Road Home Quilting

Linky Luv for February

2012-01-29T15:18:00.000-07:00

Last weeks Linky trips were so fun! We were honored to add our Valentine's project to FaveCrafts January Blog Hop. We were thrilled for the invite, and for actually getting a holiday project finished a month in advance!!!! See, I told you this Year of the Linky travel would work :)

We also visited A Prairie Sunrise Linky For the Love of...Color. Did you read Mom's Color Story? It is my favorite post ever..("until that time," as the song says). Plus, there is a whole Pinterest Board to go with Mom's special story. A story she only told once before, this was hard for her to write, so she put a bit work into it. Thanks, Sharon on the Prairie, for inspiring Mom to finally write it all down :)

February starts this week. Do you know a Linky we should visit? Comment here to let us know!

A Prairie Sunrise has another exciting For the Love of... Linky coming up on Friday: For the Love of...Books. This could be very interesting, hmmm... maybe this post deserves it own PinBoard too?

Just learned about The CSI Project: Create Something Inspiring. This Linky is also a contest, with guest judges and demos! Can't wait to see what the Theme of the Week will be. I suspect something with organizing, but can't be sure until Linky opens on Thursday. And it's only open for 1 day, what a great challenge!

Not exactly a Linky, Kris Brattlie Garst invited us to join Hats Off Challenge. Post your hat photo in the FB group and it gets voted on. Very fun! Feels like a Linky, so I included it here. This sharing project doesn't close until Feb. 15, so maybe we can finish in time. [But Mom must finish writing her new pattern first, or else!]

Mom's Color Story

2012-01-27T11:41:00.001-07:00

When I went to the cabbage patch to pick-up my beautiful new baby.....

Our entire little town was covered in snow.

But things didn't go well. We had to live there for an entire week. We were never allowed outside. Maybe the whole world was covered in snow. I didn't know.

When we finally got to go home...

...lilacs were blooming....

...and everywhere was purple!

Did you ever crave a color?

I could not get enough Purple.

Why only Purple? Why no need for sunshine and all the other early Spring colors?

Then I realized, of course! Purple is my precious baby's birthstone :)

Now while I like pumpkins and coffee and whatever color my latest quilt is....
I only love purple.

And my sweet baby growing strong and much too fast? Her favorite color is....

Blue

Happy Birthday, Alex --Love, Mom

Need more purple? All these pictures -and more- are collected on our Pinterest Board. Thanks for reading :)

Not just for cupcakes anymore

2012-01-26T05:00:00.000-07:00

Mom and I went to WalMart for errands. Mom found a white springy cupcake holder. She said it was just what she had been looking for. I couldn't figure out why we would need a cupcake holder. Mom knows I do not like cupcakes.

When we finally get home, Mom put apples on the places where the cupcakes should be. Here's what it looked like with the apples. (Don't know why it's sideways. Sorry.)

Mom says we'll change the apples to something that fits each new season. Easter eggs for Easter, tiny pumpkins in the Fall, pears for Christmas, etc. Can't wait to see it next month.

Lauren Bacall's PJs

2012-01-24T06:56:00.101-07:00

Etsy is so fun. Along with shopping, and meeting sweet fans, there are also Teams and Treasury. Anyone can belong to an Etsy team; seller or shopper. Likewise, anyone can make a Treasury on Etsy.

An Etsy Treasury is a "member curated gallery" of Etsy features- like a personal shopper of fave finds. You create a 16 item group of Etsy items in the theme that your shopping for. For example, a Valentines treasury could be your favorite 16 Etsy things that are hearts, or red, or romantic, or just vintage valentine cards. See? Lots of variety, even among common ideas.

In creating my latest Treasury, I asked for help from one of my Teams, Vintage Sewing Pattern Sellers and Collectors. "Pretend I am Lauren Bacall, and I would like a PJ pattern form your Etsy shop. What do you have for me?"

Lauren Bacall's PJs is the Treasury I created with the Team's answers. It was so fun! This treasury includes vintage 1940s and 1950s pajama robe patters, and a few vintage costumes. I saw lots of vintage Hollywood boudoir pieces on Etsy too. And some Lauren Bacall art as well. It was so hard to pick just 16 pieces. But in the end I decided to feature as many patterns as possible. Hope you like shopping for Lauren Bacall's PJs.

Etsy Shops featured in this post:

Late January Linky Luv

2012-01-23T06:05:00.004-07:00

So far, we have two Linkys to visit this week. Comment here if you have a new Linky you would like added to my Calendar.

See you there!

FaveCrafts.com invited us to join their January Blog Hop! (Isn't that nice?) This Linky is for Valentines Crafts. Tons of heart-y craft ideas here, just in time for February. Our Blue Valentine Bunting is #56.

Color! Friday's Linky at A Prairie Sunrise will be For the Love of....Color. I think there is an opportunity to play in the stash here. Well, where else would you go color hunting?
See you here 1/27.

Blue Valentine Bunting

2012-01-21T17:45:00.001-07:00

This holiday bunting is so easy - no sewing or gluing, only two supplies:

felt ornaments
craft ribbon

By now you know my Valentine only loves blue. So when I found these blue felt hearts in the Christmas ornaments section, I had to get them.

Turns out there were 3 in the package, just enough for a sweet Valentines' Bunting.

Used the 1/4" blue craft ribbon to tie felt hearts together.

Added longer ties on the two open ends. Wish all holiday decorating was this easy!

Button Cookies

2012-01-21T13:58:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, Mom decided to create cookies. These cookies weren't the average chocolate chip cookies. No, they were shaped like buttons.

Here's what they would have looked like without the chocolate chips. ;)

Mom added a few ingredients, like crushed peanuts and chocolate chips, but it still tasted awesome. Mom saw these cookies on Pinterest. Check them out, I bet you could make them too.

Here is how we made button cookies:

Squish the cookies before backing them.

We used lid from the milk jug.

Poke four holes in the cookie after it's squished.

We used bamboo shish kabob skewer.

Ta-Da!!!

Linky Luv Calendar

2012-01-17T04:33:00.123-07:00

Our blog is getting more adventurous. We are going out into the wide world, visiting all the cool quilty and crafty blogs out there, and you can come too! Here is the plan.

I am declaring this New Year 2012, Year of the Linky!
We have met so many super FB and Twitter friends with amazing blogs, not to mention all of our new Pinterest friends too! We would love to feature everyone on Totally Tech Tuesdays. But how?

We are going to follow all the cool Linky parties!!! Each week we will post here a Linky Calendar of the coolest most exciting Linkys we are planning of visiting. By following our Linky posts, just think how many new blogs we will discover together by the end of the year :)

What is a Linky? Well, a blogger posts a cool query or theme, including a Linky tool that allows you to add your comment or post link on the same topic, in the same place. So everyone who visits can get the whole scoop in one place. Often there are prizes involved!!!

If you know of a super Linky coming up, let us know. We want to add your Linky to our Calendar too. Some Linkys are one-time events, some repeat weekly. Here is the latest Linky news to get us all started:

Robin at T-Shirt Diaries is bring out the first annual.....soon:

Someday Crafts hosts a Thursday Linky of blogs just giving away stuff!

SewCalGal also hosts a Linky that is a giveaway directory. But it is a Tab/Page instead of a badge. It's called, Current List of Giveaways & Contests. [no pic, sorry]

Sharon at A Prairie Sunrise has a fun Friday Linky with a new surprise theme each week:

Tasha at Creation Corner has an open Friday Linky. Any creation welcome, even recipes!

Megan (she is so cool!) at Brassy Apple also has an open creative Linky for sewing/craft:

Aquariann and her dragon host Treasury Tuesday, a Linky of Etsy Treasury.

Happy New Years, Quilters!!!

2012-01-01T09:12:00.000-07:00

Happy New Years to everyone! Hope the fireworks went off and the parties are fun!! (Don't forget to open a bottle of champagne.)

Pin Pillow

2011-12-30T07:25:00.085-07:00

A new installment of Organizing the New Year. And some news about pinning at the end ;)
I love pins. [We're talking dress pins now, not sewing pin cushion type stick pins.] Wish I could wear all my pins at once. Tiny bits of decorative art that travel with you all day. But not so tiny as earrings or most "regular" jewelry. Pins are a proud statement of your style. Plus they draw attention away from .....whatever.

But who has time to dig through jewelry boxes finding the most functional pin for the moment? Plus, artistic selections like pins deserve to be seen all the time. So here is my solution for organizing everyday ready wear pins and keeping them visible:

Pin Pillow; Organize the New Year

Pin Pillow! Same idea as a pin cushion. Dress pins stick right in needlepoint pillow. No need to close their little back latchings.
Plus, this pillow is small; 8"x5" It's easy to stick the whole thing in a drawer when tiny people visit so you don't have to keep saying, "don't touch."

Speaking of Pins, we joined Pinterest this week! Currently, we have 14 Boards (check them out below). Maybe you like some of our favorite things too? If you are a Pinner, do stop by and say "Hi," at RoadHomeQuiltn.

Roads
Pumpkins
Coffee
Hexie Luv
Celebrate!
Vintage Hunting
Clever Crafty Household Tricks
Tutorials
Words
Snowmen
Commemorative Quilting
Tree Skirt Collecting
Sewing
Recipes we are determined to try
Good Things for a Caroling Party

Etsy Christmas Presents

2011-12-27T14:15:00.000-07:00

For Christmas, Mom had bought me four wonderful things from Etsy. They are all fabulous!! I got a necklace, fancy chap stick, a dichroic glass hair tie, and a kitty clock figurine!

Here is the hair tie. It's got a blue glass decoration on it!

From Hayden Brook Studios

Blue is my favorite.

I've never heard of candy apple flavor. Tastes really good.

from Thistle Delight Soapworks

(Mom got herself a lotion bar there too)

Here's the necklace. It's made from real sea glass, in a silver heart locket. And it is also blue.

From Beach Glass Memories

Julia even added a special note for me about how beach glass is made. Mom says personalization like that is what makes Etsy shopping so special.

Isn't that cat clock cute?!?! And it fits in my dollhouse!

From Handmade by Mona

I've always wanted a cat clock.

Thank you Mom for the presents! Thank you Hayden Brook Studios for the hair tie! Thank you Beach Glass Memories for the necklace! Thank you Mona for the kitty clock figure! Thank you Thistle Delight Soapworks for the chap stick! Thank you all for all of the cool things you make!

