Baby Quilts needed for Triplets~YIKES!!!

Yep, I need to make 3 quilts for my niece in the Dallas area who is expecting triplets....OMG!!! I am wondering what the easiest quilt pattern would be....something I can do quickly, but not look like I didn't put any thought into it. I am stumped.....Any ideas out there???

Well last night I pulled out 12 yards of blues, purples, greens, pinks, and and an orange....I must have already boxed up my yellows for the move :( I cut them all in 2 1/2 inch strips with my Accuquilt Go cutter in less than 2 hours...that included my pressing time before cutting :)
Now what to do with all these strips....I need an idea fast. I was thinking maybe the Bento Box....the centers could be yellow if I dig deep enough into my stash. Is it easier to make them Big Log cabins and cut them in 4ths, or make individual blocks and sew them together? I have no clue. I did notice that I have more blues than any other color....I think I need to find some white with polka dots to take away from all that blue....gender neutral is what I am going for. Well guess I better get to hunting this down today and get 'er done!
More packing today too....will I ever get moved? I wonder.........
Have a great day everyone.
~Sonja~

A Mug Rug is born, and a Great Birthday after all...

A Mug Rug is Born

Well here it is....a mug rug that I created using some leftover scraps from the Baby Rose quilt, some scraps from Gloria #1, and some from my own scrap bag. Even the binding are made from leftover scrap strips. The small square and the half triangle squares with cut with my Accuquilt cutter....I LOVE IT!!! The back of the little quilted mug rug is denim from a pair of jeans that don't fit anymore, and a layer of scrap batting. I think it's cute, and eco-friendly too. My oldest daughter refers to me as her hippie tree-hugging mom....that's quite another story!
Well I just came off of my birthday weekend....Saturday I was feeling kinda old, kinda depressed yada-yada-yada, then I signed into my face book page on Sunday, and I had at least 100 nice Birthday wishes posted to my wall from family, friends, and some nice peeps that I really don't know. You gotta love it right? I felt better.
While I was trying to thank everyone personally with a comment tagging them as I went, I got a phone call from a male friend, whom I have had a small crush on since he walked into the room when I 1st met him. Yep, I'm kinda old to be having a crush on someone....thinking it was just silly, so I pushed it out of my mind. I do have to admit, and being the shy person that I am, I have been flirting with this man ever so subtle that even I didn't realize it myself until recently. Maybe some magic happened on Sunday over a cold beer, gazing at each other from across the room, a few stolen looks, a wink or two, a big Birthday Hug, good conversation, and the sweetest kiss that I ever had.....Romance at my age, well not likely, but hey it's not impossible!!! Keep your fingers crossed!!!

Feb. Rambles

sassyfibersbySonja.etsy.com

Well the blog for February......Last Wednesday we had a going away party at my sewing workshop for my long-time pal Charlotte, who is moving to Florida. Dang, I am so gonna miss her, as I can honestly say that she is 1 of my best friends. Even though I have years of  "people I know" I only have a hand-ful of friends. I am so sad :( but I know she will be happy to be around her sisters who also live there. We all make a quilt block for her, so she can remember our fun times at the workshop. Of course I forgot my camera that day, so I didn't get a picture of my block (sigh)...but I made a cowboy boot applique with the San Antonio Spurs fabric as the upper boot. It turned out pretty nifty, as all the other ladies blocks did. I also put together all of the scraps that Gloria gave me to make quilted mug rugs....well they are all put together except for the binding. I have figured out a way to add a front double pocket on 1 of them, one holds your spoon or stir stick, and the other can hold your tea bag,sweet-n-low packet or dairy creamer. Neat idea right? Thanks for the scraps and the batting Gloria, as I will use all of it!

In other news about quilting...I have been going thru my prized quilt books and magazines picking out my very favorites to keep. Sadly the rest will either end up in my etsy store, or at my flea market booth at Trader's Village, as I won't have room in the new apt. for all of my treasured items. I also found out that my niece in Dallas is expecting with triplets, so I need to get busy making 3 quilts for the new babies. I am thing that the rail fence pattern would be the easiest, and the fastest to make, and I guess I'll use all pastel colors, as we don't know the sex as of yet.

