Friday, December 26, 2014

PS-Mini Madness Plus More Mini-ness

Don't forget to download Mini madness download HERE today before its gone tomorrow! Tomorrow there will be a new video and new lesson plan available!

Connecting threads has also announced on their blog they will be having a monthly mini's club and do a sew-along to go with it each month in 2015!  You can take a peek on their forums HERE.  The January quilt kit (right) can be purchased HERE or if you are just wanting to pick up the pattern you wait until the first week of each month to pick it up.  They are also having their end of year sale HERE where everything is marked 20%-60% off their already super low prices for fabric!

Mini-Quilts must be the focus this year, not only have I been seeing them on my friends' blog pages, but even Craftsy is leaving some tips for binding your mini-quilts (see HERE).  Speaking of Craftsy, be sure to check out their free quilting Mini-classes HERE before they replace them with new offerings for 2015. Once you are in a class they keep you enrolled even after they stop offering the class, like the BOM for 2014.

I'd better be off as tomorrow I start my yearly fabric wash, trim and organization project!

*\o/* Cheers
Shanna

Thursday, December 25, 2014

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you and your families! May your week be filled with light and cheer!


Ziona has had her beanbag in place for presents opening for a few days now.  It was exciting to see her open presents for the first Christmas she will remember!  Husband bought me some wonderful gifts that I can't wait to show you, tomorrow!

Time to go Skype with the family!

*\o/* Cheers
Shanna

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Christmas Sewing


I swiped this picture from Pat Sloan today, but unfortunately it's rather true this year!

I also signed up for another pattern testing to be done in the next two weeks!  This one I am rather excited about because its something for my daughter. We are still working out the pattern-testing on the other one I mentioned was Shanna-sized, so I am going to throw another muslin at it on Friday once revisions are released again.  I really can't wait to share both of them with you.  I can tell you that I used the fabric below!


Now its time to get back to work!

*\o/* Cheers
Shanna

Monday, December 22, 2014

Modern Building Blocks of the Month-November

I have been tied up with last minute Christmas gift making, a pattern test, & a chest cold.  In amongst those happenings I completed my Modern Building Blocks of the Month for the Month of November, and on Thursday I picked up my next block.

November Block their kit:


November Block, My fabrics:



I am seriously considering just making a purple and blue quilt, but not just with batiks, but rather use a mixture of fabrics(basically only what I have on hand).  I bought the first add on kit-a set of 6 small 6" blocks in November, but I haven't touched them yet.

October's Block HERE

I am linking up to:
BOM's Away with Lyn @ What a Hoot Quilts

*\o/* Cheers
Shanna

Saturday, December 13, 2014

Mini Madness!



McCall's Quilting has a wonderful series, the videos are free each week they air, so be sure to check them out before they go away HERE  I am super-excited about the idea of using up some scraps by taking part in the mini-creations!  What do you like about mini-quilts?  Are they something you make often?


*\o/* Cheers
Shanna

Monday, December 8, 2014

Modern Building Blocks of the Month

This is Fig Tree's Lovely Version (Source)
My local Quilt Shop started up their yearly BOM which for them starts in October.  This year I signed up for the Third Thursday BOM (they have 2 others, First Saturday BOM and 3rd Saturday BOM).  I have to admit that I told myself I wasn't going to do it, this year I planned to get caught up on all the BOM's that have come before.  BUT then I happen to be at the LQS when they were presenting the upcoming BOM clubs and I caved.  Its easy to talk myself into it and my daughter certainly didn't help by telling me she liked this particular quilt for me.

The plan is that I will get 12 blocks, patterns with fabrics for the club sign-up fee of $5.  Well that is if I bring my finished block back each month, show it and then I receive the next block for free.  They plan to sell the little blocks in 6 block packs, then the larger blocks by themselves.  I sincerely love Fig Tree Quilts version above, however I am not certain I want to buy the large block kits, so I am considering purchasing the whole pattern itself from the Fat Quarter Shop (HERE). I like the idea of someday making it all with a two-color scrap way like this lovely Red & White set found on the Moda Blog HERE.

October Block their kit:


October Block, My fabrics:


In the meantime, I have decided to make their monthly blocks and then use my own fabrics to make a duplicate block.  Just to give you more eye-candy, check out the quilting on a finished version of the original quilt HERE

I am linking up to:
BOM's Away with Lyn @ What a Hoot Quilts

*\o/* Cheers
Shanna

Don't forget today starts this year's Giveaway Day @ Sew Mama Sew!!!


