Wicked Winner

I hope everyone had a safe and Happy Halloween.  We don't get anyone up into our dark hillside and the town only does an hour business sidewalk candy give out since Irene.  But I think I will blame Moe for scaring everyone away.

I'm playing with something a little more fun.  I just LOVE this!!

I got a commission request from a dear friend - and I couldn't say no.  A walker bag made from cadillac print fabric if I could find it.  Her Aunt calls her walker her cadillac, but misplaces it in the nursing home and then there are problems.

I'm sure she will find her cadillac with a bag made from this - I think it is just so cool!!

'On The Road Again' @ Benartex and I got it thru a new to me on-line store Harts Fabric - it came so fast.

OK - I know, you are waiting to see who gets to play with these lovelies.  I wish I could get that widget from random.com to paste up, but no - so please trust me.  And thank you to all who visited and left lovely comments. The Wicked Hop was just Vonderful!!

#3 (out of 173) is:

 Scrapatches said...

Cute ... cute ... cute. The witches fabric is sew fun. I love the way you cut for the tissue box cover and the mini quilt is adorable. Thanks for sharing ... :) Pat

I will send her an e-mail for shipping information.  I will be participating in the For The Boys Hop and will have another give away, so hope to see you.

Sewingly Yours,

Sharon

Viewer's Choice

Remember the linky's are up until October 31st, and the link is now open to place your viewer's choice up.  Please read the instructions on how to do this with the LINKY HERE - scroll down to the bottom of the post.

I would recommend browsing all the catagories and jotting your favorites down (there are over 400 entrants) - then return to catch late link ups.  I would hate to miss out on 'that one' that came in on the last day.  Then select your viewer's choice by the 31st. 

Sewingly Yours,
Sharon

Blogger's Quilt Festival - Professionally Quilted

This is my entry into Amy's Creative Side - Blogger's Quilt Festival for the 'Professionally Quilted' quilt catagory.  This quilt was started back in 2009 when I first began quilting.  It was a QAL with an AOL group now defunct so I cannot give credit to the pattern/source.

It was a learning quilt:

1.  I don't like to make big quilts, much prefer my minis today.
2.  This was the first quilt I actually bought fabric specifically for a project - need to educate myself on different fabrics, designers, companies, etc.  And I did study that and still do to keep up with things.
3.  I don't do applique well.  Re-pieced the entire center before sending this off for quilting.  The sunflowers were changed to paper piecing (self drafted) and stem/leaves changed out for better applique.
4.  Pressing for better lay and matching.  I took a class on pressing - specific blocks, layouts, fabric types, etc..  It has made a huge difference in my quilting today.
5.  Sometimes you have to let the professional do the quilting.  I don't do large quilts on my home machine.  And the requested light backing by my quilter - really lets the 'frosting' shine.

Details:

Fabrics - top - mottled blender by Blank Industries (sunflowers scraps)

             backing - Home Front by Connecting Threads

100% Cotton batting - Quilters Dream

Glide Thread in cream

Size - 62" x 72"

Quilted by:  Valerie Smith @ Pumpkin Patch Quilter (APQS hand guided long arm machine quilter)

Started March 2009 - Complete August 2013

Sewingly Yours,

Sharon

Last Black Saturday

The month of October's color for RSC13 was Black/Grey and I really didn't want to add that to my blocks in progress as I plan to use black as sashings. corner stones, or setting triangles.  Then I remembered.....

I had been cutting 'bricks' each month and would need the 'stepping stone' (4-patches) which I wanted to use black and muslin.  So I pulled different blacks with some sort of tonal grey in them - some leaf, some dots, some vines, some that look like rain splash.  So starting early this morning I whipped up 110 stones.

I have gotten all the rows stitched and tomorrow I will put them into a flimsie.  This is a free pattern on Bonnie Hunter's Quiltville - called bricks and stepping stones.

I will be linking up over at SoScrappy - check out what other's have done with black/grey for the month.

Sewingly Yours,
Sharon

Baby Love

Oh my, Baby Love with Baby Lock.  And the sweetest baby name - Melody.  Want to see all her baby stats?   VISIT HERE

Why would I want this baby?  Well, I have been sewing on another sweet lady - in her gentle years.  A 40+ year old gem  - a New Home.  I'd like to retire her to a back up machine - gently stroke her, take her on a mild ride once in a while.  It's time to up-grade with a machine that can handle all those hard rides.

Now I would like to keep a good chance to win this Baby, but take a look over at Amy's Creative Side to see what you need to do to enter for a chance or more.

Sewingly Yours (with fingers crossed),
Sharon

Blogger's Quilt Festival - Doll Quilt Entry

I have done a lot of doll quilts with the Monthly Doll Quilt Swap Group, so it was hard to pick one.  I really enjoy  this group and offers inspiration to try some new techniques with a little project. This particular month's theme was 'Shape Shifters' - use a non-traditional shape/size to make your quilt.

This mini Cathedral Window quilt was made using the cirlce template method. Here is a tutorial on YouTube to help explain:
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gKvdrexKE4

My template was one of my dinner plates and I made a cardboard square template for the centers.  Simply using up some left-over layer cakes, flannel was used for batt, some button fun and I always make a little dollie to match the quilt - dressed with scraps from the quilt. Finished size - 18" square

You get a nicely pieced and quilted back with this technique, too.  And my signature doll quilt label is made using Aida cloth, DMC floss and a little button.

Please be sure to visit Amy's Creative Side and view all the entrants.  There are several catagories - maybe you have a quilt to enter!

Sewingly Yours,
Sharon

Reminder

Friday is the start of the linky for the Blogger's Quilt Festival over at Amy's Creative Side.  She planned our blogger's quilt show during Quilt Market Fests, since most of us just can't make that party.  So this is your chance to party and show your favorite quilt.

This won't be my choice - this lovely is my Country Charmer - on it's way home after being so lovingly frosted by Valerie at Pumpkin Patch Quilter.  Please go give her a visit to see more photos of her beautiful quilting on this - and leave her a sweet comment, too.

But I do have another quilt that Valerie frosted for me and that will be my entry into the show - see you on Friday.

Sewingly Yours,
Sharon

Something Wicked This Way Comes

I would like to thank the Mad Madam Samm and Wicked Wendy for being the inspiration and cheerleaders for this hop. Please be sure to visit these other bloggers whom I share this Wicked Day with:

Grammie Q's

Stitchin By The Lake

Quilted Delights

Buzzing and Bumbling

Life in the Scrapatch

The Quilted Cat

Meadowbrook

Patchouli Moon Studio

The Nosy Pepper

Sew Incredibly Crazy

 I don't do a lot of decorating for Halloween or have a lot of Halloween fabrics, but do enjoy having a little fun with it.

I've had this FQ in my stash for some time - not even sure how I acquired it.  The Witches are so fun, but rather a large size and not a lot of room to really play with them without chopping someone.  So I chopped!!

I used my TUTORIAL FOUND HERE  to make a wicked tissue cover.  I had to have one with a black cat - I have a black cat don't you?

And I had to include those wickedly fun shoes.  No, I don't have any like those, but I think maybe at some point I had leggings similar to those - now that is scarey.

I had to save one of these wicked witches to make a new mini for my stand.  A simple large scrappy 4-patch background and some extras cut and fused.  Quilt a spider web and add some crows and sunflowers for borders, and my favorite black with tiny orange dots for binding.

We need some monsters in the mix of wickedness.  I used this TUTORIAL from United Notions. Just some bright and fun colors/fabrics for a bit of play.

I think I'll tuck them up amoungst the flower beds to take care of any Tricksters!

What if we play with that pattern and replace the zipper with some toothy 
looking fabric?

We can have a wicked
cover for that empty
coffee can to use for holding those goodies 
when all those treaters come to the door.  

And you know it wouldn't be wicked with out some Ghastlies from Alexander Henry.  I have some left from previous years, and got to love that new Christmas one.  Some Little Black Dress (Basic Grey) - just perfect with those Ghastly Ladies, some of Tula Pink's NightShade left.  And stir it together with some mauve/pink stripe by Elm Creek Quilts.

Now you knew I had to make a quilt - you just knew.  Some left over mottled black (Wilmington Prints) for a border and that 'Nettie's Dot' (Timeless Treasures) was perfect for the back.

I just could not cut up this Christmas print.  The characters are large (17.5" for one of the figure images), but it all just blends into one another so you have to leave it be.

But that eclectic mix of fabrics - chopped, diced, shuffled - just FUN!!

Just a wickedly fun quilt to have out from October right thru the Christmas season.

Thank you for stopping by - glad you were a treater and not a trickster.  My treat to you is a give away:

It's too close to Halloween for spooky fabric and if you are like me, tired of Christmas fabrics (oh my) so I chose a jelly roll of Midnight Blues by Windham Fabrics.  Hey, the Midnight, night blues, that moon, it fits the mood.  I will ship international, just leave a comment (be sure I have a way of contacting you).  Comments open until midnight (EST)- the witching hour - Oct 31st and winner announced Nov 1st.

Sewingly Yours,
Sharon

Get Ready For Next Week

There is a lot brewing next week, so I want to get a couple of Fall projects finished.  Lots of thread play makes a panel fun - now to get that binding done.

Gosh I feel awful as my dear friend KatieQ sent me these "Fall Back in Time" by Sandy Gervais a couple of years ago and I am just playing with them.

BeaQuilter will hosting some fun starting Monday. I won her give away for the EQ  Quilt Design - complimenting EQ7.  I really need to pay attention to this.

Wicked Wendy will be cheering us on starting Tuesday (my day).  Be sure you are not home alone!

I know you all have something to enter into this.  Link up will be on Friday. So look thru those quilts and pick one out, do a sweet photo shoot and link up your blog post. 

Stitched in Color will be hosting a wonderful beginner's QAL.  Nicely spaced out with lots of instructions, tips, hints, and help.  If you know a beginner, get them to do a little stitching along side you.  And you don't have to be a beginner to play along.

**  Valerie has sneak peeks of my Country Charmer being quilted - EEKKKK **

Have a lovely weekend,
Sewingly Yours,
Sharon

The Machine is Hummin'

I am really enjoying the Alphabet QAL with Blossom Heart Quilts.  I decided to start putting the rows together rather than storing blocks in a box.  These work up so fast and it is so cute.  There are two more rows, but I am thinking of making the next row (due out next month) the last row of the quilt and quilt it up.  The last row is the Z and some numbers, but it will make for a very long, large quilt - so I will just use the Z as a pillow and maybe make the numbers smaller for another pillow.  OR I can incorporate them all into a pillowcase.

I finished up this sweet lap quilt.  I used the cute candy charm pack that Kris - Lavender Quilts sent along with our little doll quilt swap.  Using some left over Kona White, I just framed them and then found some scrap 'Harvest Home' by BlackBird in my stash.  Just enough of one for the skinny sashing and then the other print for the outer border and used the rest on the back.

I needed a little more for the back so found enough of a Jo Morton to make a lovely pieced back (and the binding).  A simple stipple in the white to pop those cute charms and some straight line in the border.  Now if I had one of those fainting couches to display it on. 

 Since I have all my projects for the Wicked and For the Boys Hops done I thought I better catch up on some pillows for the shop.  A quick project and gift.  Simply select a 12" block and add a 2.5" border, you get a 16" pillow top.  Sandwich up with a muslin and thin bat. Some simple quilting and maybe some buttons.  I make the envelope backs so the pillow form can be removed so the covers can be washed. AND I am using just scraps out of that bucket - YIPPY!!

And it is my 3rd Blogaversary today - time to announce those winners:

USA - Katie of Snuggle up with a Dish with Karma

France - Carin of Ullhrvan ** correction - she was in France now in Sweden **

I will be sending them private e-mail for postal information.  And ladies, I will have to open and unroll these so they fit in the mailers - I will include tags and ties.

Thank you all for visiting and commenting.  I will be having a give away with each of the new Hops coming up.

Sewingly Yours,
Sharon