Courthouse Steps

After the tragic events in Boston, the Boston Modern Quilt Guild has stepped up to help by making quilts to donate to those directly affected by the bombings. And they need our help. They are asking for anyone that can, to make  12 1/2" blocks using the colors from the Boston Marathon. Blues, yellows, grays and white. You can find all the information and see the colors here.

I decided to make 12 1/2" Courthouse Steps to represent the JUSTICE that we as a country seek after those horrific bombings!  I used a navy with white stars for the center to remind everyone that we are America Strong!

I am not normally a modern block quilter but I like the way these turned out. Hopefully they will be modern enough to blend with all the other blocks that I am seeing on flickr. Be sure to post your photos to the flickr group.

One thing I figured out, is that I do not have much yellow in my stash and even less gray!  And all of these fabrics except the blue star in the center block came from  Pink Castle Fabrics StashStack Club .Now I am off to mail these (and I am sending the scraps with them to help fill in spots as needed) to:

  Quilts for Boston 

 P.O. Box 79225

     Belmont Ma 02479

They would like to receive all blocks and donations of fabric for binding, sashing and backing by May 24th. Help spread the word. They have a button for your blog. Tweet it! Share on instagram and Facebook.

It never ceases to amaze me how generous and kind hearted quilters are. I LOVE being part of this wonderful quilty crafty community, here online and locally! Have a wonderfully fun sewing kind of day!

And thank you for stopping by! I love to read your comments and cherish each and every word!

Linking up to Plum and June Let's Get Acquainted being hosted this week by Kirsten at Gemini Stitches

"Tweet,Tweet - It's For the Birds" Blog Hop

When Mdm Samm at Sew We Quilt announced a new Blog Hop for May involving birds, I knew I wanted to join in.  " It's for the Birds" Blog Hop begins May 7th and runs through May 15th.

Another sneak peek at project number 1.

 Mary of I Piece 2 - Mary " is our cheerleader for this hop. There are some great participants lined up!  You can find the full list of participants here: http://ipiece2-mary.blogspot.com/2013/04/its-for-birds.html.  And  Contemporary Cloth is going to be our sponsor!

Project #2  sneak peek!



My day will be Tuesday May 7th, the first day! And I may even have a couple of really snazzy giveaways! So please bookmark these dates, May 7th -May 15th, and check back with us for all the fun. There will definitely be alot of Tweeting going on!
And just because I LOVE SPRING I wanted to share a few of my favorite flowers from around the yard. Those of you that are STILL getting snow I hope spring comes really soon for you!

Thank you so much for stopping by. I love to read your comments and cherish each and every word! PS. Don't forget May 7-15th!!
Linking to Really Random Thursday at Live a Colorful Life

Mosaic Contest part two

My 2nd Mosaic from Lark Cottons. See all the details for the mosaic contest at Rachels' Stitch in Color. You should definitely try it. I am amazed that there  are not two of the same mosaics so far! Best part is you win a full fat Quarter Bundle of your Mosaic if chosen and Lark Cottons will offer your Mosaic Bundle for purchase!

Have fun! And thank you for stopping by!! I love to read your comments and cherish each and every word! Jan

Mosaic Contest!

Rachel at Stitched In Color is hosting a fabric mosaic contest aptly named "Sweet Contrary". The contest is being sponsored by Lark Cottons. This is really fun. You simply go to Lark Cottons and put together a sweet bundle of 12 fabrics, upload them to Mosaic Maker to create your mosaic, then add your link on Rachels blog here. You get to create and enter two mosaics. Here is my first one:

So much fun! But the best part is TWO winners will be chosen and they will receive their mosaic as a 12 fat quarter bundle PLUS the bundle will be offered at Lark Cottons. Sweeeeet!! You have until midnight April 29th to upload your mosaics. Winners will be announced May 3rd!

 Now I gotta go make my second mosaic. So go check it out and have fun!! I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with.

As always , thank you for stopping by. I love to read your comments and cherish each and every word!

Learning new things...and Happy Earth Day!

This past weekend between calves, kittens and chickens keeping me busy, I actually had a little time to work on some English Paper Piecing for a secret project coming up in May. Now I am trying to teach myself how to EPP. I have watched a few you tube videos on the internet, but I have not ever had anyone show me how to EPP. So, here is the back of one of the pieces I have done. Looks a little sloppy.

