There's Something About a Twister Quilt...

...that makes even your "ugly" fabric look cute!

I'm making Twister Quilts with fabric that I don't LOVE...getting them all out of my stash before the New Year.  The fabrics are just wonderful in this quilt, though.  It's really strange...in a good way.

The Wheels on the Bus

My daughter and I had SOOOOOO much fun yesterday on our Fall Fudge Quilting Fun Bus Tour.

We left from Comforts of Home in Jamestown, ND and then drove to The Quilted Ladybug in Moorehead, MN.  Next, we visited The Quilter's Cottage in Fergus Falls, MN.

Next, we visited a quaint little general store in Forman, ND called Rutland General Store.  Its one of those places tucked away in a small town in North Dakota whose motto is, "If we don't have it, you don't need it!"  Plus, there's a little cafe which had great food.

Our last stop was in Oakes, ND called Quilted Blessings & Gifts.  This little quilt shop recently changed hands, so this was my first visit since the new owners took possession.

I was supposed to go with my best friend (whom I SHAMELESSLY infected with the Quilting Pox), but she wasn't able to go.  So, I took Olivia.  She had a BLAST and she's asking when the next one is, lol.

I was SO good. I didn't buy ONE YARD OF FABRIC!  You all should be SO proud of me.

I did buy several books...because...of course you KNOW...that I DON'T have enough books, lol. I think I should be on a book/pattern/magazine fast in addition to my fabric fast, lol.

I bought this book about remodeling your quilting space.  As you may know, that's one of my 2010 goals and I didn't think I was going to get it done, but now my hubby is on board, and I think it just may happen!

We looked at those tall dining room tables...you know, the ones that are 36" tall...and I found one that I'm going to use as my cutting tables.  How cool is that???  My Janome is already in its own table.  I have most of the big pieces of furniture for the sewing area, so all I need to do now is figure out how I'm going to store my fabric.

I also bought a couple of books with scrap quilts.  Since that's what I make the most of, I'm always on the outlook for new scrap quilt books/magazines.

ANYWAY!

I also bought a couple of rulers that were on sale.

I needed a new 6 1/2" ruler.  This one has seen LOTS of hours of use and has been showing it's age.  Can you see the crack and all the nicks out of the corner?

I found rulers on sale, so that was cool.

So, that's all I purchased...well...except for the fabric that I bought Olivia, but I'll let her tell you about that.

Stash Report -- October 31

This has been an eventful week.  Lots of movement in the stash department.

First, the good news.  I finished my Project Linus quilt and used 3 yards.  Second, I finished three tops for Alycia and QOV and used up 11.33 yards.

I had some fabric in, though.  I bought 3.75 yards to use in the remaining QOV quilts that I have planned.  It was on sale half off.

I also bought 9 yards of fabric for the Layer Cake Quilt Along.  I actually won the layer cake in an online giveaway, so I bought fabric to coordinate with it, but it was all on sale half off, too!  WOO HOO!

So, all this means my numbers are about a wash...BUT...I'm SO proud of myself because all the purchases I made were for a specific purchase.  I just bought what I needed and no more.

AND...I just spent the entire day Saturday on a bus tour of five different quilt shops and I didn't buy ANY fabric for me!  YEAH ME!

So, without further ado, here are my numbers.

Fabric in: 12.75 yards
Fabric out: 14.33 yards
Total fabric in: 36.42
Total fabric out: 66.08
Fabric used: 29.66

I'm not sure that I'm going to be able to meet my goal OK, I'm fairly sure I won't meet my goal of 300 yards busted and 100 yards net used, but I guess I'll just keep plugging along.

Make sure you check out Judy's blog to see how everyone else did this week.

What I've Been Up To

These last few days, I've had to make trips to Bismarck.

It's unusual for us to have to go to Bismarck more than once a week, but that's the way that it worked out this week.

But, in the evenings, I have been piecing.

I'm working on my project to use up the fabric I don't absolutely LOVE, so I cut a PILE of fat quarters into 10" squares and then strips, and I have been making Twister Quilts tops.  I'm going to be sending the tops to Alycia for QOV.

