I know I have mentioned this before, but I'll mention it again, I belong to a Flickr group that swaps Postage Stamp Blocks.  Well, I haven't posted pictures of my finished blocks.  The first set of 10 above are for me to keep and add to the 10 or so I already have.  I strip/chain pieced these blocks to save time and these 10 are actually duplicates of 10 that I sent to swap.  The 20 blocks pictured below are the ones that I sent to FairlyMerry (the group leader and swap mama) in order for her to swap them with the other members and then send back 20 different blocks to me.  After this swap is finished I am hoping to have enough to put my quilt top together,  Excited to get this one laid out and finished up.  I am really looking forward to seeing what this one will look like finished.

Oh, and before I forget to post this...I have a winner for the fabric bundle and book from Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway Day!  Random.org picked number 198, which ended up being Michelle Smith!  I have already contacted Michelle, and since she has already returned my response, giveaway day is officially over.  Congratulations Michelle, enjoy your fabric and new book!

Laying out a quilt, of course, what were your thinking?  Trash, that is what you were thinking!  Shame, shame....

With the children tucked into their beds, I spent some time on the kitchen floor auditioning layouts.  I think this one won!  Hope to sew her up soon.  This picture is terrible and does not show off the true beauty of these fabrics, but this quilt will be stunning, if I do say so myself.

P.S.   To all you hard working, self sacrificing lovely mamas out there, Happy Mother's Day a tad bit early!

The first quarter of the year has come and gone.  Where does the time go, I know you feel it too!  With a new quarter comes a new list of goals.  I only finished one of my listed goals last quarter, you can see it HERE.  Though in self defense, I finished and started a ton of things.  I actually feel quite accomplished, so no worries about just one finish, this quarter will be more productive towards the list, I can feel it!  So here it is...

1.  April - Cosmic Burst Quilt, I don't have any new pictures because I don't want to take away the surprise, but this one is already quilted and just awaiting binding.  It should be my first finish.  This quilt was carried over from the first quarter, I could have rushed to finish in time, but decided not to stress and just finish it in my own time.

2.  April - Two pair of Goodnight, Sweetheart Pajamas from the "Sewing for Boys" book.  I did make a tad bit of progress and have the two pair of pajamas cut out and ready to sew.  I hope to finish these in conjunction with Kids Clothes Week Spring (April 22-29.)  These pajamas are the last thing I will carry over from the first quarter.

3.  April - String Blocks!  Rachel at Stitched in Color is currently hosting a String Fever Event, so these blocks moved up on my list.  You just have to have a finished quilt top, so really that is all I am aiming for, but having it totally finished would be great!  I have a plan for these and am excited to get it laid out.  These blocks were from a bee and have been dragging around for about two years.  Crazy!

4.  May -  Wonky star blocks from a bee that I was in last year, these haven't been hanging around that long but the quilt will be for a special someone later this year, so I really want to get it done ahead of time.  I am possibly thinking of turning these on point and maybe adding in some larger wonky stars, I guess we shall see.

5.  May -  Bloom Bloom Pow, a quilt I started last quarter, this quilt-along wraps up in May, so I would like to finish on the same time schedule.  Right now I am currently piecing this one!  I love all that Flea Market Fancy Legacy!

6. May -  Strings Christmas Quilt, yes, I have two uncompleted string quilts.  I may try and get the top done on this one to enter into Stitched in Color's contest.  This is my big "maybe" project, but at least if I can get the top done, then I can just quilt it around Christmas time.  I only have 12 blocks finished, so unfortunately I think I have a lot more work to do with this one.  The odds of this one getting "finished" this quarter are slim to none, but heck, why not throw it in there.

7.  June - Y Seams Quilt, this is another Christmas present later this year, I have 12 completed blocks from a bee round last year.  This will be a throw quilt.  I am still debating as to if I will make more blocks or add in solid hexagons in between.  Who knows?  I can't wait to see how it will materialize, I love these blocks so much.

8.  June - Dancing Stars Table Runner, started in January, I currently have 6 blocks done (I think?) and need to have 14 total.  I can only tolerate paper piecing in small doses, so a few blocks each month, hopefully by June I can wrap this one up.  All the fabric is cut out, just have to piece it.

9.  June - Oh these postage stamp blocks have been hanging around for a while, and recently I found another Flickr swap, swapping more of these blocks, so I joined in and just finished up making 30 more.  20 to swap and 10 to keep.  Currently I have 20 blocks and after the swap I should have 40, which I believe will be enough to put this quilt together.  This one is last on my list because I'm not sure when the swap will wrap up and blocks will be received, but if I can, I would love to finish it this quarter!

I know this list is totally ambitious and maybe not possible, for me anyway, but it feels good to put them all out there and see what I can actually get done!

