Spring Has Sprung Sprocket Pillow!

Isn't that fun to say!

LOL

Last year, I crushed on this block from Christina at A Few Scraps:

and I knew I had to make one.  The hexagon paired with the diamonds is just too challenging and awesomly cool isn't!

Christina's blog is full of beautiful, loverly eye candy.

I just looked it up and I started this block in March of 2012!
Ack!

I finished it and put it away and discovered it while searching for another orphan block.

I brought it out and decided it was time to do something with it.  I'm still working on some large-ish projects, so I wanted to keep this one small and manageable time wise-ish.
The living room could use a new pillow!

Totally from scraps.  I added the peach/coral polka dot fabric and sandwiched the block (17 x 17) so I could quilt it.  Just some straight line and echo quilting to let the Sprocket...well, pop!

Also while searching, I rediscovered two vintage napkis I had scored last year too.

Have I shared this love affair, addiction, with vintage sheets, pillowcases, etc?

How fun are these flowers and the colors match the Sprocket block perfectly!

Quick trip to Joann's (rats, where is my coupon? and what do you mean pillow forms aren't on sale?) was fruitless, but a trip to Big Lots saves the day!  We like smooshy pillows here and I was able to buy a regular sleeping pillow for $3.  Instant (sort of) gratification.  So soft and cushy.

I had enough of the vintage fabric to make a border for the front of the pillow and use for the back.

And here it is playing nice with a Pillow Talk Swap pillow from a few years ago!  I am so happy with how bright and cheerful it is and the sun even came out for a few minutes while I was snapping pictures.

Ben and I are having trouble over who gets the pillow when it's time to take a break and relax.  This turn was mine and I cuddled up with the Aloha Quilt (this is the back) and a good book.

The Aloha Quilt's front!  Sorry, had to slide this in...it's one of my favorites!

So I turned one orphan block into a new, Spring pillow!

Hooray!

I also played with these

and these

I bought these eleven years ago intending to use them at our old house.  Eleven years!  Well, we put it on the market, never hung them, sold the house, bought this house and they never really matched anything we had here.

That's all about to change!

Linking up to

Quilt Story

i have to say

Freshly Pieced

and

crazy mom quilts

because life is just too dang short and bland without all these beautiful projects to look at, drool over, admire and be inspired by!

Won't you come be inspired too!





Tangerine Dream

Well, that was a couple of weeks!

At least half of those days spent thanking God for NyQuil!

There should be a short window of time one is able to get a cold. 

Like from never to....never!

This is where I was before I got sick:

spending time looking at this and thinking, "There is way too much white here!"

So, pilfered through the stash and tried this on for a while.

Blech!

Maybe this is what made me sick in the first place?  Can you get sick from the "This is a dang ugly quilt top!" virus?

Totally did not like where this was going.

Off to the sewing table with the seam ripper (you can see I've made a start at the bottom, left of the picture).

I went to Quilt.com's Block of the Month looking for inspiration on other pieced borders and found

this happy little block called Fair and Square.

So, I tried one on for size!

Hey!  I like this!  It's a lot more true to my original vision of staying with four colors: yellow, green, orange and white without all the glaringly white...white.

I made a few more using scraps.  Some of them had been hoarded forever, but if I don't use them, they just sit in a bucket....doing nobody any good!

And here I am.  Literally.  See my warm, fuzzy socked toes?

Much better!

Sticking to my four colors.  I love them!

All this blah, winter gray weather is making me sad.

Which is why I'm so happy to be able to link up to

Quilt Story

i have to say

Freshly Pieced

and

crazy mom quilts

for my sunshine, inspiration, encouragement fix!

Come on over and play!



Medallion Quilt

Medallion Quilt:  A quilt with a central motif, surrounded by multiple borders. The center is often a large square on point.

equilters definition

There are some incredibly beautiful Medallion Quilts out in blogland!

Suz at PatchworknPlay

The Ever Talented and Inspiring Cathy

Drooling.  Drooling.

Looking.  Thinking.  Doodling.

Inspired!

Just Quilts

Isn't this beautiful!  I love the fussy cutting and the colors!  Just wow!

And exhibiting extreme signs of QADD...off I go!

Every time I see this picture, I want to write a Haiku!

"Floating white petals"

Machine pieced hexagons that are about the size of a quarter when all is said and done.  I marked a 1/4" seam line on all the outer, yellow ones and hand appliqued them onto a quartered "background" of Kate Spain's "Honey Honey" and some Quilter's Choice orange and white polka dots from Joann's.

I'm auditioning fabric for the first border that will be 2", but today (Sunday) I cut out and sewed together a bunch (but not quite enough!) of white and lime HST's that will be the second border.

I decided I like this layout best. 

Work on the Snowflake Hexies continues, but everytime I lay it down to position a new snowflake...Weekips comes and "helps"!

Quilt Story
I have to say
Freshly Pieced
and
Crazy Mom Quilts
Each week you can find hundreds of amazing ideas and inspiration in the projects (some WIP's and some finished) shared on these blogs!  QuiltCon has nothing on these ladies!

(sneak peak on a WIP)



Snowflakes I Don't Mind

Do you see the selvage?  How cute are those bunnies!

Sew cute that I left it in there for my "hexie snowflake" block.

I'm having so much fun making them that I now have

six of them!

Inspired by Jennifer at Knotted Thread's

gorgeous "hexie snowflakes".

Wanna get your eye candy fix?

