While the Bernina is away.....

While my Bernina has been in the shop I've been working on my granny squares. I hesitate to sew ongoing projects with a different machine so I haven't even brought Luella out to play.

Cindy gave me this adorable quilt hanger. It's perfect for displaying my latest pillowcase. As you know I have a great fondness for rose print fabric.

This is my very first piece of Cath Kidston fabric. I got it for a very reasonable price on Etsy....probably because it was already living on this side of the pond. 

I'm hoping to start this project very soon with Happy Mochi Yum Yum. This is one of my all time favorite fabric lines.

On Monday I'll be visiting Cindy at Live A Colorful Life to play The Name Game. I'll have a special giveaway to celebrate the occasion!

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Zippered Pouch and tagged, too!

I spent part of the day sewing a new pouch. I've been so inspired by all the zippered bags floating around the blog world that I wanted to make one for myself. I paper pieced the center block with more of my Hello Pilgrim and used gray linen from Ikea for the outer fabric. I LOVE Ikea fabric. Okay. I love Ikea. My daughter lives near Ikea in Burbank so that's often a stop when I visit. But I digress. I lined the bag with fabric from Aneela Hooey's Sherbet Pips and topped it off with a turquoise zipper. I did some very "freeform" stitching around the block which is just barely visible in the photos. 

There are a few things I could tweak, but I'll leave well enough alone. It's going with me on an Easter trip to San Antonio. 
And the very wonderful Lucy at Charm About You tagged me with some thought provoking questions. How could I say no to someone as awesome as Lucy. So here goes. Stay awake.....or not. 
1. What's the most spontaneous thing you've ever done?
    Answering these questions is pretty spontaneous for me.
2. What is your favourite time of day?
    Without a doubt my favorite time of day is the morning. I love that first cup of coffee.

3. Which colour of fabric do you use the most?
     Lately, I tend to put red into just about everything I sew. And orange. And turquoise. 
4. Did you have a toy/blanket that you took to bed when you were little?
     I had a rather large stuffed dog that I slept with for a long time....probably too long.
5. What song always gets stuck in your head?
     I often listen to Adele while I walk so Rolling in the Deep would be the song that sticks.
6. What's the best concert you've ever been to?
     I went to an Andrea Bocelli concert. That was pretty amazing.
7. What did you want to be when you grew up?
     I wanted to travel the world as a foreign correspondent.
8. Camping or a hotel?
     Hotel. Absolutely. Without a doubt. A bed. A shower. A toilet.
9. Do you have a nickname?
     My husband calls me Bug. Awwww. I guess that counts.
10. Can you play any instruments?
      No instruments. And I don't have a sense of rhythm, either.
11. Would you rather call/text/email or write a letter?
      Most of the time I prefer email. Sometimes a chat is nice. Texting is efficient and I'll write a note if my arm is twisted.
It is my turn to pose 11 questions to 11 fellow bloggers but that will take a few more days to prepare. So be patient. You may be hearing from me.
Deborah xoxo

Simply Finished

The randomly selected winner of the Blog Hop Party is Miss Mary! Thanks so much to everyone who joined in. I had a great time visiting everyone's blog! 

Sizzle

It never ceases to amaze me how much fabric choices direct the "emotion" of a quilt.  And I would say that Malka's fabric makes a passionate statement! A favorite part of this wallhanging is the little center square which was inspired by this.


Have a wonderful weekend. Miss Luella (aka green featherweight) wants to sew with me this weekend. Maybe she'll get her picture in the blog again. xoxoxo

What's Old is New Again

     

The Blog Hop Giveaway is here.

I've had Marsha McCloskey's book for at least 10 years. It was one of the first books I learned to quilt with and it is every bit as useful to me now as it was then. Unfortunately, I think it is out of print although used copies can still be found. 

Charts are offered with each block with a choice of rotary (yes!) or template cutting. And alternate shading options are shown in illustrations.

