Happy Valentine's Day

"The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart."
~Helen Keller

I love hearts.

                               

 "Within your heart, keep one still, secret spot where dreams may go."  ~Louise Driscoll

                            

(1 1/2 inch squares, fused hearts.)

"Follow your heart, but be quiet for a while first. Ask questions, then feel the answer. Learn to trust your heart." ~Unknown

I'm a sucker for anything heart shaped and I'd be embarrassed to tell you just how many pairs of heart-shaped earrings I own. My daughter gave me the ceramic box below for Christmas. She knows about me and hearts. I think I'll use it for my heart-shaped  jewelry. I made the little red and black heart needle book from a kit I found at my local quilt shop a few years ago.  In case you're wondering, the red "huswife" needle case is a smaller version of the one that's in Remembering Adelia, made without the felt piece for needles. I keep it in my purse and use it for carrying around gift cards or credit cards.

The case opened, so you can see the pockets. These make great little gifts for friends, even friends who don't sew. I've made about 10 of these--they're so simple and sew up rather quickly.

"Let your heart guide you. It whispers, so listen closely."  ~The Land Before Time

Yes, that's right, I'm quoting the little dinosaur movie, LOL. It happened to be my son's favorite movie when he was about 3 or 4. Loved that movie. We watched it over and over and over . . .  Gave me a lot of free time on the couch when I couldn't get up because of extreme morning sickness before my daughter was born.

"Little girls are the nicest things that happen to people. They are born with a little bit of angelshine about them and although it wears thin sometimes there is always enough left to lasso your heart--even when they are sitting in the mud, or crying temperamental tears, or parading up the street in Mother's best clothes." ~Alan Marshall Beck

"Be careful what you set your heart on, for it will surely be yours."  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson


Happy Valentine's Day!

Sweet Valentine's Day Giveaway

 

Some of you may remember that last year I had a giveaway of some sweet  little prints designed by Renee Nanneman for Andover Fabrics  - Little Sweethearts. I  designed a cute little table runner (above) with some of the prints and added my own shirtings. The pattern is still available for sale on my website. I bought quite a bit of this fabric last year to make up kits to go along with the pattern but then had to keep reordering more fabric, got tired of all the cutting and decided that, at that time in my life, kits were just too time intensive and I wanted to move on to other things so I stopped taking time to make them and put the fabric away in a drawer.

 

       I love hearts.

 

I still have some of this fabric left over from the kits I was making and wanted to give it away in scrap packs. There's plenty in there to make some cute blocks but not enough fabric for borders or setting pieces, so not really enough to make any kits. You can add your own shirtings and make a small quilt. I have enough to give away 4 packs, all mixed with these sweet pink, white and red Little Sweethearts prints.
 

All you have to do is leave me a comment and tell me what was the sweetest thing that anyone ever did for you on Valentine's Day. Comments will close on Sunday and I will announce the 4 winners on Monday. Please be sure to leave a way for me to contact you. If you sign your post "Anonymous" or don't leave an e-mail or a blog link I will pass over your name and go on to the next pick. Good luck!

                                       Happy Valentine's Day!

"Be careful what you set your heart on, for it will surely be yours." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
 

 

A few years ago, my sweet friend Shirley cut and prepped these little basket blocks for me. Sorry, Shirley, I know, I feel bad that I still haven't put them into a quilt yet  : (  But it sure is probably one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for me.

 

 

 

"Follow your heart, but be quiet for a while first. Ask questions, then feel the answer. Learn to trust your heart." ~Unknown 

 

 

Obviously, not all of you will be winners and that makes me sad, so as consolation in advance, here's a link to this free primitive Valentine's Day cross stitch pattern I found  here.

   

Have a Sweet Day!

 

Pretty Little Patterns

My sister e-mailed me and said she hadn't heard a peep from me in over a week, what was I up to? Well, let me tell you. I've been such a busy bee lately. After I posted that photo of my little Valentine's Day table runner I made, using  the Little Sweethearts fabric designed by Renee Nanneman for Andover, I got quite a few e-mails asking: Excuse me, where is the free pattern for this sweet little thing??

