Morning Joe

Another Shnibbles top completed!  Loved this pattern, Morning Joe, by Carrie Nelson, Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.  Simple and fun half square triangles that came together beautifully thanks to Carrie's simple instructions.  They were made a bit larger and then each trimmed to make for near perfect squares.  

I also rolled the seams of the pinwheels to make for nice flat seams with less bulk.  

Fabrics used were two charm packs of Giggles by Me and My Sister Designs for Moda and a Kona white.  The approximate size is 54" x 54".  

As much as I'd love to get this into my machine and do the quilting, November craziness has begun!  I'm readying things for a trip to Georgia to visit my parents for Thanksgiving and a short trip to New Orleans to meet up with longtime friends from San Antonio, TX.  I just don't want to get behind on some ongoing projects, like my City Sampler blocks, and I just couldn't resist joining Lori Holt's and FQS Quilty Fun Sew Along...and then my block of the month.  Heehee...crazy fun! :-)) 

Signing off!  Debbie

Happy Friday!

Oh happy day!  I started a new project yesterday and that's the November Schnibbles...a pattern called "Morning Joe".  Some of my best thinking is over that cup of morning coffee.  This pattern is just making me happy!  It's wonderful and pictures will be shown soon.  

I also made the first block of the Quilty Fun Sew Along ... and this is just gonna be a very fun project!  It will be scrappy, using no specific collection of fabrics ... and will most likely be a fun "stash builder" project! :-) Wouldn't some Pam Kitty fabrics be an awesome addition?!

In this past month, my 12 barns were sewn together, the backing prepared and off to the quilter its gone!  

I had some great input from my friends at the local quilt shop (Block Therapy).  It was their suggestion that instead of a John Deere tractor that I make it a Debbie Miner tractor...and so it is!  :-)

More projects in progress: 

My City Sampler blocks!  I'm up to block 64!  That's 64 six inch blocks!  I've finally gotten organized with my fabrics for these and its going a little faster...and its so much fun! (of course, everything I've been doing is just Fun!) Here are a few I've finished...

My photos aren't that great and I see that one is upside down :-( Please forgive my newbie state with posting pictures. 

As this day began and progresses, I'll continue to be thinking about the fabrics and patterns that I want to use for a special quilt for my brother and sister-in-law.  I've got her favorite colors in mind.  And then, there's the pouches I want to make all my special girls and girlfriends for Christmas. I'll be using a Moda Bake Shop pattern and the mini-charms.  

My dogs are bugging me for breakfast...we are back up to four dogs now.  Darling Steven brought home a rescue...and I love her!  The chickens are probably ready to be let out too.  

Coffee is cold, sun is getting warmer...I'm off to a happy Friday! xoxo

November

Can it possibly be November?!  Amazing, really, but October was so busy!  On the last day of October, I finished my Schnibbles top, Clover!  The pattern was fun...love making four patches, but it got to be kind of a challenge laying it out because it was done on my dining room table in poor lighting conditions.  

 I've been thinking about what Sinta (pinkpincushion) said to me in an email this morning about it looking different, but she liked it.  Well, as I'm posting pictures here to my blog and trying to figure out how to connect my Flickr downloads, it dawns on me why my Schnibbles Clover is different!  I can hardly believe it...but I do :-(  Comparing my quilt top to the photo on the pattern, I've turned rows of 4 patches the wrong way!! Three horizontal rows of four patches are turned up and down instead of sideways...I'm totally bummed...
So, what did I learn?!  Take PHOTOS of my projects and study the colors, layout, and such carefully!  It would have been so easy to fix, but now it's just going to have to remain different! :-)  Another lesson learned!  

Two charm packs of the High Street collection by Lily Ashbury for Moda Fabrics were used to make this approximately 39"x39" quilt top.  

This will be fun to quilt on my Baby Lock if I can ignore those four patches! :-)

Much thanks to Sinta at Pink Pincushion and Thelma at Cupcakes 'n Daisies.  Its been a fun parade and a wonderful introduction to the Schnibbles patterns.  

Debbie

Mercy...or Schnibbles Me Timbers!

Hooray for finished quilt tops! Carrie Nelson is a genius and I loved this latest Schnibbles pattern, "Mercerie".  And I've finished in time to email my photo to join the Schnibbles Parade...though not totally quilted and finished.

 I'd like to use binding and backing fabric that's part of the collection of fabric I chose, plus I got carried away and made the quilt larger than I'm comfortable quilting in my machine!  The fabric is Sunnyside by Kate Spain for Moda.  The precuts had arrived to my local quilt shop and I excitedly snatched up some charm square packs.  I've gotten a lot out of these charm squares...two churn dash baby quilts and Mercerie!  The bolts haven't arrived yet...which is generally the case.  For some reason, the precuts arrive before the bolts.  

This is how my top looked before I decided to add another row.  It was such an odd dimension, but I had really wanted to keep the look of the number "88"!  I loved that part!  This number reminds me of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Nascar :-) So, after adding the row, the number isn't quite as obvious :-( 

 It wasn't a throw, lap, crib or any standard size!  Not sure what I did, lol! Definitely got carried away ... :-)
And this may be the only time you may get to see my backside :-) because I love the way Carrie tells us how to roll and clip our seams, as opposed to pressing open.  This is how my rolled seams appeared:

And for the finished top...

I took it to my local quilt shop and believe I may have sold the pattern and last of the charm squares!

The finished dimension is approx. 43"x66"

The post office is on my list of errands today...excited to get my finished churn dash quilt off to parents and their new baby in Texas.  It was fun to use the Sasparillo yellow "Texas Star" for the backing and binding.  The pattern is Camille Roskelley's churn dash in her "Simply Retro" book.  I love her books and patterns!!  

Checking out!  Off to run my errands and hopefully start building a barn!!
Deb

City Sampler Quilt Along

A fat quarter bundle of more Tula Pink fabrics arrived from Stash Modern Fabrics and I couldn't wait to pick up my City Sampler blocks using Tula Pink's book "City Sampler 100 Modern Blocks".  Her Salt Water collection and Birds and Bees are my absolute favorites!  It was difficult at first cutting into these gorgeous fabrics as these blocks are really pretty small at 6" finished. There are also some Amy Butler fabrics mixed in and of course the Kona cotton solids.  It's been fun to go into my local quilt shop, Block Therapy, and match up some solids.  Fortunately, Joan has a huge selection of solids.  

Here are the blocks I've finished, beginning with block #33...

Block 42 with the squirrel from the Birds and Bees collection is one of my favorites today! :-)  (even though I'm not fond of squirrels)

Meanwhile, I'm working on my second baby quilt...the second one only because I had all these charm squares and I was on a roll.  And, I looked up September's Schnibbles pattern for the Schnibbles quilt along hosted by Sherri of the blog, A Quilting Life, and Sinta, of the Pink Pincushion blog. 
Needless to say, I love the pattern that's been chosen and I've already pieced a sample block...with charms left over from the baby quilts, which is pretty cool!   It was incredibly fun to see my Canasta quilt in the parade on Sherri's blog!  

Miss Rosie's Schnibbles pattern chosen for September is called "Mercerie".  

Have a wonderful Thursday evening my friends!!  It's been a good day!!  

Debbie

Ta-Da!

Hooray!  Just in time for the Schnibbles Parade hosted by Sherri at A Quilting Life and Sinta at Pink Pincushion!  I've completed the pattern chosen for the month of August and is the first time for me to join this group. Its been a fun and rewarding challenge.  It was love at first sight when I saw the pattern Canasta by Carrie Nelson at Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. I loved all the little baskets.  

So, I collected the fabrics and went to work.  Many of my friends ask, "how long did it take you?"  Well, this quilt, at approx. 39"x48", took one solid week with no time spent on any of my other on-going projects.  It took me a good afternoon to decipher the cutting instructions and sew the first basket.  I found the instructions to be disjointed and unlike any of my other favorite patterns and projects. There was a huge disappointment and moment of frustration one night when squaring off the first block to the required 5 1/2"...I realized my points were being cut off!!  The flying geese would be perfect...everything would be perfect, and then I realized my scant quarter inch seam was too scanty!!  Arrrgghh!  Well, I learned a valuable lesson!  ...and that's one of the fun things about it!  ... after you get over the initial let down! :-))

But, I love the finished quilt!  

Stats:  

Pattern - Canasta by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.

Dimension - 39"x48"

Fabrics - Simply Style, V & Co./Moda

Quilting - by me on my Baby Lock Crescendo

Critique and Support - Steve and son, John :-)

Happy Tuesday ya'll!!
Debbie

Catching Up

Home sweet Mississippi home!  After a destination wedding trip for a special young lady in Cabo San Lucas (yes...it was fun!), I was so happy to be back.  So, finally beginning yesterday I got to work on my WIP's!  So anxious to begin work on the Schnibbles pattern Canasta, but I needed another pack of charm squares. 

First to complete were two of my modern quilt blocks (Tula Pink's City Sampler 100 Modern Quilt Blocks).

This is #31:

and this is #32:

Can't wait to get through the rectangles, but I need a few more Kona solids to continue.  I need to get to #36 to catch up with the Flickr group.  

Next to work on were two steam punk blocks that were cut out before I left town.  They were laid out on my design boards and all I had to do was sew, sew!  

These are fun.  Disappointed in how the colors show in the photos.  They were shot with my Ipad, but I guess its time to use a real camera.  

And lastly, I tackled Lori Holts' Quilty Barn Along, Barn #10 with "Summer Star Block".  This block proved to be a bit of challenge for me.  No matter how hard I try for perfection, they are not as good as Lori's!  You can see her 10th barn on her blog...Bee In My Bonnet

My brain feels a little mushy right now...maybe I should have waited to write this! :-)  It's difficult for me to set aside the time to improve this blog...but, golly its fun to do!  And the most exciting part, I can participate in the comments, link ups, and all sorts of fun stuff!! Love it!  ...and Green Carlson, you are my new best friend! :-)

Happy Thursday and happy weekend!
Debbie

Barn Block

Things are way too busy around here this week, but I did manage to finish my latest silo barn block.  This is my fourth silo barn in conjunction with Lori Holts' Bee in My Bonnet Quilty Barn Along ... Quilty Barn Along.

Lori has named the block "egg basket"... seeing as how I have some backyard chickens and collect eggs in my basket, this seems pretty appropriate!  The seamripper is displayed in this photo to remind me of the dismantling that I did the first time around.  My barn fabric did not have enough contrast and just kept bugging me until finally I just decided it had to go!  Barn burnout...or maybe just time to collect a bit more pastel fabrics! :-)  

I'm excited to have just downloaded a new PDF pattern (Schnibbles) from Miss Rosie's Pattern Co. called Canasta.  I'm totally in love with it and hope to jump right in on this project next week!  Stay tuned!  

Debbie