Spring Water Designs

A Finished UFO for January

2012-01-31T19:44:00.000-05:00

At the beginning of the month I decided to participate in the 2012 UFO Challenge over on the Patchwork Times blog, and I made my list of 12 unfinished projects that I'd like to bring to completion this year. Judy chooses a number each month, and that is the project that we work on.

January was #5, and on my list that was to quilt my Autumn Schnibbles quilt top. I got it quilted and bound...and on time by the end of January! That's one finished UFO for 2012 :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Quick & Easy Block Keeper

2012-01-20T21:38:00.002-05:00

While working on my Bee exchange blocks for the Baltimore Modern Quilt Guild, I decided that I needed a little block keeper to hold/transport my collection of blocks. Nothing elaborate, my only requirements were that it had to be quick, easy and cheap.

So I cut a 20" square from this felt backed tablecloth that I had found at Target. (I started with 20" to give me plenty of room to house 12" finished blocks, if you'd like to make one, you can adjust your measurements up or down for larger or smaller blocks). You can get several block keepers out of a felt backed tablecloth too, so make them in whatever different sizes you need!

Fold under the edge about a half inch and top stitch to elevate the raw edges. The felt backed table cloth finger presses pretty well (definitely do not use a hot iron, it would melt pretty quick I think).

(Do that all the way around all four sides.)

Fold one side in wrong sides together about 2 1/2" and use a pin or two to hold it in place.

Then fold in the opposite side wrong sides together 2 1/2" as well.

Now fold up the bottom about 1". Sew down the stitching line that you already made when you first turned the raw edge over, and then topstitch about 1/4" from the folded edge.

Repeat this step on the remaining side with one exception...

In the top stitching, stitch down a piece of ribbon (approximately 20" long and folded in half). This will become the ties for the roll.

The blocks tuck nicely into the flaps created by the 2 1/2" folded sides (These are the blocks I received from round one of our block exchange ~ I can't reveal the ones I'm making for round two just yet).

Then starting from the side without the ribbon, roll up the block keeper, wrap the ties around it, and tie it shut. Easy, quick, and surprisingly durable!

...And ready to go to my next guild meeting :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

This One's For Me

2012-01-17T14:32:00.001-05:00

Not much blogging here lately ~ I spent last week babysitting the grand kids at my daughter Lisa's house. She had to spend some time in the hospital having a heart procedure (Yea I know ~ it shocked us all that she needed it, but she got through like a trooper and is recovering well, and all is fine now! Our first big blessing of 2012). However, after spending a few days wiping the noses of the little ones, I'm back home battling a huge head cold that has now decided to settle in my chest ~ not a pretty sight. So I'm not getting any sewing done that requires actual focus, but in between coughing up a lung or two I've been knitting and I finished this scarf.

I had started it back in December when I had my recliner time after my oral surgery, so I took it with me to work on at my daughter's house. So now it's gotten me through two medical issues (that's a whole lot of bargain therapy), and it even survived Elsie pulling out my knitting needles to conduct her pretend orchestra when I wasn't looking (I'm so proud I'm finally getting good enough to pick up drop stitches!). So far I've given away most of the things I've knitted, but this baby is staying with me :)

PS ~ I'm blocking it right now as you can see from the photo. I basically just wet it down, spun it in the washer (in a little mesh bag) to remove extra water and pinned it out on a towel on the guest bed. I'm new at this, so let me know if you have any tips on blocking knitted work, I'd love to hear!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

One Little Word...

2012-01-08T20:24:00.002-05:00

Do you choose One Little Word to be your theme word for the year? Last year my word was Simplicity ~ with all that was going on in 2011 with taking care of my dad and his affairs, working my "job that pays", and trying to grow Spring Water Designs, that word was a very appropriate thing for me to strive for.

This year I've chosen the word Enjoy as my word of inspiration. I like to make an effort to do something that I enjoy every day, even if it's just a little thing. I'm realizing how short and precious life really is (Ack ~ is that a symptom of old age?), and want to focus on enjoying all of my blessings. So don't be surprised if you hear about a gillion little things that I enjoy this year...consider this your advanced warning :)

The Baltimore Modern Quilt Guild issued a challenge for us to make a small project or block using our theme word to help us keep it in focus throughout the year. So I made this happy little Enjoy quiltlet using the Summer Song fabric collection from Riley Blake Designs (my all-time favorite bright fabrics), and it will hang in my sewing room and make me smile every time I walk in. (Even when it's messy!) I tried something new to me with the free motion quilting ~ I'm getting better at just "doodling" and filling in an area with quilting stitches without planning it all out ahead of time and marking everything :)

Here are a few of the other Word quilts that were shared at our meeting today. (More are in the works and will be shown at next month's meeting). I was impressed and inspired by the thought that everyone put into their chosen words, and as always love the fabrics that were used!

Daniela chose the word Balance, a word that I actually pondered for my theme word and I can so relate to. I loooove her border fabric and it's so perfect with her black/white letters!

Laura chose Grow, and did this lovely tree quilt (How cool are those different colored leaves!).

Lainey chose Journey as her word for multiple reasons that fit her life this year. You can see a better picture of her quilt and read about it here. She paper pieced her letters, and the little wonky stars are a perfect touch...I always love the colors and fabrics that Lainey uses!

Heather made this little sweetie and will be "sewing seeds" in 2012 :) You can read more about her project here on her blog. Her chosen fabric was just perfect for this project, and don't you just love the font that she used for the word!

Finally, Maria made a larger quilt. She chose the word Improve, and set out on a hunt for fabrics that represent things she wanted to improve on in 2012, and her quilt just kept growing. I love how she has a significance to each focus fabric in the quilt making it a very personal keepsake to her.

Have you chosen a theme word for 2012? I'd love to hear

Got UFOs?

2012-01-03T21:40:00.000-05:00

Do you have quilt tops that are sitting around just waiting to be quilted?

...Or piles of carefully chosen fabrics just waiting to become quilt tops?

...Or that Christmas quilt from 2010 that just needs the binding put on it for petes sake...

Well I do! So I'm going to jump in and take part in the 2012 UFO Challenge. I'm always moving on to new projects, and that's what keeps quilting fresh for me, but this year I'm going to go back and finish up some of my old projects in progress. I figure that even if I can work around my current deadlines and bring an older project one step closer to finished that would be good.

So in the spirit of commitment, here's my list of things I'd like to move forward in 2012:

1. Bind/finish that Christmas quilt darnit!
2. Bind/finish my Thimbleberries Spring quilt
3. Sew my friendship Swap Blocks together
4. Quilt Jo Morton Patriotic Strippy quilt top
5. Quilt Autumn Schnibble Quilt top
6. Finish Blanket Stitching Walk in the Moonlight Quilt
7. Quilt Harvest Moon Quilt top
8. Quilt Snowman Quilt top
9. Quilt Jo Morton Club Mini Baskets Quilt
10. Finish blocks for Jo Morton Warm Wishes quilt
11. Quilt Jo Morton Second Hand Rose Quilt top
12. Quilt Winding Ways Quilt top

(There's a lot of quilting on that list, and since I know me and my moods, my alternate project to work on for each month is to complete A Tisket A Tasket applique block ~ I have 5 more to make).

So each month over on Patchwork Times Blog a number will be chosen and my challenge will be to work on the UFO on my list that corresponds to the chosen number. These are all side projects that I've started just for fun, not related to my Spring Water Designs business, so we'll see how I do...

What do you have in the wings to re-visit in 2012?

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Here's to a Delightful 2012!

2012-01-03T07:57:00.002-05:00

I've taken my annual holiday sabbatical from the computer (and it was glorious!), but I'm back now with a little snapshot of some of my favorite projects from 2011 and I'm fresh and ready to take on 2012!

I did hop on the computer to do quick little things, and read some of my favorite blogs, (and I have been working, sewing, and doing a little planning), but I've spent most of my time this last month with family preparing, worshiping, celebrating, re-fueling, and generally enjoying moments like this...

Abby and I want to say thank you to all of my blog friends for your support, friendship, and sweet comments in 2011, and wish you all a 2012 full of moments to delight in!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

My Christmas Wish

2011-12-24T08:00:00.001-05:00

My wish is that you all have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy & Healthy 2012!

Keep it Simple & Enjoy the Day!

~ Dawn

A Little Show and Tell During This Busy Month

2011-12-20T19:34:00.000-05:00

Wow, I just looked at the date of my last blog post ~ time is flying by this month! I have been busy designing, and I've done some more repair work, but other than that I've been mostly busy with shopping...decorating...wrapping...shopping...baking...(did I mention shopping)... I've even had some doctors appointments and a little oral surgery thrown in the mix :( But I wanted to take the time and stop in for a little show and tell. This is my Jungle Buddies Quilt made with the cute Jungle Buddies fabric collection from Wilmington Prints. On top of being made of the cutest kid fabric I've seen in a while, the design makes up really quick and easy using a panel as the main focus with some borders and simple piecing, so it's perfect for a quick kiddie quilt :)

The pattern for the quilt can be found in the current issue of Quilt Magazine on news stands now, and I have kits available for it Here! I also have the fabrics available as yardage on bolts Here (While supplies last.)

I pieced the sample quilt, and my good friend Sheri Thompson of Pieceful Completion machine quilted it for me with a really cute all over swirl pattern that I thought was the perfect touch :)

And I made this bonus coordinating pillow that's large sized and just right for TV watching. You can get the pattern for the pillow as a free download Here from the Quilt Magazine website!

I love the modern look of this cute kid fabric, and I combined it with some traditional block piecing ~ I love combining the old with the new :) I think it makes a great gift quilt for a favorite little guy (works for girls too, but I had little boys in mind when I designed it because it's harder to find cute quilts for the little guys). Hurry to buy any kits and fabrics though if you're interested, they are selling out quick!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

What's Been Keeping Me Busy...

2011-12-09T08:12:00.000-05:00

This baby has lived on my dining room table for months now. I've been repairing her for a customer off and on between other projects ~ I had to do it that way to keep it affordable for the customer, and to keep my sanity :)

The old girl needed lots of work. Where it had been folded in storage is very evident. Take that as a lesson for anyone with quilts in storage ~ make sure the folds are "soft" and not sharp folds by making rolls using wadded up archival tissue paper* and placing them inside the folds of the quilt...and rotate the quilt every now and then: Take it out of it's storage box, let it spread out on a bed for a while and "breath", and then when you are ready to re-store it make sure the folds fall on different areas of the quilt.

*Also, fold rolls can be made by cutting a foam pool noodle (floating device) to the lengths that you want, and wrapping them with archival tissue paper or batting and placing them in the folds of the stored quilt.

...And it's a good idea to make a "pillow case" for the quilt out of muslin to protect the outsides of the quilt. At the very least, use scrap batting to lay between the quilt and the vessel it's being stored in.
...Ok, I'll hop off the soap box now :)

Some of the damage on this quilt is just from really thinning fabric. Some areas are just shredding.

Since all of the fabrics are so thin, it was decided that I would try to preserve the quilt by adding tulle netting over the worst areas to minimize future tearing. But first I hand stitched some stabilizing stitches on the torn areas. (You can click on the pictures to get a better view of what I'm talking about.)

Then, where I could I appliqued new fabrics over patches that were completely gone. (All of my work is "removable" and the original quilt wasn't permanently altered to maintain any value it may have as an antique heirloom.)

So after (probably millions of) stabilizing stitches, replacing missing patches in the rings, and applying tulle netting over the major damaged areas, and around all the edges she is finally ready to head home to her owner. Even though she has some wear, I think she's still sweet :)

Then I shifted gears and spent some time this week quilting this little Chirstmasy wall hanging for a customer.

This one was a quick, short and sweet project :) I love the colors in this one ~ it's put me right in the Christmas spirit, so I think I'll take some time today to "deck some halls" at the Stewart house :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

A Quick Little Project for the Holidays

2011-12-07T06:34:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited, I got my Create & Decorate Magazine in the mail yesterday, and look what's on page 40! It's my Baltimore Applique Tablemat ~ and it looks so cool in the magazine's photography :)

I designed it in a Folksy Baltimore Applique style, and used wool on a homespun background. The shapes were machine appliqued, as I like to do, over a little doily, and in this picture I was previewing little accent medallions for the center ~ this is the one that won out.

The little medallion is nice and flat, so I can still set a candle on it on my table :) The mat has some sturdiness to it because instead of using batting, I used Timtex stiff interfacing in the center.

It makes up quick and easy ~ so it can be made to decorate for Christmas, and with the little hearts and doily it's still appropriate through Valentines Day :)

The pattern can be found in this issue of Create & Decorate Magazine on news stands now...and how stinkin cute is that cover snowgal! It's so adorable, I'm using the magazine as a Christmas decoration on my coffee table :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

A Little Down Time = A Finished DJ Block!

2011-12-06T06:15:00.000-05:00

I was able to capture a few minutes for myself this weekend for little hand stitching, and I finished a Dear Jane block! This is my version of B-3. This can be pieced, but you know me...I appliqued mine. (I just made two Four-patch blocks, and used one of them to applique a circle on top of the other.)

That makes block number 13 for me on my Dear Jane Quilt. I'm not moving at lightning speed, just fitting it in when I have the down time, and keeping it stress free. I have two doctor appointments this week, so who knows ~ with all that waiting room time, I just may get another one done :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

A Little TLC and a Bunch of Spray Paint

2011-12-02T21:12:00.000-05:00

This is my "new" Hoosier Cabinet base that I picked up through my local Freecycle group this summer. She's sitting pretty in an upstairs bedroom now, but needed a little TLC to get here.

This is how it looked when we hauled it home in July...

Inside there was no bottom, but there were plenty of spider webs.