Thirty-One Fun

2011-12-26T16:31:00.002-07:00

This is Ashleigh, my Thirty-One Representative:

Ashleigh is so fun. Remember our XL apron project? Ashleigh turned it into a halter!

Do you know Thirty-One? I only just learned about it myself. I say Thirty-One is like Avon, except you order custom bags and other handy stuff!!!

Look at the Thirty-One I ordered with Ashleigh:

You know I've been hunting for a droid case? Found!

2 new sewing boxes :)

I luv this stuff! It really is industrial quality stuff you can't easily make yourself. But ask Ashleigh, she can explain it even better.

Ashleigh says new color lines will come out in February. Can't wait to start shopping all over again! I think everyone needs a Thirty-One birthday present this year, right? :)

Missing Some Christmas Things?

2011-12-24T11:15:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of a Holiday decoration left in the "forgotten" box full of Christmas decorations. Also, there was a recipe for reindeer food! Apparently, you have to sprinkle the food by 9:00 p.m. or it won't work! Kinda funny, right? Here's the recipe! It's really simple.

Serving Size: 8 Reindeer and a Rudolph

Ingredients:

Oats

Sparkles

Directions:

Mix the oats and sparkles together in a bowl. When done, sprinkle the feed in backyard or a place for reindeer to land. Sprinkle before 9:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!! =D

RHQ in LizzieBCre8tive

2011-11-26T09:59:00.001-07:00

We, at RHQ, are so honored to be featured in the Holiday Issue of
LizzieBCre8tive Dream, Laugh, Create, an amazing quilty emag.
If you look at pages 34-36 of this emag, you'll see our Quilted Santa Hat project.

Not only does Dream, Laugh Create, include our Santa Hats, but this issue by LizzieBCre8tive also has 9 awesome projects, plus a cookie recipe! (How convenient to have a cookie recipe for Santa. ;-) )

Thank you LizzieBCre8tive for choseing our Quilted Santa Hat to be in your emag!

Friday Fave 5 for Halloween

2011-10-28T10:25:00.000-07:00

Posting my favorite 5 photos for Friday, is the super plan of our Twitter friend, @aprairiesunriseWant to share my Halloween Faves before it is too late. Hope you all enjoy Tricks & Treats holiday, and that you are having a wonderful Fall :)

Mom read that writing was the best way to learn free-motion quilting.
Actually, this is better than her handwriting.

I think Kim Maple made this. From Spring show @GHS. All my Fave panels & cat fabric too!

spooky!

Crazy patch witch hat for Grandma Mary's Oct. Birthday. The important thing is, Mom finally learned how to work her new phone enough to get a picture out of it!

Antique Shopping with Grandma Mary, strange holiday combo penny rug, what a find!

Did you see How-To tack quilting with cookie-cutters? In RHQ holiday tutorial
Candy Corn Pillows in 3-D

Was that more than 5? Hard to tell from inside this crystal ball.
Happy Halloween!

2011-10-20T02:39:00.000-07:00

Cara Quilts [http://www.caraquilts.com] sent me Aurifil! Imagine my surprise when I opened the mail box and found her package, all the way from Canada, with 2 sets of amazing thread colors,! These are prizes I won during Cara's Tuesday night TweetChat #talknt

Cara's #talknt TweetChat event is always fun. Every Tuesday night quilters from all over the world meet Cara in TweetChat.com. Cara asks quilty questions and everyone shares their opinion. And Cara gives the very best prizes too :)

Thank you, Cara!

Now, what should I quilt first?....

Operation Stocking Stuffer needs sewers

2011-10-19T10:27:00.001-07:00

My Girl Scout Troop is doing this project near the Christmas time to give our Marines some treats, snacks and toiletries. It's called Operation Stocking Stuffer. We collect books, DVDs, small soaps, candy and granola bars, and other holiday treats to send to deployed Marines and their families. We need bags to put the gifts into for sending them to our troops overseas. Then the bag is a gift too that the Marines can use all year long.
This project has grown so much in the 5 years that my GS Troop has been participating in Operation Stocking Stuffer, this year we need 1,200 bags! If you have some large scraps and a little time, would you please help us sew some bags? Here are instructions from my GS Troop Leader Laura on how to make the Operation Stocking Stuffer Ditty Bags. Mom has tried to add some photos and other hints. I hope you will have as much fun making ditty bags as us Girl Scouts will have filling them up.

Thanks so much for your help!

Materials/Cutting: Fat Quarter & 28" ribbon or cord. Patriotic and holiday colors or novelty prints appreciated. Flannel also works well for this project. If using yardage, there are 4 bags/yd. [Cut 18" strips across width of yardage. Cut strips in half to make 18"x22" rectangle. Cutting layout with pinking shears will finish edges in advance.]

button hole finished with Fray Check

Step 1: Create button hole at center front Finish top 22" edge of fabric with sergeing, pinking, or zigzag stitch (or leave as selvage edge). Find top center and measure down 1 1/4" from top (not including selvage). Sew 5/8" button hole below that point. Open/cut button hole. This will be opening for draw string at the end of project. [Or, if you have Fray Check, you can save a little time by just cutting button hole and sealing ends with Fray Check.]

Step 2: Center Back Seam Right sides together, fold in half along button hole to make 18"x11" rectangle. Sew raw edges opposite button hole with 5/8" seam allowance. This is center back seam of bag.

press center back seam and top casing

Step 3: Pressing Press seam open. Press bag so seam is opposite button hole and both are in the middle of new fabric tube shape, not on the sides. Fold top down 1" and press.

Step 4: Bottom Seam Stitch bottom of bag (last raw edge) with 5/8" seam allowance.

Step 5: Top Casing Still working from wrong side, stitch around 1" pressed fold on top edge to create casing. Turn bag right side out. Seams will be on inside of bag and button hole will be on the outside.

ribbon drawstring in casing finishes Ditty Bag

Step 6: Thread Drawstring Thread ribbon through button hole and around top casing. Both ends of ribbon will come out through button hole. Tie ends together creating drawstring loop.

Congratulations, you finished OSS Ditty Bag :)

Candy Corn Pillow in 3-D

2011-09-22T20:38:00.001-07:00

This Road Home Quilting tutorial, Candy Corn Pillow, features

a unique 3-D effect, Cookie-Cutter Quilting Trick,

and a Treat for using-up extra tiny scraps.

Don't be afraid!

I, Kitty Pearl, will guide you

each step of the way.

To begin with, let's do some research.

Get some Candy Corn.

Candy Corn is triangle shaped, but longer in the center than on the base. Banded with white on top, orange in the middle, and yellow or brown on the bottom. So go ahead and use any color for the bottom band. The center orange stripe is the largest of the 3 color stripes. Yum!

Step 1: Choose 3 fabrics; white, orange, and something else. We are using the adorable

Boo! to You! by My Mind's Eye from Riley Blake Designs. You will need a fat quarter of each color. [2 fat quarters of each color will make 3 pillows]

Step 2: Cut fat quarters in half to create 9" strips.

Join the strips into 3 very long bands with orange in the middle.

Step 4: Press seams flat. Direction doesn't matter in this step.

Step 5: Make a Candy Corn pattern. [Recycle Tip: We use grocery bags for pattern papers.] Pattern is a triangle, 24" tall with 20" base. Use a cup or bowl to help you draw round corners. Center your pattern over your stripes. Mark both edges of the orange stripe on your pattern to create "register marks," that will help accurately reposition the pattern.

Step 6: Start cutting out some Candy Corn! [Tip: We like pan lids for pattern weights.] Flip your pattern upside down with each cut. Remember to use the register marks to re-align your pattern.

Step 7: Sort pieces. Some will have white on top, some will have white on bottom. Decide if pillows will have matching backs or reversed backs. Pair pillow pieces. [If making one pillow, you will have a reversed back] Notice that orange band now appears to be the largest stripe. Spooky!

Step 8: Press pillow pieces so that seams run opposite on each piece, and will easily nest together when pillow is assembled.

Step 9: Layer pieces with batting. No backing necessary. We like spray basting, but any method will work here. Fusible craft batting is also suitable.

Step 10: Quilt as desired!

Quilting Tool TRICK: Turn cookie-cutters into quilting stencils.

Ink holiday themed Cookie Cutters with a stamp pad. Use washable ink if you are stamping on quilt top. We stamped and quilted on the batting side.

Step 11: After quilting, trim batting with bevel cut. Hold scissors parallel to top. Batting is angle cut to reduce bulk in seam allowance area. Press one last time.

Step 12: Secret 3-D Step Baste curved edges. Pull basting bobbin to gather edges. Easy!

Step 13: With right sides together, match orange seams, stitch around pillow leaving a hole in side.

Step 14: Turn pillow case right side out through hole. Remove basting stitches in corners.

Step 15: Stuff pillow then close hole by hand with blind stitch.

Because pillow is lined with batting, it will be hard to stuff with batting. The battings will want to stick together. This is an opportunity to recycle that box of cuttings and "scraps too small to use." [Admit it, you know you have one too.] Go ahead and stuff your Candy Corn Pillow with scraps. Since pillow is lined with batting, the scraps won't feel lumpy. Sweet!

Optional: Having trouble matching the orange side seams? Hide uneven seams with giant ric-rac.

Congratulations! You created a yummy Candy Corn Pillow made with Tricks and Treats. Thanks for quilting with me, Kitty Pearl, and Happy Halloween from Road Home Quilting

"Hey, where did everybody go?"

Fave 5 Photos of the week

2011-09-16T10:14:00.002-07:00

Twitter friend @prairiesunrise made this super idea, where you post your 5 favorite photos of the week every Friday. You know Mom, always looking for extra holidays. I think this is a great way to celebrate the little accomplishments of the week!

Here I help with new pattern photo shoot. Mom said, "Pearl, you are a big help."

[PS: You can preorder Jackie O'Lantern's Bag Pattern by sending a message to

jackieolanternbag@yahoo.com

As soon as they return from printers, I will send you a coupon code for Etsy order :) ]

Mom has had a rather bad month. After scorpions, termites, AC motor replacementfor the house and new clutch in the car, I heard Mom talking to the girl in the pumpkin. I think she said, "Wish I lived in there too."

Mom's big box of batiks - Sew Pretty! Another new pattern already underway?

A path of hexies :)

Sunrise, and that roadrunner is already trying to get back in my yard. Welcome, Neighbor!

