The Wrap-up, Cape Cod, Part 4

Pour yourself a cup of tea and relax. It's time to wrap up our Cape Cod weekend.

In case you haven't read my blog lately, there is still time to participate in two great give-aways! Both are open through February 14th. The first give-away is on my Grow Your Blog Post. The second give-away, which is for Karen's pattern designs, can be found in Part 2 of my Cape Cod Weekend blog.

Share a cup of tea with Sue...

...or some birthday French Toast with Marion.

I want to make sure that I don't leave anyone out. We had so much fun and there were so many great projects.

Kim G.'s Kaffe Christmas Tree Forest in progress.
Either she is very late for last year or very early for this year...

Kate and Marion admire Kate's newest applique design in progress.

Kim P. was hard at work chain piecing her newest quilt,
Judy Martin's Log Cabin Snake River. You can see a picture
of the finished quilt here. Kim has a little more sewing to do...

Here is Kim putting her SewEzi table to good use.

Notice how Kim's pieces form a perfect circle on the rug.

Do you recognize the Brown Baggers new mascot?
Sadly, he didn't attend our quilt weekend.

Here is Marion modelling her new birthday bag!

Cordula made these cute pillowcases with Volkswagen bug and beetle fabric.

I hope that you enjoyed my Cape Cod weekend blog report. Don't miss Part 1, Part 2, or Part 3.

Thanks for visiting! Linking up on Tuesday to Connie's Freemotion by the River Linky Tuesday. Linking up on Friday to Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Richard and Tanya Quilts and Crazy Mom Quilts.

Pugs and kisses,
Nancy

P.S. In case you're wondering how I got Elvis, the black pug, to wear a paper bag on his head, he did it all on his own. He stuck his head in our bag of recycling looking for goodies and couldn't get his head out! Luckily I was sitting with him in the kitchen when he did it, so he only wore it for a minute before I extricated him. I couldn't stop laughing.

What's Your TNT? Cape Cod, Part 3

A lot of the sewing blogs I read commonly refer to their TNT pattern. No, it's not sewing with dynamite, TNT stands for Tried 'n True.

What's your TNT quilting pattern? The one you go to when you need to make a quilt quickly? I am very fond of Yellow Brick Road (YBR). During my Cape Cod weekend, that's all I worked on. I started a top for my sister-in-law Diane on Thursday afternoon at 4pm, and completed it by Friday night. It is a generous size lap quilt, measuring 64x74. Perhaps I am a slow sewer, no more!

I can now say that I've worked in a series. This is the third New York themed quilt that I've made. I can't believe that I made the other two quilts almost three years ago. Good thing I can look back at them in my blog to find them!

I also worked on a blue and purple YBR out of batik that will be the back of my blue and purple scrap wave. It will actually be a reversible quilt. Scrap wave is becoming a TNT for me too. I love to just sit and sew strips together. I find it therapeutic.

Kim G. turned out a mini YBR while I took a nap on Saturday!

You can never go wrong with batik.

Cordula made two quilt tops using the same block, but in different settings. I am intrigued by these quilts and the variety of settings that are possible. The block and different settings are from the book, Triangle Tricks: One Easy Unit, Dozens of Gorgeous Quilts by Sally Schneider. This is an older quilt book, but it is still available. I just ordered a copy on Amazon.

Cordula is giving this one with the blue batik border to her nephew.

Not sure who is getting the one with pink batik border, but it would look nice in my house...hint, hint!
Sorry for the blurry photo.

Here are the two quilt tops side by side.

This is the individual block in the quilt. I think it is called a shaded 4-patch.

Kim G. finished this gorgeous quilt top. This pattern is called Sparkling Gemstones and it is from the book Jelly Roll Quilts by Pam & Nicky Lintott. I think that Kim has actually made every pattern in this book. It is more than a TNT pattern, it is her TNT book!

I think that Kim has made this pattern at least three times.
We even did it as Brown Bagger Birthday Blocks one year.

Here fishy, fishy!

I am coveting Kim's carp fabric border. Our hotel has carp swimming in their fountain. I should have taken a photo to go with her quilt!

Joannie was also making a Sparkling Gemstones quilt in mauve and grey as a gift for her sister. I am always fascinated by how different a quilt can look just by changing the colors.

Quilt layout in progress. This one is going to be big!

Joannie managed to get about nine rows sewn together before we left on Sunday afternoon.

Here are some other Brown Bagger TNT patterns.

This is Jo Ann E. with one of her favorite patterns, Lucky Stars by Atkinson Designs. Jo Ann makes this quilt often. I need to make one. I really like this design.

Will you be my Lucky Star? Does this quilt make you think of Madonna?

Sue loves this pattern below, which she thinks is called Figgy Pudding. Sadly, Sue has lost her pattern. If you recognize this pattern, can you send me an email? I'd love to replace it for her. I've done a google search but haven't found anything similar. I believe it is based on five inch squares.

Figgy Pudding in bright Kaffe Fassett colors!

What's your TNT quilt pattern? Please share in the blog comments.

Enjoying my Cape Cod weekend blog report? Did you miss Part 1 or Part 2? I'm actually hosting two give-aways this week. They are open through February 14th. The first give-away is on my Grow Your Blog Post. The give-away for Karen's patterns can be found in Part 2 of my Cape Cod Weekend blog.

Thanks for visiting! Linking up on Tuesday to Connie's Freemotion by the River Linky Tuesday. Linking up on Friday to Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Richard and Tanya Quilts and Crazy Mom Quilts.

Pugs and kisses,
Nancy

Gambling, Gadgets, and a Give-away, Cape Cod, Part 2

To read more about our weekend, click on A Kerfuffle of Quilters, Cape Cod, Part 1.
The give-away for my Grow Your Blog Post, is open through February 14th, click here. My new give-away is at the bottom of this post.

On Saturday night we played Left Right Center (also known as LCR), a dice game, for fat quarters. There was one round of batik and one round of Kaffe Fassett. This was Sue's first time playing--she must have had some beginner's luck! Cordula also won. And in the end they traded, so Sue took home the batiks and Cordula went home with the Kaffes.

Winning smiles from Sue and Cordula

As always, we got to check out some new gadgets. Everyone was eyeing Joannie's new mini iron which she bought at a quilt shop on a recent Florida vacation. A quick e-trip to Amazon found one here. I may be adding one to my Amazon shopping cart in the near future.

You can even add water and use steam! Isn't it cute?

After Sue's recent demo, we were all intrigued by her AccuQuilt GO! fabric cutter so this time Karen brought her Silhouette Cameo cutter and gave us a demo of its capabilities. Karen and Kate own Berkshire Quilts, so they brought some cutters and dies to the quilt weekend for us to purchase. The two machines do different things, so it would be easy to justify the need to own both. One of the Brown Baggers, who will remain anonymous (and it wasn't me!) was able to justify both last weekend! I'm going to be dropping by her house soon for a cutting marathon...

A couple of the girls went home with a new GO! cutter.

Jo Ann E. has owned a GO! cutter for a while and she brought hers to the weekend and put it to work.

Here are some of Jo Ann's applique blocks in progress, all cut using the GO! cutter.

Did I mention a give-away? You bet I did! It's being sponsored by my friend Karen, below, who designs original quilt patterns under the name QuiltLily Designs. You've seen Karen in my blog many times.

Here is Karen with one of her original patterns.

The winner can choose any one of Karen's patterns. To see Karen's patterns, visit her website, her Etsy Shop or her Facebook page.

How to Enter
To enter the drawing you must "like" Karen's Facebook page (at the time of this post, Karen had 209 "likes"). Leave a comment on this blog post and tell me which of Karen's patterns you would like to receive if you win. The drawing is open to everyone. There will be two winners! If you live in the U.S., you can choose a paper pattern or a pdf copy. If you live outside of the United States, Karen will send you a pdf. (Note: if you are a "no reply" blogger, make sure to include your email address in your blog comment.)The drawing will be open until Saturday, February 14th. I'll announce the winners on Sunday.

Thanks for visiting! Still more to come on our Cape Cod weekend!

Linking up on Friday to Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Crazy Mom Quilts, TGIFF, and Richard and Tanya Quilts. Linking up on Tuesday to Connie's Freemotion by the River Linky Tuesday.

Pugs and kisses,
Nancy

A Kerfuffle of Quilters, Cape Cod, Part 1

What do you get when you put 13 women in one room with lots of fabric, sewing machines, and snacks? A Kerfuffle of Quilters! Marion invented a new plural word to describe a group of quilters. I also suggested "a bolt of quilters" or "a convergence of quilters" in homage to Ricky Timms, but "Kerfuffle is so much fun to say! Can you guess that Marion likes crossword puzzles?

We were inspired by Kate who was reading us plural names for animals over the weekend. Perhaps you've heard of "a murder of crows" or "a flamboyance of flamingos." I own a "grumble" of pugs.

Pat takes home the award for Most Tenacious Quilter. Pat's sewing machine froze on Friday while she was quilting a baby quilt. Yes, froze up with the needle in the quilt. Kate was able to extricate the quilt for her, but the machine needs to go in for repair.

What do you do when you are planning to sew for three days at a quilt weekend and your machine breaks on your very first day? Pat made a two hour round trip to her beach cottage and picked up her spare machine. If she had been forced to drive all the way home, it would have been a four hour trip! Our back-up plan was to send Pat to Joann Fabrics and have her purchase an inexpensive machine.

Pat is all smiles in this photo modelling a new bib
for Grandson Ryan, but she had a hard day on Friday.

This is Pat's Singer 301. Unlike her modern predecessor, the 301 happily sewed all weekend.
Pat bought this machien at the Brimfield Antiques Fair many years ago.
The old classics always work!

Did you notice Pat's SewEzi table in the photo above? We never travel light to a quilt weekend. Most of the girls own one of these (sadly, I don't), and many also bring their own chair, iron, and ironing board.

Undeterred by her unplanned intermission, Pat even made three pillowcases for her grandchildren and a fleece baby blanket.

Pat also finished this beautiful quilt top from our 2014 Birthday Blocks. She is keeping this one for her bedroom. Yeah Pat!

More than 50 Shades of Grey in this quilt!

We locked Sally in the quilt room until she finished the top of her 2013 Bonnie Hunter Easy Street Mystery Quilt. You may notice that Sally changed one of the alternating blocks which made her quilt even prettier than Bonnie's original.

Let me out!!

Adding borders

A close-up.

The finished top. A beauty!

The design wall behind Sally's table looked like a rotating art installation.

Day 1: A baby quilt for Sharon's new grand baby. 
Sharon is Sally's sister-in-law and an honorary Brown Bagger.

Love the monkey!

Day 2: Sally made the stuffed fish for her grandson, who is recovering from surgery.
The pinwheel blocks are for another project, but it looks like the fish is blowing quilty bubbles.

Day 3: More pinwheels. The scrappy blocks on the right belong to Joan S.

Here is Sally's pinwheel production line!

Sharon often joins us for quilt weekends but couldn't make it this time. However, she had exciting news to share with us via email and Facebook! Congratulations to Sharon, who had not one, but two new grandsons on Saturday, February 1st! One was born in Pittsburgh and the other in Seattle! Don't worry, Sharon, Sally is hard at work on baby quilt #2.

Here's an update on our Most Admired Quilt Top from our November 2014 Quilt Weekend:

Borders are on and it's ready to be quilted.

This quilt top was made by Joan S., pictured above, and it is a gift for her son who lives in NYC.

Sew much more to come from our Cape weekend!

The give-away for my Grow Your Blog Post, is open through February 14th, click here.   

Pugs and kisses,
Nancy

Marion's Got a Birthday!

If you are looking for my Grow Your Blog Post, click here. 

If you see this woman below, please wish her a happy birthday! We are escaping the blizzard of 2015 and heading off to our annual February quilt weekend at the Cape. There is an indoor pool and a hot tub, so we can pretend we're in Florida, at least in spirit.

I'm sure there will be ice cream some time this weekend!

