Home Again, Home Again

I'm back! You may not have noticed the absence, I have been slow to post lately and got too busy to load any posts ahead of time before being in New England for the last week and a half. As you can see, I was lucky enough to visit Keepsake Quilting in Center Harbor, NH on Saturday last week, it was a rainy day and where better to spend time? And, yes, I found some goodies! 😁

Right around the corner of the porch on which I am standing is the site of the new Pineapple Fabrics store. It is featured as one of the top ten quilt shops in the current BH&G Quilt Sampler magazine; it does not disappoint, either! This space is filled with precuts; colorful displays, a wonderful room in which to relax (for quilter's spouses or those waiting on shoppers) equipped with a television, comfy chairs and complimentary beverages-- take a peek at the one minute video hyper-linked above-- you'll see!

A quick stop for Cider Bellies, donuts freshly made and hot out of the fryer, at a farm stand on the way to Keepsake made for a perfect day's outing! These may have been consumed in the car before even leaving the parking lot! Ah, fall in New England-- I wish you could have smelled this place, the donuts are positively irresistible!

Time spent in New England was precious family time. I carried a stack of quilt labels to document my Mother's quilts for her. Last time I visited we photographed and jotted pertinent data for each one.

This trip I sat and added the labels to the backs of each one. Don't ever neglect to document your quilts and include your quilt's name, your name, the year and where you were living when you made it; that's pretty much the bare minimum of what should goes on your label; naturally, if you can add more information it doesn't hurt (pattern name and/or source, quilter's name if different than piecer, etc.); you may think that you'll always remember and a label isn't necessary. Believe me, it really, truly is!!

My sister gave me this precious antique child's iron and ironing board during the visit. I still can't believe it; it reminds me so much of the ironing board that I had when I was three years old. I love it!

There's more to share and I know that I need to get back to the "little houses" teaser from the last post. I will, I promise. In the meantime: the pattern winner from that same post is Pat, she will be receiving a Lemoyne Trails pattern in the mail in the next few days; thanks to all of you for playing along! For the rest of the day I will be finishing laundry and settling back in. Dorothy knew best, even though it's wonderful to travel there really is no place like home! 

Life is Good! 

"Wisdom" Winner and Quilt Camper

I had a helper to draw the lucky winner this morning. Jacqueline was the name drawn. I have contacted her via email and as soon as she sends me her mailing address the patterns for "By Wisdom A House Is Built"
will be in the mail to her. Thanks to everyone who entered and/or stopped by to leave a comment on this recently completed twenty-years-in-the-making quilt. I guess that means it's instantly vintage!

I have a Quilt Camper this week, a young lady from our church. She is an eager learner and a very quick study.  Her first project was a four-patch pincushion. I asked her to pose with it before she added the button to the center just so that we could document how perfectly her points came together!

After she finished up that little starter project she moved on to a travel-sized pillowcase. 

Success! Her next project is a tumbler quilt-- she got that all cut out and began sewing pairs together before it was time to call it a day. She'll be busy this week. I hope to instill a love of quilting in her, this big project will be large enough to be functional but small enough to actually complete; a sense of accomplishment is its own reward. 

😊

Life is Good!

By Wisdom...

... a House is Built. Through perseverance a quilt is finished!
I've been working on this one for twenty years, off and on (more off than on!). Last evening I finished putting in that last quilting stitch; so, it isn't truly quite finished yet, it still needs binding, but having this one off the frame sure feels good! The finished quilt, assembled as shown, measures 60" X 63". As soon as I got it off the frame I took the picture. Once it is bound and labeled I will take an official beauty shot.

The original pattern by Indygo Junction was available in twelve individual monthly booklets, these can either be done individually and bound one by one, or set all together as I chose to do. I bought the entire set at a precious little quilt shop in Georgetown, MA back in 1999, after I saw their version done and hanging in the shop, I loved it. It was a great shop, sadly, that shop is no longer in existence.

I changed the design a bit, using a more refined font instead of the primitive one provided and set the embroidered blocks into strips rather than using torn, raw edges on top of a background piece. I also used black thread and a small buttonhole stitch by machine to cover all of the raw edges on the fused applique. However, over all, even with the changes the basic design is the same.

Here is the cover of the May booklet, you can see the differences in my version and the pattern version. If you're interested in making this quilt I am giving away my pattern set now that I am done. 

