Country Charmer Update - October

I just wish I could be with that wild pair in California - yes, the designer of Country Charmer, Lynn of Sewn'WildOaks - and Sue of Quilt Times.  They have been teaching and enjoying a wonderful outdoors quilt show.  Now they off to Lynn's cabin on the mountain - hope the bear minds it's P's & Q's.  Oh, you don't know about the bear?  Better go visit their blogs and catch up on the story.

Well back to the Country Charmer......

For all my struggles with color and placement, the quilt is a flimsie!  That little tag is to mark the top/first block  because......

my Country Charmer is currently at Valerie's - Pumpkin Patch Quilter - waiting for it's turn for her magic.

This is the frosting she put on my last quilt sent to her, so I can;t wait to see what she does with Charmer.

I will be linking up with our lovely Lesley - The Cuddle Quilter - be sure to see everyone's progress.

Sewingly Yours,

Sharon

September NewFO

Is it really that time again?  Wow, only three more months left in the year and for you folks that count down - just 85 days to Christmas - yikes!  Seems like we waited forever in our neck of the woods for Summer(two weeks of it at the most) and then we fell into Fall - my favorite season.  I just hope Winter doesn't rear it's ugly head too soon.

NewFOs for the month were some baby quilts, minis, swap projects, all those pincushions, combined the 'Blue' and 'Size Matters' block hops into one project(there's more blocks in the box), and the Scrap Buster QAL.

  

And finished up some prior NewFOs - a mini and three large quilts.

Plans for October are some secret sewing for up-coming Blog Hops and the Monthly Doll Quilt Swap.  A light load as I will be prepping for and doing some Vending.  My goal is to have my 'check off' list done, Christmas shopping done, and all vending done by Dec. 1st - I plan to hibernate!!!

** linking up with NewFO at Barbara's Cat Patches **

CLOSING THOUGHT

Sewingly Yours,
Sharon

Busy

I went silent for a while, but not because of any cat-astrophy.  I picked up a commission on the weekend and just poured myself into it.  Over 100 pieces of fabric got dumped on the portable table - of course my helper just thought I was making him the greatest bed.  I have the flimsy to a point of waiting on a fabric order - an older Debbie Mumm line that I lucked out finding on e-bay - my client REALLY wanted that fabric for the final border after seeing it on one of my older quilts - once it arrives, I will be silent again to put the final touches on the quilt and off for quilting.

So while waiting - I played.  This is the Jelly Jam Quilt from Fat Quarter Shop - that link will show pattern, chart, a U-Tube tutorial as well as a PDF download.  This is for a quick - 2-for-1 - two baby quilts from one jelly roll.  And this goes QUICK!!  You could make your own strips from scraps as you only need 16 strips for one quilt.  But you could certainly use the entire roll and make one big quilt.

I didn't want two quilts the same - so I used the rest of the strips to make a 'jelly roll race' type quilt.  Both of these are backed with a flannel and simple  straight line quilting with my walking foot.  I was able to get both of these quilts done in a day.  That FAST. 

And I still am waiting, so thought I would pull my huge pile of panels.  They needed straightening, refolding, and used.  This cute panel is 'Sunshine Zoo' by Jo Moulton for Wilmington Prints.  I had picked up the striped as a FQ bundle from Connection Threads (love them for binding) and found some great pieces that worked so well as borders.  Again, a flannel backing and I used a large meander quilting.  Another quick project done in an afternoon.

OK - had to share the other helper.  She thought it fun to come out of no where and pounce on this quilt while I was trying to photo.  Yes, part of the lawn is mowed , but the quilts got laid in the 'jungle' - no wonder she wanted to bounce.

I really am on a fabric diet, but I had won a gift certificate 
from Melissa during the link ups with the Star Surround QAL.  So I used it to get this FQ bundle from Southern Fabric - LONDON from Free Spirit.  This will wait for next year - there will be new QALs to play along with and I will need new fabric for the cause.

And I joined a new swap group - Sewing with Friends.  This time the project was a little friendship bag using THIS PATTERN.  If you are looking for a little something idea for a secret swap or secret sister - this works up so quickly and looks so different with color/fabric used.  And it was stuffed full of goodies - a quick and cute quilt pattern card, note pad, grograin ribbon tape measure, machine cleaning brush, and two double packs of candy charms.  My partner spoiled me - she felt horrible that my first squishy went amiss with the mail.

The first bag and goodies that someone else is hopefully enjoying......

It wasn't her fault it went missing and I had time to make the mail-out deadline, so did up another bag and filled it with goodies.  This time it made it's destination - hurray!!  I love that Lario, some shell fan-shaped buttons, and two quilter's stilettos (yes, I made those, too).

See - I can't stay away so long as it gets photo and news heavy.

And if I can get this guy to nap in another spot, maybe I can get some more sewing done.

** linking up with Feline Friday and Whoop Whoop Friday **

Sewingly Yours,
Sharon

RSC13 - Baby Blues

It has taken me awhile to gather 'baby blues' as I don't typically work with pastels.  I even dug into a scrap tote that I didn't plan on looking into until next year - I have so much right now to try and use up!  My large star is always my first block to build as it takes the largest pieces of fabric.

Then I work the Sprout blocks - the pastels get lost in this pattern.  My little bit of whimsy I add to these - look close.  Humpty Dumpty

The baby stars are next.  They don't really take a lot of fabric, it is just the order I work.  I don't know why they look so purple as they are the same fabrics used in all my blocks?

And last - those log cabin blocks to use up the smallest and skinniest of them - and I did use those scraps right up to the bits that got tossed.

** Linking up with ScrapHappy-RSC13 - go visit and see how everyone else worked with their pastel blues **

Sewingly Yours
Sharon 

End of a Summer Breeze

Before the Autumnal Equinox is here, I thought I should finish playing with my Summer Breeze.  This was a full FQ bundle gifted to me by my SIL for helping her with her very first quilt (that she designed).

My first quilt was the 'How Far Will You Go' QAL with The Elven Garden.

And then I made a pillow to go with  it as part of the Project Quilting Challenge with Persimon Dreams.

And scraps worked perfectly for the Mug Rug Blog Hop over at Sew We Quilt

The left-overs became another quilt.  A simple 20-patch (2.5" squares) to use up all those scraps.

The stars are made with the sashing - 4.5" strips with 'flip-corners' from 2.5" squares.

And corner stones - 4.5" squares - make up the star centers.  Very easy way to make a secondary pattern.  I had it longarmed by one of our local quilters.  A flowing leaf, vine and flower that resembled most of the flower patterns in the fabrics.  AND yes, dark yellow thread - I love color thread and I just thought it added to the warm and summer feel to this quilt.

And to show how the star travels into the inner border - it's just a geese unit.

The back is a Henry Glass - "Bouquet Splendor" - which I think works nicely.

I do have a baggy of all the corner snips, a few scraps and some of those border fabrics.  I think I will tuck them away with a note on them - future Doll Quilt Swap.  Now I am really ready to play with Fall fabrics.

** linking up with Whoop Whoop Friday **

Sewingly Yours,

Sharon

"Favorite Quilt Blocks" is HOME

At the end of May I heard that I had won a gift certificate for a quilting with Marcia'c Crafty Sewing for my 'Favorite Quilt Blocks QAL' with Persimon Dreams. I sent it off to Marcia, although she had a lot of personal things going in her life and told her to sit it on the shelf and when she is ready, fine.  Well it came home and I am sharing some of the photos taken by Marcia as I could never capture her quilting like she does. 

Please visit Marcia's Crafty,Sewing HERE as she has done up a lovely post of 'up cose and personal' with her quilting on this quilt.  Thank you Marcia for such a lovely job on this quilt.