Advent Calendars of another holiday

2011-09-14T14:31:00.003-07:00

My Twitter friend @fishinstitchin asked to see our Halloween advent calendars. I thought you would like to see them too. I love Halloween, such a whimsical holiday, and Advent Calendars just seem to make the whimsy even more fun.
To me, Advent Calendars help set the pace for the holidays. You'd think they would add to the rush and bustle of hectic holidays. Just another thing you have to do, right? Actually, Advents help you take a break from hectic. It is really nice to just spend a moment each day in a tiny celebration with a little treat, and the more trifling the better! Every holiday could use an Advent calendar :)

This Halloween Advent Calendar is from Marshall's. It was only $14, much cheaper than making one. Silkscreened panel with black/orange baby plaid border and orange ric-rac framing. Cute!

Pardon the giant spooky cat frame. Blogger keeps turning my long pictures sideways. The framing fools it into thinking the picture is square. I learned that after Maryanne Fons was posted sideways for months in my Valor at Spring Market post. [Maryanne is so sweet, I'm sure she didn't mind much :) ]

Back to this fun Advent: The pockets are 3" square, with the calendar date embroidered on prairie point flaps.

Orange running stitch of pearl cotton differentiates the weeks. Note there is no 31st on this Advent. The weeks are an even 6 days long so the days all fit in a nice square block. I guess 10/31 is treat enough for itself, having a 31st pocket would be redundant.

This Halloween Advent Calendar was from Avon (several years ago, sorry). It is felt! The black felt is all one piece, sculpture cut. [Don't worry, I will put a bigger picture at the end of this post, but it will be sideways] Look how they reverse cut the fence to show it in front of the house. Super!

This calendar has 31 days, no pockets. And for a very special reason. There is a plastic pumpkin "marker" that you move from day to day by velcro. Well, this little pumpkin lights up! We reserve flipping the switch on back for the 31st.

The moon is yellow-orange felt, and the jack-o-lantern is felt applique in two colors. Note how the center week has 6 "tombstones," so 31 days can be fit in.

Happy Fall Y'all Thanks for sharing our holiday count-down!

Thanks @fishinstitchin for this fun post idea :)

Super Apron Day with Wandering Stars on Etsy

2011-09-10T09:32:00.000-07:00

The nice girls of The Wandering Stars on Etsy won the vintage apron book we gave away.

Picture of the book we gave away.

Lizze and her girls made an apron party day. They used family heirloom fabric and buttons to make the Picker's Apron in the Bramcost Publications book. Then they went blackberry picking and even baked a yummy looking cobbler too. Please visit Wandering Stars blog so you can share in their adventures.
Mom and I just wanted to say thank you "Wandering Stars" for blogging about us! Wandering Stars even showed how helpful the "Picker's Apron" is when your picking berries, and how great berries are in cobblers.

Picture of "Pickers' Apron".

If you check out that blog, you can see what fabric and buttons she used to create the "Pickers' Apron", and how good that cobbler looks. ;)

Alex

Blogiversary! Sponsorship Opportunities

2011-09-01T13:44:00.002-07:00

Thanks to you, we have reached a second Blogiversary! To share our good fortune, we have created "Mungojerrie" and "Rumpleteazer" sponsorship packages. Now your Etsy shop or online LQS can share your special shopping features with all our pals - Pearl's Pals.

Pearl's Pals memberships are an entire year of sponsorship coverage with RHQ blog, Kitty Pearl's FaceBook Page, and -COMMING SOON- the RHQ Holiday Shopping Guide! You choose the level of participation that fits your needs:

To sign-up as Pearl's Pal right now, email roadhomequilting@yahoo.com. For more information, visit the New Coupon Page [above]. For Sponsors and for Shoppers, grab a Pearl's Pals Badge:

<a href="http://roadhomequilting.blogspot.com/p/coupons.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc487/kittypearl007/pearlspals125.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Thanks for sharing your creativity here! We are so glad to have you as Pearl's Pal :)

New Coupon Page Coming Soon

2011-07-20T18:03:00.000-07:00

Thank you for following our blog! Hope you are enjoying our regular features

Totally Tech Tuesdays - for maximizing the computer in your sewing room
Thankful Thursday - where we share news of all the nice people we meet in Quilt Land.

Now the news: Coming soon - we are creating a new feature, a Coupon Page with discount codes from all our Quilty Friends. Special friends from Quilt Land have been invited to post their eQuilt Shop and Etsy coupons here. Soon you can visit one place for tons of quilty coupon codes, complete with shop links. Isn't that awesome!?! Pearl's idea. :-D

Have fun shopping! If you can't wait for the coupons, go ahead and check out our own Road Home Quilting Etsy Shop, http://roadhomequilting.etsy.com.

2 New Pages; Valor & CQ

2011-07-03T06:12:00.056-07:00

Thank you military personnel, and thanks to your family too, for all your service on our behalf. And thank you Valor quilters, who create for Commemorating their achievements and sacrifices.

Road Home Quilting supports Valor quilting with Very Easy Valor. Please see the Valor Tab above for this free pattern. We know lots of beginning quilters want to participate in Valor, so we created this for you, Brave Beginner Quilter. Very Easy Valor can be made with only 3 fabrics, and it is ideal for showcasing patriotic novelty prints.

If you quilt a Very Easy Valor, please send a picture. We would be honored to showcase your commemorative quilt.

For more Commemorative Quilting, please read Kitty Pearl's guest blog post on Quilting Gallery, The New Commemoratives. [Isn't Pearl a great writer?]

In addition to the Valor Tab above, we have also added the new Commemorative Quilting Dates tab. This page compiles my research on the coming era of Commemorative Quilting opportunities. And you can share more Commemorative Quilting in our Facebook community page. We hope to see you there!

Here is code to add your own CQ Badge on your blog. Thanks for sharing the CQ News!

Garden surprise

2011-06-30T07:31:00.000-07:00

Watering the garden at sunrise. Look at the surprise I found!

2 zucchini blossoms! Grandma would be so proud.

The crepe mertyel and the poor masquerade rose might be totally sunburned, but at least the effort of building a tent for the veggies and the 3x/day watering has saved the zuccis.

So do you have any good zucchini recipes?

Jingle All the Way - in July

2011-06-28T03:27:00.134-07:00

Did you hear, I won Jingle All the Way on Notions, the Connecting Threads blog!!! No, not the movie. The Nancy Halvorsen book, of course!!!

Look - it's really hear!

And just in time, too. I've learned that July is the best time to start holiday projects. Otherwise you end up putting on your binding at the Thanksgiving table...but that's another story.

So what does this have to do with Totally Tech Tuesdays? Well, it turns out the nice people at Connecting Threads understand about the the creative holiday timeline. [I wonder if they've ever had to finish a binding on Thanksgiving?]

CT started an online group for people working on holiday and gift projects in 8 craft books, including Jingle All the Way. The Gifty Galore Quilt Along is a group in Quilt With Us, the social network hosted by our Connecting Threads friends.

Quilt With Us is alot like FB, except everyone there is quilty. There are posts, messaging, groups, chat, everything. Most of all, I like the giant album of members quilt photos. It's nice not to have to visit each friend's page in turn to see their quilts. The CT Designers are there too, and they've made a whole library of tutorials.

So when you stop by Quilt With Us, visit my page and say "hi". Let me know where you find the quilty group of your dreams.

**HAPPY HOLIDAYS**

Quilting in the garage; a story of storage

2011-06-25T14:21:00.000-07:00

To begin with....I did not collect all these scraps myself. Guild compiled them for stuffing dog beds. My job was to create storage. If you need stuffing, here it is:

This Rubbermaid landscaping bin is 4' deep. Yes, it is full of scraps too small to keep! I chose this for scrap storage because it has wheels and easily moves in and out of the house, anywhere I am working, or just around the garage for cleaning.

Now, remember our series, Organizing the New Year? Here are some updates on the wall pocket idea. Found this ME garden ornament in a closeout sale. At last, the perfect home for my long rulers!!! These are the 2" wide rulers that get lost in the ruler rack. And the beautiful ME art is SEW Inspirational in my tiny studio corner.

This small shoe hanger only has 6 pockets. Who has only 3 pairs of shoes? But it is the perfect hanging caddy for my tiny rulers, rotaries, and gloves. Can you see my favorite Easy Dresden Ruler on top? You probably already have one of these that you can re-purpose in your sewing room, right?

But wait, I have more scrap storage ideas for the garage. This one is my favorite.

My Grandmother gave me her first refrigerator. And it still works! But I only use it at Thanksgiving, to thaw the turkey and keep desserts for company. Someday it will keep drinks for me in a new sewing studio. In the mean time, it has to live in the garage, so....

Old fridge is a wonderful home for batting. The shelves are deep so you can store batting rolls end out. Much easier to tell which batting is which this way. Batting even fits in the tiny center ice box.

Crisper drawer stores felt sheets; flat and dust free. Grandma would be proud of my thriftyness.

I know these tricks might not fit your storage needs exactly, but I hope I gave you ideas for some handy storage features to look for. Remember how creative you are! If you can make a quilt, you can create super original storage too.

BQBs share stash

2011-06-23T06:14:00.006-07:00

My BQBs (best quilting buddies) Karen and Jacquie shared their treasures with me :)

This is from Karen:

So many ideas here! Wish you had some, right?

Jacquie shared some machine embroidery tests. These are her own designs!!!!

Never too early for Halloween....boo!

Starting Summer

2011-06-21T16:33:00.001-07:00

What could be more fun than a special sewing prize? How about two! How about combining gifts?!!

Thank you Bramcost Publications for sharing your new book, How to Make Aprons: Vintage Patterns for making Home, Garden, Utility & Craft Aprons. Sew many unique aprons here, I want to make them all!

We had so much fun at Bloggers Quiltmarket Meetup! And we won super prizes!! Thank you Daria and Megan Boutique Cafe girls who awarded us NEW Kaufman charm pack, Sweet Pickins by Darlene Zimmerman, not to mention other super cool stuff.
This super cheery 1930's reproduction fabric just screamed KITCHEN to me. What to make with this special prize? Hey, how about an Apron?

For this project, I chose one of the Patchwork Aprons (pg. 75, if you are following along), which uses 40 squares, WOW- exactly the size of my charm pack prize. The triple-V edge is SEW VINTAGE! And I had way too much fun sorting the charm pack to align matching series. SEE?
The pattern is for 4" patches, so using the charm pack made the apron larger than usual. I decided to go ahead in the XL direction, and added 7' of ties. I know how hard it is for my big friends to find aprons that fit. So I also adapted the ties to a no-waistband style. This way apron won't look stretched at the waist.

