Jar Of What...?

Anyone who knows me or has read my blog for some time, knows that music is a must have in my world. A day doesn't go by with out it and what I play always depends on the mood I am in, or the mood I want to be in. You know what I mean? When you're all frumpy and just need something to cheer you up? Music can do that for me. 

However, there is always a song (or ten) that gets you down. It makes you think of something you really don't want to think about. Maybe it's because of something that happened in the past or maybe something recent. Even though it makes you sad, you still like the song. Perhaps for the artist, maybe the melody. Lot's of different reasons. 

A song that released in July of this year is one of those songs for me. It's really kind of a depressing song, but Christina Perri has such a unique voice that it's stuck with me. 

Have a listen and see what I mean...

Christina Perri --- Jar of Hearts

See? Good song though, right? Right. 

Let me tell you something else. 

This song no longer depresses me in the least. It actually makes me laugh? Every time! You're probably thinking what kind of nut case I am, huh? LOL! 

Seriously....it makes me laugh because a few weeks ago I was in the car with my kids and this song came on. During the chorus when these words played..."collecting a jar of hearts.." my 9 year old son pipes up and asks, "Did she just say 'jar of FARTS'??!!"...and then he just broke up laughing!! I nearly had to pull over from laughing so hard! 

So, listen to it again, only replace the words. I dare you not to giggle from now on. :D 

Kids are the best for making us laugh, hm?

Much Love!!!

Speechless...

It's not very often I find my self in this predicament.

Today I received a piece of mail that left me awestruck and speechless. 

You would be too if you unrolled this precious piece of art...

 

**photo courtesy of Tweedledeedesigns on Flickr**

After about 15 minutes of tracing my fingers over the top, trying to see each piece that was put in just the right place, my daughter told me to look at the back....

**photo courtesy of Tweedledeedesigns on Flickr**

I couldn't believe that this quilt was actually mine. So much that I went and rechecked the address on the mailing tube to make sure it was addressed to me. 

 

You are probably wondering WHY I have this beautiful quilt. This is a result of participating in the Doll Quilt Swap #9 (DQS9) on Flickr.  I can say, hands down, that I am *THE* luckiest person in that swap of over 200 people. Don't argue with me, because I am. So there! :D

Per the note included, Angela said that the story behind the quilt was on her blog. Of course I went to check it out! Please take a moment and click HERE to read her story.  I feel like I have bits and pieces of Angela's life right in my hands. 

I still don't know what to say because I am so touched that she would share this quilt with me, a complete stranger, with it being so personal. It has definitely moved me to tears, more than once. Happy tears, sad tears...mostly happy. :) 

Angela...to you I give many many many thank yous for such a beautiful quilt, and a beautiful story. Even though the road wasn't always smooth and easy going, every last step was worth the miracle you hold in your arms every day. Thank you for sharing that with me. I will truly cherish this quilt forever!

Much Love!!!

Tidbit Tuesday #16

Hello and welcome back to Tidbit Tuesday!! :D

The common saying is that we all learn from our own mistakes. Well, this time I want all of you to learn from my mistakes, not your own. 

One thing that you don't always see in blog land are the mistakes that we make. Mostly because we don't like to admit that we made a mistake. I don't necessarily like to admit it either, but one of the reasons I blog, is to teach. If I never show you the mistakes I make, how can you learn from them?  :)

Today's tidbit is thanks to a dear friend, Tracey, over at TraceyJay Quilts. I love this girl. She cracks me up and she has the cutest little man and on top of that, I swear we have the same exact taste in fabrics and quilting! She's like a bloggy sister. :) 

Tracey started the "Putting the Bee in Christmas" bee and this was her month. She chose two blocks and one was a cartwheel block. This block has lots of curves to sew.

Why is this the focus of Tidbit Tuesday? Pins. Pins? Yep. Pins. 

I don't pin. Ever. Well, not never, but I can count on one hand the amount of projects where I've used pins, not including pin basting quilts to quilt them. I just don't like them. It takes too much time and they poke you and that hurts. Pins are not my friends....

