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Sunday 25 May 2014

Deep in the Heart of...

Texas Quilt 1

Well, it was finally nice enough weather to get some pics of my finished Texas quilt! This quilt (if you didn't already know) was inspired by this quilt, made by Dana Michaelsen. Did you look at the link? It's amazing, right? Dana is an awesome quilter, and if you want to see more of her creations, you can always check out her on Instagram @danahannah310. 

For my Texas quilt, I quilted it loopy L's--I really love that design for FMQ because I have had the most luck with the finished look. I used a water soluble marker to draw straight lines from edge-to-edge, so I could keep all my L rows straight. I got everything done just in time to start working on my next one for the Roadtrip QAL that starts in just a week!

I've picked out my fabric--it's Lori Holt's Vintage Happy, and I think I'm going to have a solid navy background. I can't wait to start making all the blocks designed by all the bloggers! If you want to join along, we are going to be offering lots of fun prizes along the way from some really great sponsors. Just click the Texas button on my sidebar and it will take you to the Roadtrip schedule, list of sponsors, and all the information so far :)


Happy Bundle

For those of you who are planning on joining the QAL, have you picked out your fabrics yet? If you have, I would love to see what you've chosen. You can upload pics to our Flickr group page, so we can all admire them!


Texas Quilt 3


Anyway, hope everyone gets to relax tomorrow for Memorial Day/Bank Holiday:) I know I have a ton of stuff to do that probably won't get done, so hoping you have time to enjoy the day!


Wednesday 21 May 2014

For my Quilt-Stealing Husband


My husband is a quilt-stealer. It serves me right, because he doesn't have a proper quilt of his own. Not to say that I haven't made him one already--he just doesn't like that one. You see, he didn't always like quilts...

A new quilt for my husband. The top needs a good ironing, right? Made from Camille Roskelly's book Simply Retro with Michael Miller Cotton Couture solids.

A couple of years ago I did make him a quilt--it wasn't exactly pretty, but it's what he asked for.
He was very specific about what he wanted; he didn't want anything too "quilty" looking (no traditional blocks star blocks or anything like that), no floral fabrics (Joel Dewberry fabric was even unacceptable), and he didn't want it quilted too heavily because that would make it too stiff. And he also requested the backing be something other than quilting cotton (like flannel) to make it softer--because quilts aren't soft enough (according to him). He then decided he just wanted squares of different flannels and blue-jean fabric to be on the front of the quilt--not really my cup of tea.

I asked him, "Are you sure it's a "quilt" you want, and not just a regular blanket that you could buy at the store?"

"No, I want you to make me a quilt."

"But you want a quilt that doesn't look or feel like a quilt?"

"Yes."

"Hmm." I could see I wasn't going to get anywhere with him. So I rolled my eyes, and made his "blanket".

When I gave it to him he was happy for about 5 minutes--and then he covered up with it...

"It's not big enough. It doesn't cover my feet."

"Ahhh!" I thought to myself. And at the time, a 60" x 60" quilt was the largest size I was comfortable making.

"I want you to make me another one--only bigger." This is coming from the man who will moan and groan if I ask him to occasionally throw some clothes in the washing machine.

We have been discussing his new quilt for a LONG TIME, and that has given him enough time to change his mind about what he wants--and who says men can't change? You see, he is a quilt convert. He loves quilts now--he is always stealing mine, and it's all the things he didn't think he wanted--no flannel backing, and it's quilted heavily. But now he likes using it more than the other thicker, store-bought blankets. And he is seriously nagging me to death to finish his:) Whenever I am working on another project, he gives me a hard-time and says, "Why aren't you working on my quilt?!". And he has been dropping not-very-subtle hints for me to get it finished, "well, as soon as I have my own quilt...".

So this weekend I need to baste this top, and get it quilted. That way a) he'll be happy b) he'll stop nagging me, c) I can get my quilt back and d) the next time I ask him to unload the dishwasher and he complains I'll give him the "I-spent-hours-and-hours-making-a-quilt-just-because-I-love-you" look;)


The quilt top is from the Camille Roskelley's book "Simply Retro" and I used Michael Miller Cotton Couture shades of blue for the blocks. 



Sunday 18 May 2014

Giveaway Winner!!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the giveaway, and a big welcome to all my new followers!!! There were so many book recommendations and I really enjoyed reading all of the comments. I'm still working my way through the responses to add them to my Amazon wishlist!! But anyway, to get to the giveaway, the winner is Wild Irish who said: 

"OMG but this is my most favourite giveaway this year. Love the fabrics and colours. At the moment I'm reading Harry Potter with my 6 year old and totally loving it."

Congrats Wild Irish! Send me an email with your address and I'll get the fabric shipped to you asap:) 

For everyone else, thanks again for participating!!! I appreciate you stopping by : )

Tuesday 13 May 2014

DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS ROADTRIP QAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Hi y'all!!! I'm just so excited about what I'm about to tell you! Me and Melissa (from My Fabric Relish) have teamed up for a Deep in the Heart of Texas Roadtrip QAL and we are inviting you to join us!!! We are going to be traveling the big state of Texas blog-hop style and we have found a team of Texan quilters (and some quilters that just LOVE Texas) to take you on this adventure!