Follow the links:

Quilt Story

i have to say

Freshly Pieced

Crazy Mom Quilts

Grab you beverage of choice, some chocolate and warm socks (for those of us still in freezing temps...flip flops for those blessed enough not to be!).  You're in for a treat!

Winner!

I am technologically challenged and couldn't figure out how to capture an image of the Random Generator, but the winning entry is:

#27

Domestic Moose

who said:

What a great runner. It always amazes me how old projects that we've given up on can have new life later on with a second look. Nice job.

I've contacted you by email and can't wait to hear from you!

Thanks everyone for entering and making blogging so much fun!  You have so many inspirational and amazing things on your blogs...thank you for sharing them with us!

WIP, Finishes and a Give Away!

We're on the back side of February.  Can you believe it!

Spring is getting closer every day!

To celebrate, I'm having a give away.

First though, I'd like to share a WIP that's been hanging around my house for a very long time.

Before I began this blog, I started an EPP (English Paper Piecing) project with hexagons.

Let me just say, I love the look of EPP, but my hands sure don't like the way they feel after hand piecing!

I had a fairly decent, circular chunk of these 2" sweeties sewn together but didn't want to continue hand piecing since I've learned to machine piece hexagons.  I came across them last week while cleaning my sewing storage space in the sunroom.

I wish I had taken pictures, but when inspiration strikes, sometimes you just have to go with it!

I took my rotary cutter and ruler and chopped a semi-circular shape into 7" wide strips of the hexies.  Then sewed these strips into a 42" long strip, sashing with a 2 1/4" neutral fabric.

I started quilting it on Tuesday and finished it up on Wednesday.  Just a close meandering stitch all over.
I love the watercolor wash feel and look of it all!

Here's a sneak peek pre-binding.  

A bonus is that while in the sunroom cleaning, I found some orphan blocks pre-blog as well.  Soft, romantic fabrics and colors.  I sewed these together to make a straight diagonal line for the backing.

Here's a better shot of the back.

Some shots taken at homeschool co-op where the lighting is so much better than at home.

And here it is in its new home!

Okay, now for the give away!

Amy at Nana Company has an awesome tutorial on her blog.

How sweet is this!

Using her directions, I've made a Spring Needlebook to share with one of you.

I picked out happy springey colors for my version and added a mini pincushion!

Here's a "page" from the inside.  I've included some sewing things for you as well.

A few years ago, Rene' sent along the Blessings ribbon wrapped around some fabric I won.  I've kept it ever since to repurpose for something very special.  Blessings are what I'm hoping come to each one of us as we go about our lives.  We share a bond of love of sewing and quilting.  A bond that is expressed everywhere on blogland in the giving, friendships and blessings I see every day.

There are three chances to win per person.
Leave a comment here for a chance (please leave me a way to contact you), become a follower (and let me know or tell me you already are), and another one for blogging about the give-away and let me know so I can come visit your blog too!  I will announce the winner on Monday the 25th.

Don't forget to attend these virtual quilt shows this week for encouragement and inspiration!
Tuesdays-Quilt Story and I have to say
Wednesdays-Freshly Pieced
Fridays-Crazy Mom Quilts

Who's Minding the Binding?

Gizmo, of course!

My late night sewing companion extraordinaire!
You can't see it, but she's "nesting" over the binding for this week's project.

Several years ago, my mom gifted me with this beautiful quilt.  It's a hand-pieced, hand-quilted Postage Stamp quilt made by my great-great-grandmother.  I've had it in storage, but thought Life is short and I want it out where I can see and enjoy it.  It's hanging in our dining room and I see it about a hundred times a day.   I love thinking of family and this always makes me smile!

The individual squares measure out at 1".  Such tiny pieces!  The quilt has such a soft, neutral tone in places and it calms me to look at it.  Sort of centers my thoughts and helps me have perspective on life, time, family. I wanted to do something similar, and I am working on my Scrappy Trip quilt, but was looking for something a little different...and Valentine's Day was coming up is this week.

Pinterest

This really caught my eye.

Pinterest

And this!

But what really got the brain going was this:

Pinterest

Just loved it!  And, bonus! There's a handy picture breaking down how it can be made here:

Pinterest

I was set!

Out came all my 2" sq pink, red and neutral-ish scraps.  It was a little tedious (why, do I do that to myself?  LOL) to piece them all one by one (because I enjoy the punishment?  LOL), but I really liked what I had going by this stage of the process.

Soft.  Subtle.  Sweet.  

I found a vintage sheet to use for the back and drew hearts all over the quilt sandwich and went to work quilting.  Once I had FMQ'd the hearts...looping them to each other, I went back and added half circles so the hearts look like doilies.  The heart itself just has a meandering stitch through it.

 The most beautiful blue sky was over our house for me to take pictures of the finished mini-quilt.  The binding is an apple red, polka dot.  Really makes the center pop!  I took embroidery floss and quilted large stitches all around the pink. 

So very pleased with how this turned out, and just in time for Valentine's Day!

Attending FOUR different virtual quilt shows this week:  Quilt story,

Freshly Pieced, Crazy Mom Quilts and introducing her first weekly linky party (Tuesdays) Randi at i have to say.  I hope you can find some quiet time (or even time without the quiet!) to join us and let us see what you've been up to!

Thanks for sharing my adventures and mishaps with me!  Encouraging and inspiring comments are sweet drops of sunshine in my day!  Thanks for sharing what you're doing in the quilting world and sharing your family and friends with me.

Happy Valentine's Day!