BOM-Day

Being the first Monday of the month, today is Block-of-the-Month Day. I have so many BOMs in progress, I should devote every Monday to BOMs!

Today I started a new Patchwork Party project. The 2013 Patchwork Party blocks are pre-cut and ready to sew. I couldn't resist testing out the laser-cut blocks, and my first block, from Stitchin' Heaven in Texas, has convinced me to buy the rest.

The slightly darkened edges of the pieces are the result of the laser used to cut the pieces precisely.

The pieces went together flawlessly and quickly. What a great idea, to pre-cut the pieces!

Next up was the newest Mystery BOM from Ruth's Stitchery. Sonya created this project and presents a brief tutorial in the shop the First Thursday of each month. This month all we made was 22 half-square triangles (perfect thanks to the Bloc-Loc ruler!).

 Our Vintage Memories block party is nearly finished. This month is the center block:

I'm up to block 8 on Toes in the Sand. This quilt is made with Julie Herman's Hex N More ruler. I can't wait to see how the quilt comes together!

Only five  more BOM projects for this month!

From the desk of your

Stash -- Road Trip Report

You know it's a good day when you visit not one, but three shops you've never visited before!

My friend and fellow Front Range Modern Quilt Guild member, Chrystal, recently opened a new sewing shop in Loveland, Colorado. Since I resisted attending the Taos Wool Festival with BFF Mary, I took myself on a little road trip to Northern Colorado.

The first stop of the day was Greeley, and a fairly new shop, Sew Downtown. Greeley has recovered from the September floods, and the view of the Front Range is incredible. It was fun to eavesdrop on the Girl Scout (I think) sewing class that was happening in the back of the shop!

Next, a lovely drive through the Colorado countryside to Quilter's Stash in Windsor. I can't show you what I bought because it's for a mystery project. Let's just say I'm well on my way to my "you shop here too often" reward! (Psst -- if you're searching for the bunny with the FabShopHop, Quilter's Stash is a participating shop!)

Totally worth the drive!

"Cotton Candy Sewing Shop" is going to be a big hit, I'm sure. My "acid test" for a quilt shop is "does it have something I can't get anywhere else?" Well, Cotton Candy Sewing Shop has that -- in spades! Cotton Candy carries lines by designers Anna Maria Horner, Heather Ross and other lines from Michael Miller, Art Gallery and Robert Kaufman Fabrics. 

Of course, the shop MUST have one wall painted "cotton candy pink."

Anna Maria Horner -- fabrics not easy to find in Colorado. And fabrics by Free Spirit, also not something a lot of shops here stock.

I failed to ask Chrystal is she is the maker of this stunning quilt -- but look, it has a ribbon from the Larimer County Fair!

Update, Chrystal writes:

My grandma Dorothy made it, so the ribbon is from the Madison county fair in Nebraska. It's a pattern that she said is from a book called Bargello Quilts by Marge Edie but I just looked thru it and I couldn't find a heart pattern like hers, so i don't know how reliable that is. It is machine pieced and hand quilted, and that is her old treadle machine in the picture.

I was so pleased to find some Valorie Wells "Cocoon" voile in my "Japan trip" colors:

I bought one yard of "Effervescence" by Amelia Caruso for Robert Kaufman, just because Amelia is from Ft. Collins, Colorado. I didn't know what to make with it, but looking at her website, I see custom-made bags fashioned from this fun fabric. Score!

And Some Yarn!

Since I was "almost there," I dropped into the Loopy Ewe in Ft. Collins. They were my favorite yarn shop before they moved to Colorado -- now I can visit and fondle the yarn in person.

I recently cast on for a hat pattern called "Wurm" that needed a yarn with long, long color repeats. The yarn I was using was nice, but the repeats aren't long enough to make the stripes. On my last turn around the Loopy shelves, I spied:

Exactly the yarn used in one of the finished hats on Ravelry! This one's for me, baby! (Note: if you don't belong to Ravelry, it's free. Join so you can see this cool pattern!)

When I went to check out, Lynne told me I had a $16 credit -- who knew? Then while she was ringing up my sale, her assistant "dinged" the counter top bell. "That's for you," says Lynne. I won a free Loopy Ewe bag and skein of gorgeous Sweetgeorgiayarn tough love sock yarn. The bag also had some Tootsie Rolls in it, but, umm, they're gone now.

My last stop of the day was at Trelotta on South Broadway. I missed the Front Range Modern Quilt Guild meeting that was held at the shop -- WHAT a mistake! Look at these lovely Liberty prints I scored:

Tomorrow is BOM-Day. I have a new BOM to begin sewing tomorrow, come back and see what it is!

From the desk of your

Finally a Friday Finish

Today I have two finishes to share with you. I say "finally" not because they took a long time to finish, but "finally" because I had to wait for one to be published before I could share it. And "finally" because the other is for today's Jelly Roll Party at Ruth's Stitchery.