A little scraping was in order. After removing contact paper, at least four distinct layers of paint, and a bit of rust it was time for the spray painting to commence.

The original color of the cabinet was Ivory, so that's what I decided to go with for the cabinet, and I used white appliance spray paint on the porcelain top. I re-used the original hardware, but because it was so marred up after removing the layers of paint, I painted that black.

Hubby took pity on me and put a bottom in it so now I can actually use it to store things, and he even fashioned this cool shelf that pulls out :) He did do a bit of joint repairing and tightening up too...because he's the best :)

All in all I'm happy with how it turned out. It only cost me a bit of elbow grease and the price of some stripper and spray paint. Now I have to keep an eye out for a Hoosier Cabinet Hutch to go on top!

While I had the spray paint out I painted this little shelf that I had in a closet to match it. I think it all looks good with this old mini quilt that I made years ago ~ I knew I was saving it for something :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Grateful

2011-11-30T09:40:00.000-05:00

Wow, I realized how long it's been since I posted to the blog! I am here, and busy. I'll have some new projects to show soon, I promise ~ And by the way, how do you like the new look here on my blog?

So you see there have been quilty things going on here, but this past week was all about family and friends. There was about a week of preparation leading up to Thanksgiving, and then the big weekend. It took us two Thanksgiving dinners to get to see everyone this year...and the best part ~ I didn't have to cook either one of them! How cool is that :)

First we spent Thanksgiving Day at Grandma Betty's in Delaware, and then Heather and Luke deep fried a turkey here at my house on Friday. I had never had the deep fried turkey and it was wonderful, it made the whole neighborhood smell so good!

The kids told us to take it easy and they did all of the cooking! It was like it was my birthday :) I just spent the days playing with the little ones and snapping pictures.

Here we are at Grandma Betty's dinner, and I got a picture of Elsie taking a picture of me taking a picture of her ~ it's non-stop action at our get-togethers, what can I say :)

...so much action that I think every picture I snapped of the kiddos was blurry! (I'm obviously used to photographing stationary items, and have to work on my "action shots"). I think they're budding rock stars, they really do get into their "music" :)

We're so blessed that we could get together and celebrate with family and even some new friends this year. I'm thankful for each and every one of them, and also the friends that I've met here on the blog and through Spring Water Designs throughout 2011. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

An Amazing Museum Trip

2011-11-20T22:53:00.003-05:00

Last week I ventured down to Richmond, Virginia for a trip with the Baltimore Applique Society to visit the Museum of the Confederacy for what I thought was going to be a little tour of a museum and a chance to view a couple of antique quilts. Talk about an understatement!

We started out touring the White House of the Confederacy with a tour guide that was nothing short of amazing! Abdul was a retired Seargent-Major of the Army who was born and raised in the Richmond area, and knew his history like no one I've met before. The House has been restored to as it was when Jefferson Davis and his family lived there, and our guide shared facts and told us stories that brought it to life for us. It was a fascinating tour.

Then we went next door to the Museum where we had been pre-scheduled to meet with Cathy Wright the curator in charge of the textile collection, and go behind the scenes to view some of the antique quilts in the museum's collection.

We were asked not to publish any pictures of the quilts, so here you can't see the quilt, but you can see how we all gathered around and viewed several wonderful Civil War era quilts in two different conservation rooms of the museum that included some gorgeous embroidery, a really cool hexi quilt, some beautiful pieced quilts, a couple of wonderfully preserved crazy quilts, and a down right amazing hand-quilted trapunto whole cloth quilt. Cathy was so gracious, and was very knowledgeable sharing the history of the quilts.

If you want to view the quilts in the Museum of the Confederacy's collection, they have a great feature on their website were they've photographed the quilt collection, and you can even zoom in to see the fabrics up close. Go to www.mocquilts.org , sit back with a cup of tea and enjoy :)

Then after we walked through the museum's exhibits, we got a totally un-scheduled treat. Teresa Roane who is in charge of the Archives at the Museum invited our group upstairs to tour their library and collection of wonderful letters and documents. Teresa showed us some original letters from Civil War soldiers and Generals. I was amazed at how people 150 years ago, even though we write a bit differently and have totally different life experiences, are so similar to people of today in their thoughts to their loved ones, rantings to their superiors, and even shared jokes between cousins.

The picture above shows us in our grand finale of the day after Teresa unscrolled the original Provisional Articles of the Confederacy for us to look over!

It was amazing to see history so up close and personal, and Teresa's enthusiasm was catching. I was blown away at the hospitality of the people who run this museum and how much they thoroughly enjoyed sharing the history with us. If you are ever visiting the Richmond area, I highly recommend a trip to the Museum of the Confederacy! Don't you just love it when a little trip turns into such a delightful day!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Need a Quick Autumn Hostess Gift?

2011-11-18T06:16:00.000-05:00

Do you need a quick project for Thanksgiving? Not making pies this week and want to whip up a quick hostess gift? Well my Acorn Penny Runner pattern is now available as a downloadable pattern at AccuQuilt's website!

It makes up super fast using the AccuQuilt Go! Cutter to cut out your applique shapes ~ but the pattern includes templates for all shapes if you want to cut them out the traditional way with scissors too.

I made mine from wool, but it would make up cute with cottons too! Use scraps that you already have on hand in your stash :)

It's super easy and quick, and the pattern is at a discounted price...plus since it's downloadable you get it instantly and with no shipping!

So hop on over to This Link and get your pattern, but hurry if you want it for Thanksgiving Dinner :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

The Big Mystery Reveal!

2011-11-14T20:37:00.000-05:00

Here it is ~ the final installment of my Quick Mystery BOM Runner for those of you that are playing along. This month you get the instructions for the setting triangles and corners to finish the project off in plenty of time before the holidays hit!

The instructions are easy, I promise! you just piece some framed squares, and then slice them up to make the triangles. (I know, that sounds scary, but it's really easy and I put pictures in the pattern download, so don't be afraid to slice away!) ...Once you finish one, you can whip up a couple more for quick gifties :)

Here's my no-applique version of the runner that I made. This one, with it's little quilt motif fabric will live in my sewing room :)

So head on over to the Free Pattern Page of my Website to download your Mystery BOM Pattern (and you can get the patterns for Months One and Two as well if you haven't made them yet). The patterns will be available free for a limited time, so hurry!

Don't forget to post pictures of your version of the runner on our Flickr Group (I'm getting a little lonely in there by myself), or email me photos ~ we'd love to see what you've made!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Are You a Janiac?

2011-11-08T21:16:00.000-05:00

This is my A-1 block in my budding little Dear Jane collection. I had started my Baby Jane several years ago, but tend to put it aside for long periods of time. I have twelve blocks completed that I've done in my "spare time" ~ that means it's kind of slow going, because spare time is pretty scarce around here lately!

I'm excited because I found this cool blog group that will help to motivate me to keep preparing blocks that I can work on in my little stolen "spare" moments. I shared a few of my finished Dear Jane Blocks on the Janiac's Blog in This Post. Keep following for some great Dear Jane inspirations from all of the members of the Janiac's Unite blog group!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Habitat Challenge Revealed

2011-11-08T07:00:00.017-05:00

We had our big reveal on Thursday for our Habitat fabric challenge at the Baltimore Modern Quilt Guild. The first part of the challenge was to make a 12-1/2" block using some Habitat fabrics designed by Jay McCarroll for Free Spirit fabrics. This is my block and it'll go into a charity quilt with other blocks from the guild members.

These were the fabrics we started with. We all received 6 fat eighths from the collection that Free Spirit donated for the cause. They were quite diverse, and interesting to work with because they are not what I would normally pick for a project, although I did like all the dots...and hey it's free fabric right!

The second part of the challenge after we made our block, was to use the remaining fabrics and make a project of our choosing. I added a bit of Kona Bone and purple, and here is the little quilt I made :)

It's basically my Chutes & Ladders quilt design, only made smaller. I used the leftover fabrics in scrappy strips to accent the sashing bars and to create a scrappy binding. Then I quilted it with circles in multiple sizes.

I even used up more scraps of the challenge fabrics on the back :)

And since it was a challenge, and I was challenging myself to use up all of this free fabric, this is a pincushion that I made out of the cut away center of the circle that I appliqued on my block and offered up as a little door prize at the meeting. I literally only had a few strings left of the free fabric when all was said and done...Challenge complete :)

You can check out more Habitat Challenge projects at this Flickr Group ~ they are all so diverse!

PS ~ Stay tuned later this week for the final installment (setting) for the Quick Mystery BOM Runner project (I'm running a little behind getting everything written and up after all of my traveling lately).

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

The Show Quilts!

2011-11-04T06:00:00.000-04:00

There were beauties around every corner, it was so overwhelming...Enjoy!

A Time Between Times, by Sara Madson

Hexagons!

All the quilting was amazing!

There were dolls...

...and doll quilts too :)

My friend Polly Mello's amazing applique quilt called A Memory of Texas. It was quilted by Illona Hull.

It's complete with lots of Texas critters,

Including a big hairy spider :)

Enjoy the day!

~ Dawn

My Little Market Trending Report

2011-11-03T14:00:00.000-04:00

I went to Schoolhouse sessions all day Friday at Quilt Market. I hit mostly business related topics that gave info on running my website and other such stuff (invaluable info to me, but boring to report to you about). But my favorite quilty sessions were all from Andover Fabrics, at least that's were I seemed to snap the most pictures.

From Jo Morton's new book Prairie Flowers Encore.

...I loved the red & white bird toile from the Jo's Variety fabric collection :)

I went to Gail Kessler's Schoolhouse session where they show lots of different Andover designers' fabrics, and here are a few of my other favorite new collection quilts...

Batiks from Andover!

Everyone's perspective is different at Market, but here's my take: There were plenty of traditional fabrics at Market (among others Marcus had some beautiful collections), but the trends were definitely leaning toward Modern. Which is cool when you're a quilter like me who likes both styles :) Lots of bright, clean looks ~ I loved collections from Basic Gray & Cosmo Cricket for Moda, just about everything from Riley Blake Designs, and a cute new fabric company called Dear Stella...keep an eye out for them! Licensed novelty fabrics were popular too, I remember seeing Cat in a Hat, Hello Kitty, Yo Gabba Gabba characters, Berenstain Bears, Peanuts (keep an eye out in Quilt Magazine for an upcoming design by me using the Peanuts collection), and of course Clifford (I showed you my sell sheet yesterday).

I find it really interesting that some of the "modern fabrics" I saw are prints very similar to some found in the vintage quilts I own :) Hexagons were very popular at this Market too...everything old is new again! There were lots of fun ribbons and trims, and cottons are still being featured in clothing, but I do think there were less booths showing childrens clothing than in the past couple of Markets that I've attended. Handbags are still very popular, and Clover had a new template from Nancy Zieman for making ipod/tablet covers that was very well thought out. I thought the new cool gadgets were a camera for the long-armers to be able to view their quilt backs while they worked, and a neat lighted and magnified seam ripper (I can see great value in this as I get older!)

So that's my "Off the Top of My Head" report from Market. There are so many more things that I didn't mention, it's mind boggling. Tomorrow I'll show you some of the show quilts that I could photograph :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Back Home From Quilt Market

2011-11-02T22:39:00.000-04:00

Well I'm back home and finally catching up from my whirlwind trip to Houston. I didn't take my camera (I know, I'm a bad, bad blogger), but I did manage to snap a few pictures on my cell phone. This is looking down on the middle of the amazing Market floor. I never tire of this view.

This is a picture of Houston while I was walking to the Convention Center. It was a warm day with a beautiful blue sky, and back home they were getting the first snow of the season (They didn't get very much here in central Maryland, and I have to confess, I'm a little bummed that I missed the first snow ~ after all everyone knows the first snow is magical right?)...however, I'm sorry for you people in the Northeast who got blasted and are still without electricity :(

I did manage to snap this quick picture of Laurie & Polly (of Minik & Simpson fame) in their booth (I had to take the picture because I never catch the two of them together!)

I made it to the Modern Quilt Guild Meet Up on Saturday night, and met so many wonderful people! This is a picture of Robin Woods and me. Robin is an online friend of mine, one of the leaders of our Quiltsy Group on Etsy, and one of the coordinators of the evening's event from the Houston Modern Quilt Guild. It was so nice to meet Robin in person for the first time, and we even attended a class together the night before this event.

Even though I didn't get a lot of photos, I did manage to snap this little picture while visiting the Quilting Treasures booth. I'm now doing some free lance work for Quilting Treasures and this is the Clifford Fabric sell sheet of the sample quilt that I designed for them! It's so new that they're just showing the line on paper, no fabric yet (and I just got the finishing touches on the design to them a few days before Market!). ~ Yes, I was that silly person taking a picture of her first sell sheet, and they were all nice and humored me :)

Market for me this year was about meeting up with a lot of people. I made a bunch of connections (I'm definitely getting better at that), and spoke to several people about some upcoming work, and I did do a little shopping too :) Even though I'm not good at taking booth pictures, I did take some quilt photos, but I'm still pulling pictures off of my phone. I'll post some School House pictures tomorrow :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Jumping on the Hexi Bandwagon

2011-10-24T07:10:00.002-04:00

I've been working on little hexis in my down time. I'm sewing along with the Jo Morton Stitchers Yahoo Group as they are having a year long hexi challenge. These of course will be all done in Jo fabrics, so it will be a warm rich quilt. I'm not sure yet how I'm going to set them, but I did decide on making the flowers. My next one (yes, they're kind of addicting and I'm already thinking of a next quilt), will be done in lighter fabrics ~ possibly some 30s prints, or even modern.