Winner of the Pin It Give Away is:

Thearica of Pigtales and Quilts 

Thearica said...

Your pincushions are really cute cute!! We learned the one where you have the pockets around the outer edge to put spools of thread.

My favorite notion has to be my marking pens. I use them every time I sew. Of course I also use my seam ripper but he is definitely NOT my favorite tool. lol

Sewingly Yours,

Sharon

Monday Sewing Museum

Beth, over at Love Laugh Quilt had a super idea to have a linky to share our sewing room vintage pieces - our own little museum.  I'm a day late - but you can link up thru the week, so join in.

I have a lot of tins.  They are from my great gran, great aunties, god mother, and grand mother.  I can't get most of them open anymore - they are loaded with old threads, buttons, snaps, hooks, lace.  But I will treasure them as they are rather than try to pry them open.

Yes, that's an old cigar tin - my great gran (and anties) were cigar smokers.  The little flip top tin does open, but those buttons are in a box as my grandson loves to use this as his 'treasure chest' when he comes.

Another cigar tin and flat iron - I have lots of flat irons all thru the house - door stoppers these days.

I don't have a machine as old as some - but my sweet and faithful old New Home is a real work horse and I wouldn't trade her for anything.  Actually, she was my SIL's mother's machine and she gifted it on to me.

Of course my old Potter's drying rack.  I think my one auntie dabbled in pottery (earthenware) and then I did in the 60-70's - now it is for my pre-cut recycle barrels and containers of NEW buttons and beads.  I should set up some of my museum treasures on this instead.

Lots of old quilt racks, but this one is probably the oldest one.  It is very delicate and we use it for table runners to display in the shop - afraid a quilt's weight would break it.

This is actually my mother's little collection - old thimbles, collector's thimbles and various miniature machines.  I know she has a lot more somewhere.

So this is part of our 'vintage' here at VroomansQuilts - please link up and share yours.

Sewingly Yours, 

Sharon  

Star Surround

This was such an awesome quilt-a-long.  Melissa broke this down into very workable assignments with lots of size options, tutorials, and charts to make this very user friendly.

First assignment was cutting all your fabrics so they would be ready for the sub-unit stitching.  I chose something a little different - a Connecting Threads fall line "Sun Kissed Harvest" with un-bleached Muslin.

Second assignment was making all the HSTs.  Now that may have scared some, but I just LOVE making these units.

Third assignment was all the Geese units.  Now I freaked some people, even Melissa - as I did my geese and parts of the units a little differently from  Melissa's lovely tutorials.  I went with my methods and wanted to add to some bonus pieces for a future project with the left overs.

 

Of course Bella just loves anything that goes with her complexion - oranges and browns and reds and creams - she was always next to this project if not on it.

The fourth assignment was building the star centers.

Fifth assignment was completing the 'surrounds' in sections so they would be ready for the '9-patch' stitching next.

Lastly - those units all stitched and the completing into a flimsy state for posting up for the grand prize.  Visit HERE at Happy Quilting to see all the wonderful quilt tops that were done.

Yes, it is quilted!  I used a simple stitch in the ditch on the stars and an echo on the sashings and piano key border with a Superior grey thread top and bottom.

I used a StoneHenge slate grey and left over 'faux burlap' layer cakes from the Harvest line for a pieced backing.

I just love this quilt.  We've had a lot of requests for 'male' quilts in the shop lately.  I can see this on a quest bed in a cabin with rustic decor.  Yes, I sashed which I think makes the stars just stand out and pop! And the piano key border just carries those rich Fall colors all around and thru the quilt.

This was going to be a wedding gift quilt - but another was chosen, so this will go into the shop looking for a new home.  Bella will be very upset over that, she thinks it's hers.

Please visit Happy Quilting today as Melissa will be posting a parade of the completed (quilted and bound) quilts and the Grand Prize winner (random draw) will be announced from those who linked their flimsy. 

Sewingly Yours

Sharon