Those of you who've been with me for a while remember the trouble I got into for having a tutorial up.  However, I see that there's at least one other tutorial online now.  I wonder if she got in trouble.

Anyway!

It's a fun quilt to do and it uses up LOTS of fabric and when you have fabric that's not the most lovely stuff, it still looks great in this quilt.

I have two finished and a couple more in various stages.  My goal is to finish seven tops to send her by the end of this month.

Tomorrow, I'm going on a quilt shop bus tour with my daughter.  I was going to go with my best friend (you know, the one I infected with quilt pox), but she's not able to go, and though I will miss her company TERRIBLY, I'm sanguine, and the show MUST go on!  :-)

I'll take my daughter with me who will be absolutely thrilled when I tell her that she's going after all.

We'll be sure and take lost of pictures and share what adventures we had on Sunday.

Project Linus

I finished my Project Linus Quilt!  Woo Hoo!

I'm going to send this along with a couple of other quilts that I had finished.

I'm starting to feel a bit better.  Perhaps the barometer is rising!

Block Lotto

This month in Block Lotto, we did Wonky Stars.  

It was fun to make these blocks! I have no idea that I will win this month, though, because I won last month and I have lots of lovely Wonky House blocks to play with!

You should come play with us.  Every month, there's a new block to make.  You make up to nine blocks and for each block you make, you get a chance to win.  If there are lots of blocks, more than one person wins.  It's really fun.

First Big Storm....Continued

So, I thought that I would snap a few pictures to show you our snow and blizzard.  This first one cracks me up.

I don't know about your house, but it always takes us a bit to find all the hats, gloves, etc, when the first cold snap arrives.  Joey couldn't find his had, so he decided that his pajama bottoms would make a wonderful substitute.

This is the first time Olivia and I had to go out in the bad weather to do chores.

It wasn't too bad, but the goats were quite indignant at having to come out in the snow for their grain.

First Big Storm and QA for October 27, 2010

We are experiencing the first big storm of the season and we have had near record low barometric pressure here in North Dakota.

It has brought snow and wind...and pain!

For some reason, the low barometric pressure effects some people who have arthritis and I've been feeling it the last few days.  I was restless and unable to concentrate much yesterday.  Even though I had an unexpected day home (because we couldn't go to Bismarck in the storm) I don't feel like I got that much accomplished.  I don't feel much better today, but hopefully, I"ll get a little sewing done.

Here were my goals from last Wednesday:

1. Finish quilting the Quilt Guild quilt--still having problems with my new Janome...GRRR
2. Finish quilting and bind the Linus Project quilt--didn't get done...I need to finish that today
3. Finish Niblet Exchange blocks--done and sent off
4. Finish Block Lotto blocks--done
5. Finish 1930s quilt--problems with Janome

Today is supposed to be the last Beginner's Quilting class, but I"m not sure but what we may postpone until next week.  Earlier, they were talking the storm clearing by noon, but on the radar, it doesn't appear as if that will happen.

We'll see.

What are your plans for this week?

Here are mine:

1. Finish four Twister tops that I have cut out and started
2. Finish Project Linus quilt and send off along with two other quilts that are already finished
3. Post block lotto blocks
4. Continue working on my sewing room

Make sure you visit Bari and see what everyone else has planned for this week.  Join us in posting a few goals!

Stash Report -- October 24

Well, not much movement this week, but at least no new fabric.

I did use up 3/4 yard on Niblet Exchange.  I plan on getting some sewing done today, so that will help.

So, here are my numbers:
Fabric in: 0 yards
Fabric out: .75 yards
Total Fabric in: 23.67
Total Fabric out: 51.75
Fabric Busted:  28.08

I'm slowly creeping up.  Here's hoping those numbers will jump up before next week!

Make sure and visit Judy to see how everyone else is doing.

Finished My Niblet Exchange Blocks

I finished my Niblet Exchange blocks.  They're little 9-patch blocks that finish at 3 1/2".

This is the second month that I have been part of this group, and it's really fun.

