Purging Update with First Fabric Destash!

I am participating in Stitched in Color's Purge Along. The table runner I showed you in my first purge post has been layered and is being quilted by my friend Kim. I also finished the top of a quilt for our friend Phil, made entirely of Stash fabric, shown here.

Tonight, while Joannie and Sue sewed, I worked on organizing some fabric for sale in my Etsy Shop. The first box that I attacked was the beige box. I have a strong aversion to beige.

Below is Bundle #1 which has 12 Fat Quarters and 8 Long Quarters.

Fat Quarters, set of 12 shown here.

Long quarters, set of 8 shown here.

Below is Bundle #2, which has 7 Fat Quarters, 4 Long Quarters (one not shown, a very plain beige), 8 strips that are 4.5"x40",  and a 2/3 yard piece.

This is 7 fat quarters and 4 long quarters. One is not shown here because I added it later.

This piece is 2/3 of a yard.

Lastly, I will shove all of the remaining beige fabrics which are large scraps into Bundle #3.

I am mailing these in flat rate Priority Mail envelopes (postage is $5.95 each). Any of you out there crazy enough to want all the beige bundles, let me know and I will repackage it into one flat rate Priority Mail box and update the postage.

I also purged an ancient knitting project that I started at least 20 years ago. It's been living in a cardboard box in my hallway after it was forced out of the upstairs sewing room closet to make room for more fabric. My friend Sue will give it to one of her ladies at Rosie's Place (a womens' shelter in Boston), who will love a knitting UFO to finish.

I didn't even remember that I had so much done. The front and back and finished and sewn together. This is a dinosaur sweater with bobbles for scales. There are also three dimensional scales to add.

Here is Joannie's latest finish, a beautiful tote bag that she is giving to a friend in her golf league who organizes their annual banquet.

Joannie embroidered the pocket with golf tees and it says, "Fairways are overrated!", which is a private joke on her golf team. The bag tells a story with brown fabric for the sand traps, green fabric for the fairway and blue fabric for the sky. There is golf ball fabric on the bottom.

I am late to the party this week, but linking up to Stitched in Color's Purge Along. Adding a link on Tuesday to Connie's Freemotion by the River. Linking up on Friday to Richard and Tanya Quilts, Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Crazy Mom Quilts. Linking up on Sunday to Sew Many Ways.

Thanks for visiting!

Pugs and kisses,
Nancy

Sunday Funny

I have lots of things I want to share with you, but need some time to write them up. Here's a Sunday funny for you from my friend Cindy.

Have a good night!

Pugs and kisses,
Nancy

Kimono Jacket Class

Not too much exciting going on here. I am actually sewing and in fact I am taking a 3-session kimono jacket class. Last week was the first class. I brought my bad self to class and was in a grumpy mood when I got there. The teacher was tired and a little off her game (I am purposely not identifying the shop or the teacher because I've taken many classes with her before and she is excellent). That Woman was there, you know, the one who doesn't stop talking the entire class and asks the teacher to repeat herself because she was busy talking while the teacher was trying to give instructions. I had to refrain from smacking her.

The jacket has no pattern and is based on your own measurements. It is constructed of four rectangles. The fabric I'm using is a pink and purple tweed and it came from my Stash. I bought it several years ago at a quilter's rummage sale table at a quilt show. It has been living in my basement and was happy to escape.

Here I am on Monday night actually doing my homework for class. I am sewing the lining to the jacket panels. I used a decorative stitch, which you can see on the lining side but it doesn't show on the front because the fabric has a lot of texture.

Here is a closer look at the fabric. The colors are very pretty.

Tonight was the second session. I tried to leave my bad self at home and fortified myself with dinner and a couple of snacks before I left the house. I also told myself to ignore That Woman if she had verbal diarrhea again (she did, she must live alone and be eager for an audience). I thought this session went much better. This week our instructor had prepared a handout for us and did a great demo on how to make a welt pocket.

I basted my jacket panels together and I am a little on the fence. First, I'm not sure that this style will be flattering on me (by the way the store sample is gorgeous, of course, I think it is a size 6) and second, my tweed jacket is screaming Barbara Bush to me. I'm not into Chanel or pearls (I much prefer zebra print and earrings that hang to my waist), so I will have to do some type of embellishment (applique? embroidery? glitter?) on top of the tweed so I can wear it with pride.

I did treat myself to some fabric on Monday afternoon when I made a lunch time run to Sewphisticated. Celestine is up from North Carolina for a month and working at the store. She gave me a big hug when she saw me.