I am offering the entire set, shown here; this Folk Block of the month designed by Sarah Sporrer if you would like to have it. All you need to do is leave a comment* and tell me which month of the year is your favorite and why. I will draw a lucky winner one week from today. Good luck. To get you started: my favorite month is September, it is my birthday month and I just love the feel of the change of seasons, the days begin to cool and shorten. Good luck!

Life is Good!

*If you leave a comment make sure that it is attached to an email address so that I can reach you and get your mailing address for shipping purposes. If I can't reach you I will need to redraw.

Hexed! (And A Winner!)

I have been hexed; yes, it's true, the textbook definition is as follows: to put a hex (a spell, especially an evil spell) on. The current Block-of-the-Month at my LQS has just begun, this session's theme is "Happy Hexagons". I simply cannot stop! The only explanation for this obsessive behavior must be a hex, although I certainly wouldn't call it evil, I am having too much fun. Armed with a well-stocked stash of novelties and a bin filled with strips for framing, there's no telling when this merriment will wind down. I do have an end in mind: a child's quilt, time will tell just how big this becomes. I need to find just the right setting. I have a winner* from last week's pattern giveaway: it is Susan C! Susan writes: "I love making zippered bags and use them quite often. As I'm on a quilt retreat now my organizational tip is to kit up your projects and put them in their own plastic box along with the instructions, thread and special notions that may be needed. Having everything ready like that makes for more productivity!"  Thank you, Susan, and for everyone who left a comment with an organizational tip, they were all great! Susan's pattern will go out in the mail today.

Life is Good!

*Winner was selected using Random Number generator, the number 12 was selected from a field of 1-16.

With Apologies to Jack and Diane

This post is about Ditty Bags, beginning with a little ditty; but, sorry, this one isn't about Jack and Diane*! The Ditty Bags were last month's project from the Let's Get Organized club at my LQS. Featuring patterns by Annie every month this year I have already managed to make a Stash and Dash and a set of Nesting Boxes, I am quite pleased with the results. For the Ditty Bags I chose to make the smallest one first, to keep for myself. My idea was that I could work out any "kinks" in the construction before I turned my attention to the two larger ones which I planned to make as a gift set. As it turns out, the instructions were so well written, and clearly illustrated, that there were no kinks to be found!

The small Ditty Bag is perfect for a few essentials, just the right size to fit inside my purse. 

I love this pattern, all the seams are finished inside, making for a very neat and tidy interior. I chose to bind the inside seams with contrasting fabric in the bag's accent color, just for fun.

This is the set, the large and the medium bags, a gift for my daughter. She is an Auburn grad and will love these fabric choices. War Eagle!

I have an extra Ditty Bag pattern for these bags in all three sizes, as shown; I would love to give it away. If you would like a chance to win the pattern simply leave a comment below with your best organizational tip and I will draw a random winner one week from today. Make sure that you have an email address attached to your account so that I can reach you, should you win. We'll all be winners with a list of organizational tips; thank YOU, in advance. Good luck!

This post has it all today: a project show and tell, a giveaway and music (click below)!

Life is Good!

😊

* Jack & Diane, John Cougar Mellencamp, 1982

The Build-A-Barn Book Goes To...

...lucky commenter #2; Ka Holly, it is you! 

Congratulations to KaHolly, you were the second commenter on this week's blog post: "A Barn Is Born"; two was the lucky number this time! Julie will be sending you an autographed copy of the book so that you can make your own barn right away! Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway, and thanks to Julie who wrote one fantastic book and is so generous with it, this was fun; please do look for Julie's book at a quilt shop near you.  Every time I type Build-A-Barn I think of something humorous; don't confuse this book with those workshops at shopping malls with a similar name.

Let me tell you a funny story. We lived overseas from 1996 until 1999; things appeared stateside during that time that I had no knowledge of until after I returned home, one of those things is the above mentioned mall store. Someone recommended the store to me and encouraged me to visit it when I shopped at my hometown mall again. I thought I heard them recommend a store by the name of "Bill Debair", in my mind I figured this to be a designer-- like Ralph Lauren. I went to the mall one day and looked high and low for the "designer" store: Bill Debair. I finally had to ask a fellow shopper. They directed me to the store with the huge logo as pictured above. Oh.

So, go--Build-A-Barn! Not Bill Debarn. I believe I will build a farmhouse next, my barn needs one.

Life is Good!

A Barn Is Born

"Harvest Barn" ~ 21" X 34"

Welcome to the barn! At long last, the Harvest Barn is a reality. Hatched from my imagination, and sketched on paper back in 1993, this barn of my dreams exists today thanks to no-pattern construction outlined and followed, step by step, straight from Julie Sefton's Build-A-Barn book. Click here for the back-story, a previous post. You can have your own barn too: if you can dream it, you can build it! Let me share my progress, through photos, to give you a glimpse of the process. At the end of today's post you will have the opportunity to win a copy of Julie's fantastic Build-A-Barn book.

