Log Cabins - a FREE ebook from Fons and Porter

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas holiday.  Mine, was very quiet,  which was very different for me.  We as a family, celebrated our Christmas several weeks ago, before we packed up and headed south from cold, windy, snowy Michigan to our balmy winter home in Florida.  

Several weeks ago, I was contacted by Eric from Fons and Porter's Online Media group asking if I would be interested in reviewing an ebook from Fons and Porter.  Of course I would!  Who doesn't love log cabin quilts?  And an ebook put together by some of our favorite quilt makers, Fons and Porter, available as a download so that I can have it NOW, and -the perfect price, FREE.

This 24 page book is chuck full of  patterns and ideas.  It even has some great tips on binding using a photo tutorial.  If you are one of those people who learn best be seeing a picture, you will love this binding tutorial!

From traditional log cabin settings to some great new setting ideas including a walk "on the dark side", there is something for every quilt maker.

I do not yet have my sewing studio set up in my tiny winter home in Florida, but you can bet that reading this book, savoring each and every pattern and tutorial really got me in mood to sew.  That project will be next on my list!  

Follow this link Build Your Best Log Cabin, and get your copy today!

Hidden Wells Fun

A group of online quilters have decided to tackle the Hidden Wells quilt pattern.  I could not resist!
After pulling a stack of fabrics from my stash, determining the size blocks I wanted to cut from each strip set, i started to sew.  I made just one full strip set and cut it up for the blocks to see how the fabrics I selected would work.  I am quite happy with the results so I will continue to make strip sets and cut into blocks.

Orca Bay is Done. done, DONE

Done, done, done!  Pieced, quilted and bound!  And, I like it now!  Over 4000 pieces and a year to put it together.  I guess I'm glad I plucked it out of the trash.

I was trying to decide on a name for this quilt.  The original quilt done in shades of blue, black and white, did indeed look like Orca Bay.  This one, in this colorway does NOT.  When my daughter saw a picture of the finished quilt, she thought it looked like Summer fruit; strawberries, kiwi, grapes and lemonade.  So, possible Summer Fruit Frenzy would be a good name.

It feels good to jave completed this project.  Now, I'm on to the next.  My Civil War Tribute quilt is waiting in the wings.  It was originally a "block of the  month" quilt but several years have passed.  But first, I'm itching to try my hand at a Hidden Wells quilt.  And, a Scrappy Bargello, and....... You get the picture.

Orca Bay Progress

I can't believe that I am still working on this quilt top.  I started this Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt called Orca Bay a year ago.  Once we started putting the billions of pieces together, I realized how much I HATED the fabric colors that I had selected for the project.  The quilt as a whole is gorgeous - the way it was designed in blues, whites and black.  My selection of red, green and gold - not so much.

I have given myself permission at least 4 times to THROW THIS THING IN THE GARBAGE.  I have plucked it out each time because I have an unbelievable amount of time in this thing.  Cost?  It's all done from my scraps, so I'm not out much, but the time I have invested.......

So, I keep working on it.  As of today - I have completed to the borders.  My next step is to start piecing the border and then get it on the frame to be quilted.  At this time, I have decided that I WILL finish it.  I'm not sure what I'll do with it once it's finished but I WILL finish it!

Making Friends with the embroidery module of my machine

I needed to work on a project that would require me to use the embroidery module of my Babylock Ellisimo.  At one time, I did a LOT of machine embroidery, but not so much lately.  Quilting and piecing quilt tops seems to take much of my time.   But, I had an image in my head after watching an episode of Fons and Porter on TV.  One of my little granddaughters needed a little quilt for naps in pre-school.  Yes, she could have used a little fleece blanket or a little rug or.... but the rest of my grandchildren all have little quits with their names on them for this purpose.  So, after traipsing all over the place to find "Care Bear" fabric,  (special request) and making an additional trip into Grand Rapids to get some hand-holding from my Babylock machine dealer, I have finally completed the little quilt!  I have to admit that I had some real mental blocks getting those 5 letters to line up the way I wanted them.  They are not perfect, but good enough. The body of the quilt is based on Eleanor Burns' Quick Trip Quilts

Summer of 2012

It's been a busy Summer and I can't believe that the first day of Fall is already here.  Some of the projects that I have been working on are a "big girl" quilt for one of my granddaughters.  I used a layer cake from Moda's "Snippets" line.  It made a bright, cheery, girly quilt for little Caris.

 

I also started a class from Craftsy on using "pre-cuts".  I have quite a number of layer cakes, charm packs, jelly rolls and fat quarter bundles.  I am anxious to learn some neat ways to use them.  My first project is a Jacob's Ladder quilt.  The pattern actually called for a jelly roll + a layer cake.  I have layer cakes and I have jelly rolls but not one of each that would play nicely together.   So, I investigated ways to cut fat quarters in order to get the cuts that I needed.  Did you know that you can cut a fat quarter so that you get 1) a 10" square or layer cake size; 2) 4 5" squares, charm pack size; 3) some 2 1/2" strips ( jelly roll size); and some 1 1/2 inch strips.  WOW!   Here is my start on a Jacob's Ladder quilt using fabric from the Heritage line from Moda.





 

Pretty huh?  I'll keep working on it.  I hope it doesn't become another one of my UFOs!

I also got a bug to empty my huge bin of 2 1/2" strip scraps.  One of my quilty friends, Karen did a gorgeous controlled scrappy quilt from the Garden Trellis pattern out of the book Jelly Roll Quilts by Pam & Nicky Lintott .  I was off.  And, believe it or not, I used all by 3 or 4 of my 2 1/2 " strips! 

Looking for my motivation

We are home from Florida and it's time for me to get back to doing what I love to do.  The only problem is that I don't seem to have much motivation.  I got used to do little or nothing all winter and now that I have access to all of my toys - it's time to get back to work.  

I did take my sewing machine with me and I did take a few projects to work on and I did have a beautiful place to work but.........it seems that I was sharing my space with any number of little anole lizards on any given day. 

Those of you who know me that it is a true act of strength to share my space with a lizard!  I KNOW that they don't bite and I KNOW that they are good 'cause they eat bugs and I KNOW, etc.  I still don't want to share my space with them.  

I decided that I should probably get back to quilting by putting on of my many quilt tops on the frame and get it quilted and bound.  I selected a pretty little pink top that I made from a Moda layer cake and a pattern from "10-Minute Blocks".  It turned out pretty cute and I am ready to load the next quilt top!

Hugz and Kisses