....until....

This happened...

Do you see that mess in the upper right corner? Ack!!! I ripped and sewed that same darn seam three times, on two different corners of the block. I was ready to email Tracey and say I quit. LOL! 

Of course I couldn't do that and I never would. So, I ripped it once more. Eyed my pins. Grumbled. Gave my pins a lecture about not poking me and started again. This is what it looked like...

No, they are not perfectly spaced but they did the job. Do you see the ends? They meet up! I nearly stood up and jumped up and down, and even better, my lecture worked. No pokes! :D 

I was still nervous though, because I still had to sew it down. So I complimented my sewing machine so she'd play nice, I lectured my pins once more to keep their ends to themselves and trucked along.....to get this!

**That top corner looks crooked. I think it's the angle that I took the photo because it wasn't crooked**

Can you believe that pins could make that much of a difference?! Ok, for those that actually use pins, I know you're shaking your heads yes and probably saying "I told you so!"...but for me, I had no idea they could be so useful. Especially with curves! 

So, the morale of the story is, use pins, especially with curves, unless you have this handy dandy little tool that I need to order. Head on over to THIS post and see how Julie at Jaybird Quilts puts this amazing little foot to use! She's quite the movie star too. ;)

Oh, by the way...this is how the block turned out....

Until next time...

Much Love!!!

Charm Pack Quilt Along - Final Step

How is everyone coming along in their charm pack quilt along? Did you get all your blocks done? I hope so, or hope that you are almost there because the best part is putting it together! 

Oh, if you are just joining us, no worries. You can join in at ANY time! Just click HERE for all the steps. :)

The only thing left to do is to put your blocks together, add the two borders, sandwich, quilt, and bind and enjoy! 

The hardest part about this step is deciding on which layout to use!! I can attest to that, since I change dmy mind 5 times before setting on this one....and I love it!!

At the end of the post, I will show you some more layouts in case you missed them the first go round. I encourage you to play around with your blocks though. You may find a layout different than what I've posted! Or, you might decide on one, lay out your quilt and not like it in the fabric you are using. So just move them around a bit until you say "THAT'S IT!!". :D 

Once you decide on how to lay out your blocks, just sew them together into rows of 5. Then sew those rows together. Remember when you are pressing your rows, press them in opposite directions so that your seams nest nicely. 

Once your blocks are together, you can add on your borders. Now, you can add or subtract borders as you choose. There is no right or wrong so do what you like. My instructions are just a guide. :) 

My first border, the white, I cut eight 2.5" strips so I had enough to go around. Then for the outer border I cut eight strips at 4.5" wide. Before you cut this, measure your fabric first. I had a tad over 36" fabric so I was able to trim the edge and still get 8 strips. If you have less than 36", you will want to cut your strips at either 4" or 4.25" so you have enough. Then add them to your quilt. White first, then print. 

After that, you are ready to press your top nicely, sandwich it, quilt it, then bind it!!

So, with that being said, and to keep consistent, let's meet back here in two weeks, on September 12th,  to show off our completed quilts!! I can't wait to see them all!

As promised, here are some of the layouts you can choose....or see if you can come up with something different. :)

Remember...have fun with this!

Much Love!!!

We Have A Winner!!

First I want to say thank you to everyone who entered!! Overall I had 1188 comments and let me tell you some of them were doozies!! LOL! So many of you cracked me up!! Special thanks to all those that shook their pom poms ;) and of course, a warm welcome to all of my new followers! Thank you!!!

I wish I could give one to everyone, but we all know how these things work. Only one winner, but a very lucky winner! To be fair, I am using the help of Random.org to choose a winner for me. So here goes....

Lucky #....... ***Drum Roll Please***

And the lucky #979 is....... ***another drum roll please***.... (by the way, my daughter just told me I'm a dork cuz she is reading over my shoulder. Guess what? She's a dork too...haha)

Woooo Hooooo ThatsSewShawna!!! You win!!! Congratulations!! I just need you to email me HERE with your full name, address, phone number, email address, and please confirm the 3 dies that you want to be sent to you. (only because you may have changed your mind..hee hee) and I will get the information to Carolyn so she can send you your BRAND NEW GO CUTTER!!!! Yayy!! :D

Thanks again to all of you who entered and all of your sweet comments! They all really warmed my heart! :)

Much Love!!!