And because I don't have enough projects going on (read sarcasm) I decided to take Marsha's blocks and dress them up with some fun contemporary fabric. 

Hello Pilgrim by Lizzy House

My current plan is to work my way through the book and sew enough blocks to make a quilt. Too many of my recent blocks are turning into mini quilts, cushions and tablerunners! I'm going to show some stick-to-itiveness! Also known as FINISH that quilt!

These are gratuitous photos of my lazy Sunday on the couch! 

Snuggled under my 36 patch quilt and reading Diary of a Provincial Lady

Have a great week! Deb.

Traditional or Modern? Giveaway!

The St.Patrick's Day Blog Hop Party is over! Thanks so much for joining in! 

I find that I enjoy sewing both traditional  quilts and modern quilts. And I have an appreciation for seeing both in the blogging world. 

Do you have a certain style of quilting that you enjoy? I thought it would be fun for the giveaway WINNER to have a choice. If you win, you'll let me know if you want the traditional  group or the contemporary group of book and fat quarters. 

Are you more traditional?

or

Contemporary?

 Twirl Fabric by Me and My Sister

CLICK the follower button and then leave a comment about your favorite style of quilting. If you love it all, feel free to say that too! You have two chances to win if you are already a follower. International visitors are welcome!

Have fun and thanks for stopping by!

Sizzling Grannies

I'm taking my granny squares in an entirely new direction. Rather than sewing strictly with scraps, I'm continuing with Malka Dubrawsky's A Stitch in Color fabric line. I've been mad for this fabric since I first saw it. It was time to stop admiring it and start sewing with it. I'm happy with my new hot grannies. Now, the question is, what do I do with my original grannies? I like Connie's table topper or wallhanging idea.

Sizzling Grannies

I'm hoping you'll stop by for the Blog Hop Party with giveaways starting this Friday the 16th.

Tea for Two Sisters

I visited my sister this past weekend. As always, we had a wonderful "sisterly" time with a visit to a very special tea shop in Pleasanton, Ca. This San Francisco Bay Area town has loads of charm. And my sister lives within walking distance of its Main Street. And it really is named Main Street. 

They've done an outstanding job of "re-purposing" their historic buildings rather than tear them down.

There are wonderful shops. I found this for Cindy but they didn't have it in orange.

There are lovely planter boxes lining the street.

And then ......Well....I'll let the rest of my photos speak for themselves.

Take care and Miss Luella and I will see you on Wednesday for quilty things.

March Giveaway Winner

The March Giveaway winner selected with the use of the Random Generator is Kim. Thanks to everyone for your wonderful comments about March. We've had a very mild winter in California but I am looking forward to flowers, greenery and maybe a little rain. See you next week and have an excellent weekend! 

 xoxoxo

"Go Fish" Mini-Quilt

Cindy gave me a scrap of fish fabric that I just adore. A scrap of yummy fabric is often worth more than 

yardage! I incorporated it with stash fabric into this mini-quilt.  The more I see mini - quilts, the more I appreciate them.  The more I make mini-quilts, the more I like making them.  My husband pointed out that where there is joy and gratification in making a large quilt, it takes longer to get there. And he has noticed that I beam with equivalent joy when I finish a mini. Smart man!

Go Fish

My other finish for this week is my New York Beauty. I would recommend this QAL to anyone who wants to enhance their quilting skills. This quilt along has been organized by Sew Sweetness.

I'm taking a weekend trip to visit my sister near San Francisco. She has a lovely Tea Shop just down the street where we often go. This time we have reservations for a special Spring Tea. One of the things I like most about this shop (aside from the delicious food) are the few bits and pieces of Cath Kidston they stock. I can close my eyes and imagine I'm in a quiet English Village. Sort of like the one I imagine Lucy lives in.

