May 29, 2012

Picket Fence in Spring Quilt is Finished!

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I've finally finished my Picket Fence in Spring quilt, three months after I originally showed her to you in this post!  I did not put any borders on her, so she finishes up at 48" square.  
Today is such a beautiful day to take pictures of a fresh spring quilt!


Picket Fence in Spring is quilted in an allover, fairly dense meandering loop on Mrs. Singer, my vintage 1896 Singer 31-15 machine.  She crinkled up nicely in the wash!  

Her backing is just as pretty as the front!


Here you can see the depth that washing brings to the quilting.


Quilt Stats:
  • Name:  Picket Fence in Spring
  • Pattern:  My own.
  • Fabric Top, Backing and Binding:  Top quality quilt-shop fabric from a variety of designers, Urban Chiks, Holly Holderman, Lecein, etc.
  • Size:  48" square.
  • Binding:  Double layer attached completely by machine for long-term durability.
  • Batting: Warm and Natural 100% cotton.
  • Quilting:  Allover fairly dense meandering loops in white polyester thread on my vintage 1896 Singer 31-15 retrofitted to a quilting frame.
  • Value:  Adorably sweet!
This quilt has sold, but you'll find more like it in my Etsy shop!

Linking to:

May 26, 2012

Cotton Berry Quilts Grand Opening Giveaway

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simply square button
Cotton Berry Quilts, one of my favorite Etsy shops, is having a Grand Opening Giveaway!

The prize is this adorable pillow cover!


Go HERE to enter!

May 25, 2012

The Star Stack Giveaway Winner Is ...

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The Winner of this star stack is ...

entry #122 Melissa P.

Over 100 entries were deleted because the entrant was dishonest and hadn't done what they said they did to earn an entry.  Rafflecopter does a wonderful job of keeping track of who is who and what is what, and most everything is verifiable by the person hosting the giveaway.  If a person said they completed an item and didn't, I deleted ALL of their entries.  I want to reward an honest person who really did jump through the hoops.  


a Rafflecopter giveaway

May 21, 2012

It's Giveaway Day! Win a Stack of Star Fabrics!

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Sew, Mama, Sew! is hosting a May Giveaway Day, and I'm participating in the fun!  Be sure you hop over to Sew, Mama, Sew! to see the other quilting giveaways!


Enter to win 10 half-yard cuts of star fabrics from my stash.  That's a total of 5 yards of free fabric.  Background colors include brown, deep red, navy, gray, black, cream, tan, and gold.  All fabrics are new and unwashed.

Fabrics include:
Jungle Songs by Laurel Burch for Clothworks
Cold Winter Noses by Sandy Gervais for Moda
Back Home by Sweetwater for Clothworks
Old Glory Circa 1875 by Windham
2005 Circle of Love by Thimbleberries Club for RJR
Catch a Star by Whimsicals for Red Rooster
... and more!

I will ship internationally!

This giveaway closes May 25th at 5:00 pm PST.

Share in the fun using the Rafflecopter widget below!  


This giveaway is closed.  


Over 100 entries were deleted because they the entrant was dishonest and hadn't done what they said they did to earn an entry.  Rafflecopter does a wonderful job of keeping track of who is who and what is what, and most everything is verifiable by the person hosting the giveaway.  If a person said they completed an item and didn't, I deleted ALL of their entries.  I want to reward an honest person who really did jump through the hoops.  


a Rafflecopter giveaway

May 18, 2012

Blogger's Quilt Festival Spring 2012

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Amy's Creative Side

Amy's Creative Side is hosting a Blogger's Quilt Festival!  I'm linking up Mrs.Star and will share the story behind her.

Welcome to my living room!  This bright, happy quilt greets you with plenty of cheer!

