Paganini...

For a long time I saw Schnibbles quilts popping up all over the internet and I thought how cute they were, but I was slow to hop on that bandwagon.  Now I wonder why I waited so long.  They're so much fun to make, don't require a lot of fabric and they're quick as well!  SO many of my projects take years to complete that it's refreshing to finish a quilt (or the top at least) in a couple of days.

One of my latest Schnibbles quilts is Paganini.  I used Shangri-La by 3 Sisters (love this fabric!)  It's an older line of theirs from around 2009 or so.

Paganini Version 1

This pattern actually has 4 versions.  I picked the first one with the scalloped border.  To be honest, I've never done a scalloped border before.  It took me quite a while to get it just right.  First I drew it using a Frixion pen that disappears when you iron it.  Once I had the lines just right, I traced over them with a permanent pen.  Once I've quilted this, I'll cut on the lines and bind it.

Scalloped border drawn on

I was also fortunate to find some ready made bias binding out of the Shangri-La fabric on the internet.  What are the chances?  I couldn't believe my luck.  I'm not that fond of making bias binding and now I don't have to!

Shangri-La Bias Binding

I went ahead and made the backing for this quilt as well.  I had some left over charm squares, so I made some extra blocks and put them on the back.  I can use the middle one for the label once it's been quilted (sometime in the far distant future of course).

Backing for this quilt

Although I've been getting up early to quilt each morning, Gabriel isn't finding herself as energetic.  She manages to drag herself upstairs to the sewing room sofa before she falls right back to sleep.  That's OK though.  I know when the weather turns warmer, she'll be pestering me to take her to the park as soon as the sun is out.

Gabriel on her sofa

Until later...

Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing. 

Proverbs 12:18 (NLT)

J is for Jingle Bells...

Although this block has been done for a little while, I hadn't yet gotten around to sharing it.  This is the 9th block in the Snowmen A to ZZZZ quilt by Crabapple Hill Studios.

J is for Jingle Bells

The next block is a double one for K and L.  I'm finding my lap full of kitties at night, so I'm not making a lot of progress on it.  They're warm and snuggly though so I don't mind!

Closeup of J Block

Here's another one who wants to snuggle a lot now that the weather has turned colder...

Gabriel

Until later...

Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. 

Psalm 25:5 (NLT)

My sewing buddy...

Recently, I had some family come to visit.  My niece is on summer vacation and she came to play for a week with her favorite Aunt (coincidentally her only one).  While I worked on my Leap Year quilt, she was busy working on her very first quilt, a recent birthday gift from her Uncle.

My temporary sewing buddy

The kit is a beginner quilt kit from Connecting Threads and has the softest flannels in it.  I did all the rotary cutting (because she's still a little too young to do it on her own), but she helped organize and label all the fabric.  She also sewed every piece in the first couple of rows together by herself.  (We practiced on some scrap fabrics to get the hang of the quarter inch seam first.)  She did all of the pressing by herself too.

My niece ironing her quilt

We only had time to do the first couple of rows.  She still has 4 more to put together and a border.  Now that she's back home, she has Grandma to help her out with the rest of it.  Perhaps if she enjoys quilting as much as her Grandma and I do, we might have to see about getting her her own sewing machine in the future.  She certainly did a much better job with her quarter inch seam than I did when I started quilting!

Her quilt in progress

We were so busy during her visit here with exercising and shopping and sewing and swimming and so many other things that I think she was just exhausted.  Gabriel has also been on a new exercise regimen and has been extremely tired too.

Aren't they just adorable together?

Until later...

Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding. 

Proverbs 3:13 (NLT)

Family Portraits...

Recently, my family got together to take portraits.  It was a gift for our parents 40th wedding anniversary.  Mr. Quilting Bug and I also had some shots taken of us with Gabriel.  Kudos to our photographer, because it's definitely not easy to photograph a dog who's far more interested in her four-legged friends than smiling for the camera.  Fortunately, at least a few of her pictures turned out.

Mr. Quilting Bug, myself and Gabriel

However, others didn't look quite so good.  They perfectly capture the essence of Gabriel though!

Just look at that tongue!

We also got some other family groupings.  I especially love this one with three generations of the women in our family.