 

 

I wish I wish I wish I could just give away the patterns for every single quilt I make but sometimes I have to add them to my list of patterns for sale and try to make a living. You understand. I know it's a very simple little quilt and many of you can draft it yourselves but for those of you who cannot or don't want to take the time, I created a pattern for it that's available here on my website. I thought the fabric I used was soooo cute (little hearts mixed with shirtings). So I ordered more of that and then also plan to make up a few kits for sale too because I suspected some of you would like to make one just like mine.

The fabric is not here yet and so it may take me a week or 2 to make up the kits and get them out to you but you can order anyway and I'd appreciate your patience. I ordered a certain amount of fabric for a limited number of kits and when that's gone, it's gone, but the pattern will still be available on my website for awhile.

 

 

Don't worry that you're not being creative if you buy a kit to make one just like mine. Sometimes it's fun for us girls to have some of the same things in the same colors.  When I was 9 or 10, my best friend Audrey and I used to love to dress alike. I remember whenever she got a new dress or shirt I'd beg my mom to buy the same one for me. We'd walk to the local library by ourselves wearing the same outfits. Back in that day it was perfectly safe for kids to walk 4 blocks to the library in the city of Chicago without an adult. No one gave it a second thought.

 

I was taller than Audrey and she had red hair and freckles so anyone could easily tell us apart but I could see our friends the library ladies smiling when we came in the door, pretending they couldn't tell us apart and we played the game too. "Call me Audrey today and you be Kathy" I whispered, giggling. Those were fun times, putting one over on the library ladies.

My own kids did not inherit this dressing alike tendency. For years, they would not shop at certain clothing stores because they didn't want to dress like the herd (their words) and see themselves coming and going in the same outfits as everyone else at school. "Why not? WHY NOT?? Those Gap shirts look so cute on you! So what if  Kevin has one too." I never understood. I sneaked in a shirt for my son in his gifts one Christmas and when I saw the same one on the boy down the block I knew where I'd find my son's - shoved under his bed, unworn.

 

So, I know how it is when you see something cute that another quilter has made and you want one just like it for yourself. Quilt envy. As long as you don't sell the pattern for it and say you're me I think you're okay. If you decide to make this little quilt, imagine, we'll all be like BFFs, showing off our little red, white and pink quilts on our tables, set for tea or cocoa.  

 

Oh, speaking of tea, I had a bit of leftover Chateau Chambray fabric that Andover sent me to use to make the Sweet Pea quilt in conjunction with the Valentine's Day giveaway last week. (Find the pattern here -  yes, yes, this one is FREE). I didn't want it to go to waste so I made another darling table quilt using a Sugar Bowl block. I call it Tea Time.

OMG, I love the soft colors and romantic prints, don't you? I used up just about every print in that collection. I hope you like it, especially the center block with the floral motif. Some of you who were winners of the giveaway on my blog last week will be getting a charm pack of either this fabric or the Little Sweethearts fabric. Andover told me to let you know that they will be shipping soon, maybe even today.

 

Sugar Bowls! So sweet.

 

I know some of you only like 1800s reproduction fabrics and those are still my favorites too but sometimes it's just so much fun to make something pretty with a different type of fabric than I'm used to. I'm very pleased with the way it turned out. It was a lot of fun.

 

 

As I sat there quilting it while watching the last 2 episodes of DA I could totally see myself sipping tea at Downton Abbey. Wished I had a hat though.

 

 

 

 You can purchase the pattern for this one on my website too. 

 

 

 

 

Finishing Up Quilting Stuff

I'm working on finishing up the last couple of quilts for the new book. Except for maybe one, they're all quilted by hand. I do it this way because I am a lousy machine quilter and, although it takes awhile, hand quilting is much easier and much more fun. Especially since the quilts are small. Very relaxing too, once you get into the "zone."  

Nothing fancy, you see. (This quilt is from The Civil War Sewing Circle.)