The Christmas dogs (see the pug?) will be a pillowcase for Cindy, the zebra print and the lime green daisies are headed for the Stash and the cat fabric is being collected to make gifts for the three women who staff my veterinarian's front office.

Thanks for all of your nice comments on my Pets on Quilt Show entry. I am still writing back to everyone.

Hope your week is going well. Maybe I will bring duct tape to my class next week...

Linking up on Friday to Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Richard and Tanya Quilts and Crazy Mom Quilts. 

Pugs and kisses,
Nancy

Time to Vote

A very special message from Romeo, Elvis and LarryPug

Did you see our fabulous post about being in the quilt show again? If you missed it, you can read it here. Mom got so many nice comments, she is still busy writing back to everybody!

Here we are at the park this morning. It was raining hard, but don't we look cute in our raincoats? From left to right: LarryPug, Elvis and Romeo

Pets on Quilts Show Contest
If you click here, you can see all the other great dogs, cats, and horses (yes, horses!) that are participating along with some dog and cat-themed quilts.

To Vote
All you need to do is go here. To vote for us, leave a comment at the end of the blog. You need to say, "I'm voting for Romeo, Elvis and LarryPug, who are #56, for the category of dogs on a quilt." You can feel free to add, "they are the cutest little dogs I've ever seen."

Want to see some more pictures of us?

Elvis

Taking a selfie with Momma!

And another selfie with Momma!

I am the cutest pug ever... LarryPug

Romeo, still gorgeous and almost 13.

Vote often and early for pugs with tails curly!

Pugs and kisses,
Romeo, Elvis, and LarryPug

August Quilting Weekend

I spent the weekend with my Brown Bagger quilting friends sewing up a storm. Since we were just down the road, I had the best of both worlds: sewing all day with my girlfriends and then spending the evening with my handsome husband and our adorable pugs.

Karen brought three new pattern designs to show us and asked for our help in naming them. I didn't get a chance to photograph them, so Karen, if you're reading this, send me some pictures and the winning names and I'll publish them here in the blog.

We surprised Debbie with a quilt for her birthday on Friday. Debbie loved her Spools quilt which had a vintage fabric vibe. We all enjoyed a very delicious chocolate cake that she brought to celebrate.

The birthday girl and her new quilt.

Debbie finished this pink and brown star quilt top. Yes, we've noticed that
one of the blocks is backwards and Debbie is going to fix it.

Valerie was making fabric bowls. You wrap clothesline with fabric and then
wind it into a coil. I do not have the patience for this. Luckily Kim P. gave me
a fabric bowl for my birthday, so I don't have to make one.

Kim G. finished this queen size top. Kim, may I copy you and make the exact same one?
I love the polka dot background fabric mixed with the vibrant Kaffe Fassett fabrics.

Kim P. finished her pink and purple patchwork kitten. Meow!

Nancy D. had three finishes to share. Now that she's happily retired, she obviously has a lot more time to sew!

Gorgeous batik stars from a birthday swap. This photo doesn't do this quilt top justice, it is gorgeous.

I love the freshness of this blue and white quilt that Nancy made for a former coworker.

Asian Lanterns, one of our birthday blocks from many years ago, the Super Size version.

Marion assembled another set of her birthday blocks into a large quilt top.
She's still trying to decide if she'll add a border.

Joan S. is making this adorable wall hanging. It is full of different embellishments,
including a cute little dog, although he is not a pug.

This is Joan's newest project in progress. I love the Kaffe Fassett
shot cotton stripes. It looks like a prism.

 Joannie clocked in a finish after almost everyone had left the quilt weekend on Sunday afternoon.

Here is Joannie's Christmas quilt! She's keeping this one for her own bed.

I almost forgot to take photos of my own stuff.

I finished the top of Phil's quilt. The colors are so pretty and happily all of this fabric, except the black sashing, came from my Stash. Sadly, no dent was made in the Stash. Guess I'll have to make a few more quilts...

This fleece blanket will be a birthday gift for my brother Jeff. Over the weekend,
I partially assembled two more and have another two pinned for sewing. Most of them
will be gifts, so you will have to wait to see them.

I had to drive by two of my favorite plant nurseries daily en route to and from the quilt weekend. So, I had to stop at least once. Over the course of the weekend, I bought 14 new plants for the garden. They are all perennials and hopefully I'll have at least another two months to enjoy them before fall and winter arrive.

There are at least four purple starflowers, a couple of ornamental grasses,
an aster and some yellow Stella d'Oro day lilies. I will be digging some holes this week.

As Marion, Joannie, and I closed the quilt weekend around 4:00 p.m., I overheard Joannie making a pedicure appointment, so I invited myself along.

Purple toesies to match my purple posies.

What a perfect way to end the quilt weekend, with a little pampering. And of course, I went home to a delicious salmon dinner perfectly prepared by my husband Mike.

Linking up on Friday to Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Richard and Tanya Quilts and Crazy Mom Quilts.

Thanks for visiting!

Pugs and kisses,
Nancy

Pets on Quilts Show 2014

Hi Everybody!

We're very excited to join Lily Pad Quilting's Pets on Quilts Show again! We are entering in the Dogs on Quilts category. We participated last year and had a great time visiting everyone's blog and meeting lots of new friends. Our Mom loves to sew and we enjoy testing out all the final products. We have lots and lots of quilts on our living room couch to snuggle on. Our cousin Josh calls it the Couch of Quilts!

From left to right: LarryPug, Elvis and Romeo

Here we are outside Mom's garden on the purple bench. We are sitting on a very pretty quilt made out of Amy Butler fabrics in a Yellow Brick Road pattern. Mom says that the sparkly colors in this quilt make all our handsome faces really stand out.

We are the Pug Pack, also known as Mamma's Babies. LarryPug is five and he joined our family two years ago. Elvis will be 12 in October and Romeo will be 13 in December. Romeo and Elvis have the same father, so they are half brothers.

Please come back and visit our Mom's blog again. You can even subscribe by email or through Bloglovin'. She does write a lot about quilts and fabric shopping but we try to appear as often as possible. And you can also see our handsome Daddy holding quilts for the blog or playing his guitar.

A special hello to our friends Treacle and Jackson who are also in the Pet Show. Come on over and visit, we've got lots of dog cookies at our house.

Linking up everywhere possible so that our Mamma can show off how handsome we are! On Thursday, we are linking up to Freemotion by the River and Sew Fresh Quilts. On Friday, we are linking up to Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Richard and Tanya Quilts and Crazy Mom Quilts. Thanks for visiting!

Pugs and kisses,
Nancy, Romeo, Elvis and LarryPug

August Quilt of the Month

Happy August! August is the birthday month for my father-in-law, Norman, my niece Rachel, and my friends Debbie and Nancy D. Happy Birthday everyone!

I started this quilt in 2006 and finished it in 2007. It was quilted by my friend Terri Bearer. The quilt is pale and pretty, much prettier in person than in the photo. It's a plethora of pinks and purples, in a floral colorwash. This is an easy quilt to make. It's a nine patch block alternating with a solid block, set on point. This pattern, Blooming Nine Patch, is from the book Tradition with a Twist: Variations on Your Favorite Quilts by Blanche Young and Dalene Young-Stone. There are a lot of great patterns in this book. I highly recommend it!

I've made this pattern three times, most recently for my friend Anna, which you can see here. The one I made for Anna is one of my favorite quilts that I have ever made. I didn't want to give it away.

Here is my first Blooming Nine Patch, a lap size, which I started in a class at the long defunct Quilted or Not in August of 1998. According to my notes, I completed the quilt top in July of 2001 (it's good to let projects marinate) and finished it in February of 2003 (my notes indicated that it needs a label; note: it still needs a label).

Thanks Mike for holding up the quilt at 7am this morning.

I've put it on top of the bed size version so you can see how small it is.

Below are some close-ups of the fabrics in my bed quilt so you can see the color progression. The pattern starts with a solid patch of color 1, then the next square is a 9-patch, combining colors 1 and 2, followed by a solid patch of color 2, then the next square is a 9-patch, combining colors 2 and 3, and so on. The bed quilt has seven colors in it. The lap quilt has five colors in it and Anna's king size version uses 10 colors.

Center of the quilt. Fabrics 1 and 2.

Fabrics 3 and 4.

Fabrics 4 and 5.

Fabrics 5 and 6.

Fabrics 6 and 7. Fabric 7 is the outer border.

Linking up with Connie's Linky Tuesday at Freemotion by the River and with Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts Let's Bee Social. Linking up on Friday to Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Richard and Tanya Quilts and Crazy Mom Quilts. Thanks for visiting.

Pugs and kisses,
Nancy