Saturday, December 6, 2014

Oh So Colorful...Triangley Finish



Yes, It is finally finished!  I cannot even begin to tell you how long I have been working on this project.  I can tell you what a stretch it was for me to think modernly and not uniformly for once and the super bright colors, oh my!  For this Quilt I started with a set of 6" Charm squares, cut them into triangles and paired them up with a white on white print (also cut into triangles).  The goal was random, modern and to try to get all the rain drops going the same direction--downward.  It is offset with a bright orange swirl fabric and a lime green strip for the binding.  The backing uses the blue fabric with the same swirls, paired with the left over Orange from squaring up the sides (equal sized strips were put on all sides before trimming the offset).  I used a free-motion swirl stitch that was inspired by something I saw on Leah Day's blog, but please don't look too closely, I am not as perfect as her stitchery yet!

I am linking up this week to:

Thank Goodness It's Finished Fridays with Laura @Quokkaquilts
WHOOP, WHOOP Fridays @Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Link A Finish Friday @ Richard & Tanya Quilt
Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts
Needle & Thread Thursday @My Quilt Infatuation



Thanks for stopping by today!

*\o/* Cheers
Shanna

Don't forget Monday starts this year's Giveaway day @ Sew Mama Sew!!!

Friday, December 5, 2014

Color of the Year!

Pantone's color of the year for 2015..drumroll please...Marsala..huh?  I have to admit I wasn't as thrilled about it until I gave it more thought.  It would certainly make a lovely lipstick shade, and so I wonder how we might use it in quilting.


Then I saw this beautiful colorway at Design-seeds yesterday and now I am a fan.  Wouldn't this make a lovely quilt?  What do you think of the Pantone Color for 2015? What have you thought of the previous years' picks?  Did you find yourself focusing on Orchid this year (2014) or Emerald in 2013?

Thanks for stopping by today!

*\o/* Cheers
Shanna

Don't forget Monday starts this year's Giveaway day @ Sew Mama Sew!!!

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Farmer Wife Friday


I have said it for about a year and half, but in 2015 I am going to do it!  Well start it at least!    My plan is to show you what I have completed every Friday until I am done.  I am going to be honest with you, though my goal is to make atleast 1 block every week, there will be weeks I fail this and other weeks where I will be pumping out 6 blocks.  This time I am approaching this as a journey rather than a scheduled plan.  How many of you are going to work on a sampler quilt from a book this next year?  This will all have to wait to start until after the Grand Illusion Mystery is finished!

Thanks for stopping by today!

*\o/* Cheers
Shanna

Saturday, November 29, 2014

Z Moments: Barbie Girl



Z: Mommy! Help!
M:  What's wrong?!!
Z:  I need help
M:  What can I help you with?
Z: Panties!
M:  What?
Z:  Barbies need panties. <pause> Ladies always need panties on...and helmets!

Ziona has recently found my little collection of Barbies and has claimed them as her own.  She is happily playing in her room while I am sewing.  A friend of mine was shocked I would let my daughter play with such things. My opinion is that Barbies are just dolls, they never made me feel inferior about myself, people did that, and I let them.  Barbies took me on adventures (with GI Joe, he always tagged along too) and helped me to think creatively.  I do think though she already has the right idea on the panties!


*\o/* Cheers
Shanna

Friday, November 28, 2014

And So It Begins!


It is that time of year where the streets are filled with cars off to do their Black Friday shopping, it is a big city afterall.  Instead of rushing off to the sales, I am planning to hit Bonnie Hunter's Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt at a run this year!  I WILL GET IT DONE!  Every Friday there will be a clue, every Monday there will be a link up party.  I have taken part two other years and those quilts are not done. However, I do have the Christmas On Easy Street spray basted, it just needs some top stitching and binding!  My hope is that I will be able to work that in before the end of the mystery.  How about you?  Have you checked it out yet?  Just take a  little peek HERE, if you haven't experienced one of Bonnie's Mysteries before you are in for a treat as the community is absolutely wonderful!

*\o/* Cheers
Shanna

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

WIP: Pretty In Pink


This lovely quilt started out as practice blocks for one of my BOM's,  It's set in a simple 9-block with sashing in between.  I am thinking of top stitching it in a meandering flower design.  I better get to work on it!

*\o/* Cheers
Shanna

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Z Moments: Wake-up Call

A bright light hits my sleeping eyes..
"Mommy, wake up! It's sunny!"  a little voice calls out.  I carefully open my eyes to spot Ziona holding my cell phone in my face, the clock reading 6am

"No my darling girl it is not sunny, please go back to bed.." I beg.
"I keep the phone!" she declares as she snuggles into the covers next to me.  A few minutes later I realized that she has unlocked my phone, found the Netflix ap, changed profiles and has started her favorite show.  Not bad for 2.5 years old.

If only her feet could reach the sewing pedal we could get her sewing!  She is already letting me know that she would like the pink hello kitty machine we saw at Target...I love my girl!  We are going to be setting up a design wall of her very own very soon so that she can lay out scraps, play with them and I can sew them together into blocks.  From there we will be making some items for her dollies.