It's Giveaway Time!!!

**Giveaway is now closed**

I know that today is normally Tidbit Tuesday, but I think you'll like this a bit more. I think. ;) 

You know how I've been ohhhing and ahhhhing over the AccuQuilt Go! cutter, right? 

This awesome quilters tool!!! Remember?

Guess what??!!

Carolyn over at AccuQuilt says I get to give one of these babies away!!!  ***shake your pom poms!!***

Not only do I get to give one of these away, the winner will also get their choice of THREE dies to go with it!! ***shake your pom poms!!***

Are you as excited about this as I am??!!! ***shake your pom poms!!*** 

Here's the dealio......

You get FIVE chances to win!!

1.) Post a comment. Anything you want. Tell me the first thing that pops into your head. :)

2.) Follow my blog, but only if you want to, and post a comment saying you do. :)

3.) Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter and link to it, then come back here and post about it. :)

4.) Blog about this giveaway and link to it, then come back here and post about it. :)

5.) This is the most important one!! Head over to {{ AccuQuilt }} and choose THREE of your favouite dies for the GO! Cutter, then come back here and tell me what they are.  

Remember you have to post a comment for each of the items you completed. If you only comment once saying you did all five, you only get one chance to win. 

Please do not comment more than 5 times to make this fair to everyone! I like it when everyone plays nice in the sandbox. :D

This giveaway will close on Friday August 27th at 9 pm central time where I will announce the winner! ***shake your pom poms!!*** 

Good luck!!

Much Love!!!

GO!! Have Some Fun

Not too long ago I told you all that I received this in the mail...

I also told you that I'd be reviewing the product and giving my 2 cents. Ok, maybe 4 cents. ;) I say 4 cents because I also have a tutorial for you after my review! Yay!

Let's just say I have been a busy little turtle (turtle...because I like them better than bees!) today playing with this awesome tool! I knew I'd love it, but I didn't know that I'd love it as much as I do. 

When I was asked to review this item I was offered three dies and I was allowed to choose them myself. One of the dies that I chose was Drunkards Path. I have been eying quilts made with this block for months and I've been wanting to make one but I was scared of all those curves. However, I was more intimidated with the fact that I had to cut all those pieces out. Let's be real. I don't like cutting. It's my least favourite part of quilting so that quilt never would have made it to my machine. Well, maybe four blocks or so before I got tired of it...lol! 

Today I decided to give it a whirl. I pulled out my GO! and grabbed a layer cake and some yardage and went to town. 

I read the instructions on how to use it like 5 times. I didn't want to ruin my new baby, ya know! They make it so simple though! 

• Open the GO! cutter. 
• Lay out the die FOAM SIDE UP on the cutters "table"
• Place your fabric on top of the die
• Place the cutting mat on top (they make this two sided so you can't mess that up either!)
• Then gently place into roller and crank the handle till it comes out the other side! 
• Say "Weeeee!!" Yes,  you have to say that as you do it. Each time. Trust me. It's fun :D
• Then remove the cutting mat and squeal at what you've just accomplished!! (My neighbors may have thought I was nuts...LOL)

That's it! Easy peasy and so fun! Each and every time you do it! No hand cutting. None. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Zeta. Nil. Diddly Squat! <--- that's my favourite...haha! 

Now you're probably asking how long this took me, right? Of course you are! 

First imagine if you had to cut out enough pieces **by hand** to make 36 drunkard path blocks. That's one each of the arc and the quarter circle, so 72 pieces. Estimate how long that might take you. 

Now how excited would you be if I told you that I cut each block piece that I needed to make an entire quilt in 30 minutes? Yep! Enough blocks to make 36 quilt blocks!! That includes cutting time for my solids! I think I even had a potty break in there! LOL! 