Oh yeah, my birthday is coming up.....hmmm what to do?

February sales on my Etsy store are up to 10.....yay!!! Slowly but surely I am picking up....small items but it's a sale, and every one counts! Maria from our sewing group just opened her shop on Etsy too. I told her to call me, and I would help her finish setting it up. She is making wonderful beaded crotchet necklaces. She also showed me how to make easy travel pillows last week. I love simple stuff that is fast, and easy, that is economical for me and my future customers. Not much good news to report on the job hunting front.....I have signed up with a temp agency, and have applied for 2 civil service jobs through a gov. site as well. Also I have a resume posted on the San Antonio workforce commission, but so far no matches. What's a single person to do?

In closing, I have a question that has been bugging me.....If you knew that someone had taken something that didn't belong to them, what would you do? I observed something last week, and it has really been bothering me to no end. Y'all take care, and HURRY SPRING!!!

xo~Sonja~
PS....while reading some of the blogs that I subscribe too, I found a stolen quilt alert. Please be on the lookout for this quilt.

Baby Rose Quilt Completed and Delivered

 The Baby Rose Quilt Completed and Delivered on Friday. The proud papa, and the grandpa were camera shy, but they agreed to hold it up as long as they weren't in the picture itself. Mind you that the quilt was fresh out of the washer and dryer when I went to show them. I KNEW that I should have taken it home and done a fast pressing on it before taking it in for show and tell. They would not let me have it back to do the above mentioned. I am so very glad that it was such a hit with them. They promised to send me a picture of Baby Rose with her new quilt.....I hope they keep their promise!

PS: I just found out yesterday that my niece is 7 weeks pregnant with triplets.........looks like I will be making 3 new quilts very soon. Please wish her luck with her pregnancy, as I am quite concerned. She is 6ft. tall and as big a round as my wrist....maybe weighs 95 lbs wringing wet.....how she is gonna carry 3 babies has me concerned. Pray for her, and their well-being.
~Sonja~

And the quilt top is complete.....

Process Challenge/Pink Quilt for Baby Rose

Well here is a preview of what I have done so far.......The close-ups look more red, but they are really pinks!

The pink quilt for Baby Rose

Well a few weeks back, I got a custom order for a baby quilt. Before I sign on to do a custom order for anyone, I always want to know more about the person it is for. I think that is what gives me the inspiration not only for the design, but also for the fabric selection.
I met with Diane to discuss my process, & show her some samples of my work~taking 2 completed quilts, and several others in different stages of construction, so she could see my seams. Then we discussed the quality of the fabrics that I use, and the batting....and why I use them....I like to let the person know what those cost because I figure that a quilt is something special that you give to someone, & you want it to last many years of normal use, so I don't scrimp on my materials. So we are both satisfied that the finished quilt will be something special, just as she wanted.
Now we get down to the inspiration for the quilt itself.....
Well it's for a baby girl, so she wants a girly girl quilt in pinks....and I ask more about the child. Well come to find out that the baby girl is her boyfriend's grand daughter, and she was born pre-mature. She was still in the hospital the day we were talking, but was doing well, and was scheduled to be released in a few days. Then I asked what the baby's name was, and she said her middle name was Rose~that is when the light bulb went off for the focus fabric.....I told her that I would be back the next day with the fabric samples, but that I already had something in mind.
I had a print that I had purchased for another order that didn't work out, which was pink roses on a white background. When I took that bolt the next day~I explained why I had chosen that fabric for the focus of the quilt....the smallest of little pink rose buds represented the child being so tiny when she was born, the bigger buds being her growing and getting stronger everyday, and the rose all bloomed out would represent the baby growing into a normal girly girl, that smiles, laughs, and plays just like all children do, and she was on her way to becoming a beautiful but special little person. Well with all that said....Diane told me that as soon as she saw that fabric, she knew that It was the "ONE". I should have this quilt done by the end of the week, & pictures will be forthcoming....It's a dreary day outside today, so I'll have to wait for a better photo op day~
Take care everyone in blog land... and Merry Christmas to you ALL!
xo~Sonja~

Blog Hop Party with Giveaways!