I already own a Hexi quilt that my mother made years ago that I blogged about in This Post. As you can see it's a lot brighter, made all from scraps and that wow pink ~ I'm thinking after the current cozier one I'm making, I'll need to make one with pops of bright yellow :)

My hexis are large by the standards of some of the other gals in the group. My papers measure 1" on the sides. Some of the gals are making 1/2" hexagons! I might tackle that on my next project, but with this one, I'm using my AccuQuilt Go! cutter to cut the papers and the fabric. I use the smallest hexagon on the Hexagon Die (which is 1" on the sides and 2" point to point) to cut the papers (I'm using a thin cardstock that I had on hand), and then I cut my fabrics from the medium hexagon shape on the die (which is 3" point to point, and 1-1/2" on the sides). This makes the cutting quick and easy, and I don't have to purchase the papers :) I cut a whole bunch at one time, I've even listed some hexagons in Jo fabrics in my Etsy Shop in two sizes ~ the medium and small hexis (I'm not cutting papers to sell at this time though, they can be obtained in large packs in many sizes from Paper Pieces).

This is the back side of one of my flowers. There is a good amount of seam allowance by cutting these sizes and that makes for low stress in basting my shape edges. I'm going for low stress here ~ I'm taking some of these, along with an applique block in progress on my trip to Quilt Market. This is going to be a crazy busy week for me, so you might not see me online until I get back.

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Christmasy Thoughts

2011-10-20T09:15:00.000-04:00

Are you thinking Christmasy thoughts yet? Well we are ~ Lisa and I have decided to do a local craft show the first weekend in November. I haven't worked a craft show in years, and never with my daughter, so we should have a blast!

We'll be taking Quilts and quilted items of course, Infinity Scarves by Lisa...and Christmas items! So that means among my customer orders I'm working on, and multiple deadlines before heading off to Quilt Market next week, Lisa came up for the weekend and we made Christmas ornaments and gifts. Here's a little sampling of what we did all weekend...

(These wool trees were cut out with my AccuQuilt GO! cutter Holiday Medley Die and layers were fused to make them sturdy)

Dad cut up some wood for us ~ We're capitalizing on some of that hurricane damage that we sustained back in August :)

We put together some little dittys that I've been planning to make for a long time.

And Lisa brought me this neat idea. These little post-it holders will make great affordable teacher and co-worker gifts!

We got out the scrapbook papers, ribbons and embellishments (I have a bunch of all of that stuff, because my scrapbooks are yet to be made).

We made a bunch in different sizes, colors and styles ~ they were actually quite addictive, and we got a little carried away :)

And we didn't forget the Dad's either, they need cool stuff on the desk at work too!

To really make some progress we had to do most of our creating after the little ones went to bed at night. Then we got out the snacks, turned on the TV and played ~ one night we got carried away and "played" until after mid-night. Even if we don't sell a thing at the actual event, I've already enjoyed this craft show...play on :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

And the Winner Is...

2011-10-14T07:37:00.000-04:00

Thanks for all of your sweet comments on my blog and my Winter Friends quilt! I used the magic Random Number Generator to pick the winner of the Snow Days fat quarter bundle...

...and the winner is number 24...Kris! I'm emailing you Kris to get your information to mail out your bundle :)

If you're not Kris today, and you want a little Snow Days bundle ~ don't fret!...they're available in my Etsy Shop...and I have even more Snow Days on the bolt on my Website, and of course I have kits for the Winter Friends quilt Here on my Website ~ but hurry, it'll be gone before you know it!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

500th Post Give Away!

2011-10-11T06:46:00.000-04:00

Yes, this is my 500th post here on the blog! I feel a little like Seinfeld ~ only not as witty (a whole lot of talk about not much). Anyway, I thought that post number 500 was worth a little Give Away. So in honor of the publication of my Winter Friends Quilt, I'm giving away this little fat quarter bundle of five fabrics from the Snow Days collection.

These sweet prints are designed by Teresa Kogut for Marcus Brothers Fabrics ~ and by the way, I think that's my all-time favorite snowflake fabric. Anyway, we'll keep this short and sweet, leave a comment on this post, and on Friday I'll pick one random winner :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Snow Days are Ahead!

2011-10-10T06:00:00.004-04:00

Even though we just enjoyed a nice Autumn weekend here, Winter is on the way, and what's more cuddly than a cute Snowman quilt!

This is my Winter Friends quilt as seen in the Dec/Jan 2012 issue of Quilt Magazine, on new stands now! I made it to be a quick and easy, generously sized throw quilt (measures 70" square) that can be made in a weekend and used all winter long ~ mine will be right on the couch by the fireplace for those cozy winter nights :) It's made from the cute Snow Days fabric collection from Marcus Fabrics, and you can get a Kit for it Here on our Website! (While supplies last...)

As you can see, back when I made this quilt and snapped the photo it was Springtime, and getting warm here in Maryland (see our window open in the background), so I had to really rush to get it finished for the photographer and shipped off to Colorado in time for the photo shoot while there was still snow on the ground there (...so I can attest to the fact that it can be made up quickly) ~ I'm still getting used to working half a year ahead of myself!

You can find this issue of Quilt Magazine on most news stands (I found mine at the grocery store), and I know that Walmart, Joann's and Barnes & Noble usually carry it too...And I just love the scrap quilt on the cover this month made by Paula Barnes ~ it may just have to become my new "sew offs" project :)

PS ~ Don't forget to snag the Free Pattern for Month Two of our Quick Mystery BOM Runner!!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Quick Mystery BOM Runner Month Two!

2011-10-07T06:00:00.061-04:00

Yes, it's that time (Is it really October already?) ~ Month Two Instructions are now up for the Quick Mystery BOM Runner! You can get them Here from the Free Patterns Page on our website. This month you will make 2 identical blocks, that are very similar to last month's block, but instead of a nine patch block in the center, you'll have a plain background block...

...with some fun applique :) My pattern instructions have the holly and berry templates included, or you can cut them using the AccuQuilt GO! Cutter Die #55043 Holiday Medley. As you can see in the picture, I used wool and the fusible applique method with machine blanket stitch around the edges. (But you can use any fabric you want and whatever applique method you like.)

So this is what I have so far ~ (1) Block One block, and (2) Block Two blocks. It's coming together!

Don't despair, if you don't particularly want a Christmas themed table runner, there are other options.

I'm also making this one in a bright and happy colorway for my sewing room ~ see the little quilting blocks in the focus fabric ~ aren't they cute :) This is also Block Two, but I decided not to do applique on this one. If you don't want to do any applique you can leave the center square blank (which makes for a great place to sit your candle sticks on your table runner), or you can do like this block and substitute any 6" quilt block. Make it your own way!

And here's my Block One in my bright colors. Don't forget to show us your block progress, we'd love to see some of the colors that others are coming up with! You can email me pictures, or post on our Facebook Page, or our Flickr Group. These blocks aren't difficult, you can jump on in anytime!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

A Little Finish & A Day at the Museum

2011-10-06T08:09:00.001-04:00

I finally got this little applique block finished. It was made for Cathy Marciano in appreciation for her first year of service as the President of the Baltimore Applique Society. It was due last June, but I got side tracked with family stuff this summer, so I'm just now getting it done ~ better late than never, right? BTW, the pattern is one of the bird blocks from the Margaret Potts Quilt.

On Sunday I volunteered with some ladies from the Baltimore Applique Society at the Maryland Historical Society Museum in Baltimore. The museum was having a Women in the Civil War weekend (as a part of their wonderful Civil War exhibit that's going on right now), and we set up an applique display and shared some hands on demos and tips.

And of course there were quilts! We were allowed some photos as long as we didn't use flash.

Some of the quilting was simply amazing...

This orangey one was my personal favorite :)

...Plus the museum has areas that I could not photograph like a wonderful portrait collection, an extensive Civil War exhibit that includes clothing, and of course the original Star Spangled Banner manuscript that lives there. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the Baltimore area!

And I scored this out of print book! The museum store found a long lost box of 50 of them, so I spent a good part of my October fun-money allowance on the second day of October because it just had to be added to my collection :)

If your interested in Baltimore Applique and you're on Facebook, the Baltimore Applique Society now has a Facebook Page ~ you can click Here to "Like" them :)

Remember to come back tomorrow for Block Two of our Quick Mystery BOM Runner!!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Winners!

2011-10-03T20:24:00.001-04:00

First I want to announce that my DD Lisa who is super creative, and has been since she was a little bitty, has officially joined Heather and I on the Spring Water Designs team! I'm so excited that she'll be sewing with us, and bringing her ideas and sense of style to our little endeavor here on Spring Water Path ~ it just makes it so much more fun to be working with my girls :)

Lisa's first offerings are her Infinity Scarves that she's been busy trying to keep in stock in our Etsy Shop. They are made of cozy flannel and are perfect for the cooler weather that seems to have arrived here in the Mid-Atlantic all of a sudden. Check out our Etsy Shop for colors and descriptions ~ they are very reasonably priced so they make great gifts for family, friends, co-workers & teachers!

...And we have winners from the Sullivan's Cutting Edge Ruler Blog Hop! There are actually Twenty winners combined from all the blogs on the hop!! My two winners from here are:
Darlene
Karen in Tucson
Congratulations!! Pat Sloan will be emailing you for your information, or you can contact her at pat@patsloan.com.

I wish I could have answered each and every one of the comments that I received, but I wasn't home all weekend ~ but I want to thank everyone for all your fun remarks, and even the helpful tips that some gave me when my blog was acting kind of hinkey (I think I broke my blog with that incredibly long post on Friday!). It was a super fun week :)

Make sure you check all the participating blogs to see if you're a winner! In case you didn't win a ruler, you can get one in my Web Store, Joann's online or check your local quilt shop.

...Oh, and as a final bonus, Pat has compiled all of the recipes that everyone shared on our hop (plus two bonus recipes) in one handy dandy booklet! You can go to Pat's Blog to download that PDF file :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Last Day of the Blog Hop ~ And It's Our Day!!!

2011-09-30T05:50:00.006-04:00

All week we’ve been sharing about the Sullivan’s Cutting Edge Ruler, and hopping around to other fun blogs for cool tidbits and give aways…and today is our day here at Spring Water Designs! Thanks to Pat Sloan for hosting this hop and inviting us to participate :) First, we wanted to share our favorite Sullivan’s rulers:

Heather’s favorite feature of the Sullivan’s Ruler is the frosted non-skid back. Besides that, she likes the 6-1/2” x 12-1/2” size because she travels with her projects and it fits really well in a tote bag, and as you can see in the above picture mine stands up great in my rolling cart with my small mat.

My favorite feature of the Sullivan's ruler is of course the diamond incrusted cutting edge (which does seem to work at removing those annoying small burrs on the rotary blade that causes little individual threads to go un-cut periodically), thus extending the life of the blade. I have several of these rulers, but my favorite is the little 4-1/2" x 8-1/2" rectangle that fits perfectly in my hand piecing travel clutch that I carry along everywhere. It's small enough for easy travel, but large enough to work with!

Look for the Sullivan's Cutting Edge rulers at your local quilt shop, Joann's, or you can find them in my Web Store. (Click Show All to see ones that we have in stock.)

So as part of the blog hop we were asked to share a favorite recipe, and late September in the Stewart house means Football Seaso...and Football season in our house means Taco Soup! Mmm...Taco Soup is one of my favorite things about football :) It's quick and easy ~ the perfect recipe for a quilter!

Click Here and scroll to the bottom of the page for our Taco Soup recipe :)

And just for fun, Pat asked us to answer a few random question:

Question 1. If I take a look inside your refrigerator what would I find?

...Oh my. Well you will always find three types of Pepsi (I have a son who like regular Pepsi, Hubby likes Diet Cherry, and I like Caffine Free), Gaterade (son, remember), and my new thing is Bread Starter that I got from a friend...Any you'll usually find some beer and leftover pizza.

And you'll always find chocolate in our butter compartment :)

Question 2. What is your favorite TV show of All Time andwhy?

Heather’s favorite show offorever is X-files because she loves anything creepy, and she watched thisshow from it’s inception back in 1993.

My favorite show is NCIS because I like crime dramas…and Michael Weatherly…enough said.

Question 3. If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whomwould you like to see play the lead role as you?

Ok, this one made us laugh outloud! Heather picked Jewel Staite (Kaylee from Firefly) just because she likes her. I came up with Mariska Hargitay from Law & Order SVU, because I think she's a cool chick, and hey...we're dreaming here right!

Ok, now that we've dispensed with the silliness, let's get down to the Nitty Gritty! Leave a comment here on this post (tell us what's in your fridge right now), for a chance to win a Sullivan's Cutting Edge Ruler of your choice ~ Yes you get to pick the size that you want! ...And if you've gotten through to the end of this ridiculously long blog post, you deserve that! We'll pick one random winner on Monday morning.

Hop on over to Emily Cier http://carolinapatchworks.com/blog who is the other featured blogger of the day! And go back and read all of the bloggers from earlier this week and make sure you comment!

Sept 27 (tues) Rachel http://www.psiquilt.com/ Allison http://www.cluckclucksew.comSept 28 (wed) Erin's http://erinrussek.typepad.com/one-piece-at-a-time/ Victoria http://bumblebeansinc.blogspot.com/ Sept 29 (thurs) LizzieB Liz and Beth http://dreamlaughcreate.blogspot.com/ Sarah http://www.thelastpiece.net/Sept 30 (fri) Me http://springwaterdesigns.blogspot.com/Emily http://carolinapatchworks.com/blog/

Oct 1 (Sat) – http://blog.patsloan.com

If you're new to our blog, you can scroll back to earlier posts this week for other tips and information on the Cutting Edge rulers, and don't forget our Quick Mystery BOM Runner. You can click Here for the post with information, and get the Free pattern download ~ we just started with Block One this month, so it's not too late to jump in. But hurry, Block Two comes out on October 7th, and it only goes for three months, so you'll have a finished table runner in time for the holidays!

