Wednesday, September 28, 2016

The Road Home Row Along - The Oregon Coast

Thanks for stopping by for my post on The Road Home Row Along!  I was really excited (and a little nervous!) to be part of this great blog hop.  There are so many talented designers and wonderful rows, but I feel like I met the challenge with my row and I hope that you all like it as much as I do!

The Road Home


First, a bit about my home - Coos Bay, OR.  It's a little town on the Oregon Coast.  I love to talk to people about how they came to live here, because either they have lived here all their lives or they have an interesting story about how they came to be here!  My story is that I traveled with a Pastor, his wife and 6 children as a nanny from where I grew up in Pueblo, Colorado.  Then I met this cute young guy, we fell in love and I moved here so we could be married!  We spent a couple years in California, but came back to Coos Bay and here we are.  We live just a few blocks from the place we met and were married - isn't that neat?

One of my favorite things about living here is the beauty of the coast, and a special place called Shore Acres.  They have a beautiful garden there with gorgeous roses in all colors, surrounded by trees, and a great lookout with a shelter where you can look out over the ocean and be protected from the weather even in the winter.  It's a great place to see the magnificent waves when we get a get a good storm, but the view is pretty on a foggy day as well.


  If you're lucky you can get a glimpse of the whales as they travel their own watery road home as they migrate.  This is a picture that inspired me:

 The Cape Arago lighthouse is nearby and there are some nice walking trails that you can enjoy.  In the spring and fall Canada Geese honk overhead as they migrate to their home as well.  I've heard them the last few evenings as they fly over!  It's hard to catch a picture, but you can see a couple of them right above the trees.



All of these things that I love inspired my row:


As you can see, my row consists of several pieced blocks, so you can adjust the length as you like simply by leaving out some of the blocks.  The geese are paper pieced, and the rest of the blocks are basic piecing, so this one is great for any skill level of quilter!  My favorite is the whale tail!    I've added some borders to my row and quilted it with edge to edge wavy lines to represent the ever present coastal wind.

I love just sitting at my sewing machine and sewing patches together until I have a complete block, so I hope you enjoy some piecing, too!  Each block has it's own set of individual instructions, so I am confident that any quilter can do this.  I can't wait to see some pictures of what you do with this row (hint, hint!)


Purchase pattern $8.00


Visit these other blogs for more new rows today!


creates Burlington Vermont
creates Manitoulin Island, Canada
creates Oregon
creates Silicon Valley, CA




 I also get to give away this great pattern bundle or a book from Barbara Dieges!  We are sorry that this giveaway is for US residents only due to the cost of shipping.



Just leave a comment on my blog and enter through the Rafflecopter widget below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
If you have an embroidery machine, make sure you enter to win this great design CD by Anita Goodesign:



a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thank you to Marian of Seams To Be Sew and Amy from Sew Incredibly Crazy
for the chance to show off my road home!  There is another giveaway on Marian's blog as well, so make sure you visit for a chance to enter for a chance of a $300.00 bundle from the fat quarter shop!  If you've missed any of the previous rows, here is the full list so you can catch up:

September 6
Allie-Oops Sweet Happy Life creates Harrisville, MI Sunrise Coast
Cynthia’s Creating Ark
creates Adelaide South Australia
Kissed Quilts
creates Grand Coulee, Washington
Renee’s Quilting Addiction
creates Alberta, Canada
September 8
Sew Incredibly Crazy
creates Colorado
3 Patch Crafts
creates Bulgaria
Just Let Me Quilt
creates Las Vegas, Nevada
Quilt in Piece
creates Amanzimtoti, South Africa
September 13
Tweety Loves Quilting
creates Edinburgh, UK
Quiltscapes
creates Heber City, Utah
Seams To Be Sew
creates Idaho Falls, Idaho
Pine Valley
creates New Zealand
September 15
bdieges designs
creates Road to Tehachapi (CA)
Elizabeth Coughlin Designs
creates Worcester County in Central Massachusetts
Patti’s Patchwork
creates Toronto, Ontario Canada
Seacoast Quilter
creates New Milford, Connecticut
September 20
Beaquilter
creates Denmark
Heleen Pinkster
creates Netherlands
MooseStash Quilting
creates Alaska
Rebecca Mae Designs
creates Northern Maine
September 22
Words & Stitches
creates Beaches of California
Quilt Art
creates Africa
I Can Quilt 2
creates Baltimore, MD
Any Pattern
creates Port Angeles, Washington
Patchwork Breeze
creates West Michigan Shoreline
September 27
Creatin’ in the Sticks
creates Dodge City, Kansas
Sue Griffiths Featured At Just Let Me Quilt
creates Northern Rivers Region, NSW, Australia
Seams To Be Sew And Batts In The Attic
creates Hollywood/LA
(Dual Posting)
September 29
Quilted Fabric Art
creates Burlington Vermont
Westend Quilter
creates Manitoulin Island, Canada
Pamela Quilts
creates Oregon
Quilt Fabrication
creates Silicon Valley, CA
October 04
Patchouli Moon Studio
creates Central New Mexico
Linda Robertus
creates Netherlands
Elm Street Quilts
creates North Carolina
Sarah Quinn Featured At Seams To Be Sew
creates Outer Space
October 06
Cheryl LaPlant Featured At Quilt In Piece
creates York, Maine
Miss Loreen’s Schoolhouse
creates New Hampshire
Bumbleberry Stitches
creates OklahomaNeedle in a Hayes Stack
creates Mojave Desert
Cloth and Paper Studio
creates North Georgia Mountains

