Sunshine Girl

2011-12-02T09:49:00.001-05:00

Happy Holidays!
Kellen is now 8 1/2 months and crawling. Yes, I spend every minute chasing him around.
Here is our Christmas card this year!

Hope every one has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Love,
K

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

8 Weeks

2011-05-11T15:59:00.002-04:00

I can't believe my little man is 8 wks old. Time is going by so fast. Had a great 1st Mothers day and Kellen gave me the best gift - he smiled and giggled at one of the dogs! He has the sweetest smile. I was lucky enough to catch this one on video -

Also here are some new photos!

I am trying to get my sewing room back up so I can start working on some new projects but the movers lost my presser foot and power cord to my machine. Now I am waiting to order new ones!! Hope to be sewing soon. I miss it so much!

Kellen

2011-04-02T12:06:00.000-04:00

For those of you who do not know, we recently moved back to FL!! We arrived here from TX only 2 wks before the little one was born (we cut it close!!). We found a house and will be closing on it in the next couple of weeks. We were very lucky that the hubby's new company put us up in a 2 bedroom apt.
I know this blog has now become a photo album for Kellen but I promise I will start posting more crafty stuff when we get into our house and I have my sewing machine back!!

More baby Kellen photos!

2011-03-28T13:46:00.000-04:00

17 hours of labor + 1 C-Section = Baby Kellen Woolf!

2011-03-18T21:51:00.000-04:00

Kellen Grey Woolf was born on 3.13.11 at 9:30pm after 17 hrs of labor then a c-section. He was 7.13 lbs and 20" long, happy & healthy!!
We are so overjoyed for this blessing in our lives.
So please welcome to the world, Mr. Kellen Grey Woolf!

31 Weeks

2011-01-28T17:51:00.001-05:00

Yes, it has been awhile since I last posted and you can probably figure out why! I am doing really well and can't believe I am 31 weeks along. He will be here before we know it. The time has gone by so quickly and I am trying to enjoy every minute!
We have been working on his room and it is coming together nicely. I still need to finish his crib quilt and I have the girls from our Twice Around the Block quilting bee working on the blocks for the quilt that will go on the bed.

This is his crib quilt. The blocks are the crazy nine patch from Oh Fransson. I did have the quilt sashed in grey, but the more I looked at it the more I didn't like it, so I have taken it apart. It will now be sashed in a Moda Cross Weave Storm which is a dark blue.
Here are a couple of the cute blocks from my bee girls for the full size quilt

This one was done by Jeni. Go check out Jeni's blog In Color Order. She is a very talented girl!

This one was done by Faith. Check out Faith's blog - Fresh Lemons. She is another very talented quilter!
The directs were to create a block between 12.5" and 15" using only squares and rectangles. I love seeing what everybody comes up with. Now I need to decide what color to sash these blocks with!

Happy Sewing!
K

Boy, Oh Boy, I am blogging again!

2010-11-08T17:15:00.000-05:00

I know it has been awhile but a lot has been going on!
The biggest thing is - I AM PREGNANT and IT'S A BOY!!!

I am around 19 weeks pregnant and doing great. We decided to wait and tell everybody after we found out the gender (immediate family knew mths ago). Since I am of "mature maternal age", in my late 30's, I have been considered a high risk pregnancy and we wanted to wait until all my screening work was done to make the official announcement. Everything has been great so far and the little one is looking healthy. I am due sometime around late March/early April and we couldn't be more excited.

We already have a name - Kellen Grey Woolf. The name Kellen came from a dear family friend who had a son named Kellen that past away when he was young. We are very happy that she has given us the permission to use this beautiful name. I can't wait until we get to meet him.

Of course now that I know what I am having the quilt ideas have been swirling around. I know I am going to do something with blues and greens. And probably have some sort of a underwater theme.

But first I have to get through Christmas!

Even though I have been pregnant I have still been sewing - just not much. I did have the lovely morning, noon and night sickness and lot's of fatigue.
I did get one baby quilt made. I did a gender neutral (since I didn't know he would be a boy) quilt using the Castle Peeps line. Its quilted and the binding is ready to sew on!

The pattern is from this wonderful tutorial by Jeni at In Color Order. I am so excited that Jeni is going to be apart of my online quilting bee next year. Check out her blog. She makes some beautiful things.

And on my design wall now is the start of a Christmas present for a member of my family!

Everybody keeps asking me to post photos of myself and my baby bump. Maybe I will do that soon!
Its good to be back blogging!

Happy Sewing
Kim

Fabric, Fabric & More Fabric!

2010-07-30T18:07:00.000-04:00

I have spent most of this week playing around with my new sewing machine. And I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!! I can't wait to start quilting my mermaid quilt next week.

I did finish the binding on my apple runner for our kitchen counter.

I love how it brightens up the kitchen.

It has been a happy mail week! I used some of the money I got from my birthday to by more fabric.

Lizzy House Castle Peeps - LOVE, Amy Butler and AMH Little Folks Voile

More AMH Little Folks Voile - Can't wait to start on this quilt!

Tufted Tweets by Laurie Wisbrun. I have a special plan for this fabric!

