This is how I spent my day

Yesterday I spent most of the day piecing this back for Pinwheel Spin. The reason it took so long is well..... a 2 year old and a 5 year old and well, the same 2 year old again. Their playroom is right next to the sewing room so I can watch them while I sew. However, the 2 year old wanted to be cuddled in the "blanket" aka backing. Since it's an older line I had a hard time finding enough fabric to do the whole back, so I had to piece it.

It's now on the quilt frame. Unfortunately, the same machine that's given me nightmares in the past is at it again. Now it sews for about 2 seconds and then stops all together. Also, they were out of 80-20 batting when I went to the store. I bought 100% cotton and I'm having a really hard time with it. It keeps ripping when I turn the bars to get to the next row. I haven't used this kind before. Any tricks to help? I keep having to reach between the layers and tuck it in place.

I WON!!!!!

I am so excited! I won one of the prizes from Camille at Thimble Blossoms. I am so excited! (Did I already say that?) I have been checking for winners all day and was so excited to see she had posted them and even more excited to see that I was one of them. Thanks so much Camille! It was so sweet of you to take the time to check all the blogs, read all the comments AND do the giveaway.

OBSESSED!

I've become obsessed with two things since my Friday fabric shopping trip:

1- Finding more Flea Market Fancy. I keep checking ebay to see if anyone has posted any blue. I can find quite a bit of pink and green, but no blue! I would actually take any color I can find, but I think the pink, blue and green and possibly orange (which I have none of) would be so cute together in a quilt. If anyone knows of any store that has some, please let me know!

2- Grandmother's Flower Garden. I've said quite a few times that I love this pattern. Well, at Gardner's in Ogden on Friday they had one in a glass case when you first walk in, made in tiny, hexagons. I must have been dreaming of it when I woke up yesterday morning because I couldn't stop thinking about it all day. I have two main questions that I keep asking myself. First, I tried hand quilting once. Didn't like it. Don't plan to try it again. If I hand pieced a quilt would I feel obligated to hand quilt it? I'm thinking I might. Would the universe frown on me if I didn't? I'm thinking so. Do I want to attempt to machine piece one? It almost seems like more trouble then hand piecing.

This Grandmother's Flower Garden Variation is from the book Quilts, Quilts, Quilts. I love it. I also love the traditional one though. This one is done in about a 1 inch hexagon. I bought this book when I was a sophomore at Snow College in 1998. I really wanted to take the quilting class they offered, but didn't have room in my schedule. I figured I'd buy the book anyway and figure out how to quilt on my own. I love the book. It has so many great lessons on everything you need to know to quilt. I want to make the sampler in the book. Maybe I'll hand piece on GFG and put it in a sampler.

Flea Market Fancy Giveaway

Can you believe it? Little Blue Cottage is having a Flea Market Fancy Giveaway! How generous of her to give away pieces from this great line!

Fabulous Finds

Today I went on a little fabric hunt. I really want Michael Miller's Retro Rocket Rascals.

I don't know what I'd make of it, but I love it. Something for my boys. Anyway, there are a few shops that have older fabric so I wanted to see if any of those had some. None of them did, but I did find quite a few other things.

I bought this car fabric by Alexander Henry. Again, not sure what I'll do, but it seems boy fabric is rare so I buy it when I can.

I found these fabrics by Denyse Schmidt. They are pieces from Flea Market Fancy. I love this line, but didn't pay much attention to it until recently. Now I'm on a quest to find more of it. If anyone knows of stores online or the Wasatch Front that still have some, please leave a comment and let me know!

Along those lines..... I had never been to the store I went to today. I had heard of it awhile ago but it's not in the area I live. A few weeks ago I was at another quilt shop and heard someone say they knew someone who liked a store, she couldn't remember the name, but said the owner was super grouchy. The store clerk knew exactly what store she was talking about. I decided to try it anyway today, boys in tow. I did warn them that they needed to be super good before we went in. Anyway.... this lady was in a good mood today. The reason I had decided to go was when I was at another shop I met a lady from my neighborhood I know. She told me to go and what a great store it was. She did warn me about the owner though. She had just been there and did mention that she seemed in a decent mood today. So we get there and she wasn't' too bad. As I was having her cut my fabric I said how glad she was that she had some and I'd been looking for it online because I hadn't been able to find it in stores. She didn't really say anything about that for awhile. She had a guy from Alexander Henry there and he started talking to her. Then she said to him ( but really to me) something about how young quilters now look online for all their fabric so she didn't know if she should bother buying any from him because it takes away from her business. Then she gave me "the look." I thought it was kind of funny.

I also bought this magazine. It's the Summer 2008 edition of Quilts and More. For whatever reason (possibly involved in a move?) I didn't see this when it came out. I was immediately attracted to this quilt on the cover. I love it.

Here it is on the inside. I may do it in Sandy Henderson's Farmer's Market.

I loved these Grandmother's Flower Garden coasters. Don't know if I'd really let someone with a cup of hot chocolate put it on a hand pieced coaster, but they look great! Then again, I love this pattern.
This is the fabric I have for my Amy Butler quilt I was talking about in my past post. I bought some for the back, but the store only had 3 or 4 yards left so I was going to do it in the middle with Moda's Essential Dots in brown on either side. I was so excited to see this today so I bought two more yards. Now maybe the quilt will finally get quilted. I love the big, bold print.... makes a perfect back. It's from Amy Butler's Belle line. Probably from 2006.

Can't wait to get quilting!

Less and less....

My finished quilt top pile is down to only three. Yeah!!! I have one that's a latice type top made from Fig Tree's Urban Indigo. I probably will not be finishing that one any time soon though unless I decide to give it as a Christmas gift. However, my husband said our parents have too many homemade things so we need to buy them something, not make something for Christmas. In my opinion you can never have enough quilts, but his family, his choice of gifts. I've started something different for my mom. The second in this pile is made mostly of Amy Butler fabric. I made the top a year and a half ago. I really do like it and I especially LOVE the fabric I got for the back, but I've never quilted it. The bottom one is the pinwheel spin. I think that is the next to be quilted. The fabric is discontinued though so I'm hoping I have enough to piece a back. Otherwise I'll do the Amy Butler one.

This is Jelly Stars on the quilt frame. Should be completely quilted in a half hour (just taking a little break now). If my headache goes away before 8:30 I'll start binding tonight too..... maybe. I should finish the flower I'm working on. Also, Thursday is Office night. That is one show I just sit and watch. I love it!

Thanks to all those of you who gave advice on Pretzel Party. I think I won't be starting that quilt any time soon. It does sound hard. Also, I looked under Pattern Corrections on the site and it said to call for help! That sounds like a headache in the making!

Pretzel Party

So here I am thinking about starting another quilt..... of course I'm still going to finish what I have going first.... probably. Anyway, I have a question for all of out there in blogland. Have any of you made Pretzel Party by American Jane? Does it have Y seams? I am a big avoider of Y seams. I want to order it, but want to find this out first! Thanks!