Friday, September 23, 2016

The Joy of Finishing!

I have been happily sewing and quilting this week, and am finishing things!  In fact, I have finished four quilts so far this week, it's just been so much fun that I don't want to stop.  Replacing the needle bar thread guide has definitely improved the quilting problems I have been struggling with for the past couple weeks.  Thread breaking and stitch skipping has not been the problem it was before so I am relieved to be back in the groove.

Two of the quilts were just like this one that I made earlier this month.  It's a panel with two borders of coordinating fabric added.

One will be going to California, one to the quilt shop, and the first one I am keeping for myself! It's just such a beautiful fall quilt I couldn't resist.  Plus that my husband really liked it as well!  I also finished this quilt with some awesome Chickens on it.

It's already been claimed and will be traveling off with the Fall panel quilt tomorrow.  Since I was in the quilting groove I decided to finish the next quilt on my list as well - I decided to just meander quilt it and am happy with the results.
This one will be listed in my Etsy Shop later today!  I only have one more small quilt basted right now, so I guess I'll have to get busy and have another basting day soon and get more tops ready to quilt.  I'm not even close to getting to the end of my UFO pile and I have plenty of tops that are ready to be quilted.  I want to get them off my list first so I can focus on finishing several projects that have been hanging around for way too long (like my Crazy Dear Jane quilt, Joy, and Farmer's Wife!).  I have a couple of shop samples to work on over the weekend, and happily - no alterations on my plate, so lots of time for quilting!

I'll be linking up on Finished or Not Fridays on Myra's Blog - it's fun to share and to see what everyone else is working on - join us!



Finished or Not Friday at Busy Hands Quilts

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Road Home, Day 6

Are you ready for another amazing day on the Road Home Row Along? I am blown away at how awesome the rows have been so far!

September 22

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Bloggers Quilt Festival - Miniature Quilt

It was so hard to pick what my second entry should be in the Blogger's Quilt Festival!  I finally decided to go with the Miniature Quilt category.  Miniature quilts are one of my favorite kinds of quilting.  I've made mini's of all kinds over my years of quilting, in many different techniques.  My favorite so far this year is this one:

This was a miniature version of a lap quilt I made.  It measures 11 1/2 inches square, including the binding.  It is made from Island Batik fabrics, and I made it as a prize for a giveaway in a blog hop sponsored by Island Batik.  The winner was quite delighted with it!

Here is the back - I had fun with the quilting on this one, and really like how the stars pop on the front!

You can see how small those squares are in this shot - the squares are 1 inch finished.  Not the smallest I've ever pieced, but small enough!

Go check out all the categories at the Blogger's Quilt Festival!  Have fun getting to know some new bloggers and enjoy all the great quilts.

Blogger's Quilt Festival - Modern Quilt

It's that time of year again - the Blogger's Quilt Festival!  I've enjoyed participating in this several times as the event has grown every year, and look forward to seeing all the wonderful entries.  This year we can enter two quilts in different categories.  It's so hard to choose, but this quilt is one of my favorite quilts that I have created this year, and I think I was successful in designing a modern quilt using Batik fabrics (from Island Batik!)

This quilt was made using a package of 10 inch squares (Florida Oranges) and was a quilt that I think really made me grow as a quilter!  The simple piecing set the stage for me to do some more elaborate quilting on it, which was a lot of fun.

As I worked my way through the marking of straight lines and quilting some freehand wedges I was really inspired to try some different techniques and stretch my skills as a free-motion quilter.  The open spaces invited me to quilt spirals and swirls.  I was challenged to try to add more dimension by adding dense quilting in some areas and open channels in others.
I was delighted to receive a blue ribbon in my county fair for this quilt, along with a positive comment on my quilting!

