Friday Finishes and MORE

As I posted yesterday,

the July Desire to Inspire

post is up from Henry Glass & Co.

I'd love for you to check it out

HERE

I was thrilled, honored, and a little scared to take on the challenge but I'm so glad I did. I had a wonderful time and am please with the results.

I also want to thank everyone who supported and encouraged me while I was crazy concentrating on this project.

I was blown away by the kindness of people I have never met other than through blog reading and commenting who sent me extra fabric so I could "work some magic."

I am truly blessed and promise to pay it forward.

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

Warning!!

This post is going to be picture heavy. I am going to show a bunch of pictures I took for the Challenge, including the ones not used by Henry Glass & Co.

As soon as I saw the fabric, I knew I wanted to find a truck to use and thanks to Ethel at M&E Quilt Shoppe, I did. She put me in contact with a couple in Sandusky and we arranged to meet at their house this past Sunday morning. I was thrilled that all but one of the projects was complete so most of them would be included in the pictures. The Klein's were very gracious and accommodating, especially after they saw the fabric and figured out why Ethel was so excited. (They confessed to me that they thought she was really cute being so excited about something they just didn't quite get.)

I took a bunch of pictures, hoping for a handful of good ones that I could send to Henry Glass & Co. and I was pretty happy with the results. It helps that I have a daughter who is familiar with Photoshop and could fix my mistakes - you know, off-centered pictures, etc. I really like how she blurred the background so the truck is in focus and is what's featured.

I think this is just a fun picture! It's a little blurry, but it's fun.

This truck was really waxed well and we had a challenge to figure out how to drape the quilts on it so they didn't slide off.

I like how both quilts are hanging on the truck in this picture.

It was hard to figure out a way to have all the projects (minus the tree wall hanging) on the truck for one picture. I like how the tree skirt is wrapped in the window to make it stay in place.  :-) 

Close up of one of the star blocks

Of course I took a bunch of pictures on the wood pile. We all know how much I like to do that and I am thrilled that we have wood here for picture backdrops.

Again, it was challenging to try and get all of the projects in one picture

 I am really glad no one was around when I was taking this picture. I was holding limbs out of the way with my left leg and feet so I was standing on one leg, bending sideways. I'm just lucky I didn't fall.  :-)

Close up of the truck quilt

And then we found the barn! I am so lucky to have a friend from school who has these two treasures at her house and she was so generous to allow me to use them for these pictures. Thanks Jen!

This one is blurry, but I'm posting it anyway. 

I LOVE this picture!!

This piece will fit perfectly in the bay window in our kitchen.

Here's a closer view of the quilting

I love log cabin blocks and hexagons so I married the two things in these placemats and table runner. You can see the table runner peaking in from the rights. I have a picture of the whole thing below.

The table runner

And just because I love the shapes of these windows I had to snap some pictures here.

This wall hanging is kind of like an oil painting. There is a lot of thread work in those trees and up close it just plain looks like a hot mess. But, when you stand back, it is amazing how different it looks. I LOVE this piece.

Jack was a very important part of this entire Challenge process. Can you see the practice road I sewed on the left? I needed to practice the free-form curve cutting and piecing before I cut into the "real" fabric." Jack is helping me to decide the layout of the road and he's using chalk to sketch it for me.

I am truly blessed to have had this opportunity and loved every minute of it.

Desire to Inspire!

Henry Glass & Co.'s July Desire to Inspire post is up! WooHoo!!

http://henryglassfabrics.blogspot.com/2016/07/desire-to-inspire-july-challenge-joanne.html

Here's a quick picture that wasn't used, and I'll post additional pictures tomorrow. I can't do it right now because I'm in the middle of quilting something. Imagine that.   hehehe

Christmas Blog Hop/Quilt -Along and Design Wall Monday

It's Day 5 of the

Christmas in July Blog Hop and Quilt-Along!

Sarah has done a wonderful job with this Quilt-Along and since I was a pattern tester for her, I can verify that, yes, you can have a large quilt top (76" x 76") by then end of the hop.

 

Jump over to Sarah's Confessions of a Fabric Addict and get sewing.

 

Besides the Quilt-Along, there are two bloggers featured every day and so far, everyone has provided fun and really neat ideas.

I post on the 23rd (Saturday) and I'm providing a quilt tutorial and giveaway. :-) 

Here's the entire list of bloggers.