Working from my sketch, the first thing that I did was go to the stash and pull fabrics that I thought might work for the various elements: sky, ground, barn, windows, doors. I labeled my selections.

Following the directions in the book I made a section of scrappy ground strata; I wanted lots of oranges to depict an overall image of fall leaves strewn among an abundant pumpkin patch. From the ground a barn structure began to emerge. 

My original plan was to applique the "X" door braces but I changed my mind. Using Julie's method I inserted strips for the cross-timbering, I love the results; I also decided to add a spit-rail fence to the left using an easy step-by-step approach as outlined within the pages. 

From that point on it was all details. The originally selected sky fabric proved too vibrant, at least it did to my eye, (lower left in the photo above) but the reverse side of that same fabric worked perfectly (lower right). And so, the sky fabric was used on the WRONG SIDE; which seemed just right to me! I found a very old piece of fabric in the closet which contained enough pumpkins of exactly the correct size and scale (or so I thought) to pull the piece together. 

Using fusible web and sharp, tiny scissors I loaded the barn scene up with pumpkins galore; pinning the elements in place on the design wall before pressing them into place. I left it there a while to ponder and change things around as I saw fit. Mr. Goodneedle walked by and after only a quick glance suggested removing the three gargantuan pumpkins as well as taking everything away from the front of the barn doors. "No self-respecting farmer would ever pile things in front of a door that's being used." Right.

I shifted a few things around just so. Then, the machine applique began-- the tree, the sign, the weather vane and the bumper crop of pumpkins! Oh, I almost forgot-- a few bushels of apples too.

Harvest Barn: quilted and ready for binding. Can't you just hear the excited squeals of every preschooler who's ever visited a pumpkin patch in October?

As the binding was applied I was able to sit quietly with my barn and reflect. I am SEW excited to report that I couldn't have been one bit happier with the results of this project. Working from my own mind with the benefit of tried and true techniques from the book I was able to complete my very own twenty three year old dream barn in a way that far exceeded my wildest dream. Are you ready to Build-A Barn of your own?

Leave a comment on this blog post for a chance to be entered in a giveaway to win an autographed copy of Julie Sefton's book.  Be sure that as a commenter you're able to be reached via e-mail. If we can't contact you we won't know where to send the book. That would be sad. A winner will be selected on Saturday, July 30. If you're not the lucky recipient, fear not: Julie's book is available via the link above as well as bookstores and through your local quilt shop. If you can't find it, ask; they can get it for you!

Life is Good!

Pies, Real and Imagined

I am including a sneak peek of my Pumpkin Farm barn, a blog post-to-come featuring Julie Sefton's Build-A-Barn book and my own version. As a charter member of the SSOBB, I will be posting about this fantastic book and the liberating creative process on Monday, July 25, as well as offering a book giveway; you can (and should!) build yourself a barn!  Stay tuned for my barn building adventure and your chance to win; details are available through the sidebar links. Speaking of pies- I have just finished making the second Corn,Tomato and Cheddar pie of the summer. This pie is so delicious (and smells absolutely incredible while baking) that I couldn't resist putting together another one almost right away! The photo, below, is directly from the website, (click for instructions) I can't recommend this recipe highly enough. So, today, whether you're baking real pies or dreaming about pies-to-come, whether you're slicing actual fruit or machine appliqueing ingredients to a background, enjoy something homemade today.

Happy 4th of July!

Life is Good!

Lucky 27!

Patricia just so happened to be the 27th commenter on a recent post, Let's Celebrate, and is now the winner of my blog giveaway. I am sincerely thankful for her your kind words. Patricia wrote: "I have enjoyed reading your blog for a number of years, your gentle spirit and great attitude inspire me. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, life and faith."  I would like to thank everyone who entered by leaving a sweet comment and inspiring me to keep on writing and sharing. It's become a part of my routine, as you might imagine, after 9 years and 1800+ posts; it's humbling and affirming to realize that someone out there is reading, you are the best! 

Patricia will be receiving this little package of goodies very soon: it includes a canvas zippered pouch with an optimistic message, 18 fat eighths from Riley Blake's Modern Minis collection, three bobbin buddies to keep those spools and bobbins together and a patriotic sticker bearing my favorite saying.

Life is Good!