I fell in love with Annie's Farm Stand fabric the first time I saw it and began collecting it shortly thereafter, ending up with over 40 different AFS fabrics in my stash, thanks to Marie Madeline Studio and several Etsy shops.  I have always loved star quilts, and when I saw the Sparkle Plenty quilt pattern, I knew that Annie's Farm Stand coupled with a black dotted fabric would look awesome, so I jumped in and began cutting squares. Do you know how hard it is to cut out fabric you absolutely love?  It is frightening, nerve-wracking, and exhilarating at the same time!

After I had completed my collection of Annie's Farm Stand fabrics, I showed the huge pile to several people and told them that I would be re-doing my living room in these fabrics.  One looked around at my current living room and said, "But your living room is so pretty now!"  An unnamed male rolled his eyes.  Maybe you should know that my living room has been decorated in muted tones of Thimbleberries fabrics for over six years, so Annie's Farm Stand is a big change.

I forged ahead anyway ... and began Mrs.Star.

There were too many quilt blocks to fit on my design wall at the same time, so I made the quilt top in sections.  When I got the first section done, I thought, "This will never work for my living room wall."  My friend, who comes over to yack sew every Friday afternoon, advised me to put it on my wall for at least one month before I decided whether or not to keep her.  I didn't have to wait that long to decide; I knew by the time I had sewn the whole top together that she was a keeper!

Mrs.Star is a symbol to me that it is perfectly okay for me to be different than those around me.  She is a very unusual quilt to have in a living room, and that is what I LOVE about her!  She is unique, she displays her beauty with courage, and she brightens the room with cheer, never ashamed that she is different, yet she is also perfectly content to hang in the background!  I want to be more like her!

Through quilting Mrs.Star on my vintage 1896 Singer 31-15 long-arm quilting machine, I learned that floating the quilt top was the culprit that caused my last two quilts to shrink so drastically, like 6 to 7" on a twin-sized quilt!  The tension on the quilt top is needed to prevent the extra shrinkage, so I now gladly pin the top to a roller to prevent this.  If a quilt starts out as a full size and shrinks to a twin, it does not meet the purpose for which it was intended, and we can't have that, can we?  Mrs.Star was 85" square before quilting and washing and only shrank 3" down to 82" square, perfectly within normal limits.  

Quilt Stats:
  • Name:  Mrs.Star
  • Pattern:  Sparkle Plenty by Loft Creations, purchased from Connecting Threads, enlarged from 48".
  • Fabric:  Black with tiny white polka dots from Connecting Threads.  All other fabrics are Annie's Farm Stand by Holly Holderman for Lakehouse Fabrics, purchased from Marie Madeline Studio and various Etsy shops.
  • Size:  82" x 82" after washing.
  • Backing:  Black with tiny white polka dots from Connecting Threads with a strip of half-square triangles down the center.
  • Binding:  Black with tiny white polka dots from Connecting Threads, double thickness for durability, attached by machine with mitered 45-degree corners.  
  • Batting: Warm and Natural 80/20 cotton/poly.
  • Quilting:  All-over meandering stitch in black polyester thread on my 1896 Singer 31-15 industrial machine set up on a quilting frame.
  • Value:  Cheery!
P.S. The quilt rack shown above was custom-built in the USA by veterans at GWiz Wood Products.  It measures 85" long.  I have no connection with them; just wanted to share where I got my really awesome quilt rack.  It was the first thing I bought when we built our new house!

P.S.S. You can read more about Mrs.Singer, my 1896 quilting machine, HERE.

May 16, 2012

Would You Take Craftsy's Beyond Basic Machine Quilting Class With Me?

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Online Machine Quilting Class

For first-time buyers, all online interactive Craftsy classes are on sale for $14.99 or less!  This sale ends Saturday, May 19th, but your registration never does.  Take the class whenever you want, how many times you want.

I have signed up for the Beyond Basic Machine Quilting class with Ann Petersen, and I'll let you know what I think when I get a chance to watch it.  This class is regularly $59.99, so it is a bargain at $14.99, a whopping 75% off!  I'm excited to improve on my machine quilting skills!