On the roadtrip, we will be showing you how to make a Texas Quilt, and at each city you stop in you'll learn how to make a block designed for that city, learn some fun stuff about the area, and you'll get a chance to win some awesome prizes!!! For the QAL, we will divide Texas into four different quadrants, and the pattern for the first quadrant will be available 1 June. And then on June 2 we will stop out our first city--Dallas. The Roadtrip will continue through August, and there will be link-ups along the way, and in August we'll have our final link-up and Quilt Parade and a chance to win even more prizes!!

Here's a schedule of the stops along the way--

June 2 - Dallas - Ashley at Urban Spools
June 5 - Tyler - Colleen (guest blogger) Pretty Little Quilts
June 12 - Fort Worth - Lindsey and Jodie at Fort Worth Fabric Studio
June 16 - Amarillo - Aoife at thREDhead
June 19 - Lubbock - Jada (guest blogger) at My Fabric Relish
June 23 - El Paso - Jennie at Porch Swing Quilts
June 26 - Midland/Odessa - Donna at Donna's Lavender Nest
June 30 - Big Bend - Cristina at Pretty Little Quilts
July 7 - Houston - Teresa at Third Floor Quilts
July 10 - Beaumont - Taryn at Pixels to Patchwork
July 14 - Austin - Amanda at What the Bobbin
July 17 - College Station - Hilary at Young Texan Mama
July 21 - San Antonio - Ellyn at Ellyn's Place
July 24 - Hill Country - Lissa at Moda Fabrics
July 28 - Rio Grande Valley - Melissa at My Fabric Relish

Doesn't this just sound like fun!

Fabric Requirements - This quilt is designed to be scrappy and designed using a 2.5 x 2.5 inch grid layout with the represented city blocks measuring either 8.5" x 8.5" or 6.5" x 6.5". So start gathering your scraps, leftover jelly rolls, charm packs, layer cakes, and candy packs. You will need an assortment of sizes ranging from 2.5"x2.5", 2.5"x4.5", 4.5"x 4.5", 6.5"x 6.5" and so forth. You can even throw in some orphan blocks you have laying around! The printable pattern we provide will give suggestions on cutting and laying out your fabric for piecing. You will also need background fabric for the area surrounding Texas and we recommend getting 3 yards. The finished size of the quilt will be 66" x 66", but can be made larger by adding a wider border.

Everyone participating is invited to post their progress on our Flickr page and I'm really looking forward to seeing all the different Texas quilts at the end!!

We have some fabulous giveaways lined up from some amazing sponsors-- and the best part is--almost all the sponsors are from the great state of, where else? Texas!!!!

Donna's Lavender Nest is an online shop out of the southeast coast of Texas. Donna offers the prettiest prints and so many of my favorites--lots of Lecien and 30's prints, and Pam Kitty! Everything is just adorable at her shop.

Fat Quarter Shop is located near Austin and they have a huge selection, over same-day shipping, and they have an awesome "coming soon" section so I always know how to plan out my future fabric budget.

Urban Spools is located in the heart of Dallas, and they offer sewing classes, longarm services, and they carry a great selection of fun, modern fabric!

Fort Worth Fabric Studio is in Fort Worth (of course) carries everything from batiks to 30's to the most modern fabric, has a great Sale selection and has a very user friendly website (which I love).

Lily Rose Quilts is an Texas etsy shop, and she carries lots of the bright fabrics that I love. And I have been known to go into her shop and swoop up yardage of backing fabric.

Moda is literally located down the road from Melissa in Dallas (can you belive it?) and if I were Melissa, I think I would "accidentally" get lost a lot around there.

Aurifil has the most awesome quilting thread and I buy this stuff by the cone! They aren't from Texas but they should be;) 




Here's a button (made by the talented Melissa) that you can add to your blog that will take you directly back to a page on her blog where you will always be able to easily find details and the schedule!!!

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If you have any questions about anything, please leave a comment and I'll respond as soon as possible! We hope you will join us on this awesome adventure! You don't have to be a Texan to join in the fun! This is a chance to travel the great state of Texas without ever leaving your sewing chair!!!




Giveaway Day!!!

Hey guys, it's time for a GIVEAWAY!!! Sew Mama Sew is hosting Giveaway Day and I thought this would be great time to offer up some cute fabric!!



If you have never seen my blog before then Welcome!!! I hope you can hang out with me for awhile!! Today I'll be offering 13 colorful fat quarters--a rainbow mix of Riley Blake Hollywood Damask and Robert Kaufman's Remix Ovals. To me, these just say sunshine and summer:) And that leads me into the giveaway question...


One of my favorite things to do in the summer is to relax and read some of my old, favorite books: The Little House Series, Anne of Green Gables, Jane Eyre, Harry Potter, and Gone With the Wind. 

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE BOOKS?

 Just leave me a comment and you're entered!! Please leave me an email address if you are a no-reply blogger so I can contact you if you win:)





I will ship internationally, so anyone can enter! The giveaway closes on 16 May and I will announce the winner on the 18th. You don't have to be follower to enter the giveaway, but if the mood strikes you and you decide to become one, you can just click on the easy button below:)

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Thanks so much for stopping by. Make sure to check out Sew Mama Sew for more awesome giveaways!