A UFO No More!

Yes, I know it's 2015. Yes, I also know that we've moved on to a new year of participating in a UFO Challenge.

But a finish is a finish, and I am celebrating, let me tell you. This was a UFO that I had on my 2104 list, and I just never got around to getting it done. Doggone it - I am such a procrastinator.

At Terry's on Wednesday, I quilted this Schnibbles quilt top that I made way back in 2010. Here is a link to the post I wrote about it. Gosh, that seems like ages ago!

Here she is! It's called Sunday Best, and it was really fun to make. I seem to remember the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics was on when I was finishing this up. Vancouver? Would that have been in 2010?

Hmm, I think I missed a row on the front section. I did not see that until looking at this picture. I need to get back to the sewing machine. No procrastinating, either; I will do it today. Promise.

Here are some more views.

I sure am glad to be done with this. I don't know why I make such a big deal about finishing some things. I can do this, but maybe sometimes I doubt my skill, so I just put it off and make the prospect of finishing it even more daunting.

Onward, quilters! Onward!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Blah

I've come down with the worst sore throat, doggone it! I feel just lousy, I tell ya!

No, I'm not looking for a pity party. I just don't get sick very often, and when I do, I don't deal with it very well. I've had 2 cups of hot tea this morning, along with some toast. It felt very soothing on the raw throat, so I expect I'll be brewing up some more soon.

I had planned to take you on a tour of the quilts at Terry's house, but I am going to postpone it until I feel capable of prolonged thought. Right now, I am drowsy and rather pathetic.

Last night, I stitched the binding on my Darcy Schnibbles which I've been hand-quilting for so long. It's pinned and ready to tack down. Seems like a good project for me today.

And in the queue, I have the next quilt cut and ready to being.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

 

Winning

After all the gold, silver and bronze we've heard about the last 2+weeks of the London Olympics, I thought I'd tell you about a bit of winning here at JQR. Yes, I have won a giveaway in the recent Schnibbles Parade. Don't know about Schnibbles Parade?? Here's a bit of the background.

Two popular bloggers (to me anyway) A Quilting Life and Pink Pincushion, teamed up with Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Company, another of my faves, to host A Year of Schnibbles in 2010. For a person who was never going to get sucked in to the hype that was Charm Packs and Schnibbles, I had to eat my words when I saw the Schnibbles pattern called 'Darcy' in a local quilt shop. And once I bought that, I was hopelessly addicted. Since that original purchase, I've bought countless Charm Packs and many (too many) Schnibbles patterns. I even have bought one or two of then twice! Grrr, I hate when I do that!

Anyway, to promote the line of Schnibbles patterns, the 2 bloggers and Carrie created a quilt along called "A Year of Schnibbles" in which each month throughout 2010 a different Schnibble would be featured, and participants would share their finished Scnibble for that month in a "parade" held on the first of the next month when the new month's Schnibble pattern would be announced. (Got all that??) And to make it fun, every month there would be several "prizes" awarded to participants.

Apparently, it was wildly successful as "Another Year of Schnibbles" was created for 2012. Even though I have not participated in even half of the quilt-alongs, I have enjoyed being a spectator on parade day - seeing the way various quilters interpret patterns, colors, enlarging, and changing  - it's really helpful to me.

Here is my first Schnibbles, Sunday Best, which I made in February of 2010. Then I made Tagalong in April of 2010. And in May of 2010, I made the beloved Darcy. I tell the story of my Schnibbles adventure here.

Sunday Best Schnibbles made in February of 2010.
The fabric is Barbara Brackman's Civil War Homefront by Moda.

My Darcy Schnibbles made with Portabello Market fabric by Moda in May, 2010.
I am currently hand-quilting this when I meet every other Friday with the Frankfort girls.

My Tagalong Schnibbles, made in April 2010. It has been hand-quilted, and now resides on my kitchen table.
The fabric is Butterfly Garden by Kansas Troubles/Moda.

 Sorry! This has been an awful lot of background just to tell you about the recent giveaway winnings. I discovered at the beginning of July that the Schnibbles ladies were having an "open class" for the month, meaning that participants could make any Schnibble they wanted, and even branch out to some of Carrie's new books in which she has enlarged various Schnibbles to full-sized quilts. This is what prompted me to make Plan C, from Carrie's book, Schnibbles Times Two.

My Plan C; finished in July in time for the Schnibbles Parade on August 1.
The fabric is called Park Avenue by 3 Sisters/Moda.

And in the August 1st Schnibbles Parade I won a giveaway! Exciting stuff! My quilt was in Pink Pincushion's parade, along with many, many others. This free choice idea was a popular one, I do believe.

My prize? A Carrie Nelson pincushion pattern called Tuffets, given by a parade sponsor, Bear Paw Quilts. I was notified by Sinta at Pink Pincushion a few days ago. Can't wait to get my pattern in the mail. I will be sure to let you know when it comes.

Sorry for such a small pic. I took it from a Google search and it gets fuzzy if enlarged.