Linking up with the following motivators:

I decided to join the Bloom Bloom Pow Quilt-Along hosted by Freshly Pieced.  As soon as I saw the pattern I knew I wanted to make that quilt!  I also knew that I wanted to use fabric totally from my stash.  So I started digging and stumbled across some hoarded Flea Market Fancy Legacy by Denyse Schmidt.  Oh I love the colors in this collection.  I also added two prints that aren't from that collection, but ones that I love and match, I figured, why not?  So I pulled out the stack, set it aside and waited for the first post about design strategy.

Once Lee had posted the first step about design, which primarily took advantage of light, medium and dark fabrics, I realized that wasn't exactly going to work for me.  This line of fabrics is primarily mediums with some slightly darker prints, but nothing stood out as light.  So then I started rethinking things.  Determined to use this fabric, I decided to stick with it for the main petals, and for the lighter background part of the petal, I decided to use solids, and in most of the cases solids that were slightly lighter.  I know going into it that the quilt won't exactly have the same effect, but I am hoping that it will create its own unique take on the pattern.

This past week, Lee posted the cutting instructions, so I took the time this weekend to cut it all out!  Oh my, it took way longer than I thought it would, but I am happy to say that I am done and ready for the next post this Thursday!  This is the first time participating in a quilt-along that I have actually been keeping up each week, which is really fun and I'm really excited to start piecing this week!

I also did something that is rare for me, I thought ahead to the backing fabric and when one of the online stores recently marked down fabrics to $3.00 a yard, I ordered enough of the above print (praying that it matched) for the backing!  I am happy to say that it does match and I really think it is a beautiful print.  One of those that looks so much prettier in person than on the screen.

Anyone else quilting-along?

My newest design, a quilt titled "Emerald Cut."  I am quite proud of this one.  Daydreaming one day about nothing at all, the idea hit and hit hard.  I had no intention of entering, making, buying fabric or having anything to do with the Emerald Quilt Challenge, but once the seed was planted, I couldn't help it, it had to be made.

I don't know where the idea came from, but I know I was pondering the color Emerald, and then suddenly, a quilt block constructed in the emerald cut shape!  Then the research began.  What exactly was an emerald cut?  Once that was determined, I drafted a pattern, did a lot of math, ordered a bunch of emerald fabrics from Hawthorne Threads and set to constructing this block.  Three strips sewn together, cut at specific angles, templates developed and then Y seams commenced.  Each corner of this block is a Y seam, and I loved every moment.  My test block turned out perfectly (so I guess I did my math correctly) and I was on a roll!  I was so excited that all that math in high school has finally payed off for something.

After I had constructed six blocks, I stepped back and thought, "What am I doing with these blocks?"  When I ordered my emerald fabrics, I also ordered this beautiful eggplant shot cotton.  I thought if I was making jewels, why not have a jewel tone quilt?  Oh and it helps that purple is my favorite color.  This is my first time working with shot cotton in larger pieces and I will say that I do wish it were thicker, but boy are the results worth it.  So beautiful, it looks different from every direction and in every different lighting, and has such a beautiful hand.  I played with the layout for a while, liked this one the best, so here it is.  My husband does not agree and it bothered him that one was going, "the wrong direction."  I explained that I was really trying hard to make a modern quilt, he didn't get it.  Oh well, you can't win them all over.

Each individual "emerald" measures 8" x 11".  I knew I wanted them to be rather large to be able to showcase the prints, but not too large, I think I found the happy medium.  There are several Art Gallery prints, a shot cotton emerald, a Joel Dewberry print, and a Lizzy House print.  I love how close in range all of the emerald fabrics are and how well they all work together, in my opinion at least.

This quilt top measures 36" x 50" and was made for a specific spot in my house, so yes, the dimensions are a bit odd.  We have this window in our bedroom that is going to be torn out, and for the time being replaced with just plywood until the whole wall is redone, probably a few years from now.  So for the time being, this quilt will hang in that spot to cover up the ugly plywood.  Problem solved!  Hence the size was dictated by the window.

I haven't decided on quilting yet, I've been pondering it for a while.  If you have any ideas I would greatly appreciate them.  I did purchase an Eggplant oval elements print for the binding that will reflect the emerald oval elements that appear in the emerald blocks.  I will have a simple pieced back.

I apologize for the tape on the corners and center of my quilt.  Apparently I was trying to photograph this quilt on the windiest day of the year and had to tape it down to keep it from blowing away.  You can still see "movement" in most of the shots, but hopefully not too badly.

I am entering "Emerald Cut" into the Emerald Quilt Challenge sponsored by a.squared.w.  Since this is just a quilt top, I am entering it into the "Just the Top" category and this quilt measures 36" x 50".

I am also playing along with Family Ever After Sew-Vivor Sew-Along, and since the first challenge is Emerald, this quilt top fits right into that category!

