Wisteria

taken at Sweet Home Quilt Co. with my iPhone & Lightbox camera app

Eventide: Top Finished Sneak Peek

Oh how I love this quilt!!!

I love the wonderful Fig and Plum fabric by Fig Tree.  Thank you Joanna for always designing fabrics that I can't resist.

I love how the quilt is huge and is too big to get a good photo of without a quilt holder (I'll have a better photo next week for the parade).  In fact it completely covered my couch and will be perfect for my queen-size bed.

I love the colors that remind me of spring and Easter eggs and are soft colors that I don't usually use.

I love the pattern and all those Ohio stars with quarter-square triangles.  Thank you Carrie!  Although a break from quarter-square triangles for awhile would be great about now.

I'm sure S. didn't love the fact that dinner was late on Sunday until I finished sewing the last borders.  (He survived though and enjoyed homemade pizza.)

I love participating in this super-fun quilt along started by Thelma. 

I know I will love every single one of the Eventide quilts next Tuesday at the big parade!!

Atlanta Quilt Shop Hop 2011 Part 2

I only made it to 5 of the 11 shops on the shop hop but that was enough for this year:)  Sunday, I went to Patchwork Cottage in Lawrenceville.  The shop was decorated as a haunted house!  How fun!  Halloween in March!!! What could be better than that??!!




Each shop in the shop hop gave out a goody bag with a house block pattern.  Each shop then made a quilt with all the house blocks related to their shop's theme.  I love the haunted neighborhood complete with graveyard that the clever quilters at Patchwork designed.  I think this is going on my to-make list. 
Directions for the quilt minus the house blocks will be up on their website soon.

Also, if you want to check out any of the Atlanta quilt shops on the hop, here is a link to the shop hop website.

This year, for a $10 purchase, you could get a free charm representing the shop's theme (or you could purchase one for $3).  Collecting charms is as irresistible as it sounds.  I now have a coffee cup, bee, castle, easel, and tombstone. 


This is what I bought so I could collect a tombstone charm. (Oh I crack myself up often with my crazy quilter's logic...).  Civil War prints and some more Lilac Hill. 

One thing that shop hops do (besides lighten your wallet and put miles on your car) is inspire you.  I am so inspired after seeing all the shops, samples, new fabrics, old fabrics in different places, patterns, books, and chatting with quilter friends at every stop. 

I am ready to fling fabric and wield rotary cutter and get some quilting done. 

And yes, the quilt top for Eventide is finished!!!  Woo hoo!!! Check in tomorrow for a view. 

Atlanta Quilt Shop Hop 2011

Thursday through Sunday is Atlanta's Quilt Shop Hop.  I missed the past couple of years and really didn't need to go this year but a little retail therapy would be good about now and well, there's my excuse.  The theme this year is A Quilter's Tour of Homes.
Thursday, I stopped by Intown Quilters on the way home from work. Intown's style is mostly modern fabrics, Kaffe Fassett, Amy Butler, batiks, and a lot of fabric from Freespirit and Westminster companies.  Intown was decked out like a coffee & tea shop. 

I can never resist gray and purple fabrics and I found a couple of fat quarters and a cute-as-can-be pattern for an owl tea cozy. 

I may have to make several owl tea cozies.

On Friday, I took a half-day off work and zoomed up to Little Quilts in Marietta.  To get to the shop, you turn at the Big Chicken.





 There is so much traffic in the metro area you can take photos from inside your vehicle. Not that I know first hand or anything...

Here is Little Quilts. 
Little Quilts can be very dangerous on the pocketbook....


I always want one of everything when I go there.... 







The shop was decked out as a bee hive.  With a super-cute display at the front door. 

I found some Barbara Brackman Civil War Reunion fabric for my Civil War block of the week quilt.  Red for the sashing and the purple-y fabric for  ????? I don't know but I really needed some.  I also picked up a few fat quarters to use in the quilt.  Little Quilts has the most tempting little fat quarter bundles all tied with ribbon. 



Next stop was Tiny Stitches in another part of Marietta.  I really should have taken photos of the shop dressed up as a castle and the Queen herself holding court. Check out the photos on my friend Becky's blog (she has some great ones).
Oh good you are back. Tiny Stitches is a great shop to find any kind of fabric.  They have LOTS!  Whatever you are looking for, it is probably there.  I bought some Lilac Hill fabric to go with the jelly roll I already have. 

I had to hurry before traffic got bad worse Dante's seventh circle of hell nightmarish.  I zoomed around the eastern side of Atlanta in a big arc south to Conyers to visit Sweet Home Quilt Co.
Sweet Home was decorated as a school house.  Since I am there at least once a month if not every other week, it was challenging to find something that I needed.   But look! I found a little bundle of purple wool.  Isn't that handy? Goes perfect with Lilac Hill.  Hmm. Needed that.

Saturday I stayed home and sewed sewed sewed on Eventide. I am ready to be done with this quilt!

Civil War Block Catch Up

 I was a little behind on the Civil War Block of the Week so I caught up Friday night and this morning.

Block 11 called London Square. 

I have a lot of purple Civil War fabrics that range from lilac to midnight.

Block 12 was Louisiana. It was late on Friday and I mixed up my flying geese.  The geese were supposed to be light and the sky dark.  But as you can see, it's staying that way.

And this week's block is Little Blue Basket. Whoa what's with the wobbly-looking handle?  This block started off with no handle then I took it apart and added the handle and then it didn't look right so I took it apart and redid it. And I think this is how it's staying too.

