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Well so much for me getting back to more posts! Life has just been crazy (in a good way) and spring always comes with lots of chores and many family events that I just can't miss.
Right away I will tell you these pictures are not that great. It is raining here today so it's hard to get the true colors. I have always wanted a pink table runner so I could use it in the spring/summer, Mother's Day and any other girly gathering.

My guild is having a thank you luncheon at my house next week and the color scheme is pink, so that got me working on this right away. I love how this little girl just happened to be sort of fussy cut without me even trying, that (almost) never happens!

I really pushed the limits of my pinks from corals to deep dark fuschia. The lights all have a pink or almost pink print in them as well.

All the quilting is simple straight lines that T.O.O.K  F.O.R.E.V.E.R! Seriously like 5 hours worth! I like my quilting dense and even on a runner I put in the effort.

The backing is a pretty pink print that reminds me of a vintage sheet that maybe I slept on as a child. I wish I had more of it. I also used it on the binding. Note the binding is glued down and not sewn down, yet.

Some ballerinas and glasses (along with some threads) add fun and interest.

Some exciting news here, I wrote a pattern for my hexie pincushion! For right now if you wish to buy one you can get it at the Quilt Block 610-363-0404 or email them at thequiltblockinc@gmail.com. For the locals The Quilt Block is located at 95 Welsh Pool Road Exton PA  19335.
I also included 20 small hexies in the pattern that you will need. You can also email me for more information kellymx@aol.com

The grandkids are growing up quickly and I don't want to miss it. Here's Elliot with his beautiful blue eyes, he will be 9 soon.This year he is playing baseball and he looks so much like my son at the same age that I am constantly taken aback!

Jaxon and Cameron are coming up on 9 months old already! Isn't this the best idea to keep them corralled? My daughter in law Jenny found the idea on Pinterest. They love being outside and mom and dad can get some yard work done while they keep an eye on the boys.

Maddy has taken up track and loves it! She came in first place in the 100 and 200!  Those long legs are serving her well!
So these are some of the things I have been busy with this spring!

Kelly

Stash Builder Box

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Amanda Kelly who has a business called Stash Builder Box. It is a monthly subscription box full of goodies that all sewers and quilters alike would enjoy receiving.

Who doesn't love a pretty box that is wrapped up with surprises inside?
Not only is it fun for you to receive but there is a wonderful idea behind the boxes. To quote Amanda from her website......

"Our vision is to change lives through quilting and we would LOVE your help! 

For every box we sell, we turn a portion of our personal stash into quilts that we donate to change lives. We work with many organizations to donate these quilts to children who are traumatized, sick or otherwise in need." 

I think beginner quilters especially would enjoy subscribing to this to build up their stash and tools.  So if you are interested head on over to their website Stash Builder Box and check it out.

I promise to post some work soon. It's been a crazy couple of weeks!

Kelly

Trunk Show

On Wednesday I am doing a trunk show for my guild, Calico Cutters. Today I am gathering up all my quilts so I don't have to do it at the last minute. Here are a bunch of my smalls. You can kind of see my color palette!

I am bringing 50 quilts to share. If you are interested in coming, the meeting is held at the Goshen Fire Company 1320 Park Avenue West Chester PA 19380. The meeting starts at 10:00 AM and let me tell you they have the best Show & Tell ever! There is a guest fee of $5.00. I hope to see you there!

Kelly

Gloomy Day

My Flowering Snowball quilt is complete! I loved making every piece of this quilt and am thinking of another one, maybe all in pinks. I saw the idea on the blog, Molly Flanders where Mary showed you how to make templates. I decided I wanted to use acrylic and went that route instead. It made it very easy to cut them out and the piecing was not bad at all as the curves are rather gentle. The blocks are 10" finished in size.

It took me a while to machine quilt it because I did't know what I wanted to do. So finally I bit the bullet and just went for it. I did not mark anything because sometimes (for me) it makes it harder, not easier to do. I don't care that the zig zags are not all exactly the same but overall they feel like they are perfect.

In the colored sections I did a flower like design that fills it out well. I like my quilts quilted with no big open spots. I changed threads lots of times to make them disappear as much as possible.

On the outside edges I changed the design because I was afraid if I did the zig zag it might distort it and make it all rippley. It's not perfect but that doesn't bother me.

Another blogger Audrey from Quilty Folk started a sew along last fall. The idea is to make a circle block every day for a year reflecting your mood that day. The circle does not need to be perfect or even a circle. Check Audrey's blog to see what others are doing, there are some great ideas to be found. I started out pretty good and then got caught up in my Zelda quilt and lost some steam. I finished up a few last night to make this into a top and will try and get it quilted this week. My husband has named it "Hamburger Bun".

I used some vintage fabrics and as you can see they are all machine appliqued down.

some of them fade into the background.....

one was a precious fabric that is almost gone!

a pieced block I had laying around gathering dust...

and a few that were fussy cut. I did use the same template for all that I drew free hand but turned it upside down and wrong side out to make them all a little different. This would also make a fun I-Spy quilt. I can't say these blocks reflected my mood more like what scrap was nearby at the time!

Cameron and Jaxon 7 months old

I thought you might enjoy seeing how big Cameron and Jaxon are now. This was taken at Easter and they even participated in the Easter egg hunt.
They are on the move now, so mom and dad have started a new adventure!

Kelly

Book Winner!

The winner of the book Scrap Quilt Secrets by Diane Knott is Material Girl, Susan!
Thank you everyone for your wonderful comments, I read each one. It seems to me scrap quilts are alive and well and here to stay!

Kelly

Happy Friday!

My nine patch swap quilt is finished! Back in the fall over a year ago, Barb hosted a block swap. She has a great method to make itsy, bitsy, cutie, patootie nine patches that end up measuring 3" x 3". I loved making them and was excited to see what I got in return. Check out her website for directions.

I was in the modern group and there was also a reproduction group. All these pretty colors go together so nicely! It's also a great scrap eater.

I chose a white with green polka dots for the other patches and my favorite is the black and white striped binding, perfect! Sorry for the crummy pictures but it was raining today.
I ended up doing a meandering quilting stitch all over and it was a bear to quilt. I procrastinated the quilting for quite a time and am so glad I finished it.
It' the perfect size for laying on the couch on a chilly evening, I have already tried it out!

Don't forget to enter a chance to win the Scrap Quilt Secrets book that was in Monday's post. I will be picking the winner on Monday April 4th. Good luck!

Kelly