Happy Birthday Marion!

Today, we will celebrate in style! (Marion's birthday is actually the 30th, but we're starting the celebration tonight.) I've made this bag for her. There's room to put a couple more presents inside... Marion loves Kaffe Fassett prints, as do I. And I think it is the ultimate compliment to give a gift that you want to keep for yourself!

It has polka dot handles, but I was taking the photo solo.

Yes, it's the ever popular Chubby Charmer tote bag again. I actually made a list the other night, and I believe that this is at least the 10th one I've made. Many of those were in pre-blogging days (PBD), but you can see four others ones that I've made for Eleanor, Diane, Pat, and Rachel. It's a great big bag and most people that I gift it to use it as an overnighter. I own three beautiful versions that were made for me by Pat, Joannie, and Sue. I keep different quilt projects in them.

I can't say enough nice things about this pattern. It's easy to make and the directions are excellent. Here are some views of the interior in progress.

On one side, I make a really big pocket that closes with velcro. I used
the same fabric as the lining, so you can't see it well, but the top of
the pocket is trimmed with polka dots. The zebra fabric is my ironing board.

I made a little polka dot pocket that goes on top of the big pocket.
My friend Lee Anna showed off these metal tags in her blog, so
I had to buy some. They were in the papercrafting section at Joann Fabrics.

There is another pocket the same size on the other side. I divide that pocket in half. I also make the handles longer, so they fit over your shoulder. I add a snap for closure. Marion's bag also includes a strap for her keys inside.

There's a chocolate cake in the trunk of my car. Let the celebration begin! You can't beat a quilt weekend for a birthday: Chinese food, chocolate cake, fabric shopping, sewing, good friends, and hot tubbing!

Thanks for visiting!

Pugs and kisses,
Nancy

Yes, we have no bananas

If you are looking for my Grow Your Blog Post, click here.

In case you missed the national news, Boston is digging out from its first blizzard of 2015. Fortunately we were well informed about the upcoming storm, so most people had time to make preparations. We had a little snow on Saturday, just to give us a preview.

Saturday: Nice, normal snow fall. Isn't it pretty?

I did some sewing for half the day and then I watched some television with the Pug boys. They are always happy to sit on the couch with me. Pugs are bred to be lap dogs and mine take their job quite seriously.

I pulled out my Valentine's Day fabric collection and admired them.
I don't think I will get to work on my Valentine's Day quilt until 2016.
I have some gift commitments that I must focus on.

The weather forecasts grew more dire over the weekend. Mike went out early on Sunday and attempted to go to the grocery store. He couldn't get into the parking lot. I waited until 4pm, then I went out to try again. As I went in the grocery store, I passed a woman who was leaving. I asked her if it was crazy inside. She said that it was OK, but the store was out of bananas. That was fine with me. I was going for donuts! Everyone knows you need chocolate during a blizzard!

Mike left on Sunday afternoon for a ski trip with his friend Phil. The snow started late on Monday evening and went through Tuesday evening. We didn't lose power and I was able to work from home, so no snow day for me.

The purple garden bench, also pictured above, by mid-day on Tuesday.

Where's the bench? Wednesday morning.

My friend Kat, who blogs at Made with Love and Ladybug Hugs, sent me a picture of her new pool at her new house.

Yes, I think I would have rather been at Kat's house.
Kat, I'm ready for my Florida quilt weekend!

Want to see more snow?

The view from my front door this morning. I can only get the door open about 18 inches.

My back yard. The fence you can see is six feet high.

I missed my sweet husband, but the pug boys were good company last night.
LarryPug, at the top, and Elvis snuggled on my lap. Romeo, is curled
against my hip, so he is not in the photo.

The Pug Boys take a very quick biology break!

Only this five foot wall of snow is keeping me from my freshly plowed driveway!
Luckily Mike returns from his ski trip today to shovel!

Snow selfie!

Fortunately, the Brown Baggers and I are going to the Cape tomorrow for a quilt weekend! Hooray! Although, yes, I would rather be at Kat's house!

Thanks for visiting!

Pugs and kisses,
Nancy