Stampin' Quilter

Orca Bay Mystery quilt...steps 1-7 complete

2012-01-25T12:34:00.002-04:00

Steps 1-7 are complete. Now the fun begins....

Part 5 of Orca Bay Mystery quilt

2012-01-17T13:21:00.002-04:00

Working on part 5 of Orca Bay Mystery quilt. Although I know what the finished quilt should like( since I'm a wee bit behind) , I'm still think it will be neat to see mine all come together. Slow but steady...

Summer(2011) Bow-Tie quilt

2012-01-06T00:05:00.003-04:00

Tonight I put the final stitches into the Summer(2011) "Bow Tie block challenge" quilt. Yea! The quilt is hand-stitched around the light parts of the blocks. This is an "entirely from my stash" made quilt. Well, the quilt top anyway. I did have to buy a white muslin for the backing. Tomorrow I will send this quilt off to my sister in Wyoming.

French Bread Christmas tablerunner

2011-12-07T16:43:00.004-04:00

This is an easy pattern to follow. I made the "braid" in abt 1 hr but then set it aside for a couple of weeks before putting the borders on. I'm glad to get it finished before Christmas. No hand quilting on this one. Just machine stitching.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2011-10-22T18:39:00.007-03:00

This year I've started early & have a couple quilts ready ( or almost ready) for Christmas . This one is adapted from Watching for Santa in the book Comfort & Joy by Mary Hickey. It went together fairly easy. I like the look of Attic Windows. Still need to sandwich & bind this one. I think I have time :)This quilt is also from the Comfort & Joy book. It's called Peppermint Patties. The picture shows it still needing a binding. But...it's totally finished now.

I Spy quilts completed

2011-10-05T17:56:00.003-03:00

Enjoyed using my kids novelty fabric to make these 2 quilts. I've made a few I Spy's for boys so I thought it was time for some girl I Spy quilts.In the pink I Spy, I've hand quilted around the images in each block. In the Attic Window quilt, I just hand quilted around the block.

my "Sweet Treat" handbag

2011-09-17T18:04:00.003-03:00

Barb, from Pineland Treasures, & I got together to do a little sewing. She & I both made a handbag. Barb's is displayed on her blog. She asked me to take a photo of mine & put it on my blog. I bought the "HoneyBun" roll of Moda of fabric & the pattern was free :) I would like to make mine a shoulder bag. Tried to make a fabric handle today but wasn't happy with it. I'll figure something out...

starting Christmas cards...

2011-09-14T19:21:00.002-03:00

Our Wednesday stamping group has started creating Christmas cards. I put on Christmas music & we had a great time. Since several of us get together & each one brings some of their own supplies, we have a great selection of stamps & tools to use. Shown here are 3 cards that I made today.

Polka Dots & Roses

2011-08-12T16:21:00.004-03:00

A finished quilt top of polka dots & roses fabrics. This will be a college graduation gift for my friend's daughter who will graduate in December & has always loved polka dots.

a quilt made by Hospice volunteers

2011-07-31T15:22:00.010-03:00

My mother-in-law has been living with us for the past 3 yrs. For the last 3 months she has been on Hospice. July 20th was her 84th BD. The nurse & the aide gave mom a lap quilt made by volunteers. I know some of you out there do this for hospice & other organizations. I just want you to know how much it means to the patient to whom it is given. The quilt put a smile on her face. It put tears in my eyes. So to those of you who who make these quilts..a big thank you!!

Wednesday's are stampin' days

2011-06-29T20:57:00.004-03:00

Wednesday's, a small group( 5-6 of us) of friends & family, get together to stamp. We've been doing this for abt 15yrs. My how time flies! We all usually do our own creations. Often we'll copy a good idea from each other. Sometime, I'll have a "make & take" ready for the girls.Today we all did our own cards. Here are a few of the cards I made today. The first one is from Hero Arts clear mounted stamps. I stamped the flower & leaves on printed paper. Then used watercolor pencils to highlight. Last, I used Citrus Crush flower soft in the center of the flower. I saw this idea in the Cricut magazine. The bird is from Create a Critter cartridge.I didn't have music paper & couldn't find any at JoAnn or AC Moore so I made my own. I found an old music lesson book . Tore a page out & then antiqued it with a tea bag.

This last card makes me smile! The penguins are from a stamp(Art Impressions) . The stamp has 5 penguins & a surf board. I colored & cut out these three & put them on printed paper. "Surf's Up" is from Art Impressions also . I put a glaze on the red inner tube,the goggles & the sunglasses for dimension.

A little rocking chair project.

2011-06-27T18:54:00.004-03:00

Well, I finally did it. I trash picked! My first ever :) Driving by,I saw this rocker( in white at the time) on a trash pile. I stopped, looked it over & decided it was worth putting in the back of my car. My husband did a little sanding just to get off the loose paint. Then he came out with this green spray can & went to work. I went to Joann's & bought some inexpensive craft foam( $3.50 with a 40% off coupon) & made the pad . Some might recognize the print. I still have a good amount left from the curtains & quilt I made for our grandson. The rocker is sitting on our back porch waiting for our little Jax .

Up for the challenge

2011-06-22T18:43:00.003-03:00

I saw Michelle's blog abt the new summertime quilt block challenge. I've never made the bow tie block before. Goes together very quickly. I'm going to make mine in scrappy blues since I recently came into a large amount of blue fabric & I promised my friend a quilt. Her favorite color is blue. Perfect!

