Care for a spot of tea?

This little quilt hangs in my kitchen and I wanted to share it with you. It looks like Christmas fabrics, but it really isn't!! It's a line of fabric called Kaye's Kitchen from Kaye England. The teapots and cups are machine appliqued with a button stitch. Very fun to do!

Of course, I had to ask in the English way if you cared for tea (care for a spot of tea?) because I love all things English and have since I was a little girl and my aunt told me we were from England (don't know if that's true, but I liked to believe it!!) I especially like Royalty watching and seeing what the Queen is up to and always felt that Lady Diana died way too young. Someday it would be grand to go to London and see what it's really like, but don't know that that will ever happen!! Guess we are never too old to dream though--right?!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Two Finished Projects!

Finished the top for the Wedding Rings, so ready to have that quilted now. I like the contrast between the light and dark colors very much. The rings really show up well, I think!

Also finished the 3rd block for the Forever Flowers quilt--Sunflowers and Bluebird. The birdhouse hole will have some buttons around it after it is quilted. Now on to the next one. Half way done with this quilt.

This quilt has turned into more work than I thought when I first looked at it--but that's the way it is sometimes--the things that don't look like they will take too long end up taking the longest--I wonder why that is? Do we make them that way or is that the way they come?-- Give me patience Lord, but I want it right now!!!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile

Jan

The Great Adventure--A Quilting Retreat!

Start with a lovely lodge, add a space of your own to sew, surround yourself with like minded friends and two + days of time to sew and what do you have?---a quilting retreat!!! What fun! We sewed, visited, looked at other's projects and patterns and magazines to our heart's content and only got up when the bell rang for the delicious meals. We were pampered and spoiled. Plus we had fun games to play--A White Elephant gift exchange where not everyone ended up with the gift they started out with and Fat Quarter Lotto, where you rolled the dice to see which way to pass the Fat Quarters and the last one left with a Fat Quarter won them all--tension was high on that one!!! I was surprised and very excited to win one round and brought home 24 Fat Quarters! Yippee!!

The first picture shows our work space and the second picture shows my winnings!

It was a wonderful week-end and I'd go in a minute with Debi as my partner! Was able to make a Yellow Brick Road, quilt on my Sweet Tea quilt, applique and finish 2 heart blocks which will go to a Quilt Pink quilt (we all made them for the quilt) and finish block # 3 for Forever Flowers BOM (I'll show you a picture of that one tomorrow.) There is no place like home though, is there!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Off to the Quilting Retreat I Go!!!

My sewing room is a mess--I'm packing up for the quilting retreat that starts today at 3:00. Sponsored by Quilt Mercantile and held at the Jan-Kay Ranch in Northeast Texas, it will be 2.5 days of sewing and quilting bliss! Can you tell I'm looking forward to it?! This is the first time I've ever done something like this, so it will be a great learning experience for me. The main theme will be applique with an applique teacher on site.

As he was helping me pack up the car last night and as he left for work this morning my husband told me with a smile, "You're taking too much stuff!!" And here I thought I was packing light compared to some of the stories I've heard!!!

So I'll "see" you in 2 days with lots of stories to tell, I hope.

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

My First Award--How Exciting!

Thanks to my friend Debi (Quilting With Debi)I have received the "You Make Me Smile" Award. How exciting--my first award--thanks Debi!

She also tagged me with a MEME in which I am to describe myself using the first letters of my first name. So here is that:

J = Joyful
A = Agreeable
N = Nice
E = Enthusiastic
T = Tender-Hearted

Now I am to pass along this MEME and the "You Make Me Smile" Award to 6 others which I will do. Some have already been chosen by Debi. so these are ones that I read often and enjoy: Kimberly (Kimberly's Quilts), Teresa (Using Up Stash), Joan (My Quilt Life), and Jeanne (Luv2Stitch).

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Do the Funky Chicken (Pin Cushion, that is!!!)

Cute and easy to do---here are my versions of the funky chicken pin cushions. The original pattern called for half square triangles like I did here, but the only pattern I could find now is the log cabin version. But the technique is the same for all of them and once you figure that out, the sky's the limit, so to speak! They each take on their own personality. I thought the biggest one was the mother and her name was Maude and these were her chicklets; Mollie, Mary and Mimi. Their father was from a good neighborhood!!!!

It's fun to take time from quilting and do fun projects like these just for something different to do, plus I wanted to start working on some Christmas gifts for our get togethers at Christmas time. Some of you will know what you are getting now--oh dear, but they were too cute not to show off!

Sometimes it's fun to not leave things until the last minute and as I've said before, I don't always like to do that!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!!

Jan

Wedding Rings Minus Borders!

"Weddings Rings" is finished up to the point where I ran out of tan and beige background fabrics. It has one more tan/beige border and then a burgandy border. Have to pick up some more at Sit N Sew tomorrow because now is not the time to mix in new!!!

This was fun to do and really went quite quickly despite have to sew lots of squares together! I like the contrast between the dark and the light very much. I hope my friend likes it, too!

It's hard to make something for a friend, isn't it? You think you know what they might like and yet there's always a bit a doubt in your mind. You think they will like it because YOU made it, but then they MIGHT just be making nice and saying they like it when they really don't!!! Ah, well, it's the thought that counts, I guess.

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan