Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Home Sweet Scrapatch


Photo of the Cascades in Washington State 
from the window of my flight home yesterday.

I have lots to do to catch up here.

Hope to get some sewing time later today.

Happy Quilting!



Monday, March 21, 2016

Quilt Quazy Queens Giveaway Winners!

Quilt Qwazy Queens

Thanks to all who visited and left kind words on my 


Here are the winners ...

Winner # 1

For the $25 Gift Certificate


 from 

the winner is

Pam McDonald!


and

Winner # 2

Cat and Teddy Bear

For the adorable Cat and Teddy Bear pattern

from


The winner is..

Diane Beavers!

Congratulations to these lucky winners.

I will be contacting the winners by email and I have given 
these email address to 


who will be contacting the winners with the info needed
 to claim the prizes.

There are more interesting posts to read and prizes to be won today:

March 21

Happy Hopping!   

Friday, March 18, 2016

Quilt Quazy Queen Blog Hop



Yes, that is new Minnie Mouse fabric.


Because someone I love needs a new Minnie Mouse quilt for the warmer weather.

Because I am all about being quazy about making quilts for the people I am quazy about.

Sew ...

When Marian @ Seams To Be Sew announced the

Quilt Qwazy Queens


I knew I was quazy enough to fit right in!

So I am joining my quazy quilty queen friends today.

Marian asked, "Tell us your quilting adventures, your proudest moments, how you got started quilting, show us your past projects, or make something fun and new that might be a little qwazy."

So I am here to tell you about my quazy quilting journey.

This is my first quilt ...



You can't see much of the quilt because the quilt was all about getting ready and snuggling the baby boy.  
He is less that a month old in the photo.  
He was a warm weather baby.
The cradle is also handmade by my hubby.
After two miscarriages, this was our miracle baby.

The quilt is cotton and flannel. 
I knew nothing about quilting so I just bought some pretty fabric
and stuff  that was gender neutral and I went to.
I knew nothing about fusibles.  
I just zig zagged stitched around the bear cut out
 I drew on the fabric with a pencil.
I added some eyelet trims.
I sewed some strips around the center I made.
I had no clue what I was doing.
I did not know about the need to add enough quilting to keep the puffy batting I bought from puffing up and shifting.
I knew nothing about binding.
I just decided to stitch around it pillowcase style
and turn it right side out 
and hand stitch the opening closed.

I was so happy with my efforts, I made a pillow to match!

Then I made batting stuffed bumpers to keep the baby
 from hitting his head on the sides of the cradle.  
They are not tied anywhere. 
The baby boy did not suffocate despite his mommy's cluelessness.

The quilt did not survive the many washings needed for a baby quilt.
It frayed and I hand stitched it back together
until he grew to need a bigger one.

Baby Boy will be 33 years old this year.


Yes, I made him a big boy quilt when he moved to his first apartment.
This was my first queen size quilt made about nine years ago.
The story of how I had to fix the mistakes in this one is Here.

I must have learned a few things from that first baby quilt because ...


... the one I made two years later for my second baby still exists,
although you can see the places it frayed from use.

This little quilt is 28 years old.

This purple kitty cotton and flannel applique quilt
 was also used in the cradle by my baby girl
two years later.

Apparently I was too busy with two active little boys
to make her a quilt back then.

I made no attempts at quilting for all their growing years.

Then ...
 I finally made a quilt for my baby girl when she was 18 ... 



This was made for my daughter,
because I decided My Baby Girl had to have a quilt to take with her to her new dorm room, where this photo was taken.

My Girl and I went on a shopping expedition and
I let her pick the fabric.
I bought a "How To Learn To Quilt" magazine.
I made this entirely on my home machine.
I did not know what a "walking foot" was.
I did not think I had one.
A year or so, and several quilts later,
I found it in the packing in the bottom of my sewing machine box.

I was pretty proud of those mitered borders.

Look, it even has a binding!

Some of the fabric my daughter selected
is a kind of embossed shiny satin,
 that frayed and frayed.
More living and learning in the scrapatch.
This quilt is sitting in a fix-it pile.

I am still living and learning.
I am an entirely self-taught quilter.

I am happy to say that my quilts all wash and wear
very well these days.

Most of the quilts I make are for people I love.

Many I have made and donated here and there.
Most quilts I give away.

Here are some of my favorite quilts:



This one which I made for my daughter and son-in-law.
Butterfly tested and kitty approved this one.



This one which I made for my grand-darling.



This one which I made for a friend's baby boy.



These quilts which I made for two little girls.

My quilty goals are humble ...
just me trying to make the world a little more warm and cozy
... one quilt at a time.

