Friday Fabric and Friends

Today I'd like to introduce you to a fellow Northern Ontario Canadian.She will have a tutorial at The Quilted Fish next Friday.

You should check out Jackie's blog for lots of 3D embellishment inspiration.
It's her 1 year blog anniversary at the end of the month and she is spoiling readers and followers with giveaways.

Go meet Jackie!

Here is some fabric I received for my birthday - some fat quarters of the Northcott Stonehenge collection. They are fun to look at up close with all the different motifs. My mom really likes the blue;)

Here are 4 more Lady of the Lake blocks that I received from a friend I met through Pat Sloan's Quilt Mashup Forum. I will need to unstitch a few pieces to get all of the outside triangles going in the right direction, but I don't mind! The real work has been done:)






Can you see the difference? Hint - look where the blocks meet. I know I really changed up the way the blocks are made to get that secondary pattern:) When the quilt is made there will be alternating dark and light squares on point where the blocks join.
At least that's the PLAN! LOL:)



I received on more set of 4 from another friend. I'm going to combine them with the other ones I already received and make a special friendship row in my quilt!


I'm so grateful for quilting friends!

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I Heart Mail

I have received lots of mail this week.

Fabrics for Michelle's Sew Modern Bee month.




Blocks for my Lady of the Lake quilt! I sent out an SOS through Pat Sloan's Quilt Mashup Forum when I discovered I was going to be short several blocks in this quilt.





So far I've been sent blocks and block components so I can mix and match.




Wonderful blues!!




My fabric matching helper:)

I was also thrilled to receive my white fabric for the Liberated Churn Dash quilt!



Hopefully 4 yards is going to be enough to finish.




Here is one-third of the quilt laid out on my bed. With the feline inspector!

I received some more happy mail too - that I'm not *quite* ready to share with you yet:)
Soon, I promise!

With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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Finishing and Focusing

My Design Wall this week has these 6 cupcakes up for my niece's birthday present.
I'm challenging myself to make my nieces and nephew birthday gifts that incorporate their age this year.
The cupcake is a free pattern from Stephanie at Loft Creations that I couldn't resist using as soon as I saw it.


I think I'm going to make it a pillowcase. I have lots of the pink with small polka dots {thanks, sis!} to use on the back, or I might cut strips from several of the fabrics for the back.




This morning I also finished up two more blocks for January's Block Lotto.




I also made another Lady of the Lake block. It's been officially decided around here that I need to add another row of blocks - 20 blocks. A few ladies from Pat Sloan's Quilt Mashup Forum have generously offered to make some for me. Thank You!!!
This quilt will be queen sized and on my bed for July when we celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary! Here's a link to how much I had done before out anniversary LAST year!!!

That's after I finish my String Quilt and my Sew Modern Bee quilt. I'm trying to finish some quilts this year - wish me luck:)

Check out some more design walls for inspiration through the links at Judy's blog today.

With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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The Start of a Finish

The first set of 4 blocks has been quilted. I used my new walking foot attachment and really wished I'd indulged in this $20 foot YEARS ago! It's not too late for you - buy one if you don't have one. Use it if you do! It makes quilting the three layers so much smoother! {You're cat may have to get used to the new sound of it 'walking' though}


I wanted to put something with curves in the white block corners. When four block sets are joined the white corners will become a square on point as well. I was looking through lily pad motifs and trying to figure out a leaf to put in this half square space when my husband suggested the mandrake!

When I was first getting into quilting I was also looking into the mandrake. It is an interesting plant with much folklore attached to it. I will give you one link here. There's so much on the internet, now! I was looking through old pharmacy books in libraries 14 years ago....

So, I went and found my drawing of one that I'd made when taking the studio journal course with Sharon B. last year. It's going to work perfectly! Now I'm even more eager to finish this quilt!

I have some lily pad fabrics that I will be using for the back. One yard {42 inches wide} gave me backing for 4 block sets. I think I will be doing a little more shopping for fabric!

We are off to go camping this weekend. The humidity has lifted - slightly - this morning. Hoping to take pictures and soak in some nature and relaxation.

If you're looking for a stay-at-home challenge, join Pat Sloan as she is hosting a FIU weekend. Great fun, lots of support and encouragement.

With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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10 years and Counting

My Lady of the Lake blocks are on the design wall - again! Perhaps for the last time!!

Last time I had them out I pinned them together in sets of four. This time around I'm sewing the four blocks together - and finishing the quilt!

I think I have now acquired enough lily pad lake {a la Monet} fabric for backing. I will be quilting each set of four, then attaching them to each other.


The completed pile is growing. Less than 10 more sets to go! I hope to have this one ready for Christmas - this year! It's only taken me almost 10 years to finally finish it!!!

Check out the other design walls linked this week at Judy's blog.


If you liked to see Sadie's quilt from two weeks ago check out this post:)

With Joy,
Sarah Vee

ps. I still have a giveaway for the placemat in my header photo going on until Wed. July 7th!