Summertime fun placemats

2011-06-21T19:10:00.003-03:00

My one daughter & her husband are big Dave Matthew's band fans. I saw these fun fabric prints & had to make something for Susan & Jim. Also made a table topper from the same prints(no photo since I gave it to them already). Didn't have enough fabric to make all 4 mats the same. I think these will look fun on a summertime party table.

Quad & ATV themed Sidelights quilt

2011-06-07T21:34:00.003-03:00

This 'Sidelights' patterned quilt is for my 2 1/2 yr old grandson's new bedroom. I made curtains from the theme print & then decided he needed a quilt to match. I'll be backing it with fleece( his favorite fabric). I'll tie the quilt instead of hand quilting it.If you do take a closer look at the photo, know that I didn't try to match the checks around the blocks. I would have gone crazy trying to match them so I didn't even try :) My daughter didn't care & I know Jax won't care either.

Going to need more storage bins.....

2011-05-20T22:38:00.005-03:00

I just spent a good part of this evening with a new stash of fabric. My mom's friend was getting rid of her quilting supplies.When asked if she was selling or giving the supplies away, she said she'd take a donation. Hmmm?? I had $25 in my wallet. She was happy with that. All the fabric( lots of blues) & books shown are from her. Also included was a new roll of queen size batting , a couple packs of tracing paper, & a couple rolls fusible iron-on paper. When I got through looking at all of this, I thought to myself...I'm going to need more storage bins, especially for the blue fabrics. Guess I'll be making a few "blue" projects .

Rainy Day/Sewing Day

2011-05-17T19:17:00.003-03:00

It was a rainy Monday. After lunch, the aide came to care for my mother-in-law so I had 2 hrs to play . I went to my sewing room. To get my sewing juices flowing, I started by sewing a few scrappy string quilt blocks. They were added to my collection of scrappy string blocks that I will some day put together. I don't have any rhyme or reason when I put these together. The only rule is that i don't repeat a print in the block. Love the way they turn out !

Then I put the outer borders on this baby quilt. The pattern is called Sidelights. Very quick & easy quilt to put together. Like those type of quilts! Although, I do like a challenging one from time to time. As was the next quilt pictured..... LOL

I put the final border on my mystery quilt. Yeah!! This will now hang on my quilt rack waiting to be sandwiched & quilted.For the picture, I took the other ones off the rack. I think it's # 4 in line. It was a good sewing day :) Thankful for the rain & my sewing room & the free time I have once in awhile. Often my sewing room is where I have my quiet time.

a baby quilt...

2011-05-13T18:01:00.004-03:00

I saw this quilt done in my local quilt store. I changed the fabric on the back (sorry, no picture) otherwise it's the same . I was going to fussy cut the baby stroller but it just didn't work out .It's also the way the girl at the quilt store had done it. I hand quilted big hearts on the theme blocks & tiny hearts in each of the 9 patch squares. Medium hearts are quilted in the corner squares. I don't have anyone in mind for this quilt but I'll be ready with a girly baby quilt when needed.

Cupcake Oven Mitt

2011-04-13T16:08:00.003-03:00

Sometimes you buy a pattern & say "that looks easy" but it's not. This looked easy & it was. Yeah! Pineland Treasures Barb & I got together to make these cupcake oven mitts this afternoon. Mine is done with berry print. Barb's is done with Aunt Grace fabric.

Mystery Quilt no longer a mystery...

2011-03-19T23:09:00.004-03:00

I wasn't going to post a picture of this until the last borders were put on . But in honor of National Quilt Day...Here's my Roll Roll Cotton Boll mystery quilt top "almost" finished. I layed out a little of the outer border just to get a sense of what it will look like. Still a lot of sewing left to do but heading to bed with a sense of accomplishment.

a cross-stitch sampler

2011-03-14T11:38:00.003-03:00

I don't have any new quilt pictures to show at this time .Still working on the mystery quilt.Getting close to putting the top together though.

Here is one of my cross-stitch samplers done a few years ago( 1995) . It was done on linen & beaded. Took me 2 yrs to complete. I don't have the pattern any longer but I think it was a Theresa Wentzler(sp?) pattern.

A finished cross-stitch

2011-03-05T12:58:00.008-04:00

Several posts back, I showed you this cross-stitch 1/2 done. I can now say it's a completed project( except for the framing or whatever I'm going to do with it) . This will be my last cross-stitch done on linen. I just can't see as well as I did when I was in my 30's, 40's, & 50's :) I'll continue to cross-stitch but on 18ct where I can see definate holes. Not just threads.

By the way...There's a great giveaway on Keepsakes by Melissa blog.

Think Spring....

2011-01-29T17:36:00.002-04:00

Went to a quilt store yesterday just to browse as another snow squall went through our area. The Spring fabrics are out & these 2 pieces just called my name.( 2 - 1/4 yd pieces) I don't have anything in mind for them at this moment . They are just pretty& they remind me that Spring is just around the corner...sort of :)

It's a Beach

2011-01-21T18:10:00.003-04:00

On a cold, dreary, rainy Tuesday this week I burned a Peach Mango Salsa candle & made a beach table runner. I forgot to put "island" music on but that's ok. The tropical mood was there anyway as I tried to decide what fabric to use for my umbrellas. The stripes don't match perfectly but I'm ok with it.I did my best without obsessing over it. The pattern is "It's a Beach" designed by Karen Montgomery. I'm sending that pattern out to my friend, Beth. She can now make it for her new DIL . The DIL is from Virginia Beach & will now be living in Colorado. No beaches there.