Craftsy has classes in the following categories:  Crocheting, Food Craft, Gardening, Holiday, Home Decor, Jewelry, Knitting, Paper Crafts, Quilting, Sewing, Weaving, and Woodworking; something for everyone!

May 11, 2012

Please Vote For My Quilt at the Quilting Gallery!

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Won't you vote for Mrs.Star in Quilting Gallery's Quilts For Mom contest?  Please stop by Quilting Gallery and vote for Mrs.Star!  Voting ends Monday, at 6:00 p.m. eastern time.  I'd appreciate your vote very much!


May 8, 2012

Mrs.Star Queen-Sized Quilt

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Welcome to my living room!  This bright, happy quilt greets you with plenty of cheer!

I just completed this new quilt for my living room wall.  You can see a picture of the previous quilt that hung on this wall HERE.  What a change!  She is so happy and cheerful, and I love the way she livens the room!  She is made almost entirely from half-square triangles though the black blocks are simple squares.  

I have plans to change out everything in the room to coordinate in these delicious fabrics, switching from the primitive colors of Thimbleberries to these fun, bright colors!  HERE is a peek at the Patchwork Prism quilt I am making out of Annie's Farm Stand fabrics, and she'll soon grace another wall in my living room.  I have plans for throw quilts, six window valances, full-length sliding glass door curtains, toss pillows, table runners, and maybe more!

I have learned that floating the quilt top was the culprit causing my last two quilts to shrink so drastically, like 6 to 7" on a twin-sized quilt!  The tension on the top is needed to prevent the extra shrinkage, so I now gladly pin the top to a roller to prevent this.  If a quilt starts out as a full size and shrinks to a twin, it loses resale value.  Mrs.Star was 85" square before quilting and washing and only shrank 3" down to 82" square, perfectly within normal limits.  And NO, she won't be for sale any time soon, if ever!  

If you are interested in purchasing a quilt similar to this, please contact me; I'd love to make this striking quilt again in any size with any color combination!

Quilt Stats:
  • Name:  Mrs.Star
  • Pattern:  Sparkle Plenty by Loft Creations, purchased from Connecting Threads, enlarged from 48".
  • Fabric:  Black with tiny white polka dots from Connecting Threads.  All other fabrics are Annie's Farm Stand by Holly Holderman for Lakehouse Fabrics, purchased from Marie Madeline Studio and various Etsy shops.
  • Size:  82" x 82" after washing.
  • Backing:  Black with tiny white polka dots from Connecting Threads with a strip of half-square triangles down the center.
  • Binding:  Black with tiny white polka dots from Connecting Threads.  
  • Batting: Warm and Natural 80/20 cotton/poly.
  • Quilting:  All-over meandering stitch in black polyester thread on my 1896 Singer 31-15 industrial machine set up on a quilting frame.
  • Value:  Cheery!
P.S.  I plan to participate in Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day on May 21st.  I haven't decided what to give away yet, but become a follower, and you'll soon find out!  Would you like it to be a quilt or a fabric stack?


P.S.S.  The quilt rack shown above was custom-built in the USA by veterans at GWiz Wood Products.  It measures 85" long.

Getting the Best Value in the Swagbucks Store

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Search & Win

Yesterday I mentioned earning Amazon Gift Cards using the Swagbucks program.  A kind reader let me know that it is a better deal to redeem Swagbucks for $5 Amazon Gift Cards rather than for a $100 gift cards; it takes less points.  She is correct, and I am so glad she shared that with me.  It got us researching if other prizes could be earned with less Swagbucks.

My son figured out that it requires a lot less Swagbucks to earn a Kindle Fire using $5 Amazon Gift Cards rather than redeeming Swagbucks for the Kindle Fire directly.  A Kindle Fire costs $200, so it would take 40 $5 Amazon Gift Cards for 18,000 Swagbucks to purchase a Kindle Fire {plus tax} versus 28,999 Swagbucks for a Kindle Fire directly from the Swagbucks store.  The difference is huge, so $5 Amazon Gift Cards are the way to go when redeeming Swagbucks {provided Amazon has what you want}.