Happy Sewing!

My New Toy

2010-07-26T18:05:00.000-04:00

I did it! I traded in my Janome 6600 (which I loved dearly) for the new Janome Horizon 7700 and I am in love again! This new machine has all the wonderful qualities that my 6600 had and more. The best feature is the added throat space. It has 11" from needle to base and 4.7 " in height. They added a free arm and a automated plate converter (no more fabric getting stuck in the hole while doing points!). Also, this machine comes with 3 different free motion quilting feet.
So far I have only done some piecing work with the 1/4" foot and it is working great. I am hoping to start quilting my mermaid quilt this week. It is going to be a dream on this machine!

Oh the beautiful things we will make together!!

Happy Sewing

Birthdays, Mermaids & Apples

2010-07-22T18:32:00.000-04:00

My Birthday was last weekend. Another year older and a year closer to one of the "big one" birthdays (I am not going to tell you which one). I had a great weekend just hanging out with my husband and family. For my birthday, my husband got me a cake. Just to let you know something about me - I LOVE BIRTHDAY CAKE!! I could eat it every day if I allowed myself too. This year my hubby made it extra special by adding crayon candles!

And yes, the cake tasted as good as it looked!!!

I have been busy working on the Mermaid quilt and finally got the top done this week (this is why there has been no blogging!) I am so excited about this quilt. As you know, I love this fabric and I am so excited about how colorful it has turned out.

Really happy about the pieced border I decided to add. It give the quilt a little more color, and you know I like a lot of color in my quilts!

I decided to take a quick break on the Mermaid quilt and start a runner for my kitchen counter/bar. It will help brighten up the kitchen and has inspired me to make some new place mats too. Hopefully I can find some more of the apple fabrics.

Last week I went and looked at the new Janome Horizon sewing machine. Of course, I fell in love with it but can't decide if I want to trade in my Janome 6600 for it. I love my 6600 and feel like I will be abandoning it if I trade it in! It is nuts how we become so attached to our machine!! I am going tomorrow to look at the Horizon again. You never know - I just might have a new machine next week!

Happy Sewing
K

Mermaids

2010-07-12T18:26:00.000-04:00

I started working on my Mermaid quilt which involves my most favorite fabric in the world!!!
Thanks to all the lovely girls in my Sew New to Me Quilting Bee for making these beautiful blocks. This quilt is going to be wonderful. Now I need to decide if I want to add a pieced border around the top using the various fabric from this line????? Decision, decisions..... Oh, and what to do for the back?????

I also decided to treat myself to an early birthday present. I just could not resist these lovely pieces from the Heather Ross Far, Far, Away 2 collection. I love the way the linen/cotton feels. I might just have to order some more!

Happy Sewing!
K

Ready for Football Season!

2010-07-09T14:14:00.000-04:00

The orange and white quilt is finished and ready for Tennessee Football season!
And since I took the process pledge, here is how it all happened....

I have been wanting to make an Orange & White quilt since I started quilting. Both me and my husband are from East Tennessee so we were raised on Tennessee Football. My husband also graduated from UT so he is more of a football fanatic than I am!

I started collecting different Orange & White fabrics and they sat around for a while. I was waiting for just the right pattern to come along. Then I ran across a great tutorial from Oh, Fransson! called a Crazy Nine Patch Lattice Quilt and I knew it would be perfect. I wanted the quilt to be bigger so I added more rows! I started making my blocks which were really easy.

Once the blocks were made I had to decided on which solid color to use. You are probably wondering why I didn't use White?? I have 2 Black & White dogs and a Dark Gray cat who love my quilts so White is not an option for me to use (unless I want to wash them all the time!). I decided on going with a Khaki color to help tone down all the Orange. I went with Kona in Stone. I love this color - it goes great with everything.

Then I started piecing the top.

Of course that is when we moved so everything had to be boxed up! After the move I finished the top which was also very easy to put together and started designing the back.

I wanted the back to be very simple so I used the Kona Stone and did a Orange & White "Wonky Stacked Coin" on the back.

I also like very simple quilting so I decided to do random diagonal across the quilt. For the binding I just pieced together the left overs of the Orange & White fabric. I finished hand stitching the binding while I was home in TN. Very fitting! This has now become my favorite quilt.

Now on to my next project!
K

20 years

2010-06-28T17:58:00.000-04:00

This weekend I attended my 20th class reunion in Clinton, Tennessee. I was a graduate of the Clinton High School class of 1990. It was great to see friends that I haven't seen since our 10 year reunion. The most fun was spending the weekend with my best friend since Kindergarten, Greta. We did a lot of girly stuff the day of the reunion - shopping and having our makeup done! I think we look great for being out of High School for 20 years!

Bee Blocks & New Friends

2010-06-15T21:32:00.000-04:00

I got a few things accomplished last week! I finished all of my Bee Blocks for the 3x6 Quilting Bee and the June block for Katie from my Sew New to Me Quilting Bee. I am very happy with the way they all turned out.