Luckily, I had this lovely old fashioned blue calico in my stash, and there was just enough to create bias binding and matching ties. Matches great, wouldn't you say? Just right, so it doesn't fight with the blue gingham center-top either. Perfect!

Starting the summer with a new apron..... We should make this a tradition.

Flags with Weight

2011-06-14T17:28:00.000-07:00

Mom tried to hang Flag bunting for the holiday, but it kept blowing back over the roof line. We couldn't even see the Flags because they were sitting on the roof. Has that ever happened to you? Mom has figured out a way to stop that from happening.
What Mom did was really simple. She sewed washers to the back of the flag! Since the flag weighs more than it did, the wind won't blow it away. (Beat that wind!!!!)

Here is a washer on the back of the flag.

Mom used large 1" washers, and put 6 of them around the hem of the bunting.

Since the washers are on the back, no one can see them.

Happy Flag Day

Apron Book Winners

2011-06-10T15:45:00.000-07:00

In this post, I will announce the winners of Pearl's Book Giveaway Contest.

@ws_on_etsy won our new favorite book,

How to Make Aprons: Vintage Patterns for Making Home, Garden, Utility & Craft Aprons by guessing Billy Joel.

@JeanneGwinn won a bonus prize,

Grandmother's Garden Tote pattern from a quote in "A Christmas Carol"

Congratulations to our Twitter friends, and thanks for everyone who played! Thanks to Bramcost Publishing for sharing thier new apron book with our friends :)

We loved this contest, but would you like more trivia contests like this, or do you prefer random number generator contest for picking winners? To answer this question, please comment on the post.

If you want How To Make Aprons from Bramcost Publishing, you can click the link here:

Now back to more apron making!

Win Bramcost Apron Book Twitter Contest

2011-06-07T18:07:00.003-07:00

Guess what - We are so lucky!! Thanks to all your support in voting for our apron project, Bramcost Publications has sent us an extra Apron Book to share with you!!!
But how? What would be a really fun way to pick a winner to send this NEW book to, full of exciting vintage apron patterns??

How about a Twitter Trivia Contest? You can follow us on Twitter @RoadHomeQuiltn. You do not need a fancy iphone, you can do Twitter from your computer or with regular old text messaging. So everyone has a chance to win!
And you know how Mom loves quotes. She is always looking for new quotes, and just generally quoting stuff all the time. I thought, why not make use of this "talent." This is where the trivia part comes in.

RULES: Mom is going to Tweet a quote, and the first reply received that correctly names the quoted, wins How to Make Aprons: Vintage Patterns for Making Home, Garden, Utility & Craft Aprons.

Easy, right?

Mom might quote a movie or TV show she is watching, or a song that Alex is listening to, or a book I am reading (of course cats can read). So you only have an advantage if you happen to watch Mom's favorite shows, or if you sing along with Alex. I'm sure you'll recognize my favorite stories when you hear them.

Remember to Tweet your answer with the name of the character or artist making the quote, not the title/source of the quote.

Has there ever been a contest like this before? How many quotes will Mom have to Tweet before there is a winner? Will you be the winning RHQ Twitter friend? Stay tuned....

PS: While you are Tweeting, please say hi to @Bramcost and thank our book prize sponsor too :)

Making the Gardener's Picking Apron

2011-06-06T08:27:00.003-07:00

If you click this link you could get the book that shows you how to make these aprons too. Thank you Bramcost Publications for sharing this book!

Remember how you voted on which vintage apron to make from our book review How to Make Aprons? Well, Mom did it! She combined the Pickers Apron (pg. 69) and the Gardening Apron (pg. 84) to make the ultimate one-of-a-kind Gardener's Picking Apron.

Blogger is doing the sideways picture thing again - WHY?!?!
Mom made the apron with with recycled fabric from this denim work shirt.

Mom uses plates and duct tape for her drafting tools.

Sewing Tip of the Day:

if you don't know witch is the right side, put a piece of tape on the right side to mark it.

These are the cool buttons for balancing the strings you pull to make a pocket. They are made from pottery and have Celtic Knots on them.

This is how the apron is used. Gather the string to make a basket. Add your own belt.

Plus, Apron also has 2 hanging loops for gardening tools.

You can get this super Gardening Apron for yourself in our Etsy Shop: http://roadhomequilting.etsy.com

UPDATE: Garden Picker's Apron sold in about 20 hours, Thank You! We will make more as denim shirts become available, so please keep watching RHQ Etsy.

Coffee Lollipops for our Twitter Friends

2011-05-31T18:04:00.002-07:00

Mom found this Coffee-on-a-Stick recipe at Sprinkle Bakes, and she wanted to try it out. But Mom realized she couldn't eat the whole batch of Coffee Lollipops all by herself. So some of Kitty Pearl's Twitter friends, @SewAmanda, @creationsforems, @fiberbabble, and @Shapernes, said they were brave enough to help Mom try Coffee Lollipops. We sent then each coffee lollipops in the mail, and they are going to open them together on Saturday Night after the new Doctor Who. Doesn't that sound fun?

First we didn't have any lollipop sticks for the pops. We finally found some at WalMart.

Luckily, we already had a candy thermometer from my science project for making candy.

These are the ingredients Mom used for the Coffee Lollipops.

Like Mom always says, if you only have a couple ingredients, they better be good ones.

These are the lollipops after they have cooled and are happy in their wrapping.

That's not only the good thing. One of our Twitter friends also gets a quilty prize in their package!

Can't wait to see who gets it XD

PS: Kitty Pearl says you can be her Twitter friend too, Follow @RoadHomeQuiltn

Grandmother's Garden Tote now available in pdf

2011-05-29T13:01:00.002-07:00

Do you need a Grandmother's Garden Tote pattern fast? Now you can download a .pdf pattern through our new friends, Quilt Pattern Shoppe.
Of course, .pdf patterns will not include Postcard Pattern Covers. Please visit our Etsy shop if you would like the complete package pattern. Remember, shipping is always free!
New to hexagon piecing? Try our FREE Tutorial, Very Easy English Paper Piecing. It really is Very Easy.

Sew Steady at Quilt Market

2011-05-26T02:20:00.003-07:00

Did you know that when you order a Sew Steady table, Jerry has it it individually cut to fit your machine?

We met Jerry Tippets, President of Sew Steady and Gibson Holders, at Spring Quilt Market.

I love this picture of the Old Singer outfitted with new technology.
And I never knew about the options for these handy Lucite levelers:

5 sizes; junior to giant
custom sewn travel bags
under-table "spinner trays" for handy storage

Nice to meet you, Jerry!

Bendable Bright Light

2011-05-24T01:21:00.007-07:00

Meet our new friends from Quilt Market SLC, Skyler and Scot Lindsay.
Scott invented the Bendable Bright Light for your sewing machine!
This task light is TINY, bendable, and COOL - in more ways than one. Because it is LED, it doesn't get hot (see, the old fashioned definition of cool) and it is energy efficient too.

Bendable Bright Lights, Inc.

I like that you can get extra 3M adhesive mounting kits to move this classy light to each machine as needed. I'm getting an extra kit now in case Santa Baby finds a new Sashiko machine in his bag for me.....just sayin'

Thanks guys, we'll be watching to see what super cool sewing tool you invent next!

Valor at Spring Quilt Market and here

2011-05-22T12:31:00.004-07:00

Marianne Fons is absolutely as gracious as you have heard. It was an honor to meet her, and all my quiting heroes, at Spring Quit Market in SLC. Here is Marianne with my favorite piece in the special QM exhibit, Nine Quilt of Valor: Nine Fabric Collections.

Blogger insists on making this picture sideways :(

Here is another favorite from the exhibit you may not have seen online.

Kitty Pearl is sharing more of my Quilt Market photos of exhibits and booths on her FaceBook page Album Quilt Market SLC

But wait - there is more....we are adding a new page on our blog, RHQ free Valor patterns. Please remember to check back later and

visit the Valor Tab above.

Currently under construction, the Valor Tab will soon share 2 original RHQ Valor patterns for free: Easy Valor and Valor Album
Thank you for your service, Valor Quilters and your Armed Forces friends and family.

Having Fun at the Bloggers QuiltMarket Meetup

2011-05-19T09:59:00.000-07:00

Last week Mom and I went to Salt Lake, Utah, to the Bloggers QuiltMarket Meetup. Wow, was it fun-and crowded! We had lots of fun and met some really awesome people.

You can see it was a rainy windy afternoon.

So we all moved in-doors.

Mom got to meet her Quilt Blog Hero, Nanette Merrill of Freda's Hive.

That's Mom and Nanette.

Nanette gave everyone these cute rings!

Mom wonders how she made all these rings. Thank you, Nanette, for the rings!

I just want to thank Megan of Brassy Apple for sharing her cool pattern with me. :)

Thank you so much, Megan!

I also want to say thank you to Daria Muirhead from Boutique Cafe for the red bucket of sweet stuff and patterns by Amy Butler.

An extra big thanks to Tammy Howard and her family for bringing this beautiful BLUE bike and real Olympic Mittens all the way from Canada! Check out Tammy's shop blog, Sugar Town Quilts Co. Did you ever see an LQS with bikes?!?! SEW Creative!

Here are the mittens!

One last thanks goes to Amy Smart, Calli Taylor, and all the sponsors for stuffing the goodybags and making a great party!

P.S. I loved your boots, Jo Packham, and we love Where Women Create!

Here is blue bike and all our gifts in downtown SLC in the mini van we rented. We made it fit in the van! It almost didn't fit.

Mom hopes we can go back to SLC for The Sewing Summit, so we can see all our Quilt Bloggers Meetup Friends for another great party!

Thank you Lola Pink Fabrics

2011-05-10T17:59:00.000-07:00

LolaPinkFabrics gave us some frabics for randomly getting picked as the winner on Talkin' Tuesday on Twitter Chat. LolaPinkFabrics has an online quilt shop that's awesome.

Thank you so much Lola Pink Fabrics!

As you can see the one on you left is Just Wing It by MoMo

and the one on your right picture is Flurry by Kate Spain.

Flurry is like holiday patterns, with blue. You can't get that very often.

MoMo upside -still looks great!

Girl Scout Map to Badges

2011-05-09T02:18:00.001-07:00

I'm sharing these because it took me years to find one.

FYI: We just missed Girl Scout Leader Day. It was April 22nd. Somebody remind me in time next year, please! And Girl Scout Day was March 12th.

