See You in October

This beautiful bouquet of fabrics are a birthday gift

from my dear friend,

 Dorian @ Ridge Top Quilts

Dorian knows me so well.

I love Kate Spain fabrics.

Thank you, Dorian!

These lovelies will receive much petting while waiting for the right project.

Today I am packing a few POTC block kits for handwork and some units that I need to finish machine piecing for the Round Robin border that I am working on, and tomorrow I will be off on my great adventure.

See you in October!

Happy stitching!

:)

Maple Leaf Mug Rug Giveaway Winners!

Time to pick the winners of my 

See You in September Giveaway!

 I used the Random # Generator @ Random.org  

to pick the winners of these mug rugs ...

and the winners are 

.

.

.

# 102 Susie QSeptember 5, 2014 at 8:59 AM

I love your Gingham baby quilt really pretty. The coasters and the pussy cats as so cute, thanks for sharing. Susie x

# 108 Connie Kresin CampbellSeptember 5, 2014 at 10:08 AM

Beautiful projects and Happy, Happy Birthday a day early!

# 96 Karen ThurnSeptember 5, 2014 at 1:40 AM

I follow with Bloglovin and also email updates.

# 87 JanaramaSeptember 4, 2014 at 9:43 PM

Oh my goodness, your pinwheel quilt is absolutely stunning! The perfect little quilt for a very beautiful grandbaby. Thank you for the maple leaf coasters which are very pretty. I think I need a set for myself. Hope you have a wonderful day on your upcoming birthday. Happy Birthday to youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!

Congratulations!

An email will is coming your way to ask for your address to send you your new  Maple Leaf Mug Rug!

I will also enclose a copy of my hand-drawn pattern.

Enjoy!

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and left kind comments.

This hop has been a lovely way to end my summer. 

Thanks to 

Madame Samm @ Sew We Quilt

and 

Shari @ Living With A Purpose

for organizing this wonderful blog hop.

Looking forward to cheering from the sidelines for the next hop

and I will be sewing a getting ready for the

Black Cat Crossing Blog Hop

I will be away from my computer for awhile.

May you and yours be well.

Happy stitching!

:) 

A French Courtyard Patchwork of the Crosses Quilt

My new Patchwork of the Crosses quilt fabric!

This fabric line is 

French Courtyard by Riley Blake Designs

These are my birthday gift fabrics.

Red, buttery yellow, gray and off white ...

the colors are personal favorites.

They are so pretty! 

The colors are more vibrant than the photos taken here on my gray day 

in the northeast or the ones on the website may show. 

Plans are to make a 

Patchwork of the Crosses quilt inspired by Lucy Boston

I have made a cutout cardstock viewer to help me determine how to best fussy cut these fabrics for the honeycomb shape.

I learned this "view before you cut" technique from my expert 

Lucy Boston block friend,

Jan @ Sew and Sow Farm

I am putting together a few block kits today to pack with me to sew on my upcoming trip to visit my daughter and grand-darling.

It will take me a long time to hand piece this quilt.

I am happy I have these beautiful fabrics to keep me inspired to keep sewing.

Happy Stitching!

:) 

Stitchin' Sisters Round Robin Update

This is my beautiful RR in the making!

Gina added this wonderful border last month 

and I am just getting to posting this in our

 Online Album Here.

I love this border!

It is the perfect border at the perfect time.

Gina has a knack for this.

In the RR that I am working on Gina added the middle border
of our five rounds and hers is the defining border in the RR.

It provides the focus and turning point in the rounds.

building on the past and turning outward to the last rounds.

In my RR Gina's task was to frame the center 

and prepare the way for the final border.

I think her border is just what my RR needed.

I love sawtooth borders.

 The subtle choice in the paisley and background fabrics 

really lightens this quilt in the making.

It compliments the scrappy snowballs in the previous border 

and points outward to the last frame.

I am really looking forward to this beauty coming home after

my stitchin' sister Annette adds her final border magic.

The last border is always a surprise package

for the owner of the RR.

No pictures are posted until the RR makes it way home.

The excitement is building!

:)

'Tis the Night! ~ Sign Up Now!

T'was the Night!

from

Madame Samm @ Sew We Quilt

and

Marlene @ Stitchin' by the Lake

The gifts will be flying around the world!

If you have never signed up for one of these hops,
I can tell you that it is fun and easy.

The key is commitment ... 

commitment to joining in this heart-warming, world-wide quilting bee,

 commitment to trying something new,

commitment to being organized,

commitment to being present in the hop,

... and most of all ...

commitment to having FUN. 

Hope to see you joining in the hop!

Sign Up Now!

<3

Debbieann's Round Robin is Home!

Debbieann's Finished RR has arrived home!

The last border is these cute paisley kitties and corner hearts.

Cherie made 82 paisley kitties for this border.

Cherie and I were in "Quilty Cahoots."