July 14th:     Sharon Vrooman @ Vrooman’s Quilts

                    Carole Carter @ From My Caroline Home

July 15th:    Yanicka Hachez @ Finding Myself As An Artist

                   Chris Dodsley @ Made by ChrissieD

July 16th:     Marsha Hodgkins @ Quilter in Motion

                    Leanne Parsons  @ Devoted Quilter

July 17th:     Tonia Conner @ All Thingz Sewn

                    Selina @ Selina Quilts

July 18th:     Lara Buccella @ Buzzin Bumble

                    Soma Acharya @ Whims and Fancies

July 19th:     Joanne Harris@ Quilts by Joanne

                    Suzy Webster @ Adventurous Applique and Quilting

July 20th:     Vicki in MN @ Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting

                    Jennifer Fulton @ The Inquiring Quilter

July 21st:     Michele Kuhns @ Crayon Box Quilt Studio

                    Jan Ochterbeck @ The Colorful Fabriholic

July 22nd:     Alla Blanca @ Rainbows. Bunnies. Cupcakes.

                     Zenia Rene @ A Quilted Passion

July 23rd:     Joanne Hubbard @ Everyone Deserves a Quilt

                    Paige Alexander @ Quilted Blooms

July 24th:     Carolyn Jones @ …by CJ

                    Tisha Nagel @ Quilty Therapy

July 25th:     Susan Arnold @ Quilt Fabrication

                    Beth Sellers @ Cooking Up Quilts

                    Linda Pearl @ One Quilting Circle

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

It's also Monday so that means

it's time to show

what's on the Design Wall

 

I have a couple of things on which I'm working, including my

Desire to Inspire Challenge projects.

I had a productive weekend and four projects ready for quilting.

 

Don't get all excited over that.

They are not all big projects and I have taken time to sleep and eat.

 

I'm saving pictures of the final projects for the end of the month, but here are few teasers for you.

 

This is just plain fun!

It being made from "bonus" half square triangles from another Challenge project.

 

 

This is where the half square triangles in the project above originated. 

 

I like hexagons and log cabin blocks and I've married them in this project.

 

 

I love it when I can work on two projects at a time. I'm making quarter square blocks as a leader and ender. I'm not quite sure how I'll use them, but I know I will.

 

 

Yes! My machine was smoking this weekend!

 

Check out what other's have in their design walls today.

 

Go to Judy L's Patchwork Times

 

and

 

Monday Makings 

Progress

I know it's Tuesday and there should be a Tip Tuesday! post but I didn't have time to write it. I spent the morning with my best friend who was getting her last chemo treatment and then I got busy finishing up the Christmas in July Blog Hop Quilt Along project. 

Here is where I was yesterday...

I've added the top and bottom borders and I like it. I have decided to not add the floral border that was the original focus fabric and I'm happy with that choice. It's a good size - about 80" x 80" and I can live with that.

 

This will have to go into the quilting que, but I hopefully it will get done soon.

 

After I finished those borders, I started cutting the challenge fabric. I'm separating the large blocks here and playing around with ideas for this.

 

 

I also made some flying geese units.

 

 

Yes, a couple of the projects are going to have stars, so these flying geese units are going to be star points.

 

 

 Units are made and stars will be constructed tomorrow.

 

To be sure that I don't waste fabric, I am making practice blocks out of scrap fabric. I like what I've made so far and will post more pictures soon. 

It's Here!

When I saw this truck approaching the house yesterday afternoon, I knew that the fabric for the Desire to Inspire Challenge had arrived. 

 

It was fun to open the box and see this...

 

And then this gorgeous bundle of fabric.

 

Can you see the pinecones in the top left of the picture? Our grandson Ronan was here when the fabric arrived and when he walked in he was carrying some pinecones. So, how did he know that I was going to be getting Christmas fabric delivered?  Mmmmmm  (Please, no judging that we still have pinecones sitting around our yard.)

 

When he saw the fabric, he got all excited and said, "Isn't it too hot for Christmas?" You've got to love the mind of a four year old.  :-) He was thrilled when I said I wanted to take a picture with the pinecones and even more happy when I suggested that we go outside and take a picture of him holding the fabric and the pinecones.

 



 

I've already got some ideas and am going to start figuring out some cutting plans. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Challenge Issued...Challenge Accepted!

Do you like a challenge?

I do, and I have just accepted

the July

Desire to Inspire Challenge

from 

Henry Glass & Co., Inc.

 

 

 

Using the fabric they send me from the

Holiday Traditions

line by Jan Shade Beach,

 

I will be creating various projects for them

to showcase on their blog.

 

Here's the challenge.

 

I have to have all of my creations

completed and pictures sent to them

in three weeks

so they can write a blog post about them on

July 28th.

 

Can you guess where you'll find me

for the next few weeks?

 

Wish me luck!