You should check it out if you're interested in swap groups.

Hope you all had a quilty day.

Quilter's Accountability Report - October 20

It's been a busy week, but I've managed to get some quilting done, too, so that's fun!

Here's my list from last week:

1. Bind my Aunt's quilt. -- bound and sent off
2. Bind 1930's quilt. -- not done
3. Finish quilting the guild quilt -- worked on, but not finished...still getting used to my new Janome and also, I don't really like the quilting design that I'm doing, so it's kinda hard to finish, but I need to just push on through!
4. Work on Niblet Exchange blocks -- done
5. Work on blocks for Block Lotto --  not done
6. Finish a couple of Twister Quilt tops -- not done
7. Work on Paganini quilt  --  not done...I'm not sure if I'm going to do this quilt after all

So, I did quite a bit that was on my list after all.

Plus, I nearly finished my Project Linus quilt.  I would have finished, but I was having some trouble with the thread shedding while I was FMQ.  I picked up some top stitch needles and also a special FMQ bobbin casing yesterday while I was in Bismarck.  I'm hoping that will solve the problems.

I REALLY love King Tut thread for quilting but evidently, my Janome doesn't, lol.  I'm not giving up, though.  I'm determined to find a combination that we can both live with, lol.

So, my goals for this week are as follows:

1. Finish quilting the Quilt Guild quilt
2. Finish quilting and bind the Linus Project quilt
3. Finish Niblet Exchange blocks
4. Finish Block Lotto blocks
5. Finish 1930s quilt

Wow!  If I get that all done, I'll have a phenomenal stash report on Sunday!  That would be cool.

Make sure you visit Bari and see what everyone else is up to.  Join us if you like!

Design Wall Monday, October 18

Here is the finished top and back for my Project Linus quilt.  I really like the way that it turned out.

Here's the backing.

I decided to use the left over blocks on the backing so I wouldn't have to cut two lengths.

I plan on getting this quilt basted today and hopefully quilted and bound by the end of the week.

Visit Judy to see everyone else's design wall.

Stash Report - October 17

Well, how was your week?  I really felt like I was out of the house a lot this week, but I did manage to get some sewing done.

I finished a quilt for my Aunt who was just diagnosed with breast cancer.  It's a cheery blue and yellow quilt that I had finished for a long time and I basted that Sunday that I had all the interesting visitors...remember that?

Anyway, here it is all ready to go.  I sent it off Friday when I went to Bismarck.

And here it is all stretched out before I put the binding on.  It was a "design as you go quilt" and it's totally from stash.

I also bought a little yardage yesterday.  I have charm packs and fat quarter of Whimsy by Fig Tree Quilts and I decided to use it up for a couple of baby quilts I'm doing for Project Linus and my group A Dozen Quilters.  I'm really honored to belong to this group, and I'm so excited to donate to Project Linus this month.

This first one is broken dishes.  It's coming along pretty well.  I just have to finish the sashing and the 2" red border and then I'll put a larger border on.

I'm hoping to finish a second D9P as well, so I bought enough yardage for two backings and two borders.

I also bought a little extra red for the sashing and border, but I already cut it up last night, so no pic, lol.

Anyway!  Here are my numbers.

Fabric in:  4.5 yards
Fabric out: 7.25 yards
Total fabric in: 23.67
Total fabric out: 51
Fabric busted: 27.37

You can see how everyone else is doing by hopping over to Judy L's blog.

Also, and MOST important!  It's Sophia's birthday today.

My little girl is nine years old today.  I can't believe my kiddos are growing up SO fast.

Would you like to know what she's MOST excited about?  Her allowance increases by $5.00 per week!  :-)

Friday's Here

he he he...Deceptive title because around here, one day is pretty much like the rest.

I'm going to Bismarck really quickly today because I forget to get something vital when I went on Tuesday and it won't wait until next Tuesday!  GRRRR!  That's one irritating thing about living 60 miles from a city.

I'm also going to send off the quilt to my Aunt in Kansas.  It's all washed up and ready to go.

ignore the superfluous background, lol

I have several projects that I want to get done before the end of the month, so I really need to get busy.