Since my machine is still in the "fixit" shop, I have been working diligently on hand-quilting my pink and brown lap quilt. That is coming along nicely. Not finished during the Olympics, as I'd hoped, but I am so close that I just have to stay at it a few more days and it'll be done.

Happy Quilting, Friends.

Third Schnibbles Finished

It's interesting to think that we can change our minds so entirely in just a very short time. Six months ago, I was vowing never to buy a charm pack or a Schnibbles pattern. My thinking was that I already had waaay more fabric and patterns than I would ever, in a million, zillion years actually make and  use! Also, I thought "what a gimmick! I won't get caught up in this hype, no, not me!!" And last, I already knew I was in total love with the quilts from Miss Rosie's Quilt Company and Carrie Nelson - why would I want to make tiny quilts, when I was dying to make all of her full-size designs? Indeed, I was determined in my resolve.

Then, one day as I browsed through a shop, I saw a display of Schnibbles with "Darcy" hanging there, front and center. Ahhhh, a Pride and Prejudice reference! How cool! I love that book, and all the Austen titles for that matter, but I especially love P&P! I reached for the pattern, turned it over and began reading the description.

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that every quilter in possession of any amount of fabric, must be in want of something to make with that fabric. That the quilt should be small and easily made from charming squares is a delight."

OMG!!! I could not get over the absolute cleverness of my quilting idol, Carrie Nelson!! To think that someone would name a pattern after a literary character, and then in keeping with that theme, 'rewrite' the famous first line of the novel for her pattern discription!!! TOO MUCH!!! I had to buy it.

Here are the actual first lines of Pride and Prejudice: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters." 

Pretty cool, huh? Honestly, I should not have been surprised at Carrie's cleverness; I've been reading her blog for quite awhile, plus I own a couple of her older books, so I already had an inkling of her clever and creative nature.

Well, okay, I broke down and bought a Schnibbles, but it wasn't like I was going off the deep end or anything! I bought this one - this one, only - because it was just too cleverly named and described. My English teacher friend Sharon, also a quilter, would appreciate the witty, clever referencing, and we'd just be so smug in "getting" it. This didn't necessarily mean I would be buying more, now, did it?

Can  you see where this story is going?? In the intervening months, I have bought many, many Schnibbles patterns, as well as many, many charm packs (most often, 2 are required to make a Schnibble).

I am converted!

This month's Year of Schnibbles allowed participants a "free choice." Use any Schnibbles or a pattern from Carrie's new book, Schnibbles Times Two. The variety will be immense; I just can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

For me, it just seemed the right thing to do that I make "Darcy." It's the pattern that  started me on my Schnibbles-love. I had 2 charm packs of Moda's Portobello Market, which just seemed perfect for Mr. Darcy. It was a match made in heaven, and even Mrs. Bennett would have to agree.

We are getting close to the May Schnibbles Parade, so be sure to visit Sinta and Sherri, our kind parade masters, to see all the variations of Schnibbles the participants dreamed up this month.

It's May Already!

Goodness Gracious! Where on earth did April go so fast? Weren't we just playing April Fool's pranks a few days ago? It's true that time flies when you're having fun.

I managed to get my Tagalong Schibbles entered into the Schnibbles Parade - I will get the hang of this yet! I "get" quilting and related topics, but I seem to fail miserably at "getting" computers, sometimes. And the things I don't get seem to be some of the simplest things. You can look at the parades here and here.

I had a mini-catastrophe last Thursday when my laptop had a crash that warranted a process that took me back to the factory setting. This is a nice way of saying that all new programs, pictures, videos, documents, bookmarks and such are gone. It will take awhile to get things restored. Sadly, some material is lost forever, but I remain optimistic that I can get it mostly recovered.

Here is one more look at the aforementioned Tagalong Schnibbbles entered in the April parade.

It is made with 2 charm packs of Butterfly Garden by Kansas Troubles for Moda. I really enjoyed making this pattern, and am very pleased with the look of the fabric.

The May Schnibbles is a free choice! How exciting is that?? I have quite a few of the patterns, and have an idea of the one I am going to pick. When I make a decision on the fabric, I will tell you all about it.

I mentioned that this was prom weekend for our 17-year-old daughter Emma. Her dad and I were on the kitchen crew for the all-night party, and are feeling the effects of a long night all day today! We got in at 4:15 am! Here is our little girl and her date, looking all grown up!

She reports that it was a fun, fun evening of activities - dinner in a nearby city, the prom, the all-night party.

Now back to quilting and blogging. I have begun adding buttons over there on the right margin. I visit a lot of blogs who appear to have quite a lot of traffic. The buttons provide some interest beyond just what I write and the pics I post. Upgrading, let's say.

A Fun Comparison

Earlier this week I finished the borders on my April Schnibbles called "Tagalong." It was fun to do, and I really liked the Butterfly Garden fabric I used.

This is the old picture (before borders); I will save the finished picture for the Schnibbles Parade on the first of May. The Butterfly Garden fabric is by Kansas Troubles of Moda. Kansas Troubles specializes in creating fabrics that give the feel of sturdy, utility quilts made by our great-grandmothers from old shirts and dresses. They seem to evoke pioneer strength.