My sister, my mother, my niece and myself

Our photographer is Anna-Rebekah Orr, a dear neighbor of ours.  We really feel she did a great job with all of us.  We took the pictures at a local park - one that Gabriel and I walk in most days.  Hence, she spent far too much time looking for friends when she should have been paying attention!  I would certainly love to have some pictures of us with the cats one day, but I don't think there are strong enough tranquilizers on the market for that to happen.  (In case you're wondering, the drugs would be for the cats.)

Until later...

Everything on earth has its own time and its own season. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (CEV)

Gabriel Jr...

I love where we live.  Every so often, Mr. Quilting Bug tries to convince me that we should move, but I really don't think we could find a better place to live.  The other night was a perfect example of this.

First some background.  We celebrate May 8th as Gabriel's birthday.  It's really the anniversary of the day I found her by the side of the road.  The vet thought she was around a year old, so we adopted it as her official birthday.

Gabriel and her ball

On the evening of this birthday, Mr. Quilting Bug and I were outside on the deck with Gabriel.  We had been playing a little bit of ball with her, but were mostly just sitting and talking.  He suddenly noticed something going underneath our deck (we're pretty high off the ground) and thought it was a deer.  We're quite used to seeing a dozen or so deer in the yard each night, but this was unusual.  When we went down to check it out, we saw a deer in the process of giving birth!  I have never seen anything so amazing (and a little bit gross at the same time).

We didn't want to upset her, so we took Gabriel and went back inside.  Unfortunately, when we looked for them later, they were gone.  We prayed she had a safe delivery, but didn't see either mother or baby around. However, in honor of the baby being born on Gabriel's 'birthday', we named it Gabriel Jr.

Fast forward 10 days later when I was lying down with a bad headache.  The exact moment that I got up, I saw the tiniest baby deer enter our yard and lay down in front of our bedroom window.  There's no doubt that it's Gabriel Jr.  S/he stayed for about half an hour before leaving.  I'm sure mom was close by, but I didn't want to go outside and scare either of them.  This isn't the greatest picture as I had to take it from inside the house.  To give you an idea of proportion, this deer is about the size of my 22lb cat, but with much longer legs.

Gabriel Jr - 10 days old

I haven't seen either of them since, but I was glad to see that the baby was healthy.  I just love where we live!

Until later...

God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. 

Matthew 5:8 (NLT)

Stash Report Week #7...

February 19 - 25, 2012

(Warning: I'm very wordy today!)

Wow, what a week!  Not in terms of quilting though.  Very little happening on that front right now.  I am trying to finish my February Schnibbles quilt, but haven't had much time to work on it.

I traveled out of town last Sunday.  It was just a day trip and the weather was pretty bad.  Monday and Tuesday were spent preparing for another trip - getting the shopping done and the house cleaned and other such errands.  I was supposed to leave for the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival on Thursday, so of course, the dog came down with a bug on Wednesday.  And by bug, I mean a bad case of diarrhea.  A really bad case.

There was no way I could leave her alone in the house while I went on a trip, but Mr. Quilting Bug was really sweet and said he would stay home with her.  He also wasn't feeling too hot.  Then on the way home from work Wednesday night, he was in a car accident.  Praise God he's OK!  Although the car didn't fare as well. I really prayed about whether or not God was telling me to stay home, but didn't feel that was the case.

However, while I was gone, Mr. Quilting Bug informed me first that he was sick with a cold and second that we had to go car shopping this weekend.  Ughh!  We had planned to buy a new car in a couple of years, but I definitely wasn't prepared for it so soon.  We spent the entire day Saturday car shopping.  It was stressful and I was worried about making a huge mistake.  However, we finally purchased one, got a great deal and I'm pretty happy with it.  I'm also praying that it lasts me for the next 10 years!

In the end, I'm glad I went to the show.  I was really impressed with the quilts this year.  I'll show you some of my favorites in another post.  I was there both Thursday and Friday.  There were SO many vendors there as well.  Probably 3 times more space was occupied by the vendors as opposed to the quilts.  Like the dutiful shopper I am, I made my way very carefully through them.  And after 2 days, this was the sum total of my fabric purchases...

