How fast 2013 has gone and how quickly the holiday season is passing.  Best wishes to you all and hoping for a wonderful 2014. 

-nanette
Read More
This is me 1961 at Toyland on the top floor of Pomeroy's department store in Reading, Pennsylvania.  Santa was in the corner of the floor so you could see him as you walked around the toys and the animated Christmas figures.  I thought I was in heaven.  And by the look on my face I had a crush on Santa.  Notice the cute cat and coat combo.  I loved that coat and sure wish I had it now.  The coat and hat were in a box of clothes some "rich people" would sometimes give to my dad for his daughters.  It was like gold when he would get a box of clothes.  Christmas past was the most fun ever.  Right?

-nanette
Read More
It is time for another week of Quilty Fun using Lori's book. You can get the details at the Jolly Jabber, Pam Kitty Morning's blog, or from Lori herself. 
Pam of PKM fame is hosting the cute little mug/cup this week.  You can see Pam has her work all set out and ready to sew. Pam has all the particulars for making this cup on her blog.
The cups are so cute in any fabric.  Jolly Jabber posted this pic.
These are my mugs from when I made the row along.  Yikes my threads look so messy on the black background. Oh well. The cups sew up super fast and are a delight to make.

-nanette
Read More
It is Erin at Why Not Sew's turn in the Quilty Fun Blog tour.  Erin is amazing.  She has a fabulous blog and you will want to go check out her cute chevrons.  I wish they were mine.  I love all the fabric Erin chose.

-nanette
Read More
I'm really stuck.  I'm stuck like in the movie "Groundhog Day".  I mean every day is mostly the same.  I am pretty frustrated with my ailment and I'm determined to get myself well.  But I haven't seen progress yet.  And so I feel stuck and in almost constant pain.  It makes me sad not to be able to sit at my sewing machine and participate in my normal everyday life.  And it has made me aware that I shouldn't take those things for granted.
I was looking for a specific picture on my blog the other day and browsing the archives.  I realized I could be working on this project.  I could be doing some applique.
And I should be working on old projects with applique like this one, too.  I'm really not motivated but I need to motivate myself to distract myself from the pain.  Right?
While browsing for that picture I found a few pictures of baskets I had made.  I forgot I even made these.  What did I do with them?  I must have given them for gifts.  I forget.
I found this table runner.  I absolutely do not remember even making this.  At all.  I actually found lots of projects in blog archives I made that I forgot making.  Weird.  I'm old I guess.
I don't remember making this table runner either.  Where did it go?  Is it living somewhere?  Like I said..old.
And these potholders I made...they were obviously gifts.  But where are they now?  Do you feel like that sometimes?  Like you've made projects and forgot making them or remember making something and wonder where it lives now?  In 2005, I think, I made lots and lots of baby quilts that I sold.  I wonder where those quilts live now.  I'm kind of going crazy.  I think you can tell.

-nanette
Read More
It is week 5 in the Quilty Fun Blog Tour.  This week it is Flying Geese.  I really like Lori's method of flying geese.
Pretty by Hand is hosting the flying geese this week.  If you've never visited her blog.  Please do so.  You will be overwhelmed by the talent and projects shown there.  She's amazing.  
I swiped this photo from her blog but you've gotta go over and see her work.  If you're participating in the blog tour, you will want to make the next step.  The flying geese are crisp and lovely.  Really they look like you could frame them.

-nanette
Read More
First of all thanks to those that participated with me in the basket block from last week and posted blocks on Flickr.  Fat Quarter Shop will contact the winner.

I've had a few rough weeks here at the Hive.  I'm ending the year with an injury that has taken me off the sewing field.  I'm glad I've been ahead of the game this year in scoring my Christmas projects.  I've missed being able to do work on my projects but I do have an easy gift to show and tell.
Last year I purchased yardage of linen/cotton blend calendars for kitchen towels.  They make a great gift.  Everyone always needs a new kitchen towel.  So this year I decided to repeat my gift idea for 2014 calendar towels. I stacked some of the towels I bound by my sewing room window.  It is always nice to look outside while I sew here.
Every year Spoonflower has a contest where artists submit their designs to Spoonflower for fabric calendars.  I always vote and enjoy seeing the wide range of designs. It can be hard to pick a favorite.
One yard of calendar fabric gives you 4 calendars to cut apart and bind.  I find this project a very easy one to machine stitch my binding.
By pressing the the binding carefully I can stitch in the ditch and catch the binding in the back with a smooth and even stitch.
This is one of the towels I bought from Spoonflower.  I thought the houses and barns were a good design after making a barn quilt and making houses on various projects this year.
I found this British design very fun since the designer had much the same idea that I have had with my London quilt.  I really loved seeing her take on all things London.