*\o/* Cheers
Shanna

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

WIP: Modern Triangles


Last night I pulled my cutting table to the porch and got this beauty spray basted!  Sunday and Monday I worked on cutting it down to a baby quilt size. I originally put equally sized Orange strips on the outside, but I much prefer the off-set.  I am making this one to sell; it has been my hope to open a little Etsy shop with various hand-made things with my friend.  This year we will get it up and running, even if its just a few items at a time.  I thought we needed to have a pile of things before we could open one up, but we are just going to take it slow, we can each add what we make.  But most of all, I just don't want us to be stressed out about it.

I need to get back to the top-stitching on this one so I can take it with me to a retreat this weekend where I can do the hand-sewing of the binding!

*\o/* Cheers
Shanna

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Plus


This project has been my leaders and enders for months and its really taking shape!  The best part is that I went with a cool colorway so I can keep adding blocks over time from left over fabrics I think might go along with the colors.  Yes I did start out using a bit of fabric from a Kate Spain FQ pack, goodness I can't remember which one, but then came a tad bit of connecting threads and hopefully other fabrics over time.

I augmented my blocks from the pattern to the right.  My blocks are quite a bit smaller as my original plan had been to make a table runner, but I like the idea of having an on-going project, adding blocks over time.  I even contemplated thinking of it as a bread starter where I would just keep making blocks of all colors and break off a certain number to make a quilt from it, but I like keeping them all in the cool colorway now.


*\o/* Cheers
Shanna


Friday, October 31, 2014

My Goodness..It's A Finish!

So I haven't been as prolific in my crafting as I have in other years, motherhood will do that to a person.  I do have for you today a finished project!  I know, I know, it simply hard to believe isn't it?






*\o/* Cheers
Shanna


Thursday, October 30, 2014

Throw-back Thursday!

Here is one of my favorite harvest-time pictures of my Princess Sparrow taken 2 years ago today!


And her first Halloween dressed up like Alice in Wonderland!


I can't believe I made that apron in less than 45 minute!

*\o/* Cheers
Shanna

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Dallas, We Have A Problem!

Well, you may have noticed a slew of posts suddenly hit my blog!  It seems there have been a lot of my post simply going to my "draft" section of my blog instead of posting.  I jumped online today to change the background for the fall season and noticed it was especially light in postings.  I am not certain if it is because I was trying to use the Blogger Ap or if all along I had been only saving rather than posting.  Needless to say, there is now about 5-6 months worth of posts if any of you are curious or have the time!

*\o/* Cheers
Shanna


PS-This is my 401st post!!  Can you believe it?!

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

A Dilemma

di·lem·ma
diˈlemə,dīˈlemə/
noun
  1. a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives, especially equally undesirable ones.
    "the people often face the dilemma of feeding themselves or their cattle"
    synonyms:quandarypredicament, Catch-22, vicious circleplightmessmuddle;More
    • a difficult situation or problem.
      "the insoluble dilemma of adolescence"
      synonyms:quandarypredicament, Catch-22, vicious circleplightmessmuddle;More
    • LOGIC
      an argument forcing an opponent to choose either of two unfavorable alternatives.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To do or not to do, that is the question.  What could I be speaking about?  Why Bonnie Hunter's Winter Mystery quilt Grand Illusions of course!  I always start a project with good intentions, however i wonder if I should be realistic this year?  Last year's Celtic Solstice (above) is still in pieces and the year before's mystery, Easy Street (below) is still a lonely quilt top, a mere flimsy.  Would it be right for me to start yet another project?  Are you planning to join in this year on the mystery?

*\o/* Cheers
Shanna



Saturday, October 25, 2014

The Nesting Place: A Book review



The Nesting Place:  It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful

By Myquillyn Smith (Published by Zondervan)


By the time we will hit our 11th Anniversary this coming spring, my husband and I will be moving into our 6th apartment since we got married.  The first few apartments we had our fair share of boxes, with nothing on the wall.  It was always going to be temporary, eventually we would find a place we could call home; we'd unpack, settle in...but rarely did it happen.  Then we moved practically to another world going from Alaska to Texas, then came babies, there never seemed any time to settle in.  I was greatly unhappy, disconnected from the place I was spending 98% of my time.


This book is not a miracle book, solving all of your problems, but what it does do is give a person permission to make a home right where they are.  Reading the author's experiences, thoughts and suggestions not only quieted that nagging dissatisfaction I was feeling that I needed to wait until I owned a home before I could make a place of my own.  As we embark on our next move in the spring, I have great plans on how I will make the place our home from the start.  I would high recommend this book for those who want to make a home right where they are, even if it might be temporary housing or apartment life.


