Utensils and Orange Juice with Cups

I have now caught up with the Quiet Play Kitschy Kitchen BoM! I did have some problems but it always amazes me how paper piecing comes together - I am so addicted. The fabric selections are not perfect but I wanted the vintage look without running out and buying more fabric. My stash is it, and coming up with something that is half way workable really takes time, it is the hardest part and the most disappointing part too. I hope this quilt look consistent and flows once it is all put together. I am leaning toward a yellow sashing that I have "in stash" - What do you think?

Here is a link to Quiet Play Flicker Group

This is the sashing fabric I am thinking of,

What do you think?  

Here is a link to my Flicker page - if you have one, please send me a link, I would love to see your work. I find so much inspiration in all the talent we quilters share. 

I hope your day is going well.

Take Care,

Jules

Retro Radio Block

In keeping up with Sew Kitschy kitchen quilt I finally got around to the Retro Radio block. I made it a bit larger than the pattern as I am thinking I would like a full size quilt and not a wall hanging so I will probably choose three more of Quiet Plays blocks from her Etsy store and make the whole thing larger. I am going to embroider the "speaker holes" too, details always add to a block. There are a few of the radios on the Flicker Group -

Tulips

Another paper pieced block - tulips. The background reminds me of a Van Gogh painting. This is another of Janeen's blocks from Quilt Art Design - In The Garden. Here is a link to the Flicker Group she runs. 

12" x 12"

Thanks for stopping by,

Jules

Beautiful Bird Block

I was really excited to get some time to work on some of my In The Garden BoM's that I am behind on. Janeen of Quilt Art Design offered this beautiful bird block. I think I honestly must have spent over 6 hours on it. I find paper piecing "sophisticated" and challenging. This block while finishing at 12" square has way over 140 pieces in it. 

I am very happy with the way it has turned out. I was a bit afraid about the background print, whether it would be too busy but I took a chance as it reminded me of the wind. With the bright colors of the bird heads I think you can distinguish the birds fine. If anything the leaves should have been darker.

You can see more on her Flicker Group

Here are four of the blocks I have finished      

STOP HOARDING AND ORGANIZE

I have been hourding scraps ever since I started quilting 4 years ago. I keep throwing scraps under my sewing table in this plastic bin. Needless to say it is over flowing and in need of attention. Before starting the birds above I decided enough is enough and if I organized this bin I could come up with some fantastic fabric for it without cutting into yardage.

Now that is nice and easy to find pieces by color. I should have done this awhile ago.

ALSO SOME CUTE PRESENT BLOCKS

Catching up on the Riley Blake Party Quilt - here are the presents ready to open. Easy pleasy block - mindless sewing

Tonight is the Orange County Quilters Guild meeting. I finished putting the binding on my Amish quilt last night so I can bring it for Show and Tell. Having a reason to finish - really helps me get motivated. 

Freemotion by the River Linky Tuesday

I am a WINNER!! The Row By Row Experience 2014

The Row By Row Experience 2014

The Row By Row Experience is a collaborative effort of 1200 stores in the USA. Each store offers a free row pattern. If you put together eight of them and are the first one to bring a completed row quilt into one of the participating stores - you win!. I AM A WINNER.

Last Thursday I called the Orange Sewing Bee and asked if anyone had claimed the prize yet - none had. So I thought I had a chance at it still. The first time Quilters Garden had longarms available was this morning - I scheduled the time and quilted it this morning, ran home and bound it.
I drove immediately over to the Orange Sewing Bee - but ahhh shucks someone actually turned one in yesterday at 1:00. With the speed of an electric seam ripper I called The Flying Geese in Tustin and asked. They told me no one had claimed the prize yet, I told them I would be there in ten minutes And here is my prize - 25 personally selected fat quarters.. aren't they beautiful. I also got a $20.00 gift certificate.

I will not buy any more fabric - but.... there is a sale. Oh no!

M&L Fabric July Sale

Oh no, not this again. M & L Fabric in Anaheim has great prices and a huge selection. For 12 days in July everything in the store is 20% off. They have a huge section of the store they call "The Stacks" the fabric is $3.44 per yard, take off 20% and you have $2.75 per yard. I went by there last Sunday and the line for check out was all the way down the middle of the store and looping through the isles to the b

ack of the store. I left in hope of going back at a time when less customers were there.

This sale is a great time to pick up fabric for backing and stash.

Here is what I ended up buying. The green on the left is going to be the backing of the command car quilt. (Always thinking forward)

Here is my assistant helping me home from the sales. He is so helpful!

Sew glad you stopped by.
Have a great day!

Jules

A Few Finishes! YEA!

A few finishes. I really want to start on a new quilt but I have told myself that in order to do that, finish what you have started! I have been taking that to heart and I have finished 2 more quilts almost completely - still need labels. My "Tonga Rhapsody", my second quilt ever,  that was started in the Spring of 2011 and my Aiming for Accuracy Pink and Brown quilt started early 2013. Both quilted and bound. I have machined sewn the binding onto my Amish quilt so all is left is to hand sew and label. It feels good to have a few finishes as these things just hang on and on.  It seems unless I have a deadline... well, I don't finish because I enjoy starting new things more than completing an old project. 

I have a lot accomplished and I think I will start to move on.

Here are a few photos of the two quilts I bound when on vacation last week. The eight hour drive to and from Yosemite was a blessing!

Row By Row Experience

• One problem being is that I would like to participate in the 1200 stores Row by Row. Last weekend I went to a couple of the participating stores and picked up a couple of the patterns.  You need to do at least 8 rows to complete a quilt, then IF you are the first to bring in a completed quilt to a quilt shop with "their" row a part of it, you can win a prize. Well I know I am very behind and there are a lot of crazy quilters out there that probably sat up all July 1st after they cruised the state to pick up 8 patterns, finished their quilt and were probably waiting at the front door way before opening the next morning to pick up the prize. 
• Here is a photo of 7 of the rows I have completed so far. Only one more to go to finish. 

But... I still want to do it. Many of the participating stores are selling a fabric license plate that reflects the store. I picked up one at my favorite store, the Orange Quilt Bee and at New Moon Textiles in Pasadena. They are so cute and I am going to incorporate them into the quilt - perhaps on the back if I can not figure out a great spot for them. 

I guess the Command Car Quilt will have to wait.

I am way behind on the Internet sew alongs I joined at the beginning of the year. I did not complete last months offering of My During Quiet Time Kitschy Kitchen quilt, my Fiesta de Flores Tile quilt with Morning Glory Design or the Riley Blake Birthday Quilt... shame on me, but I will.  

Thanks for stopping by again!