Just found out about this on Sugarlane Quilts. You can join up here

My new tool~The AccuQuilt Go!

Yep, I finally took the plunge and ordered this yesterday while it was on sale. It arrived this morning, and now to re-organize my sewing room, so I can use it. I have a custom quilt that I am working on, & 3 more people waiting in line to pick their colors, & theme. (So I need this tool!) Merry Christmas to me!!! I feel sorry for my broken piggy bank, but if I spend more time sewing, & less time cutting, I think it may pay for itself in a few months.

Baby Quilts

My John Deere Quilt

The Hot Pink & Chocolate Butterfly Quilt......

Progress Today on The Christmas Quilt

My Wed. workshop was FABULOUS!!!
I had enough time to not only get 1 project ready to quilt, but I also got an old WIP ready to quilt. YAY!!!
1st up~my poinsettia Christmas quilt.....I looked  through all of my yardage...& I have LOTS... for a peach color for the accent border....well no dice on the peach. Next choice was yellow that is found in the flower centers....I am so glad that I talked myself into it.....it really pops!
So the accent border is a yellow print, & the final border are more of the Christmas Trees. The quilt is now layered & pinned.

So what do you think about the yellow?

Project #2 is a Christmas Table Runner that Kimba designed for 1 of our Yahoo groups....I think it was from 2008.....so I have had this pieced for a very long time.....Now it's ready to be quilted too.

Today was a very great day! Happy Hump Day to all of you.

~Sonja~

Hump-day Happiness

It started out as a strange day.....but ended up being a grand day indeed!

First of all, I had to finish up my housecleaning job from yesterday...All I had left to do was to vacuum the downstairs, but Big Fred, & Lance showed up at the house, so I promised to come back today when they would be gone, before going to my sewing workshop, which is my weekly ritual.
For those of you that don't know, I clean my best friend (I call her my sister) Carol's house every other Tues. because she works 2 weeks days, then 2 weeks nights, plus she is my partner at the flea market on the weekends, so she needs the help, & I needed the extra income being in-between-jobs....so it works well for both of us.
My front tire on the car was extremely low, so I go to the Valero up the road to put some air in my tire. Well a car is parked in front of the air machine, with a flat tire....I mean sitting on the rim flat, & the driver is no where to be found......(what a jerk)........so I decide to drive over to finish my cleaning job, because it's getting later, & I need to get back home to pack up my sewing stuff for my workshop........
I am almost finished with the carpet, & in walks Big Fred. After I finish up, I tell him the air machine story. So happens he has a portable air compressor in his trunk, & said not to worry.
He gets out the pump, assembles it & I hook it up....24 psi is what my tire had, & I think it is supposed to be around 41.....yikes. Now this pump plugs in to a cigarette lighter, so it takes a few minutes to fill my tire, but it's a nice day outside, so who cares! When the tire is done, & the pump is unhooked, he goes to remove it from the lighter, & the whole dang connector just falls apart.....:( We spent an hour trying to put it back together, to no avail, & I really felt bad that it happened, & now I am really running late for my workshop.
I make a mad dash home, let the dog out again, & gather up my stuff to take. I load up my sewing machine, then start gathering the Christmas Quilt I cut out, & a few other supplies. The quilt I am working on is from a pattern, which I don't normally use a pattern, but I had a Christmas print that I could never bring myself to cut, because the print was sooooooo beautiful, but this pattern was made for those kind of fabrics, so I bit the bullet
& used it. When I started sewing I noticed that some of the panels were not the same length so I must have read the cutting directions wrong....WOF...LOF....oh my gosh....so I knew I had to take my leftovers with me to cut more stuff, & adjust the pattern when I finished sewing the panels to make it work. Then I needed to take my camera to take pics, because last week I took the process challenge, & this is a great example of that cause I am having trouble with the project.
I finally get to the workshop, & unpack my supply bag....
camera....yes
pattern instructions....yes
extra material.....yes
panels I had started to sew....NO!!!