Hope you and your Girl Scout find this useful. Or atleast that you enjoy reminiscing about the days you sewed on all those badges :)

The Winners is Aprons

2011-05-08T17:09:00.001-07:00

Your choice was Picker's Apron or #2 from Bring back the Fun, Fashion, and Functionality of Aprons. Thank you for voting. It was an over whelming majority vote on the Picker's Apron. And thank you Bramcost Publishing for sharing this book.

Mom will also do a bonus apron. Since Mom already has the supplies she needs to do #1 ,or Mending-Bag Apron, we will also create that one. I bet you guys can't wait to see what they both look like. :-)

Click this link to get your own book of exciting vintage apron patterns.

Jackie O' Lantern's Purse Sneak Peek (and an Insider News Report)

2011-05-04T19:50:00.000-07:00

Mom is making a new purse similar with Grandmother's Garden Tote Bag. But this time it's a pumpkin. Yes, I know that its not fall yet. The Pumpkin purse will be ready on June 1st, though. Here is the sneak peek of Jackie O' Lantern's Pumpkin Purse!

YAY! A sneak peek!

The fabric of this fall purse is called "Harvest Home" from Connecting Threads.

Here is our exciting insider news report! Mom will be making two other purses. One for winter and another one for summer. This seasonal collection is call Four Seasons. (Makes sense, doesn't it?) All of the purses for Four Seasons will be hexagon bags.

Teacher Appreciation Week

2011-05-01T11:40:00.000-07:00

May starts Teacher Appreciation Week. You need to find a trendy and functional present that can be shipped fast! If his is you, please check our Etsy shop link to the right of this post.

Don't tell Kitty Pearl, but I first designed this quilted keyboard cover to keep soft fluffy cat fur out of our new computer. It turned out to be a fun gadget for organizing the office area. And I liked the reversible opportunity for decorating. I've made a few of these in chalkboard themed novelty fabric. They reverse to a Debbie Mumm fall fabric, as classrooms seems to decorate most for Fall. Couldn't resist adding a patch of vintage teacher illustration and poem from The Vintage Workshop.

What other themes would you like to see in a Quilted Keyboard Cover? Cats? Coffee? Would you like me to post a tutorial for making your own Quilted Keyboard Cover pattern? Please comment and let me know. Happy Quilting --Mom

Silk Baron's Scrap Sale

2011-04-30T07:07:00.007-07:00

Springtime is when all the fancy fabrics come out. Admit it, you have a fancy project you've been dying to try, except you're dreading the idea of leaving the cotton lined comfort zone of the quilt shop to venture into bridal wear land. It is just too expensive a trip, right?

Not anymore! See Silk Baron's Scrap Sale, where you can find everything Spring fancy online; dupioni, charmeus, habotai, shambala (don't those beautiful names just make you want to sew!) and of course the standards of velvet, taffeta, georgette are available too.

Why you need fancy fabrics in your stash:

Try an Allison Aller crazy quilt.
Build your stash for holiday projects.
Update decor (new drapes, velvet cushions?)
You have an inner Martha Pullen waiting to come out.
Watching The Royal Wedding, you decided you do need a new Spring Dress.
With Very Easy English Paper Piecing, it is easy it add nontraditional fabrics into your quilted project.

Silk Barron uses a unique shopping by spreadsheet method to instantly update availability during the sale. You email your shopping list, and get a PayPal confirmation invoice. So no unsecured checkout carts to deal with. US shipping only $1.50/yd, so calculations are easy too. The best reason to visit SilkBaron.com? For the education! Here, product descriptions explain the special fiber combinations and dye reactions. Check-out the Silk Baron Hall of Fame and silk histories. Happy Shopping! Can't wait to see what you make!!!!

Bring back the Fun, Fashion & Functionality of Aprons

2011-04-28T19:47:00.001-07:00

I learned in this book how aprons have been helping people work for ages. So where have they all gone? How many aprons do you use?

Let's make some aprons!

The easy graph patterns included here will help you bring back the fun, fashion, and functionality of aprons. Every imaginable apron is here! Patterns are also included for applique, decorations, smocking, and Apron Accessories.

Which apron pictured below would you like to see us sew?

To study, collect, or construct, How to Make Aprons: Vintage Patterns for Making Home, Garden, Utility & Craft Aprons will do the job for you. Every sewing enthusiast, lover of vintage style, and aficionado of practicality will appreciate this book. Happy Quilting --Mom
Vote in comments for your Apron choice :)

Tardis in Felt

2011-04-21T17:21:00.002-07:00

Mom got this awesome Tardis barrette from Felt Sew Sweet in Canada on Etsy. The really cool thing is that it got here before this Saturday so we can wear it as we watch Doctor Who on BBCAmerica!

Isn't it cute?

Look What Else Came in the Mail Today

Also WRBQ Inc. has their newest edition of "The Quilt Shop Navigator" out.

The 17th edition! (Pretty sweet.)

To get this directory of every quilt shop in the nation -some in Canada too-, all you have to do is look on the top left side bar for their link. Soon, you'll get one in the mail, too!

Apron Book Surprise

2011-04-13T10:10:00.006-07:00

Bramcost Publications has chosen Road Home Quilting to review their latest publication, How to Make Aprons: Vintage Patterns for Making Home, Garden, Utility and Craft Aprons.

Are you jumping up & down excited as I am? Not just another apron pattern, Bramcost specializes in vintage reproduction publications. These aprons will be authentic work pieces!

All I can tell you so far, is this book has +30 apron patterns of things you've never seen before: like an apron just for carrying wood, and one just for vacuuming. Do you think I would vacuum more if I had a special apron to help me? You bet I would ;)

So help me anxiously await the mailman delivering our new Bramcost Apron Book. I will post more preview for you THE VERY MINUTE it arrives, and in the coming month you can help me, Alex and Pearl, choose and build a new apron too.

In the mean time, here is a bonus Totally Tech Tuesday report on a Wednesday: Bramcost has 42 Free Vintage Patterns you can check out for all kinds of stitching fun. My favorite is Vintage Button Hole Covers of 1940. See flower button covers above? I've never heard of these. Do you remember seeing these when you were little? Comment here and tell me what your favorite vintage pattern is.

Happy Sewing (and reading pattern books!) --Alex's Mom

Why you should join Twitter

2011-04-10T15:55:00.007-07:00

..For the Sewing Chat, of course!

Turns out that Totally Tech Tuesdays isn't the only exciting sewing tech on Tuesdays.

CaraQuilts host Talkin' Tuesdays on Twitter. Every Tuesday night, 40-60 sewers join this all sew chat, and you don't have to get a fancy Internet phone to participate either!

Here is how it works:

Get a Twitter account (if you don't already have one). Did you know you can Tweet on Internet or by text message? Correct - you do not need Internet on your cell phone to Tweet. Sign up on your computer at Twitter.com. Be prepared to pick a User ID, upload a picture, and write a little note about yourself and what sewing you like. Read up on how hashtags work. You'll use these to stay in the Tuesday Sewing Chat Room.
While you are there, you can Follow RHQ on Twitter @RoadHomeQuiltn. I'm just saying, while you are there....
Go to Talkin' Tuesdays and sign-up that you will be participating in the next Tuesday Sewing Chat. No, you don't have to do this step to be in the Talkin' Tuesday Chat, but this is how you get entered in the prize drawing. Plus here is where you can see who the next prize sponsors are, get the chat time for your time zone, meet the other chatters, all the other info you need.
On Tuesday night (6-8PM in No DST land) go to TweetChat.com/room/talknt. Fun right!?! Cara will post topics to get the chat started. Answer with Q1, Q2, etc. to ID which topic you are answering. Your answer will automatically include the hashtag #talknt, so your Tweet is necessarily shortened to 132 characters.
If you are using text messaging instead of Internet, text Follow @caraquilts to 40404. You will receive all of Cara's Tweets. Include hashtag #talknt at the end of your replys to have them included in the Sewing Chat. Replys to your posts will also be texted to you, no matter whom they are from. You can't see the entire chat this way, but if you are stranded someplace on a Tuesday night, a little sewing chat is better than none at all, right?
Have fun and Good Luck! And please come back and comment here if you win :)

Corvid Applique

2011-04-03T11:25:00.012-07:00

Alex has gone camping with the Girl Scouts. Pearl and I sure miss her. It is too quiet here.

In the meantime, I have learned something new. Darlene taught me wool applique!

I have resisted learning wool because:

I don't need more UFOs
Not a huge applique fan

But Darlene's Blackbirds quilt so inspired me, I had to try it. And guess what, I was so wrong!

Turns out, the mystery of wool applique is the good old fashioned whip stitch. Same as in my favorite, English Paper Piecing. So the only trick is all in the cutting; getting the shape right to start with. Darlene says small sharp scissors are a must. (the excuse I needed to buy new scissors :)

And you know those scalloped dents on the edges of wool applique? Guess what, that's okay!

I had so much fun with my blackbirds from Darlene, I have already finished them. So no more UFOs! All I need to do is pick the right fabric for setting strips. Want to help? Which one do you like best?

Chocolate Butterflies

Sunflowers

Postagestamp Cheater print

Our New Best Friend!!!!!

2011-03-27T21:57:00.001-07:00

Nancy in Sioux City is the first to purchase one of our Grandmother's Garden Tote pattern. Thank you Nancy, for buying and for being Kitty Pearl's friend. :-)

Patterns On Sale!

2011-03-27T19:46:00.001-07:00

Mom finally was able to print the pattern for the Grandmother's Garden Tote she was making, and it is on sale right now on the RHQ Etsy Store. The link to our Etsy Store is on the top right corner of this blog, under our logo picture.

I think you should get this tote because it looks really cute and very pretty to wear. Plus, it can be a great gift. :-)

Pearl says it's great for resting in. ;-)

Mom says she will buy doughnuts to celebrate our pattern release.

YAY DOUGHNUTS!!!!!!!!!

Leave a comment on what you do to celebrate.

Hangable Towles

2011-03-22T11:55:00.000-07:00

Don't have any room for folded towels? How about hook hanging towels. It's really simple. Just find a 7" ribbon or cut a ribbon to that size and sew the ends to a corner of the towel.

Like this.

It'll not only give you room for more stuff in the bathroom, but it can be a great gift for family and friends. Use different color ribbons to personalise the towel.

Our Uncle Terry saw this in Europe where the bathrooms there are small. Thank you for being our trend spotter!