 It was fun to see it hanging there, it really makes a statement!  I call this quilt Solar Flare - it measures 72 x 72.  I used Aurifil thread in a light gray to quilt it (50 wt) and Warm and Natural Batting.  

I hope you like my quilt as much as I do!  Make sure you check out the rest of the Modern Quilt Entries as well.

Monday, September 19, 2016

Bountiful Table with Island Batik

I'm back and finally got the picture taken of my project for Island Batik. This months challenge for the Island Batik Ambassadors is Bountiful Table Toppers.

I love table runners!  They are not only fun to make, but they don't take a whole lot of fabric either! They are usually fairly quick, and they are really a great way to add a touch of color to your home.  I love to change them out for the seasons - they really are so versatile.

I made two different table runners - the first one is made using 5 inch squares, plus about 5/8 yard fabric for the back and 1/4 yard for the binding!  That means you should be able to make this table runner for around $20.00 - you probably have a scrap of batting big enough for this if you make many quilts at all!  The pattern I used is my own design - Fall Charmer.  The fabric I used was a set of Stamps by Island Batik named Tradewinds.  I thought the colors were great for fall, and the fabrics have a nice seaside theme, giving this table runner a fun and playful look!

I love that at first glance it is fall, then at second glass you see the beach theme!  This runner is available for sale here in my Etsy Shop.

The second table runner is a fun project I made using the Cake Stand blocks I sewed using the 10 inch squares I had left from my May project.  This is another fun project - also quick as it uses four pieced blocks, setting triangles, and a border!

I thought this was such a fun project that I wrote up a pattern for this one as well.  I decided to name it Celebration.  I think it has such a fun and festive look, that it's perfect for a party!  This one is a bit bigger, about 60 inches long and 18 inches wide.  I think it is a really fun modern looking quilt even though the blocks are very traditional.  The bright colors and fun batiks make it so sunny and bright!  The 10 inch squares were from the Florida Oranges Stacker and the yellow triangles are from the Caribbean Splash collection.  The orange border is is from the Lavish Line.
I liked it so much I decided to make a second version!  The green setting triangles are from the Caribbean Splash line and the red border is also from the Lavish collection.  These will be available for purchase as well as soon as I can get the listings finished (if you would like to purchase one of them, let me know and I can send you an invoice via paypal right away).

We had a great time on our trip, but I am glad to be home and looking forward to doing some quilting this week.  I missed sewing over the weekend, but it was really good timing for me to be away as the thread guide on my Juki Tl-2001qi had broken off and I was waiting for the new one to arrive.  It came in today's mail, so now my machine is all fixed and ready to go.  I'm going to be a lot more careful sewing netting from now on - that's how I broke it!

Today is the next installment of The Road Home Row Along!  Here are our new rows for the day:

September 20
Beaquilter
creates Denmark
Heleen Pinkster
creates Netherlands
MooseStash Quilting
creates Alaska
Rebecca Mae Designs
creates Northern Maine
I can't wait to see the new rows! I know I will find some new favorites, and so will you!

Saturday, September 17, 2016

Grandma Time

One of my favorite things right now in my life is being a Grandma!  It's such a special thing -  I really enjoy spending time with each one of them.  They are a bit noisy and tiring, but so cute! I am so grateful to be close enough to see them a few times a year, and see them as they grow and change.  We went to the music store today and little Jovi was excited to show me the pink guitar at the music store - she says she want it for her birthday.  Then we took a trip to Target.  Asher was excited to buy a spiderman glove.  He was hoping it shot webs, but it only made sounds...but he was actually ok with that.  He still owes Grandpa 8 favors for the dollar he was given to help him save up enough money.  Cole is funny - he loves his video games - or any other game.  We played Go Fish several times yesterday.

It's fun to have a break from sewing, but I get a little bored without my sewing machine and projects to work on!  I laughed when Asher said he was bored in the music store today...I said that I was bored too, I wish it was a fabric store!  I doubt that I'll go to any this trip, I'm a little outnumbered by the men this time, but maybe next time.

Today was sports pictures for the boys and a soccer game for Cole.  In the rain...luckily we scored a $5.00 umbrella as the sports club was selling off their extra stuff!  We have a football scrimmage later this afternoon, so it's a busy day.  I just might need a nap later!



Thursday, September 15, 2016

Postponed!

I had planned a post for today, but unfortunately forgot to take pictures of the item I wanted to show you, and we are away for the weekend!  So next week, I promise!  Today you can go visit the blogs on the Road Home Row Along and enjoy them.

creates Road to Tehachapi (CA)
creates Worcester County in Central Massachusetts
creates Toronto, Ontario Canada
creates New Milford, Connecticut


I'll be back next week with my table runner post - and probably some cute grandkid pictures too!

