Deer Days

Finally finished the last in the series of deer panel quilts.  This makes number 4.  I called it "Deer Days".  I used lots of flannel to surround the cotton panels and used flannel for the backing.  This will be a nice quilt to snuggle with.  The machine quilting was fun too.  I actually did deer pantograms on the top and bottom borders.  Lots of swirls and loops in the body of the quilt.  It was a fun quilt to play with the machine quilting on.  Hope you all find joy in what you do.  Share your talents with those around you.  Always be thankful for what you have and for those who share your life.

Day After Thanksgiving Sale

This morning my daughter in law and I arose at 4 am to get ready to stand in line for the Joann's Fabric Day After Thanksgiving Day sale.  We have done this before and always end up with great flannel and fabric.  This morning her oldest son decided to get up with us and spent the morning standing in line waiting for the doors to open at 6 am; pushing carts; gathering his favorite prints for PJ's and quilts; and helping others around us move their carts and fabrics.  It was a great day!  We enjoyed each other's company, got tons of fab fabric and notions, and then had lunch from Carl's Jr.  I am thankful to have such wonderful people in my life.  I hope you all took time to think of those who enrich your lives in so many ways.  Happy Thanksgiving to all.  By the way, I am still machine quilting the final deer quilt.  Hope to have it done soon.  Christmas awaits.

Still Quilting

This month has been a busy one but I have still managed to put in some sewing.  I have another deer top ready to quilt.  However, I accepted a commission to quilt 2 full size quilts for a co-worker.  She made beautiful cross stitch blocks and her friend pieced the tops.  I have had to make the backing, machine quilt, and hand sew the binding on.  I have one finished and the second one is pinned and ready to machine quilt.  I hope you all enjoy this time of year and take a moment to give thanks for all that you have.

Four Bucks

I am still trying to use the last of my deer panel fabric.  I used some of my stash flannel with the deer squares from the panel.  I love the bright green Timeless Treasures flannel.  It really makes the quilt "pop".  The name of the quilt is "Four Bucks".  I have one more deer panel to use and am actually in the process of making a similar pattern to this one.  Machine quilted with free motion meadering stitch.  Hope you all enjoy the fall season as much as I do.  Enjoy the journey!

My new Brother PQ1500 machine!

 

 

I had a great time making these quilts using various fat quarters, yardage, and scraps.  The "Hope Blooms" quilt was made using my Accuquilt die cutting machine and my Brother PE150 embroidery machine.  I chose one of the Lace patterns to embroider the floral design on the white blocks.  I chose a bright orange and purple fabric for the borders.  Yes, I seem to love the bright fabrics.  The small pink quilt utilized fabric I bought from a yard sale and have used in other quilt projects.  Again, I used my Accuquilt die cutter to cut small and large squares.  The prairie points were a natural edging to use some of the extra small squares.  I chose these two quilts to practice my machine quilting with my new Brother PQ1500 sewing machine.  I used the walking foot and did random lines on the small pink quilt.  The free motion foot was a breeze to use on the Hope Blooms quilt.  I meadered with circles and flowers.  I was lucky enough to buy the machine from a small quilt store in St. George Utah - Quilt & Sew.  The owner was very kind over the past few months in trying to get a machine in for me.  She also sold it to me at the original quoted price (what a bargain!).  With the wild month we have had, quilting has made my days and evenings more creative and calming.  I hope all of you enjoy the journey each and every day.

Finding Service Projects

I have been contemplating how I can use my quilting skills to benefit others.  There are local shelters, hospitals, half way houses, humanitarian projects, and other needy organizations.  I am going to try to be more giving this year.  There are those who have had such a great impact on my life, some of whom are no longer with us, that I want to honor them and their memory.  I hope some of you will be able to find someone who needs the gift of your talents, whatever they may be (we all have some kind of talent).  Imagine what a wonderful influence we can have on those around us.  Keep enjoying the journey.

Scrappy Basket

Our County Fair was good.  I won a "Reserve" ribbon on my wall hanging and a couple of blue ribbons and one red ribbon on my other quilts.  One of the exciting things to see was the generosity of the quilters in our County sharing their creations in the "Help Make A Child Smile" contest.  That has inspired me to make more quilts to share.  I delved into my scrap basket today and came up with some squares that I had cut out with the die cutter and packaged for a rainy day.  Boy did it rain today.  That meant yard work was out of the question and quilting was in.  I hope you are enjoying your quilt journey and sharing your love along the way.

Happy Quilting

It's all in the giving,

"Lavender Path"

These are the final 3 quilts that I have made for the Make A Child Smile special contest at our county fair this next week.  All fabrics were prewashed.  The designs are my own.  Keep your patterns simple if you have a busy life and a deadline to meet.  They will give the same comfort as one that has taken a long time to make.  Get busy and be creative.  Enjoy the journey!

"Flower Power"

Comfort Quilt

"Help make a child smile" quilts

The Sevier County Fair will have a new entry this year.  Make a quilt (or two or three) and bring it in for judging.  The quilts will not be returned to the maker as they will be donated to the Sevier Valley Medical Center and the New Horizons Crisis Center.  I hope you all will decide to get involved in a charitable activity this year.  Have fun and help put a smile on someone's face.

We've Got a Good Thing Growing

Our Sevier County Fair is coming up in a month and I wanted to make a theme quilt.  I found a pattern in Quilter's World and added a border, the theme in the border, and cut out flower petals and leaves using my Accuquilt Studio die cutting system.  It went together easily and I had a great time designing my flowers.  I machine appliqued the flowers and the letters with monofiliment thread.  The wall hanging will eventually hang in my studio.  Hopefully, you will be inspired to design something you can enjoy.  Be inspired by everything around you.