A little tangent: The Schnibbles line of patterns are the brainchild of quilting guru Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Company. I swore I would not be taken in by these patterns, but alas, I am hooked. I suppose I've got about a dozen of them. The one that hooked me was "Darcy." I am a retired English teacher and a huge Jane Austen fan. Carrie's description on the "Darcy" pattern is a beautiful play on the famous first line of Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Delightful! It won me over.

Now, back to the fun comparison I want to talk about in today's blog post...

"Tagalong" is a smaller rendition of an earlier Miss Rosie full-size pattern called "Tag Sale." I first saw this quilt on display in Waynesville at the Fabric Shack. It was stunning. Sadly, their display must have garnered lots of interest because they had no patterns on hand. Eventually, I did manage to get the pattern, and later it came out in a book that Carrie released.

Here is my "Tag Sale." I loved making it. Both my daughters intimated that it was their favorite quilt of all that I'd ever made. (Makes me consider doing another one, just to avoid a fuss over who gets it!)

My apologies for the poor photo quality. This picture was taken with quite a while ago with my old camera. Perhaps I will  take a better shot of it because I would like some help concerning it...

I wish I could identify the fabric I used. I bought it as a large fat quarter pack at Creations in Chillicothe. The pairing of "Tag Sale" and this fabric just sort of happened. I needed to add about 6 fat quarters from my stash to get the entire top done. I love the floral cottage look. This quilt adorns the bed in our guest room.

Isn't it cool to see how different the same basic pattern looks when done up in vastly different fabrics?

Easter Weekend

You've met my nieces before, but let me show you the sweetest Easter darlings you could ever lay eyes on:

Mary Jean and Anna Rose are 2 years old. Is there any doubt that they are precious?

On Good Friday, we travelled to my father-in-law's for a quick visit. Knowing my love of quilting, he recommended I check out a shop. I didn't think his town had a quilt shop anymore, so I was truly surprised to find Vacshak, Inc. at the Downtowner Plaza in Coshocton, OH. A lovely shop! Friendly salesladies! It's a vacuum shop with quilting fabric, supplies and patterns on the side, as well as a very nicely stocked corner for knitters! Yarns, needles, patterns, samples - even a little class going on! Very cool.

 Here is what I bought. Two charm packs of Butterfly Garden. I've already opened them, organizing for the April Schnibbles.

I picked up a flyer about the 2010 Ohio Amish Country Quilt Shop Hop event scheduled for November. Vacshack is on the hop, along with many others.

The Mother Lode!

Winning things is not something I have a lot of experience with. Way back in 8th grade, I won 2nd or 3rd place in an essay contest, which resulted in little more than a photo op for the newspaper. How boring! Besides that, I can't really recall ever winning anything.

My luck changed when I submitted my Sunday Best Schnibbles to Sherri's blog for the Schnibbles Parade. I learned that I had been selected to win a layer cake from one of my favorite quilt gurus, Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilts. (Yes, she IS one of my favorites; even before this haul came in today's mail!!)

So today, I go to the post office (a whole different story: our mailbox was the casualty of an over-eager snowplow about 3 weeks ago) and I am not surprised to have a box handed to me. But I am surprised at how heavy it is - just how much does a layer cake weigh, anyway???

Well, goodness gracious, look at what all was in the box!

I'm just blown away at Carrie's generosity! According to the PO weight label, I got 8 lbs. of goodies!! Not one layer cake, but 2! Three charm packs, 2 Schnibbles, and a couple of Easter surprises - a bag of jelly beans and a really cool nesting egg; just wait till you see this:

Four eggs in graduated sizes, each fitted into the next larger one, beautifully painted.  Here they are opened up:

Carrie's generosity knows no bounds, I do believe. Look at all the quilting goodies!

And if all that weren't enough, look at this:

A honking-big bag of jelly beans, and the sweetest note from Carrie and Rosie. I am just beyond thrilled! Even the notecard is special. I don't know how Carrie knew that I am absolutely in love with Italy, but she did! Here's the front of her card:

What fun! I must get busy on some more Schnibbles! Maybe I will get Roundabout made for this month's parade!

Special note to Carrie: one of the Schnibbles you sent was Tagalong. Cool coincidence. I made the bed-size version, Tag Sale, about 5 years ago, and hand-quilted it!! It was a delight to make, and one of my favorites of all time! Thank you so, so much for the fun box of goodies!!

My First Schnibbles

I have been working frantically the past day and a half to make a Schnibbles - Sunday Best. I bought the pattern and the charm packs on Wednesday on a shopping expedition with Terry. The only thing is that I didn't even plan on 1) using this fabric with this pattern, and 2) making this Schnibbles any time soon.

So, completely unplanned, totally spontaneous, I present my Sunday Best, made with 2 charm packs of Barbara Brackman's Civil War Homefront of Moda.

Unknown as to when this will get quilted. I someday think I will own a longarm, but until then I will add this to my growing stack of quilt tops.