And don't forget to upload your Block One blocks to our Flickr Group, or email them to me ~ we want to see the different colors everyone uses!

Enjoy the day!~ Dawn

Hoppin Right Along

2011-09-29T07:00:00.028-04:00

We're hoppin' right along to Day 3 of the Sullivan's Cutting Edge Ruler Blog Hop!

Another Sullivan's ruler that I have in my repertoire is the 16-1/2" square. I love this one ~ I got it especially for trimming and squaring my Baltimore Album Blocks :)

16-1/2" is a nice size for a large variety of blocks (and a surprisingly hard ruler size to find). Trimming and squaring is so easy with the clear lines on this ruler, and the non-skid frosted back helps to keep it from shifting.

All trimmed and squared and ready to be pieced in to my future Baltimore Album quilt...someday ~ Yes, I'm optimistic :)

Now Hop on over to the featured blogs for Day 3: Liz & Beth Hawkins, and Sarah Fielke and leave a comment to be included in their give aways! And of course, our hostess Pat Sloan's Blog :)
Here is the schedule of all the blogs ~ don't forget to stop back again for my day tomorrow!!

Tuesday:

Pat Sloan http://blog.patsloan.com

Rachel Griffith http://psiquilt.com

Allison Harris http://www.cluckclucksew.com

Wednesday:

Erin Russek http://erinrussek.typepad.com/one-piece-at-a-time

Victoria Findlay Wolfe http://bumblebeansinc.blogspot.com

Thursday:

Liz & Beth Hawkins http://dreamlaughcreate.blogspot.com

Sarah Fielke http://www.thelastpiece.net/

Friday:

Emily Cier http://carolinapatchworks.com/blog

...And Me http://springwaterdesigns.blogspot.com

Look for Sullivan's Cutting Edge Rulers at your local quilt shop, or you can find them in our Web Store (click View All to see all the sizes that we have in stock).

Enjoy the day!

~ Dawn

Blog Hoppin Day 2!

2011-09-28T07:00:00.025-04:00

Welcome to Day 2 of the Cutting Edge Ruler Blog Hop! How about a little tip of the day:

I think the most versatile size of all the rulers in the Sullivans collection is the 6-1/2" x 24-1/2" ruler ~ especially if you'll be cutting yardage. But if you're traveling and want the ease of the shorter 6-1/2" x 12-1/2" ruler (or maybe you're a beginner and only have the one 12-1/2" long ruler), there is still a way to cut the full width of fabric yardage very easily.

1. Lay your fabric out in front of you with the selvages together, and away from you, and the fold towards you.

2. Then fold the fabric again (taking the fold up 1" shy of the selvages). Now your fabric is four layers thick. Make sure that both of the folds, and the selvages all line up with lines on your cutting mat to ensure that everything is straight.

3. Now you can lay your 12-1/2" long ruler across the width of fabric and cut! Trim a small amount (to the first line on the cutting mat) off of the left side to square everything up and give you a fresh edge to cut from ~ and you're ready to go!

Now Hop on over to the featured blogs for today: Erin of One Piece at a Time, and Victoria of Bumblebeans and leave a comment to be included in their give aways! And make sure you check out Pat Sloan's Blog as she just may have some hostess goodies there!
Here is the schedule of all the blogs ~ don't forget to stop back again tomorrow, and come back for my day on Friday!!

Tuesday:

Pat Sloan http://blog.patsloan.com

Rachel Griffith http://psiquilt.com

Allison Harris http://www.cluckclucksew.com

Wednesday:

Erin Russek http://erinrussek.typepad.com/one-piece-at-a-time

Victoria Findlay Wolfe http://bumblebeansinc.blogspot.com

Thursday:

Liz & Beth Hawkins http://dreamlaughcreate.blogspot.com

Sarah Fielke http://www.thelastpiece.net/

Friday:

Emily Cier http://carolinapatchworks.com/blog

...And Me http://springwaterdesigns.blogspot.com

Look for Sullivan's Cutting Edge Rulers at your local quilt shop, or you can find them in our Web Store (click View All to see all the sizes that we have in stock).

Enjoy the day!

~ Dawn

Trying Out a New Ruler

2011-09-27T07:20:00.001-04:00

Day 1 is here for the Sullivan's Cutting Edge Ruler Blog Hop! Every day there will be two Bloggers who will share about their experiences with the rulers, some fun stuff about themselves, a recipe for you, and of course some free give aways!

Heather came over and spent a day in my sewing room, and wanted to try out these new rulers that she's been hearing so much about for herself. This one is now hers :)

As a beginning quilter, her favorite feature of the ruler was the non-skid frosting, even more than the diamond incrusted edge that sharpens your rotary blades as you cut ~ although that may be because I provide her with the rotary blades :) She did have to get used to the extra half inch on the edge of the ruler (this one is 6-1/2" x 12-1/2"), but once she adjusted to that, she really liked that better than her old 6" wide ruler.

These are the fabrics that Heather cut for her Quick Mystery Block of the Month Runner ~ she just couldn't resist jumping in! I'll show you her progress on the Block One later in the week.

Click on the above Button for more information and the free pattern for the Spring Water Designs Quick Mystery BOM Runner, and sew along with us!

Look for Sullivan's Cutting Edge Rulers at your local quilt shop, or you can find them in our Web Store (click View All to see all the sizes that we have in stock).

Hop on over to today's two Bloggers for the Sullivan's Cutting Edge Ruler Hop, and leave a comment to get in on the give aways!
Rachel Griffith http://psiquilt.com
Allison Harris http://cluckclucksew.com

And don't forget our Blog Hop Hostest with the Mostest, Pat Sloan who is always full of fun surprises!
http://blog.patsloan.com

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Have You Seen These Yet?

2011-09-26T06:00:00.043-04:00

Have you seen these rulers? This is the Sullivan's Cutting Edge ruler. I love these, for several reasons. They were developed by a quilter ~ Pat Sloan (waving at you Pat!!). I like the frosting on the back that helps both with reading the ruler, and is added protection against sliding when you are cutting. I really like how clear and easy to read they are with the black, white and red hash marks.

...And there's a bonus: this added diamond powder incrusted edge that helps to keep your rotary blade sharper longer ~ how cool is that! I liked these rulers so much when I first saw them at Quilt Market that I stock some of them in my web store (click view all, or scroll to page 2 & 3 of the Notions section to see all the rulers I have in stock).

Join us starting tomorrow for a fun blog hop where you can travel to 8 different bloggers, learn some tips, share some recipes, have a few laughs, and maybe win yourself a ruler! See you tomorrow!!!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Trying a New Craft ~ Just For Fun :)

2011-09-24T20:48:00.001-04:00

When the kiddos come to Grandma's and Grandpa's for a visit, it's never a dull moment. It's like one big party all day long. But when Little Sister goes down for a nap, it's time for the older girls to play.

On this last visit Elsie, Mommy, Aunt Heather & Grandma all went out and tried our hands at painting pottery one afternoon. We had never done that before, and we had a great time ~ Lisa snapped this picture of Elsie & I looking like we're taking our pottery very seriously...but there really was much laughing and chatting going on!

After leaving our pieces to be fired, we went back about a week later to pick them up. Lisa made the large mug and etched words into it, Elsie and I made pumpkins, and Heather made the three-toned blue creamer. We had a lot of fun, and were very happy with our first time ceramic projects.

Here is Elsie handling hers with much care after getting it back from firing ~ because, "It's very breakable" (and she knows from personal experience how hard Grandma's porcelain tiled kitchen floor is).

Definitely a craft that we'll enjoy again on another visit :)

I hope to get into the sewing room tomorrow and work on another block from the Quick Mystery BOM Runner. Make sure you get your Block One done soon, the October Block will be out before you know it!

And check back on Monday, for an announcement of a fun blog hop I'll be participating in next week. There'll be lots of fun, probably some silliness, and I'm sure there will be give aways!!!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Sneak Peek and a Feature :)

2011-09-22T20:25:00.002-04:00

I'm binding tonight. Curled up in my recliner...finally...after a long crazy day. I made sure that earlier in my busy day, I took the time to get the binding sewn around this quilt, and now I'm savoring every comfy moment of needle and thread in my hand as I turn the binding to the back. (This is a tiny sneak peek of my next one being sent out for publication, so this is all I can get away with showing right now.) It was nice to get to work with some really traditional fabrics this time ~ and I'll have them on the bolt in my web store any day now! The quilting on it was done by my good friend, Mary Nielsen of Keep Me In Quilts :)

In the "Other Exciting News" category, I am featured in the Blogger Spotlight at AccuQuilt this week! You can subscribe to AccuQuilt's emails by clicking on the link over on the right sidebar of my blog (the one for the 22 free patterns) to get all of these Guest Blogger posts each week. My post was sent out today, so in case you missed it you can click Here to go read my Blogger Spotlight Post on the Winding Ways block. It was so Awesome when I was asked to write a post that I of course said Yes! right away...but then I had to figure out what I was going to say that someone might care about. I've included some design ideas in the post using the Winding Ways block...Let me know which ones you like best :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Some Friday Progress ~ Kind of a Finish...

2011-09-16T21:52:00.001-04:00

I don't have a quilt top for my Friday Finish, but I finished some Red/Green blocks for a swap that I'm participating in with the Quiltsy Team on Etsy. Getting them completed and mailed out was kind of a finish, so I'll count it!

I had to make Twelve 8" blocks (any block of my choice) using predominantly Red & Green fabrics.

I challenged myself to use all fabrics that I already had in my scrap drawers, so all twelve blocks are not the same fabrics, I made two of six different combinations.

...And I was able to cut all of the blocks using my AccuQuilt Go! Cutter. I used the Value Die & the 2-1/2" strip cutter. That was a real time saver bonus!

Speaking of AccuQuilt, I'm told my Blogger Spotlight feature on the Winding Ways block will be showing up next week ~ probably around Thursday-ish.

So make sure you are signed up to get emails from AccuQuilt so that you don't miss it! You can subscribe to their email list by clicking the above button, and you'll also get 22 free patterns that you can download at the same time if you want!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Little Surprises to Brighten the Day

2011-09-15T09:25:00.002-04:00

Don't you just love a day when little unexpected surprises pop up in the middle of a regular work day to make you smile? Yesterday was like that for me. First, my son was home in the afternoon, and offered to finish putting together the wire basket units for my sewing room closet (I'll show those to you as soon as I get them all loaded up ~ but I smile every time I look at them). Then in the evening, I attended my first Board meeting for the Baltimore Applique Society. I've volunteered to be the Secretary this year, and Cathy Marciano, the BAS President had this little pincushion as thank you gift for me!

I really didn't expect a gift, and she even inked my name on the back ~ that made me smile. This will go right into my little pin cushion collection that I have going :)

Then when I got home, I had mail! My four year old granddaughter had her mommy help her write me a letter, complete with a picture of her and her little sister splashing in puddles ~ I went to bed with a smile on my face.

Here's wishing you a day full of little smile moments :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Quick Mystery BOM Runner Month One!

2011-09-13T08:27:00.000-04:00

As promised, here are a few tips on cutting/stitching this month's Quick BOM Runner block. Download the Free Instructions HERE for all of the cutting amounts and directions. These are just a few photos showing how I put my block together to help you visualize more beyond the instructions.

These are the fabrics I started with for this month. (Save remaining fabrics for the next two months of mystery instructions.)

First, make a nine patch block using the red and beige squares.

AccuQuilt Go! Dies for cutting 2-1/2" squares: the AccQuilt Go! Value Die (#55018), or the 2-1/2" Multiples Die (#55059), or the 2-1/2" strip cutter (#55014 or 55017) - cut strips, and then lay the strips on the die at a 90 degree angle to the blades and cut again.

Since we are only making one nine patch unit, it's easiest to just lay out the red and beige squares in the right configuration and sew them together in three rows, then sew the rows together. Press all the seam allowances towards the reds. (Use a 1/4" seam allowance throughout).

To illustrate this unit I drew on a sewing line in the picture over my actual sewing line because I wasn't thinking at the time that I sewed it, and I used my normal grey piecing thread and you can hardly see it. (Duh..)

AccuQuilt Go! Dies for cutting the 2-1/2" x 6-1/2" rectangles: You can use the 3-1/2" x 6-1/2" Die (#55005) or the 6-1/2" square Die (#55000), and then run the pieces over a 2-1/2" strip cutter.

Stitch from one corner to the other on the Black square as described in the downloaded instructions.

Then cut off that excess triangle outside the seam allowance. You can save that excess little triangle pair to make tiny half square triangles for another project or you can just throw it away...you really can just throw it away if you want ~ it's ok ;)

Then repeat that step on the other side of the green rectangle, and press both seam allowances toward the black triangles.

Now make some Half Square Triangle units. I like to make mine from squares that I sew and then cut, so I don't have to worry with the bias edge of a triangle when I'm sewing (I think that's particularly important for beginning sewers). I like to make mine a tad larger than needed and then trim them up to the correct size. This way I don't have to worry about variations in the seam allowance or any distortion in pressing, and always ensures that I'm stitching a perfect size unit into my block. If you cut your units with the AccuQuilt HST dies (listed below) you will be piecing yours the exact size from two triangles ~ you'll save the step of trimming them down, but be cautious when sewing and pressing so you don't distort the bias edge on the triangles.

AccuQuilt Go! Dies for cutting the HST: Value Die (#55018) or 2" Finished Half Square Triangle Die Multiples (#55063). If you don't have either of the HST Dies, you can cut squares and sew up like my instructions show. Use the 3" strip cutter (#55084), or cut larger squares with any of the square dies you may own remembering that you can trim the units down after they are sewn. Layer your gold and black fabrics on the die right sides together, so that they are ready to sew as soon as you cut them!