Mad Cat Quilter

2011-03-16T14:12:00.005-07:00

While Mom was on the compurter checking out some blogs, I jumped in front of the picture producing thing and saw that this blogger lives in the UK wanting to buy some coffe or hot chocolate. To get the money, she is selling kitty patterns for 2 pounds and 50 pence ($4.00 in US money). Now the reason why I'm writting this is because I thought the patterns looked really interesting, cute, and, scince I am a cat, I know cat lovers would get this. ;-)

Mad Cat Quilt Pattern

Good cat quilt pictures from Skye Quilters Cat Quilt Meeting.

Stash strip organizer

2011-03-14T04:37:00.000-07:00

Continuing my commitment to Organize the New Year (or at least getting into Spring Cleaning), I finally found a way to organize strips into something accessible and visible. Yes, it's true.

This is an oversized cutlery tray. I think this was intended for picnics, the sort Hyacinth would host. Since we are not planning any "alfresco machetes with riparian entertainment," this lovely basket has been repurposed to sewing room duty as organizer of strips.

Obviously, I still had to fold my strips, but they are staying stacked in the channels and easily visible. I sorted them by theme; Christmas, batik, novelty prints, and blue. [We always have an abundance of blue.]

I have 2 more stash organizing post coming up. Please stay tuned.

Just in case

2011-03-13T20:21:00.010-07:00

If ever you find an error with one of our patterns, please comment here. The last tab/page of this blog, Errata, will list pattern corrections as necessary. If the correction you seek is not found there, please comment in this post and we will contact you with a correction directly.

We endeavor to test all our patterns individually before publication to ensure their functionality and fun-ness. We apologize that your project has been interrupted by an escaping oversight, and thank you for taking time to help restore quality in RHQ designs.

More antique hunting trip report

2011-03-11T22:22:00.001-07:00

You wouldn't believe the 11 steps I have to take to get pictures out of my phone. So, hope you enjoy these:

Can you name this block for me? Nicely handmade. Well worn. A treasure.

[Still looking for a name to the vintage sewing tool in previous Antique Hunting Trip Report.]

My first penny rug. It features two of my favorite holidays. Charmingly unique.

Lastly, Star in a Star. Clever and homey. Not vintage. From a reproduction catalog.

More later when I've calmed down from fighting with the picture files. Aaarrggg --Mom

Antique hunting trip report

2011-03-09T10:35:00.002-07:00

Went antiquing with my neighbor, Mary. You should shop with Mary. She has a black belt in shopping, and always gets -10%-15% off!
Look what I found:

These adorable flower barrettes by Kate at A Blissful Life have vintage buttons. One for me, and one for Alex.

Can you tell me what this thing is called? It has 4 expandable arms and turns easily. Found in a section with old yarn stuff, Mary says it is for winding yarn.

I'm keeping it for holding my bindings. Finally, I can unroll a binding while sewing without spilling it on the floor.

Pearl is trying to show you the spinning feature.

Saw a few good vintage quilts on our hunt. If I can get the pictures out of my phone, I'll post those later on.
Happy Quilting --Mom

Postcard Pattern Cover

2011-03-06T12:17:00.002-07:00

New Pattern Covers have arrived from printers, so contest is now closed. Great guesses everyone! You have super sweet ideas we wish we had thought of.

I always wanted to say this: And the winner is....everyone wins!

Free Indeed, for coming closest with the guess, "postcard template," wins set of 3 patterns. But we love all your thoughtful comments, so everyone who took time to enter will receive a pattern too.

[Susie and Oldentimes, we don't have links for contacting you. Please email your addresses.]

The back of Grandmother's Garden Tote pattern cover is a real postcard ready for you to mail, complete with salutation to BQB (your Best Quilting Buddy) and customizable introduction to your latest project!

Along with Tutorial Tag, Postcard Pattern Cover gives Road Home Quilting Patterns two unique features, never used in quilt patterns before! Thank you for being the first to share discovery of our new traditions. We hope you will find them fun and functional.

Happy Quilting --Mom

Contest Clue

2011-03-02T07:24:00.004-07:00

Thanks for guessing in our contest. Pattern covers have been shipped, so there are just a few more days to guess and win 3 new patterns of Grandmother's Garden Tote for you and your friends.

I think you deserve a clue to help make guessing even more fun. Here is my clue:

correspondence

Good Luck --Kitty Pearl

Preview Quilt Show and Vintage Auction

2011-02-28T11:00:00.071-07:00

Gilbert Historical Museum quilt show, The Art of Quilting, starts tomorrow.
When I visited the museum this month, I hadn't expected to get to preview exhibit and auction pieces, so I neglected to get my camera out until it was almost too late. Luckily, I get to share these quick snaps with you.

Doris' Card Trick

I like this picture of Doris :) Look, Doris quilted her Card Trick with red roses!

Can you see the red thread? And the beautiful rose pattern?

I think this is Town Square. Please comment and let me know if this is wrong. This is one of the vintage sets the Museum will be auctioning during quilt show.

More vintage block sets, c. 1925-30. All appraised by Karen Hausner.

It is hard to recognize the scale in this picture. These are crazy blocks of unusual silks and seersucker. Scraps from old family nightgowns? Each block has a sugar sack for its foundation.

I call these unusual rectangle blocks, "10 lb. blocks," because they are the size of 10 lb. bags.

Join Our First Blog Contest

2011-02-26T16:05:00.004-07:00

This week, Mom worked hard to design this Pattern Cover picture above. It took four days to get it done! It took one day to learn how to make a Tag and one day to learn a new publishing tool. The rest was doing the picture.

This picture at the top is not just a photo of a tote bag, hard work for two days, and learning some technology. There is a surprise on the back of the pattern cover! If you can guess what the surprise is you will win:

3 copies of the new pattern of Grandmother's Garden Tote for you and your best quilting buddies!
Plus you get to be first to see the new Grandmother's Garden Tote pattern!!

Isn't that awesome!?

Please comment on this post with your guess to win.

Happy Quilting!

Testing 1... 2... 3...First Ever Pattern Tag

2011-02-25T19:37:00.001-07:00

If you have an iPhone, would you please test our Tag?
If you are wondering, a Tag is a picture link. That is right; you just take a picture with your phone and it links you right away. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. This Tag is supposed to link to our Tutorial. So please comment and let us know if it works.
The Tutorial Tag is for our first pattern cover! We want newby quilters to know that they are not alone. With a Pattern Cover Tag, they can link to our beginner instructions and see how easy it is to try English Paper Piecing.

Do bobbin washers work? Part 2

2011-02-25T11:50:00.000-07:00

Success and sanity restored!

Yes, I found the $10 investment in Little Genie Magic Bobbin Washers to be worthwhile.

They work :)

Do "Bobbin Genies" really work?

2011-02-25T07:40:00.005-07:00

Yikes! I've tried new needle, new thread, hunting for hidden lint bunnies...nothing is helping my "automatic" thread tension.

Do these Magic Bobbin Washers really work? I used my We'd Rather Be Quilting guide to call around until I found a shop that carried them. You are supposed to put them under your bobbin to end tangles. I will let you know in my next post if these tiny Teflon circles have saved my sanity.

Don't worry, I will post again today.

Grandmother's Garden Tote

2011-02-22T18:49:00.005-07:00

I'm so excited to be writing a pattern, at last! And terrified too. I know it sounds silly, but there is just no time to contemplate that irony. Someday I will find where all the time goes.

We have 8 more designs in various stages of testing, so we haven't been lazy since we started this blog. Finally decided just to pick one thing and get 'er done... or else. Alex helped with chores, even cooked dinners, so I could focus on figuring this out for the President's Day weekend. I am so proud to say, Grandmother's Garden Tote has been a true family project!

Pearl helped too.

Why was this design so tricky? Because there are no seams, just piecing.

The entire tote basket is English Paper Pieced hexagons.

Yes, even the straps are pieced!

Can't wait for you to see the pattern! Our next goal is to have our pattern published by St. Patrick's Day.

It is actually an easy quilted bag (I can say that now, of course). I wanted to design a completely portable project, that is fun to sew all by hand, and here it is; Grandmother's Garden Tote, a basket from a traditional 'Grandmother's Flower Garden. '

I hope the fun you will have creating yours, equals the amount I have learned in creating mine.

You are the quilt show judge

2011-02-15T05:34:00.007-07:00

I found a fun little site with a virtual quilt show, where you are the judge!

Rank My Quilt lets you post photos of your accomplishments for total strangers to vote on.

You have to vote on the presented quilt to get to see the next quilt in the "show." Plus, you can leave comments just like a real judge should.

If you are "entering" your quilt, you can attach a "for sale" note.

I could play here most of the day, except there are not many quilts currently entered in this online show. Also wish the magnification feature worked better.

Enjoy!

More Pat Sloan Radio

2011-02-07T18:54:00.006-07:00

Pat Sloan has a new crafty iRadio talk show.
Remember our last Totally Tech Tuesday report, Quilt Radio, told you about Pat's quilty interview show, Creative Talk Radio on TogiNet. In January, 2011, Pat also took charge of hosting FaveCrafts on BlogTalkRadio.

In FaveCrafts, a monthly show, Pat interviews at least 3 crafters of all sorts, sharing news of special techniques and their latest projects and publications.

This podcast show has a companion website, FaveCrafts, listing free projects in 33 categories. Look for fun ideas in every imaginable theme, like Green Crafting, Pet Crafts, Crafting with Kids, Wearable Crafts, and of course, Quilting.

Bonus Pat Sloan Radio
Pat is featured in the 10/11/10 posting of Art and Soul Radio, also on BlogTalkRadio. This time, Pat is the interviewed instead of the interviewer. Hear pat share insights of her creative life in
Pat Sloan: The Nuts and Bolts of Owning a Quilt Business

My Birthday Present

2011-02-06T09:53:00.002-07:00

A couple of days ago, Mom told me she got me a birthday present on Etsy. It came in the mail yesterday, and I know it would sound lame to kids, but it was knitted and I need it for my apples in my lunch. A knitted apple sweater (or apple cozy) from Cuffe Shop.

Now my apples will stay cool in my lunchbox, and no bruising. It was so cool Mom and I couldn't wait to open it. Thank you Cuffe Shop for the awesome apple sweater and for wrapping it in special wrapping paper, too.

Here is what the apple sweater looks like.

Happy Quilting!

