60's Love...

I love all things retro- and VW's just rock!  I know someone who recently told me that they had a blue bug when they were a teenager and wished they still had it :)  So I knew the minute I heard it what I just had to do ;)!!!  A mug rug it is!  It measures 12" by 7".  I think it's just too cute!  And I sure do hope she likes it too!  It'll be headed to her in the morning :)  Such a fun surprise!

 I love the colors- it made me smile the whole time!!  And I found a good clip art image that I used as a guide for the appliqué.

 The quilting around the bug was my favorite part- flowers in the "sky", headlight in front, speed lines in back, and a wavy road.  So perfect!

 I quilted tiny loops everywhere else and just had fun with it :)  I think this is one of my favorite projects for sure!  I think I'm not the only one with 60's Love ;)

Winter Woolies :) eppppp!

I have been itching to buy the Winter Woolies pattern from Miss Kerry over at http://www.verykerryberry.blogspot.com! She is a paper piecing hero to me! I really want to focus and learn paper piecing more this coming year, and I love following her and seeing the amazing things she come up with :). Her skier is one of my favorite pieces ever!! I saw this pattern and knew I was destined to try it! I had to make a gift, well, didn't "have" to, wanted to make a gift for an incredible teacher we know and thought this would be perfect.

I increased the pattern by 200%. The pieces were still small- I can only imagine how tiny they would be in the normal size ratio :). But I loved it- so well written and explained. I have never used freezer paper- tried foundation piecing once and did not like it much. I looked at all of Kerry's tutorials on freezer paper piecing and went for it! I must say, I loved it! So much better and easier than foundation. I'm hooked!! :) Yipee!

The finished product is 12x24 inches and could be a wall hanging or a table topper. I don't have Christmas fabric, but wanted it more for general winter use anyway, so I loved the color combo I used :). I hope this teacher smiles when she gets it :). I think she will. Here it is:

The hat section - so fun and love the added button she suggests :)

The scarf section- I love all the stitching that brings the personality into the piece :)

The mitten section- such cuteness!

I backed it with a favorite vintage sheet- just the right amount of vintage yumminess added in :)

The Swag :)

Another really fun part of the Sewing Summit was all the goodies we got! There are so many different products and things I have wanted to try out that I haven't had a chance to yet, and now I get to!! Yipee Skipee :) How fun is that! This is the things that I got in my Swag bag- thanks to all the amazing sponsors that made these goodies ours :)
Then this is what I bought- it was all discounted really nicely :) That made it so much more fun! I am excited to cut into these lovely pieces and make some fun things!! Fabric Yumminess!

As previously stated, it was a great few days, for many reasons! And learning things makes it all the better :)

Teachers Give Us Wings Quilt

I don't think I ever posted this finished quilt. The summer got wild and it slipped my mind, so I wanted to make sure I got it on the record :).

This quilt was made for a special teacher. She loves aqua and red with some black and white thrown in. I was thrilled that there were so many wonderful fabric options to use. I went with a simple block layout to highlight the bird. There area also a few pieced blocks added in for personality! I "enlarged" a bird on the black and white print for the focal point of the quilt. The bird is 18" square to give you an idea of size. The quilt itself is 72" square. The binding is Kona turqouise. I quilted it with a turquoise thread in a loopy pattern, at a 45 degree angle across the quilt, to match the "flight" of the birdie :). It made me smile.

The simplicity of the quilt really makes the bird pop- which is what I was hoping for! Teachers are incredible people and have a special place in my heart. This teacher made all the difference in the life of a precious little boy I know, and she needed an appropriate thank you. When I was having the fabric cut, the LQS said they wished they were his teacher- hehe! This was the least I could do! And a quilt is like a big hug, so everytime she wraps up in it, she will know she's loved! What better gift!

Without further ado... Teachers Give Us Wings...

Some new Pretties and Thank you Gifts

I have been going crazy over all the yumminess in Miss Julie's shop-- http://intrepidthread.com! She has had sales the last two weeks, and of course, I cannot pass up a S-A-L-E!! It's a weakness, I admit. But with fabric involved, I am just toast! :) hehe! The first weekend, I was good and just bought fabric for a quilt I am making a dear teacher. This past weekend, however, I just lost all control and wound up with the Taza half yard bundle, and the Wrenly fq bundle, and another random half yard print in my cart! It arrived today and just look at the loveliness! It is so soft and the colors are just wonderful! I can hardly wait to find the perfect project to add to my current hugungeous list :)!!

For most of the morning and part of the afternoon, I was busy making some thank you gifts for dear friends. I love rosie necklaces and making them as gifts is always something that is well received! The pink is a new favorite- as well as the aqua and jade. They look so pretty all together! I think it will bring a smile to 3 ladies' faces and that will make me happy! Now off to write the corresponding notes :)
Have a marvelous, sunny day!

EEEEKKKKKKKK!! I'm GOING!! :)

Oh, my goodness mercy! I just got my Mother's Day gift, my anniversary gift, my birthday gift, and maybe Christmas too, all rolled into one!! I get to go to the SEWING SUMMIT!!! It is in October in Salt Lake City, and I get to meet all the amazing people that I know over blogland! I am so giddy I can hardly stop shaking! How amazing it will be to just watch and learn from these amazing ladies :) Oh, be still my heart <3!! WOW- I am just still in shock and am trying to let it soak in- here I come, Sewing Summit 2011!