Fabric purchases from the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show

I bought the little bundles of pink and blue 6" squares to use on my Ladies of the Sea quilt.  The FQs of Little Gatherings is for a lap size quilt I have planned.  The thread is Kimono 100# silk thread.  I've heard some good things about it and want to try it out.  So that's a total of less than a yard.  I'm surprised I bought so little fabric.

I did make a few other purchases at the show.  I bought a couple of Creative Grids rulers.  I'd like to slowly replace my existing rulers with these, because I think they're so much easier to use.  Of course, the key words are slowly replace.  These rulers are definitely not cheap!  It was almost $40 for just the two.  If anyone knows of a great place to purchase these online, please let me know...

New Creative Grids rulers

I also picked up a few more purse stabilizers.  These are great for the bottoms of bags, much sturdier than using cardboard.  I do plan to make some more bags/purses in the future, although I don't know when I'll get around to it.

Bag bottoms

My big purchase during the show was some thread.  They had a great deal on So Fine thread.  I like to use this when I'm quilting on my frame.  I also picked up the color charts to order more if I need it.

New threads for the quilting frame

I did have a great time at the show, but I was surprised by a few things.  Most of what I was looking for, they didn't have this time.  There were tons of Fqs and lots of Civil War and novelty fabrics.  There were very few Charm Packs, Jelly Rolls or Layer Cakes and most of those were older lines of fabric.  Fabric prices were also much higher, which I did expect.  The cheapest I saw FQs for was $2.85.  I had hoped to pick up some of the Blueberry Crumb Cake or Rouenneries Deux  fabric, but didn't see a scrap of it there to purchase.  But like I said earlier, there were some gorgeous quilts!

So back to the Stash Report...
Purchased-this-week: .75 yards
Used-this-week: 0 yards
Purchased-to-date: 5.5 yards
Used-to-date: 17.5  yards
Net used: 12 yards

I'm still hopeful that I can finish my Schnibbles quilt by the end of this month, but I'll have to work on it a lot over the next couple of days.  We'll see if it works out or not.

By the way, Mr. Quilting Bug is quickly recovering from his cold and poor Gabriel is also on the mend.  Although she still looks pitiful, she no longer has the screaming meemies...

Gabriel, recovering from her tummy bug

Until later...

Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. 

Psalm 105:1 (NLT) 

Blessed sunshine...

It's been unseasonably warm here in North Carolina this winter.  Today's temperatures were almost 60 degrees and we should hit 70 by Wednesday.  The pets have been taking advantage of the bright spots of sunshine in the house to do some sunbathing (aka napping).

Sam in the sun room.

Jack in the sun room.

David in the living room.
(It's hard to tell, but he's also in a spot of sunshine.)

Gabriel in the bedroom.

Moses is the only one who didn't follow along.  She'd much rather have her privacy than bask in the sun.  She loves napping behind this little pillow.

Moses in the bedroom.

I hope your enjoying some nice weather wherever you are!

Until later...

“You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” 

Psalm 16:11 (NLT)

Stash Report Week #49...

December 3 - 10, 2011

I've skipped the last couple of Stash Reports, but only because I had absolutely nothing to report.  I didn't buy any fabric or do much sewing.  However, this week saw a nice package from the Fat Quarter Shop come in.  I had a gift certificate from my quilt bee  (love you ladies!) and some Christmas money from my parents (love you too!) that I used to buy some fabric I'd been wanting.  And get this, it was all on sale!

First, I bought 12 yards of this Jovial fabric to use as the backing for 2 quilts.  I already had all the fabric I needed for the quilts except for the backing.  I sure hope I can actually get these made in time for next Christmas, because I obviously missed the boat on this one...

Jovial fabric to use for backings

I also picked up some fabric that I need for my Baltimore Halloween and Over the River and through the Woods quilts.  I only needed 1.5 yards for the Halloween quilt to use in the border.  I knew I'd used a Moda Marble in the rest of the quilt, but didn't know exactly which one.  So I guessed!  And fortunately, I was right (love when that happens).  I also bought 1.25 yards of Primitive Muslin Pie Crust to use for the background for the embroideries on the second quilt.  I love the slightly mottled look to this line.