Tomorrow, I'm taking my oldest daughter to her quilt class.  There usually isn't space for me to set up my own machine, though that would be awesome if there was.  I just called the library and the director said I would be welcome to set up a machine in the corner, so I think I'll plan on that!

Hope you all have a quilty day!

Quilter's Accountability Report - October 13

OK.  Another week that didn't go exactly as planned.  It seems like as soon as September 1st hit, things hit the fan.  I thought it was because we added back in our "school" activities (like music lessons, 4-H, etc).  I thought it would just be a matter of "getting back into the groove."  But, it seems like the groove isn't getting worn yet!

It's frustrating, but I just keep telling myself that life is precious and I need to live each day to the fullest...make plans, and don't get upset if they don't happen...these moments, days, weeks, months with my children are irreplaceable and if I live this time in frustration because my expectations aren't met, I will miss what I have right in front of my eyes, in my arms, and under my feet.

I love my kids SO much.  Lord, help me to truly see what a gift they are!

Anyway...enough of the philosophy!

Here's my list from last week.

1. Bind 1930's quilt.
2. Finish quilting the guild quilt.
3. Finish Niblet Exchange blocks
4. Finish blocks for Block Lotto
5. Finish a couple of Twister Quilt tops.

I got none of that finished.

I did, however, get a quilt quilted for my aunt.  I hope to get that bound today so I can wash it and send it off.

I also got a new machine (but I'll talk more about that later), so I'll hopefully be able to FMQ with a little less thread breakage.

SO, here are my goals for this week.

1. Bind my Aunt's quilt.
2. Bind 1930's quilt.
3. Finish quilting the guild quilt.
4. Work on Niblet Exchange blocks
5. Work on blocks for Block Lotto
6. Finish a couple of Twister Quilt tops.
7. Work on Paganini quilt.

Make sure you visit Bari to see how everyone else did on their goals and join us if you like.  Making goals can be fun!  Join us!

Bismarck Day

It's Tuesday, so it must be Bismarck Day!

Olivia and I are going and we'll have a long day, so...

On a bright note, I may get some quilting time in anyway!  I'm going to Bismarck Sewing and Quilting to look at another machine.  I may just demo the machine with a quilt that I have basted!  That would be fun!

Have a quilty day!

Sewing Machine Woes and a Quilted Quilt

Well, I think I'm going to to throw in the towel.

I don't usually do that, but this time, I'm just going to admit defeat.

Remember back in December when I got my Janome 1600P?  I thought it was going to be the answer to all my FMQ woes!  Don't we all go in starry-eyed and silly????

Well, I've had lots of problems with it, and I'm sure that most of them are on my end, but I think this baby would do better on a frame.  My hands just don't move fast enough to compensate for the problems I'm having.

So, I've decided to trade her in for a Jonome 6600 or a Janome Horizon 7700.  Any opinions on the better machine?

I will probably only use it for FMQ.

I LOVE Bernina, but in order to get a decent harp space, I would have to spend LOTS of bucks.

PLUS, I demoed one the other day and I found that the stitch regulator couldn't keep up with me because I move my quilts quickly.  I'm past the stage of being afraid of it.

I would just like to be able to start a quilt, get the tension set, and finish without having to contend with a bunch of thread breaks.

I have SO many UFOs that I just want to get finished up without a lot of fuss, and I find when I'm quilting on my 1600, I'm tense...always waiting for the thread to break.  Just when I get myself nice and relaxed...you guessed it...I have a thread break.  It's so frustrating!

Anyway...I'm going to go to my dealer and see what she has to show me.  I may even take in a quilt that's basted and ready to go.

For Design Wall Monday, I finished quilting a quilt for my aunt that I just found out has breast cancer.  I hope she'll be able to use it when she's in chemo.  She's always cold and I know the chemo rooms can sometimes be really cold.

This is a quilt that I designed as I went along, as you can see.  I LOVE blue and yellow.  It's so cheerful!

I just have to get it bound and I'll send it off to her.