Slow,Steady & Obsessed

2011-01-16T20:41:00.004-04:00

I finished part 4 of the mystery quilt . Now I'm onto the infamous part 5 with the 600 units. Shown here are 62 of the 600. Doing them in a black/neutral instead of red/neutral as shown in the instructions. My "pink" is red so I couldn't use a red here. I'm on my way & yes, I'm obsessed with getting these done. A couple of years ago I bought the Fons & Porter Half/Quarter ruler but never knew how to use it.Just looked like something I HAD to have :) With the good 'ole internet, I figured it out so I didn't have to buy the Easy Angle ruler or use math to figure out how to cut these units . Sure does make these 1/2 square triangle units go much quicker. I'm counting & recording the count as I go so I don't have to count 600 all at once. Haven't counted that high for awhile :)

Mystery quilt part # 3 completed!

2011-01-10T17:24:00.005-04:00

A good day of sewing with my cousin, Donna, yielded step 3 completed for me & 10 blocks completed for her. She was just starting part 3. Here's Donna sewing away.We laughed at her pile of strips. It started out organized but quickly turned into chaos. You can't see the strips that are all over the floor too :) We had fun.

My 60 string blocks. Donna's first block.

look what's on my design wall...mending :)

2011-01-01T18:41:00.004-04:00

Since I took down the Christmas tree last night, I thought I'd get to work on my mystery quilt today. After doing the usual cleaning chores & lunch with a friend, I finally got up to my sewing room. I saw the mending project .My son & son-in-laws think I can do miracles with their jeans. I must do a good enough job since they keep those jean repairs coming. This little hole was nothing compared to some of the jean repairs I get. Hole is fixed but the mystery quilt will have to wait a little longer. It's time to make dinner.

Christmas Feather Tree wall hanging

2010-12-30T10:57:00.003-04:00

I started this wall hanging before Christmas. Didn't get it done for this Christmas . I'm early for Christmas 2011. Still have half the tree to hand quilt & then put the sleeve on the back. I thought before the Christmas season was over, I should post it.

A little gift in my mailbox from my friend & neighbor, Pinelands Barb. It's been a trying few weeks dealing with medical issues for my mother-in-law who lives with us.Barb has been my "listening ear" . This little gift put a smile on my face. I have a good friend!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-17T10:47:00.004-04:00

Fisher Price Little People Nativity handed down to my grandson, Jax from my cousin.

Annual Christmas shopping day with my sister.

mystery quilt part 2

2010-12-08T11:04:00.002-04:00

Part 2 completed..120 brown & red blocks

Working on part 3 now. 2 of 60 string blocks completed. I'm glad there is not a time limit as to when these need to be done. Very curious as to how these steps are going to come together as a quilt. Certainly is a "mystery"

Mystery Quilt ..part 1 completed

2010-11-26T16:30:00.004-04:00

My goal today was to stay home & complete part 1 of the mystery quilt( Roll,Roll,Cotton Boll) .

I achieved my goal. Yeah! I'm doing mine in reds & greens instead of pinks & green.

p.s. last night(the 28th) I decided that i didn't like the "flag" fabric as part of my reds so i took them out & will replace them with a more overall red.This is suppose to be scrappy & I shouldn't think too much abt the fabric but.... :)

a quick Thanksgiving hostess gift

2010-11-24T21:35:00.002-04:00

I decided this afternoon that I should have a hostess gift to give my sister-in-law tomorrow. Got out my Fall fabrics & the pattern (Friendship Tote) . Since I just wrote down the instructions last year , I can't tell you where I got it but it was on someone's blog. It sewed up fairly easy. I will put some Fall flavored tea bags( Spiced Apple Cider, Pumpkin spice, Eggnoggin') in it.

I have a plaque that sits in my kitchen window that says " God,Grace & Gratitude" . That pretty much sums up how I feel. Happy Thankgiving !

a trip to the quilt store

2010-11-20T18:22:00.003-04:00

A beautiful day for an hour drive to a quilt store near the shore. Saw this fun surf/parrothead fat quarter stack. My oldest daughter is a Jimmy Buffet fan. This fabric is so "her". Now to decide what to make. Probably placemats.
So now for the real reason for my trip to the quilt store....My other daughter would like me to make a comforter for my grandson. I bought samples of 2 fat quarters to see if she likes them. I think they are neat. Thought I'd do car print on the top with wheels print as the border . Fleece for the back. Simple & cozy.

in a sewing room slump....

2010-11-11T18:47:00.003-04:00

I haven't been in my sewing room lately. Must be in a slump. That doesn't mean that I haven't kept my hands busy though. I picked up this cross-stitch that I started last winter. This will probably be the last piece I do on linen. My eyes get blurry after a while, even with reading glasses & good lighting. I will still do cross-stitch but on 18ct. Hopefully I can get this piece done this winter.

I had a $10 coupon for AC Moore & the Cricut cartridges were on sale so.... I bought the Country Life cartridge . Just playing around with it. I used stamps from Darcies to make the cupcakes & party hat. Not totally happy with the little patch of green for the grass but it works.

making memories with my quilt

2010-11-04T21:22:00.002-03:00

This post refers to my previous post's quilt ( the one where little guy is using the sashing as roads) .Today we played "under" that quilt. I have a ceiling light above the bed. So when we got under the quilt, we could see the shapes through the material. I'd point out the triangles,squares,stars & rectangles. Jax kept looking for circles. No circles in my quilts :) We spent abt a 1/2 hour looking for different shapes & colors & playing peek a boo. Making memories with my little guy!

another use for quilt sashings

2010-10-14T21:39:00.003-03:00

Here's a picture of my grandson using the sashing of my quilt as roads for his matchbox cars.

a few 'York Stamp Convention' purchases

2010-10-10T18:07:00.002-03:00

A friend & I went to the Heirloom Stamp Convention in York, Pa this weekend. These are a few of the fun purchases. I bought some words stamps & other supplies too. The stamp with the snowman's head falling off made me laugh. HAD to buy it :) Now to create some cards!