I just thought I would pop in to share my fabric choices and first block constructed as part of the Dancing Stars Quilt-Along hosted by Amy Ellis over at Amy's Creative Side.  I only need to make 14 of these blocks because I am making a table runner, and I will not lie, they are time consuming, but I think the result is totally worth it.  It is also nice to brush up on my paper piecing skills.  I am using some Kona solids, this great letter text print and some of my precious Liberty of London fabrics from a swap I participated in last year.  So fun!

The whole family had this terrible stomach virus yuck last week, so it is nice to start a new week fresh and hopefully done with the sickness (fingers crossed!)  Maybe I will actually get some time to make a few more of these blocks.

Interested in joining in this quilt-along?  You can follow along or join over on Flickr.

Determined to have a bunch of Birthday and Christmas gifts made and set aside for the following year (to reduce the holiday sewing stress,) I decided to make a lot of Triple Zip Pouches to give this year. Featured here today are the first five I have finished.  I have another six cut out, interfaced and ready to sew.   They won't be finished in time for the Triple Zip Along hosted by A Quilter's Table, but at least they are ready to go!  I think the hard part is going to be deciding who will get what pouch.  They are all so pretty, in my opinion at least!

These five went together so quickly, especially when sewing assembly line style.  Once you have made one and understand the process, it really is so easy to construct the rest.  I just love them and am seriously considering keeping one for myself!  I will be adding these to the Triple Zip Along Flickr Pool and if you get a chance, head over and be prepared to be awed by the sheer amount of people who have made the same pouch, but yet they all look so different.  So impressive!  Thanks Debbie for such a great tutorial and such a fun sew along!

I also wanted to briefly mention that all my zippers were purchased from Zipit, a wonderful etsy shop with great prices and fast shipping, I can not recommend them enough.  Also, all of these pouches were constructed using Pellon interfacing.  Both of these businesses are sponsors of the sew along!

It begins!  What, you ask?  The Triple Zip Along hosted by Debbie over at A Quilter's Table.  Debbie designed and created this great tutorial for a super cute triple zippered pouch.  I made two pouches right before the Christmas holidays for my son's two teachers Christmas gifts.  I think they turned out too cute. I plan to participate with everyone who has signed up for this fun sew along, I need to make more!  Debbie has created a Flickr group for you to join and follow along.  It will be so neat to see so many variations of this great little pouch.  It really is easy and totally doable, uses scraps of fabric and is so rewarding in the end - you have a great pouch that is the perfect size to tuck right into your purse.  The event runs from January 28, 2013 to February 15, 2013, so gather up your supplies and get ready to sew!  Hope to see you there!

My work in progress today.  I can see the end of these two table runners.  Once they are bound, my January goal will be met.  Woo hoo!  I'm off to stitch on those bindings.  Finished projects here I come!

Linking up with the following:

Wow, I had no intention of taking a two month blogging break, but alas it happened and nothing I can do about that, so Happy New Year!  I am starting this New Year with a fresh approach, fresh outlook and fresh new goals.  I'm excited!  This is the first year in many that I made a New Year's Resolution!  Oh my!  This is a big deal for me, I'm normally not the type, but it feels good and I'm going with it.

Last year I started organizing and taking stock of the unfinished quilts and works in progress I had laying around and stuffed in cabinets and drawers.  Low and behold I discovered that I have 14 unfinished, started on, in pieces quilts.  Yikes!  So, my solution is to finish one a month for twelve months during this year and knock out the majority of them.  Most of them have all of the blocks done, they just need to be put into a top.  A few are finished tops, and a few need more work than that.  I am only focusing on one at a time, until it is finished.  Hopefully I can keep up!  If I finish it early in the month, then I will go ahead and move on to the next!  Below is my mosaic showing all 14 unfinished quilts.  Below that is my intentions for the next three months, and I will be linking up with She Can Quilt, who will be hosting the quarterly Finish-A-Long this year.  Monthly I will be following along with Cut To Pieces, who is hosting the Flickr group Project: UFO 2.0.  Wish me luck, I'm excited about this challenge and ready to get to work!

1.  January - Two Christmas table runners, made from these 10 blocks (see photo above.)  I need to construct tops, sandwich, quilt and bind it.  I have all of the supplies needed.  Good to go!

2.  February - One quilt made from these blocks, throw size.  I have either 15 or 16 blocks ready to make a top.  I just need to figure out what I am doing with them, make the top, sandwich, quilt and bind it.  I have all the supplies needed for this quilt too!

3.  March - Time to finish up Cosmic Burst!  The top is done, so all I need to do is sandwich it, quilt it and bind it!  Once again, I have all of the supplies needed.  Easy peasy!  This will be a wall hanging quilt.

4.  Anytime During the First Quarter - Construct three pairs of pajamas.  I have all the needed supplies, just need to cut them out and sew them together!  I want them ready for the boys to wear next winter.

That is it folks!  Interested in following along or joining in yourself?  Click on either photo below to go to either of these ladies lovely sites!