Summer Mystery Quilt Part One

I decided this year to challenge myself in my quilting. To take myself to new places, to go outside my comfort zone. Try new things, if they work, great, if not, so what.
I am a Mary Ellen Hopkins girl, my ¼ inch may not be the same as yours but that is OK. Well, I have found out that it is not OK especially when you are in a swap. I did Nanette’s Christmas Cottage Swap and was pretty happy with my cottages, so I decided to do something else new. I signed up For Hugs from Helen, The Great Summer (in their neck of the woods) Holiday Mystery. I have never done a mystery quilt and since the quilt was to be for home, I thought it would be fun. I tried to remind myself”slow and steady wins the race”. So, here is a picture of the fabrics I choose.

This is the results of part one. Not bad! But I have a feeling I am going to loose those points. But, “Rome was not built in a day”!!

What part two is already listed, this is way outside my box!!!!

Mystery Quilt Fabric.......

I just got back from the quilt store with my fabrics for The Great Summer Holiday Mystery. I am using white for the background and I want you to notice (Stephanie) that I did not pick out all pink. One of my goals for 2009 was to stretch my quilting outside my comfort zone and try new things. Well, here I go. It is not to late to join, just click on the button on my side bar and play along with me!! Have a happy day!!

Happy Day......

I received a box of joy yesterday from Jackie. It was a thank you for some fabric I sent her guild to make pillowcase for Paul Neumans ”Hole in the Wall Gang” It was so un-necessary of her but was so very appreciated. She sent some of her favorite tea, which in this cold weather will be wonderful, a box of truffles; I cannot show you because YD and I ate them all. In addition, this wonderful drawstring bag in pink no less. I told her it is the perfect size for my phone, chapstick, a little money, and Kleenex. Actually, I am going to use it today. Thank you Jackie, it was so kind and thoughtful of you. I bet Jackie and her guild will still love to get pillowcases or fabric for them.

Have a great day I am off to the quilt store to get fabric for the new Summer (ok on the other side of the world) Mystery Quilt. Plenty of time to join us. See button on my side bar.

I also forgot to show you some new pink fabric I picked up for my cottages.

Wednesday........

Note to self.....
Putting the Christmas village up is a lot more fun than taking it down!!!!!!!

Tuesday.......

OK, Youngest off to school, hubby at work, coffee in hand. Checked all my emails thus far. Enjoyed all the posts that are posted at this hour. Do not have to go to the post office today. Not allowing myself to sew. Therefore, that only leaves only one thing. I will be spending the day cleaning and doing laundry.
Nooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!

PS five minutes to find this picture. I guess I need to start…..

Monday.....

Monday is a bad enough day but take the family away, school, work, a house that really seriously looks like it was hit by a hurricane, and then be home all alone. NO THANKS SISTER so I decided to take a drive to my fabric warehouse about an hour or so away. I listened to the new CD my sister made for me. I shopped until I dropped. All sorts of new 1930’s, black, and whites to make into fat quarters. Paid, back on the road, aha , DUNKIN DONUTS, mmm Coffee and a few toasted coconut donuts. Back on the road, aha, HOBBY LOBBY, why, what cute PINK fabric they have. Grabbed a few ½ yards for my PINK cottages. Back on the road to home, oh nuts, forgot to go to the post office to mail some orders. OK, stop there wait in line, get a total, only $22, hand her the card with the obscene credit limit, only to have her say, it was denied, “How can that be, I have a ton left on there” try again, denied. Ran to the car, got the debit, paid. Now back on the road home to call the credit company. Oh yes, they did put a stop on the card for fraudulent use! Yes, for the second time in my life someone STOLE MY CREDIT CARD NUMBER. They stopped the card right away when they saw that all I used it for was fabric and the post office, not computer gear. Twice, and I check my account everyday, thanks to Target, they caught it right away.

So….Let’s get to the good stuff

I have some goodies I have been saving to show you, if you can last through this long post.
From Simply This and That and the Other, one of her square it up squares. I got the 9.5 but I think I will need more.

Also, more Glenna Hailey fabric, what can I say, I just love her fabric.

I also received so many goodies from so many friends, some of these I may have shown you before, but just in case here they are again.
From Nanette, one of her beautiful kitchen towels. It will never touch a dish, but it is proudly displayed in my kitchen.

Two of her darling ornaments.

(Side note, I was able to pick up a silver tree at Joann’s for 70% off, it will be MY TREE. The tree that I will use to display all my wonderful gifts.)

I also need to mention Terri’s angel again, she was not put away after Christmas. She is watching over me as I work and sew.

Eileen sent me a pair of her birds made out of her special stash of REAL reproduction fabric, oh yes, in PINK.

Cheryl and I did a barter system, I sent her some fabric and she made me one of her amazing thread catchers. It is truly wonderful.

She also snuck in a little something else, this darling Mary Engelbreit Topper. It also will have a proud place on my kitchen island.

I was mildly depressed when Elaine (no blog) left for Florida. She will be gone until the end of April. Being as sweet as she is, she left me with a few parting gifts. First a PINK COTTAGE for my quilt, look how cute the window is with the hanging PINK BEADS.

She also knows that next to Christmas, The 4th of July is my favorite Holiday, so she made me a patriotic table runner. She also acknowledges the little part of Irish I received from my Mom, and the back is the Irish blessing. Look at how she makes the binding in two colors, so when you flip it over it matches. So I can use it for two Holidays.

I went to pick my daughter up from school today and there was a surprise in the mailbox form Mel. We had decided to exchange Christmas cottages with each other. I was even able to pick the one I wanted, her Blue Bliss. This is what came in the mail! A whole bag of goodies.

Yes, her Blue Bliss cottage, which I love.

There were a FEW PINK THINGS , such as:
FOUR PINK COTTAGES for my quilt
A PINK dove ornament.
I was lucky to get on of her door hangers with a J in PINK

OH, we are not done…

A darling table topper pattern and fabric, love it!
And just in case I might need it, a sanitary napkin bag, from when I was in high school, it was a hoot trying to explain to my 13 year old daughter what that was and how it was used in the good old days. And then the darling fabric that was in the bag, I think some of that may turn up in my pink cottage quilt.

I will try not to get too mushy here, but I have been blogging for only 6 months and I have met some of the kindest, sweetest, caring people ever. Blogland is truly a wonderful place, and I am glad to have made so many wonderful friends who I love to “talk” to every day. Thank you, God Bless and to much more laughter and friendship in 2009.

Pillow Fun....

Pillow Fun….

YD had two friends over today and we set up shop for a quilting lesson. We are making pillows. Here is our station.

They laid out the 5 inch squares into their pattern and started to sew two patches. Those will be ironed and made into 4 patches, and so on, until we have a front and a back.

Next, both right sides together and sew all three sides. Whip stitch the fourth side and voila, we are done!! Here they are….

Didn’t they do a great job!! Next, Spring Break, a lap tied quilt!!