I used white thread so I could see how what I was doing. Or should I use dark blue?  Is this correct or will the whole thing fall apart when I take the paper out? I do not sew to the paper. Here is the front:



See the little dip or pucker in the top right? Should I take this out? Or press the heck out of it?

Happy Earth Day!

 
In the bright sunshine I can see my stitches. Do your stitches show like this? I really would appreciate any help or suggestions on this. Boy, this is like having someone go through your undergarment drawer!

Linking up to Plum and June Let's get Acquainted being hosted this week by the amazing Kristy at Quiet Play.

Thank you so much for stopping by and visiting me .  I love your comments and cherish each and every one.! Jan

On a personal note.......

Today my sweet daughter presented  for her Masters of Science degree! And guess what! SHE MADE IT!!! Yes I am shouting from the roof tops!

She  has always had an interest in Physics / AstroPhysics and ALL that it entails. (The top left photo is of her receiving her scholarship in undergraduate school.) She earned her undergraduate degree from Agnes Scott College. And now her Masters of Science from the University of Georgia!

I will be in BIG trouble when she sees these photos/post. Maybe she will be too busy today to notice!

I am so very proud of her !

Thank you for sharing this moment with our family! Jan

Kerria japonica 'Pleniflora"

I just had to spend a little time outdoors today. It is good for the soul to enjoy this wonderful Earth in which we reside.

   This is our  'Kerria japonica Pleniflora' . Commonly known as Japanese Rose.  Kerria japonica is normally grown in USDA zones 4-9. It is indegenous to China and Japan. Brought to the Western world by Mr. William Kerr. Kerria deriving from Kerr and japonica from it's native Japan. Pleniflora or double flowering. It is so vibrant.
    Mr. Kerr also introduced us to "Pieris" or Andromeda Shrub and "Nandina Domestica" or Heavenly Bamboo. Thank you Mr. Kerr!
(and yes, I do garden, but no, I did not know all of this. I looked it up!)
  I hope you have time to get outside, even for a little while and enjoy what Spring has to offer.
Linking up to Really Random Thursday at Live a Colorful Life!
http://aroundtheblockdesigns.blogspot.com/

W.I.P. Wednesday

Some things just go together.And this is secret project number two!

Linking up to W.I.P. Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced.

http://www.freshlypieced.com/

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by. I love to read your comments and cherish each and every one!  Jan

Happy Mail , Sew Cute and Fabric Tuesday!

Ok, so I needed some Flea Market Fancy Posie in turquoise for the secret project that I am working on. Sad enough that I no longer had any in my stash, but I was so worried I would not be able to get enough to finish my project and receive it on a timely basis. But lo and behold I found the cutest little shop on Etsy. Jen, the owner of Loom and Shuttle Fabrics is sew sweet and she rushed my fabric to me! Well of course I bought a couple of other DS prints. Like the Aunt Edna Bias plaid on the bottom, the Flea Market Fancy Posie in gray and the very vintage looking Picnic Floral on top! Jen bundled it all together, tied it up with a cute string and I just love the floral print card and the little deer tag is adorable. Plus she sent two 3 1/2" charms. I ordered this on Friday and had it in my hands on Monday! Thank you Jen for your excellant service!
If you need any Denyse Schmidt Fabrics then look no further than Loom and Shuttle! You can find Jen here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/LoomAndShuttleFabric
She also has some Anna Marie Horner and Michael Miller fabrics.

  And now that I have fabric in hand, I can get back to work on that secret project.

 Linking up to Sew Cute Tuesday at Better off Thread  http://betteroffthread.com/
and Fabric Tuesday at Quilt Story
http://quiltstory.blogspot.com/

Thank you for stopping by. I love to read your comments and cherish each and every one!
Jan

Civil War Homework!

No detention for me this month! I completed my Back to School with Pam Kitty Love Civil War homework on time and with an extra block!

"Rosebud" 12" Block

"Apple Tree" 12" block

This was a fun block to make. Complete with Apple blossoms, pink and orange apples and even little love birds hanging out in the branches!

"Fox and Geese" 12" Block

Gray and yellow are starting to be a favorite combination!

"Tea Leaf" 12" Block

"Ohio Star" 12" Block

I really like that there are several black prints in the Pam Kitty Love line of fabrics.