Black, Red & White Block for Nanotchka

Gray, Green & Off White Block for Alexiaabegg

Blue, Breen & Yellow Block for Tigglegiggles

Orange, White & Aqua Block for Epban

Brown, Green & Pink Block for Lizzi Whizz

Orange, Gray & White Block for Mollie

Red, White & Aqua Block for Chaletgirl13

SNTMVQB June Block for Katie
I love that we got to use the "Liberty Of London" car fabric. This will be an adorable quilt for her nephew!

The Orange, White & Khaki quilt has been quilted and the binding was attached today. I will be taking this quilt with me to TN next week. Can't wait to post photos!

Last night I attended my first meeting of the Dallas Modern Quilt Guild. It was so nice to finally meet some of the ladies that I have become friends with online. I carpooled with Melanie - Texas Freckles. I also got to meet Lisa - Vintage Modern Quilts and Michelle - Tapestry Tree. It was nice to see all the beautiful projects that the members are working on. I will really enjoy being a part of this wonderful group of ladies!
K

Sewing again!!!

2010-06-09T18:57:00.000-04:00

Everything is unpacked, set up and I am sewing again! It feels soooo good!
Lot's of projects have piled up since the move. I have started working on my
- Orange, White & Khaki quilt
- 3x6 Quilting Bee blocks
- Katie's June SNTMVQB Block
- 3 different skirts ( it is hot here in Texas and I need some skirts to wear!)

I finished my Paint Box quilt before we moved and finally took photos of it last week.

I love how it turned out. I did really simple straight line quilting on it. Just enough to highlight each of the blocks.

I love my square Color Wheel back!

This is my favorite block. I love how the Owl is looking out the window. I liked the gray print fabric so much that I used it for the binding. I like how it picks up all the colors in the quilt. The "little bug" that made it into the shot likes it too.

I only have 3 blocks left to receive from my SNTMVQB group. As soon as I get all of them I will take photos. The ones I have received so far are Beautiful!!!

Happy Wednesday!
K

Finally in Texas

2010-05-28T14:17:00.000-04:00

We are finally in Texas! It was a long trip down but we made it. It was nice to stop in TN to visit the parents and take a break for a few days. All of our stuff made it down without any problems. Now we just get to unpack. I was really hoping that the unpacking elves would show up one night and just unpack everything and put it in its place! Oh well, that must only happen in movies and books. I will post photos soon of the new place. Now I need to get back to unpacking my sewing room! I am going through withdrawal!!!

Oh! I can't wait to show you the lovely blocks that I am receiving from my SNTM VQB girls. My quilt is going to be beautiful!!

Packing

2010-05-17T15:48:00.000-04:00

They are packing my house as I write this post.
I am very excited about our move but I hate seeing all of my beautiful fabric packed up in a box.

But, it will be like Christmas when I get to TX and open it up.
I look forward to setting up my new sewing room!

Tennessee & Kaffe Fassett

2010-05-12T16:31:00.000-04:00

Sorry I haven't been blogging much lately but a lot has been going on. I am preparing for our big move next week. YHEA!!!

I also went home to Tennessee to visit my parents. While I was home our LQS was having a Kaffe Fassett event. He was in town with Liz Prior Lucy to sign and talk about their new book "Simple Shapes Spectacular Quilts". I was lucky enough (because of a cancellation) to attend the lecture and book signing. His "Glorious Patchwork" book was one of the first quilting books I read and he is one of my quilting inspirations. He talked a lot about his use of color and pattens and how you shouldn't pay attention to the "color wheel" instead just listen to your emotions when it comes to laying out your colors. I really learned a lot! I wish I would have been able to attend his design class the next day but of course it was filled up!! Maybe next time.

The Floral Snowballs will be my first project from this book. It will be a gift for a very special person.

Since I have been packing, I have not done a lot of sewing on big projects but I did manage to do a few small things.

I made these lovely pleated zipper pouches for some of my friends. I also made them for Mother's Day gifts (forgot to take a photo). The pattern/tutorial is from Skip To My Lue. It is really easy to follow and quick to make!

This is the first pillow I have made using Hexagons. I love how it turned out and it is going to a great home!

I also made this fabric flower for myself to wear on my new green cardigan! You can find the tutorial on Cluck. Cluck. Sew. What a great way to use your binding strips!

Happy Sewing Everybody!

Good News and Quilting Bee Blocks

2010-04-19T18:22:00.000-04:00

We Have Sold Our House!!! Finally!!!! Fort Worth, TX here we come!
Our move date is May 16th and now we have to find a place in Fort Worth. That is my husbands assignment for this weekend.
Of course we are moving during my Sew New To Me Quilting Bee month, but no worry I am currently cutting up fabric and getting it ready to mail. Here is a little sneak peek!

Yes! I am cutting in to my favorite HR fabric !

And here is a peek of an example block.

