9.14.2010

Brown Bag Fabric Exchange & CHALLENGE!

... I know what your thinking ...
"ANOTHER PROJECT?!" ... what the heck? lock her up and throw away the key! ...
but,
really, this is an attempt to get rid of some of MY stuff ... and share it, and get inspired at the same time!
check it out...
(A politically correct "Ugly Quilt" contest)



9.12.2010

Seams to Be Sew ~ Give Away!

So,
i was taking a break from moving into my STUDIO space, looking at all my UFO's and stopped in at Lana's @ It seams to be Sew! 's site for inspiration ... and I'll be stopping back when my room is done! ...

8.13.2010

what's on my design wall Today ... uhm, yesterday!

well, tonight i took these blocks to the KCMQG meeting ... the top 8 are for 4 different quilts for the NICU unit at St. Lukes.  ~ the bottom 4, left are for Andrea for our Scrappy Bee, the Virtual Swap I'm having fun with! ...

8.01.2010

KC "ALL THAT JAZZ" Quilters Shop Hop

OOPSs! i did it again! ... the shop hop.
First, i Forgot my camera THEN, but tried to compile a bit of my findings!
Second, it's taken me forever to get them loaded etc.... the Hop was in APRIL 2010! ... crazy stuff. ( i tried to group my collections by 'shops' but, sadly am not accurate. oh well.*some of it's in hiding, cuz it's going into gifts!) ...  What i love about the KC hop, is that at each shop you get not only a quilt pattern, but also a CHARM! i love that ... (photo of my past year bracelet to follow! ...later)

I got off work Friday? and remembered, SHOP HOP... stopped to pick up my passport, CHARM and BOM (Block of the Month) ... THEN, realized if i hit all the green lights, i could make it to Harper's, and pick up my prepaid "Jazz" fabric! ... Next morning, Saturday ... DH said, what the heck, let's go to a couple more, it's a beautiful day.... and Viola... we made it to all but one store.  We got to Rustic Yearnings just as they were locking the doors, took my passport, but of course they were out of charms.  Still, pretty darn good for being SPONTANEOUS!  





MY ROUTE:
  1.  Prairie Point ~ where i picked up my "Jewels" Block Party: BOM! (Batik!) *etc
  2. Harpers ~ where i picked up my "All that Jazz" Special fabric! (*etec!)
  3. Quilters Haven ~ where i caved in a got addicted to Charm Packs ...
  4. Quilters Paradise ~ Wizard of Oz! embroidery patterns, etc, etc, *etc!) I confess, we found some cool stuff in Baldwin City, and DH learned that "fine, you get to go to the quilt shop, i get to go into the antique shop" ... equals DANGER!!! ... he helped me pick out fabric, and i found TWO antique sewing machines! (i have to get photos of those, they are SO very COOL! ... he left scratching his head, "how did that happen" ??? well, i just don't know!?
  5. Overbrook Quilt Connection ~ where i found a cool kit, Ovarian awareness fabric, "DOG" panel *etc
  6. Stitching Traditions, Topeka ~ Hand dyed Ribbons, *etc! and, some **ugly fabric**
  7. Stitch On Needlework, Lawrence~ where i found some great batiks ... (*fat quarters and then some!)
  8. Quilters Quarters, Leavenworth ~ we got lost in the dark on the back roads, and called them - they kindly stayed open for us - my brain was fried, but we found some cool stuff for sure!!!
  9. Peddlers Wagon, Parkville ~ my son even found some fat quarters for HIS quilt!
  10. Rustic Yearnings ~ where it was probably a blessing in disguise they were locking up, i get in "trouble" there ... (but i have way cool stuff from there from before!) 
GOOD GOLLY, I NEARLY FORGOT! ... While in Parkville... we went to two of our favorite places: one was closed, -sadness, as they often are when i want them to be open: Florilegium , i'm in LOVE with that place!!!  The other, H.M.S Beagle - i FUN science shoppe! .... i got some groovy stuff to make NATURAL hand dyed fabric!!! i've not done that for awhile! *sigh* i wish i were there!

7.31.2010

leaders & enders

Once upon a time, with my Prime Time Quilt group (Az), we did a 2" fabric swap (everyone brought x amt of 2" strips [dark/med/light] and while we chatted we chopped our squares... then we divided them into BIG paper grocery bags - by lt. med dark - shook them like powdered donuts, proceeded to pass those babies around and grabbed a handfull of each until they were all gone.) ... Of course, while we chatted...
[can you believe some women in the group actually rushed and finished their quilts? our challenge was to mak 9-patches. Theirs turned out fabulous, but now i bet their bored, right? poor things.]

Fast Forward:
... it dawned on me that i could use it use those squares that i'd been saving ... for a rainy day project... for "leaders/enders" ... (i was already 'saving thread' by using scraps to start/stop when i'd start/stop while piecing)  ... WHAT A CONCEPT!

Well, it turns out, i'm not the only one doing this ... and there are even books published! duh. Great minds think alike ... "Adventures in Leaders & Enders, more quilts in less time"  and then, almost moments after i had my ah-ha moment (ok. i ran out of scrap and remembered the squares) ... i went to the KCMQG meeting and Carla - is also an over-achiever ;o) ... has finished quilts! and shared them and her style during the meetings "ten minute tip" !!!! exciting stuff.  If only i'd thought of that first...!

k. i'm off to make more 'scrap' ... later.