My birthday was in July & instead of buying me a gift,my friend gave me money to set aside for this trip. So much fun to have an envelope set aside for stamps. I added to the envelope a little bit here & there over the past few months.

9-patch scrappy top finished

2010-09-26T19:34:00.003-03:00

The top is finished. I made 92 6 1/2"blocks & used 90. Didn't have to use the 2 "humility" blocks but I'm sure there are other blocks in the quilt that will have that designation. The quilt is a double bed size. Now to sandwich & hand quilt it. That will be my "Winter" project.

New Cricut Imagine machine

2010-09-25T18:21:00.003-03:00

A friend that I stamp with on Friday's bought the new Cricut Imagine. It was delivered this past week so we got to play with it yesterday. What a machine. I think the only thing left to do ,when you make a card with this machine, is to put the stamp on an envelope. The first card shows a picture we chose from the options of one of the cartridges. It printed it, made layers & cut it out. We just did the embellishing of the card. Used the Cuttlebug dots to give texture to the base card. For the 2nd card we use the regular Cricut cartridge(Create a Critter) on the new machine. Can't use the new cartridges on the old machine though. We used the Xyron to make the horse sticky & then put Fun Flock on it. "Howdy" was cut out on the old Cricut. My friend & I think we will use both of the machines when we get together.

My"24" blocks are finished!

2010-09-13T20:53:00.003-03:00

These are the last 2 blocks. The Star of Bethlehem & Scrap Bag.

The book I bought back in 2007. It didn't take me 3 yrs to do these blocks. Just took 3 yrs to get around to thinking I could tackle the project. So glad i did.

Here are all 24 blocks. I just layed them out for the picture. I will probably arrange & re-arrange them a few times before I settle on a final layout.

Heavenly Problems, Crows Foot & 9-patch scrappy

2010-09-06T10:32:00.003-03:00

Last night I finished the "Crows Foot" block. I had "Heavenly Problems"(the block with the pink in it) finished & on my design board for a while. Only 2 more blocks to go in my quest to complete the "24 Blocks ".

Here's a pile of 92 - 6 1/2" 9 patch scrappy blocks. I completed the summer challenge. Yeah! I must admit, I put them in a bag & set them aside for the time being. Need to decide how to put them together.I know I want something inbetween the blocks. Will it be sashing or blocks....?

Oh no! ...I just saw that the block on top is wrong!! The middle square was yellow in each of these blocks..it's not on the top block in the picture. oops! I guess I have to re-do this one & check for other mistakes.

stamped cards

2010-09-03T19:39:00.002-03:00

My friend & I got together today to create some cards. A usual Friday event. Spent 5 hrs stamping, eating & laughing 'til we cried.

We made 6 cards . 2 of each of these 3 designs. We used the Cricut machine ,the Xyron for glue base & Fun Flock( for the monkey) . The fish is a brad. Isn't he cute?!

Yoga mat carrier & an "I Spy" quilt

2010-08-23T17:17:00.003-03:00

I've been busy in my sewing room this last week. My sewing machine was acting up. My husb said it's just getting tired out. It's 33yrs old. He oiled it & then banged on the motor. It now purrs like a kitten. He says to just keep sewing until I see smoke :) So I'm doing just that. No smoke yet!

I had a request from my daughter for a yoga mat carrier. The mat is actually inside the carrier. She let me borrow the mat so I could get dimensions.

The other picture is an I Spy/Ohio Star quilt. I have to sandwich & hand quilt it yet. It's bright & busy but will be fun for a little person.

Diggers & Dozers

2010-08-21T18:14:00.003-03:00

How cute is this fabric?! My grandson loves his P-Pop & P-Pop's backhoe. One of Jax's first words was "backhoe" ...really! I'll be making a quilt or at least a pillow case or two for my little guy.

Orange Peel block ...times 2

2010-08-14T14:06:00.004-03:00

I did this block twice because the first one, the lighter one, just didn't fit in with the other blocks I have done for this project. I hung it on the design wall for a few days ,just to be sure I REALLY wanted to do this over since it's definately a challenge. Showed it to Pinelands Barb who tried to talk me out of doing it again but my " instinct" was to re-do. I like both but the green one will fit nicely with the others.

a quick baby quilt

2010-08-12T13:07:00.003-03:00

I needed a baby gift for this Saturday. I know that the "Easy Attic Windows is easy so that's what I did. I auditioned darker fabrics for the windows but it just made it too harsh . I wanted a softer look. You can't really see the windows that's ok. I handquilted hearts in each of the pick Winnie the Pooh blocks.

Birthday Pickles

2010-08-02T16:43:00.004-03:00

Pinelands Barb made me pickles for my birthday. I was thrilled( so was my husb who loves Barb's pickles) . That's how special our friendship is...

Carpenter's Wheel

2010-07-11T17:55:00.002-03:00

I'm posting a few pictures of the stages in putting this block together. That way when you see the imperfections in the finished block, you will understand why. The paper piecing goes well. Then I have to get all the diagonals seams to line up. Not an easy thing for me. It's not perfect but it's done :)

"Tail of Benjamin's Kite" block

2010-06-27T16:09:00.002-03:00

This is my latest block of the "24 Blocks..."

