It's a Happy Quilting day when you finish projects

Wow thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who left a comment on the BeamNRead Blog Hop. I usually try to answer comments to my blog, but this time I may not get to it. So I just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to comment and enter the giveaway. Today you can visit my friends Barb at Bejeweled Quilts by Barb, and Susan at Hanging On by a Needle and Thread. Be sure to follow the blog hop everyday and leave a comment to enter the giveaways.

I did finish the quilt for my daughter and wanted to show you how I finished the back.

There were some words left from the panel, so I pieced them into the back.

I just couldn't let these words drift into the stash cave.
And you know what else was left over from this fabric?

Yep, selvages!! Aren't they yummy? I loved them so much, and there was very little fabric left over. So I made a Tuffet :-)

The back was some fun left over green polka dot.

Thank you Anna Griffin for this beautiful fabric. I just love it!!

Waste not, want not!

Happy Quilting!

Beam N Read

What an incredible opportunity I've had to review this amazing Beam N Read LED6 Deluxe light. Not only is it a great tool for sewing and quilting, you can use it to read at night, or in your car for sewing or reading or even reading a road map. And did you know the light has proved to be an aid for those with low vision? You can read about how this product will help those with vision problems HERE.

Let me tell you how I went about reviewing this product. Kelly from I Have A Notion asked me if I would be interested in reviewing this product. I jumped at the chance. Bob Friedman, Marketing Director for ASF Lighting Solutions sent me a Beam N Read light which includes two light filters. Upon receipt of the light, I asked my quilting buddies to give me their opinions on using the light.

Can you see how well this light illuminates my buddies work?

And how well you can read quilting patterns?

And I have to tell you that reading at night is so much easier with the BeamNRead light.

But most of all, this light has the best illumination for doing hand work.

Whether it is sewing on binding or doing applique, this light is incredible!

Kelly asked us to leave a sewing tip. The best tip I can share with you is how to make your own charm pack. Sometimes when I use charm packs I buy extra yardage for borders and such. If I need additional charms for my pattern I have found this handy chart helps me know how many charms I can cut from my yardage. I also am including a yardage guide for cutting strips from your fabric. I hope you will download this handy PDF chart and keep it on hand for future reference.

Now the best part. Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win your very own Beam N Read light. I am always fascinated to find out how far away people are coming to visit my blog. So please tell me in your comment where you are from. And be sure to stop by Micki's blog and leave a comment there too. Tomorrow my friend Darlene from Insights From SewCalGal will be reviewing the light, as well as Jane's Fabrics and Quilts.

If you would like to purchase a BeamNRead light, stop by Kelly's shop. She has the lights in her shop as well as other great sewing notions. I've found Kelly's prices to be the best around.

Winner will be chosen Saturday morning July 2 to give everyone time to visit and comment on all the blogs. You must leave me a way to contact you. If you are a no-reply blogger you need to include your e-mail address in your comment. Check your profile on your blogger account to see if you are set for no-reply.

*** Please note - to keep the drawing open for everyone in every country the winners will be responsible to pay the shipping expenses from Ohio, USA to the address of their choice.

Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy the hop! And Happy Quilting!

The race is on

I thought I would be able to finish the little quilt I made for my daughter before she steps off the plane this evening. But it doesn't look like I'm going to make it.

I've been working on it pretty steady, and even quilted very late into the night. But the binding is still to be finished, and sewn down. So I may just have to give it to her and finish up the hand sewing tomorrow.

No real pattern. I combined two patterns and guessed at all the measurements.

This one is my favorite block -

My daughter is such a beautiful sweet snowflake :-)

I hope she likes it.

And be sure to visit Madame Samm and Amy's Creative Side as they kick off the Beam N Read Blog Hop.
You can sign up with each of the 10 bloggers this week for an opportunity to win one of these amazing lights. And come back tomorrow. Micki of Irish Muses and I will be doing our review.

Have a great day. And Happy Quilting!

Friday update

My friend Darlene from Insights From SewCalGal recently posted about a charity quilt challenge. You can read about it HERE.

After reading Darlene's post one morning I came to realize that the challenge was accepting unfinished quilt tops as well as Blocks and completed quilts.

I was putting together a quilt made with patriotic squares and was almost finished with the top, so I was happy to add the borders and send it to the Linharts.

There is still time if you would like to participate. The deadline has been extended until tomorrow. More then enough time to make a block and pop it in the mail.

And many of you know that my daughter has been in SE Asia this past month on a missions trip (you can read about it on my thrifting blog). She will be coming home next week (Yay!) so I have been working on a little "welcome" home quilt for her.

Happy Quilting!

Shine on!

Do you enjoy Blog Hops as much as I do? Meeting new quilters and crafters from all over the world? Well starting on Monday there will be an amazing Blog Hop sponsored by Kelly Jackson from I Have A Notion.

And you know what? This time I not only get to blog hop, I am participating as a blog host! I've been asked to review the Beam N Read LED6 Deluxe Light.

Ten amazing bloggers will review the Beam N Read light. Check these out -

June 27 - Sew I Quilt
- Amy's Creative Side

June 28 - Irish Muses
- Happy Cottage Quilter (that's me!)

June 29 - Insights From SewCalGal
- Jane's Fabric and Quilts

June 30 - Bejeweled Quilts By Barb
- Hanging On by a Needle and Thread

July 1 - Patsy Thompson Designs
- I Have A Notion

Not only will you learn more about this wonderful light, but a Beam N Read light will be given away from each of the participating blogs! So mark the dates, and come back for an "enlightening" experience.

Happy Quilting!

Hey Pat!

Do you know Pat Sloan? She has a very fun blog where she introduces and interviews designers and showcases many of their patterns.

A couple of weeks ago Pat made this tote bag from AllPeopleQuilt.com.

Go HERE to see her bag. As I am dyed in the wool APQ.com and American Patchwork & Quilting fan, I went to the website and downloaded the pattern. Pat wrote me and asked for me to share the tote when I finished. So Pat, here it is!

I had this wild fabric that was waiting for a great project, and this tote was perfect. For all of you Red fans the fabric is Michael Millers Gypsy Bandana. The pattern was so easy, although it took me a couple of days to complete it. Only because I changed my mind on the straps and had to rip out what was sewn and audition other fabrics.

So Pat, here's to you! Another great FREE pattern that works up into a really great little tote.

Linking up with Quilt Story Fabric Tuesday

What I Made Wednesday.

Sew Darn Crafty.

Happy Quilting!

Cleaning day

This weekend I did a thorough cleaning of my work horse Bernina. Vacuum and cleaned and oiled to give her another round of sewing.

At the same time I also cleaned my Rowenta iron.

I've had this little baby for about 11 years, and she still works like a charm. I've never put water in any of my irons. I use a spritzer whenever I need to dampen my fabric. But as I was re-reading the directions for cleaning my iron I came upon this little hint -

Rowenta irons are designed to be used with regular tap water (up to 12 grains of hardness). If your water is harder than this, Rowenta recommends mixing half tap water with half distilled water. Never use 100% pure distilled water since this can cause the iron to spit and leak.

There are many types of household water softeners. Many of them are perfectly acceptable for use in an iron. HOWEVER, some types of softeners, particularly those that use chemicals such as salt, can cause the iron to leak or spit during use. If you experience this type of problem, we recommend that you try using inexpensive bottled spring water. NEVER USE 100% PURE DISTILLED WATER. Once you have changed water it will take several uses to correct the problem.

So peeps, just a word to the wise, as I know some gals have been experiencing major problems with leaky irons. These are suggestions from the Rowenta cleaning kit, but it may be applicable to other brands as well.

I hope this will make for some Happy Quilting :-)

Quiet please!

After sharing some of the free resources that are out in blog land, I still find another wonderful place for finding quilting publications is my local library. I am sometimes amazed at what they offer.

This for instance......

Although I am not a new quilter, I thought it would be fun to watch Alex and catch any hints she might share.

I am a new knitter, and I do much better "seeing" rather than reading directions.

And of course there are always these...........

Whenever I am about town, if I know there is a library close at hand, I will stop in and see what is offered under catalog #746.

I enjoy looking at these books for color study and it's fun to see how designers present their patterns. I may not actually make a quilt, but it is lots of food for thought. And in our library system, I can check out the books for 3 weeks, and extend for another 3 weeks via my computer.

So don't let this valuable resource go unnoticed. Some libraries also carry current Quilt magazines.