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Day Three of The Road Home Row Along

We have four more great rows available today!  You won't want to miss these - make sure you download the patterns even though you won't be using them right away, because I am sure you will want to make them eventually.



The Road Home

Travel to the world today on these blogs:

September 13
creates Edinburgh, UK
creates Heber City, Utah
creates Idaho Falls, Idaho
creates New Zealand

I can't wait to share my row later this month!  Here is a little hint about part of my inspiration:


We had a wonderful hike at one of our special places.  It was very foggy, but not very cold or windy, so it was a good day for a walk!  Of course, I had to take a selfie :)


I did a lot of pattern work this weekend...I have something new to show you, but I'll save that for tomorrow!  Just a hint - this month's Island Batik challenge is Bountiful Table (runners).  I think you will like what I have to share.  Have a wonderful day - go get some steps in, and make sure you sew a little as well!

Saturday, September 10, 2016

EQ25

It's the 10th of September and time to share another tip using EQ7 to celebrate the 25th birthday of Electric Quilt!  Today I would like to share a tip for transforming a so-so block into a more interesting block.

Start out by designing a block (or using a block from the block library).  I designed this block.  I was looking for something that looked a bit like a thistle, I kind of liked the idea, but it was a little boring to me.


So, I used the Clip and flip tool to transform it into a better block:
I like this version a lot better!  You can purchase the block pattern on Etsy if you like - Swirling Thistle.  Just click on the picture below to download it.

 Download Block pattern


Here is how I did it.

Under the block menu click Serendipity, then Clip and Flip Block.

On the left side of the dialog box you can choose which block to work with.  This clip one fourth of the block and the flags on the buttons show you which way the section will be oriented.  The last one will give you random directions - kind of fun!  Save any blocks you think you like to your sketchbook.
When you try to open your block in the sketch book you will get this box - just go ahead and click edit. I picked a different variation to play with this time!


If you want to redraw it, just click the block menu and convert to guides. Then draw over the lines you want to keep for your block
I left out the center lines for a cleaner look, then had fun recoloring the block!

And then did an alternate version just for fun:

These are both interesting ideas for a block!

I hope you learned something new today and are inspired to play with some of the tools in EQ7 to create something unique!

Make sure you head over to QuiltShopGal's post and see what she has for today, as well as the other bloggers who are posting about Electric Quilt.  Don't forget to use #EQ25 in your social media posts to be in the running for a prize, as well as entering the drawings sponsored by Electric Quilt and Andover Fabrics this month!

Friday, September 09, 2016

Country Stars UFO finish

My guild - Coos Sand 'N Sea Quilters is having a UFO challenge this year.  I brought in a bunch of tops to register in September, and will likely bring in a bunch more projects that are not quite tops yet to register in October.  I decided I would try to get one of the tops quilted each week this month to get a head start on things.  Wisely, I started with one of the smaller ones this week!

This is Country Stars.  It started out as leftover triangles (didn't I tell you earlier this week that I save them?).  The quilt these came from was Windmills.  I pulled this pretty pinkish-red stripe for the sashing, found a scrap of purplish floral for the cornerstones and used this gorgeous dusty blue with roses for the border!

Truthfully I was a little lazy putting the blocks together and didn't square them up very well, so the top didn't quite lay as flat as I like, but a simple meander quilting took care of that and it ended up looking quite lovely.

For the back I found a lovely golden yellow print to give it a little pop!

If you like a sweet country style quilt, this is available for sale in my Etsy shop now!

Linking up with Busy Hands Quilts for Finished or Not Fridays


Finished or Not Friday at Busy Hands Quilts

Thursday, September 08, 2016

Triangulate!

I have had quite the week, working to meet some important deadlines and trying to catch up on some pattern writing!  And the kick off of the Road Home Row Along!  Hopefully most of the computer work is behind me at this point and I have time to catch up on some blogging about all of this activity.

Here are our four rows for today, September 8 of the Road Home:

creates Colorado
creates Bulgaria
creates Las Vegas, Nevada
creates Amanzimtoti, South Africa

You are going to love these rows!  I definitely will have to make the one for Colorado, that's were I was born and raised, and the block really reminds me of my childhood home.  I'll add the entire schedule to the bottom of my post so you can catch up on the ones from earlier and keep your eye out for the rest.



This is Triangulate!  I've had this quilt in the back of my mind for over a year now.  I made a lovely quilt for Threads That Bind last year that used large green and black squares that were added to a larger light square on two corners and "snowballed", or as I call it sew and flip triangles.  When I trimmed the excess I was left with a large stack of good sized triangles.  I stashed them all in a baggie with the rest of the excess fabric from the quilt and saved it for a future project.  After a year we still have a good supply of kits, so I decided to get this "bonus" quilt made up, write a pattern, and add it to the kits to make it a two for the price of one deal and hopefully sell them!

After making the quilt top, I still had some good sized pieces left, so I made a scrappy back for this quilt.  Now that the pattern is done, I've added it to my Etsy Shop - Triangulate is a very simple pattern - all you have to do is sew a bunch of triangles together!  I figured out yardage for a many different size triangles, plus threw in a couple of bonus layouts to make it more fun.  I have more baggies full of triangles from other projects, so will probably have to make a few more of these just for the fun of it.

Here is the entire schedule for the Road Home - have fun exploring!

September 6
Allie-Oops Sweet Happy Life creates Harrisville, MI Sunrise Coast
Cynthia’s Creating Ark
creates Adelaide South Australia
Kissed Quilts
creates Grand Coulee, Washington
Renee’s Quilting Addiction
creates Alberta, Canada
September 8
Sew Incredibly Crazy
creates Colorado
3 Patch Crafts
creates Bulgaria
Just Let Me Quilt
creates Las Vegas, Nevada
Quilt in Piece
creates Amanzimtoti, South Africa
September 13
Tweety Loves Quilting
creates Edinburgh, UK
Quiltscapes
creates Heber City, Utah
Seams To Be Sew
creates Idaho Falls, Idaho
Pine Valley
creates New Zealand
September 15
bdieges designs
creates Road to Tehachapi (CA)
Elizabeth Coughlin Designs
creates Worcester County in Central Massachusetts
Cloth and Paper Studio
creates North Georgia Mountains
Patti’s Patchwork
creates Toronto, Ontario Canada
Seacoast Quilter
creates New Milford, Connecticut
September 20
Beaquilter
creates Denmark
Heleen Pinkster
creates Netherlands
Seams To Be Sew And Batts In The Attic
creates Hollywood/LA
Rebecca Mae Designs
creates Northern Maine
September 22
Words & Stitches
creates Beaches of California
Quilt Art
creates Africa
I Can Quilt 2
creates Baltimore, MD
Any Pattern
creates Port Angeles, Washington
September 27
Creatin’ in the Sticks
creates Dodge City, Kansas
MooseStash Quilting
creates Alaska
Patchwork Breeze
creates West Michigan Shoreline
Sue Griffiths Featured At Just Let Me Quilt
creates Northern Rivers Region, NSW, Australia
September 29
Quilted Fabric Art
creates Burlington Vermont
Westend Quilter
creates Manitoulin Island, Canada
Pamela Quilts
creates Oregon
Quilt Fabrication
creates Silicon Valley, CA
October 04
Patchouli Moon Studio
creates Central New Mexico
Linda Robertus
creates Netherlands
Elm Street Quilts
creates North Carolina
Sarah Quinn Featured At Seams To Be Sew
creates Outer Space
October 06
Cheryl LaPlant Featured At Quilt In Piece
creates York, Maine
Miss Loreen’s Schoolhouse
creates New Hampshire
Bumbleberry Stitches
creates OklahomaNeedle in a Hayes Stack
creates Mojave Desert
October 11
Show N Tell Day
TBA



Monday, September 05, 2016

Starting today! The Road Home Row-Along!

I have been a busy bee for the past month and have so many things I need to catch up on here, but for today I just want to tell you about this wonderful event I am participating in!  This is the kick off day for The Road Home Row-Along.  Marian of Seams To be Sew and Amy of Sew Incredibly Crazy have put together an awesome event featuring dozens of bloggers who have designed and are offereing for free a pattern for a row representing our home.  There are also many awesome sponsors for generous giveaways!

The Road Home-wide

We have four bloggers today kicking off our Row Along:




Don't miss this fun blog hop - I'm so excited to see all the rows and collect the patterns!  Make sure you come check in every Tuesday and Thursday to see who the bloggers are for each day.  You'll enjoy meeting each one and finding out more about their "home".  Thanks again, Marian and Amy for making it happen!

Thursday, September 01, 2016

Seaside Summer Blog Hop - just two days left!

Just a reminder, only two more days left of the Seaside Summer Blog Hop!  Here is this week's schedule - lots of gorgeous quilts to drool over!  Make sure you enter all the giveaways as well!



Monday Aug 29 - Tide Pools

Tuesday Aug 30 - Wind and Sea

Wednesday Aug 31 - Spring Zing

Thursday Sep 1 - Splash

Friday Sept 2 - Landscapes