I'm a little behind on my 9-patch scrappy. I could give you the excuses why I'm behind but they are lame :)

I've been sewing....

2010-06-16T12:22:00.002-03:00

I've been trying hard discipline myself to get up to my sewing room every night( even if for a 1/2 hr) to do my 9-Patch scrappy block. While I'm up there, after the block is completed, I work on my "24 paper-pieced blocks" . Pictured here are the Swing in the Center,Windmill Star & Cross within a Cross, plus a few of the 9-patch scrappies.

"Happy" cards

2010-06-09T11:52:00.003-03:00

Posting a few of my "happy" stamped cards. Have a great day!

9-patch scrappy project

2010-06-06T21:56:00.004-03:00

Wanted to try the 9-patch scrappy project. It was so hard to be spontaneously "scrappy" so I went with a theme, yellow & blue with a yellow block in the middle of each 9-patch. This afternoon I played catch up & I'm now one day ahead of schedule :)

Wedding Signature quilt finished

2010-05-31T19:27:00.003-03:00

Sept 2009 our youngest daughter was married on the beach. It was a beautiful day. She wanted a signature quilt . 6 1/2" muslin squares were made available at the reception. Not everyone signed a square but had enough to make this quilt.It didn't take me 9 months to make the quilt. I wasn't sure how I wanted to put it together. Finally got moving on it a couple of months ago. I tied this quilt instead of a lot of hand quilting. My mission this weekend was to finish it. My mission is complete. YEA!

Four-Point & Star Flower blocks

2010-05-08T01:48:00.004-03:00

12 of the 24 are done!
Pictured here are the Star Flower & Four-Point blocks.

a closer look at "the Country Husband" block

2010-04-28T12:58:00.003-03:00

Here's a peak at a portion of the back of this block & a closer picture of a portion on the front.

My friend, Pinelands Barb, suggested I add this post showing more detail on the previous post"the Country Husband". The 10" block has 16 smaller blocks in it . Each smaller block has 8 pieces in it. A total of 128 pieces.

"The Country Husband" block a.k.a. The Drunkard's Path

2010-04-27T20:58:00.002-03:00

This block is FINALLY done! It's actually the first block in the "The 24 Blocks ..." book . Why did they put this one first??? I did try it as my first block but decided to put it off . For me, it's # 10 . Granted, I didn't work on it constantly but nevertheless, it took awhile. 16 little blocks with teeny tiny curved pieces :) There is one more in this book that is similar to this one. Not looking forward to it but I WILL do it.

cards made with "From My Kitchen" cartridge

2010-04-19T16:01:00.003-03:00

Stampin' ......

Here's a few cards made with "From My Kitchen" Cricut cartridge. The "timer" card says "It's TIME to wish you Happy Birthday" inside.

3 more of my "24"

2010-03-27T10:45:00.005-03:00

After this post of my "24 Blocks" I'll probably not give a "block by block" update but needed to show you that I did finish the Snow Crystal block. I hesitated to post it since posting always shows the not so perfect seams. I tried my best! After finishing that block, I went to a very easy block & then a fairly easy one . Now as you can see , I'm on a hard one again ( the 1 of 16 little blocks shown) . It's called the Country Husband and there are 8 of this little block & 8 of another to sew, then put them all together. I CAN do this !! I'm determined to eventually do all 24 blocks but might have to take a break from them and do some regular quilt sewing.

more blocks from "24 blocks"

2010-03-16T14:02:00.002-03:00

I have done 3 more blocks from "24 blocks that you never thought you could paper piece" book.
The 4th block I already posted earlier. I thought I'd do a few easier ones. They are still tedious to do since all the seams have to match up. Don't look too closely! I tried to match them all. Really, I did.

This is the next block I'm going to tackle. It's all been traced. So many seams! Wish me luck :)

Easy Attic Windows..quilt top done

2010-03-07T14:42:00.002-04:00

This was a fun quilt to do. Just have to sandwich it, bind it & quilt it.

Easy Attic Windows

2010-03-06T13:12:00.002-04:00

This pattern called "Easy Attic Windows", really is easy! I'm going to make an "I Spy" kids quilt. My friend, Alice, & I have exchanged a few kids prints so I'll have plenty of fabrics to choose from. It's such a pretty day today that I had to break away from sewing. Going outside shortly to enjoy the warm,sunny day!

Stamped cards

2010-02-23T20:32:00.003-04:00

I haven't been doing any sewing this week. Thought I'd showcase a few of my card creations.

One of my first quilts

2010-02-14T19:40:00.004-04:00

This is one of my first quilts. I was glad I had put the date on the back. It was completed in 1999. My friend, Bev, & I made the same pattern quilt . Bev's was in pastels & a different printed border, so it had a totally different look. Wish I had a picture of hers to show you. My printed fabric is a Tea Time theme so it is displayed in my kitchen on a deacons bench.

"Friends" Barb, Barb & Frosty

2010-02-11T14:14:00.006-04:00

Last night,during the blizzard, I met Pinelands Barb outside. We were enjoying the beauty of the snow.Looked like a scene out of Dr Zhivago. We decided to have a little fun & make a snowman. We even did a little snow angeling :) So much fun. Today we "dressed " our snowman. How special it is to have a neighbor also be your friend!

from the book...24 Blocks you Never Dreamed You Could Paper Piece

2010-02-10T12:46:00.005-04:00

I finally started a new project. Bought this book in Oct 2007.It's about time I used it don't you think ? It's ONLY 24 blocks! I wanted to start with the # 1 block but since I haven't paper pieces since my Civil War quilt, I thought I'd start with an easy block( # 5)The Fly Foot. The # 1 block(The Country Husband) is full of curved pieces! I'll do that one a little later. The palm leaves block( # 8) was a challenge, but it's done. Not perfect but done ! Only 22 blocks to go...

p.s. finished the "Desert Rose" (#2) block today. It took me several hours to do this one.It also has a couple of flaws( didn't come together the best in a few places & I made the decision not to try to fix it.) Of course, if I look at it long enough on my design board & it bothers me, it will be fixed.

