Whispers of Spring

Twice now I have accidentally deleted the text for my post......so it will be short and sweet.
I love this bag I received from my friend Stephanie. It is so cute and functional!!!

It fits all my bits and bobs for applique when I go to my bee. It was made by Chase of Quarter Inch Mark.

I went to the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival this weekend with friends. I have been eyeing this book up and love all the quilts inside!

My friend Cindy was the instigator for this gorgeous Cherrywood fabric stash. The colors are so cheery!

Last year I did a Sew Along. It was the Trinket Quilt by Alison Glass. I decided it was time to get it off the pile of things to do.

Simple straight line quilting that I think lends itself to a more modern type quilt. It's kind of boring to do but I love the results.

I took this out of storage and made a few more panels. It's slowly coming along using up all those scraps.

I have had some good luck with book picks from the library. Oh my goodness this was a good one. It will stay with you for a long time, I promise.

Kelly

Quilts, Quilts, Quilts!

Our Penn Oaks Quilt Guild had their quilt show last week. We did not have "regular" judging but went with the viewers at the show deciding on the quilts they liked best. The categories were Best of Show, Best Workmanship, Best Use of Color and Makes Me Smile. I was so honored to receive 2 awards! I do love this quilt and many other people did too. Congratulations also to Robin and Marti for winning as well.

A few members made the ribbons which add another personalized touch. I feel like guilds are doing this more and more.

I am going on a retreat in a week and we decided to have an optional pouch swap. I went to my Lola Pouch standby and it never disappoints!

I don't know who I will swap with, so I went with a more neutral palette so anyone would like it. I had the "Handmade" in my box of stuff and think this works perfectly. You can also see my stitching which I used a #4 on my Bernina to do the quilting. I feel like the longer stitch length works better with the canvas fabric.

If you are afraid of zippers, she has the best method and it works EVERY time as long as you follow the directions. If you look closely at the zipper above, that is not skill, it is good directions. I also added one of my labels that I am almost out of! I think the lining fabric inside is also cute.

I made these mini stars the other day and decided to make them into a pincushion to add to the bag. Some chocolate may find it's way in there too!

I had a sewing session with some friends to make this bag. It was hard and I think I really would have had difficulty if they weren't there to help.

It is very versatile and you can fit a small (Featherweight size) sewing machine in it.

There are lots of pockets to contain your things and I added the acrylic bottom so it doesn't sag. I highly recommend it.

There is even a front pocket that you can slide a phone in for easy access. I am looking forward to using it at the retreat.

If you are following me on Instagram you know I have been doing the Trinket Sew Along by Alison Glass. This has been a fun and easy project. All the blocks are paper pieced and they went fast.
I especially love the colors.

These 4 are my favorite blocks. I gave myself a blue ribbon for finishing them all. I plan on getting this quilted soon, easy straight line quilting.

So the quilt shows have been abundant! Here is some of what I bought.......

I love those bees and birds!

Fabrics that are color staples for me.

The hexagon and bee fabric was a must have. Text fabric is always a must.

Imagine what you can do with these words.......

These have a graffiti feel and will be perfect for something, I just know it!

Some very cool fabric that will be amazing in a yet to be determined quilt. Do you see a pattern on how I buy?

This is going to be for a very special quilt. We are expecting grandchild number nine in August! The parents are not finding out, I love that surprise! So I usually make a before baby is born quilt and an after baby is born quilt that is a bit more personal.
Our family is really expanding. There will be 5 babies born in 10 months! Lots of quilts to make, and I am happy to do it!

Our Calico Cutters Quilt Guild has an annual Tea and Auction. I volunteered to help organize a sewing room or any room of your choosing. My friend Terry had the highest bid and she is all worried about "cleaning" it before I get there......I just thought I would keep it real for her and myself, and you have not seen the other side of the room!
Life has been busy and getting a little out of control. I have been off my normal schedule and need to get back to it!
To all the people who commented and did not receive a response from me, it is because when you do comment I only get your name and no email address. I know that is frustrating and I wish I could respond. Please know I read every response and take everything you all say to heart. It makes me happy that you read my blog and I inspire you to try things. This is a really fun hobby that gives me endless hours of enjoyment and I appreciate you all following along. You can add your email address to the end of your comment if you think this might be you. I will be sure to respond.
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. My children are my biggest cheerleaders and I love being their mom (-:

Kelly

What's Up With Blogging?

Today is a gorgeous warm spring day in Pennsylvania! So what better time to show you my temperature quilt?
I started this last year in 2018 on January first. You make a block a day. There are all kinds of variations on Instagram but I decided to do something easy because you know the initial enthusiasm can fade before you know it.  Quilting is by Carolyn Davis and Jamie Loncaric.

So my colors reflect the temperature of the day. The triangle in the middle, called the goose, was the warmest temp of the day. The outer triangles or the sky was the coolest. If you see a white one that means it snowed that day. I changed colors every four degrees to get a good color range.

On the months where we don't have 31 days I just extended the block. If you are thinking of doing this make a chart of your fabric swatches to make it easy. I really enjoyed this year long project and it is a surprise when you are finished!

This week at my guild, we had Helen Ernst talk to us about Renewing Vintage Linens. It was a wonderful lecture and fun workshop. You can follow Helen on Instagram @tilwequiltagain  This is a vintage hankie used to make a wall hanging.

I had to bring a little spring in the house. I love have forsythia branches that can be forced into pops of color to get rid of the winter doldrums.

Ranunculus is easier to write than to say for me. I love how delicate they are and pretty in pink! I am going to be picking some more of these up at the grocery store the next time I am there.

I have been sewing but not as much as I would like. I know spring is around the corner and that means lots of outside work and little to no sewing. Don't you love those bees? I decided to have some hand work handy to be more productive in the evenings when I don't want to be at the machine.

I am doing a Trinket Sew Along with a couple of friends and a bunch of people on Instagram. They are paper pieced and I am using bright happy colors.

The blocks are very simple and it is interesting to see what people are using and the color combinations/fabric choices.

I am also working on a long term project that will be revealed at a later date.... FYI these blocks are rejects.

My sewing room is a mess but I don't care, it means I am sewing! I still need to get back to my Bonnie Hunter quilt. That went by the way side....see what I mean about the initial enthusiasm waning? Not really I just needed a break from it and will get back on it now that I saw guild member, Betty's finished Good Fortune quilt! It was spectacular!

I am still painting too. These are very small (3" x 3") and gifts for some friends. I am finding I like smalls and might need to do some more. It is so unlike quilting....quick, fast, you can cover up mistakes with paint and if you hate it you didn't spend days/weeks/month/years! doing it!

Okay so let's talk about the blogging world. What is going on out there? Has Instagram taken over? I do feel guilty because Instagram is simple and easy with little time commitment and I post there a lot.

It also seems like people are not leaving comments as much on blogs any more either. I usually get 300-500 views a day but very few comments. I will also have a day (a couple of weeks ago) where I will get over 1,000 views but again not many comments. So are people looking but not taking the time to comment or is the content too boring after you take a look? Just wondering...I also know Blogger has changed things up and maybe that is contributing?

I am not on Facebook and will never be on it again! I have heard lots of people are deleting their pages. What do you think about Facebook? I heard a funny comment about FB recently......"Remember when parents started wearing bell bottoms, that's when the teenagers stopped!" It made me laugh out loud!

Kelly