We're Getting A HandiQuilter!!!

Our HandiQuilter has been ordered!  YEA!!!  

We're getting the 12 ft. Avante'.  

The Guys have been helping me get the space ready.  Karl figured out how to re-arrange things so the HQ could fit on the only wall in the house that's long enough for it.  He got David and Scott to help him moved the TV and re-wired it to a different side of the room.  They packed up stuff and took stuff to the thrift store.  And Scott got the old carpet cleaner going and cleaned the carpet.

We got a 144" curtain rod and hung it up high, and added rings with little clips on them, for hanging quilts.  Then we got a 4 ft X 8 ft. piece of Styrofoam for the design wall, which I covered with gridded flannel.  So, here's what our space looks like...

The plan is to involve the whole family to make videos of my new idea for quilting (it's still top secret!). We've got a camera that will shoot the video, and The Guys can take care of all the computer stuff -- edit the videos and get them on YouTube.  I'll need a few weeks to get good with the new machine and develop the system.  But keep your eye on Quilted Sunshine!  We'll be on YouTube soon!

Have We Got Snow!

The snow has been amazing this past month!  The weather man said we've got 20" with the last two storms.  And 60" total for the season.  A retired school librarian was in my class on Friday evening and said that in all her time of working at the school, they only had 3 snow days in 41 years.  This past month, we've had 3 snow days.  The first one was due to below zero temperatures.  It was -23 degrees at the Logan airport a couple weeks ago.  Here's some pictures.

Second Week of January -- 17" of snow

Backyard -- check the fence

Animals on the Porch -- bird, cat (or small dog) and deer

 

The Guys have been busy keeping the driveway clear.  The road in our neighborhood has been pretty bad.  But a couple good neighbors have helped a lot with their snow blowers.

Honored Pioneer Sampler Quilt Pattern

My friend and co-worker, Amy Maxfield, designed this beautiful quilt after the LDS Hymn, "They the Builders of the Nation” (Hymn #36). 

She asked me to turn it into a pattern.  So I wrote it out and created the diagrams, and put it into a 46 page pattern.  She then asked me to make it available on Craftsy and Etsy as a pdf download.  It's going on TODAY!  Just in time for The Fourth of July and Pioneer Day!

Here's the Craftsy link.
And here's the Etsy link.

And here are some close-ups of the quilt:

There are 20 different blocks, plus the borders and border applique.   Here's Amy's introduction to the pattern:

"I have always loved and marveled at Pioneer stories and histories. I've wondered if I could have been a pioneer who never complained and survived the ordeal with an abiding love of God and faith to move forward. Pioneer Day, celebrated on July 24th in Utah, has long been a favorite holiday. As a young girl, I would go to my Swedish Grandmother's house in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah and walk to the parade route on Main Street near Liberty Park. Every year I'd sit on a quilt laid out near the street. I was there with my cousins, aunts, and uncles eating popsicles and cheering for the marching bands, the floats, and the horses. I see it clearly in my mind and what a happy memory it is. Still, I long to go to the parade every year to celebrate Pioneer Day!

This quilt is designed after the LDS Hymn "They the Builders of the Nation” (Hymn #36). Many years ago I drafted an idea for a quilt to go along with the words of this hymn. Two years ago I decided it was time to make it come to life. I appreciate Annette Rose, a co-worker, who is very talented at computer generated pattern making and also for Joye Hansen who willingly took the time to test the pattern.  Cover photo taken by Leisa Firth, with my appreciation. 

Each block represents some part of pioneer life: log cabins, farmer’s daughter, school house, wagon wheels, bow ties representing pioneer men, and churn-dash for the women. The flower pot represents the "desert blossoming as a rose" as stated by Brigham Young, the first governor of the state of Utah and second Prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The honey bee block represents Utah, "The Beehive State.” The flower in the border is symbolic of the many graves along the trail. I intended for some petals to have fallen to the ground representing loss of life, but if you repeat the common phrase “he loves me; he loves me not” as you count the petals, you will notice that it ends with "he loves me!" To me that represents the knowledge that God loves us and watches over us. That is my experience and continues to be my abiding faith!"

 

Row By Row Experience 2016

The Row By Row Experience theme for this year is "Home Sweet Home."  I work at a shop in Cache County, Utah.  So our license plate and row include the "Cache" reference.  Here's our row (we went vertical this year) and license plate.
 

We look forward to meeting lots of new quilters through the Summer!

How To Add A Hanging Sleeve To The Back Of Your Quilt

It's a great idea to add a hanging sleeve to the back of your quilt -- especially if they are wall hangings.

First, measure the top of your quilt.

Second, cut the sleeve fabric width, 9" for a large quilt or 6" for a small quilt.  Then cut the length 1" shorter than what your quilt top measured.  Fold the sleeve with right sides together.  Then sew both ends, back-stitching at the beginning and end.  Trim the corners and turn right-side-out.

Center the sleeve on the back of the quilt and pin in place.  Then baste it in place.  Sew the binding to the front of the quilt, catching the sleeve in the seam as you go.  Finish binding the quilt, sewing through the sleeve on the back as you go.

Create some fullness at the top of the sleeve by folding it just below the top edge of the binding.  Pin the bottom edge in place.

Sew the bottom in place by hand.  I use a blind stitch.

Here's the finished hanging sleeve.

Tulips & Rainbows -- Little Ditty For April

Here's my Little Ditty for April!

The grey, dreary rain clouds of April

Bring the beautiful colors of Spring.

My batik and hand dyed fabrics worked perfectly for this Little Ditty.  It gives it a rainy, watercolor feel.  The quilt measures 18" X 23".  The tulips are done with fusible applique.  And the rainbow and cloud are pieced.  The pattern has 6 pages of instructions.  And the price is only $4.50!

Here's a link to the pattern on Craftsy.

Here's a link to the pattern on Etsy.

Keep watching for my Little Ditty for May!

Announcing My Little Ditties!!!

Spring is my favorite season!  And it's a great time to start something new.  I've been working on some little quilts to represent each month of the year.  Today, I'm introducing my "Little Ditty" pattern line.  You can find patterns for these little quilts on Craftsy and Etsy, as pdf downloads.

Here's my Little Ditty for March, "Irish Pinwheels."

And here's the ditty to go with it...

It’s March! 

Open up

the windows

and let

my lovely fabrics

and I

breathe the

Spring air!

 

It's finished size is 24 1/2" X 24 1/2".  And each Pinwheel and Irish Chain block measure 4" square.

I'm not a very good quilter, but I've got to get my practice somehow!  So, here's my attempt at quilting my Irish Pinwheels.

You can also see that I've sewn the hanging sleeve into the binding, but still need to sew the other edge in place.