-nanette
Read More
It is Thanksgiving week in the USA and I have so much to be thankful for.  I'm very thankful for my sewing friends.  And I'm very thankful that I have a talent, handed down by my mother, to sew and create quilts.  Making quilts brings me so much enjoyment in my life.
 This week I'm happy to participate in Lori Holt's Blog Tour with her fabulous book Quilty Fun.  You will need the book to participate.  This is a book for everyone.
This is the fun quilt that the blog tour will be making.  If you haven't started yet, don't fret. You can catch up in no time.  So click here for all the details.
Week 4 is baskets.  I was so happy to be presenting the baskets for my week.  If you  haven't made them, come on, they are so fun.
To play along with the blog tour, find and download instructions for cutting baskets here.  There are only 3 baskets in this quilt and they sew up in record time.  Sew cute, too.
I seriously could not stop cutting and making baskets. 
I want to make some other projects so I just kept on going.
And going..
And still going...
And going, using my favorite fabrics.  I wanted a good mix so it looked scrapy but pretty, too.
Finally I had to choose 3 blocks to sew together for the blog tour.  It was tough to pick some favorites.  
There is a giveaway, too, with this blog tour.  You need to post your blocks to the Quilty Fun Flickr Page here.  Fat Quarter Shop will be giving away 2 of these Gracie Girl Stackers...
along with one Alphabitties.  I know I need an Alphabitties.  Winners will be announced on the Jolly Jabber and here on my blog next Monday, Dec. 2.

Put up those Christmas decorations and take some sewing time out for baskets.

-nanette
Read More
It is here everybody.  It has arrived. Of course I'm talking about Pam Kitty Picnic.  I am so excited for Pam and Holly.  The fabric is lovely.  Fat Quarter Shop has it all.  And it will be on Etsy and simply everywhere, too.
I had so much fun making this little baby quilt with Pam Kitty Picnic and a few bits from other PKM fabrics.  I think it turned out very sweet.
I love the vintage little kitties, doggies and tiny animals in the panel.  I knew I had to cut up that panel and put some of the cuteness in this quilt. I think fussy cutting the panel into smaller bits would be super fun.
I used the red gingham set on bias for the binding because after all, it is a picnic baby quilt. I don't have a new baby to give it to. But you never know.  I had such a fun time making this quilt.  The fabric line is vast and it was so hard deciding which pieces to use.  So that just means I have to start making a new quilt with the prints I didn't get to focus on.  

-nanette
Read More
 It is week 3.  My week is next week.  So watch for my baskets.  But this week is the courthouse steps.  It's a block I really love making. Hop over to Rachel at PS I Quilt for all the deets. Yes.  I said deets. Fat Quarter Shop Blog has good info, too.  
Rachel said the blocks work up very fast and I totally agree.  Fun to use scraps from other projects.  The cutting can come directly from your scrap basket/bin.
And there I have 4 courthouse step blocks.  Lovely.

-nanette
Read More
It is week 2 of Lori's Sew Along Blog Tour.  This week it is Twinkling Stars hosted by Nana and Company.  Amy has a sewing and fabric sense I've admired for a long time now.  Her creations are simply amazing.  She's pretty perfect if you ask me.  You really have to check out the fabrics she chose for her twinkling stars.  They are so dreamy.  Great job Amy.
I am making a quilt with my sisters for next year featuring Lori's apples.  So I spent some time working on my apples from last week's block hop.  I've made 80 apples so far.  I will probably have left over apples to share with my sisters, if they need them.
I had so much fun picking out fabric.  I made apples of lots of colors, even imaginary apple colors.  Like aqua.  
Some of the apples are whimsical.
Some of them are in my PKM fabrics.
There is even a couple brown apples.  Hey, a bad apple here or there won't spoil my quilt, right?
I was having too much fun to stop making the apples.
And the apple core apples are the most fun of all.

-nanette

Read More
It is everywhere!  Lori's book Quilty Fun is hot off the presses and there is a new quilt and blog hop to celebrate.  You can catch the details here at FQS Jolly Jabber.  See the list of all the blogs and keep up with the sewing fun.
This is the new quilt to make on the blog hop.  

The first week is apples by Kerry.  Read about it here.  Visit Kerry's blog to see how cute they work up and get her details and help at her blog here.  My sisters and I are making apples for our family 2014 project.  So this will help me get a leg up on that project.
My turn is week 4 and I'll be making and showing the baskets.  Lori's book is great.  The photos are awesome.  If you don't have a book yet, it isn't too late.  You can get one here.  I've grabbed several to give as family gifts.

-nanette
Read More
I really love to make a project before the general public gets their hands on a pattern or fabric.  I guess that shows my competitive nature.  This last week I really needed to destress with a fun project.  And looking at my lovely fabric from Pam on my cutting table surely tempted me.
I was glad to put on my headphones and just sew for a couple hours on Saturday and finish my baby quilt using Pam Kitty Picnic and Lynne and Kerry's pattern book 500 Quilt Blocks. Pam's fabric is just getting ready for shipping and 500 Quilt Blocks has just hit for distribution. 
The pattern was really easy and fun.  I'm not not known for my crisp points.  Don't look closely.
I love Pam's new line.  I want to get some navy yardage (among others!).  Navy is really speaking to me lately. 
I am very impressed with this book.  It is like a pocket reference.  Small and perfect.  
There were lots of blocks I wanted to try out but I decided to make this one first.  I really love all the fabrics Lynne and Kerry used in their book, too.  It helps so much to have a book with cute fabric.

Off to a busy week this week...yet again!  Cannot believe it is November.

-nanette
Read More
Next PostNewer Posts Previous PostOlder Posts Home