I also realized that I have never posted the other wonderful blocks I have made for the lovely women in our group. Here is a little mosaic -

1. SNTM VQB Sneak Peek May, 2. SNTM VQB April Block for Jessica, 3. SNTM VQB March Block for Corey, 4. Sew New to Me VQB - for Faith, 5. Sew New To Me VQB January Block for Cristin, 6. Sew New To Me VQB January Block for Cristin, 7. Sew New To Me Virtual Quilting Bee November Block, 8. Sew New To Me Virtual Quilting Bee November Block, 9. Sew new to me quilting bee - Blocks for Heather 1, 10. Sew new to me quilting bee - Blocks for Heather 2

Drop by our Sew New to Me VQB flicker group anytime to see some more beautiful blocks and quilts!

I also finished the Paintbox quilt top & back. It has been quilted and the binding has been sewed on since the photos were taken.

I decided to do a big square color wheel on the back.

I am now hand stitching the binding. I am hoping to get this finished before the big move!!
K

Progress

2010-04-01T11:23:00.000-04:00

So, not much as been going on lately. My wonderful husband is coming home today to spend Easter weekend with me. YHEA! So not much sewing will be going on!

I also did a little re-design with my blog. I have been playing around with the new blogger template designer. I still don't understand how to do a lot of stuff. Any recommendations on blogger books or websites?

I have started the sashing on the Paintbox quilt. I am loving it!!! Now I need to start thinking about what to do on the back.

This is a WIP (work - in - progress) for a special project. I like were it is going! Loving the Heather Ross Mendocino line. I will also be using this line for my Sew New To Me quilting bee blocks! Can't wait till my month of May!

On my design board now is a few block I made from the Hope Valley line. These block were made using a Jelly Roll and a pattern by Anne Dease called Twice as Nice. As soon as I finish the Paint Box quilt I will start working on this again.

Have a Happy Easter everyone!
K

Orange & White Craziness

2010-03-26T17:06:00.000-04:00

I finally started on my Orange & White quilt this week. I have been collecting O&W fabric for a while but wasn't sure just how I wanted to work it into a quilt. Then I saw this wonderful tutorial on Oh, Fransson's blog for a Crazy 9 Patch Lattice Quilt and I knew it was perfect! Since I wanted a quilt bigger than the one in the tutorial I just added a couple of more rows to it. I have 45 of the 72 blocks made.

I will also use a Kona tan as my solid blocks.

I just don't like using a lot of white in my quilts. Does anybody else feel that way?

Hopefully I will get the rest of the O&W blocks done this weekend.
Then next week I will start sashing the Paintbox Owl quilt.
I love it when I have projects to work on!

Everybody have a great weekend!
K

Picture Wednesday - Paintbox Squares Finished!!

2010-03-24T15:52:00.001-04:00

I know, I know, I have been slacking off on my blogging, but making Hexagons has taken over my life! I have also been organizing and spring cleaning in my sewing room.
I did finally finish my Paintbox quilt-a-long squares. All 80 of them. I love, love, love how they turned out! I also love the layout I decided on. I will be using a Kona Charcoal to sash them with. I am hoping to get the quilt top finished sometime next week.

Next I will have to figure out what to do with the back. Any suggestions?

Picture Wednesday - Addicted to Hexagons!

2010-03-17T17:45:00.001-04:00

Yes, I am now addicted to making Hexagons! Thanks Texas Freckles and everyone else in the quilting/blogging world that kept talking about how easy it was. I blame all of you for this new addiction!

They are so much fun to make! It is the perfect project to work on while you watch TV. I have made about 40 of these little beauties so far and have a lot more cut out.

It's amazing how much cuter the fabric looks when it is in a hexagon shape!

I want to make a lap quilt and with good timing, Melanie at Texas Freckles is starting a hexagon charm piece-a-long.

This will be a long project! I think I am going to go about it in "blocks". Make a 7hex x 7 hex block and then put them together. Hopefully this will make the project seem less "big".

I almost have my first row stitched together!
I will keep posting my progress on this quilt.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Now go out and drink some green beer!
K

Friday!

2010-03-12T14:29:00.000-05:00

I finished my first "getting paid for" quilt. The Stacked Coin quilt came out beautiful but I was not happy with the photos I took of it today (very cloudy here) so I will not be posting photos yet. I will see if I can get some better photos before I ship it out next week.

I have been seeing a lot of my fellow quilters working on hexagons. I wasn't sure I wanted to try it until I read Melanie at Texas Freckles Blog. She had done some research and had links to other blogs on ways to make them. Apparently they are very addictive! So I have decided to give it a try. I picked up some 1.5" pre-cut hexagons at the quilt show last weekend. This will be my weekend project while I catch up on some TV shows.
If I become addicted - I am blaming Melanie! LOL!

I also worked on a few more Paintbox Quilt Along blocks. Only 28 more to go. Now I will have to decided on a sashing color? Charcoal Grey??

Don't forget that Target launches their Liberty of London line this Sunday!!! You know what I will be doing on Sunday!!
Have a great weekend!!
K

Picture Wednesday - Quilt For Sale!!

2010-03-10T15:10:00.000-05:00

This beautiful little gem is now for sale in my Etsy shop!