Some lessons I learned from this book:

1.  To ask questions.  It can't hurt to ask your landlord if you can paint, we learned our current location allows us to if we will just paint it back before we leave.

2.  To make do.  You don't need to have a fancy magazine spread for a living environment, you can make do with things found on Craig's list, resale shops, garage Sales, or even repurpose things for alternative jobs from your own collection.

3.  Make space.  Sometimes clearing the space, getting rid of items that can be sold, traded or given away will help you obtain money or space for your ideas.

*\o/* Cheers
Shanna

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255  <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Z Moments: Mother Sometimes Knows Best!

This morning was a tough one, a little hand waking me up at about 3 o'clock in the darkness. Someone wanted to snuggle up between my husband and I; they were not being very gentle or quiet about it either.  Mr. Sparrow was completely out, taking up a good portion of the bed, I knew that there just wouldn't be a comfortable spot for my little Sparrow, but she insisted!

She flipped.
She flopped. 
She rolled and sprawled, trying to find the perfect sleeping spot.

Little sparrow was grumpy a couple hours later when I finally convinced her that her bed was the perfect location she was seeking.  When the Sun was shiny, awake, and clamoring for its position in the sky, the little sparrow awoke, bouncing with more energy than a person ought to have for such a sleepless night.  An early nap, I told her would definitely be in store..

" No mommy, I don't need to rest!" she declared in her mighty voice.

"Just sit here a moment in this chair with your covers, your pillow, your favorite drink.  Can you do that for me?"  I asked in my most calm voice.

"Yes...but I will not rest!" She declared once more.  I turned away to load the dishwasher, hoping she had stayed put, I turned back to see this a few minutes later:


A little more than two hours later this:


Sometimes, a Mother does know best!

*\o/* Cheers
Shanna

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Monday, September 22, 2014

Design Wall Monday


Here is a project that I have been slowly working on since May.  I got sidetracked with graduation, then dealing with the miscarriage, but now I am back on track again, I hope.

This is a commission piece, a baby quilt for a lady from church who asked me to make it for her niece.  I needed to order more of the white fabric as I did not quite figure the right amount, so imagine white poka-dot printed fabric between the blocks.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

I am linking up to:
Design Wall Monday with JudyPatchwork Times
BOM's Away with LynWhat a Hoot Quilts


*\o/* Cheers
Shanna

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Z Moments: Princess Down..I repeat, Princess Down..

pre-princess almost 2 years ago

My daughter has informed me that hence forth she shall be addressed as "Princess Ziona."

I am not quite certain how it happened exactly, but between the layers of pink on pink , the fluffy dresses, jewels, tiaras, my daughter turned into a...Princess.  I was one of those deluded mothers-to-be who specifically requested no pink for baby showers, who thought that she could avoid the too girlie world of princesshood, but alas I was wrong.  When a girl is a princess down in her soul, there is not much a mommy can do about it but try not to overly sigh, and keep eye-rolls to a minimum.

But, Princess or not, she still has to take a nap!



*\o/* Cheers
Shanna

Thursday, September 11, 2014

The Thrill of Winning...


A few weeks ago I went to a bunko night at my LQS.  I had never played bunko before and frankly gathering with women made me nervous, but I needed to get out of the house.  Much to my surprise, I won the most amount of games that night!  For this I won a bundle of fabric containing 7 Halloween FQ's!  I also purchase 1.5 yds of the white print and 1 yd of the Green watercolour print (below) to help me make something.  We have no Halloween or fall décor for that matter around our house, so I am excited to get working on a particular project--a pattern testing.



*\o/* Cheers

Shanna

Monday, September 8, 2014

The Things We Love..



Here is my finished Butterfly block, paired along with the first block, it has been packed up for mailing to Jennifer, the next person in the traveling quilt process.  The first block (the bird) started with Yvonne; the themes for her traveling quilt is "things we love".  My daughter told me I should make a butterfly when I asked her what she thought!


*\o/* Cheers
Shanna

Monday, September 1, 2014

Home



Road songs, best songs!  We have come back home safe and sound!  Tomorrow, we are back to the grindstone...

*\o/* Cheers
Shanna

Sunday, August 31, 2014

Coming Out Of My Cocoon


The very hungry caterpillar has been taking a very long time to emerge at my home. The first attempt was a failure,  the second attempt ended its life at scissor-point.

At the last minute when I was packing Thursday,  I dashed into the apartment to grab a container, my machine, a bag of basic supplies and my 3rd attempt. I ended up one 2" square short, but I hope to have this block finished as soon as I get home!



We have enjoyed this long weekend away with family, Ziona most of all has been in delight of time with Grandma, Grandpa, Great-Grandma, Aunt Jana and the cats!


*\o/* Cheers

Shanna