H2H

I guess it is true that all good things must come to an end since this is our final link up to Hands 2 Help.   I had a wonderful time meeting new friends and being inspired by their fabulous quilts.  When I signed up to join this party, I had the hardest time deciding which charity to pick and oh my goodness, “What quilt am I going to make?”

This isn’t easy, but I have a confession to make.  I have almost as many quilting books in my bookcase as fabric in my stash.  Phew, glad I got that off my chest.  Afterall, admitting to the problem is the first step, right?

So off to my bookcase I went.  Lately I have had a hankering to make a quilt from Gyleen X. Fitzgerald’s book Bricks, Cobblestones, and Pebbles.

Perfect, decision one was made.  I now knew what quilt I was going to make.  One of Gyleen’s wonderful quilts it is.  Now, what charity?  Hmm...I guess I will just let my quilt select the charity.  I know it will tell me when all is said and done.

And tell me it did......my quilt will be going to Quilty Hugs for a Happy Chemo.  I “built” this quilt with “cobblestones” and each “cobblestone” is made from a different fabric with the exception of the brick red center which is in the middle of each block.  I hope the recipient of my quilt feels the love with which it was made and may pass the time by discovering all the different fabrics from which it was built.

I hope you have enjoyed this journey as much a I have.  Thank you, Sarah for letting me tag along.  Until we meet again, ❤️Paula

Happy Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful woman who have nurtured children whether they are their birth parent or not.  We all have had wonderful strong women in our lives who have made us the people we are today.

So in honor of Mother’s Day.....

I’ve been spending the day feeding my soul with needle and thread....

I’m having so much fun with Gyleen’s book “ Bricks, Cobblestones and pebbles.  This one is for a friend whose husband was recently diagnosed with cancer.  I hope this will remind her that I am holding her in my heart and thoughts and prayers.  And that she is not alone in this journey.

Ilene loves Disney and she and her hubby spend lots of vacations there so I could not resist including Mickey and Minnie.  I hope it invokes lovely memories made and a sign of more to come.  

Until we meet again ❤️Paula

H2H challenge is coming along

Well, my cobblestone quilt is hot off the quilt frame and ready to bind.....

( my previous post has the back story)

This was quilted on the newest addition to my quilting fleet.....

I bought this at Quilt Festival in Houston last fall.  My sweet hubby said we just had to go cuz flights were too cheap to pass up....so I said “okay, if you insist”.  It was such a great buy that I just could not resist.  I still have a lot to learn but I’m enjoying this new adventure sooo much.  Who would have guessed that quilting on my Bernina or my Tiara (I did say it was the newest member of the fleet 🤣😂) could be so different than quilting on this?

Time to go grab a cup of tea and get to that binding....In the meantime, why don’t you hop over to see what others are working on for the.....H2H challenge

Until we meet again.....❤️ Paula

Quilting is more fun than......

picking up all the sticks and tree debris that the late winter storms have left in our yard.  We have trees debris everywhere.....

The yard is a bit soggy at the moment from the melting snow so I think it would be better if it dried up just a bit before tending to it.  Don't want to trudge all that mud in the house since I spent most of yesterday tidying up.  Makes sense, don't ya think? 

One spot in the house that still is in need of a lot of tidying up is my "happy place" or as the hubby refers to it...the "she cave".  It really needs a lot of attention.  One thing in particular that is really out of control are my scrap bins.....

I can't think of a better way to tackle this problem than to make a quilt.  And one of my favorite quilts to make is a comfort quilt.  It comes in all shapes and sizes and there generally are no to few rules to follow.  Nothing but pure enjoyment of playing with fabric and feeding piece upon piece through my sewing machine. I was so thrilled to come across Sarah's post about the Hands2Help 2018 charity quilt challenge.  Not only do I get to make one of my favorite kinds of quilts, but it will have a home to go to!  I decided to use a pattern from Bricks Cobblestones and Pebbles by the ever so talented Gyleen X. Fitzgerald.  Just the ticket for making a dent (barely a dent) in to my scrap basket.  Love my pebbles......