5 yrs ago...photo challenge

2010-01-28T10:23:00.004-04:00

I took "A little bit of Pat's" photo challenge. Went back 5 yrs to my 5th folder. There was only one picture in it.So here it is. How appropiate that it's a sewing picture. It brings back some wonderful memories of times when my friend Beth & I sewed together.This was before I made one of my empty bedrooms a sewing room. Beth has since moved a few states away but we still keep in touch. Miss you Beth!

Easy Placemats/weekend project

2010-01-24T19:13:00.003-04:00

I "googled" placemat patterns and found this one. A split rail pattern. It sewed up very quickly. I got all four done this weekend. Now I'm hand-quilting them. I have 1 1/2 finished. The fabric was bought as a 4- pack of fat quarters. The placemats are for an April birthday present. Yeah! Done early! I also saw some dishes in a little store near the shore. They go nicely with the theme of eating crabs. Personally, I'm not crazy about crabs unless they are in crab cakes or soup.

The Christmas Stocking Sample finally done

2010-01-17T22:19:00.002-04:00

Well, I told myself I couldn't start anything new until this Christmas stocking was finished. Tonight this was accomplished. I'll wrap it up & pack it away 'til next Christmas. I'm too late for this Christmas but I'd like to think I'm early for next year :)

I noticed ,when looking at the picture, that I need to round out the "toe"area a little .I'll pull at the seam a little more & steam it . The cross-stitch was done years ago so I'll put this year's date as the completion date on the inside lining. The back of the stocking is made from a burgandy velvet .

August '07 in January 2010

2010-01-08T22:35:00.002-04:00

I was looking through old photos tonight & came across these pics taken at an outside quilt show, in August 2007, near where I live. I loved the way the quilts were displayed.

a January cross-stitch

2010-01-02T21:53:00.003-04:00

Took down Christmas decorations. Now I put up my snowmen collection. Here's a cross-stitch I did last year.

It's very, very cold & windy outside. The woodstove is doing it's best to keep the house warm but with wood heat, some parts of the house are a bit chilly...like the kitchen , where my computer is. I think I could keep a real snowman in here at the moment.( a little bit of exaggeration of course) Winter is a good time for me to do a lot of baking to keep the kitchen toasty. Heading back to the livingroom where it's warmer......

After Christmas...before New Years...misc posting

2009-12-30T15:39:00.005-04:00

I've only bought one piece of"on sale after-Christmas" fabric from JoAnn's . Thought the Cars theme will make a cute pillow case for next year's Christmas for my grandson.

The other picture is of my memory quilt I made a few yers ago. It's all left over pieces that I saved after I'd make something for the kids.It doesn't represent all the clothing I made for them of course . It's mostly girls clothing but I did make a few things for my son & put them into the quilt. My 2 girls also have their own memory quilts that I made especially for them.

Merry Christmas to my blogging friends....

2009-12-24T21:46:00.003-04:00

Just came back from our Christmas Eve service. Now it's time for finishing up some food preps for tomorrow. Then off to bed so Santa can come. I'm sure he still comes to my house even if there are no kids sleeping in the beds upstairs anymore. I leave a special "Santa key" outside since I do lock the doors at night :)

Wishing my blogging friends a very Merry Christmas!

pretty , blizzardy night in NJ

2009-12-19T22:54:00.002-04:00

" Oh.. the weather outside is frightful but inside it's so delightful..." It truely is a pretty snow. There will be a lot of shoveling tomorrow. oh my aching back....! I'm thankful for the warmth of our home. Even when the electricity went out this morning, we heat with wood, so we were ok. I was going to sew though ...wrapped presents instead.

The "Stampin'" part of me

2009-12-02T11:55:00.004-04:00

Since my blog name is "Stampin' quilter", I thought I'd show the "stampin'" part of me :) I've been rubber stamping for many years. Every Wed I get together with a group of ladies to create cards & just have a fun time. Then often on Fridays I get together with another friend to do cards too. Since September we've been working on our Christmas cards. Here's a sample of a few of mine. I make several designs instead of all the same for Christmas. Started addressing the card last night !

a Christmas project

2009-11-25T10:02:00.002-04:00

A completed Christmas project. yea! I saw this done up in the new quilt store in Hammonton,NJ( Atlantic County Quilts) . I bought the book ( Comfort and Joy by Mary Hickey) It was fairly easy. I was going to hand applique the ribbon. Even had it cut out & one piece pinned on. Then I realized I really didn't want to hand applique so I got out the fusible stuff :) It worked nicely.

fabric basket

2009-11-19T16:07:00.002-04:00

Pinelands Barb saw this tutorial by Pink Penguins on Michelle's quilts & stuff blog. We decided to try it. It's cute & it's easy. It's the perfect size for a box of tea. By the way...if you haven't tried this Winter Spice tea and you like Chamomile tea, you have to try this. It's my new favorite!

Block Magic blocks ( 2nd set)

2009-10-26T21:56:00.000-03:00

I borrowed the Block Magic book from the library. Liked the blocks in Block Magic Too book better but did find a few to make. Now I have to make the entire 25 blocks into a quilt. I'll probably put that in a UFO pile so I can get some Christmas done.