Have you looked at the prizes available in the Swagstore?  Go HERE and then click on Swagstore under the Redeem tab at the top of the page.

Amazon gift cards also make great Mother's Day Presents and can be delivered via email for a very last-minute gift!

By signing up for Swagbucks, I earn Swagbucks when you earn!  Please help us get a Kindle Fire by signing up for Swagbucks using the link above - and then use it to earn prizes for your family!
 

May 7, 2012

Fat Quarter Shop Gift Certificates on Sale!

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I've got some fabric love to share with you!  

The Fat Quarter Shop has 20% off Gift Certificates through Sunday, May 13th!  Can't beat that!

Use code "lovemom" during checkout.

Swagbucks: An Easy Way to Earn Amazon Gift Cards and Other Prizes!

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Search & Win

Have you noticed the Swagbucks widget in the sidebar and wondered what it's all about? Swagbucks is a way to earn prizes while you do simple things online like searching for things you already search for, such as fabric!  There is no cost and no catch.

I am earning Amazon gift cards using the Swagbucks program, and I plan to treat my family to a Kindle Fire with the Amazon gift cards.  So far I have earned enough points for a $50 gift card but am saving the points to get a $100 gift card.  {ETA:  I've learned it is better to redeem $5 gift cards rather than $100 gift cards.  I'll post about this tomorrow.}

By signing up for Swagbucks, I earn Swagbucks when you earn!  How cool is that?!

Here are the ways I earn points everyday, all taking very little time.  
  • Searching.  This is by far the way I earn the most points since I do a lot of searching for homeschooling curricula.  If you search for anything on the web, Swagbucks may be for you.
  • The Daily Poll for 1 buck
  • NOSO for 2 bucks
  • Swagcodes.  I use Swagcode Spoiler for a heads-up via email on where Swagcodes are found on the web and when they expire, and then I redeem them at the Swagbucks homepage.
  • Swagbucks TV, 10 short videos for 3 bucks.  I choose something from the Homes and Garden tab because they are about the only wholesome videos available.  Only the first part of the video needs viewed, and you can "watch" the same ones over and over.  I click on one, go about my merry business, either doing something else on the computer or somewhere else in the house, and click another later.  I have been known to click videos as I quilt!  Even now as I write this post there is a video playing in another tab.
  • Special Offers, usually a short video advertisement which just has to play on your computer to the end to earn 2 bucks.  Again, this can play in the background.
Ways I occasionally earn are:
  • Coupons, print at home and redeem at local store and earn points.
  • Surveys
Now you know how to win Swagbucks!  And Fridays are mega Swagbucks days when you can win lots of extra Swagbucks searching.  The most bucks I have earned searching was 40 swagbucks for one search.

Amazon gift cards also make great Mother's Day Presents and can be delivered via email for a very last-minute gift!

By signing up for Swagbucks, I earn Swagbucks when you earn!
 

May 4, 2012

Patchwork Prism Quilt Along Cutting Pieces

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I'm participating in the Patchwork Prism Quilt Along, and here is a peek at my project.  I am using mostly Annie's Farm Stand fabrics.  The quilt is much larger in size than I had imagined it from the original picture on the pattern.  I could have made it smaller by using smaller pieces but didn't read that part of the instructions until I was over half done cutting! {Note to self:  Read quilt size and quilt along instructions before beginning!}  To give you some perspective, each triangle is about 8" tall.  There are about 200 pieces in this quilt, all cut with a template!  I have never made a quilt from templates before, but it is going surprisingly well, at least I think so ... I haven't started sewing any of them together yet, so hopefully they fit together nicely!  

And now you know why things have been so quiet here on the blog!

The pattern was designed by Anna Marie Horner, and the quilt along has some fabulous prizes!  I'm hoping for the sewing machine!