Sewing in the Rain

It was a rainy weekend here in Ohio and I was recovering from a terrible cold.  I was down but not out!  I just sewed and sewed and sewed.  Here are some of my masterpieces (if I do say so myself)!

I made this Sweet Heart Mug Rug for my friend who loves cats (you can download our  free pattern by clicking on this link:  Sweet Heart Mug Rug).  Aren’t these cats the cutest?  They are left over from some Cotton + Steel fabric scraps I had on hand.

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Here’s another mug rug using pink, white and lime green scraps…I like this combo a lot.

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Here’s a mug rug using a romantic black and white print.  This black & white print used to be curtains;  now up-cycled to another every day use!

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After I got tired of making mug rugs, I moved on to quilt my husband’s birthday gift.  Quilting this pillow took a long time BUT I am happy with the results.

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Norma wanted to get in on the action so of course I took her picture….maybe instead of the fox guarding the hen house, the dog is guarding the fox house?

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FaveQuilts Top 25 Design Blog For 2017

Last week, Sandy and I were so excited to hear we made the FaveQuilts Top 100 Quilt Pattern list.

Today we were even more excited to hear we made the FaveQuilts Top 25 list!

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This award is determined by reader’s response on the FaveQuilts website.  For 2017, our blog was one of the most popular design blogs featured.

Click HERE to read more about the FaveQuilts Top 25 Design Blog list.  With all the FREE quilt patterns posted, there is surely one that will spark your creative interest in 2018.

We are honored to be listed as a Top 25 Design Blog for FaveQuilts!  In just one word, we are…

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Friends + Quilts = Love

Friends + quilts…what is not to love?!

I recently traveled to Ithaca, New York to visit a very dear friend AND to attend the Tompkins County Quilters Guild Traditions & Beyond 2017 Quilt Show

Every other year, the Tompkins County Quilters Guild organizes and sponsors a quilt show.  Entries are welcome from guild members and non-guild members.

There were hundreds of quilts to gaze upon with wonder and amazement.  Below are a few highlights for your “gazement” pleasure.

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Love the zig zag stitch!

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Bold prints AND hand quilting

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Bright batiks with a dark background were spectacular

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Pretty petals

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Isn’t this quilting beautiful?

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I wanted to bring this home with me!

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This mini quilt had many tiny dots…it was exquisite!

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Another one I wanted to bring home!

After the quilt show, I snapped a pic of this beautiful dahlia in my friend’s garden.  This could be inspiration for a flower quilt design…hmmmmm.

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But wait, there’s more! How about this one?

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Thanks for the lovely weekend, dear friend, I’ll be back!

Stuck on the Border

A few years ago, a friend gave me some cute fabric from “The Magic of Oz” collection by Wilmington Prints.

I love shoes (almost as much as I like fabric) so the ruby slippers print was the perfect gift for me.

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In the process of cleaning my sewing room, I found a favorite book by Sandy Bonsib.  I love Sandy’s patterns and there are several in this book that are on to my “to do” list.  The pattern “Kaleidoscope Kaper” seemed like a good fit for my ruby slippers fabric!

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I cut out all my triangles using the template in Sandy’s book.  Easy, no problem!

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Four sets of two triangles start to look like a kaleidoscope.

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I am liking this block!

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Polka dot corners add some new texture and interest.

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Nine kaleidoscope blocks will make a nice pillow, don’t you think?

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So…I am stuck on the border of my ruby slippers pillow!

Do I go with basic black?

What about a red checked binding?