 I had finally taken my machine, & I left my project at home folded neatly in a stack on my ironing board....so I had nothing to work on, & no photos to take.
Well I did enjoy my time talking to my sewing buddies, got to see all the wonderful things they were WORKING on.....
Now to the Happiness of my day:

While at the workshop, I got 2 sewing baskets, & a brown bag full of sewing patterns for a very good price.
Then I come home & log in to my blog, & find out I have a new follower, & had some comments on my What's your name post.
One of the comments was alerting me that I had won a giveaway on The Quiet Quilter Blog post....YAY ME!!! I never win anything.
My Hump-day Happiness was complete.
Update: Before leaving for my Wed Workshop, I had a quishy in my mail box....Thank you Frances aka The Quiet Quilter. :)

Happy Saturday Morning!

Well it is a wonderful morning indeed! I am so glad that fall is finally here in Texas....& the heat is gone :)
I did get a few more fans on my new Facebook page YAY! I do have some real friends there.......so I thought I would socialize a little while waking up with my cup of coffee in hand.
Sadly in a few days I will be losing my Flickr Pro account, as at this time I can't afford that luxury. I have a list of things that used to be essential, but are now considered luxuries....(Strange how life is always throwing you curves like that.)
On my list to do today: I have at least 30 prs. of blue jeans to de-construct for my up-cycle projects. I have a Christmas quilt that I cut & started piecing at my sewing workshop on Wed. I have all those pink bags to make for the bank.....laundry....blah blah blah.....& stuff to pack up for tomorrows flea market adventure. My list seems to always exceed my time on hand LOL! Oh yeah, I forgot to mention to list a few more items on Etsy, drag out the UT quilt & see how much more work it needs........transfer some more pics to my fan page, before they disappear from Flickr......a girl's work is never done!
Oh and there is a a video I need to share from one of my newsletters that I receive from Joggles....let's not forget that!

Tell your friends and family, share this on your blogs. (permission to share from Barb in my e-mail)
Today we're playing with Tyvek.  Paint it, add some heat, and be amazed at what happens!  Tyvek is not new, but I find that many people wonder about what to do with it.  Now seemed like a good time to replace the old tutorial that only had still photos with a video where you can see the movement and fun things first hand.  Tyvek and heat play well together so long as you separate them with a pressing sheet or apply heat from a distance and you'll see both in today's video, which you can see here:

And I leave you with 1 of my 1st fabric postcards that I made back in 2007....Have a blessed day!

Pumpkin Pie

Appliqued pumpkin, with stenciled vine. My 1st try at using stencils, & fabric paint. This card was sent to a soldier serving in Iraq, thru Penny" postcard Posse.

Piec-lique by Sharon Schamber | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Piec-lique by Sharon Schamber | Flickr - Photo Sharing!:

Piec-lique by Sharon Schamber

Product Description
Award-winning quiltmaker Sharon Schamber shares her quiltmaking secrets from her years of professional garment sewing. Her need to produce projects fast and accurately evolved into a new machine technique she calls 'Piec-lique' (pronounced like applique). This method provides the speed and control to make curved piecing fun. There are four different applications of the technique: layered for gently curved seams, inset for enclosed shapes, combined for seams interrupted by other elements, and free-form for spontaneous piecing without templates. Three dozen gorgeous block patterns have been designed or redesigned with simple curved elements. The author's original designs include beautiful flowers, like the simple daisy, charming blue bells, and sophisticated black-eyed Susan. Quiltmakers will also find excellent information on fabric selection and help for figuring yardages.