Enjoy your weekend, and Happy Quilting!

You just never know

What is the old saying? A day late and a dollar short?? That's the way I feel sometimes when I come upon something that probably is known by all.

Like, did you know the Fat Quarter Shop has free quilt patterns??

Whoa! Me, that's who didn't know. I was visiting a very lovely blog, Stitching by Starlight, where I was taken back by a lovely quilt Angie was making for her friend. Which one do you ask? Go HERE and take a look. Go ahead, I'll wait.

tap, tap, tap.....


dum, dee, dum.............


Okay, are you back?? Did you see Jane's Black and White Quilt?? Isn't it amazing?? So I sez to myself, I wonder what pattern this is? I clicked and read the story behind this quilt. And you know what? It's a FREE pattern! Not only is it a FREE pattern, it is a Rachel Griffith pattern called Full Swing! And YES it is available for FREE at the Fat Quarter Shop website (along with numerous other FREE patterns).

So you know what I did next, right? After downloading the pattern, I gather up all these lovely little Black and White fabrics that I have been SAVING for just the right pattern.

aHA! This is IT Peeps!!!

Happy Quilting :-)

Resources Abound

Do you have some wonderful resources for inspiration?? I have been a long time subscriber of American Patchwork & Quilting "all people quilt". I find they offer lots of patterns and ideas that go beyond their magazine. There is also a community where you can find other quilters from all over the world. The most recent email has some delightful Patriotic Quilt patterns. You can sign up to receive these updates.

And today I found another resource that offers not only quilt patterns but lots of links for sewing and crafts. There are free lessons as well. Check this out.

Craft and Fabric links

There are so many places to find helps. Can you share where you go to find patterns and other crafty ideas?

Happy Quilting!

Wave a Flag today

^{In the United States, Flag Day is celebrated on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened that day by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777.}

For the total background concerning this holiday, pop over and read ^{Flag Day in the United States.}

May our flags wave high!

Happy Quilting

Pink and Brown, Brown and Pink

Pink and brown.


Brown and pink.


This no pattern quilt came together, to my own amazement.

You work with what you've got. No points to match, and yet, everything lined up!!!

I think it will make a great little Lap quilt or Baby quilt.

Happy Quilting!

The Board

No I'm not the chairman, just re-using an old cork board that was in need of some TLC.

Here she is, in all of her raw glory.

I've used this cork board since I homeschooled my children, so it has been around the block a time or two.

I thought I would give it a little bit of cushion so I added some leftover batting.

Cover up.


hummm........ let's try this on for size.

nah.... too plain.

Yeah, yeah, spark it up with some red and white polka dots ribbon.

I won these very cute push pins from the Sew Mama Sew giveaway day.

Okay, now we're cooking............

Sew Darn Crafty

Hope you are having a Happy Quilting weekend!

Rabbits!

Rabbits! Do you sometimes feel like your fabric takes on the characteristics of rabbits? You know, like when you close the closet door, they start multiplying??

After I made this quilt for my daughter

it was my desire to make a second one when we moved into our new home last summer.

And when I found the fabric greatly reduced at our LQS I bought up what I needed (and probably more), enough to make the second quilt. As I shared last month, my sister in love gave my daughter the matching quilt for her new bedroom.

Which brings me to this.................

what I bought plus.......

the left over scraps!

Now let me just say that when the LQS reduces their fabric to 75% off, it is very hard to resist buying the fabric for the intended project ;-)

Soooooo......................

We just have to make a NEW project!

Yep, keep that needle going up and down.

Happy Quilting!

Walking.........

Walking...........

.............. walking

.............................. walking

.............................................. Barefoot

..................................................... in the Park

This is a dream pattern by Loft Creations. But then again I cut my quilting teeth making quilts on point. This pattern would work so great using scraps, 30's fabrics, Civil War repros. I think just about any fabric line would work well. I didn't have enough prints to make the circles, so I substituted Kona Cotton that I had on hand. I also zig-zagged around the edges of the circles, as I am not very good at applique.

If you would like to see another version of Barefoot in the Park, check out Squash House Quilts. and Sew Cindy's blogs.

I am linking up with Quilt Story Fabric Tuesday and Sew Modern Monday.

Happy Quilting!