There's a story behind the 3 "star" blocks ... I made all the blocks & realized I needed one more to make the rows even. Wanted to do a simple block so I picked the Variable Star. Well... I didn't look closely at the pattern . It's the only one in the book that has 4" -12 " block cutting instructions.All the rest start at 6" blocks . I cut the whole thing out & put it together & realized it was too small. Made the 6"block & didn't like the way the batik showed the mostly green on part of the background. Made another one( the blue star background) . So my idea to make a simple block turned into quite a challenge. Wasn't hard, just annoying.

Rainy day doll

2009-10-17T12:47:00.000-03:00

This is my rainy day doll # 2. I posted a doll yesterday. I wasn't happy with her face so I deleted that post. This morning I saw that her "lipstick" had run so I really did need to make a new doll. At least the dress didn't have to be re-made. Much happier with the way this doll turned out. Today is still rainy day but that's ok. I'm accomplishing things .

Pinelands Barb & I made dolls from this pattern years ago for our girls. There's a lot of work in the dress especially. Can't believe we made several of them. I think I'll put the pattern away . If I have a granddaughter some day, I'll pull the pattern back out. Until then...

quilt for my sister

2009-09-28T16:27:00.001-03:00

This quilt was my summer project .Finshed the last stitch this afternoon~ It's a " just because I love her" quilt for my sister .

Magic Blocks Two blocks

2009-09-07T14:30:00.000-03:00

The book goes back to the library tomorrow. I've sewn up as many blocks as I wanted in this book. it was lots of fun. I'm going to borrow, from the library, the first Magic Blocks book later & see if I want to make any more blocks. Then I'll put them all in a quilt. The Moose is a 12" square and will be made into a pillow for a friend at Christmas. She & her family go to Maine each year and stay at Moose Head Lake. I think this will be a fun gift for her.

"Block Magic Two" blocks

2009-08-31T22:15:00.000-03:00

I'm having fun doing these blocks. I'm going to see how many I can complete before I have to return the book to the library , Sept 8th. The blocks I'm doing are only 6 1/2" blocks so they don't use a lot of material. I'm using from my scrap box when I can :)

Making beaded bookmarks

2009-08-23T17:10:00.001-03:00

Pinelands Barb & me making beaded bookmarks on a Saturday afternoon.

"Bear in the woods" applique wallhanging

2009-08-11T13:58:00.000-03:00

My appliqued wall hanging is done. Will I do another scenic applique? ...probably not. I'm glad to have not given up on this and seen it to completion. It will be a Christmas gift for my sister. She & her husband have a hunting cabin in the woods in upstate NY. Her husband & son are up there now . They had a visitor one morning. A bear was at their window, looking in . So this will be a very appropiate gift for them :)

Civil War Love Letter quilt

2009-07-12T18:08:00.000-03:00

It's finished ! Back when I started blogging, I posted a pic of this on my bed . I was in the process of the hand quilting. Didn't have the binding on either. It's now totally completed.I started this on Aug 8 of 2007. Each block( 121 of then to be exact) is individually hand quilted. My husb asked if don't want to just display it so it doesn't get dirty .I don't have a wall large enough to display( same problem with the All Roads quilt) & I told him that this is a quilt to be used. Its an" it's ok to sit on my quilt" quilt. Too much work has gone into this to just have it folded up somewhere. I do have to admit, it was hard to sit on it at first :)

In honor of July 4th

2009-07-03T12:45:00.000-03:00

this pattern is from one of the Pint-Size quilts by Thimbleberries. This is not finished yet but wanted to post it to celebrate July 4th. I put it aside to do another project with Pinelands Barb, an applique scenic design. It was her turn to pick a project. We'll be posting our scenes when they are done , someday :)

bug jar quilt for my grandson

2009-06-07T20:45:00.001-03:00

I saw a bug jar quilt in a Country Women magazine. It looked like it would be fun to make. It's a small quilt & he's a big baby.It was fun trying to find "bugs" for the jars. I did use sea horses in one of the jars and fish in another. I know they aren't bugs but ...needed to fill jars. Since my little guy is the first to use it, I made it with no pink bug fabric.His dad is a real stickler for no pink for his son! But hopefully as more grandchildren come along (girls or boys) , they will all use the bug jar quilt at grandmom's.

quilt show at Kirby's Mill

2009-05-30T22:01:00.001-03:00

my quilt is in the background.
it was nice to have the quilts displayed among the antiques at the mill.

my quilt, Pineland Barb looking at her quilt & my friend, Beth(who did the embroidery for my general store sign) enjoying both the quilts

All Roads Lead to the Sea...off to quilt show

2009-05-28T12:25:00.000-03:00

our quilts dropped off at the quilt show & waiting to be hung

It's done( well almost done) . I still have some hand quilting to do but it's done enough to be off to the local quilt show with Pineland Barb's quilt. The fence isn't really wavy. I just don't have a wall tall enough to display the quilt so it drags on the floor a little bit.

All Roads Lead to the Sea..almost done

2009-05-14T15:35:00.001-03:00

Well, yesterday my friend Pinelands Barb challenged me. She finished her All Roads quilt, except for the fence. So I had to get sewing. This morning, I went to my sewing room and when Barb called later...I had finished (minus the fence too...that has abt 96 pieces in it alone! ) but... was ripping out one little section . We both have gotten good at ripping out :) It's all put back together . Hurrah! Barb & I have had a great time cutting,sewing,agonizing over fabric, & most of all enjoying each others friendship. As Barb said in her post, the pattern is the same but we used our own stashes so the quilts do have a different look. So neat to see! When our fences are put on the quilt, we will post a side by side picture .

p.s...I'm not to fond of the one tree next to the schoolhouse. It blends into the grass. In person it's not so obvious so I'm not going to really worry abt it. But...it does bother me in the picture.

my first tote !