If making them with my instructions, draw a line with a pencil diagonally from one corner to another on the back of the gold fabric. Sew 1/4" on either side of the line.

Then cut on the pencil line. Press the triangles open with the seam allowances going toward the black fabrics.

Then I like to trim mine using my Quilt in a Day Triangle Square Up Ruler. If you want further information, I wrote about that in This Post. (I stole this picture from that post too, that's why the fabrics are different.)

Then assemble all of the units in three rows and sew the rows together. Pressing tips for the seam allowances are shown with arrows in the downloaded instructions.

There you go ~ quick and easy Block One for your Quick Mystery BOM Runner. Share your finished blocks in our Flickr Group I want to see everyone's blocks! And grab my blog button over on the sidebar and spread the word ~ I don't want to be doing this little BOM all by myself here on Spring Water Path ;)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

How About Something Just For Fun!

2011-09-12T13:34:00.003-04:00

Let's have a Free Quickie Mystery BOM ~ I promise, I'll keep it quick and leisurely. I'll give you the pattern instructions for a little something each month for three months, and before the holidays you can have a new table runner for decorating or gifting! I've kept it easy enough for beginners to handle, and it's pretty much AccuQuilt Go! Cutter friendly too (but of course you'll be able to make it without an AccuQuilt Cutter).

Above is my Block One and you can visit the Free Patterns page of my website HERE for this month's instructions :) You'll need five fabrics (amounts are listed in the instructions). I'm making mine Christmasy ~ this block is made from fabrics from the Grace collection by Three Sisters for Moda, plus a little gold Jo Morton fabric that I had, and a black print that I had on hand. And I may just make it up in some other prints along the way as well :)

Use any colors you wish...use up scraps from your stash...It's a quick and easy gift for yourself, or it'll make a great holiday gift for someone special!

Make sure you're a follower of my blog as we post and sew this one together along the way. If you're a beginning quilter, make sure you come back tomorrow for a few tips on piecing Block One!

And...I figured out (after much trial and error) how to make a blog button, so go over on my sidebar and Grab it for your blog and spread the word! (LOL ~ I'd really appreciate that because I did work really hard on making that little sucker.)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Remembering...

2011-09-11T08:15:00.000-04:00

No words today...

just prayers.

Winding Ways & A Tease

2011-09-10T20:09:00.000-04:00

It's been a crazy time of off and on electric at our house, first from Hurricane Irene, then from Tropical Storm Lee. That makes life really interesting when you have a delicate balance of deadlines to meet! But amongst it all I did get some things finished. I can't show you some of them just yet, but I can give you a peek at this one. This is the Winding Ways top completed from the blocks that I cut using the Winding Ways Die for my AccuQuilt Go! Cutter (You can see how I pieced them back in This Post). I'm excited about a neat feature I'll share with you about this quilt coming up next week :)

...And check back on Monday when I'll unveil my Free Quickie Mystery BOM Project ~ How's that for a tease :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Sights from the State Fair

2011-09-05T22:30:00.000-04:00

It's September, and that equals the Maryland State Fair :) We visited the Fair one afternoon this week.

It was fun, taking in the sights and just chillin'

And what wonderful sights there were! This Baltimore Album Quilt by Barbara Burnham won for Exemplary Applique.

I spotted quilts hanging from several of my friends and acquaintances ~ This one is Dawn Burchett's from our Jo Little Women's Club :)

(I always get excited when I recognize the quilt maker at a show!) I was even surprised to see my good buddy Mary Nielsen of Keep Me In Quilts.

And a Blue Ribbon for Dawn Burchett's Gettysburg Quilt, what a great use of Dear Jane blocks!

Then I spent the rest of the holiday weekend coolin' it with family. I hope you all had a Happy Labor Day weekend :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Shakin', Quaken', Blowen' & Sewin'

2011-08-31T23:06:00.000-04:00

Well I was off the grid for a few days. Last week was quite a week, starting with a 5.8 earthquake here in Maryland on Tuesday (very unusual for us), then ending with Hurricane Irene hitting here on Saturday. This is a picture of the trees that fell into our yard during Irene (yes, that's my vegetable garden under that mess ~ that's ok the stink bugs were starting to take over my tomatoes and peppers anyway).

So Saturday as the storm was bearing down, I spent the day here chain piecing and watching the news. I figured I'd sew as long as I had electric.

Then I did have the forethought to press and press while the power remained on for the iron.
Then during the night as the strongest part of the storm hit here, we did lose our electric.

So I spent Sunday cutting. I thought I'd show you my favorite little ruler for trimming and squaring up Half Square Triangles. This is the Quilt in a Day Triangle Square Up Ruler. It's so easy to use, just place the line on the middle seam of the HST (here I'm using the 2 1/2" line because that's the size that I want my squares to be cut), and trim on the two sides.

Then turn and repeat on the other side. I always make my HST's a tad larger and cut/square them down to the exact size that I want. No matter how exact I try to sew my seam allowances, slight variations in sewing and pressing can make them come out to be different sizes, so trimming them to the exact measurement wanted makes for easier piecing of my quilts :)

And voila, a perfect HST every time ~ and since our electric was off for 20 hours, I have about a gazillion of these little buggers!

All that chain piecing on Saturday, and cutting on Sunday resulted in me being in the middle of about four projects that I have going now. Hopefully I'll have some finishes that I can show you soon :)

And don't forget the Notions sale that's still going on at my website if you like that little ruler. Use the discount code TOOLSFORME at check out for 20% off anything in the Favorite Notions section!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Some New Freecycle Treasures

2011-08-20T21:18:00.001-04:00

Meet my latest Freecycle score. It's a Singer Stylist Zig Zag Model 457 with a very generous 7-1/2 inch throat space. I picked this up from a nice lady who said she received it from her mother-in-law, but then never used it, so she was passing it along. A little oil and some cleaning and it sews like a dream! This will make a nice little machine that I can pass on to a friend as some point, but until then I can get some use out of it. The feed dogs drop too, so I can use it to free motion quilt :)

Then, another Freecycler was offering this little toy Singer chain stitch machine. I photographed it here with my rotary cutter so you can see the size. It was complete with it's little manual, toolbox, and foot petal. It works, but I found it kind of hard to sew on, so I think I'll be teaching Elsie to sew on a real sewing machine when she's ready.

...But in the meantime, it makes a cute little addition to the decorations on a shelf in my sewing room :)

I love treasure hunting and finding them a good home! Now I have to add my new finds to my Sewing Machine collection documented on QuiltAlbum. If you aren't familiar with Freecycle, and their philosophy of re-use to keep items from the landfills, check out their website to see if there's a Freecycle Group in your town.

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Playing with Fabric...

2011-08-16T20:55:00.000-04:00

I've been doing a lot of playing with fabric lately ~ all kinds of fabrics. My handwork time has been occupied with the sweet old fabrics in this delicate vintage quilt that needs a little TLC and stabilizing for a customer. This is one of the "before" shots...stay tuned for some "after" photos later.

Along with some other super new fabrics that I can't show yet, my machine time has been filled with these new challenge fabrics. These cuts are from the Jeweltone colorway of the Habitat Collection designed by Jay McCarroll for Free Spirit Fabrics. Very eclectic. I'm working with these for a challenge through the Baltimore Modern Quilt Guild ~ I'll show you what I end up doing with them when I have it finished :)

Then in my playtime, I've been cutting up scraps with a traditional feel to make swap blocks. This block is from the High Cotton quilt pattern in the book Simple Comforts by Kim Diehl.

I got to have a little sewing play date with a friend yesterday and I made six sets of blocks to swap with my friends.

...And the really cool thing about swaps: here are the blocks that I received today (yes, one over achiever friend is working ahead of us).

So I've been doing a little bit of everything lately, and that's the way I like it :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

August Reader's Private Sale!

2011-08-11T06:00:00.048-04:00

We've been making a lot of sweet upgrades over on The Spring Water Designs Website (Browsing is much easier, and we can accept credit cards directly without going through Paypal now!), so I thought that was an occasion for a sale!
Since this time of year all the kids are getting new school tools, we should be able to treat ourselves to some fun new tools too ~ right?!

So from now until September 10th I'm offering 20% off everything in the Notions Section on the Website! Just fill in the Discount Code: TOOLSFORME at the checkout to receive 20% off the retail price.

I have a new newsletter up on the website Here. Make sure that you subscribe to the newsletter to always hear about special offers and sales, and other upcoming fun things! (I won't bug you too much, I promise).
...Now I'm off to boil and freeze more of these little guys, and enjoy some more of August :)

(and yes, those are some of my tomatoes and my waterlily finally bloomed!)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Another Practical Use for QuiltAlbum!

2011-08-09T20:21:00.002-04:00

I've found another use for my QuiltAlbum software. Along with adding my quilts to the data base, I've decided to add in my Sewing machines. This is the page for my antique treadle machine that my Grandma gave me. (You can click on the pictures to enlarge them to see better).

I set up a category for Sewing Machines, so in my notebook of print outs, I can have a special section for my little budding sewing machine collection.

I'm using the spaces to record things like the serial numbers (having this info backed up electronically is a good idea for insurance purposes too).

The notes section of the page is where I am recording special information like dating the machine, when I acquired it, and things I've sewed on it or other memories I have of the machine.

For example this humble little machine is the one that I sewed my wedding dress on, along with clothes for my kids, and many years worth of Halloween costumes...not to mention my first quilt :)

I plan on adding memories to the notes section as time goes on, and maybe someday I'll note who I bequeathed each machine on to!

I can also start keeping track of things like when each machine was last serviced, or any special TLC that each one receives.

Just another practical use for the QuiltAlbum program! I'm probably enjoying uploading things into this program a little too much ~ I have to say it's kind of addictive :)

If you're interested in QuiltAlbum, check out their website for information and tips ~ and don't forget to use the coupon code BCC-BG at check out for your special $5.00 discount just for being a reader of my blog :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

A Fun Friday Finish

2011-08-05T19:56:00.001-04:00

Last Sunday I joined up with the Baltimore Modern Quilt Guild (waving at my new friends!) and one of the projects that we worked on were cloth books to donate to the South East Early Head Start in Baltimore. While I was sewing pages, I decided to make extra ones for a book for my little Abby who is having her first birthday next week. I got a few pages finished at the guild meeting, and today I finished all the pages and completed one book to take to Abby's birthday party tomorrow :)

The pages are made of 2 inch finished scrap squares. There's a red page,

Pink and Blue,

Green and Yellow,

...You get the idea :)

I even un-buried the embroidery machine and personalized the front cover and last page just for Abby :) This is the first cloth book that I've made ~ It was pretty easy, and kind of addictive. Now I'm sifting through all of my scrap bins to make an Eye Spy one!

The pattern that I used to make this book was designed by Angela Pingel of Cut to Pieces and can be found in this magazine (along with 100 other really cool projects ~ what a bargain!).

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

The QuiltAlbum Winner!

2011-08-04T06:19:00.001-04:00

The big day is here! First I want to thank everyone who left great comments, I loved reading about how others would use the QuiltAlbum software with their own quilt collections. The Give Away post had 73 comments that resulted in 85 entries (some people were or became followers, but told me that in one comment). So I made a list of all the comments as they came in, and assigned numbers to each entry. I enjoyed visiting all of you who have blogs too by the way!

So this morning at 6:00 a.m. I used the Random Number Generator to pick the lucky number 45...

...And the winner is Pat! (Yes, this is a portion of the list I made of the entries ~ I told you I'm not very high tech). Full disclosure: I have never met Pat in person, but I am a follower of her blog. Check out the fun stuff she does with the AccuQuilt Go!

Pat's original comment on the Give Away post was:
Oh, my gosh....I was an avid scrapbooker (before I discovered quilting) and this would combine my love of that with my love of quilting!!! I have photographed ALL my quilt projects (with the intention of journaling about them). Maybe this program would give me the kick in the pants I need to get moving on this project (especially if it's as easy to use as you say). Please throw my "hat" in the ring for this, okay? Thanks!!!

If you didn't win this Give Away, remember the software is very affordable at only $29.95 for the downloadable version. Make sure you take advantage of QuiltAlbum's generous offer for my readers of $5.00 off if you fill in Discount Code BCC-BG at check out. You can pass on this offer to friends too ~ I'll be leaving the link with the discount code on my sidebar for a while.

Also, I had hoped to have a pretty show & tell picture of a new finished project for you for today's drawing, but alas I've been busy with a lot of work lately that I can't show (nice for me, but not fun for the blog). I have been sewing though, and will be able to show some of it soon :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

The Audacity of a Tote Bag

2011-08-03T06:00:00.091-04:00

I'm jealous... Yes, I got a little day out Monday to Alexandria, but my Madras Summer Tote got to go to the beach. Not just any beach, but my Madras Tote hitched a ride with Heather and is enjoying time sunning itself on the beach in Florida! My tote even sent this picture back to rub it in how she gets around more than me ~ can you believe the audacity!

Besides Florida, you can also find my Madras Summer Tote on AccuQuilt's website where you can purchase a download of the pattern for the Tote and it's coordinating water resistant zippered pouch. It'll make up really nicely in Autumn colors too :)

My Circle Gets the Square pattern was spotted at AccuQuilt too! It's completely AccuQuilt Go! Cutter Friendly, but of course all of these projects can be made without an AccuQuilt cutter as well.