Moda Marbles Sweet Off White and Primitive Muslin Pie Crust

That's all the fabric I bought, but I have to show this pattern I picked up.  I've been eyeing it for a while, but resisted buying it until I saw it on sale.  This is another Crabapple Hill Pattern.

New Crabapple Hill Pattern

I  know I'm not going to start on it for at least 6 months, but it's definitely one I want to make!

As for what I used, it's not much.  I've been working on my Winter Wonderland blocks, but won't count the fabric until the top is done.  Other than that, I made a few quilt blocks to donate which maybe used a quarter yard...

Donated Kansas Troubles Blocks

So...
Purchased-this-week: 14.75 yards
Used-this-week: .25 yards
Purchased-to-date: 396.25 yards
Used-to-date: 513 yards
Net used: 116.75 yards

In case you didn't know, the Fat Quarter Shop is starting their 12 Days of Christmas sale on Monday.  I have some Christmas money that I've set aside especially for this sale.  There are several fabric lines I have my eye on (American Banner Rose, Panier de Fleurs, Rounneries Deux) and I'm hoping some of them go on sale!

A sleepy Gabriel

Until later....

Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. 

1 Peter 3:15 (NLT)

Forward momentum...

I'm having some trouble sleeping tonight and thought this would be a good opportunity to write a post.  I've been having trouble finding the time (and interest) lately, but hopefully that's finally changing.

On Friday, I set aside some time to quilt and made a few more blocks for my Winter Wonderland quilt.  I finished half of the blocks for this quilt back in August, but haven't had a chance to work on it since then.  These first 2 blocks are your basic Pinwheels and finish at 6"...

6" Blocks #6 & 9 - Pinwheel

I planned the cutting of the background fabric to make sure the stripes all go in the same direction.  (For some reason, if they go any which way, it bugs me.)  The background fabric in these blocks is a homespun, which is a bit more challenging to sew with.  It likes to stretch and distort on me, but as long as I'm careful, I can usually make it behave.

I also made another 9" block called Martha Washington's Star.  It's basically another Pinwheel surrounded by Flying Geese.

9" Block #17 - Martha Washington Star

That brings the total number of blocks done to an even 20.  I have another 14 to make using several different fabric combinations.  I already have 2 of them cut out; I just need to find the time to sit down and sew them.  Hopefully soon though!

On a personal note, I was wondering (for those of you who have indoor pets), do you find them napping in your bed all the time?  Especially with the colder weather, mine seem to congregate there for most of the day.  Just curious if this is the norm or if mine are particularly spoiled?  They do love the sunshine that comes in these windows most of the day.

Jack, Sam, Moses and Gabriel napping in bed

Until later...

With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation! 

Isaiah 12:3 (NLT)

A sewing day...

A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to get together with a good friend for a day of sewing and fellowship.  To be honest, we did a lot more of the latter than the former.  I had a bunch of small tasks I was hoping to complete and my friend was trying to finish the smocking on a dress.  She makes a gown whenever someone she knows is expecting a baby.  I've never tried smocking, but she does beautiful work...

Smocking along the top and sleeves

I had hoped to piece the backing for this king-size quilt and to load another one on the frame.  I've never had so much trouble sewing a backing together before.  It's a pretty simple process - cut 3 pieces of fabric and sew them together along the long sides.  It must have taken me 2 hours to finish it, because for some reason, I was all klutzy about it.

Loading another quilt on the frame took just as long too.  First, I thought the backing fabric wasn't large enough, so I add a piece to it.  However, when I finally got it loaded, I discovered it was the right size to begin with - I just couldn't add correctly!  By the end of the day, I did manage to get it to the point where I can start quilting on it.  This one is intended to be a gift for my brother-in-law for Christmas...

Another quilt loaded on the frame

Other than a small amount of handwork at night, I haven't had a chance to do any other quilting for the last 2 weeks.  This is mainly because I had some minor surgery a week ago and the recovery has severely limited my ability to do anything other than rest.

I remember thinking before the surgery how much I would enjoy being able to rest and relax while I was recovering.  However, for someone who is always on the go, I'm finding the enforced downtime to be more difficult than I anticipated.  Hopefully this won't last too long and things can get back to normal!

Some members of the family are really enjoying the downtime and having me home all day...

Jack, Gabriel and Sam (in the background)

Until later...