Hope you all have a quilty day.

Stash Report -- October 10

from Fat Quarter Shop website

Ok,  here's my quick report.

We got home late last night from being out of town only two days, and the house is in total disarray, I can't find my hubby, and my son is pouting because he can't get the cereal open and he can't find the kitchen scissors...Sound familiar to anyone?

So, here's the run-down.

I got my fat quarter bundle of Bliss this week (with only 12 fat quarters, not 40, thank goodness).  Isn't it just....well....BLISS????  I now have charm packs and the fat quarter pack, and I can't wait to get some of my less favorite fabric used so I can make some quilts with all this wonderful fabric that I'll have left. 2011 is my year!

Fabric in: 3 yards
Fabric out: 0 yards
Total Fabric in: 19.17 yards
Total Fabric out: 43.75 yards
Fabric busted: 24.58

Make sure and check out what everyone else did this week at Judy's.

Best Press®

Do any of you use Best Press®?  I never have, but I use a Best Press® alternative.

I use it because I don't use steam in my iron, so I spray with liquid starch stuff.

I found a recipe for an alternative on Amy's blog, A Quilting Sheep, which is a REALLY cute blog if you want to look around there.

We're still hanging out in Grand Forks.  We've been up for the continental breakfast and now we're back at the room waiting patiently for the pool to open.

Hope you guys have a quilty day!

Grand Forks

Well, the fun thing about going out of town is getting to visit quilt shops!

We stopped in Fargo and I visited my friends at Blow's Sew - n - Vac.  There, I drooled over the new Bernina 820.

Image from estitch.co.nz

Then, we went on to Grand Forks, and I visited Quilter's Eden.  It was a cute little shop and I did get a few magazines.  I also bought some of my favorite straight pins by Clover.  They're only .4mm in diameter and they don't distort the fabric.  I LOVE 'em!

Image taken from the Clover website

What did you do today?  I wish I could have done some quilting, but life sometimes has other plans.  Hope you had a quilty day.

Going Out of Town

We're going to Grand Forks for a couple of days.  Dana's elderly uncle died earlier this week, so we'll be going to the funeral.

Hope you ladies get some sewing done!

OK, How Fun is THIS????

Did you know that you could buy a skin for your sewing machine????  Oh my gosh, how fun is that?

Image from Bernina's website

I suppose you can get them for other machines, but if you have a Bernina, you can go here to see more about it.

Image from Bernina website

What will they think of next?

Quilter's Accountability Report - October 6

Well, I didn't have such a good week as far as goals go, lol.

1. Get the 1930s quilt bound - not finished
2. Finish quilting the guild quilt - started (but I'm using the excuse that I didn't have my Janome...it was in the shop)
3. Finish a donation quilt with the blocks from class (depending on how many get done) - got a few blocks done
4. Make sure I'm ready for the second class - still have some last minute prep, but should be okay

I did cut a LOT of 10" squares for Twister Quilts.  This is my project to bust a load of stash.  I cut 80 10" squares from all the red in my stash that I didn't really LOVE.  One of my goals for this year is to get my fabric down to only that I LOVE.

I also started learning to hand quilt.  I'll have to post a pic of what I'm doing.

So, this week is a new week, lol. We have a funeral to go to, though, so I will have to put sewing on the back burner for a few days.

I would like to finish up my goals from last week, though, and there are several projects I would like to finish this week, so here's my list.

1. Bind 1930s quilt
2. Finish quilting the Guild Quilt
3. Finish Niblet Exchange blocks
4. Finish blocks for Block Lotto
5. Finish a couple of Twister quilt tops

Let's see how much I get done.

Make sure you visit Bari and see how she did, and join us if you'd like!

A Fun Giveaway

Glenna of Hollyhock Quilts is having a great giveaway.

She's giving away Moda pre-cut bundles!


Wouldn't you LOVE to win some????  Hop on over to her blog and enter!

Design Wall Monday, October 4

Good Morning, Everyone!  How was your week end.  I hope you got in some quiting time.

On my design wall are these lovely blocks that I made from 1 1/2" strips.

