These are two of my favorite things....

I am linking to "Really Random Thursday" at Live A Colorful Life with Cindy as our host! Thank you Cindy!



Other than quilt shops and fabric stores, hardware stores are my favorite! My husband love that fact. Just last Sunday we spent about 3 hours walking around the hardware store. It even smells good in there!



Everything is so and lined up so neatly.



Power tools!!!!



When I grow up....I want to be like Nichole on DIY Networks - Addicted to Rehab!



And the #1 best part of any home improvement store..........PAINT! I would repaint my home ever-other year if I could! Look at all of these pretty colors.  Kind of reminds me of a beautiful quilt! I told you it was really random.

Blogger's Quilt Festival time!

I have never entered one of my quilts into a show, but there is always a first time....right! 

Deciding which category to enter this beauty in was not easy.  I have had so much fun learning to machine quilt over the summer, that I thought I'd give her a spin in the 'home machine quilted' category.

Prepping is not my favorite chore, but it is a LOT easier since I found my Kwik Klip!!



Practicing on a full sized quilt is wonderful!

These photos were taken at a local nursery, H&E Nursery.

I hope that you enjoyed my photos as much as I did taking them!  I'm still working on learning more and more.  I use a standard Canon Power Shot A1400.

I am linking to The Blogger's Quilt Festival!!!

A Friday Finish...I deserve a Whoop! Whoop!

I am so excited to introduce to you, my completed 1600 quilt!  I have entered this quilt into the Blogger's Quilt Festival 'photography' category!  There is a link at the end of this post!  Take a look at all the other great photographers out there!



I once again, had great fun practicing my quilting patterns on this full sized quilt.





This picture and....



....this picture were taken after washing...so much nicer.  I just love the crinkly look of a freshly washed quilt!



There is nothing like binding quilts by machine! It goes so much faster. My new Elna 720 with the built in, extra wide walking foot helps with this process!



This is the last of the three quilts that I made up at the High Sierra Retreat in September.  That is why I named this quilt "Huntington Retreat!".



I enjoyed piecing the back and am please with the way it turned out.  The gray fabric is a 'Pepper Cory' design for Telegraph Road Studio.



This is the 1600 quilt before I did the split and flip with sashing trick. I also wanted it bigger so.....



I added two borders!



I am a sucker for a stripped binding!  All of the top fabrics are pb&j from Moda.   After washing, the finish measurements are 62x72.

If you want to learn how to make a '1600 quilt', you can click on this YouTube video!  It is so much fun, and a great challenge for your next retreat or sewing day!  It took me 47min. 37sec!

Linking up to the Blogger's Quilt Festival!!

I am linking with Finish it Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts AND Can I Get a Whoop! Whoop! at Confessions of A Fabric Addict!!!

There is a new "Sew Cute" in town!!  Sew Cute-Blossom Heart Quilts with Alyce over at Blossom Heart Quilts!  Thank you Alyce for picking up our Sew Cute Tuesday!!!

Linking to: Tuesday Archives at Val's Quilting Studio!!

Random pumkin fun...

 

 

 

 

I love the colors in this photo!  This was taken at a local nursery.  Bright and happy for sure.



Then I spied this great display!  These pumpkins were so much fun.  October is breast cancer awareness month!  Think pink!!

I am linking up to Really Random Thursday with Cindy at Live A Colorful Life!!

Make sure to ask your Doctor about a mammogram!  It could save your life!!





Ladies....can anyone tell me the name of this pattern? I made it, and can't remember or seem to find it. Much appreciated!!

Work...work...work...and some progress!

This is my 1600 quilt, ready to be quilted.  My hopes are to have it completed by Friday!

This is a bundle from my friend Deborah at Simply Miss Luella.  I am thinking of a great zipper pouch.  What are your thoughts?  Aren't these simply scrumptious?

These fantastic fabrics are from my friend Cindy at Live a Colorful Life.  They will also be a pouch.  They are so bright, cheery and fun!