This cute and girly quilt is made up of bright designer cotton fabrics in a modern pattern. The back is a simple square block in Turquoise Kona Solid Cotton and a beautiful Kaffee Fassett Aqua floral print. Machine pieced and quilted using 100% cotton batting. The Turquoise binding is hand stitched using a blind hem stitch for an invisible finish. The quilt is pre-washed giving it a beautiful and soft crinkled look.
Quilt measures approx 40x40.

I love the wavy line quilting!

If you are interested just click on the Etsy link to your right and it will take you to my shop.
I love this quilt and it will be hard to part with but, it would make a little girl really happy!

Monday

2010-03-08T15:51:00.000-05:00

Here it is, Monday again. Not much going on just working on the same projects and since I cleaned the house this weekend I have lot's of time to sew.
This week I am working on -

1. Hand stitching the binding on the Stacked Coin quilt. Got lots done this weekend while watching TV. Have about 1/2 of the quilt left to do!

2. Starting to work on my March block for Corey who is a part of our "Sew New To Me VQB" group. I am looking forward to working on her block. It is to be made up of 1/2 square triangles. Figuring this out will be fun!

3. Sewing up some more of these cute Paintbox Quilt Along squares!

I have a exciting photo to post on Picture Wednesday!

Everybody have a fun week of sewing!
K

NJ Quilt Fest

2010-03-06T10:00:00.000-05:00

So I have a very good reason for not posting yesterday. I spent all day at the NJ Quilt Fest in Somerset, NJ with my artist friend Cindi. We had a great day looking at all the quilts on display and shopping in the booths. I forgot my camera but really didn't need it. We were both very disappointed in the quilts that were on display. There were only a couple of really good ones that evoked a feeling. Most were just flat and looked the same. The booths were ok. I get really frustrated that you can't find the popular "modern" fabrics at these quilt shows. I did stumble on a couple of cute Japanese prints but that was about it. Even the booths that carried some Amy Butler & Kaffee Fassett had mostly the older patterns (that I have already). And not one booth carried any good solids! It seems like the only place you can find cool fabrics in online. Maybe I should start my own online fabric store????
Here are some photos of the cute fabrics I did find yesterday -

I am in love with this cute fabric created by Kokka called Trefle. I think I will fussy cut the pieces and frame them for my sewing room.

Love, love, love the jumping frogs also by Kokka.

I have been looking for this fabric for awhile. It's Alexander Henry "Senor Burrito". He is so cute!

So this weekend I will be hand stitching the blind hem on the stacked coin quilt. I have lots of TV taped so I can catch up on my shows!
We also have 2 house showing scheduled for tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed!!
Have a great weekend!
K

Picture Wednesday 3.03.10

2010-03-03T17:56:00.000-05:00

I know, I know, I didn't post on Monday but had a very good reason. I had to clean the house and get ready for the Brokers Open we had on Tuesday. A lot of agents turned out so hopefully they will find some buyers! Keep your fingers cross.

On to picture Wednesday. My best friend since kindergarden had her second baby on Monday. She had another adorable little boy - Wesley Neil. So of course I had to make her a baby quilt. I also went ahead and made a matching quilt for her 5 year old Clay. Brothers must have matching quilts! I used my Munki Munki Alien fabric. I thought the boys would love it.

I applique the boy's names on the back. Love how they turned out!

I mailed the quilts out today. Can't wait for her to get them!
K

What I did this week....

2010-02-26T17:25:00.004-05:00

It has been a good week and this is my 3rd post! So far, so good in keeping with my new blogging resolution.

So this week I finished up the Stacked Coin quilt top. I am very happy with the size and the way it looks. I used Amy Butlers "Daisy Chain" line for the coin strips.

It's amazing how a stack of strips can come out to look like this -

All I am waiting on now is a little more of the Aqua solid which I ordered from Kerri at Sew Deerly Loved to finish the back. Then this beauty will be ready for quilting. That will be on my project list for next week!

I also did a few more of my Paintbox Quilt-Along blocks. I just love them!! 36 blocks completed, 46 more to go.

I also have a little "Hope Valley" up my sleeve but, I will have to share that with you later.

Have a good weekend!

PS. Had lot's of snow again this week but I am lucky that my husband is here this weekend to help me shovel!!

Picture Wednesday!

2010-02-24T16:27:00.003-05:00

Here is Wednesday's photo.

This is my Feb. "Sew New To Me" quilting bee block for Faith. The block design is called Map of the States ala Oh Fransson. This block was so much fun to make. Can't wait to see her finished quilt.

I finished the top of the Stacked Coin Quilt. Will post photos Friday! Hope you will check it out.

Blogging again

2010-02-22T18:36:00.004-05:00

I had a New Year's resolution to blog more often. Well, we see how that worked out. But now I am going to pretend that this is the first-of-the-year and declare a do-over. I have been thinking about a way to help me keep this up and I came up with post ideas for different days. So, going forward I will be having Project Mondays, Picture Wednesday and What I did this week Fridays.

So here we go! Just because I haven't been blogging doesn't mean that I haven't been working on a bunch of projects. This week I will be working on –

WIP Stacked Coin Quilt. This is actually my first "getting paid for" quilt. I am very excited about how it is turning out. I just need to finish 2 more columns of coins before I can put together the front.