First, the October Jelly Roll Party sample.  It was a WIP on August 21 (what was that, 6 weeks ago?).

This quilt turned out big! Because I didn't read the directions (OK, directions are for wussies). If you look closely, you'll see that half the blocks have the print fabric in the center, and half have the background fabric in the center. I made all the "print in the center" blocks at the August Front Range Modern Quilt Guild sew-in.

When I brought the blocks home and put them up on the design wall, I realised "it doesn't look like the picture!"  Oh.

At this point, I thought "I'll just make it with all 'negative blocks.'" But of course, when it hung in the store, a customer would notice "that doesn't look like the picture on the pattern." So I made the same number of 'positive' blocks. And thought "I'll make two Halloween quilts."  But seriously, who needs two Halloween quilts? So I made one big Halloween quilt -- and I'm planning to give it to the son of a friend, whose birthday is on Halloween.

Details:  Pattern is Jacks be Quick from Cozy Quilts. Jelly Roll is Boo Crew from Sweetwater for Moda (I got mine at Ruth's, last time I checked, they still had one left!) Background fabric is Moda Bella Solids PFD (prepared for dyeing) also from Ruth's. Outer border is also from Boo Crew, I got mine from the Idaho Quilt Barn. Love that Susie's Magic Binding!

My other "ta da" for today is the first scrappy version of "Star Search" for Quiltmaker magazine's blog, Quilty Pleasures.

The details and a little tutorial about matching star points is on the Quilty Pleasures blog. Here is "the rest of the story."

Ten or so years ago, I started making quilts for each of my Mother's great-grandchildren when they turned 12. The very first one was for Levi, who was actually 15 (how do they grow up without us noticing?). I thought this year was a "bye," that there were no turning-twelves in that generation this year. I was wrong! Along in June, my niece posted a "Happy 12th Birthday, Eric" message on Facebook. Oops I quickly asked her "what is his favorite color?" and she replied "brown." 

Now I don't think I've ever made a brown quilt, but I had lots of brown batik scraps, so, as they say, "a star is born." I love the way this quilt turned out, and I particularly love the paisley quilting design Cornelia used. I'll pop this quilt in the mail to Eric today and wish him happy birthday -- only four months late!

Linking up to Confessions of a Fabric Addict, "Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?"

And the big OctoberQuest at Quokka Quilts:

AND Link a Finish Friday at Richard and Tanya Quilts:

I still have some yarn to share with knitters willing to knit Hats for Sailors. Send me a message if you want some free yarn!






From the desk of your

A Very Special Blog Post -- And a Giveaway!

Most of you know my younger son and blog co-editor, aka My Little Sailor, is a member of the US Navy. He's assigned to the USS George Washington, an aircraft carrier currently underway "somewhere" in the Western Pacific. Although the DH and I are both former US Air Force members, we're all about Navy nowadays.

Which is why I'm writing this Very Special Blog Post.

What's it All About?

A group of knitters join together each year to knit hats for US Navy Sailors.

Here is the description of the group, from Ravelry:

We are providing hand-knitted and crocheted hats for sailors in the US Navy one ship at a time. It all started with Shanti who writes the blog Adventures in Paradise and had the idea to provide a handmade hat to every sailor serving on the ship she would be commanding. Lynne, her mom, made that idea a reality with the help of knitters and crocheters from all over the world. We continue to knit and crochet hats for sailors on other ships. It is cold on the ships and they can wear the hats when they are off duty.

This is the second year I've knit hats for the HFS group. During 2012, I knit 16 hats in 16 days for the Ravellenics challenge:

This year I've knit 20 hats, so I get to put the "20 Hats for Sailors" badge on my Ravelry page.

Our group moderator has put out a call for nominations for ships to receive hats this year. I've nominated the USS Nebraska SSBN-739, a Ballistic Missile Submarine. Submarines are called "the silent service," unsung heroes who keep a lot of bad things from happening. The husband of my niece was formerly assigned to this ship, although he's currently on shore duty.

US Navy photo by PH3 Christian Viera

The Important Part

So far this year, we've only knit about 250 hats. Both crews on the USS Nebraska total more than 300 Sailors (and yes, women can now serve on subs!).

If you're a knitter, won't you consider knitting a hat for a US Navy Sailor?

Hats are fast and easy to knit -- Ravelry.com has lots of free patterns! Here are the guidelines for the hats:

The color and design of the hat are the choice of the knitter/crocheter, but ALL HATS MUST BE 100% WASHABLE WOOL. Both men and women serve on the ships. We have two deadlines each year - Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day. If you have questions about the project or want to know where to send the hats, email us at HatsforSailors@gmail.com. You can also read our blog at Hats for Sailors.

The Giveaway

Since the first comment on this post asks about what yarn to use, I've decided to add a giveaway! The first TEN readers who comment and agree to knit a hat for a sailor will receive a skein of superwash wool from me -- in their choice of colors! You can either send the completed hat back to me, or email HatsforSailors@gmail.com for a mailing address.