And I'm excited to share that my Stars and Bars Quilt is now also available at AccuQuilt as a Free Downloadable pattern! By the way, this quilt pattern meets the size requirements for Quilts Of Valor donation quilts :)

(I'm sorry, I'm probably taking a little too much pleasure in seeing my patterns on other sites around the web) but my Scrappy Heart Mug Rug is also a Free Pattern at AccuQuilt! Click on any of the above quilt names to link over to AccuQuilt's site and get them :)

***And Last Call to get in on the QuiltAlbum Give Away! Click Here to read about the give away. One lucky reader will win a copy of the software from QuiltAlbum tomorrow morning at 6:00 a.m. EST!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Roaming Around in Old Town

2011-08-02T09:44:00.002-04:00

Having an Anniversary called for a day off work, so Hubby and I took a Monday Mental Health day and drove down to Alexandria Virginia and spent the day wandering through Historic Old Town.

I love walking through towns just snapping pictures of cool old buildings.

Some had real gas lights,

And you have to love a place where some streets are cobble stone :)

I love regal City Halls. I'm starting to get a collection of city hall pictures ~ I'm not sure what that's about.

It was a beautiful day, with lots to see and wonderful places to shop and eat.

One of the historic sites we toured was the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum. This Apothecary shop was a family business that operated at this site from 1796 until 1933.

When it closed for business this is what it looked like, all the fixtures are original. The city of Alexandria now owns it and operates it as a museum. It's a very interesting tour.

The bottles and contents are original. I really liked the look of the labels. They are in such nice condition for their age because the labels are behind the glass made of gold leaf. I thought they were really cool, I'd love shelves like this in my kitchen :)

This note was there, written on behalf of Martha Washington, requesting a quart bottle of castor oil to be sent out to Mount Vernon. It's dated April 22, 1809, Martha was in failing health at that time, and passed away one month later. I love handwritten notes from the past ~ I think they connect us on a personal level...make sure that you write things down sometimes and don't always type them!

My favorite part of the Apothecary though was this upstairs storage room. It was absolutely full, floor to ceiling, with these old containers.

...I was in antique storage bin heaven ~ so cool!

Alexandria is right outside of Washington DC (just on the other side of the Potomac River), and well worth spending an afternoon there if you get the chance to visit the area.

Yesterday was a fun day, one of those "Take a Breath" kind of days that we all need. Tomorrow I'll be back to some quilty stuff ~ but in the meantime, don't forget that our Give Away for the QuiltAlbum software is still going on! Go Here to my Previous Post and leave a comment for your chance to win! One lucky winner will be drawn on Thursday morning at 6:00 a.m EST!

Enjoy the Day!

~ Dawn

Daisies & Yellow Roses

2011-07-31T10:01:00.001-04:00

I'm waxing nostalgic this morning. 29 years ago this morning my world was about Daisies & Yellow Roses, Polyester Tuxedos and Lace,

Best friends who let me dress them in yellow and ruffles (What can I say it was 1982 and I liked Gunne Sax ~ before it was considered vintage).

...and then my world expanded... The adventure began, and I've enjoyed the ride from the back of his motorcycle to the passenger seat of his truck, holding his hand while having our babies, and handing him tools while he built additions on our house. Standing with him on ball fields and camping trips, and sitting with him at graduations and funerals, while working hard to playing together with our grandchildren...I'm loving the trip and feel so blessed :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

PS ~ Don't forget to leave a comment on my Previous Post and get in on the QuiltAlbum software Give Away! Deadline is Thursday morning!

A Quilt Album Review & A Give Away!

2011-07-27T20:00:00.009-04:00

How many quilts have you made in your years of quilting? Any idea? What year did you make that favorite cuddle quilt? What kind of batting did you use in that baby quilt you gave as a gift to your niece three years ago? These are all typical of questions that I've asked myself in the past. Of course I've had good intentions to keep track of these things, but...well actually I've been so busy making quilts that I haven't much concerned myself with documenting them. And even though I know the importance of quilt labels, I have to admit I don't always get one made for every quilt.

Well now along comes Quilt Album! I was introduced to Quilt Album software by Pat Sloan a few weeks ago. She asked me to try it, and give my opinions, and I have to say so far I'm loving it! Quilt Album is a very user friendly computer program that allows you to fill in all the pertinent information onto a page for each quilt that you make. It keeps an electronic record of all of your quilts, and you can print out album pages to keep a scrapbook style notebook to flip through (something I've been intending to do ~ and well you know about good intentions....).

This is a computer screen shot of one of my quilt pages (you can click on the pictures to enlarge them and see them better). I like how they have included a place to tell the story of each quilt, and I can assign categories for my quilts. So I've set up separate categories for quilts I've made as gifts, quilts I've made for publication, Quilts I've made/repaired for customers, Antique quilts that I've collected, and quilts that I've made just for me to keep. You can personalize the categories to meet your own needs very easily :)

This is the screen shot of my Dad's quilt that I blogged about the other day in This Post. One of the things I like the most about this program is how easy it has been to download and use. They have kept it simple enough that it's been very easy to just jump in and get started even for a non-IT person like me :) Sometimes I find computer stuff so complicated that I don't have the time or the energy needed to learn it ~ I'm happy to say that's not so with Quilt Album!

This is a scan (so it's a little faded) of the printed Album page for my Dad's quilt. I'm sliding them into page protectors and starting a notebook of my quilts. This page is full size, but you can also print out half size pages for smaller notebooks for easier carrying along like to guild meetings and such.

You can personalize your cover page. I'm going to look for another color notebook to slide my cover page into, but right now I have a blue one ~ it's ok, but doesn't speak to me :)

The Quilt Album people have also thought of a summery page that you can print for your notebook that can serve like a table of contents. The summaries can be set up any way you like ie: alphabetically, by date, or category... Notice that I still have to go back and fill in some of my quilt sizes (I was adding some of them by memory, but can go back and follow up on the facts that I didn't know off the top of my head at any time, and just reprint the summary page).

And remember those quilt labels that I'm so bad about! This is a sample of a quilt label that I printed out right from the quilt record in the software. In the print screen I can choose what information from the record I want to include or leave off of the label, and if I want a picture or not on the label. Then I can just print the label right onto printable fabric ~ This is going to make it so easy to go back and label some of my past quilts!

And just for fun, you can easily print out other goodies like these note cards (in several sizes and formats) that are personalized on the back with your quilt's information. I love this added bonus...probably a little more than I should :)

In a matter of minutes I had note cards, business cards, and return address labels :) So cool!

I've decided to work with Quilt Album as one of their Ambassadors, and of the most important things I like about this program is that it's also very affordable! You can download a copy from Quilt Album for $29.95, (or purchase a disc for $39.95) and my readers can receive a $5.00 discount on your purchase if you enter the discount code of BCC-BG at the check out!

And Exciting News: The nice people at Quilt Album are offering a Give Away of a Free Quilt Album Software Program for one lucky reader of my blog this week! Just leave a comment on this post and let me know how you'd use Quilt Album. Become a follower of my blog (or let me know that you already are if you are) for an extra entry. I'll draw one name randomly on Thursday, August 4th at 6:00 am EST. Good Luck!

You've worked so hard to touch others through your quilts, you owe it to yourself to document them. Quilt Album makes that very doable :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

"Why Do You Quilt?"

2011-07-26T06:00:00.075-04:00

I’ve often been asked why I quilt. It’s a legitimate question. After all, historically quilting was a utilitarian craft. People needed to make quilts to keep warm at night. Generally, resources were scarce so the small pieces from used fabrics were sewn together to make a larger piece of fabric to create a quilt.

Well resources aren’t scarce anymore (remember my fabric stash pictures), and I can just buy perfectly warm blankets already made ~ cheaper than I can make them myself in many cases.

…So why do I quilt? Why do I cut up perfectly good fabric, just to sew it back together? And why do I like to do it so much? I’ve made a bunch of quilts. Complicated quilts and simple quilts, large quilts and small quilts. I enjoy picking the colors and fabric textures, and the serenity I get from stitching them together (In that I feel a kinship with women of long ago). I enjoy the creative process, and how that fulfills me. I enjoy giving quilts as gifts...

I own quilts that were made by my Great Grandmother, and I cherish them ~ I somehow feel a connection to this woman I never met through these quilts, and hope that someday someone will feel that connection to me through a quilt I’ve made.

Even after my Dad really couldn’t recognize me as his daughter any more because of his dementia, he asked me one day as I sat stitching while visiting him at the nursing home, “Don’t you ever get tired of doing that?” …He made me chuckle.

...I smiled because he asked me that questionwhile this quilt was draped over his legs. This simple quilt started outas a sample for the quilt shop, but when I was making it I thought of my Dad,so it became a Christmas gift for him in 2007. You would have thought Ihad given him gold bars. Even though it was a throw size quilt, it always laid over his full size bed and he used it nightly. Then it followed with himto the nursing home as one of those cherished familiar treasures from home. This humble quilt gave warmth, comfort, and I believe connections when thoseconnections were both fleeting and precious.

...So no Dad, I don't ever get tired of doing that :)

Why do you quilt? I’d love to hear!

Enjoy the day!

~ Dawn

A Springy Sneak Peek

2011-07-25T06:00:00.001-04:00

I've finally been able to get into the sewing room lately ~ I even got to sew all afternoon Sunday! A great way to pass these super hot days we've had here in the Mid-Atlantic. I got these fun fabrics in the mail last week, and here's a sneak peek at their cuteness :)

How fun and Springy are these! This line is called Spring Spectacular by Fabri-Quilt. Look for it in Quilt Shops soon :)

I cut a bunch of these...

And I cut more of these...I can't show you what I'm making just yet, but come Spring...

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Sew In Results & A Winner

2011-07-23T15:01:00.000-04:00

Last night was the Friday Night Sew In. I like to curl up in my recliner, put on some TV and hand stitch in the evenings. So this is what I worked on last night.

I pulled out an old project that I had started years ago at a class in Hershey PA with Lisa Schiller. This project is from the book Baskets and Blossoms published by Indygo Junction. I started mine years ago, but decided to make some changes to it.

These layered roses were what we had learned to do in class, and I had them already finished.

So now I've finished the basket edge, and I'm going to applique a star medallion on the front of the basket.

Then last night I finished a couple of these little baskets that are going in the quilt...someday.

And I used some different thread than I usually do ~ usually I use 60 wt Mettler or YLI Silk thread for hand applique...

But my longarmer friend Sheri gave me some left over bobbin threads from Superior Threads. These are called SuperBobs that are prewound, and well less than full bobbins are not fun for longarmers to work with, so she gave me some of her extras for hand applique. The colors are great and the thread is really fine and easy to applique with ~ Thanks Sheri!

To do some blog hopping and see some of the other Friday Night Sew In results just go to Heidi's blog. Plan on spending some time hopping around, there were lots of participants!

And I've drawn the name of the winner from my little Christmas in July drawing from Thursday's post ~ and the winner is SoSarahSew! I'm emailing you Sarah to get your address :)

Keep posted ~ later this week I'll be having a really fun GiveAway of a neat new item that I've been reviewing :) In the meantime...

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

It's a Friday Night Sew In!

2011-07-22T05:00:00.001-04:00

Join me tonight for the Friday Night Sew In! Check out Heidi's blog for all the details, and come have some fun!

Also, don't forget to leave a comment on my post from yesterday for a chance to win these two Prairie Schooler Santa Cross Stitch Patterns!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

My Controlled Chaos is Your Gain

2011-07-21T05:00:00.076-04:00

Tuesday, I took a little time out from cutting fabric and went on a Creative Excursion with Heather. She's participating in a mystery project at our most local cross stitch shop, The Stitching Post in Catonsville, MD. This is a lovely shop, and it's right next door to Seminole Sampler Quilt Shop, which is right next door to Cloverhill Yarn Shop ~ It's kind of the little strip mall from Heaven :)

So of course I had to bring some goodies home. I didn't partake in any yarn this time, and I was good and only bought one 2 yard cut of fabric that I needed. But I did buy some cross stitch items. Do I have time to be cross stitching right now you might ask...no, I really don't ~ but that didn't stop me!

Even though I'm not actively cross stitching right now, I'm thoroughly enjoying this copy of Sampler & Antique Needlework Quarterly that I picked up. This is a new magazine to me, and I LOVE IT!

And I'm salivating over this leaflet from Blackbird Designs. I follow their blog, and I think I love everything they do!

And I picked up two more of the Prairie Schooler Santas patterns. This is my current collection (they come out with one of them every year). If you look closely at the first picture, you'll see that the ones I just purchased were 2005 & 2006...and yes, I already had them in my collection. (Remember those pictures of my stash the other day...the same kind of "controlled chaos" applies to my books and patterns too).

So, my "controlled chaos" is your gain ~ and I decided that I'd have a quick Christmas In July Give Away: Just leave a comment on this post if you want a chance to win these two counted cross stitch patterns! I'll draw one random name on Saturday.

Also, if anyone has any Prairie Schooler Santa Patterns dated prior to 1998, or the 1999 Santa that they no longer want...I'd be interested in taking them off your hands :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

True Confessions of a Stashaholic

2011-07-19T20:57:00.003-04:00

Yes, I have a fabric stash...and sometimes it seems like my fabric stash has me! It's actually stashed in several closets, among several rooms of my house. (Stash is kind of a misnomer, because my fabrics are not just stashed away for some later date, I do use my stash on a daily basis). Some of it is more organized than other parts...some of the closets are fairly easy to access.

Some of my stash is sorted and organized in some sort of controllable order.

Then there are the days that it's just kind of taking over. (By the way, this post is definitely NOT part of the Where Bloggers Create Blog Hop!)

Sometimes it seems to be slowly invading like some sort of pest that needs to be eradicated.

But the very favorite parts of my stash are the small scraps that I have collected and overflowing in various baskets all over. I think because these fabrics have all been used in some prior project that I made ~ so I must have liked them, right?

