The rest of the story...

And now, for the rest of the story...

My personal tastes are primitive with some colonial and "country" thrown in.  

When it comes to quilts, my go to fabrics are Civil War, reproduction and country.

I love scrappy quilts and the homey feeling they exude.  When it comes to decorating, my tastes are also very eclectic, or scrappy.  I am definitely not a "matchy-matchy" or "froo froo" kinda gal.  I like to mix different styles, eras, antiques, reproductions and new and old.  If you like it, they'll all blend together.  Really!

So you're probably asking yourself, "Where the heck is she going with this? Like, get to the point already!"

Okay, okay.

Remember I received two packages the other day and held off telling or showing you what was inside?

Just wait till you see what I got!

Sooooooo out of the box for me!!!

A bucket full of Kaffe Fassett fabrics!!!

Can you believe it???

Now if there's anything further from CW or reproduction fabrics than Kaffe's, I'd like to see them!

I needed and wanted to try something new and although they are soooooo not my style, I've always been very attracted to them.  Perhaps it's my artist background with the giant splashes of color and design elements.

I'm not 100% certain what I'm going to make with them but I did purchase this school house dye for my GO cutter last week and I'm thinking of making a Kaffe-scrappy school house quilt.

Wouldn't that look sooooooo cool?

One thing for sure, they certainly brighten up my sewing studio!

I'm back!

I've had a couple of scary blips on the health radar over the past couple of weeks which is the reason why I haven't been posting much.

On Tuesday after visiting with my oncologist, I was given some very encouraging news and as you can well imagine, my spirits are soaring. I feel so light-hearted and the stress is gone. Thank you God for answering our prayers!

So today was like Christmas, maybe even better.

Mr. Painted Quilt and I went out for a leisurely home-cooked breakfast, picked up a "few" groceries (if that is even possible), stopped into Michael's to pick up some supplies to make a mini design wall and lastly, popped into the post office to check for mail.

And look what was waiting for me...not one but two packages of guess what???

To be continued...tease, tease!

Happy stitching!

Back in the Saddle

We had some rain, freezing rain and some snow overnight so it looks like I'll be stuck inside until I'm absolutely certain that there's no ice lurking underfoot. The sun is shining and there's not a cloud in the sky so it looks like it just might be a perfect day to stay indoors to stitch and sew.

Yesterday, I started putting together the center medallion to my Brinton Hall quilt. I did manage to get the hexie rings sewn together before we sold our house and I quickly put it away when I realized that we had so much to do with respect to the move and sewing just wasn't on the short list.  

I've decided to make my version using all Civil War and reproduction fabrics and I'm loving the look. My goal for today is to get all seven large hexie blocks appliqued and then it'll be on to the next step of connecting them all. Lots of work but I love handwork!

The instructions and photos for the Brinton Hall quilt are spread between two issues of Quiltmania magazine, #'s 107 and 108. It's quite an ambitious project but I'm anxious to get back to it.

Some glue basting is involved which brings me to my next point.

Have you ever used the "Sewline Fabric Glue Pen"? If you haven't then I would suggest that you get one to add to your bag of sewing stuff. I've tried every brand of fabric glue and this, IMHO, is by F-A-R the best one yet! The glue is soft and pliable, spreads like butter and STAYS soft.

Oh, and Frankie is never too far away, always willing to add his two cents.

Note to Wilma : Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment on my last blog post. I'm sorry but I was unable to answer your question because you came up as a "no-reply" blogger. This means that when you set up your profile, you didn't include your email address.

I purchased the cherry fabrics that I used for my ditty bags at JoAnn's about seven or eight years ago. It is 100% cotton and not vinyl. I doubt if they have the exact fabric now but you never know. Good luck in your search.

Happy stitching!

It's been a while...

Just in case you've been wondering where I've been hiding and what I've been up to, let me bring you up to date.

First of all...and on the off chance that you're not aware of this...

GETTING OLD SUCKS!!!  

Our recent move just knocked me for a loop.

We had such a quick closing on our house which left us with less than a month to find a new place, pack up the old one, make all the arrangements affiliated with a move and then the actual move itself...eleven days before Christmas, I might add...and left me both physically and mentally exhausted.  Add to the mix the roller coaster of emotions when we found out that the house we were going to buy contained asbestos, leaving us in a total quandary as to where we were going to live.

Thanks to friends, we did find a new place...which, by the way, we both love...and the rest as they say, is history.

Then came the unpacking.  

The entire house was a piece of cake but my studio was an entirely different story.  Once we knew where we were going to be living, Mr. Painted Quilt graciously offered me the larger of the two bedrooms as my designated studio because he knew that ALL MY STUFF couldn't possibly be crammed into the smaller of the two bedrooms.  

Thankfully, everything fit in according to the plans that I had envisioned and it took me about a week to get everything situated.

Prior to the house selling and the subsequent move, I had made a commitment to Blank Quilting that I would have my second fabric collection in their hands by the end of January.  Mid January crept up on me, just like the fog rolling in from the sea, and I hadn't even started on the designs.  Even though the theme had been approved and the fact that I had several rough sketches done, I honestly came very close to cancelling my commitment, something I have never done in my entire life.

I was just too tired.

But all my life I have found that I always work best when under pressure.

I put my nose to the grindstone and once I started, the sketches turned into final artwork and I was able to meet my commitment.  The package arrived at the Blank Quilting offices in New York City this past Tuesday, a week before the promised deadline.  Their art department has been diligently working on them and since Wednesday, through emails, I have seen my designs come to life and I'm over-the-moon crazy about them!  

All I'm going to say at this point is that I've stepped totally out of my comfortable zone and proverbial box with this collection and I can't wait for you all to see it!

So now I can rest a little easier and take some time for myself which is what I've done this past week and will continue to do.

I've always wanted to try my hand at making some little "ditty" bags but due to my ZIPPER PHOBIA, I've made every excuse in the book to not even go so far as to pull the fabric to attempt them.

I finally took the proverbial bull by the horns and made not one, but two little bags! I'm really pleased with the way they turned out and I can see creating many more in the future.

Me and the zipper thing still aren't best buddies but at least now I'm not nearly as apprehensive as I was. Key word here is "nearly".

And this was the view out our back door this morning at about 8 a.m.

Pretty, huh?

I don't fancy going anywhere so what better time than to bring out the tote containing all my Brinton Hall supplies, a quilt that was featured in issues number 107 and 108 of Quiltmania that I started shortly before our house sold.

Here's the photo from the magazine of what the finished quilt looks like...

I love it!!!

Oh, and one last thing.  Have you received or purchased the lasted issue of Primitive Quilts & Projects magazine?

My In the Garden of Eden project is in it!

Happy stitching!

Sneak peek!

Would you like to have a sneak peek at the project that I designed for the Spring 2016 issue of Primitive Quilts & Projects magazine?

The gals just sent me the photos of both my "The Garden of Eden" project which they asked me to share with my readers as well as the photo of the latest magazine cover. I don't know about you all but I'm sure excited!

I worked this design in wool on cotton but it can certainly be done entirely in cotton as well. If you liked my "Noah & Friends" that appeared in an earlier issue of PQ&P, then you're sure to love this one as well!

Keep your eyes peeled both on your mailboxes and news stands because it is due to be released any day now!

Happy stitching!