And the back is almost done!

I am also participating in the Paint Box Quilt Along hosted by Elizabeth Hartman at Oh, Franssion . I have quite a few blocks made but a lot more to do. This has been a lot of fun to work on and also see what other people are coming up with. Check out the flicker group and see all the beautiful blocks. Here is just a preview of a few I have put together.

Don't forget to join me for Picture Wednesday!

Happy New Year

2010-01-04T16:36:00.006-05:00

I can't believe that 2009 has gone and 2010 is here! The last few weeks have been a blur. We had a great Christmas after we finally made it to Tennessee. Long story but it involves 20+ inches of snow, cancelled flights & a long, long drive to Tennessee. But after we got home to our family everything was great and we were in the Holiday Spirit! Everybody loved their handmade gifts this year. The Lavender Eye pillows were a hit and "Aunt" Judy really loved her quilt. It is going to look great in her new reading room. We had an uneventful drive back to PA and even though I had to take the hubby to the airport on Monday, I was not that sad because he got to turn around and come back here on New Years Day for the long weekend ( I will take what I can get). AND he gets to do the same thing next weekend.

Now that the holidays are over hopefully someone will want to buy our house. I can't wait to move to Texas!!

I was looking through all my photos on Flicker and decided to put together a mosaic of all the items I made in 2009. It was a busy year!

Here are all the quilts.

1. A Quilt for Christmas, 2. A Quilt for Christmas, 3. Craft Hope Quilt Back, 4. Craft Hope Quilt, 5. Reagans Baby Quilt, 6. Reagans Baby Quilt Back, 7. Stacked Coin Quilt, 8. HR Mini Quilt, 9. Good Ol' Summertime Mini Quilt, 10. Baby Quilt for Camille, 11. Baby Quilt for Camille, 12. Grandmothers BDay Quilt, 13. Grandmothers BDay Quilt, 14. Dad's Quilt, 15. "A Bowl of Sunshine" Art Quilt, 16. "Daisy" 12x12 Art Quilt

Here are the purses.

1. IMG_1383, 2. Buttercup Bag, 3. IMG_1382, 4. Buttercup Bag, 5. IMG_1380, 6. IMG_1387, 7. Buttercup Bag, 8. Tote Bag, 9. Buttercup Bag

And here are some other misc. projects.

1. Fabric Bowl, 2. Fabric Bowl, 3. Small Fabric Bowl with felted bird, 4. Christmas Presents, 5. Christmas Presents, 6. Christmas Presents, 7. Yellow Block for Cristin's Baby Quilt, 8. Sew New To Me Virtual Quilting Bee November Block, 9. Sew New To Me Virtual Quilting Bee November Block, 10. Sew new to me quilting bee - Blocks for Heather 1, 11. Sew new to me quilting bee - Blocks for Heather 2, 12. Birthday Card, 13. Yellow Mini Quilt, 14. Built by Wendy Shirt, 15. Heather Ross Sundress Pattern, 16. row 1

It really was a busy year! Hopefully 2010 will be just as busy. I will be sharing upcoming "New Years Resolution" projects soon!

Here is to a great 2010!

Happy Creating!

Snow, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

2009-12-19T11:52:00.002-05:00

I am setting here today waiting on the big snow storm to hit. My husbands flight into PA from TX was cancelled this morning due to the snow falling in Philly. Of course we have no snow falling here in Allentown.....yet....the news keeps saying that it is coming. Hopefully the hubby will be able to make it here tomorrow and we can start our Christmas celebration.

In in the spirit of Christmas here are some photos of the presents that I made this year.

somebody special is getting a quilt!

These are some lavender and flax seed eye pillows I made. I have already used the one I made for myself today!

Some cute little fabric baskets. Here are the links to the 2 different patterns I used from Pink Penguin & Vlijtig

I also made a few key fob's but forgot to take a photo.

Here is wishing everybody a safe and Merry Christmas!!!!

Snow

2009-12-06T11:40:00.002-05:00

We had our first snow fall of the season yesterday. At least we only got about 4". For those of you who don't know me... I really don't like snow, but I will admit that it was beautiful this morning. It kinda gets you into the Christmas Spirit.

Our "See Rock City" bird house was all covered up!

Please somebody buy our house! Isn't it pretty!!

Well now that you have seen the view outside, here is a peek of what is going on inside.

WIP Christmas Presents! Oh what could they be......Can't tell you. Don't want to ruin the surprise!

Calhoun & Tater shop at Pet Supplies Plus!

2009-11-22T18:34:00.003-05:00

Happy Friday

2009-11-20T14:43:00.003-05:00

I just love it when I go out to the mail box and it is filled with wonderful goodies! Today was one of those days when I opened the mail box and found two packages and my Entertainment Weekly (my favorite magazine). Oh what a great day!

Oh, and what did I get??

In the bigger package I got some new fabric. I had such a great Tuesday morning when I opened my e-mail to see my Quilthome.com newsletter and noticed I was link of the week! For being link of the week I received a $20 gift certificate! They were also having a one day sell on the Heather Ross Menodcoino collection (my favorite). I also have been drooling over the new Amy Butler Love collection in flannel. So I got some Amy Butler flannel and some pieces of the Menodcoino that I do not have. I am going to make me some Pajama Pants out of the Amy Butler flannel for Christmas!