I hope you'll knit a hat -- or hats! -- for a Sailor. Even if the Nebraska isn't the receiving ship this year!


From the desk of your

September UFO Parade

Can you believe we're onto our 10th finish for 2013? Not a lot of finishes this month, but some really great surprises!

First, because I've already been asked, the October UFO project to work on is lucky

According to National Public Radio, "7" is the most commonly chosen favorite number.

My #7 project is another oldie-but-goodie, a Dresden Plate project from 2004 by Quiltin' Tia for Cozy Strip Club. Almost ten years ago! I have one "bloom" made.

Here is a photo of the pattern cover:

This is another project from my "30s Reproductions" phase. I can't believe how many 30s repros projects I still have in the UFO bin!

And now for some September finishes.  Here's mine:

The pattern is "Cobblestone Road," by Daniela Stout of Cozy Quilts. The fabric is Circa 1934 by Cosmo Cricket for Moda. I won a fat quarter bundle of this fabric in the very first Schnibbles Parade I entered. The pattern was "Doc." Here is a photo from May of 2012:

I owe a lot to Sinta and Sherri. Not only did they introduce me to Schnibbles, but their Schnibbles Parade is the model for our very own "UFO Parade." I didn't want to host a regular "linky party," because so many of my readers are not bloggers. Thanks, Sinta and Sherri!

OK, have I teased you long enough? Is that a band I hear? Here comes the Parade!

Susan in Brisbane sent the first entry. I love this design to show off a large print:

Very appropriate, since it's spring in Australia! Susan blogged this finish here. She adds: The Pattern name is Flower Box and is available from Logan’s Patchwork in Sydney and the web address is: http://www.patchworkfabrics.com.au/

Karen has two finishes to share this month. First is her "extra credit" for 2013, a Christmas Mystery. She reports "It's a mystery which online site the mystery comes from. I can't remember!" Maybe one of our readers made the same quilt and can comment on the pattern name and source.

How perfect is it that Karen's #6 project was "Monster Bash?" I love these fabrics, Karen! Karen blogs at Stitching Circle.

I love that two quilters finished the same design this month -- first up, Sandi's "KampKastles." Because, you know, all of Sandi's kwilt names begin with "k!"

I have to share Sandi's story about this quilt.

Cute name don’t you think that my sister came up with?  This was a class given at Cozy Quilt Shop in El Cajon, CA.  It was a two session class that happened to be on a weeknight.  No can do when the shop is over an hour from my workplace.  Excitedly I was able to get the pattern to make it on my own...although in the company of others would have been more fun.  Besides that the instructor could have opened me up to some special trick or technique new to me.  Classes are a good thing to partake if you can.  I only purchased the brown sashing and green inner border; all other fabrics from my batik stash!  The project finishes at 22" x 37".  Design by Renee Peterson called Jeweled Forest featured in McCall’s Quilting November/December 2009.

Sandi included a link to all her 2013 UFO Challenges finishes. Wow!

Debra also finished "Jeweled Forest."

Had to laugh when I read Deb's comment:

Only 3 more to go and one extra credit - yippee!!!  I'm bustin' my butt to get things done. I am very happy I am able to keep up as well as I do - I seem to get side-tracked so easily (don't we all, smile, smile).

And although Kerry finished her "Jeweled Forest" last month, I thought it would be fun to parade "through the forest."

Isn't it fun to see how different each is, even though they are all made from the same pattern, and all made with batiks?

Noela has a clever idea. She made this quilt to go on top of the chest freezer in her laundry. So much more attractive than a big square of white metal, don't you think?

Carol reports she is now "all caught up," with two finishes this month. First, these darling tea towels:

I absolutely adore hand-embroidered tea towels, don't you? I collect "day of the week" tea towels, and it always makes me smile when I pull one out of the drawer.

Her second finish is actually July's "assignment." See those leaves? They continue all around the quilt, and the blanket stitching was done by hand! 

Oh, yeah, Carol, that one is worth waiting for!

I got all my "September Quilts" crossed off the list, plus I made 90 blocks for my "Block a Day" Challenge.

See that number at the bottom? I've pieced 43 quilts so far this year -- only nine more to go to make 2013 the third year of 52 Quilts in 52 Weeks!

I didn't do as well keeping up with the BOMs, though. Since I don't have a Scrap Squad quilt to make this month, nor a Jelly Roll Party sample, maybe I'll make "getting caught up on those BOMs" my goal for October!

Oh yeah. The UFO Parade Giveaway! Only eight entries this month -- and the Random Number Generator chooses:

Quilter #4 -- Sandi! And she hasn't won the giveaway before. This is why I love randomness! Sandi, send me your postal address and I'll chose something fun to send you. Maybe I can find something that begins with a "k!"

What's your favorite number? Plus, I hope you'll come back tomorrow for an extra-special post!

From the desk of your