But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me. 

Psalm 13:5-6 (NLT)

Under the Sea...

I'm excited to report that I've finished another quilt!  This latest one also happens to be my very first Schnibbles quilt.  I've been wanting to make one for a while, but it always seemed like other things had precedence.  The pattern for this one is called Cindy Lou Who.

"Under the Sea" Schnibbles Quilt

Although this was my first, it won't be my last.  I have several other Schnibbles patterns that I look forward to making.  I found Carrie Nelson's instructions to be clear and easy to understand.  These patterns are also Charm Pack friendly quilts.  I used 2 Charm Packs of Odyssea by MoMo along with some Kona White to make the center of this quilt.  In fact, I had enough charm squares left over to make a label and a little pouch bag...

"Under the Sea" Label

Storage Pouch made with leftover charm squares

I spray basted this quilt with a (new to me) temporary basting spray that I got from JoAnn's.  (Sorry, but I can't recall the name.)  It's only supposed to hold for 2-5 days before disappearing, but I found that it wasn't quite strong enough.  While doing some straight stitching, the fabric shifted in a couple of places and I had to take it out and re-do it.  Live and learn though!  From now on I'll stick with my 505 Spray for such tasks.  I also used my trusty painter's tape to mark straight lines...

Marking quilting lines with painter's tape

Because the fabric has a nautical theme, I used my embroidery machine to quilt anchors and such on it.  I ended up re-hooping the quilt 34 times to get all the embroidery on it, but I think it really fits with the fabrics...

Hooping the quilt for embroidery

Embroidering in the border

Quilting from the backside

I'm estimating that it took me twice as long to quilt this as it did to piece it, but now that it's done, I think it was worth it.  That's usually the case for me.  I generally enjoy piecing more than quilting, but I'm always happy when I put forth the effort to really finish a quilt.

Closeup of the quilting

Another closeup of the quilting

So, here are the stats for this quilt:

• Size: 32" square
• Fabrics: 2 Charm Packs of Odyssea, Kona Cotton White, Batiks from my stash for the border, backing and binding
• Batting: Warm &White
• Thread: Aurifil (piecing and quilting), Invisible Thread for some quilting
• Pattern: Cindy Lou Who by Carrie Nelson
• Quilting: Stitched in the ditch, cross-hatching and embroidery (34 times)
• Started: October 11, 2011
• Completed: October 27, 2011
• Recipient: Nicki Lee from The Twelve of Us

I'm glad to have finished this little quilt and am really pleased with how it turned out.  It's fun to work on a project that doesn't take a tremendous amount of time and is quick to put together.  Now back to working on that king-size quilt!  (Also fun, but a bit more time consuming!)

I managed to take this rare picture of Gabriel and David napping together.  Aren't they adorable?

Gabriel and David - napping in the sun

Until later...

A generous man will prosper and he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.  

Proverbs 11:25 (NIV)

Just dropping in...

This is just another quick post to say I'm still here - alive and well.  Truthfully, Mr. Quilting Bug and I are still recovering from the renovations of our Master Bedroom.  I spent 6 hours yesterday applying energy saving window film to all of the windows in there and I hope not to step on another ladder for at least a month!  On the positive side, I haven't had to do any lunges for at least a week.

Current state of the bedroom

I'm not sure if it's because of the new paint color or that we don't have window coverings up yet or because of the furniture arrangement, but the bedroom feels twice as big as it used to.  Which is nice, because it used to feel kind of cluttered.  Now it feels huge!

Because of all the time spent on the renovation, I haven't done any quilting for over a week (except for a small bit of hand applique at night).  Last I left it, I had trapuntoed the Dresden Plates on this table runner and just started quilting them...

Backside of the Festivities Table Runner

I'm going on a quilt retreat next week to Williamsburg where I hope to finish quilting this and work on a quilt for our bed.  My blogging will probably continue to be sporadic as I have a bunch of household tasks that have piled up and I'm also trying to get ready for the retreat.  But hopefully things will return to something more approaching normal after I return!

I think all the pets would prefer for us not to put up any type of window coverings.  They're all enjoying the large spots of sunshine they let in...

Gabriel napping in the sunshine

Until later...

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 

1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)