Please visit their website. They have great fabric deals, the customer service is great and you receive your fabric in just a few days. Register for their newsletter and add their link to you blog and you could become link of the week!

And in the smaller package..... I received some labels that I had printed by Lilla Lotta. She does custom labels that are printed on Twill Tape. She can put something together for you, or you can send her your own logo which is what I did. I just love how they turned out and I have about 3 yards of them. I can't wait to use them on the Christmas gifts I am making this year.
Please visit her Etsy shop!!

What a way to start of the weekend!

Hopefully my happy Friday will run into the weekend and lots of people will show up for our Open House on Sunday! I am so ready to sell this house!

One quilt finished and a new one started!

2009-11-15T16:46:00.002-05:00

I finished hand sewing the binding on my Moda Arcadia quilt. I love this fabric line by Moda. It is so soft and the colors make me think of summers in Florida (oh how I wish I was there!). I only quilted around the blocks and borders because I wanted to keep the quilt soft. This was going to be my Spring/Summer quilt, but I think it will be nice to cozy up with on a Winter day. It will help me think about summer!

I love how the back turned out! I can use the back as the front.

Here is another WIP (work in progress). I use some of my Amy Butler, Kaffe Fassett stash to put this together. I was inspired by the mix tape quilts I have seen online. I thought is would be fun to mix it with big floral blocks. The dot fabric is from the new Amy Butler Love collection. The dots are my favorite. Still trying to decide what to do for the back. I think I will use some solids since the front is so busy. I just love all the bright colors. This may be a Christmas gift, but for who.....I will not tell!

Amazing!

2009-11-12T17:35:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I am posting 2 days in a row! But I am so excited about this project that I just have to share it.
Here is the quilt I finished and sent to Craft Hope.

Craft Hope is "a faith-based, love inspired project designed to share handmade crafts with those less fortunate. It is our hope to combine our love for crafting and desire to help others into a project to make a difference around the world." They do different projects, from sending handmade sock monkey's to Little Heros Burn Camp to this project where they are sending quilts to Margaret's Hope Chest. Margaret's Hope Chest is a group that donates quilts to people in need. These quilts are going to homeless children this holiday season. I just love the idea that my quilt is going to keep a special child warm this winter.

Yes. I am a slacker!

2009-11-10T17:29:00.000-05:00

I was just looking at the date of my last post and I can't believe how long it has been. I know. I am a slacker. But just because I haven't posted anything doesn't mean I haven't been busy. As most of you know we are trying to sell our house so we can move to Fort Worth, TX. The hubby is already there and started his new job. We have been getting a lot of showings on the house but no offers yet. Please keep your fingers crossed that it happens soon. I would love to move before Christmas!

So what have I been up to for the past month other than keeping my house really clean ( the sewing room has been the hardest as I love to have my fabric scattered around me).....

#1 - I finished the baby quilt for my friend Reagan. I gave it to her last week and she loved it. I got so use to it being in my sewing room that I almost didn't want to give it away.

Such happy colors for her baby girl!

The back is done in my two favorite colors, Pink & Orange.

I just love the way a pieced binding looks.

#2 - I did my 2 blocks for Heather for our Virtual Quilting Bee (which is a lot of fun! I will post Nov. blocks as soon as Mary receives them). I love the fabric Heather sent for us to use and her completed quilt is going to be beautiful!

#3 - I made a mini quilt for "comfortstitching" for the HR mini quilt swap. I also included a quilt little key chain pouch. I love the way this one turned out. I used some of my favorite fabrics.

#4 - I finished piecing & quilted my Moda Arcadia quilt. The binding has been sewn on and is currently being blind stitched. I should have this one completed this weekend.

Here is a sneak peek!

Whew! I am tired. Maybe I shouldn't wait so long to write a post!
Now I get to start on Christmas present. I just got a great idea today but I can't tell you!!

For your enjoyment, here is a photo of our little Tater who brings smiles to my face every day!

Raegan's Baby Quilt and other cute stuff...

2009-09-24T15:07:00.000-04:00

Even though we have the house for sale and I have to keep it clean, I am still working in my craft room (I just try to keep the mess contained). My newest project is a baby quilt for my dear friend Raegan who is having her first girl. I love how the quilt is turning out so far. This has to be some of the cutest fabric I have worked with. Not sure what is going on with the back yet but I have some ideas.

I also finished my Heather Ross Mini quilt for the swap. We are also including a little handmade item. I made a little zipper key chain pouch. I hope my swap partner likes it.

Today in the mail I received a package of material to make a block for my first quilting be. The fabric is so cute and I can't wait to start!
Back to cleaning the house. We have a showing tonight! Keep your fingers crossed....