Quilting Radio

2011-02-01T05:00:00.006-07:00

I found a helper for tackling UFOs and other chores: 3 Quilting podcast shows keep me motivated through even the dreariest tasks. For this weeks report on maximizing the quilting in your sewing room computer, I'm sharing my love of Quilting Stash, Creative Talk Radio, and Creative Mojo. You can listen to these "radio shows" on the Internet too.

Since I can't pick a favorite, I'll talk about these 3 audio quilt shows in chronological order.

Quilting Stash, "The First Podcast for Quilters," is blog with random podcast links by Annie Smith. Annie talks about her work and life, or broadcasts on the spot from quilting events. Links to Annie's amazing interviews with all your favorite most famous quilters are listed in the lower left-hand blog menu, so don't miss them!

Pat Sloan's Creative Talk Radio is Monday afternoons on Toginet Radio. [Of course, as a podcast, you can replay them anytime you need a creative edge.] Pat's show just celebrated a first anniversary, congratulations Pat! Creative Talk Radio is one hour long, where Pat visits with two amazing cutting-edge quilters to share what is new in quiltland, and how to "Be Creative, make something today!"

Creative Mojo with host Mark Lipinski, is also on Toginet Radio. Mark's show is two hours long on Wednesday afternoons, and brand new since September 22, 2010. Creative Mojo includes creativity of all sorts, not just quilting. But mark relates every discussion to a quilter's view. In addition to guest interviews, Mark also has a guest co-host each week. Creative Bonus!

But wait - there's more good news for Cupcakes! Mark Lipinski announced in his Jan. 19, 2011 podcast that he will be starting a second yet-to-be-named Toginet Radio show on Saturday mornings. This show will start in March (or late February?) and be a panel of Mark's creative friends, discussing everything newsy.

So when you need some creative motivation, get Totally Tech in your studio, turn up the speakers and quilt happy while your professional friends share their quilty news and insights.

Behind the Back

2011-01-30T15:38:00.070-07:00

Here is my last post on our trip to Sedona to visit Audrey's quilt exhibit.
This is Mom's favorite quilt at Cocopah North, a bead store with more.

Mom likes this quilt because it is extra puffy....

unique....

...and very old.

Here is the back of the quilt. It is made from feedsacks. No, this picture is not backwards.

Audrey says the words are backwards because this quilter was trying to make them less noticeable

by using the feedsacks inside-out.

Mom also really likes this tall sewing case.

This last picture shows the fold-out shelf in the top of the old sewing case...

..with pincushions.

Happy Quilting, and quilt shopping, too!

More from Cocopah North

2011-01-29T18:01:00.004-07:00

Remember yesterday when we shared our visit to a vintage quilts exhibit in Sedona? Here are more of the amazing items we found at Cocopah North.

Molas!

Mola quilting is skinny layers of reverse applique. A tradition of the Kona Indians from Panama and Columbia in South America.

Fabric Baskets. Mom says these are "fussy cut." Cool!

Lots of cool beads from all over the world....

...like this catfish bead.

Trunks of weaving.

We knew you would like to see these too.

Tomorrow I will show you Mom's favorite quilt at Cocopah North. Here is a peek:

Here We Come Sedona

2011-01-28T16:31:00.004-07:00

This is Audrey Waite. She is a great quilter, who very kindly invited me and Mom to see quilts in Sedona.

Cocopah North Beads, Shells & Artifacts

at Creekside in Sedona,

currently showing a huge collection of antique and vintage quilts. Many are for sale.

You can tell right away, the quilts are here!

This picture shows some of the other amazing things at Cocopah North. More on beads and stuff in the next post. Today we are just looking at quilts.

Gingham applique and stitchery Sunbonnet girl with her own blue stitchery doll. Very sweet!

This is Audrey with a Disney themed quilt.

Alice in Wonderland quilt?

My favorite stack of quilts because they're blue. Yay for bluework!

Many stacks of old quilts, all for sale!

Yellow applique! Very nice.

Audrey was so kind to unfold these for my pictures.

These quilts are twins, but one more turquoise than the other.

This top is so old the colors are "fugitive." That means faded into other colors.

This quilt looks like fireworks popping in the same color group. 1930s.

Sedona Schnebly made this quilt. Did they name Sedona after her because she was a good quilter?

1899, long time ago.

Happy Quilting! Hope you enjoyed our quilt tour of Sedona as much as we did.

Thank you, Audrey, very much!

A famous AZ quilt loaned by the museum. Its is in Grand Endeavors.

Grand Endeavors: Vintage Arizona Quilts and Their Makers

One last stack.

Want more vintage quilts? See more photos of this quilt exhibit in Kitty Pearl's Facebook Album

Organize the sparkly stuff too

2011-01-07T10:32:00.000-07:00

Another tricky thing to organize are those sparkly magic wands.

You know the kind, every Tinkerbell costume comes with one. Well, you don't want them stuck on the top shelf of the closet, that's no fun, and probably bad luck too.

But if you leave them out on a dresser, then the cat will destroy them, just ask Kitty Pearl, sparkly wands are irresistible. So what's a Mom to do? If only there was a cool organizational trick for magic wands and other delicate toys...

This is a wall pocket vase. It works great for displaying things out of Pearl's reach, but not out of sight. Kids can still put away their toys with aid of a regular step stool. Perfect!

Ready to organize the New Year? Share your tips here. Let's see how many ideas we an collect this week.

Organize the New Year

2011-01-01T04:44:00.053-07:00

How can I make it easier to celebrate the seasons? I want to hang my seasonal welcome signs the first minute a holiday approaches. No time for digging in the garage to find the right treasure to fit a new mood. Do you have this issue?

This is the inside of my hallway coat closet. It took nothing but push-pins to help hang my favorite holiday decorations for quick and super simple access. TA DA!

Do you have an organizational tip? It doesn't have to be a decorating idea. Anything that will help

keep the new year simple is worthwhile here. Please comment with your idea!

If you comment with a link to photo, I will re-post for you here on RHQ Blog.

Let's see how many organizing ideas we can collect this first week of 2011. Happy New Year! --Mom

Everything I wanted to know about Welsh Quilting

2010-12-29T13:01:00.000-07:00

Santa brought me a new quilting book!

Making Welsh Quilts by Mary Jenkins and Clare Claridge.

This book is perfect, it explains everything about the Welsh quilting style. Not just an historical overview of welsh quilting, this book examines 23 antique Welsh quilts, most with front and back views, and quilters' stories too.

There are 10 traditional patterns for making your own Welsh style quilts, complete with dreamy quilting plans and templates. Most exciting is the end chapter, where you learn how to draft those amazing Welsh quilting patterns.

I've been intrigued by Welsh Quilts since I saw the Jen Jones exhibit online this year. This book answers all my questions! And gives me many beautiful new projects to dream of in the New Year. Time to set-up the old frame and learn some new tricks. --Mom

City Sidewalks, Busy Sidewalks are now a Fabric

2010-12-19T10:07:00.004-07:00

I know what you're thinking, a fabric that has sidewalks decorated in holiday style? Well, you are right.

As you can see, there are not just decorations but people as well.

That's not all the fabric Mom got at JoAnn. There's this fabric with words "Bah! Humbug!" on it. Yes, I'm not kidding.

Don't you just love Charles Dickens' books?

Guess what! On Tuesday the 21st of Dec., it's the First Day of Winter, a full moon, a lunar eclipse, and a new holiday: Buh! Humbug Day! I didn't think they would do that.

Have a safe and happy holidays from everyone

at Road Home Quilting!

Teacher Stocking and Hello Kitty Hat

2010-12-18T13:24:00.034-07:00

Novelty print teacher fabric and schoolhouse button make this ordianry homespun stocking a unique gift for teacher. You can also add a No. 2 pencil button on there, too.

Here is another novelty print project: Hello Kitty Santa Hat. Hello Kitty is an awesome gift, (especially for little ones).

Lime green gingham makes a whimsical accent of Santa's traditional fur cuff brim.

Puff-ball topper is glittery white tule.

Quilted Santa Hat

2010-12-12T15:30:00.001-07:00

Deck the sewing room with pretty Santa hats.

Not as hard to craft as my Halloween Hat.

Design Idea = Use a lightweight ornament instead of a puff ball for the top of Santa's Hat. It works great!

Everyone in the family wants a Quilted Santa Hat for Christmas, but we have a few available in our Etsy Holiday Shop. Mom says, "We hope they will find a good home with you for the holidays." Remember, RHQ Etsy Shop is always FREE Shipping.

Mom used Paint. :)

Quilted Ornaments

2010-11-22T08:55:00.000-07:00

These are so cool. Alex and Mom went to WalMart, and look what they brought back:

ornaments quilted with glitter

I heard them telling Grandpa, there were all sizes and colors to choose from, only $5/pkg. I'm glad Alex picked blue.

Mom is glad they are made of plastic. So maybe she won't get so upset if I need to climb the tree again this year. In the meantime, I will watch these closely and make sure they don't escape.

Which football is best?

2010-11-19T05:30:00.000-07:00

We can't decide which football is best for Touchdown Turkey. Can you help us? Please post your vote!

E (NONE)

Touchdown Turkey

2010-11-16T11:16:00.005-07:00

Touchdown Turkey signals GOAL as he captures the game ball.

Here are instructions for creating this sculptured trapunto wall-hanging. Dimensions are provided, but for now you will have to draw your own pattern pieces. We will draft an official pattern after the holidays.

If you don't have time to make your own Touchdown Turkey, there are a few finished pieces available in our Etsy shop.

Kitty Pearl supervises STEP 1: This pattern piece is a trapezoid, 9" high with bases 2" & 6". Create a large 5 petal Dresden Plate section. Press in any directions. I like to press out from the center. Why is that?

STEP 2: Cut batting to match feathers, with an extended rounded center. [This will be the base for Trapunto Turkey in Step 10.] Tuck batting into feather points.

STEP 3: Quilt feathers. Pearl suggested a meander stitch for feather centers and seams, and 1/4" outline stitch on top edge. Turn under edges of both outside feathers and stitch 1/4".

STEP 4: Draw a gourd shape 8" high for Turkey Body, 6" wide at largest point. Draw 2 wings 6" high and 2.5" wide. HINT: Draw on fusible batting, then apply batting shape to your turkey fabric, creating pattern and trapunto in one step. Cut close to batting/pattern, but do keep a sliver of fabric edge to cover batting when stitching.

Don't you love this brown hydrangea fabric for Turkey's feathers? From Blank Quilting.

