Block Party Quilt-A-Long!!!!!

Trust me, you do NOT want to miss out on this! Block Party is having a quilt-a-long and you know how I was just writing in my last entry about blogs that have inspired me and my quilting over the last year? Well this is one of them.

Block Party started as a virtual quilting bee for twelve women spread out over the U.S. and let me tell you, all twelve women are gifted with great eyes for colour and style.

They're having a give-away too, so if you leave a comment on their blog, sign up, and blog about it, you get a chance to win some fabric that will make your heart skip a beat.

-k

Mom's Apricot Fence Rail

Mom's Apricot Fence Rail
Originally uploaded by Confessions of a Quiltaholic

I started quilting three years ago. Well, that's when I first learned how to do a nine-patch and since then I've progressed quite a bit both in terms of my skill level and my taste. I do love the traditional patterns but over the last year I've really started to gravitate more towards modern quilting. I think it's the wonderful influence of all the blogs I read!! My eyes have been opened to a whole new way of looking at quilting.


In anycase, my mom is a more traditional gal, and after she and my father came together (they're divorced) to buy me a Pfaff ClassicStyle Quilt sewing machine three years ago, I knew the first quilt I wanted to sew would be for her as thanks for the amazing sewing machine (dad, poor dad, was 2nd on the list).

I did a little photo shoot when I was at her place over Thanksgiving, and here is her quilt.

The only problem? It still doesn't have a name! I feel so bad about it being nameless. It's almost as bad as a quilt being homeless.

Any and all suggestions welcome!

- k

New Year Challenge

Do you have a stack of UFOs? Would you love to end the year with a clean crafty-quilty slate?

I don't know about you, but I work best with deadlines and with only TWO months left in 2009, Jacquie's challenge is just the thing to help me get my butt in gear. My Capricorn nature seems to thrive on having a goal in my crosshairs, a mountain to climb, or in this case a few UFOs that I would love to finish up by the end of the year.

In typical fashion, I may have bitten off more than I can chew because I also made a personal vow to give handmade gifts this year (of course, they don't necessarily have to be made by *me*), and I am also moving at the end of November (yikes! And I haven't started packing).

As they say, "Aim for the stars and maybe you'll reach the sky."

-k

Sunday Stash #1

Boy Baby Stash
Originally uploaded by Confessions of a Quiltaholic

Okay, so I'm a little late posting but here is some adorable fabric I bought this weekend. Well, I think it's pretty darn sweet.

I am in love with the David Walker "Oh Boy!" print! I'm going to make a baby quilt from this using the Cowboy baby pattern in Material Obsession. I love the cowboy prints used in the book but I'm going to a baby shower at the end of the month and I suspect my friend will like the zoo theme better (cowboy might be too edgy for her), plus ... this is what they had in stock at my LQS.




And here it is up close... Aren't those animals cute?! I could stare at the print for hours. I know. I have a problem. I wish I could get paid for staring at fabric and admiring it.

In any case... usually I get scared about cutting into my fabric as if somehow the act of slicing it up takes away some of its magic. But in this instance, I'm looking forward to it! Cannot wait to get cracking on this baby quilt.

- k

Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

Go here to see the MOST amazing Halloween costume. EVER!!

I don't know if Kathleen of Grosgrain Fabulous makes and sells a pattern for it, but it is the most delightful costume I've ever seen. I've never "hearted" a design so much.

It makes my ovaries flip faster than the Queen Of Hearts loses her temper.

- km

Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

Go here to see the MOST amazing Halloween costume. EVER!!

Seriously - Grosgrainfabulous needs to start selling the pattern.

I've never "hearted" a design so much. It makes my ovaries flip faster than the Queen Of Hearts loses her temper.


Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

Christmas Gifts A Go-Go...

Work has been crazy busy, but I'm carving out time to get on with making gifts for Christmas. I'm determined to make this a handmade holiday. It's so easy to buy something, usually made in China, and while that's fine and goodness knows, I've done that a lot in the past... This year I want to walk my talk of buying local or handmade, and better still - make it myself.

I can't describe how rewarding it is to have an idea then bring it to life. If you're a fellow quilter, crafter, baker, or anyone creative, then you know what I mean! And I'm not going to lie, I DO love the wonderful exclamation "You made that?!! WOW!!"

So... onwards. Here are some photos from my latest adventure in sewing. Jacquie from Tall Grass Prairie Studio has some wonderful tutorials, and I loved her kitchen set tutorial. I thought this would make a great gift set for a few of my friends. Since not all of my friends go made with decorating for the holidays, I thought I'd make the set in fabrics that can be in the kitchen year 'round. I made a trip to The Workroom to pick up "just one fat quarter" to round out my stash. Ahem.

I walked out of the shop with these:




There's something about the mix of brown, aqua, grey and linen that just calls to me right now. But then I realized I didn't really have a focal fabric. Not like the adorable Michael Miller "Holiday Hostess" print Jacquie used in her tutorial.

I decided to improvise and broke out my embroidery floss, grabbed some white Kona cotton scraps, Jenny Hart embroidery iron-on designs and le voila...





I made a couple of wonky log cabin blocks using the embroidered squares as my focal point, and cut a 10x10" square of the Robert Kaufman beater print for the back...



Then I sandwiched using warm and natural cotton batting and insulate -- a special batting for oven mitts and that type of thing.

My quilting... it needs work! I don't know how the fabric went wonky in that one place, but I am getting better with practice.





Here is the complete set -- two potholders and a coordinating tea towel.



I just need to put a grommet in each pot holder and this set is done.

-k