"Stopped Me in my Tracks" Update

What an incredibly gorgeous day!

The sun is shining, the sky is blue and I'm sewing up a storm!  Probably the wrong choice of word but it's the first think that came to mind.

My "Stopped Me in my Tracks" quilt is progressing beautifully.  It definitely is going to be a winner, trust me!

I just want to say that I'm an artist which means that I have absolutely no knowledge or desire to know any more about math than I do now.  As a result, the yardage requirements that I'm about to give you is my BEST GUESS, based on what I've accomplished with mine thus far.

So here's the deal.  My instructions will include the sizes for two quilts.  One will finish at 102" x 88" and the second option will finish at 88" x 88".  If you want to alter the size in any way then that will be your decision and you'll have to figure out how much more or less fabric you'll need.

I would recommend getting a minimum of 4 yards of the focus...or in this case, the yellow...fabric which also will also take into account the yardage for the binding and 5 yards of the white/cream.  Having too much is better than having not enough to complete the quilt and besides, you can always make a pair of pillow slips or shams should there be any leftovers.

On Monday I'll be posting the PDF file with the instructions and grid charts in addition to a step-by-step tutorial with loads of photos illustrating the steps I followed to make my version.

Have fun shopping for your fabric over the weekend and we'll see you back here on Monday.

Oh, and I'll leave you with a picture of Frankie supervising, just to make sure that I'm doing a good job with mine.

Happy stitching and shopping!

Lots Happening!

So many exciting things happening!!!

I just got off the phone with UPS and they told me that my fabric has cleared customs and I should have it either tomorrow or Friday.

Yippee skippee!  Woo hoo!  Eureka!  Huzzah! and whatever other exclamation I can't think of at the moment to add to the mix!!!  I can't wait to see it wrapped as bolts.  I'm light-headed now.   Can you imagine how I'll be when I see the REAL thing?  Oh my!

I finished binding my school house quilt and even though the batiks are totally out of my box, I really love the way it turned out.  Thank you, Alice for another wonderful quilting job.  I believe the edge-to-edge design that she used is called "Evening Primrose".

And lastly, I've been cutting and sewing on our "Stopped Me in my Tracks" quilt-a-long in order to have a better idea of the yardage that we'll need to complete it.

Sew here are my plans.

Let's see how much I can accomplish between now and Friday morning and I'll post the yardage requirements sometime on Friday.  That will give you the weekend to shop your stash and/or LQS (local quilt shop) to come up with your fabric.  On Monday, I'll post the link to the PDF file with my instructions and diagrams as well as a step-by-step tutorial with photos in order to make the process even easier than it already is.  

How's that?  Are you still in?

You're gonna L-O-V-E it!!!

Happy stitching!

Quilt-A-Long?

I've received several comments and emails both here and on my Facebook page asking me if I would consider doing a quilt-a-long with the "Stopped Me in my Tracks" quilt that I spoke about in my last post.

Funny thing is I was thinking the exact same thing when I began to draw up the quilt on graph paper after writing down notes and measurements.  

It certainly isn't a difficult quilt to make and of course I don't nor will I take any credit for the design because it isn't mine.  Plain and simple, I just L-O-V-E it and I have to make one!

Let me know if you're interested in quilting-a-long and I'll make a "rough" PDF file which will actually be my work sheet and notes and we can make one together.  If there's enough interest, I'll get my act together and pass along the file to you sometime next week.

In the interim...

Happy stitching!

What's next?

I am really a very simple person with very simple tastes.  I'm not at all into 'froo-froo', glitz or bling and those that know me also know that my tastes and life style reflect that.  

I love primitive, antiques and virtually everything with a vintage flair.  The Civil War era fascinates me and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be able to include the reproduction fabrics that are available to us today to my quilts.

In yesterday's post I mentioned a photo of a quilt that came through in one of my Facebook feeds that just stopped me in my tracks.  It was love at first sight and I immediately knew what my next project would be, the quilt that is folded at the foot of the bed.

It's not a difficult quilt to make but the calmness and serenity that it exudes is right up my alley.  

I purchased some new Thimbleberries fabric yesterday specifically for this quilt and as you can see, I'm going to use the same butter yellow/white color scheme.

I might start cutting some time in the next few days but I'd really like to completely finish the center medallion of Brinton Hall first, which just so happens to be my goal for this week!

Happy stitching!

Slowly but surely!

What a glorious day this is!

The sky is blue, the sun is shining, the birds are singing and the crickets are chirruping.  We can't ask or hope for too much more, can we?

The squaring up of the center medallion for my Brinton Hall quilt is complete and it now measures 34" square.

Next comes the first border including an additional ninety-two hexies which I still have to cut out, make and applique.  This is not a quilt for the faint at heart or for those who like instant gratification because there are so many steps and many of them are stitched by hand which seems to take forever but it's the part I love best!

In keeping with my goal setting, I knew that I would soon be ready to move on to the next step.  So yesterday, Mr. Painted Quilt took me up to Avonport Discount Fabric Center, my now local quilt shop, where I purchased 'beaucoup' yardage to use for the borders, binding and setting blocks.  I probably could have shopped from my stash but at $8.50 a meter (equivalent to 39" in REAL measurements), who could resist?  I'm soooooo weak!

I also bought some fabric for my next quilt which I'll show you next time.  A photo came through on my Facebook feed showing this quilt on a bed in a primitive/country setting and it's beauty and simplicity just captivated me.  

Until then, I hope that you are enjoying your day as much as I am!

Happy stitching!

Merrily sewing along!

I'm just lovin' my ME sewing time and I seem to be accomplishing lots now that the stress about deadlines and my sore knee is gone!

Yesterday, I sent off my project for the Winter 2016 issue of Primitive Quilts & Projects magazine, two weeks ahead of my May 1st deadline.  Whew!  I'm thrilled with the way it turned out and I hope that you'll like it as well!

The binding for my school houses quilt is prepped and ready, just waiting for it's return from my longarmer friend Alice who does most of my quilts.

And rather than start on a new project, I decided to move on to the next step of my Brinton Hall quilt which is to add the perimeter hexies to square off the center medallion block.

Here's a photo from the Quiltmania magazine which shows the center medallion quite well.  I'm referring to the large square within the first turquoise border.

Mindless but fun sewing which is exactly what I need right now.

My goal is to finish this step by Friday.

When working on projects, I seem to work best when I set myself short, reachable goals.  In that way, long, arduous and even boring tasks seem so much less daunting and I get the sense that I'm accomplishing something.

Do you play the same mind games with yourself?

Happy stitching!