I love to root through my baskets looking for just the right little chunk. I plan on cutting some of these into squares using my Accuquilt Go! to make them easy to sew up some scrap quilts while working on other projects.

Well the good news is, if you have a stash of any size, Accuquilt is having a "Bust My Stash" Photo Challenge, and you can win these great prizes! Have you stared at your fabric stash and wished that you had the time and energy to cut up your fabric for future projects? AccuQuilt has the answer! Click here to participate, or go to AccuQuilt’s Facebook page and click “Like”. Then go to the ‘Bust My Stash’ tab under their profile picture and upload a picture of your fabric stash. Submit your photo by Friday, July 22^nd and you’ll be eligible to win a GO! Mix & Match 12” Starter Set. The photo with the most votes by July 31^st wins! Photos will be voted on by viewers and fans of the AccuQuilt Facebook page using the following criteria: relevance, creativity, and originality. Share with your friends during the voting period to increase your odds of winning! Good Luck!

This old picture of Elsie illustrates why my scrap baskets are the favorite part of my stash ~ I think just for fun I'm going to enter this one :)

Enjoy the day!

~ Dawn

Is That Duck Tape?

2011-07-18T21:29:00.001-04:00

Well it's not "quilty", but it is crafty, and I do love tote bags! Have you ever seen a Duck Tape purse?

They make Duck Tape in all kinds of fun colors now (you can find them at Joann's, Michaels, Walmart, and other crafty stores). And it's so easy to work with. While Aunt Rita and Uncle Gabe were visiting last week, they showed us how to make these Duck Tape creations, and us girls had a blast making them ~ Lisa was a natural at it :)

Uncle Gabe laid out the tape on the cutting mat and cut 24 inch strips.

Aunt Rita guided us through the making of the totes. Here Lisa is sticking the strips together overlapping by a tiny bit ~ maybe about an eighth of an inch. The solid color strip is an accent stripe on the bag.

Here the front of the bag is complete, and can be lifted off of the counter all in one piece.

The bag lining is made up of solid strips stuck to the back side of the front bag unit, again overlapping the strips a tiny bit.

Here Rita is showing us how to fold the body of the bag so that the "seam" is centered on the back. You can't see it, but before folding they added a bag bottom that was made up of a strip of poster board (roughly 1 inch wide, and 10 inches long) covered with the solid colored Duck Tape and taped to the bottom. And the top edge had a half strip of solid colored duck tape folded over the edge (much like binding along the top of a quilted tote bag).

The seam on the back is connected together with a piece of Duck Tape of course.

Then to make the handles, Lisa laid a full 24 inch piece of Duck Tape sticky side up. Then centered a same length piece cut in half long-ways (sticky sides together) on the full handle piece, and then she folded the edges over to eliminate any raw edges.

Little fasteners were poked through to attach the handles to the bag.

We used the kind that you poke through and then bend the tabs outward. (A little square of Duck Tape can be added to cover up the bent tabs). Decorative grommets could also be used, just make sure that any fasteners used can hold whatever weight will be carried in the tote bag.

Lisa then used my AccuQuilt Go! to cut some star shapes to accent the bag with solid colored stars. (We placed the glossy side of Freezer Paper to the sticky side of the Duck Tape to run it through the cutter, and then carefully pealed off the Freezer Paper like a sticker).

They also made this smaller tote for Elsie using the same method but cutting the strips smaller (18 inches in this case), and making the body of the bag one layered strip shorter. These bags are completely waterproof and I thought this one would make a cute lunch tote :)

For more Duck Tape fun, check out the Duck Tape website for many project ideas from clothes, accessories, and household projects. Some of these would make great Summertime crafts for the kiddos who are out of school, and if you used those 40% off coupons, they are pretty economical too :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Finally a Little Time in the Sewing Room

2011-07-15T14:57:00.000-04:00

Elsie is visiting here at Grandma's house while attending Vacation Bible School at our church each evening this week, and today we had a little free time so we decided to make some little fleece owls, one for Elsie and one to take home for little sister Abby.

First we needed to make a pattern. Elsie was very diligent at designing prototype patterns for Grandma to work from.

Then of course she had to "design" some more on the pattern that we decided on. (It's actually an enlarged copy of the applique owl template from my Abby's Owl Quilt Pattern).

While Elsie designed, I fused and cut out some shapes for the owls eyes, beaks and bellies. (...and of course I cut out owl bodies from fleece material for front and back for each owl, I just didn't get a picture of that ~ my little helper was keeping me kind of busy).

Then there was the fun of deciding where all the shapes should go. We fused them in place, and I blanket stitched around the appliqued shapes. (If using fleece for the bodies, just be sure to not set the iron too hot, and keep it moving slightly so as not to melt/scorch the fleece material).

After sewing around the edges of the owl body shapes right sides together, and leaving an opening at the bottom for turning right side out...we stuffed them :)

...And played a little too...

After all, at this point with a hole in the bottom for stuffing, they made great puppets! After much owl puppet dialog, we finally did get them finished and the bottoms whip stitched shut. Elsie goes home tomorrow, and Grandma gets back to some real work after that, but today was about fun, and it felt really good to get back in my sewing room, even if it was just to play :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Getting Back into the Swing of Things

2011-07-12T09:13:00.000-04:00

I've been away from Blogland for a few weeks. It's been a time of hospitals, hospice, funeral homes, and saying farewell to my Dad. He's at rest now, and I spent this last weekend spending precious time with family and sharing fond memories.

A little time off has been in order. I'm also indulging in the distraction of my girls visiting this week so Elsie can attend Vacation Bible School at our church. She's been enjoying the new Big Girl swing that Uncle Bobby and Grandpa hung in our front tree for her.

I am getting itchy to get back into my sewing room and I'm starting to read blogs again and soak up the wonderful inspiration that I receive from all of my internet friends.

I'll be back into the swing of things soon, and have some new blog posts, please bear with me. And thank you from the bottom of my heart by the way for your wonderful blogs that are sustaining me and giving me my "Quilty fix" during this time :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

While We're on the Subject of Free Patterns...

2011-06-25T18:18:00.007-04:00

Here is a really neat deal from AccuQuilt. Sign up for their newsletter, and get 22 Free Patterns! This is a cool deal even if you don't own an AccuQuilt cutter yet...free patterns are free patterns right! Just click on the picture above (or the one on my sidebar to the right) to sign up for the newsletter and download your free patterns :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Free Pattern! Stars & Bars

2011-06-24T20:42:00.002-04:00

Summer is here, and it's that Patriotic time of year! Just in time for the 4th of July, I thought it'd be fun to offer a Free Pattern called Stars & Bars. This generous 64" x 77 1/2" Throw size quilt is quick and easy to make (so I'm sure you can have one done in time for Fireworks next week!). To help with that endeavor, if you have an AccuQuilt Go! cutter, it's very AccuQuilt cutting friendly :)

Even if you don't have an AccuQuilt cutter, the strip piecing makes it quick to sew up, and it's a great use of scraps! Make several and donate some ~ it meets the size guidelines for Quilts of Valor too :)

You can download the pdf file here from my website. I designed the pattern to say Thank You to those brave men and women who have served our country. Use the pattern any way you wish, it's my gift to you ~ and share the link with everyone...If you or a friend make one, I'd love to see pictures and especially tell us if you are making one for a soldier!!!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Playing with Warm Fuzzies

2011-06-22T22:43:00.002-04:00

I've had some crazy stressful days lately, so with my little bit of sewing time when I got home today I wanted to work on something easy and quick. So I used some flannel fabrics that were donated by my web friend Rita for our Mountain Baby Blanket initiative, and cut some rag squares with my AccuQuilt Go! Cutter. I know there are plenty of Rag Quilt tutorials out there, but I figured I'd show you how easy it was to whip mine up (And it's the first Rag Quilt I've ever made!)

For each rag square (Cut with the 8 1/2" Rag Die #55013), I layered a 6 1/2" square of batting (cut using the 6 1/2" square die #55000) ~ perfect use for leftover batting pieces by the way! When cutting my flannel rag squares I cut two layers of flannel at a time. Any more than that with my Rag Die was pretty difficult to run through, so I didn't push it.

Then another rag square is layered on top (wrong sides together with the batting in between). Then, so the batting doesn't do any shifting in there, sew two diagonal lines from corner to corner to quilt each block. I didn't do any pinning for this, but I did find that using a walking foot was helpful with the layers. I was able to chain stitch all of the blocks pretty quickly too.

After all of the blocks are sandwiched, sew the blocks into rows. I made mine from 20 blocks set in 5 rows of 4 blocks. When sewing the blocks together, use a large 1" seam allowance. My machine had this handy line marked 25 that happens to be 1" from needle center, so I could use that as my reference. If your machine doesn't have a marking for a 1" seam allowance, you can apply painters tape on your machine bed as your reference line.

Press the seams between the blocks open.

Then sew the rows together in the same manner. After all the rows are sewn together, sew all around the outside edge, again about an inch in.

This is what the finished front looked like before I washed and dried it to fray the edges. It measured about 28" x 34" before I washed it (I had not pre-washed any of the fabrics before sewing). Then after laundering the final quilt measures approx. 27" x 33". It's the perfect size for nap-time cuddling, and for traveling in the car seat or stroller. After all, if you make it too big a toddler can't drag it around as a Lovey easily.

I used the same fabric for the front and back of each of my block sandwiches, so this is what the back of my little quilt looks like. I love these muted 1930's vintage prints :)

So here she is all finished. By using the AccuQuilt Go! Rag Die, I didn't have to do any of that cutting to fringe the edges after it was assembled. I just threw it in the washer and was all done! Playing with the warm fuzzies, and getting the instant gratification of a quick project definitely topped off my day on a good note.

I've listed it for sale in my Etsy store and the proceeds will go to paying for shipping for our next box full of donations to go out to the Christian Appalachian Project for the Mountain Baby Blankets Initiate...And I have enough fabrics left over to make another one to put in the box and donate :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Re-Using an Old Standby

2011-06-17T06:00:00.083-04:00

Do you remember when baby food came in glass jars? I think every dad that I knew growing up had the old stand by nuts and bolts storage unit in his workshop that was made by nailing the jar lids to a piece of wood and the jars hung below when screwed into their lids.

I think you can still find the little glass jars, but now there are also these cool little plastic (bph free) containers. With my little grand daughter eating baby food, I now have a source for these cute little containers...hmmm, what to do with them...

Of course they can be used to store nuts and bolts (see ThriftyFun blog), spices (see Simplify blog), an array of office supplies, and personal care items,

...and even as Monarch butterfly rearing chambers (see the Monarch Watch blog). (By the way, they are accepting donations of them if you have an abundance of the little containers.)

But of course for me, I'm going to find a use for them in the sewing room! They stack very nicely and work great on a shelf in my studio holding different types of sewing machine bobbins. I also have some filled with beads and pins...and I can attest to the fact that they are perfect filled with M&Ms next to my sewing machine :)

I had even added some "bling" to some, and made a pincushion top to give them as favors for my sewing retreat buddies (yes for the retreat that I missed while sick last weekend, so they'll have to get them later). I just made a little pillow the size of the lid, and hot glued it on top. (Spray paint the lid first so that you don't see the hot glue through the clear lid.) And decorate the sides with cute ribbon.

If you don't know anyone with a baby, and you don't really want to eat baby food yourself ~ fear not, you can even buy these cute little containers already empty from TessCreates Etsy Shop, and 10% of the proceeds of the sale goes to charity. I think you can find just about anything on the internet these days!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

The Wind Back in My Sails...

2011-06-15T20:39:00.000-04:00

Have you ever felt like this little doll? I've had a crazy week and a half, and have felt like she looks for most of it ~ I hate to admit it, but I probably do look a little bit like her too. I've been super busy (both with quilty work and "day job" work), then I was sick over the weekend which caused me to miss a much needed quilt retreat with my sewing buddies :(

Now knee deep in another busy week (mostly "day job" work, which is NOT my fun work, and preparing my house for an upcoming party this weekend), I got some fun news that brightened my week...The August issue of Create & Decorate is now on news stands!

...and if you turn to page 22, you'll see my little quilt The Wind in Your Sails. It's a cute little quilted banner that's really easy and quick to make up, just in time for Summer!

That bit of news has perked me up, and now with the wind restored to my sails, I can get through the rest of my work week, get my house cleaned and ready for guests, and enjoy the Baptism of my little Abby on Sunday ~ and maybe not look so much like the little doll on the cover of the magazine through it all :)

Enjoy, And be Thankful for the day!
~ Dawn

Happy Flag Day!

2011-06-14T07:05:00.000-04:00

In honor of Flag Day in America (...and my daughter's birthday today ~ Happy Birthday Lisa!), here are a few cool items on Etsy by some talented artists. Click here to see the entire Treasury and be able to click on the individual listings :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Cottage Breeze

2011-06-08T06:00:00.043-04:00

This is Cottage Breeze. It's a large bed size quilt that I designed that measures 96" square, and it's made with the Anneke's Fabric Collection designed by Jennifer Chiaverini for Red Rooster Fabrics. I'm so excited to be able to finally show and tell ~ it's one of my favorite quilts I've made! This baby is going to be on my bed come this fall, I love the rich, traditional fabrics :)

I designed and pieced the top (and note ~ there's no applique on this one), and my friend Mary of Keep Me In Quilts quilted it for me. She does beautiful long arm work!

The pattern for Cottage Breeze can be found in the August/September issue of Quilt Magazine which is hot off the presses and can be found on the news stands now!