Editorial Reviews

Piec-Liqué: Curves the New Way by Sharon Schamber doesn t just come from a quilter; it comes from the originator of a new method of quilting: one which uses curved shapes from piecing which looks like appliqué. Thirty-six block pattern examples using this simple curved technique range from flowers to block quilt patterns. No pins are needed to use Piec-liqué, which helps make curved piecing without pins. -Library Bookwatch, September 2005, Midwest Book Review

Product Details
Paperback: 112 pages
Publisher: American Quilter's Society; 1 edition (June 15, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1574328808
ISBN-13: 978-1574328806
Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
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Quilts with a View by Faye Labanaris by sassyfibersbySonja on Etsy

Quilts with a View by Faye Labanaris by sassyfibersbySonja on Etsy:

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BOOK MUSEUM Art of the Quilt History by sassyfibersbySonja

BOOK MUSEUM Art of the Quilt History by sassyfibersbySonja:

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Texas Longhorns Quilt

 

This is the UT quilt that I've been working on. Only 2 more rows left to sew, & the piecing part is done!

Here are 4 pics of a quilt that I'm currently working on for a christmas present. I am thinking that each block should be framed with black fabric, or maybe an orange tie-dye. What do you think?

Where did 2009 go???

I just can't believe how fast this year went by, or how long it has been since I have posted to my blog.
I have spent this entire year trying to put my life back together again...well it has taken a few tries, but hey I didn't give up...which would have been easier. I have been working hard at work & @ home, & I have even managed to squeeze in some "ME" time.
I haven't quit smoking yet, but have cut down quite a bit. I rarely smoke at home, & not while driving.
My friend Charlotte & I have been going to a sewing workshop on Wed. afternoon, & I have quite a few X-mas gifts that I have been working on since July. We went to a quilt show, ( a 1st for both of us) a few Sundays ago that was sponsored by a local quilt guild. That was a fun afternoon, & we picked up a few new ideas there. I also picked up 2 new patterns while there. One is a cowboy boot quilt, & the other was a combo pin cushion, thread catcher that sits right next to your sewing machine.
I also made some Dallas Cowboy Christmas stocking, & working on some UT, & San Antonio Spurs stockings as well. No pictures yet...& since they are registered trademark fabrics, I don't know if I could post them anyway???
I also have 2 quilts in the works, another that I'm getting ready to cut, & a few that just need some finishing up. Looks like I'm just going make Sunday my designated sewing day, after I get everything ready for the assembly line.
Well this years' weather has not been easy on my right lung, & so I'm having some pulmonary issues. With all the humidity, the air quality, & the allergens, I just found it very hard to manage my lung problem. Oh, & did I mention that I had the flu for a few days in the heat of summer? I really am considering getting not only the flu shot this year, but also the swine-flu vaccine.
Well until next time, hopefully I'll have some pictures from my workshop to post. Can't wait for Thanksgiving, ...I keep eye-balling that turkey in the freezer, & I am cutting up bread cubes for the stuffing, & making cornbread...yummy!

Reviews,Rants, & other Rambles!

The Reviews:
Well I've been using the Eco-friendly dishwasher liquid & it works great! Not only is is saving the earths water supply, it's also saving my pocketbook. It was as economical as most of the leading brands, & cheaper than some of the others. Also it left less water spots on my glassware...what a bonus!
While we are talking about the environment, here is a site that you can look up how much each appliance you have will save you. Go check it out!!!
Also, after a long day of shopping, & not wanting to make the last stop at the video rental store, I purchased a DVD at Wal-mart called "5 people you meet in heaven", starring Jon Voight. It started out kinda slow, but it turned out to be a great movie. I had never heard of it before, & didn't look to see when It came out, but it must have been a sleeper. I mentioned it to 1 of my friends, & they were actually reading the book! Wish I had time to read, but for now I'll just watch movies.
The Rambles:
I asked a few of my buddies from Multiply about the border fabric for my sassy ladies blocks & they suggested that I use white with black polka-dots. I think that would look great, & funky too! Are there any other suggestions out there? Please leave me a comment.