I took the strips from my first beginner's class on Wednesday (they were cut from fat quarters, so they were about 11" long) and cut each strip set into two 3 1/2" X 5" blocks, then I put the little square in the middle.

Now, I'll cut some more strips and do up another quilt top to send to Alycia for a QOV quilt.

I still have to put borders on this quilt that I finished the other day.  I think I'm going to go with a 2 1/2" brown border, then a 4" border pieced with strips.

I'm hoping we can stay home a little this week.  We've been running, running, running!  Not compared to some of you ladies, but for us, it feels like we're running a lot.  I cannot tell you how much I feel blessed to be a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom.  It's like blessing heaped on blessing (with a little reality thrown in for good measure).

Have a quilty day!

Stash Report -- October 3

Well, I did use some fabric this week...about 2.5 yards in a quilt top that I'll be sending to Alycia for a donation quilt.

I had see the quilt here and fell in love with it.

It got rid of quite a lot of my 2 1/2" scraps.

Fabric in: 0 yards
Fabric out: 2.5 yards
Total Fabric in: 16.17 yards
Total Fabric out: 43.75 yards
Fabric busted: 27.58 yards

Visit Judy and find out how everyone else is doing.

Sunshine Award

Goodness!  I haven't had a nice block of time to post about receiving the Sunshine Award from Joan over at Moose Stash Quilting!  What an honor.  I'm so glad that she finds me an inspiration.

I have had SO much fun blogging.  I live in a rural area and this is a way to share my life with ladies (and gentlemen) all over the country...and even the world!

The Sunshine Award is to let others know that you read their blog and find it inspirational and informative.

Here are the guidelines for those nominated.

1. Save the image above and post it on your own blog.
2. Pass the award to 12 fellow bloggers.  (As you can see, I couldn't narrow it down, so I chose 14, lol.)
3. Link to the nominees.
4. Let the nominees know they have won this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to the person from whom you received the award.

And now, here are my nominees...

1. A Ray of Hope - this is the blog that I have been following since the very beginning and I still find it inspirational.
2. Maiden in the House of God - her daughter's wonderful blog about her life and faith.
3. Liv's Farm - my daughter Olivia's blog about her life and her farm.
4. Sophia's Life on the Farm - my daughter Sophia's blog.
5. Dr. Quiltmom - I like her blog because we have a lot in common.  We're both doctors, we both have four kids, and we both love to quilt
6. Quilting Twin - Keryn lives in South Australia and I LOVE her quilts
7. Pages From Me - Mereth is Keryn's twin and they own a pattern business together.  I LOVE her quilts, too.
8. October's Child - Darci is another North Dakota girl who is a long arm quilter.  Her quilting is just beautiful.
9. Dakota City Quilter - Lori is a GREAT quilter and has become a good friend.  She lives in South Dakota.
10. Judy's Quilts and Ramblin's - Judy lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota and is part of my Dakota Blog Ring.  (By the way, if you're a quilter from North or South Dakota and you would like to join our blog ring, just let me know.)
11. Quiet My Soul - This is another blog that I have been following for a long time.  Kimberly is a wonderful homeschool mom who is a great inspiration to me.
12. Kim's Crazy Life - This is a new blog that I stumbled across and nearly every one of her posts make me laugh out loud.  You can't get any better than that!
13. Life on Vine - Michelle's blog is new to me, but I LOVE it.  Her blog is beautiful, and she is so sweet.  I have had fun getting to know her.
14. Hanne's Quilt Corner - Hanne lives in Norway, and I LOVE her blog.

Of course, there are dozens of other blogs that inspire me, make me laugh, and make me feel connected to a world far beyond my little tree stand.  Thanks to ALL of you who inspire me every day.

Thanks so much, Joan, for nominating me for the Sunshine Award!  I really appreciate it.

Amazing Giveaway

You'll NEVER believe this giveaway.

Vickie is giving away six USPS Flat Rate envelopes full of STUFF!!!

Hop over and join the fun.  There are four ways to win and the drawing is October 6th!