this morning. :) . .i think the satin binding adds perfectly.

the plain pink fabric is supposed to be the minky with the little raised bumps in it - you know the stuff i'm talking about? after i sewed the first two strips together i was ironing over the seam and didn't realize the hot iron caused some of the raised bumps to disappear . . so i couldn't have half minky with a raised surface and half without so i had to iron the whole darn thing and make all it's cuteness disappear! i hate when i do dumb stuff! 

oh well i still think it's cute. since i backed it with flannel (like i did here too) i didn't use batting. so.much.easier! after rounding the corners i don't know if i should call her a blanket or a play mat??

p.s. i really love little children's silhouette print!!

linking up to: tgiff, confessions of a fabric addict, finish it up friday, richard and tanya quilts

the five year quilt

when i was first married i joined a quilting group that was put on by some of the ladies from church. i had a sewing machine and a love of fabric and wanted to learn more. i didn't realize until i showed up how hardcore they all were :) big fancy machines, beautiful printed fabrics, and gorgeous quilts to show and tell about! i was AMAZED!  . . . but more importantly i felt welcomed. here was a circle of very talented and experienced quilters and for the short time we were there they welcomed me into their little flock, encouraged me, and taught me to make a handful of different quilt blocks. it was there i started this quilt.

 a year later we moved to new haven, ct where my husband would get his masters degree . . .i pulled out the pieces and started sewing my little heart out . .nothing fancy . .i just knew i wanted it ALL GREEN :) while in connecticut i finished the top and back and started quilting. 

 after our 2 years were up we moved here to nashville where we currently reside. i found that cute quilt (in all it's greenness) stashed away in the never ending pile of stuff i call a craft room. i pulled it out and realized all i had left to do was bind it!! yay!! so after a  little sewing my 5 year old quilt is finally done! 

something else that i've come to love about quilting is getting to name your quilt. i've come across beautiful quilts all over blog land and no matter if it's an original pattern or someone else's the quilt itself if yours and you get to give it a fitting name!

my name choices were either "green with envy" or "the green machine" . . my 4 yr old thought it should be called "greeny" or grassy" . . she may be on to something!! :)

linking up to: too cute tuesday, handmade tuesdays, we did it wednesday, whatever goes wednesday, wow me wednesday, tgiff, confessions of a fabric addict, finish it up friday, richard and tanya quilts, spotlight saturday, sew darn crafty

back in the saddle

to say this blog has been a little neglected is a HUGE understatement! it seems though, as of late, i've found some time to sneak into the craft room and do what i do best . . make messes . .BIG ones! with lots of friends and family having babies i'm happy to be able to finally post FINISHED products :) 

this little guy was sent to sweet baby rexx . .  the last of my sister's brood. it's all flannel and perfect for snuggling teeny tiny bebes! . .it also means i didn't have to add batting . .love cutting out a step! i was inspired  by this quilt.  . . and though i TOTALLY messed up my measurements (doh) and the whole top looks like one big pucker (really . .don't look too close) . .i still LOVE it! :) 

this girly chevron was actually made first but like all good projects . .sat and sat and sat. it's almost unbelievable to think i finished up two in one week. it really came together fast. i'll probably be making more of these. . . and yes, it's flannel too! now i just need to find her a home :)

linking up to: crazy mom quilts, TGIFF, richard and tanya quilts, confessions of a fabric addict