Even though it's a large quilt, it's pretty easy to make ~ the simple center block and the large borders help it to go together really quickly :)

Kits for the quilt can be found here, and Anneke's Collection fabrics on bolts can be found here :) But hurry, they're selling out quick!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

A Sale and Some Friday Facebook Fun!

2011-06-03T12:10:00.006-04:00

I've been having so much fun with promotions lately, I thought we'd have some Summer Fun over on My Website! For a limited time, you'll received one Free Spring Water Designs pattern for every $20.00 of other merchandise or fabric that you purchase! Just specify which pattern that you want in your message at check out, it's that easy! (Limit: one free pattern per purchase).
Also, select quilt and apron kits are 20% off while quantities last!
Like our American Beauty Quilt Kit ~ Just in time for Independence Day, this kit was $105.00 Now get it for $84.00, That's 20% off!

...And for some Friday Fun over on Facebook, my Madras Summer Tote is featured as the Answer to AccuQuilt's Friday Fun Trivia question today! Head on over to their FB page for a chance to win a Go! Baby Fabric Cutter :) But you have to hurry, that will end this afternoon!

And if you're not already a FB fan of Spring Water Designs, visit my page too :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

A Special Promotion!

2011-06-01T14:00:00.041-04:00

My Madras Summer Tote is being featured on the front page of the AccuQuilt website ~ How cool is that!

You can get the downloadable pattern for Free, yep I said free! Plus the AccuQuilt dies that are used to make the tote are 20% off. Just go to AccuQuilt's website, but hurry this special only lasts for one week! Remember, you also get AccuQuilt Reward Points for all of your purchases from their site.

If you missed it, you can read more about the Madras Summer Tote, and the extra bonus project that's included in the pattern here.

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

A Fun Weekend and a Winner!

2011-05-31T22:07:00.000-04:00

I spent most of this past weekend here. We had beautiful weather, although the heat started rolling in yesterday, but it was still pretty.

We worked on our latest garden project. It started earlier this Spring from these humble beginnings. First we had cleared away the pea gravel around the front corner of the gazebo (This area had started out about 20 years ago as the bed for the kids' outdoor play set, and now it has my gazebo sitting on it).

...Then after a lot of digging, and some very particular arranging of stone,

...and arranging of plants, and some more arranging of stone,

We now have a little garden pond :)

The pond liner was my latest Freecycle indulgence this Spring. Hubby had dug it into the ground while I was away in Paducah, and my son gave me some fish for Mother's Day, so this weekend was about adding the waterfall and rock edging...Next, maybe a little accent planting around it :)

And thank you to all for the well wishes for my 450th post. The winner for my little Give Away was randomly chosen using Random.org today...

Happy Cottage Quilter!

I'll be sending you an email to get your address to send out your goodies! Thank you everyone for participating, you added smiles to my weekend :)

Enjoy the day!

~ Dawn

A Smile and a Little Give Away

2011-05-27T15:14:00.000-04:00

While doing one of the most mundane things that I do in my life ~ walking into the grocery store, I was greeted by this little guy. Sitting among a huge mass of orange and pink Gerber Daisies, this one little bloom decided to be half orange and half yellow!

...So happy and Summery, it made me smile :) It just goes to show you that being different, and maybe a little more "creative" than others is a good thing!

...And as promised, to celebrate our 450th blog post, I'm having a little Giveaway! Pictured here is a Moda bundle of 4 Fat Eighths of Meadow Waltz fabric from Kansas Troubles (an all-time favorite of mine that's hard to find any more), a package of Thangles to make 2.5" Half Square Triangles, and a little tin box (decorated with a picture of buttons on the lid) that's perfect for carrying along little dittys, and who knows what other little extas I might include in the box...
To win, just leave a comment on this post, and Followers of my blog will get an extra entry so let me know if you are already a follower, or just became one! One winner will be randomly picked on Tuesday, so spread the word ~ all are welcome.

Finally, whether you are enjoying this weekend at a cookout, graduation party, playing in the garden, laying on the beach, jumping in the pool, or watching the Indy 500...take a moment to say a prayer of thanks, and fly the American flag in honor of the ones who have given the ultimate sacrifice to preserve our nation and keep us safe. Have a Happy and Safe Memorial Day weekend :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Just in Time for Summer...

2011-05-25T22:04:00.001-04:00

Summer has arrived here on the East Coast, and with that comes picnics, days at the pool, the beach and the ball field. I needed a cute new Summer bag that could carry all my stuff, so I designed The Madras Summer Tote.

It's a roomy 15" x 20" bag that has two large outside pockets, and one handy pocket inside. Perfect for holding sunscreen, sunglasses, ipod, and camera...among other necessities.

It's very easy to make, and is completely AccuQuilt Go! Cutter friendly!
...And now for the big announcement: I'm so excited to share that I've been working with the people at AccuQuilt, and the Madras Summer Tote is now available as a Downloadable e-Pattern at the AccuQuilt Website! ...And you can earn AccuQuilt Reward Points both from the purchase, and review of the pattern :)

You can also purchase the Downloadable e-Pattern from the Spring Water Designs website. Once purchased, the pattern will be emailed to you as a pdf attachment, saving you time and shipping costs!

The pattern also includes instructions for this little darling ~ a coordinating Bonus Water Resistant Vinyl-lined Pouch for keeping valuables dry!
(I've also been told that the tote is a perfect diaper bag, and the ensemble makes a great Baby Shower gift!)

And it just so happens that this is my 449th post...so come back tomorrow for a fun little Bloggy Giveaway in honor of #450!! (Become a follower so you don't miss out on anything!)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

A Quick Little Flower Project

2011-05-22T16:33:00.000-04:00

I've been spending any free moments I have outside in my garden lately, but today I decided to stay inside and instead "grow" a few flowers indoors. I was in need of a new Summertime hand towel for my powder room, so I got out my Accuquilt Go and started cutting out some flowers.

I used the Rose of Sharon die #55045, and the Heart die #55029. First I ironed Heat-n-Bond Lite fusible to the back of some scraps ~ This is a great project for small scraps. Then just lay multiple scraps of fabric over the shapes that you want to cut. I cut a variety of large and small flowers, leaves, dots and one of the smallest 2" hearts. (Free hand cutting some shapes would work fine too, just take a little longer.)

You can cut out any combination of shapes that you wish, and then play with a layout that pleases you. I centered the pieces on the bottom half of a purchased cotton T towel. (I have a few of these towels available for sale here.) Using a washable blue marker, mark where the flower stems will go.

Using a coordinating thread, top-stitch narrow ric rac stems over the lines, leaving them hanging about a half inch over each end. The stems should be about a half inch up from the bottom of the towel.

Then I cut a 3" strip of a coordinating fabric scrap to become a trim strip, layed it across the towel (from side to side ~ it just has to be longer than the towel is wide, you can see in this picture that I literally used scraps of every shape), and I marked where the edge of the towel is. This line is where I turned the ends under, pressed and top-stitched to give the coordinating trim strip finished ends.

Fold the strip wrong sides together and stitch along the long raw edges.

Center the seam, and press it open. This becomes the back side of your coordinating trim strip (which now has finished sides too). Pin the strip along the bottom of the T towel, and top-stitch close to each long edge. (This should cover the bottoms of your ric rac stems.)

Tuck the ends of an accent ribbon (about an inch) into the "sleeve" that you just created.

Press, and pin down the accent ribbon to the coordinating trim strip. Stitch in place (using a decorative stitch if you want).

Then fuse all of the flowers and leaves to the towel, making sure to cover the top ends of the stems. Machine blanket stitch the edges of all the applique shapes using coordinating colored threads.

Next, add some buttons...because buttons make everything better!

And if you have a hubby like mine who really doesn't understand the decorative towel thing, appease him by hanging it over another "real" towel ~ my little tip for a long and happy marriage :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Favorite Quilt Inspiration

2011-05-14T22:36:00.000-04:00

Sorry I haven't been blogging regularly lately, I've been away from the computer for a bit. Right after getting home from my trip to the Paducah Quilt Show, my husband's grandmother died. So last week was spent mostly with family, and whenever I did have a spare moment to myself I stole it away in the garden or at my sewing machine. Things are getting back to normal here now, so I'm catching up on some blog reading...And I saw that Amy's Blogger Quilt Festival is going on this week! What better therapy is there than looking at, and reading about quilts, right?

So I thought I'd jump in and share my favorite quilt that I made this past year. This is my Abby's Owl Quilt. If you're a follower of my blog, you've seen this quilt already ~ but it's my favorite for this year because it was inspired by my second granddaughter, Abigail Mae who is 8 months old now. (Can you believe that 8 months already!)

This quilt then went on to become a pattern, and a kit on my website, and it hung in the Quiltwoman booth at last Fall's Quilt Market ~ that's a lot of getting around for one quilt, but it is hanging on the wall in Abby's room now :)

And I've since made three more of these quilts as custom orders for other people. I love the happy fabrics (Summer Song from Riley Blake Designs), so I think that's why I still like this quilt even after making it several times (I'm usually not one to enjoy making the same quilt over and over).

...And this is Abby enjoying a warm afternoon this past week...pretty sweet inspiration for a quilt :)

Thanks to Amy for hosting the Blogger's Quilt Festival, and to all of the sponsors who are offering prizes. Go to Amy's Blog to check out all of the other quilts in this week's virtual blog quilt show!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Happy Surprises

2011-05-05T09:32:00.000-04:00

While wondering around the streets of Paducah during Quilt Week we found many nice surprises tucked here and there, but one of the most delightful was Caryl Bryer Fallert's Bryerpatch Studio. I wasn't previously familiar with Caryl's work, but we saw in one of the show booklets that her studio was open to tour sooo... not knowing what we would find, we sought it out and were totally wowed! ~ Don't you love it when that happens :)

Now I'm a more traditional quilter at heart and I love my cozy reproduction fabrics, but I also love color and texture, and the way that Caryl uses both just blew me away. We had found ourselves a wonderful Creative Excursion :)

In her spacious classroom there was a gallery of quilts set up, and around every corner there was another happy surprise.

We were permitted to snap photos, and Caryl has graciously given me permission to share some of them here. You can click on these pictures to get a little better view of the quilts, they were just awesome in person, and my humble pictures don't really do them justice.

Caryl hand dyes some of her own fabrics, and has designed some beautiful fabric lines for Benartex Fabrics.

And her quilting is amazing. I love how she quilts secondary shadow figures on many of her quilts.

The secondary shadows along with the curves and movement in her pieces add so much interest.

Along with the Gallery/Classroom and the Dying Studio, Bryerpatch Studio has a store in the front and an entire upstairs where Caryl lives, creates, and hosts Workshop and Retreat guests. All were open to tour along with the gardens and lovely little courtyard complete with water feature. If you visit Paducah, make Bryerpatch Studio a "Must See" on your list.

Whether you make it to Paducah or not, check out the Bryerpatch Studios website for many more wonderful pictures (Make sure you click on the Articles Button for information, how-tos, and free pattern!).

Enjoy the day!

~ Dawn

Paducah!

2011-05-04T08:28:00.000-04:00

The Ohio was rising and the flood gates were closed, but Quilt Week in Paducah, Kentucky went on as planned! The AQS Show organizers are to be commended for all their efforts this year to keep the annual Quilt Show going. They had to drop personal and family plans on Easter Sunday to scramble for new venues to replace the Expo Center which they could suddenly not use as it's located outside the now closed flood gates! This year was This quilter's first trek to the Paducah Show, and I for one am very grateful for their efforts. It was a little more spread out than usual with some of the show quilts and vendors located in a large bubble pavilion, some moved to empty retail facilities, and the classes and some quilts moved to a large Baptist Church campus. The shuttle bus operators were a little flustered but did their best, most people kept good spirits about it all, and we explored the entire town.

From the time my Mom picked me up at the airport in Louisville, where I visited with her and family in the surrounding area for a few days, until we drove into Paducah, it rained and sometimes stormed (I even woke to tornado sirens in Shelbyville where my Mom lives...a new experience for this Maryland girl. Thankfully none materialized close to us, but they were devastating in some areas as I'm sure you know). But the sun came out for a few days for the Quilt Show, and here are some sights we enjoyed as we walked the town.

The flood wall murals are really cool.

Quilts can be spotted just about anywhere :)

Fabric sales are tucked in all over!

A little jazz, some artists, and a dancing "statue" in a town square added to the festivities.

Quaint streets with great restaurants. We had a wonderful lunch at Max's on this cute little street (They were somewhere near the Kentucky Ave quilt vendors ~ sorry I'm not more exact, we were just meandering and enjoying the day when we happened upon them).

Quilters could be spotted all over town, and we were very welcomed!

And there were lots of cool antique shops and cute little things could be spotted everywhere :)

This was my Mom's first ever visit to any quilt show, and my first visit to the Paducah Show and I think we were a little bit overwhelmed...it's kind of like Disney World for quilters :) But I think we did ok ~ as a matter of fact, I have a box shipping home because I was flying and limited to one suitcase.
...And I've already booked our room for next year's show, hopefully the start of a great annual tradition for my Mom and me :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Getting the Work Done to Get to the Fun

2011-04-23T23:04:00.000-04:00

Today I had a visitor, but I still had a deadline to meet. So she decided to keep me company in my sewing room and "help me work".

While Grandma played with fabric, Elsie played with buttons and pincushions...literally for hours.

All of my pincushions are beautifully decorated now :) (Excuse my messes in the backgrounds, I'm definitely in work mode)

And fabric scraps are so much fun for dress up. Note my "super secret" quilt project blurred out in the background (sorry I can't show it just yet, ~ Elsie has been sworn to secrecy).

Then when the work was finished, it was time to die some Easter Eggs!

Colors, and stickers ~ she's quite thorough.

Now we're all ready here for the Easter Bunny's visit. Happy Easter to all!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn