crazy'boutquilts

I know it seems like a while since I've posted~ even though it's just been a few days! I guess when you are crazy, or hmmm, make that busy, or crazy busy :-) time gets away from you. ;-) Well, yesterday was a 'me' day! And I had a ball! I rented the APQS Millennium from my LQS and went to work. First I did a big quilt for my mom and once she gets it, I'm sure she will show y'all photo's so I'll just give some teasers.... ;-) I used a panto called 'Feather Me' by Meredith England. I didn't always get the roll quite perfect, but I think I got it close enough that only someone who knows the panto will see my little blips. The machine had, at one time, had strong velcro on the roller bars~ even though it has a motor for rolling. Well somewhere along the line, the super duty velcro came off and left a sticky residue and that residue put a death grip on the bars when it was time to roll~ yikes! It was very hard to get it to stop in the right spot! :-/ I am sure learning a lot by renting. ;-) This (above) is the back, and the other photo is of a part of the border. Sorry my lighting isn't very good~ it was raining when I took the shots at 6:30 this morning, so still kind of dark. ;-)
I had a little time left, so I quickly put on a length of backing and got 2 Schnibbles quilted too! :-) I'll show y'all better photo's of those when I get them bound... that may take a while. ;-) We are in major down-sizing mode for our next move. And house-hunting. Busy times! :-)
Until next time~
Happy stitchin'!!

I sewed all morning, then had to run out and didn't make it home until late. But I got some good sewing in while I could! :-)

First I finished making more blocks because I stopped last month with the idea that I wanted it bigger~
Then I got all the horizontal rows together, and 3 of the vertical rows. I was thinking that next time (yes, there will probably be another~ this is such a good scrap user pattern) I would put 4 blocks together and then join rows... I think there would be a little less futzing. ;-) I'm happy~ and next month I can get the rest of the rows sewn... I don't have any border fabric picked out yet, so slow progress is good. ;-) I am also thinking about adding one more row to the bottom.. if I do that, I might not even need borders. :-)
If you are stopping by for the first time~ welcome! You can find this free pattern on-line at Bonnie Hunter's Quiltville. It's called Bricks and Stepping Stones. I am growing it though.

How was your day? I hope it was fun!

Until next time~
Happy stitchin'!

I've got this to start stitching together. What are you working on?
I'll be back with an up-date. ;-)

Happy Stitchin'!

Today is not my day! Did you notice how this posted with only a title? I hit 'enter' by accident. :-/ Whoops! What I intended to say about mindless sewing, is that I should've been using my mind!! I am ripping. :-( But only 4 blocks. It's manageable. Can you spot my boo-boo?


Yep, I drew the lines wrong! My square is not square!! :-o I didn't realize you could do that~ until I did it! LOL :-) Oh well, only 4 blocks to take apart and re-draw. ;-)

Do you want to see one of my 30's tops? I am just tickled pink that it is on the frames and my Mom and her friends are hand-quilting it for me! Go Here. :-) Thanks for the photo Mom! :-))

And tomorrow is Thimbleberries Sew Day! Whoohoo! Are you ready? I will be pulling out the Bricks and Stepping Stones and trying to sew rows together~ with my mind on my work! ;-) What will you be working on? Let me know so I can come and cheer you on!! :-) Remember you can use a T-berrie fabric, or other fabric and a T-berrie pattern, just show a little Thimbleberries love! :-)

That's all for now~ time to quit delaying and go rippin'!
Until next time~
Happy Stitchin'!! :-)

I worked on lots of things last week in little fits and spurts. :-) One was getting this table runner together. I have 2 seams left and then the trimming. :-) Sorry the photo is bad~ it is sunny today!! Yay! :-)) It is going to look great on my dining room table! :-) The pattern is 'Whimsy Diamonds Table Topper' and is the second project in this year's Fig Tree Club. (link in sidebar)

For lots of inspiring design walls check out the Mr Linky at Judy L's~

And don't forget to check for the new block in the Jelly Roll Sampler Quilt Along at Moose on the Porch. (link in sidebar)

Until next time~
Happy stitchin'!

I finally finished up last week's Dear Jane blocks, and as long as I was at it, I did this weeks too! Whoohoo! :-)

K-2 Grandpa's Chickens, H-2 Jacob Anthony~ that one gave me fits! I do not like set in seams and I am still considering remaking it and just putting a wonky frame around it. ;-)
C-3 Rayelle's Fence, and K-6 Ann's Folly. The last two were pretty quick and fun. ;-)
While the CW's were out, I did block 6 of the Jelly Roll Sampler Quilt Along too. I altered the final borders, because it looks better with my other blocks this way. ;-)
Hope you found some time to sew today too!
Until next time~
Happy stitchin'!

Today is the day! :-)

Lots of wonderful quilts and quilt stories all over blogland! Go to Amy's Creative Side to join in the fun! And then look at all the links to wonderful quilts! A girl could sit and dream at her computer allll weekend!! ;-)

I was digging around nicely looking through ;-) my quilt cupboard this morning and decided to show y'all this one~ it is a quilt of many firsts! :-)About six years ago I hosted a block swap for red/white Monkey Wrench blocks. Any red print and any white-on-white could be used for the blocks. I had no idea what I would do with my blocks, but my love affair with red/white quilts began then! I love red and white together! :-)

This is the first quilt that I put all my playing around with my Electric Quilt program to use. I don't remember if it was EQ 5 or EQ6, but I do remember that shortly after I had the parts for the top sewn together, our computer crashed, so I don't have a pattern anymore.

At the time, my design wall was our bed, so I made lots of trips from the bed to my sewing machine and back to bed again. LOL Maybe that is why I got the top together so much faster than I do now! ;-)

I quilted it myself during one of the first times I rented a longarm. I used a panto of butterflies and loops.
I used an allover red/white print for the back. At the time I had enough left for pillow cases, but I inadvertently used it for something else. :-/ Now I mark fabric's that I'm using in a project. ;-)

This quilt just makes me smile~ all those firsts wrapped up in blocks made by my friends. :-) I hope you enjoyed my little story too.

Thank you Amy for the fun festival! Now hop on over and start looking at great quilts!

Until next time~
Happy stitchin'!

There is a reason my blog name fits me so well! :-) Yep, just 'call me crazy'! :-)
My brain is a little backward... LOL. I am generally left-handed, which means I am right-brained. But I've trained myself to do a lot of things right handed... and I read patterns and follow directions with my left-brain (the right-handed way). But sometimes! Oh sometimes I confuse myself!! I was working on my Fig Tree Club Project for this quarter, which is a fun table topper.. using~ diamonds! :-) I've had a lot of diamonds in my sewing lately, but the vintage sheet top I made up as I went along~ no directions to follow. This time, I thought I'd follow the directions *grin* but my right-brain jumped in to confuse me!! :-o I cut all my angles the opposite way! Makes no difference in the finished topper, but it sure threw me for a loop this morning! Trying to marry the photo with my cutting and thinking I'd really messed up this time! Nope I didn't~ I'm just a little backward. :-)) LOL Fits me. Oh~ notice the striped sheet? It really helped when lining up the diamonds. Try it if you are working on a diamond project. ;-)
I also did a little PhotoShop playing~ I like looking at my things in greyscale before I start sewing, just to make sure I like my layout. :-) Looks good to me~ I'm off to sew!
Hope you are having a great day!
Take some time to play!! ;-)

Have you heard about it?? Hurry on over to The Quilt Shoppe's blog, In Stitches and read all about it!
The fun starts Monday!! :-)

Not a whole lot of sewing going on here, but I did get this partially cut out~ It is 'Imagine' from Carrie's 'Schnibbles Times Two' book. I had 2 Gypsy Rose layer cakes that I had been hoarding saving :-) for something special. The day arrived to cut into them! But I was a little too speedy because Kelly announced this~ after I made my first cuts! :-o Oh well~ I am going to have a beautiful quilt! If you've been holding on to a special set of charm packs or layer cakes, be sure to check out Kelly's contest before you cut! ;-)

And to see lots of design wall inspiration, hop over to Judy L's blog and check out all today's design walls!

Until next time~
Happy Stitchin'!!

I finished my Schnibble for May. It is 'Nice Day' (thanks Carol!) from Carrie's new book~ 'Schnibbles Times Two' in Astor Manor. I loooove Astor Manor! :-)) A very sweet friend gifted the 2 charm packs to me. :-)


I messed up reading the directions and that is why all the lights ended up around the border. :-o Whoops! I picked out the mediums and darks and started cutting and sewing and thinking~ 'this doesn't look right' :-/ After another look, I realized I should've put some of the lights in the center blocks. Oh well, I still like it and I have some of the dark brown for the binding, so I think it will come together nicely. :-)


I got some fun mail today! :-) I won Sweet P's giveaway and got all these goodies!~ :-)) I love the redheads. :-) Thanks Sweet P!!

That's all for today~ I hope y'all are having a great day!
Until next time~
Happy Stitchin'!!

Have you heard about the spring festival?
Click the button on my sidebar!

Whoohoo! :-) It will be a fun time!! :-)

~or~

My, My, My~ What is That Crazy Girl Up To?! ;-))


The photo sure doesn't tell you too much! LOL I am working on 3 things at once~ doesn't everyone do that? (say yes) ;-) I am making the rounds on the Diamonds for the Fig Tree Club table runner; I have part of this week's Dear Jane block done~ that's the center of K-2 Grandpa's Chickens. And did you spot a little Astor Manor? That is this month's Schnibble~ you'll have to stay tuned to see how that one develops. ;-)

To be inspired, awed, and delighted~ check out the other Design Walls today at Judy L's! :-)

Now I need to go sew!

Until next time~
Happy Stitchin'!

Look what was in my mailbox!! :-)

I was lucky enough to win a gift certificate from Quilt Taffy in the April Schnibbles parade and had a hard time deciding what to get! LOL :-)) I gave Corrie a couple choices and she surprised me with one of them. LOL I love surprises! :-) And I really liked this Farmers Market fabric~ wouldn't it make the cutest apron? or tote? Corrie had it wrapped with a fabric tie and the cute little coaster inside too. :-) How fun! Thank you Quilt Taffy!

I hope you are having a fun Saturday and
Happy Mother's Day tomorrow to all the Mom's in blogland! :-)

Until next time~
Happy Stitchin'!

Thank you to everyone for your help with my pillow case! I do think it is 30's fabric, but still not sure if it is from a feed sack, flour sack etc. I may never know~ but I'm going to enjoy using it in my blocks! :-)


I am doing bits of sewing and finished my DJ blocks for the week. The top one is I-3 Family Album, and the lower one is G-11 Decisions, Decisions. I need to make a few decisions too~ so far I've just been making the blocks with whatever fabric strikes my fancy and collecting them in a pile. I need a better system! I don't want to end up with 3 blocks of the same colors side by side, so I need to plot & plan and keep track of what color the blocks are. :-/ I have the EQ program, but seem to lose my design frequently, so I don't think I should rely on it totally. How does everyone else store their blocks and keep track of their colors? Are you making a DJ? or have you? I'd appreciate it if you would tell me your system. :-)

I also got the next block for the Jelly Roll Quilt Along completed. It is called Chain Link.

That's all the news from here~
Until next time~
Happy stitchin'! :-)

I was shopping for vintage sheets and found a pair of pillow cases.

They have been chain-stitched....
The fabric is soft from many washings. When I took out the stitching, it measures 34 inches from selvage to selvage, and is just a little bit more than a yard in length... did I find feed sack fabric???
I tried doing some searching, but most feedsacks I find are floral. I know they also made geometric patterns and border prints, but I would feel better if someone knew a little more they could share with me. :-)

Anyone know??
Thanks!

When Angela and I did our first applique DJ block, she told me it gave her some trouble, so I offered to show her how I do applique. ~I should have a disclaimer here: I am not an applique expert! This might not even be the 'right way' to applique, but it works for me. ;-) For many years I was allergic to hand stitching of any kind. (not medically, but it was my favorite excuse) ;-) Just ask my Mom~ she made some outrageous deals to do hand stitching for me while I cleaned the house, baked, made dinner, etc etc etc :-)) **giggle** I was pretty much willing to do anything to get out of hand stitching! ;-) LOL, oh if only I knew then what I do now! ;-) I now make the same deals with my DD. LOL! :-))

I am a great student of applique and have read a lot, picked anyone's brain who would humor me, and tried it a few times. I discovered I cannot use the needle to turn under the allowances~ too klutzy. :-)) But I love the look of applique on quilt borders!~ I haven't worked myself up to attempting any yet. ;-) I'm taking it slow~ a block here and there is doable. ;-) The best tips I got came from my friend Karen who does beautiful applique and has made whole wall hangings with lovely appliqued blocks~ {sigh} someday. :-) She uses freezer paper and starch. Yes, I know what you are thinking!, I tried it before too but this is what I didn't know~~~ ;-)

You can use layers of freezer paper to make a stiff template!~ I press together 3 layers with a dry iron (no steam) on a piece of parchment paper. The parchment keeps the freezer paper from sticking to your ironing surface. (a teflon sheet works too). If they don't stick together, you didn't let your iron heat up hot enough. ;-) Then I cut out my templates. For the block we are working on (G-11 Decisions, Decisions) the pieces are little diamonds. I used the 60º line on my ruler to cut 4 little 3/4th's inch diamonds.Press them to the back of your fabric (dry iron). I tried to lay them with the sides on the straight of grain. If I were doing leaves or some other curved shape, I would press them so the curve was on the bias~ it makes turning them so much smoother. ;-)

Cut out the shapes~ I don't leave a true 1/4 inch seam allowance on such small pieces. I have read that some needleturn appliquer's only leave an eighth of an inch~ I leave a bit more than that. ;-) I trim the points off, leaving a small amount to press under.Here is where I starch. You can spray a small amount in the cap or a little bowl and use a Q-tip to apply it to the seam allowances, or you can just give it a shot. ;-) I'm lazy~ it got a shot! :-)) If you have a small Clover iron, it works really well to press the seam allowances back. I tried this one with my big iron and a wooden toothpick and it worked fine (probably because it is all straight edges). I press with no steam throughout~ it really saves your fingers if you happen to get too close to what you are pressing. ;-)Your first press is the point allowances.
Then two opposing sides.Then the remaining sides. Anytime the starch has dried from a previous press~ give it another shot, or dab or whatever. Use the toothpick to hold the allowances down~ it saves your fingers from the heat. ;-)If the allowance is too big for the point you can either trim a bit more or press it back on itself. I had one that didn't want to cooperate that I pressed back a bit. (sorry for the blur~ I didn't wait for auto focus :-o) I use the toothpick and my finger nails to make those points as sharp as I can. If you mess up, you can easily press it open and start again.When you are happy with your points, give a good press from the front using a pressing cloth or covering them with a bit of fabric~ muslin scraps work well. I use the cloth on the front so nothing gets over-pressed or shiny. Allow them to cool completely.

Then pop out the freezer paper templates. I open the seam allowances very carefully and peel it out... you could make only one and reuse the template for all 4 pieces. Then press them again, they should be holding their shape really well by now, and you are ready to applique them down. :-)
I cut the background a little larger so I had something to hold onto and made registration marks by folding light creases in my background fabric. I put in a pin from the back~ you could use a dab from a glue stick if you wanted. Take little stitches and make sure to take a stitch at each point. I love silk thread for appliquing. I don't have a thread to match every applique, but I find I really don't need it~ the thread sinks into the pieces nicely.
Here we go~ :-)
I'll trim them down and sew them into my block today.
I hope this helped Angela! ;-)
Until next time~
Happy stitchin'!! :-)

:-) Yep, I've been keeping one, a whopper~~ ;-)

Thank you for all your wonderful comments on my CG&GQClub finishes! Many of you ask how I get so much done, and some of you already know. I decided to 'come clean' to everyone... :-) I really waffled about posting anything on my blog... I got so much done because it was either keep sewing or worry~ sewing seemed like the better plan! ;-) And I had a lot of extra time on my hands! You see, my DH is active duty and has been deployed for the past 7 months. He arrived safely home on Thursday and we have been having a great weekend! Our DD came home from college, so it was like a little family reunion. I can assure you, now that we are getting back into our normal routines, I won't be sewing so much. ;-) As a matter of fact, my temporary sewing 'studio' was the dining room, and now that my honey is back~ it is back to a dining room. ;-)

It is kind of a relief that the Kelly and Joan decided to take a break from goal setting for May and June! Thanks ladies! :-) (I know you had no idea you were helping me out so, but I love serendipity!) ;-)

Sorry~ no photo's for this post~ I haven't been sewing!!! ;-) ;-)

I'll be back tomorrow with a few applique tips~
Until then,
Have a good night!! :-)