"Port and Starboard" 12" Block

Tentative layout to date. (I will probaly change my mind at least a dozen times)  I am making 12" finished blocks instead of the 8"blocks. I cannot decide on the sashing, cornerstones and borders, but I know one of those will be a black print! I would love to hear some suggestions, especially for the main wide border!

I think I want to do a 5 block by 6 block layout, but that will leave me with 5 extra blocks. Which I will probaly use in pillow shams and an accent pillow.:)

If you would like to join in the fun, you can find all the information here:

http://fatquartershop.blogspot.com/2012/12/back-to-school-with-pam-kitty.html

 and the flickr group here:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/backtoschoolpamkitty/

The Fat Quarter Shop also has Barbara Brackman's Civil War Sampler book available.

 I am also linking up to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times!
http://www.patchworktimes.com/2013/04/15/design-wall-monday-14/
Thank you for taking the time to stop by! I love to read your comments and cherish each and every one!
Jan

W.I.P. Wednesday and Really Random Thursday!

So I thought I would share a Secret project I am working on:

Hint 1: It has to have a bird in it!

Hint 2: It's will be coming up in May!

Hint 3: You do not have to have birdseed!

I will be telling more about it in a few days so be sure to stop back by!
Linking up to :W.I.P. Wednesday at Freshly Pieced!
http://www.freshlypieced.com/
And Really Random Thursday at Live a Colorful Life!
http://aroundtheblockdesigns.blogspot.com/

Thank you for stopping by, I love to read your comments and cherish each and every one!!  Jan

Spicey Crewel Wool

 I have a little project I am working on using Appleton Wool....

Gorgeous, scrumptious Appleton Wool.

I love using this wool for crewel work. I ordered mine from Katherine at Wool and Hoop. You can find her here: http://www.woolandhoop.com/index.html

I have really run out of room to store my wool, floss and hoops, so I wanted to find a way to organize the wool I am using and store the remainder. This is what I came up with:

I know ,a REALLY ugly old spice rack! Until I painted it a pretty glossy white!

I then added a few hooks on the front of each side and painted wooden dowels with wooden spool ends going across the front of each shelf to hang the skeins of wool on.

I filled up the shelves with patterns, pearl cotton, needles, floss, pencils etc..

And spaced the dowels so that the wool would hang just above the dowel below:

I added a hook on the bottom with a ribbon to hold some hoops, then added another row of wool:

And finished filling it up !

I hung the whole contraption above my work desk. I love how the bright colors of the wool just liven up this corner.And I like the width of each row of wool because of course the skein I need will always be in the middle of the row. lol!

Now I just need to thrift another $1.99 spice rack to go beside this one!

I really enjoy repurposing items into something pretty and useful.

And if you haven't tried Appleton Wool I highly recommend it!

I am linking up to Let's Get Acquainted Monday, being hosted this week by

Nat at Made in Home.

http://www.made-inhome.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/do-you-want-tour-lets-get-acquainted.html

Thank you for stopping by, I love to read your comments and cherish each and every one!

Happy Monday, Welcome Spring!

Good Monday Morning!
Normally I am not a Monday morning happy kinda person, but the sun is actually shining and there is a gorgeous blue sky! I cannot even be sad about the fact that I did not get any sewing done this weekend. I did however finish knitting my Valentine (ahem) ripple scarf!

This was my first time using this pattern and I really liked it. I think now it will be a heavy Spring scarf! I should be able to find the pattern if anyone is interested. I also had time to cut and prepare for shipping my Denyse Schmidt Charm Squares.

This charm swap is going to be sew much fun! I love DS fabrics and I signed up for 2 spots or 4 yards! We are trying not to have any duplicates but there may be a few. What will I do with 224 5" DS charm squares?  I should have 4 each of 56 different 5" fabrics. I would love to hear your suggestions!

 The info for the charm swap is at Crafty Tammies. http://www.craftytammie.com/2013/03/denyse-schmidt-charm-swap.html

Poor kitten! Sew tuckered out from all the selvages and yarn!

I am linking up to Plum and Junes Let's Get Acquainted being hosted this week at from Pixels to Patchwork

http://www.pixelstopatchwork.com/2013/03/lets-get-acquainted-monday-link-up-party.html

I would love to see what you have been working on!

Thanks for stopping by!!