Good News and a Stacked Coin Quilt

2009-09-16T15:03:00.000-04:00

So the good news is - My husband just accepted a job in Fort Worth, Tx! We are so excited to be moving but will miss the friends we have made here in PA ( I will not miss the winters!). Now for the fun part of selling our house. So if anybody knows of anybody wanting to move to beautiful Nazareth, PA, we have a house to sell them. Now I will have to keep my sewing room clean!

I did finish a project last week that has been sitting around the house for about a year. I finally got the binding on my stacked coin quilt! I love how it turned out and it is perfect for this fall!

I have also opened up my Etsy store. I have a few items in it and will be adding more soon. I was planning to have a "grand- opening" and a give-away but with all the moving excitement I haven't had time. But I promise a give-away is coming soon!

I will leave you with a little sneak-peak of one of the blocks of my Heather Ross mini-quilt. The Quilt is almost finished. Only one side of the binding left to do!

Happy Munki Munki Day!

2009-09-10T12:05:00.001-04:00

I hit the Munki Munki pajama jackpot at Marshall's today! I am so excited! For those of you who quilt, you know why I am so excited. For those of you who don't let me explain.... Munki Munki is a brand of PJ's. You can find them at some small boutiques and on-line. One of my favorite fabric designers, Heather Ross, designed some of the cutest fabrics that they have used for their PJ's. This fabric has now become very hard to find! The PJ's run around $80 (Ouch!) on line and go for higher than that on ebay. So when I found out that they are selling the PJ's at Marshall's for a lot less ($17 Wow!) I had to go and see what they had!

I got lucky! They had the aliens, sushi & cats. I don't know which is my favorite! I bought some to wear (cause they are so cute), some to cut up to use and to swap.

Oh, and the day just got even better when I checked the mail. I got materials to make Key Fob's for my Etsy store which I hope to open very, very soon. So stay tuned!!

Another Project Finished!!

2009-09-01T17:18:00.000-04:00

I finally finished my mini-quilt for the Good Ol' Summertime mini-quilt swap. I love it so much that I almost want to keep it but I know it is going to a good home. I hope my swap partner likes it as much as I do.

I have all of the buttercup bags made for my Etsy store! Now all I need to do is take photos and open for business. My goal is to have it up by mid next week.

Now for the rest of my projects:

- Finish Heather Ross Mini-Quilt for swap (it is soo cute!)

- Make a little extra something for the Heather Ross Mini-Quilt swap

- Start on Reagans Baby Quilt

- Start on my Orange & White Quilt (finally something for me!)

Whew!! I am tired just thinking about it. Well back to sewing!

Rainy Friday

2009-08-28T08:20:00.000-04:00

It is a yucky rainy Friday here in PA. I find it so hard to be creative when the weather is dark and dreary so I guess it is lucky that I have to work today. So here is a little something to brighten mine and your day -

I just found out that a friend of mine is having a baby girl! I am so excited for her. I am especially excited that I get to make another baby quilt. I am going to use my "Red Letter Day" by Lizzy House fabrics. The ducks are my favorite! And you never know..I might work in a couple of my HR Far, Far, Away fabrics too. Cant wait to get started.

Buttercup Bags

2009-08-26T17:32:00.001-04:00

I have been busy making Buttercup Bags for the opening of my Etsy store. The pattern is from Made By Rae.

Here is a sneak peek -

Keep checking my blog for a Buttercup Bag give-a-way coming soon!

Happy E-mail

2009-08-24T18:06:00.000-04:00

After a long day at work (I only work part-time so this is kinda a joke) I came home and opened up my e-mail. If you are a crafter like then I am sure you subscribe to all sorts of crafty/fabric e-mail news letters. One of my favorites is the fabric shopper. Each day I get a e-mail featuring a new fabric. I was so happy today when I saw this -

The fabric is Senor Burrito by Alexander Henry. I LOVE IT!!! I can't decide which colorway to go with so I might have to order some of each.....hope the hubby is not reading this!

Happy Fabric Friday

2009-08-21T17:58:00.001-04:00

I have been collecting Orange & White fabric for my next quilt. Me and my husband grew up in Knoxville, TN and my husband went to the University of TN, so by law we have to own a Orange & White quilt. I just received this new fabric in the mail on Thursday. Don't you just love opening up your mailbox and having it filled with yummy fabrics!!!! These are all from Amy Butler and of course the full moon dots will make it into the quilt. I also think the Orange & Aqua might make it into the quilt too. Can't wait to get started - but I must finish all of my other projects first!

Enjoy!

Starting New

2009-08-20T15:41:00.000-04:00

As you can see, I have started a new blog! I am very excited about all new things I am going to start posting. You can see I have also changed the name of my blog to Sunshine Girl. Why Sunshine girl? One reason is my hubby always calls me sunshine and for those of you who know me, know that I love being out in the sunshine!

I will also be opening my Etsy shop in a couple of weeks and for the opening I plan to give away one of my Buttercup bags!

So please be patient with my while change my blog over (it is more difficult than I thought it would be). I will leave you today with photo of a mini-quilt I started. I want to make a mini-quilt in each color to hang on the walls of my workroom. I started with yellow, not one of my favorite colors, but I love how it turned out. Can't wait to start working on the other ones!

I hope everybody enjoys my new blog!