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Sunday, February 22, 2015

Love You to Pieces

First things first
THANK YOU!!!

Thank you for voting for 
I was overwhelmed with all the kindness from everyone.


It's a snowy day here in the sticks.

Of course it is, I needed to take pictures of my finish for


Project Quilting is the brainstorm of

A challenge is presented and you have one week to link up
a project of your interpretation of the challenge.


The Challenge:
  1. Your project must include at least 12 hearts.  They can be any size and any technique.  Pieced, appliquéd, embellished, even added into the quilting or printed on the fabric will work.
  2. Check out ‘Hearts for Susie’ and see why hearts aren’t just about love and valentines.  It’s about keeping your heart healthy, being aware of the signs that it’s not, and taking care of yourself and those you love.
  3. Every challenge piece must be a FINISHED project seen through from INCEPTION to COMPLETION during the challenge timeline. Each piece must stand alone as DONE to count toward prizes.
  4. Your project does not need to be a traditional quilt, but must meet at least one of these requirements:
    1. Include patchwork.
    2. Include appliqué.
    3. Have 3 layers stitched together by hand or machine.
  5. Your project must have a name.
  6. Projects must be FINISHED and LINKED UP  by Sunday, February 22nd at Noon, CST.


Love You to Pieces
a mix of modern and traditional quilting

The inspiration from this quilt came from
an article in American Quilter, November 2014
about an Overland Park, Kansas quilter
Trisch Price.
I just loved her "Baby Love" quilt and wanted to make something similar.


Sticking with my scrap management for the first 6 months of this year
I used freezer paper for foundation and sewed red scraps.
I spent all my breaks at work this week
picking freezer paper out of the blocks
and then pieced the blocks with 2 1/2" strips of sashing.
I had drawn the pattern on paper and ended up having to do partial seams to piece it as it was drawn.
Something new to me, but it was pretty easy and I won't be afraid of it anymore...lol


I was going to make my own white bias strips for the heart, but found some pre-made in a drawer
and to save time (I had a week) I drew the heart with 1/2" bias tape.

After sewing the bias on the red blocks
I ripped out the seams where the heart met the sashing and tucked the raw edges into the seams.


Two designs in one quilt!

I have been in a practice mode with free motion quilting and tried to make as many heart designs as my brain could muster.


This is the back fabric showing some of the whimsy quilting.

Once the quilting was finished, I just couldn't put a straight binding on this quilt.
It just screamed scallop border to me.


My scallop borders are stitched out in this picture.  
  I have a cardboard circle that I mark and then draw the scallop on the quilt.
Bias binding was used
Amanda Murphy has an excellent tutorial for continuous bias binding on her blog. 



Love You to Pieces

Have a Heart - Challenge 4 - Project Quilting

Made by Carla in Dodge City, Kansas


Size: 40" x 54"

Foundation piecing, bias applique, scallop border
Freemotion quilting by me
Fabric - a ton of scraps :)

You can see all the other challenge projects and vote for your favorites starting at noon central on
February 22, 2015
by clicking
Here.
Love You to Pieces is #41


I do hate winter and snow.....ugh.


Saturday, February 14, 2015

Free Motion Valentine - Practice, Practice, Practice

Happy Valentine's Day!


I feel so out of practice with free motion quilting, I took this opportunity to make a little Valentine pot holder with lots of stitching.



I used red thread to really practice.  The mistakes really show, but that is what this exercise was about for me.  PRACTICE.  

I just received two charm packs of Kiss Kiss! by Moda Fabrics and I wanted to make something.  A pot holder is always a fun way to use charms.


Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote for
It did VERY well in the popular vote.  
In fact, it looks like it might have won and I couldn't be more excited.

It's been a fantastic week for me
and a 
Very Happy Valentine's Day.

Hope your week has been the same!!

Happy Valentine's Day!





Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Who Supports Us More Than Moms? We Support You Blog Hop

Breast Cancer has touched some very strong women in my life.
This disease hasn't held these ladies back, it has propelled them forward.

MY MOMS

Yep, I have several...

It seems like such a small thing to do for them, but I wanted to make each one a little something to show my support.
They are always there for me.




This is the card I made for each one.  I'm no poet..lol
but they will know how to use their new
lingerie bags.



This one is for
the first person I loved in this world.
My beautiful mom, Susan.
She beat breast cancer over 12 years ago.



This one is for my dad's wife, Debbie
.  We call her Nana because she is more than a step-mom and we just don't like "step."
She beat breast cancer over 7 years ago.



If not for this lady, I wouldn't have the love of my life.
My Mother-in-Law, Norma, is one of the most giving people I know
and 
she is a breast cancer survivor, too!




I made this one for my mom at work.
Nancy takes care of everyone and never asks anything in return.
She just celebrated finishing radiation
and
everyone celebrated with her!!



I had a call back on my mammogram last year and everyone of these ladies was there to let me lean...
'til all was clear.

I love each mom so much.



If you would like to make your own lingerie bags, I followed my friend Jen's tutorial over at
Glinda Quilts.  I used her double casing tutorial and really like how it worked.
 Jen calls them pants bags and says you need one on holiday because you don't want to have to put your drawers in other people's drawers.  She made me one a couple of years ago.

If you would like the "We Support You" Friendship Quilt Pattern, you can purchase it for $12.00 by emailing Madame Samm directly at madamesamm@me.com


If you've been counting, I did make one more.

What can I say, I'm a bra gal

This one for another important lady, my daughter.


She supports me...

Thank you Madame Samm and Pat for a great hop.

Please visit the other
We Support You
projects of the day:


Feb 10th  

 Creatin' In the Sticks --Lucky me, you are here!






Be encouraging and love one another,











Sunday, February 8, 2015

Triad of Color - Project Quilting Season 6 / Challenge 3: Orphan Blocks



Kim at Persimon Dreams hosts Project Quilting.
She announces a challenge (6 per season) and you have one week to create something quilty.
Prizes can be won and it's a great way to meet new blogging friends.

Challenge 3–Project QUILTING
UFOs and Orphan Blocks 

Triad of Color
The challenge:

An orphan block is defined as any block or piece of block that has not yet been put into a project.  (I have a lot of cutoff half square triangles, for example.)
You are encouraged to make something different than you had originally intended. 

  1. You may add other fabrics, but the main part of your project should be from the UFOs or orphan blocks.
  2. If you truly do not have any UFOs or orphan blocks email Kim:  lapaceksorchard {at} gmail {dot} com and she’ll assign you a random traditional quilt block to start with. 
  3. Include a picture of the original UFO or orphan blocks with a picture of your final project. 
  4. Every challenge piece must be a FINISHED project seen through from INCEPTION to COMPLETION during the challenge timeline. Each piece must stand alone as DONE to count toward prizes.
  5. Your project does not need to be a traditional quilt, but must meet at least one of these requirements:
    1. Include patchwork.
    2. Include appliqué.
    3. Have 3 layers stitched together by hand or machine.
  6. Your project must have a name.
  7. Projects must be FINISHED and LINKED UP  by Sunday, February 8th at Noon, CST.  

I started with these leftover blocks and a box of strips
I've really been committing to using scraps this year and this challenge was perfect.
The triangle blocks were leftover from a quilt I made for Project Quilting Season 5:  


I reshaped the triangle blocks to have 5 sides (cutting corners) and added strips (wonky style) until I could cut a 16 1/2" block.

Then I pieced strips for the border by sewing scrap strips on a 5 1/2" strip of fabric.


Here it is before the quilting began:


And after a marathon of quilting and binding (I used leftover binding too!),
I present 
Triad of Color


My inspiration for the blocks -
triangle caution signs.


I wanted to soften all the sharp lines so the quilting is free motion meandering.
It's quick too.  wink....


I had the backing fabric in my stash which I felt was perfect with color and design 
and I've made it a goal to be better about labeling my quilts.





Triad of Color

UFOs and Orphan Blocks Challenge 3–Project QUILTING


Made by Carla in Dodge City, Kansas


Size:  68" x 68"

Wonky patchwork, patchwork
Freemotion quilting
Fabric - a ton of scraps :)

You can see all the other challenge projects and vote for your favorites starting at noon central on
February 8, 2015
by clicking 

Clicking on the little heart in the upper right hand corner counts as a vote.
Triad of Color is #58.

I thought I would share a behind the scene look at my photo shoot today.
Boy, was it windy....


Quilting photography in motion.
Have a great day!