"Me...Jane" A Book Review

One of my favorite authors and illustrators of all time is Patrick McDonnell.  He draws and writes the Mutts comic strip and also childrens books.  His books are magical.  That's the best way I know how to describe them.  The drawings and words are works of art and I just adore every one more than the other. 

In today's mail was a package from Amazon of the latest Patrick McDonnell children's book called Me...Jane about the childhood of Jane Goodall. 

As always, it is magical.  Simple words, each one filled with meaning.  Beautiful art that makes the heart full. 

I am biased because I admire Dr. Goodall and her life's work but I wholeheartedly recommend that you
pick it up at your local bookstore for your favorite child person. 

Eventide: Progress

Progress.  It's happening.  Hooray!!
I did get some sewing in this weekend on Eventide after having to work all day Saturday at a local event about old houses ("manning" or I guess "personing" a booth). 

All the blocks are squared up and ready to sew into rows.  I have 1/3 of the top sewn together.  Hope to get it all done soon. 


This week is my goal. 








I am having way too much fun with my iPhone  photograph apps.  Here is Stella in blurred sepia. 

St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

I think I'll pass on green in my beer....

And enjoy corned beef, cabbage, and some Irish soda bread. 

I love Irish soda bread and it is really easy to make.  Recipe is from Martha's Baking Book. 

Happy Mail

 
Don't you just love getting happy mail in the mailbox?  Happy mail like....

Pips!!! 

Oh Sherbet Pips how I love you so!

I pre-ordered this layer cake from Green Fairy Quilts and it arrived last week. Every time I walk by this fabric sitting on the ironing board.  It just makes me smile. 

Another happy package arrived today from Fat Quarter Shop courtesy of peer pressure from Karin and an irresistible offer from Vickie at Spun Sugar Quilts. 

I really didn't need another jelly roll and really, sincerely tried to talk myself out of getting a Lilac Hill jelly roll just like Karin had.  But when I saw Vickie's coupon, I lost all willpower and

with a voila....


and a Bob's your uncle....

Poof!  Goodies from Kimberly and the good folks at FQS.  

Thank you all my quilty enablers ;)

Eventide: Update

What happened to last week? I can't believe it's been over a week since I've blogged. 
Slack-adasical blogger.  I am sewing sewing sewing on the Eventide quilt along...


and have the main portion of the Ohio star blocks all done. Now to make the ones with the half-square triangles in the corners.


And then square everything up and start sewing into rows.

Oh and that whole inner border thing too.

Oh my. I wonder if I will finish by the end of the month.

Not to mention that I am three months behind in Judy's UFO challenge....and we lost a hour of our weekend to daylight savings time...I really could have used that extra sewing hour...

On a much more serious note:  Sending a big hug to Japan and all the people with friends and family there.  Another unfathomable natural disaster that makes the global community feel very small and fragile. I just look at all the photos and satellite images and wonder where do you start?  Where do you start cleaning up and rebuilding and healing?  Along with the untold immediate disaster, the 9.0 earthquake moved the entire planet on its axis four inches. 

Four inches.

Four inches is sometimes too much to think about.  And sometimes having a Gomez to hug makes everything just a little bit better.

Blustery Weekend & Eventide Progress

After a very spring-like week, the weekend was rainy all day Saturday and windy and off-and-on cloudy on Sunday.  Made for great sewing weather.  Didn't feel like spring so....no spring cleaning haha!

First up was Civil War block of the week #10:  Lincoln's Platform.

 It took longer for me to pick out the fabrics for this block than to sew it together.

Also on Saturday, I worked all day on the Eventide quilt along.  I made all the large quarter-square triangles and about half of the smaller ones.    

 I did make one test Ohio star block. 

Love

This

Fabric!!

These smaller Ohio stars will be in the blues and purples with different centers and cream or taupey-gray backgrounds.

 Here's the giant quarter-square triangle block!

The large stars have green points and peach accents.

I hope to get more finished this week.

I went to Sweet Home Quilt Co. today and picked up the latest block of the month from there.  I came home and voila my blocks are made already.  Easy peasy.

Kristie was also at Sweet Home and we *may* have bought a little wool from Bad Melisa's new wool display.  There was some great plaid brown wool that would be perfect for Henrietta Whiskers.  We *may* have bought the last two pieces. But I'm not telling...

A Friday Foto

I love the Hipstamatic app on iVan the iPhone. 

Here's a little hip beat poem to go along.




Pause
And be ware
the claws
On the Morph paws.



It's been a long week.  Can you tell?

Another Busy Week = Time for a Diversion

Another busy week at work with not much time or energy for sewing in the evenings.  I am trying to catch up on some blog reading and found a fun diversion.  The March Modern Fabric Madness over at Fat Quarterly.  Now not being into basketball, I usually skip the whole March madness thing. But fabric madness I do know.
(plus I'm one of those people who love filling out forms.  Is anyone else like this? please say yes....) 
Anyway, I printed out my brackets and am playing along just for fun.  

Spring is springing here in Atlanta.  Daffodils are all out and trees are flowering and leaf buds are growing.  It's supposed to rain all weekend so I guess I get out of doing yardwork (oh darn) and will be sewing.

Oh I almost forgot to report on my UFO Challenge. 

Score is
UFOs:  2
Me:  Nil

I've got lots of catching up to do.