I sent her some of the neutral green I used to frame my border to frame her kitties and our quilty muses agreed that the black would be a nice final outer frame for this quilt top and the last of the original paisley, enough so she was able to make four kitties for the centers or the sides.

Cherie actually started piecing these kitties in July 

while I had Debbieann's RR and was still thinking of what to add for a border 

so I planned a transition border.

4th Border on Debbieann's RR by Pat

I had originally thought to have orange paisley and a darker multicolored paisley

in my fan blades but felt that a more neutral and restful colors would better highlight the colorful kitties.

I was also in "Quilty Cahoots" with Annette who sewed the border before me.

When I could not decided on the right fabrics for my fan blades with what I had, Annette went fabric shopping for me and sent me a yard to the brown paisley that was in Debbieann's medallion and this worked well.

When I saw Annette's border, I thought "shooting stars" 

which was the inspiration for my border.

3rd Border on Debbieann's RR by Annette

I love these stars "open up" the center squares of this medallion ...

2nd Border on Debbieann's RR by Gina

Gina used the same orange as the border before hers and some of the paisley from the center block for her heart warming border.

1st Border on Debbieann's RR by Triicia

Tricia added the first border to Debbieann's Medallion and introduced the orange as the pop color for this Round Robin.

Orange was a the perfect choice to compliment 

the mossy greens and browns in the center medallion.

Debbiann's RR Medallion

Now this Round Robin has traveled full circle.

 From Canada to the upper midwest to the deserts of Nevada across the the country and up the east coast and home to Ontario, this quilt top in the making has had a fabulous trip and found some companions along the way.

Cherie made one more kitty for the back ...

This is "Emma" 

who is a friend of "TC"

whom Annette made for the back of this quilt.

Debbiann is having this RR custom quilted by her long arm quilter.

Looking forward to seeing the finished quilt!

Enjoy your quilt, Debbieann, 

with love and hugs all around

from your Stitchin' Sisters!

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 

Slow Stitching ~ POTC Blocks

Patchwork of the Crosses Block #2
(in progress)

I am planning to make a table runner with this ...




 ... pretty floral border print and set these blocks on point.

Over the weekend I did some

Slow Stitching

backstitch basting

I have decided to use a single strand of this lovely

Aurifil 12/2 embroidery weight cotton thread

and a large eye embroidery needle.

This is working very well for me with my vision issues and achy fingers.

 I purchased this spool recently at a quilt show from

Follow That Thread

and I will definitely purchase more of this thread.

It is silky smooth and does not twist or tangle.

I plan to hand quilt this quilt and this is my thread of chose.

This was my first block layout.

I played with the pieces a little ...

and decided this will be my 1st POTC Block

I like the floral wreath in the center.

Ladder stitching the honeycombs together.

I sewed the center of my 1st block together on Sunday and will be
hand stitching slowly when I take breaks from my machine sewing.

[ Edit: 9/9 ... I am learning as I go ...
Last night I switched back to a double strand of my 40/2 ply Aurifil quilting thread for sewing the honeycombs together so that my stitches will be finer and less visible.  I am still using the single strand of embroidery weight for basting.

A note about needles ... I use

John James embroidery needles

I have been using John James Needles
for many years and buy them at a nearby shop.
These needles are the best in my opinion as the eyes are easy for me to thread. The eyes are also "de-burred" and I find I am less likely to fray or break threads.]

I am planning to make a table runner with this and set these blocks on point
and frame it with the border print.

I am really addicted to these blocks and as a birthday gift
I have ordered some fabric for a large quilt
and they are on the way to my mailbox.
Photos of these fabrics as soon as they arrive!

Have a happy quilty week!

:)

September ... 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... 4!

1 ... 2 ... 3 ... 4!

Today is #4 of September ...

and I have 3 projects to show you
... and #4 is a Giveaway!

 #1

Prairie Pinwheels Gingham Baby Quilt

This baby quilt measures 43" by 52"
Riley Blake GIngham
Medium Gingham Check for the Squares and outer border and binding
Small Gingham Check for the dimension pinwheels
Kona White Solid for the sashing
Aurifil 2021 50/2 for piecing and 40/2 for quilting

I <3 this quilt!
The prairie point pinwheels stand up for little fingers to grasp.

They even fluttered when the breeze caught them when I took these photos.

Pieced Ladder Quilt Backing

When I saw the Save the Riley Blake Gingham campaign ...

I knew I had the perfect fat quarter pieces in my stash.

Some of these FQs had already been cut into for other projects.
I like scrappy quilts and gingham is a perfect addition to any scrap quilt.
It really draws the eye and says, "Pretty!"

I really do prefer Riley Blake Gingham.
I have used others many time before and this is the best.
I am hoping to have RBG tucked into my fabric drawers for a long, long time
and that they will continue to make this classic fabric so I can keep replenishing my stash.

Prairie Point Pinwheels Closeup

Center of quilt

I like these dimensional pinwheels in a baby quilt
for little fingers to grasp and play.

Here is the top.

I added an outer border of medium gray Riley Blake Gingham.

The binding is aqua medium check Riley Blake Gingham.

Here is the back.

I pieced a ladder back with the extra gingham and sashing strips 

and added a cute ducky print. 

Here is a closeup of the straight line quilting.

This quilt is for my Grand-darling and I will be delivering it to her soon!

My grandbaby girl has been very busy growing this summer.

#2

Patchwork of the Crosses Block!

This pattern is attributed to Lucy Boston.

This is my first ever EPP block!

I bought this as a kit from my friend,

Jan @ Sew and Sow Farm

from her Featherweight Quilt Co Etsy Shop

I followed Jan's Lucy Boston Block Tutorial 
for piecing this block.

I do not know why I did not think I could do this kind of hand piecing.

It is sew much fun!

Butterfly helped.

Katniss helped.

I do have some arthritis in my hands and it is slow going,

but I am finding this so relaxing that I am going to make a quilt!

The center of my block is not a perfect as Jan's precise stitching,
but I am pleased with my first block.
This one will probably be turned into a pillow.

On her Featherweight Quilt Company facebook site 
you can see all the beautiful blocks in Jan's album.

Jan also has a great pictorial showing how she fussy cuts these blocks ...

I have this beautiful floral border print and am planning to make a quilt.
I have fussy cut the first center for my first block.
You will be seeing more of this quilt in progress as I will be doing
a lot of slow-stitching hand-sewing in the next few months.

Click Here for Jan's Fussy Cutting Pictorial

Thank you, Jan, for all your helpful tutorials and your beautiful block kit!


# 3

Maple Leaf Mug Rugs!

Fall is falling!

I love everything about fall.

Fall fabrics and colors are my favorites.

I found how to make these mug rugs when I spent some time
 in the beautiful Green Mountains in Vermont.
At Stowe Fabric & Yarn ,
 a lovely shop tucked on a side street in this picturesque town center,
they had some pretty maple leaf shaped mug rugs.
I <3 Stowe!

Butterfly helped me chose the fabrics.

Online I found this ...

Maple Leaf Mug Mug Rug Pictorial and PDF pattern @ The Quilting Board

Sew I was off and sewing my own maple leaf mug rugs.

Katniss helped.

For the first one I followed the pictorial from the Quilting Board.

It makes a beautifully shaped leaf.

Sew

Batting side

Trim

Cut to shape

Turn right side out and shape.

By the second one I was sewing without the paper.

I cut to size, sandwiched and then sewed.

Works for me!

I did not use the paper pattern for quilting either.

Also, I found the "v" at the bottom a little too tricky for me.

These are very pretty and coaster size.

Then I decided to simplify the pattern and make it a little larger.

I drew and cut my own pattern ...

Feel free to print for your own use.

This shape is actually the one I found in Stowe.

This one is a larger and more mug rug size.

It measures 6" from point to point.

I plan to make larger ones this fall for place mats.

I need some new fall place mats!

I hope you enjoy making some of these, too!

#4

Giveaway Time!

This Giveaway is now closed.

Winners announced HERE

I will select four of these mug rugs and

 send ONE with a copy of the paper pattern
to each of  FOUR of my readers!

I will mail anywhere in the world.

You do not need to be a follower to win.

1st Chance ...

Leave me one lovely comment.

My quilty kitties and I love comments.

You do need to leave an email address where I can contact you to let you know if you are the lucky winner and to get your mailing address.

My blog does not allow anonymous comments to keep away the robots.

If you do not have an ID to leave a comment, you may email me

at the address under "Contact Me" at the the top of my blog 

and I will enter your comment for you.

2nd chance ... 

As a extra thank you to my followers, you may leave an 

additional comment telling me how you follow.

This giveaway closes on

September 16th at Midnight EST

I will use a random number generator 

to choose the winners and 

I will announce the four winners on September 17th!

This Giveaway is now closed.

Winners announced HERE

To enjoy all the beautiful creations today,

visit my bog hop friends:

Thursday, September 4

Jane's Quilting

Life in the Scrapatch (you are here)

Sew Many Yarns

Gracie Oliver Arts

Everyone Deserves a Quilt

Thanks to 

Madame Samm @ Sew We Quilt

and 

Shari @ Living With A Purpose

and to all the lovely quilters participating

and to all my visitors!

I will not be posting a tutorial for this quilt.

I am working on writing up the pattern and will be looking for testers.

Hopefully soon!

Did you know I am a September Girl?

My birthday is Sept 6th!

I am turning 62 with my best days ahead of me.

September has always been a month of change for me.

It is a time of new beginnings in the scrapatch ...  :)

Edit Sept 6th:  Linking up  with
Weekly Inspiration @ Nini & the Sea

<3