STEP 5: Use fusible facing to attach Turkey's face and helmet. Beak is a 2cm equilateral triangle. Waddle is 1-1/2" long. Helmet is slightly larger then Turkey's head. HINT: Use your team's colors for helmet. See our Totally Tech Tuesday post for licensed team logo fabric source.

STEP 6: Outline lower edge of beak with satin stitch. [Top edge will be covered by button eyes.] Create a face mask for helmet with 2 lines of decorative stitch. Face mask stitching is sufficient stitching to secure waddle.

STEP 7: Create a trapunto football 10" wide. Use a fusible batting pattern as in Step 4, but this time add a 5/8" seam allowance.

STEP 8: Press under football seam allowance to "wrap" trapunto batting shape. Secure edges with outline quilting. HINT: Football has bias edges. Use a long stitch and sew slowly to keep football from curling.

STEP 9: Cut 2 Turkey feet and attach to football with fusible facing. Feet are centered 2-1/2" apart, and 1/2" down from top of football. Outline stitch feet similar to beak in Step 6. Tops of feet will be under Turkey body. HINT: Use a wider zigzag stitch and square stitching around toes if the tiny curves too small to stitch.

OPTIONAL: Add football details with white rick-rack. [More about this in next post.]

STEP 10: Layer feathers fan, football, and turkey shapes. Glue Baste.

STEP 11: Outline stitch Turkey with blanket stitch. Bottom of wings will be sewn directly to batting.

Trim exposed batting under wings. In this picture above, only the right wing has been trimmed.

HINT: Use a brown marker to color batting edge.

STEP 12: Sew two button eyes over beak.

STEP 13: Finish back of Touchdown Turkey with brown felt, cut to size and glued to batting on reverse. Leave feather points and top of hanging loop uncovered.

STEP 14: Sew 2-1/2" hanging loop behind eyes. Create hanger from twine, wire, or plastic hoop. HINT: Attaching the hanger behind the button "eyes" allows you to secure the hoop through all layers of fabric/batting.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Bed Runner Trend Spotter

2010-11-07T23:28:00.003-07:00

I've heard about these bed runner quilts, but I hadn't seen one yet. I like this! You can sit on the bed, and not get the cover wrinkly. It makes a safe place to put your luggage or coat or whatever might bring dust to your bed quilt. Is there time to make everyone a bed runner for Christmas?

There I go again, too many projects, not enough time. This is a new Marriott. We are on a little road trip, visiting a holiday charity boutique hosted by our good friend, Carol. Hope we will find some craft trends to share with you too.

Halloween finished...just in time

2010-11-01T11:49:00.000-07:00

Finished Alex's costume 20 min. to trick-or treat! Glad she likes it, and we had a great Holiday with family.

What do you call this stitch? Looks like a line of stacked "T"s on my Singer. I think it makes a great Frankenstein stitch for this Halloween crazy patch project.

Of course, Pearl helped too.

So, the goal for Thanksgiving projects: get done a day ahead so I can enjoy the holiday like everyone else! You'll be the first to know how I'm doing. Wish me luck.

In the mood for Holidays

2010-10-26T08:47:00.001-07:00

99.9 KEZ - Holiday 2010 Christmas music radio starts Monday, but since I still can't wait even that long for holidays to start, I found these downloadable (is that a word?) playlists here. Just what we need for getting those holiday boutique projects going, not to mention, holiday UFO's (I confess to not finishing that Nancy Halvorsen advent calendar...yet), and Christmas present projects too. Yikes! Only 53 days until Christmas, better get busy. --Mom
Happy Totally Tech Tuesday, and Happy Holidays to you!

1852 Wheeler and Wilson Sewing Machine

2010-10-14T09:36:00.002-07:00

Mom went to a new antique shop and found an 1852 sewing machine. Apparently, it was such a great idea at the time, that Singer bought out the Wheeler & Wilson company.

This is what it looked like.

This is a schematic of what Mom saw in the antique store.

Mom has never seen a sewing machine that is older than this one.

Ashes, Ashes, a Tree Falls Down

2010-10-06T08:47:00.001-07:00

Last night, our neighbor's tree blow down in the storm. Now, instead of covering our heads, it covers about the whole drive way. And now, our only car is trapped in the garage! To make things a little more complicated, our neighbors moved before the tree fell. So, all we have to do now, is to wait until the realtor person calls a towing company and removes the Pallo Verda. Of corse we'll try to quilt, but these interuption are hard to deal with.

Vote for quilter's book

2010-09-27T11:16:00.005-07:00

I'm sure you have read a quilt history article by Arizona quilter, historian, and writer,
Carolyn O'Bagy Davis. One of Carolyn's most popular pieces about Hopi quilters is featured on the Cranston Village -My Interests page. Carolyn's writing is even included in This Old Quilt.

Here is a picture of Carolyn with a Goldie Richmond quilt she rescued. More than quilts, Carolyn has rescued several quilters' personal histories from being lost in time. And thanks to Carolyn, we will get to read about all of them!

Carolyn's new book, Hopi Summer, has been nominated for the 2011 OneBookAZ award!
Vote for Carolyn's book at www.onebookaz.org now through October 15.

Quilting on Cafe Press

2010-09-14T00:32:00.003-07:00

You've heard of Cafe Press, right? A web site where you can order licensed art printed on any useful swag you can imagine. Like a photo gift printing shop, where you get photo mugs, mousepads, t-shirts, etc., but instead of you supplying the picture, artists all over the world have loaded their creations for you.

So what does this have to do with quilting? Never fear, quilters are well represented in trendy art land. We found 4,740 fun quilting art options when we searched "quilting" on Cafe Press!

Here are some of our favorites:

12 Threaded Bobbins

2010-09-13T08:43:00.002-07:00

Mom hates winding bobbins. Mom knows she can buy prewound bobbins by the case at the quilt shops. But at Walmart, she got 12 threaded bobbins for less than $3.00. (That means they're less that a quarter a peace.) Plus you get to keep the bobbins.

These are the bobbins. (It's like Goldy Locks finding the right size.)

Ruffled Pants

2010-09-12T08:41:00.004-07:00

Yesterday, before I went to a party, Mom finished mending my pants. See, they had holes in the knee, so Mom cut them off and put light blue ruffles in with a small, cute flower at the side. I told Mom to not cut them off and make shorts. That's why she put ruffles on them, to keep them long.

This is what I mean.

See how cute this flower is. (This flower is a Yo-yo flower.)

Swap Ideas Day

2010-09-10T00:09:00.008-07:00

What can I possibly share for National Swap Ideas Day?

How about my favorite tool: spray basting. TA DA!
Basting quilt sandwiches is the only part of the quilt-making job I don't enjoy, even dread. Thanks to this stuff, I don't have to! I use it on mending, appliques, everything!
Here is my secret for keeping the whole house from getting sprayed sticky: Cover the bathtub with newspaper or towels, layout your pieces, spray in the tub. For large tops, hang them on the back yard fence and spray one half at a time. Easy!

Labor Day Hop

2010-09-09T12:08:00.001-07:00

Best Labor Day ever! Shopped with my neighbor and BQB, Carolee. Look what I found: pumpkins, canning, and quilts, all my favorite things in one fabric! I picked the Harvest Market Sampler (repeats at 1-1/4 yd.) and Stripe.

Don't know what I'll do with them yet, but I couldn't resist. Sampler even includes canning labels!

Wilmington Prints has a cute Log Cabin and matching place mats project by Harvest Market's designer, Robin Betterley. Do you have any ideas for what should become of my Harvest Market treasure?

College Logo Fabrics

2010-08-31T11:17:00.005-07:00

Friday 9/3 is College Colors Day. So for our Tuesday Totally Tech report, and for your Back-to-School enjoyment, I would like to share a site for officially licensed collegiate logo fabrics.

Bear Paw Quilt Co. is a "one stop shop," with NFL, NBA, and University logo licensed

fabric
fleece
flags
ribbons

I like Bear Paw's team map feature, where you can click on each state to see what schools are featured, then link to the resources featured for each team!

If you're totally focused in Quilt Land, you might not be aware of every collegiate mascot, so the map is a great tool for planning gift projects. For example, where did your kids' teachers go to school? if you are having trouble finding school themed focus-fabrics (which is our dilemma of the moment), consider a project created with their school colors and a touch of licensed logo fabric. Beats an apple. Also a great choice for sashing in a T-Shirt quilt.

Just so you know, there are 9 sates without links on the Bear Paw map: NV, AL, WY, ND, SD, ME, RI, NH, VT. Link to Pro Sports team fabrics below the collegiate map.

If you are near Flora, IL, you can visit the Bear Paw Quilt Co. store. It is okay if you have to shop online, since shipping is free with $40 order.

Who knew there was such variety in logo fabrics? Go Schools!

Roads and Curves Ahead

2010-08-18T16:41:00.005-07:00

As you heard yesterday, our next quilt will be Lovers Lane block. Lovers Lane is a Kansas City Star newspaper block from the last great depression. I found this block in Edie McGinnis' book,
Roads and Curves Ahead.

I love this book! It has a ketchy layout, with vintage road signs and camping motifs. Not to mention, 24 road-themed block patterns, including an unusual electric fan.

Do you know any quilt poems?
Edie includes quilt poems in this book. I wonder if she wrote them herself? I'm guessing yes, because I haven't seen them anywhere else. I wish she would write/collect a quilt calendar with poems [HINT!] In the mean time, there is still this super unique themed pattern book.

Lover's Lane - a flimsy yet to be

2010-08-17T04:04:00.002-07:00

Our next quilt for Grandma Mary will be blue and white. Mary is collecting flimsies. See, she is quilting wedding quilts for each of her grand kids. Isn't that a beautiful mission? Nanette Merrill says a flimsy is a finished top waiting to be quilted. Flimsies are fun! In fact, this will be my 5th flimsy for Grandma Mary.

The block picked for this blue and white quilt is called Lovers Lane. Doesn't that sound like a great choice for a wedding quilt? Besides, you can imagine how crazy we are about road (lane) blocks here at Road Home Quilting. And I have found a quilt book with 24 road themed blocks - which I will tell you about tomorrow.

I picked Keepsake Quilting's blue and white scrap bag. They were on sale, and the packaged set saved me from spending hours of fun in a shop matching blues. Besides, they are being cut into 2" 1/2-square triangles.

My pictures don't do this beautiful fabric justice. You can see the selection I received doesn't exactly match what is featured in this link. They are not kidding at Keepsake Quilting when they say, "selections may vary." I am thrilled with my selection.