Little quilts are perfect for practicing your hand quilting. I think it really adds something too so I always like to do my part to encourage quilters to try it. Even if the first one you try isn't all that good, keep at it and you'll get better. When I've been away from it for awhile and then pick it up again those first few lines of stitching are a little less straight than I'd prefer. But it comes back and you pick up a certain rhythm if you do it long enough. I'll have some tips for you in the new book.

If you do think about trying to quilt by hand, here's my favorite book on hand quilting - Loving Stitches by Jeana Kimball.  Book includes lots of great tips on needles, thread, batting, etc. plus nice photos. I can't say my quilting fits into the "fine" hand quilting category, but it's fine by me. There's room for the "average" hand quilter too if you stop being afraid of the hand quilting police. I used to think they'd probably stop by and pick me up anytime I quilted anything.  But I stopped looking over my shoulder and they went away.

Some days, though, I can't seem to quilt a straight stitch to save my life. This past week was like that. I had such good intentions of quilting up a storm and getting them finished but I caught my husband's cold last weekend. It waited until I finished my manuscript, however, so for that I am grateful. But, most of this week my head was spinning, my throat hurt and my nose was all sneezy and drippy. I just could not quilt for a few days - every stitch I sewed had to be ripped out because my head was so crazy and I couldn't see straight through my watery eyes. You know how that goes. I gave up and figured I probably needed a little rest anyway. Now I'm better and the quilts will get finished soon. I sure could have used a couple of those quilter ladies in the pictures to help me out, though. Maybe make me some chicken soup too and wrap the quilt snug around me. And tell me a little gossip to keep me entertained. Or just walk the dog . . . . 

I've also decided I will add labels to the quilts - something I really should be better about. Especially since in this new book I wrote a section encouraging quilters to do that, ha ha. Now, how would that look if I didn't even follow my own advice?? Sometimes I do include labels on my quilts, but often I get stressed because of a deadline and then don't have time and forget about doing it later. To me, the time to make a label is when you make the quilt, not three months or (more likely) three years later. My husband likes to nag encourage me to do that. From his comfy armchair, as he watches TV and eats popcorn, mind you. (Hon - if you want to see labels on my 150+ little quilts, YOU sew them on.)  But I will do it this time. 

*  *  *

You know, February will be here soon and that means another month, another small quilt challenge. Wonder what we've got cooked up for you . . .   Something to do with Valentine's Day perhaps?  Hmmmm? 

(Pattern for little scrappy hearts here.)

Have yourselves a good stitching weekend. I know I will.

Sharing the Love

Happy Valentine's Day! I started celebrating early. Yesterday, I had fun meeting some wonderful quilters and giving a little talk and trunk show of my quilts at one of my favorite shops - Ye Olde Schoolhouse Quilt Shop in Cedarburg, Wisconsin.  Jeanie and her staff were welcoming,  wonderful and warm, as always. Thought I'd give you a blog tour to share the love with you. They clearly love their customers (as well as quilts and fabric and all sorts of cute quilting-related things)

Ye Olde Schoolhouse - it's a "must stop at" shop.

A wash tub full of scraps! What could be better for making my scrappy little quilts?

Stop by if you're ever in the area. The shop is a few miles north of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

Jeanie at the shop made up some kits of some of my quilts. I think there may be some left. Contact the shop  if you're interested in buying one.

Thanks to all of you who braved the cold and came out to see me yesterday! It was great to see so many familiar faces and also lots of new ones. 

Gotta love this little box.

*  *  *

Have a great Valentine's Day, everyone. My sweet husband let me sleep in this morning and then made me cranberry scones for breakfast. And, now, it's snowing . . . . what more could I ask for? (Being able to watch Season 2 of "Fargo" would be nice . . . it disappeared from my cable service before I finished Season 1. Love that show and now I'm hooked. You betcha!)

I was hoping to get something finished for the challenge this month but I was busy working on finishing up my book quilts and meeting my deadline. It's all turned in now (Yay!) and I just have to wait until the Martingale staff does it's magic  . . .  It's going to be hard to wait until the end of the year to see how it all comes together. 

Here's a little peek . . .