How I am Spending My Summer Vacation ~ Part 3

Getting ready to get Back-to-Sew!

Moving back into my sewing room is going well.

I am still organizing, although I have done some sewing.

Had to make sure my machine was up and running after she moved back in! 

While sorting my  huge stash of fabrics and old magazines and patterns,

I found this gem ...

American Patchwork and Quilting, April 2008, Issue 91

This was a great issue.

I love the cover quilt, which is called "Two of A Kind"

and in featured in the 30's prints l

and also in soft summer batiks.

The pattern is a interesting variation of the Card Trick block.

The cutting and layout makes this an easy sew.

I really want to make this quilt!

I pulled the fabrics in the photo from my 30's stash.

Th fabrics for the blocks and background is the bottom row. 

The top row in the photo shows two possible options for the border and binding,

one red and one blue.

I have not decided which I will use.

Suggestions and opinions always welcome.  

Here is a photo taken about a week ago before I moved my sewing machine back in.

As you can see, my quilty kitties are already enjoying the new digs. 

A lot has been done since then.

Grand Re-Opening of My Sewing Room post coming soon! 

It's a Rainy Scrappy Summer Saturday ...

... a good day to sew! 

I am sewing along today with the lovely people at

Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2018

where it is orange month.

I love orange!

I once used the orange Ninja Turtle as a reason to paint my sons walls a neon orange.
The boys loved Ninja Turtles at the time and orange was the  best match
for the curtains with their comic heroes
when we they got their big boys bunk beds and painted over the colorful cars and trucks that drove across the walls of their toddler years.
I think about those fun years sometimes while I sew.

I made three 6.5" blocks today

including this "transition" block which has other colors.

I have been sewing these 1.5" squares together as leaders and enders
for about a year and a half.

I started this scrap quilt Here for the RSC 2016.

I do have a stack of blocks now ... still not enough for a quilt ...

... someday ... :-)

Christmas In July Blog Hop

Merry Christmas in July Blog Hop! 

I have been having a very wonderful month of July.

It feels like Christmas ... except maybe for the hot summer sun.

I have been swapping gifts:

I made this clowder of kitties for a
Christmas Kitty in July Swap
with a group of online quilty friends.

Here are the kitty swap blocks I  recently received in return.

This cat block pattern is from

The Cat's Meow by Janet Kime

These blocks were hand delivered to me by my friends,
Cherie, Debbieann and Vanessa,
at the Quilt Odyssey show in Pennsylvania
where I went during our vacation.

I have been online friends for many years with these
quilty and kitty loving friends.
It was the first time we all met.
It was a wonderful time.
We exchanged gifts and dined and had a great time together.

I bought the kit for the wool stocking ornament at Quilt Odyssey

My Christmas in July gift to me!

This adorable wool mitten ornament kit with complete pattern and instructions
and an extra scrap bag of wool felt to customize my ornaments.

The  instructions called for using regular sewing thread to stitch
around the decorations on the mittens.
I started to hand stitch these and my hands got tired very easily.

I did also use Heat n Bond Light to attach the cutouts to the mitten.

So I decided to do a machine blanket stitch for this part of the process.

I did manage to hand blanket stitch the mitten pieces together
to form the pocket
and to add the decorative stitches on the cuff.

I am pretty happy with the results!

These can be found online at
Rachel of Greenfields
in Lancaster, PA.

The Lancaster area is a wonderful place for quilters.
So many beautiful shops and quilts to see.

I also did some quilt shop hopping in Lancaster County.

Here at Zooks/Sauders Fabric  I found a ...

... pretty Kitty Christmas fabric for my swap kitties quilt.

My Christmas in July has been wonderful!

I am home from my travels and moving my stuff back into my
Sewing Room Makeover 
but I have not been doing much actual sewing, though.

So this is all I have to show right now.

My you enjoy all the merry

@

Carol @ Just Let Me Quilt


Please be sure to make all the stops today

July 27th

Life in the Scrapatch

Quilt n Party

Days Filled With Joy

Quilt Fabrication

All Thingz Sewn

Just Let Me Quilt

Christmas in my house just would not be Christmas 
without a tree ... 

So ...

Here is my Christmas Tree in July ... ;) 

A Meowy Christmas Tree! 

Maestro, Nutmeg and Katniss say, 

"Have a Meowy Christmas in July Blog Hop!"

How I Am Spending My Summer Vacation ~ Part 2

Here I am at the 

Quilt Odyssey 

show in Pennsylvania

where I met up with my longtime, online quilty friends and 

Stitchin' Sisters,

Cherie from NJ and Debbieann and her daughter, Vanessa, from Ontario, Canada.

Cherie and I met many, many years ago at the old defunct, Block Central Forum.