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Friday Finish and a BIG To Finish List!

April String Blocks



Eat with JOY! Placemat

Not much new to report here. I'm working on writing the pattern for my placemats mostly. That and actually quilting them! Writing instructions for something you've made is tricky - you have to read what's on the paper not what your mind thinks is on the paper. I'm about halfway done now and so far, the instructions actually make sense!


Now that I feel like I will accomplish my Spring to Finish list - even though I'm not quite halfway done everything on my list (there goes my mind planning ahead again!) I have started to find new things to do. . .

Judy at Patchwork Times is going to start a Mystery quilt - soon! These blocks can keep my cutting up fabric desires sated while I work on the rest of these ones:

The setting for the Basket Mystery quilt should be revealed in June.


Pat Sloan and Emilie Richards' Season of Grace setting should be up really soon to finish that one in time for Advent.



My Lady of the Lake blocks really want done. I want them done. Outta here. They are taking up too much space in my TO DO pile. I want to wrap that one up and put it under the Christmas tree - THIS year's tree!!


My Hallowe'en 1904 is waiting for me too! I love this quilt. I would love to have it hanging or on my bed in October.

So, I guess I have enough BIG quilts to keep me busy the rest of the year.

Will I have one to reveal come May 21 when Amy hosts the Quilt Festival again?

Any bunnies hopping up and down over there?!!?

With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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Thursday 3 Takes - Strings and Things

Last week's string block.

"Waste" Triangles playing pretty on the cutting mat.

Remember these?

The long suffering, patiently waiting, Lady of the Lake blocks are whispering to me.
Enough already! Let us out of the box and onto a bed.

Okay, I hear you.
Maybe next month!

With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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It's All Part of the Value Plan

Last night I matched up my Lady of the Lake blocks into sets of four. I'm joining them to make a secondary pattern of light and dark squares. Already in this picture I see a piecing mistake (top right one). Will I fix it?

This has been on the back burner for a long time. Some of these fabrics I only have pieces of in these blocks. In this set you can see I'm hoping the two purples balance out and read light.

I challenged myself to NOT use brights, geometrics, and specifically RED. In this set you can see I'm trying to convince your eyes to read that pale green as DARK. Am I successful?



This set is another chance to play VALUE games. When it's joined to other sets the peaches will hopefully still read LIGHT.

Some yellow and LIME green sneaking in. I like this set.



I learned that directional prints aren't the best idea in this kind of scrap quilt. It remains to be seen if I will be able to keep the prints readable.



Another directional print. I also avoided PINK as much as possible,and tried to have BLUE in every block.


Do they all look the SAME yet? Good:)


Another BRIGHT set. We'll see how well it blends in with its neighbours in the BIG quilt.


This set has some issues. I need to switch some of the blocks around. As you can see, my little helper was involved. He also DANCED on each set as I laid them out - that's why some of the blocks look, well, danced on! Others do need some TLC before I sew them together. (But I'm not going to point out which ones!)

The GOOD news is that I put together 14 SETS of blocks last night. Not sewed together, but all buddied up and pinned together - and photographed!


That means I already have 6 sets sewn together! And put in another box out of sight - waiting.


Now I can work at sewing these sets together while I work on other projects. I plan to quilt each set then join them. I also plan. . .

to have it DONE by July!



Please send any and all well wishes and pep talks directly through my comments.
Harsh value critiques(or even LIGHT ones) well, if you must, send those along too:)

With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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Monday's List

My design wall is waiting for me this morning. I finished my nephew's Birthday placemat that was up last week. I'm finding string projects easy distractions:)

I have last week's string block completed. On the desk is my Birthday panel from last week. It's half quilted. That's a top priority so it's taking up prime space. Which is good because. . .



I am a little too excited that this mitten fits inside 5 inches square! A design that won't leave me alone is made up of several of these. Good thing my table is covered and I have this bin -

filled with my Lady of the Lake blocks that need to be sewn together in sets of four - staring me down. 20 sets of 4.

My week looks full!
Check out what the others are working on this week through the links at Judy's blog.




With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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Take Three on New Year's Eve

Once the hustle and bustle of Christmas travelling slowed down, I was able to finish the last six blocks for my Lady of the Lake quilt. I am so happy to be moving onto the next stage of this quilt in 2010!

I received a literal STACK of fabrics for Christmas! Most bought just for me, some from my sister's stash. This coming weekend Pat Sloan is doing a Share A Long for cleaning up and quilting related New Year's resolutions. On my list is to get this pile into circulation:)

Last, but not least, I am the official carrier of Green Bag Lady Bag #7783! I won this one in the Sew Mama Sew giveaway day. It came with the fabric to make another bag to giveaway. These bags are quick and easy and really useful. I'm going to link the tutorial in my sidebar - next year!

Wishing you Peace and JOY as we enter 2010.


With Joy,

Sarah Vee

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