Quilt Shop Hop FUN!! Spring Fever 2012 shop hop highlights

What a fun Saturday!! I went quilt shop hopping today and have had such a great time. This has been an awesome week, anyway, but today was just perfect!! Here's the shop hop quilt that I got the supplies/fabric/pattern to make, isn't it the cutest???!! This pic was taken at Block By Block Quilt shop in Carthage, Missouri (with permission)....I can hardly wait to make it!! If you are ever in Carthage, MO, you've got to go to Block By Block, it's one of my favorite quilt shops ever (and no, I don't have any ownership in it...this is unbiased advertising! LOL).

I also came home with another quilt kit, a couple of snowman patterns - one with the embroidery digitizing pattern for my new embroidery machine (I know, I haven't shared about that, yet...I need to get it out of the box, seriously!!) and another one is a snowman faces pattern a friend recently made up and I loved (can't believe I actually FOUND a pattern I wanted!), a "Butterfly Breeze" quilt pattern with kit (gorgeous fabric), a floral embroidery & quilt block pattern (does life get any better than having both in one pattern?), and a Sewline Needle Threader that I have been eyeing for quite a while....I can't believe it took me that long to buy it! LOL...must have been a demonstration of will-power, yes, I really do have will-power sometimes....okay, not often! :) What a wonderful Saturday!! Tomorrow...maybe I'll get that embroidery machine OUT of the box and find some play time!! I didn't get a lot of playtime this week....well, before today that is....ha!

Here's hoping you are deep in stitches,

QuiltingCheri

Progress on my Mystery Quilt!

I am really liking this mystery quilt. I have to say, it is getting so big from now on, I'll have to put it on the bed to photograph it....no more hanging it from my doorway! (Don't you just love my "professional" way of photographing my quilts...not!!).... I have the borders all cut and ready to sew together, so it will be done in no time. Then...I am rewarding myself by starting on a BRAND NEW project! How exciting is that!

Which project will I chose? You'll just have to stay tuned to find out. It should be VERY soon!

Here's hoping you are deep in stitches....

QuiltingCheri

Friday night's accomplishments

I know it's Saturday when I'm posting this, but I was too lazy to post it last night...lol. When I went into the quilting room after work, I found this lovely quilt laying next to my sewing machine (I had put it there last week when I was organizing the quilt tops I still need to finish up, and remembered this one was DONE)....so that's what I worked on! Binding is completed and the quilt is all finished. The quilting has been done for quite a while.....but it's all good, one more completed project. Now...whatever will I work on today??

Here's hoping you're deep in stitches!
QuiltingCheri

New BIG BOY toys here....The Mule!

We've had a busy weekend....went big boy toy shopping with my husband, Wes, and he hit pay dirt! LOL. We first went to the tractor store (aka where he buys the BIG tractors for the farm) and he bought an industrial size zero-turn mower to solve the ever-growing, difficult to cut area around the chix house. Problem solved! THEN...the real fun began...we went and found a UTV (like an ATV minus the sales tax when you have a farm account)! Isn't it cute!! :) Yes, I chose the camo, I thought it was perfect.....and the guys have been having a marvelous time "breaking it in" today!

So....I didn't get much quilting done this weekend, as in none....but I did manage to select some fabrics for a BOM I have chosen to do...."Thru the Woods" link listed to the left, and I'm excited.

Here's hoping you're deep in stitches (unlike me this weekend....LOL),

QuiltingCheri

Quilting is going on around here!

My Janome is a humming tonight! I am finally putting together a mystery quilt I started in September. About time, huh? I have had the individual sections done, but just have not put it together. I love the fabrics AND the pattern...it's from one of my yahoo groups. What a fun thing to do! I don't think I've ever trusted my fabric judgment enough to go for a mystery quilt before. I was always afraid I would put it together and then hate the quilt. I'm sorry to say if I hated the quilt, I would not finish it....sad, but true.

So......do you want to see the main sections? Okay, but I haven't read the next step yet, so I've no idea how this will all go together. I have the big part in 5 strips, so I'm pretty sure how that's going to go.

I also did not follow the directions....I'm sure that will surprise everyone who knows me....NOT! So...I will have to cut the border strips out before I can do the next step I'm guessing.... I'm getting pretty excited and thinking I might just quilt this one next, jumping way ahead of my other quilt tops that are waiting patiently in line. I know, no cutting...but hey, they're all my quilts, so I can do which ever one I want. Here's a sneak peek:

I think it's going to be a beauty....so glad my friend, Jody, posted the steps and lead the mystery!! Let me just say I am so glad I've done my FIRST ever mystery! I think I'm going to love this quilt!

Here's hoping you are deep in stitches,

QuiltingCheri

Projects, projects, projects

It's a new year and I have a new resolution...to actually USE my blog, now there's an idea! I really *needed* some help taking pics of my purchases, so along came my trusty sidekick, Pippa. She says it's time for me to get quilting, since I already went shopping and bought the fabrics for my projects....I do believe she's right!


I really like the free Just Takes Two BOM this year (the BOM link is to the left under Pippa's pic)....the fabrics were calling my name from across the room this weekend when I went to the LQS in Springfield, Missouri....so I brought some home. I haven't even checked my stash yet to see what I have, LOL, but that's okay, I still need more, I'm sure.

I think that's a pretty fine start, now I can start cutting, cutting, cutting and listening to the lovely hummmmmm of my Janome 6600.

In honor of our chicken houses (yes, that's the best excuse I can come up with today), I really must make a barn quilt using Eleanor Burns book, so I began buying fabrics for the barn quilt and I got the book. I am very inspired now, and may just have to figure out what other fabrics I might want...er, I mean need....

And, I should probably start by working on my BOM from the LQS that I haven't started yet, and I get the last month, oh, I don't know, like next week! :) It's an Aunt Grace, so I'm bound to love all of those wonderful 30's repros. I have to admit the *real* reason I have to get this one started....I am signing up for another BOM at my LQS, it's just too cute to say no. You'll have to stay tuned for that one....coming soon!! I guess that's about it for now....

Here's hoping you're deep in stitches,
QuiltingCheri

Longarm quilting!

Long time, no blog! :( I've been very busy learning how to use Tin Lizzie Ansley and Shirley Stitcher II. I am very happy to announce, that we're getting there....and I'm quilting on a real live quilt! My sample books are all finished, although I certainly will add more to them as time goes on....and now I'm quilting my stack of quilt tops....fun, fun, fun! I started with a very simple charm quilt, figuring it would be a good way to do a block by block design. I thought about an all-over meander, but how boring is that! I actually ended up deciding to do a star meander at the top and bottom of the quilt...and putting an 8 point star in each of those little charm squares. Whoa! I had no idea how much work that would be...lots of starting and stopping...but I love the way it's looking. Pretty cool, huh??!!??

Once I get this quilt done...I get to move on to the next quilt! Could life be any better than this?? I think not!

As the sign in my living room says: Be Happy With What You Have....

and the other sign says: A Day Spent Quilting is a Good Day!

Until we chat again,

Quiltingcheri