Then we met Debbieann on the Quilt and Needle Forum.
Vanessa started quilting a few years later and joined our stitchin' sisters group.
It was wonderful to finally meet them!

After the quilt show, hubby and I went on to visit Lancaster County,

Where I quilt shop hopped and found some fabric at 

Zooks/Sauders

and tried

Shoofly Pie at Dutch Haven

and brought home a pie to enjoy. 

Then we went on to see the historical sites at

Gettysburg

There were heavy rains off and on but we were able to tour the battlefield

during a break in the clouds. 

Hubby explored this misshaped and broken canon 

which must have overheated 

when firing during the battle.

It seems so peaceful there,

but it is an eerie, unsettling peace.

A place to honor and remember

How I Am Spending my Summer Vacation ~ Part 3  
~ Coming Soon! ~

How I Am Spending My Summer Vacation ~ Part 1

Time to move back into my sewing room!

Son #2 moved out again.

I will miss seeing him all the time,

but I am happy to move my sewing mess out of my dining room.

Nutmeg is new to this sewing room thing.

She is actually missing my Matty. 

There is one piece of furniture left from my daughter's

youth bedroom set, an old storage/TV unit,

that I will fill with fabric and stuff again.

The shelf ledges used to hold her photos and trophies and treasures.

Soon they will hold my sewing notions.

Maestro is not sure what to make of this either.

We are repainting the walls and ran out of the original gallon of paint.

Time to get more paint.

They are both very curious though.

More photos coming soon!

Nutmeg Says

Nutmeg says, "Good Morning, Mommy!  

Time to work on our new quilt?

I got up before you so I decided to get started."

"Maestro says 'Me, too!'"

"Do you like new arrangement of the blocks?"

"Maestro helped!"

"These fabrics are sew nice and soft and colorful."

"What is the bag of trim scraps for?

Can I play with it?"

"We love to help you, Mommy!"

... signed, Nutmeg <3 

Summer Sewing Progress

7 rows of 7 blocks

This is my progress on my

Kaffe Fassett Jewel Quilt begun Here

I am enjoying the hot and lazy days of summer.

Sometimes I sew.

This is my project of choice at the moment.

Next step:  sewing the sashing strips between the rows.

This pattern is a free download from 

Fat Quarter Shop and Free Spirit and Rowan Fabrics

Jewel Frames Quilt Pattern

Happy Summer Sewimg! 

Happy 4th of July!

Eye of the Eagle Quilt Post Here

Celebrate Freedom!

Have a Safe and Happy 4th of July!

49 Colorful Summer Blocks Done!

The 49 Blocks for my Kaffe Fassett Quilt are done!

These are easy blocks,
8" squares of these big beautiful prints,
 framed with 1.5" strips of the spot fabric
to yield 10" unfinished blocks.

I like to sew the blocks directly to the width of fabric strips.

Cut the blocks apart.

Sewing opposite sides in this manner.

Then press, trim and square each block.

I do like to cut corners and reduce steps,
but I always carefully press, trim and square each unit or block
before sewing them together.

It is well worth the extra effort to make sure my quilt will be square and even.

Another area where I do not cut corners or costs
is with the materials I use ...

like these gorgeous

Kaffe Fassett Fabrics


I sew with only quality fabrics and threads and needles ...

... like this Aurifil Thread and
these Schmetz Chrome
Professional Grade Needles.

I have been using this

Aurifil 2021 Large Thread Cone

for several years.

I buy the large cones,
6,452 yards of 50wt Aurifil 100% cotton thread,
in Natural White.

The wrapped cone pictured is my back-up.

The one on my machine I have been piecing with for over a year.

I also wind my own bobbins with this thread.

These large cones last me least 8 months or more,
depending on how much I sew and the projects 
I am working on.

The Chrome Needles are a wonderful new find.

I have been using only Schmetz needles for years,

but only recently tried the chrome ones when I found them on sale at

Schmetz Needles on Sale

My veteran Janome loves these chrome needles
and runs much smoother and quieter.

Since this was a Notion on the Month Sale,
I stocked up on my favorite sizes and types ...

Schmetz Chrome Microtex Sharp Needle

Schmetz Chrome Quilting Needles

Schmetz Chrome Topstitch Needle


If you want to take advantage of this sale,
do so today as I think the sale on the needles 
may end tomorrow night.

Now that my blocks are done,

I am ready for the next step,

sashing and sewing my flimsy together. 

This pattern is a free download from 

Fat Quarter Shop and Free Spirit and Rowan Fabrics

Jewel Frames Quilt Pattern

Or maybe my quilty muse will want to play with a different project

for a day or two.

Happy Summer Sewing!