I love the fact that you can cut more than one layer at a time! I had the best results using only 3 layers, but 4 worked too. I just had to snip a few threads here and there, which is no biggie. 

I've heard a lot of talk about the waste that comes with using this tool. Yes, you will have waste, but you would if you had to hand cut this as well. In my opinion, my time is much more valuable than having a little bit more waste in fabric! I also haven't thrown my scraps away. I figure I will find some kind of use for them! :D  ((ohhh.....light bulb moment...maybe a wonky log cabin block quilt...ohhh...or a string quilt....! See...sometimes waste is a GOOD thing! ))

Here is an example of what is left when using  Layer Cake pieces on one side of the die. (I say one side because you can actually cut two complete blocks with this die if your fabric is larger.) Not too much, really.

Another feature I loved about this die and tool set is that there is no guessing. When you cut out the two pieces, they have corresponding notches (you can see them in the above photo) to match up for sewing! How cool is that!? Ingenious! 

So, my overall perception on the Go! cutter is that I LOVE IT!!! A lot! More than a lot! I need more dies now, like the hexagon one! :D  Way more positives than negatives and I'd recommend it to every quilter out there! Seriously......let met tell you one more reason why...

I made a quilt top that measures 58" x 58" today. In 5.5 hours total...that includes some laundry time so even less than that. I think it took me like an hour to sew the 36 blocks together. **gasp** Yes, circle piecing all those blocks in an hour!? Then just a little more time to sew them together and put the borders on! Eeeeeps! When was the last time you made a quilt like this in 5.5 hours?! I can't say that I ever have! 

A HUGE thank you to AccuQuilt for giving me a chance to use this awesome machine!!! Love every bit of it and I can see a lot of use in the future!!! :)

*******************************

You've been waiting patiently for the tutorial so here you have it....my drunkards path quilt top... 

 Drunkards Medallion

**Supplies**

1 layer cake
1 1/2 yards of a coordinating solid
1/2 yard for binding
3 3/4 yards for backing

Start by setting up your AccuQuilt GO! machine.

Choose 20 layer cake pieces. Your leftovers will be used in the border so don't leave all your least favourites in the pile. ;)

Next you need to cut your solid fabric.

Cut ten strips that are 10" wide. Then sub cut them into 10" squares.

Now you are ready to cut!

Lay your fabric on top of the die. I did three pieces at a time. You can do four, but you may have to snip some threads here and there. Test it out and see what works for you.

Do this for all 20 prints and all 20 solid pieces. 

This is what you get! Woo Hoo!!

**Note: I forgot to take a photo of the white pieces, but the process is the same.

From the prints you need to have 20 of the arc pieces and 16 of the quarter circle pieces.
From the solid you need to have 16 of the arc pieces and 20 of the quarter circle pieces.
The extras, you can set aside for scraps or to use in the back of the quilt.

Match a print arc piece and a white quarter circle piece and sew together according to the instructions with the die. Make 20 blocks.

Next, match a white arc piece to a print quarter circle and sew together according to the instructions with the die. Make 16 blocks.

Then lay them out in a pleasing order. This is how I chose to lay mine out. Hence, Drunkards Medallion. :)

Then just sew your blocks together to form rows. Then sew your rows together. This should measure 42.5" squared when you are done.

From the solid, cut 5 pieces that are 4 1/2 inches wide for your first border. You will have to piece two sides.

I also added a scrappy outside border with the left over Layer Cake pieces. I cut them in half (5" x 10") then sub cut them randomly. Just sew pieces together until you have a strip that is as long, or a bit longer than 42.5".  Repeat for the other side. Press and trim ends if necessary.

Repeat for the top and bottom, only making the strips longer. Sew them on. Press. Trim ends if necessary.

Then you are ready to sandwich, quilt and bind your new quilt top that only took you a few hours!

Once I have her quilted I will show another photo. I was just so excited to have a "what looks to be complicated" quilt top done in 1/2 a day! Woo Hoo!!!

Don't forget to keep your eyes out for a giveaway here soon too!! ;)

Much Love!!!