Another quilt for my TO DO list

Maybe I'm a little slow but I just barely bought a copy of the Spring Better Homes and Gardens Quilt Sampler Magazine today at Walmart. As I stood at the checkout with my 16 month old, my 3 year old and my over flowing cart of bananas, baby wash, cheerios and various other neccessities, I decided that I'd reward myself for surviving another shopping trip with a quilt magazine. And boy am I glad I did.

I've been thinking about this block for a summer quilt block exchange that I'm participating in with some quilty girl pals from Saratoga Springs, Utah. We are all making 12 star blocks using only the Moda Prairie Paisley Fabric and then will exchange and have a beautiful bunch of blocks ready to assemble into a patriotic sampler. But I'm getting off onto a tangent. I'm not sure if this is going to be the block I use for the exchange. In fact, I don't think I am because this block has so many little pieces and I don't want to go completely crazy this summer trying to fit them all into a 12 inch block. But I AM MAKING THIS QUILT! So classy, so crisp, so fun.

Blackberry Lattice Top

Alright, I've been stewing over my plan for my two color quilt for a few weeks now. Here's what I've come up with. It is definitely inspired by this quilt that I linked to previously. I just tweaked it a teeny bit and am really excited to get going on this now.
I think it has a lacey, Victorian feel to it.
And it also reminds me of Blackberry pie with a lattice top crust. Yum.
Time to get cutting! I've got to get a move on if I'm going to have this completed by August 1!

I'm a Winner!

Look at this loot I got from a drawing Freda's Hive held a little while back! This was my first time to win anything from the internet and it was great fun.

These Sarah Smith Cleaning Cloths are the cutest. And they are from England, so that makes them extra cool. I opened them up a few days ago and my husband suggested I add them to a quilt. Well, they are that cute but that's not what they are for. I haven't used them yet because they are so cute and I hate to soil them, but I think they will be a nice addition to my kitchen cleaning routine. What do you think? What would you use them for? I DID NOT use them as I scrubbed the bathroom this morning. I think they might be make really good dusters.

I'm a little bit housekeeping challenged sometimes, so hopefully being armed with a cute, cheerful cloth will help me stay on top of crumbs and dust bunnies a little better.

Oh! and Nanette included the cute little house button as an extra little bonus. My 3 year old has taken a liking to that so I might work that into something fun for him. :) Thanks!

Quilting at My Momma's

We just got back from a semi-vacation up at my mom's house last week. Hubbie's job is such that he can basically work from anywhere that has an internet connection. So he brought his laptop and plugged into the internet while me and the kids played for a week. It was a semi-vacation for me because my mom is a grandkid spoiler extraordinaire and I could let my brain think of other thoughts while they were being cuddled and loved by her.

Mom has a quilting table and medium arm quilting machine so I always like to get some quilting done when I visit. This time I got a baby quilt that I'd made the week before and a quilt for my brother's wedding (later this summer) quilted. I don't do any fancy quilting. Just meandering/stippling.

I can't post a picture of the quilt for my brother's quilt until August because I'm keeping it as a surprise for them. (Well, they know that I'm making one, but they don't know what it looks like.) But here is a picture of the baby one. I love how this turned out and am thinking I might make a twin size just like it.

The binding isn't done yet because I'm actually co-making this quilt with a friend. I think I got the better end of the deal, though. She's splitting the cost and doing the binding and I did the rest. After all, the cost is the only yucky part of making a quilt.

The Blog Inspired Gift

Tomorrow I'm going to my cousin's wedding reception. My gift for her is a compilation of ideas from a few different blogs. I know that its not good ettiquette to brag about a gift I'm giving someone, but I was just so excited about bringing together several free ideas from blogworld that I thought it might be post worthy.

Above you'll see:

1. A personalized 9x13 for the happy couple. Can you see their name etched in the bottom? No chance this dish will get lost at a pot luck! I was a little worried about doing the etching but it really was no big deal. Here's the tutorial that got me going: http://happyvalleyquilter.blogspot.com/2008/03/name-that-dish.html

2. Matching Red, Black and White Potholder. Idea planted in my head by Freda's Hive cute yellow potholders. Mine isn't near as cute as hers. http://fredashive.blogspot.com/2008/04/what-im-doing-this-weekend.html

3. And lastly, I printed out a few FREE, adorable recipe cards from Posy Get's Cosy. http://rosylittlethings.typepad.com/posie_gets_cozy/2008/05/my-sister-made.html I love cookbooks but there is something even more special about tried and true recipes handwritten from someone you know.

Now I've just got to wrap this all up in some cute fashion and it'll be ready to give. I hope she likes to cook.

Thanks again for the Inspiration Blog World!

Two Color Quilt Challenge

I'm excited to join in on my first online quilt challenge. Nicole at Sister's Choice http://sisterschoice.typepad.com/ has issued a Two Color Challenge for the summer and I'm definitely going to take on that challenge!

I've been wanting to make a two color quilt ever since checking out Better Homes and Gardens Two-Color Quilts from the library last summer.

I also have a good friend back in Utah, Kristin, who inspired me several years ago by making a beautiful red and white Drunkard's Path quilt.

I love how classy Red and White quilts and Blue and White quilts are. I've really been leaning towards making a Blue and White one because blue is my favorite, but I'd like to have one of each eventually.

However, both of those will have to wait for another summer because I've decided to make a purple and cream quilt. Several months ago I saw a beautiful purple and cream quilt in some quilty magazine. It was gorgeous. And I vowed right then and there to make a purple and cream quilt for my mom, who loves purple. She is also a quilter and seamstress extraordinaire. She could easily make herself a beautiful purple and cream quilt. But I'd like to make one for her too because I love her, and it'll be a meaningful experience for me to think about her all summer long as I work on this quilt for her.

I've started my hunting and gathering. Aren't these gorgeous?!

As for the pattern, I'm not sure what I'll do yet. I haven't found just the right block yet. This one might be it, but I'm not ready to commit yet.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/manulao7/527655337/in/pool-twocolorquilts Isn't that pretty?

Go check out Sister's Choice for details. Basically anything goes as long as its two colors and you post your progress each month and finish by August 1. I've posted links to the other participants in a new area on my sidebar. Anyone else up for a challenge?

For Our Moms

I was really happy with how these cloth napkins turned out so I thought I'd snap a few pictures before I wrapped these up for Mother's Day. The original idea came from Martha Stewart.

http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.58031cf9775720e593598e10d373a0a0/?vgnextoid=d0f3e532e462f010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextchannel=acafab645852f010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=print&lastnavigatedchannel=

They were super easy and fun to make with random buttons and a little embroidery floss that I already had.

If it weren't for the fact that they'd be stained and ruined from jelly, cheetos, strawberries and whatever other messy foods my kiddos love to eat in about two days, I'd make some to keep.

My mom is under strict orders to not check my blog this week and I'm just hoping that my mother in law doesn't see this before she gets her package. But after these gifts are recieved, Happy Mother's Day! Thanks for all you have done for me, Mom. And all you have done for my hubbie, Mom-in-law. I love and appreciate you both so much. Thanks for dealing with all of our cheeto and jelly messes when we were little!

Little Man Quilt

My little quilt is finished. I really started making this thinking that I'd give it away to one of two friends having a baby boy in the next few months. But I love it so much I'm gonna keep it! And I had talked about hanging it on Little Man's wall but he wouldn't hear of it. He said he wants it in his bed. So that's where it will go.

I love the colors and brightness of this quilt. And I think I especially love it because most of the fabrics came from my stash (I did add three fat quarters from the quilt store nearby) and the pattern is my own design.