I have helped with a lot of group quilts, too, over the years ...



... like this one



... and this one.

I also make and donate quilts locally.
I never post pictures of these on my blog.
It is just something I do.

Once in awhile, I make a quilt for me ...


... like this one,
which is my favorite bedquilt.
Butterfly loves it, too.

Thanks for reading my quilt quazy ramblings.

Time for my
Quilt Quazy Queen Giveaways!

I have two great giveaways today;

#1 



a $25 Gift Certificate from 

Fat Quarter Shop

Fat Quarter Shop


and

# 2 

Cat and Teddy Bear

is this adorable pattern

from

anypattern


For your chances to win:


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Winners will be announced here on March 21st.

Winners will have to provide me with a valid email address
which I will share with
Marian @ Seams to be Sew
who will email you the information to redeem your prize.

As a gift to everyone,
the Fat Quarter Shop is offering 
 a 10% discount during the hop.


 This is not good for gift certificates however.

Use this code at checkout to receive 
10% off your purchase:


seamstobe316

Thank You for visiting and reading about my quilt quazyness.

Please visit all the quilt quazy friends today.

March 18th

Life in the Scrapatch (you are here)

Sew Incredibly Crazy

In the Boon Docks

Quilting Affection

Words in Stitches


After visiting all of today's blog hoppers,
be sure to visit  

and say thanks for making this hop happen
and enter the wonderful giveaway she has to share!

I am away for this blog post so if I do not respond to all comments,
please understand.

I am visiting My Girls!



And I am working on My Grand-Darling's new Minnie Mouse Quilt.

Be home soon.

Enjoy the hop!

Thursday, March 17, 2016

The Daily Block




Mosaic

3" finished block

I was able to sew today's block.




Here is Pepper, my quilty helper while I am staying with My Girls.

Pepper and I are hoping for a little more sewing time 
after the Little Miss takes her nap.  

It is a lovely sunny spring day here,
a good day to go out and play.

The sewing machine will be waiting.

:)


The Road Home




I new blog hop is coming in September!

To learn more about how you may participate

Click Here


Hope to see you sewing along!


Monday, March 14, 2016

The Traveling Scrapatch



Hello from the Pacific Northwest!

I have set up my daughter's Janome Jem
 and have sewn a ...



I have also figured out how to save photos and
 type a post on the new laptop.
It has the newest Windows operating system and a touchscreen.
All of this is wonderful
but it is a learning process for me.

It has been raining ... a lot ... here.

Right now the sun is out and it is time to go out and play!

Will post more soon.

Have a happy day .. :)



Friday, March 4, 2016

Packing in the Scrapatch


I am going to visit My Girls! 

So I am packing up a small part of the scrapatch
and flying west early next week.

I am bringing some of my 365 Challenge fabrics.

I am bringing some Easter fabrics and some Minnie Mouse fabrics to make 
something for the Little Miss.
I have my mini-iron and my sewing kit.
My daughter has a small sewing machine I can use while I am there.

I am bringing gifties from myself, my hubby and some lovely quilty aunties.

Now that I have the important stuff figured out,
I shall have to remember to pack some clothes.

I will be gone three weeks but I now have a wonderful new laptop to pack with me
so I will be online sometimes.

Mostly I will playing with My Girls!

Easter with my grand-darling will be grand!

:-) 




Thursday, March 3, 2016

The Scraps, Ma'am, Nothing But The Scraps ~ Part 3



I pile of purple scraps landed in my scrap basket last night ...

with a little bit of green in there, too.

I added a new bunch of 1.5" squares to my scrap basket.

Because ... 


@

RSC16




I have been sewing a bunch of 1.5" squares into pairs as
leaders and enders throughout the week so I have
a good start on my Scrappy Saturday Sewing
to make my

RSC Postage Stamp Quilt

This Saturday will be another



Transition Saturday

with some of the previous colors sprinkled in for fun.

Have a happy sewing day!


Tuesday, March 1, 2016

In Our Garden BOM Blog Hop ~ March Blocks are up!


Blocks 3 and 4 are up!




This month' s block designs are from




and 



These patterns are available for free until the end of the month of March.

Carol has a free PDF available her patterns that you may download 
at her Craftsy shop  HERE 

Carol is also having a giveaway for a


from the fabulous Fat Quarter Shop !


Click HERE to go to Just Let Me Quilt to enter this giveaway 

and to see how get pdfs of her patterns.

~  ~ ~ 

If you missed 



~ ~ ~ 




~ ~ ~ 

I am getting ready to sew my 


Spring is in the air!

Sew Exciting!