 They really are quick to make and kind of like potato chips (or in my case M & M's)...can't just stop at one.....

I think I will will let them play together on my design wall for just a bit.....

Hope you are all enjoying Spring in your neck of the woods.  I think it has finally made it here in New England

💗Paula

Basting in the heat

It is a tad warm out today.  But it is August in New England after all.  So I have the fan cranking while I'm cranking on basting my quilt.

I have been anxious to finish up my En Provenance quilt.  I learned so much about color and value with this quilt and I can hardly wait for Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt for this year.

I think I have the perfect quilting plan too.  I love HandiQuilter's Minute Motifs.  They seem like just the thing for someone (me) who doesn't have all that many machine quilting hours under their belt.

The nice thing about a really scrappy quilt is that all that really will be seen is the texture of the quilting, so my "mistakes" will be hidden.  I know the only way to get better at machine quilting is to practice.  And my huge pile of quilt tops isn't getting any smaller.  So I better get to practicing....but first, back to basting (not the funnest part of the process LOL)

Piecefully yours....
Paula

Slowly catching up on my BTQ Summer Sewalong

I've been busy with my day job and wedding plans so I have only managed to fit in a little EPP here and there lately.  Even though it's just a few stitches now and then at least I'm getting my little creative fix.   It is so good for my soul.    Ahhhhh.

I can't believe my baby girl and her sweetie's big day is just about a month and 1/2 away.  We're has the time gone? Since the wedding planning is going well and I have work a little more under control, I have a bit more time to play tonight.  My Butterfly Threads Quilting summer sew along blocks have been patiently waiting for my return.

Diane, thank you for encouraging us to post what we have been working on even if it has been at a snail's pace for me.  I'm still working on the neutral nine patches from "part 2".  I'm 2 blocks beyond being half way there.  But I am getting slowly there (giggle).

 
Some of my neutrals have a little bit of color sneaking in but I think they will still "read" as a neutral with a little bit of luck.  I love how neutral nine patches make a quilt sparkle.  All of those many different little scrappy squares make a quilt so much happier.  Don't you think?  My hope is that maybe that little black and white novelty fabric of kids playing together or those little paw prints dancing across the fabric might just be as a little surprise to the recipient of this quilt and perhaps bring a smile to their face.

I'm not sure at the moment who "the recipient" is going to be.  But my plan is to gift it to someone.  I love to make comfort quilts.  I find them to be just as much a comfort to me to make.  What better way to spread a little love, but by giving a quilt.  I like to think of them as sort of virtual hugs.  I especially like to make them when I am feeling blue or when life seem a bit over whelming.  I don't know about you, but all of the hate and crazy politics in the news of late is making me a bit crazy.  I feel the need to distance my self from all of that craziness and that feeling of "what is wrong with people".  So the best thing I can come up with at the moment is to focus on making a quilt for someone else.  I think Diane's wonderful design is just what the doctor ordered.  If anyone has suggestions for a home for my quilt, I'm all ears.  Now I best get down off my soap box and get back to some stitching!

BTQ Scrappy Summer Sewalong

I am having the best time sewing happy scrappy nine patches.  The best part is that all of my fabric has come from the depths of my scrap box.  I must confess though, my scrap box is actually a very deep laundry basket and not a  cute little box.  I know I should be better at keeping up with taming my scraps, but it always seems to be such a chore for me.

So Diane has come to my rescue with her scrappy summer sew along.  I simply dug through my pile and spent a good long afternoon with my Accuquilt Go Big and cut a huge bunch of 2 1/4 strips.  I'm doing 2 1/4 rather than 2 1/2 because that is the size strippy die that I have.

I "stole" the drying rack from our laundry room to keep my strips handy....who wants to do laundry when you could be sewing instead?

I completed my 48 blocks and still have a whole lot of strips left.  Here's a peek at my 48...

 Now on to the next set of blocks.  Looking forward to taming some of my neutral scraps next.  Come on over to see what other scrappy goodness is going on at ButterflyThreadsQuilting