Linking up with Sew and Tell Friday

Miss Luella and I wish you the best of weekends. xoxo

New York Beauty QAL WiP

See my March Giveaway here 

I'm participating in the New York Beauty QAL hosted by Sara of Sew Sweetness. Various bloggers have prepared a tutorial for each of ten blocks in the series with one offered per week. Kim of  My Go-Go Life posted a super tutorial on March 5th. This was my first time sewing curves so I needed all the help I could get. Block #0 is just a warm up as the blocks get progressively more difficult. This will be a work in progress while I try and keep up with the weekly block. 

What a great way to kick my quilter's skills up a notch! I was hoping for more contrast between the pinks and purples but it didn't turn out that way. And that's the way it will stay!

I'm enjoying all the March comments on my giveaway post. The Australians are ready for Fall and the rest of us seem to be longing for Spring!

Miss Luella and me xoxoxo

Swooning + giveaway + Liebster

Please see March giveaway here!

I've been sewing a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I've made a few mistakes making this swoon but I'm not sure if I want to point them out. I think I'll leave it at that. The background is white...not grayish. A photography course would be in order but it would take too much time away from sewing!

I am the happy recipient of the Liebster Award given to small blogs worth recognition and with fewer then 200 followers.

I would like to give a sincere thanks to Heidi for thinking of me! There are a few rules that go along with this award and they are as follows.


Post the news about your award on your blog.
Pick five inspiring blogs with fewer than 200 followers to be the next recipients of the award. List their names on your blog and include links to their site. Leave a comment on their blog to let them know they have won.
Show your appreciation to the blogger who gave you the reward by linking back to them.


I have chosen the five following blogs for being an inspiration to me!
Grace and Favour Carla is one of the kindest bloggers you'll meet. She always leaves an encouraging comment on posts. And to top it off, her work is lovely. You should check out her delicious granny squares.

Ellen does the most intricate work using scrap fabrics. She's completed quilts that must have taken hours and hours to create. Stop by and say hi!

Krista does beautiful english paper piecing. Her fabric choices are always inspiring.
Dee has a blog that will lift your spirits. She keeps up with all the latest blocks: granny squares, swoon blocks, paper piecing! She is truly friendly and fun to be around.
Linda has fun with her quilt blocks. She photographs them "on location" around the world. She sent a few blocks with friends on a trip to Chile. See her blocks posing with a very scenic background!



Miss Luella & me xoxo

1st Monday in March Giveaway!

I've put a little something together for a giveaway! 

Parlor by Whistler Studios


It's the beautiful month of March! It's almost Spring!

Leave a comment about what you love about the month of March!

Become a follower to win!

A follower already? You have two chances to win! World Wide Welcome!

Ends March 9th midnight pst

Spring Baskets 1999

E.A.S.Y!

Sometimes it's nice to take a breather from work intensive blocks. I wanted to make an easy quilt with my Flora layer cake. Not sure what pattern to use, I googled "easy layer cake quilt." You need to know that I was a research librarian of sorts so I know all these neat tricks. (Please read humor into that). And I found this youtube video. Double Slice is a great pattern for new quilters and would even make a fast baby quilt if you used just half the layer cake. There are a few pesky fabrics in the Flora collection. Do you see the pops of  orange and green? I had a heck of a time spacing them. And I'm not sure I succeeded. I'm going to border the quilt with solid white and bind it with just the right shade of blue. I'm hoping the binding will pull out the other colors in the quilt. I'll show it to you when it's quilted.

I don't know if anyone heard me squeal with delight when I discovered that Madame Parfait included two of my Solstice Stars in her Star Block Inspiration.  They're the two blocks bottom and center.

And I would like to thank everyone who participated in my first giveaway. It was so much fun to read all the comments and to make new friends. Because that's what this is all about.

Deborah & Miss Luella xoxo

My other grannies and a winner!

I enjoy making both kinds of grannies but I really think it's crocheting that lowers my blood pressure. :o)

Brenda from Canada is the winner of the DS fabrics!