Antique Love! Just Add Quilts!

I shared only a hint of my past times.... My honey and I love to wander through antique shops! When we were dating, well ....that was what our dates were! We would wake early on a Sunday morning, fix us our favorite morning beverage (mine is definitely coffee!), have breakfast at a local establishment then head off with coffee in hand to the flea markets and shops! Oh so Much Fun! We picked up this gorgeous vintage wood cook stove! Yes it is in working condition and I love it! And we didn't really just pick it up... this thing is VERY HEAVY. It was dismantled and loaded and found it's way back to our home.

My intentions for it are to put it into a one room cozy cabin we want to build on our property way  back in the woods. For now, it is sitting in my kitchen.

I found some lovely blue fabric! Well, I wanted to turn it into a quilt for that cozy cabin of my dreams. See the blue trend coming here? - Then my mother in law gifted me some more beautiful blue fabric jelly rolls. It was a marriage made in heaven when I put my find and her gift together!

This became my February OMG! with Elm Street Quilts. I never really thought I would make it! Ugghgg! But this past weekend I eekeed it out and was so excited to get the applique cut out and sewn down! Woo HOO!! This gorgeous thing is ready for the LAQ!

And when I see this quilt.. .I think... Oh Hey! This will look fabulous bundled in my 1954 Chevy Bel Aire! What do you say?

I Will be linking up with Elms Street Quilts One Monthly Goal February Finish!

I'll also be linking up my finish withSlow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts, Moving It Forward Monday at Em's ScrapBag, Modern Patch Monday, Patch Work Times Design Wall, Mop Monday with Tweety Loves Quilting, Monday Making,  Main Crush Monday's, Sew Cute Tuesdays, Fiber Tuesday,  Freemotion by the River,   WIP Wednesday's,  Let's Bee Social, Midweek Makers.  Fabric Frenzy Friday, Finish it Up Friday, Sunday Stash, Can I Get a Whoop Whoop and Finished or Not Friday.   

National Embroidery Month!

Did you know it was National Embroidery Month! Nope, I surely didn't till just now! Who thinks these things up? Great idea!

Do you want to slow down your pace? Have some hand stitching for long car or airplane rides?
Check out the Stitch the 2012 DOM Reboot: February at Auribuzz!

February's block is by Sherri Falls of This and That Patterns. Her Version from 2012 is Adorable!

Hilary Jordan, Aurifil’s Social Media Coordinator, also of  Young Texan Mama volunteered to have a remake of the designs and showcasing them in black and white! Lovely!

I will be continuing my journey with Hilary and Aurifil for the month of February! I am well on my way to a lovely start of my day! Coffee and stitching time! Join me!

Squaring Them Up~

When I made my very first quilt, I didn't have an idea how everyone else came up with perfectly squared blocks. I just did not know! Boy were those blocks difficult to put together without any wavy curviness and holes being created!

After much studying, and reading many tutorials.... I get it! Square them Up! So that is what I'm doing today!

All of those bits peeled off the edges? Well, those are future filling for kitty and doggy bedding of course! No waste going on here!

Wednesday Wait Loss 3 At the Inquiring Quilter

Browsing Fun!

And Only $80!!!! What a Bargain! Made in LaPlata, MD

Being Resourceful~

                                                          My little binding saver~

After cutting and ironing, I wrap it around a bathroom tissue roll and pin back to itself until ready to use. All bindings go into a little basket.

Scraps of Life~

In the quilting fun, I end up with all these baggies of little scraps. I've cut them down into smaller quilting units, used templates to cut teeny tiny dresdens for a scrappy quilt project I want to do some day, used the scraps as little eyeballs and berries in applique projects~ Sigh.... And I still have baggies.... I'm going to keep cutting! And Saving those scraps! Just because they are so pretty!

But not only is it fabric! I have all these scraps and leftovers when cooking! Veggie scraps can be saved much like meat scraps. Freeze them until you get a couple of pounds of vegetable scraps, boil them up with water, add salt and pepper to taste. Strain out vegetable scraps and you have some terrific vegetable stock for cooking! Recipe courtesy of my son, the chef!

                                                 Linking up with Scraptastic Tuesday

2017 Aurifil DOM ~ Count Me In!

It's not often that I post twice in one day but I just had to take a quick moment to share another fun monthly project! You can join now as it is still in it's first month!

aurifil-2017-january-designer-of-the-month Janet Clare is featured! Don't you Just Adore Her! She is a beauty!

I'm keeping my stitchery in tune with the Aurifil DOM Reboot blocks so I can put them into one big quilt! You can read about it here! Reboot! Please note.... I have no iron handy at the moment...Sigghhh....

Pile O' Fabric

                                                        I have this pile of fabric!

                                                  I really want to get through it!

                                                       The fabric is gorgeous! 
                                                   I had a blast shopping for it!

                                I chose a pattern called A Quilt for Claire by Emily Taylor Design.

I had a fun Solo cutting Party! Sometimes I really do love cutting fabric!

Then I had a Grand time sewing all these 2 1/2" strips together. No photo :( But they are hanging pretty as you please on my wall. There are 20 fabulous 21"x21" blocks staring back at me. They want to be squared up! They want sashing! They want binding! They want to be quilted! They want to have a lovely binding added so they can be snuggled under or covering a big country-cottage chic bed! They want to be beautiful in all their glory! They want to be treasured and loved! Alas, I need the encouragement to complete them! Wish me Luck!

                                           Linking up with Wednesday Wait Loss

Hand Stitching Away Time~

It has been over 20 years since I've embroidered anything of substance. I thought I may have decided I just didn't like it any more upon giving it a try again a couple of weeks ago.

Then an incentive came along, a wonderful embroidered project hosted by Pat Sloan and Aurifil at Aurifil Designer of the Month 2012 Reboot. Yes, it is a repeat of 2012. I gave the embroidery a try again and added some applique flair. This was a road trip stitchery for me and I loved the process as I could relax and take my time with it.

I chose different colors instead of following the thread recommendations in the pattern. I think my version of Roseann Kermes of Rosebud’s Cottage January Snow Bird turned out fabulous!

Here is a peak at the previous Original 2012 Quilt Setting from Aurifil.

 If you want to join along, catch all the fun at The 2012 Aurifil DOM!

Hello February~

I was so enthusiastic over my January Goal, then came the end of the month and there came a lull in my enthusiasm. Although my enthusiasm overflowed into another project as well. I was putting it 
aside for my February Goal, BUT I finished the top completely! Yes! The top is ready for the LAQ!!!




This is called Sweet Potato Pie. You can find the pattern book here. The book is chock-full of eye candy! The patterns are lovely! I sized mine up a bit from their pattern by adding an additional row of 16-patches.

                                  This the Autumn Season by Shelley Wicks & Jeanne Large

My OMG for February is going to be finishing the 16-patches up into a top completely and ready for my LAQ! There will be some fantastic appliques from Tis the Autumn Season on it as well, just not the same flowers as in Sweet Potato Pie. As I'm mixing the patterns up a little I've decided to call this one Prairie Dance.

And I adore these thistle flowers from Tis the Autumn Season!

To see all the other Goals for February visit Elm Street Quilts OMG February 2017 Linkup

And for More linking up Fun & a chance at fabulous Green Fairy Quilts product Join the Cabin Fever Party 2017 hosted by Lily Pad Quilting!

I'll also be linking up my finish with  Main Crush Monday's, Sew Cute Tuesdays,  Freemotion by the River,   WIP Wednesday's,  Let's Bee Social, Midweek Makers.  Fabric Frenzy Friday, Finish it Up Friday http://mollisparkles.com/2017/01/sunday-stash-212-unicorns-and-more/,Can I Get a Whoop Whoop and Finished or Not Friday.