I'd love to invite you over to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced!  Lee is the host, and there are so many wonderfully inspirational links there.  Thanks for stopping by to see what I'm doing!

Gone to Alaska!!

Some of you might remember our cruise to Alaska back In May of this year!  I sure do!!!  It really was a fantastic trip.   Does it look cold to you?  IT WAS!!!



Well, there are some wonderful quilt shops up there. I had a need, a compulsion wanted to visit every one I could find. I bought fabric in both of them! The other two were closed by the time we got to them.



Here is a peek into 'The Silver Thimble' in Ketchikan! Beatriz has two of the most fantastic quilt shops right next door to each other.  This shop is where I bought the fabric for the quilt I have finished for today's post.  You can see the finished 'kit' quilt, " I Spy Alaska - With A Twist ", that I purchased at 'Rushin' Tailor's Quilt Alaska' shop in Skagway....here!



This is 'practice' quilting that I did on this quilt! There are a lot of biased seams, so I didn't get to quilt this quite the way I had planned. The fabrics for the top are "Trails End" by Holly Taylor for Moda.





I took the easy way out, and machine bound this quilt!  The backing fabric is "Afternoon Splendor" by Beryl Peters for P & B Textiles.







I even did some FM lettering! So much fun...there's no need for a label now!



I had so much fun at H & E Nursery in nearby Clovis, Ca. Their displays were so colorful.  I could have stayed there for hours shooting photos.  I got there only 5 minutes before they closed!!  They were nice enough to let me come in for some quick pics!





It finished out at 55x71.  She's a little wonky, but those pesky biased seems were difficult to work with.  I guess it is a cross between modern and traditional styles.



OK....OK....this one was taken in my front yard.  Yes, that is a dead rose over on the left, but I liked the way the quilt looked in this picture!  You can really get a feel for the quilting.

I hope that you will have the opportunity to visit Alaska someday, if you haven't already.  It is truly God's country up there!  This was our third trip, and it never gets old.  Thank you so much for sharing in these great memories with me.  If you were going to Alaska next summer....what would be the one thing you'd just HAVE to do/see? If you've already been there, what was one thing you just loved?

I am joining a Kelly and friends over at Needle & Thread Thursday!!  Check it out!!

An update on our Charlotte!

I know that there are so many of you thinking about and praying for Charlotte.  We appreciate it so much!

She is now 3lb 7oz! (birth weight was 2lb 2oz)  Her mommy gets to hold her for an hour each day.

Daddy gets to put her back into her isolette!  She is still being fed through a feeding tube.

She gets worn out very easily.  She must have her CPAP on when not being held.  They are working on weaning her off at the rate of 1 hour at a time 3 times a day.

Our prayers right now are, that she will get strong enough to come home by her original due date of November 28!  Her lungs need to mature, and she has to be able to breath without the CPAP.  She is also needing to learn to nurse.

Thank you all so much for your kind words and encouragement since her birth!  Your love and prayers are what keep us going.

Four great finishes!

There are always quilts that need binding in my house.  Here is the first group of this quilting season!



These blocks were a UFO. I added sashing and 4 borders. These scrappy butterflies were tied.



These are fabric samples that were donated. This simple patchwork was tied.



This is a quilt top that was donated and I added boarders.  This bright and cheery quilt was also tied.



I made this quilt! I love these colors....they are so sweet. The decision was made to tie this quilt.



Here is a stack of finishes!  That makes over 55 completed quilts for next years auction!!! I tell you...our girls work so hard to get all the tops quilted. It is so exciting to see each week.

Now, may I suggest a click over to Confessions of a Fabric Addict with Sarah hosting Can I get a Whoop! Whoop!.  There are some extra ordinary quilters showing their hard work.

Also, pop over to Finish It Up Friday with Amandajean at Crazy Mom Quilts!  I love the inspiration I feel when I visit these sights.

Have a wonderful, productive weekend!!!