2009-04-27T21:46:00.000-03:00

For all you Tote makers out there...I finally got the courage to make one. I bought this pattern a year ago. Bought the fabric at the same time. It was at a quilt festival in Burlington NJ. The vendor assured me that the pattern was easy. I'd read the instructions and for some reason, couldn't bring myself to start it. My friend Beth had bought a similar pattern, but made from a charm pack, the same day. Her larger tote was made many months ago. Well, I really like the way this turned out. I think I'll even make a couple more :) Guess I'm over my phoebia.

p.s. the first picture is the inside of the tote. Got a call from Pinelands Barb this morning. She said I had to show the inside too :)

my attempt at scrappy string quilt blocks

2009-04-17T10:05:00.001-03:00

Last night I had about an hour before one of my favorite shows,Survivor, came on. I decided to go up in my sewing room and attempt to make a scrappy string quilt block. I made 4! It was fun. I have a little box of scraps ( not like Pat's overflowing basket :) ) . Just a little box . I made some strips and went to work. I think I'm hooked ~

All Roads Lead to the Sea / section 11& 12

2009-04-13T21:09:00.000-03:00

Hard to believe that Pinelands Barb & I only have one more section(# 10) to go, plus the fence section, # 13. We did do section 11 & 12 out of order so now it's back to the schoolhouse. I have the fabric picked for the schoolhouse, I think...it's so hard to chose when you want to stay with the stash & not go out to buy new fabric for a specific part on this quilt. I have to admit, a few times I did do that. But only a few times. I bought the fabric for the cow in the barn & the General store windows.

2009-04-01T10:11:00.000-03:00

I'm busy sewing an Easter play costume for a friend right now so I don't have any progress to report on the All Roads quilt. Pineland Barb & I have been cutting & working on section 12 . This will take awhile. It's a big section.

Although I never get tired of looking at the pic of little Jax, thought I'd post one of my old quilts for "show & tell" .

This quilt I did years ago. I enjoy rubber stamping besides quilting & cross stitiching so I used my letter stamps to write the words in the stars.

All Roads Lead to the Sea / section 11

2009-03-20T22:10:00.000-03:00

Well, section 11 is done. For those following the progress on this quilt, Pinelands Barb & I decided to skip section 10 for now. We wanted to see the General Store all put together. We are going to do sec 12( the barn) next & then go back to 10( the schoolhouse) . We loved doing the church but the General store was lots of fun to see come together. Wait to you see Barb's. So different from mine & so cute! She's almost ready to post it , right Barb? :)

2009-03-16T13:10:00.000-03:00

I haven't completed anything new but wanted to change my picture so...here's an interesting piece that my daughter brought back from Panama. She & her husband had gone on a cruise. One of the stops was Panama where they took a tour. In a little village, there was a little 'ole woman making these quilted pieces. Susan bought one for me :) It's so intricate and all done by hand! Haven't decided what to do with it except to display it on my wall.

Spectrum quilt

2009-03-08T22:28:00.001-03:00

A friend of mine, who is a HS science teacher, asked me to make a quilt using the colors of the spectrum. She will be teaching the spectrum to her class soon and wanted to hang a quilt outside her classroom door. With a little help from my other quilter friends, this is the pattern I chose. It stretched me a bit since I like country& Civil War Era fabrics. I used the Shamrock fabric for the binding( not done when this picture taken) .

All Roads Lead to the Sea / section 9

2009-03-06T16:48:00.000-04:00

I couldn't wait to post these pictures! This quilt, although a challenge , is coming together really nice.

General Store sign & my sewing room

2009-03-04T12:22:00.000-04:00

Here's my General Store with the embroidered sign. My friend, Beth,did a great job on it. Thanks Beth!I was going to do some other embellishments to the sign too but decided to leave it just the way it is.

The other picture here is my sewing room.The wall color is from my daughter's taste in colors when it was her bedroom.I made her tropical print curtains to match. I didn't keep them up but kept the color on the walls. Guess I could change it but...I don't like to paint . Maybe someday I'll change it but for now, it works :)

All Roads Lead to the Sea / section 8

2009-02-23T19:47:00.000-04:00

Glad to finally change my picture ! Section 8 is done. I have a friend,Beth, machine embroidering "Myers General Store" for me to put in the sign area. Pinelands Barb & I cut a little bit today on the next section. We're excited to do the church with it's windows. We're already talking abt what we are going to do next since we only have 4 sections to go . It will be another scenic quilt for sure. Any suggestions?

p.s. I'm going to re-do the horizontal stitching on the second window . Sometimes you don't notice mistakes until it's post on the web for ALL to see :)

All Roads Lead to the Sea / section 7

2009-02-05T16:25:00.000-04:00

section 7 is completed! I agonized over fabric combinations on the section. But I'm happy with the results. I had trouble with the light colored eves. The final eve is actually appliqued on. I just couldn't bring myself to tear out all that I would have had to do to change the color. The first eve fabric was a different shade of beige( more yellow in it) . Then I appliqued the eve with the same fabric as the roof. Liked that better but STILL wasn't sold....so I took off that fabric & I auditioned a couple more fabrics and ended up with what you see.