new modern meets old traditional

I showed a blurry photo of this baby quilt as it was coming together in an earlier post.

  I thought as neither cousin who is having the babies (I am making two quilts!) knows what they are having I would make it scrappy.  I love this modern pattern.  It is quick and easy. 

This fabric is what I am thinking of using for the backing.  It is a great fabric I picked up cheap at IKEA.

The center block is a hand appliqued cat, embroidered around the edge and for the face by my Grandma.  She also use to make dog blocks.  These were used in quilts for the second generation of grandchildren.  My generation received charm square quilts.  Here is the first one she gave me when I was about 3 or 4.

I still love to sleep under it.  It is very heavy.

Here is the second one she gave me when I was around 12 or 13. 

I love to put this on my bed in the summer.  I love the shirting fabrics she used from fabric sample cards. 

I love them both.  I need to get a photo of my sisters cat quilt.  It had about 12 blocks in it.

Keep dreaming...Colleen





The first real quilt I made was for my grandmother and here I am giving it to her for her birthday.  It lived with her for ten years in the nursing home where she suffered from Alzheimer's.  I have it back and after 10 years of bleach through the wash it does not quite look like this anymore.  The yo yos made hyacinths I always loved to smell in her garden.  The red fabric for the ribbon came from her house when we cleaned it out to sell.  It is totally faded and washed out.  Except for the black sharpie ink where they wrote her name on the back.





Giveaway winner! and a challenge completed

So I did the random generator thing and picked #54! 

Yeah!!!!...????ohhhhh.  Colleen!



  There were only 53 comments not 55!  Opps!  My bad!

So I picked again, and drum rollllllllllll #30.....Joanna of Needle, Thread, Happiness is the winner!

Joanna said, "I learned about your giveaway on Linda at Stray Stitches' blog. The lapquilt you won is a great prize. And I am addicted to Christmas fabric. I love all of the collections, and especially love vintage. I'm posting your giveaway on the sidebar of my blog. "


If you you are looking for some stash busting ideas for your vintage Christmas fabric then check out the comments on the original giveaway post. I have made my on todo list.


So now for Amy's Creative Side-One Week, One Thing Challenge . I finished it! Yeah me! I machine quilted and put the binding on a lap quilt that is a gift for someone.

Which means I can't show you anything but this little snippet.

Here is a picture of it folded up with my current UFO boxes, first new modern quilt, the Christmas mix tape quilt I won, and the top quilt is the one I finished this week. 

Look back for a full picture after I give it to _______shhhh! Also another 1990's stash giveaway at the end of the month. I am thinking blues maybe or some novelty-there is that Mystery Quilt going on by Bonnie Hunter.





Keep dreaming...Colleen aka 'butterflygirl'

Guess what was at my front door (and GIVEAWAYS!)

So I came home to this inside my door.

A week ago Karen over at FeistyEily decided she had a quilt surplus so she decided to give one away.  And guess who won?? 

Its a Christmas Mix tape lap quilt.

Isnt it beautiful!  Karen was worried that because she had cats some cat hair may still be with the quilt, even though she washed it.  It smells wonderful too-take a sniff!

Well I'll think I'll just let Kalli tell Karen what we thought of any hitchhiker cat hair..

Thanks Karen for a wonderful early Christmas present!  We love it!!

Now for the Giveaway...

In the spirit of Stash Manicure where I will be guest blogging on Sat. Nov. 27.  I have found some of my 1990's Christmas stash to part with.   A bundle of 5 vintage VIP fat quarters and 2 yards of a vintage Concord Fabrics print by Joan Kessler. 

To enter:

1. Leave a comment below on what you would use these fabrics for and
2. Post about it on your blog.  Simple!

I will pick a winner on November 30, just in time for some last minute Christmas sewing! 

I think I might add to the list of quilting resolutions for 2011-give away or use some of my 90's fabric stash every month.


P.S. Amy's is having another One Week Challenge!  I will finish quilting my secret Christmas quilt this week and bind it!

 

P.P.S. Another giveaway here for some beautiful charm squares.

P.P.P.S.  My friend Gina is giving away an AWESOME purse on her blog

Ginabean.

P.P.P.P.S. Trish at All Things Crafty is giving away a go die here!

P.P.P.P.P.S. And now a great quilt giveaway from Pink Fig Designs-see beautiful quilt #1 on the right.

Keep dreaming...Colleen aka 'butterflygirl'

Quilts! Scraps! Giveaways!

Quilts!

Just some pics form the Flaunt!

Handmade craft show I participated in. 

Here is one of the vendors whose ladder display I loved!  

And its my color too!

Here is my booth. 

I have a little too many crafty things going on. 

I'm trying to pair done my stock to focus on mostly my sewing stuff. 

The wood projects are my dad's work. 

Don't you love the darling doll dressers!


The quilts are all projects made in classes taken at Karen Gray design.  Some of these may help me bust the great scraps I just got.

 

Scraps!

I just have to show you this picture of my new scraps from Karen Gray's destashing! 

OMG!  Heather Ross, Kaffe Fassett, Amy Butler, and more! 

WOW!  I had so much fun!  I got to pick my own scraps to fill some $1bags. 

Plus I couldn't resist buying three of mystery scrap packages.  Don't you love the pink fabric (in front) they were wrapped in?! 

I sat at my booth playing with folding and sorting my fabric scraps.  I even found four pieces Flea Market Fancy!

Giveaways!

Check out the giveaway that ends Monday for some fabulous fabric here at Green Fairy Quilts.

There is also another great giveaway at Little Bluebell.

Well I have another bazaar to get ready for next Saturday and then a conference presentation the next week as well as a candle mat swap and work on Christmas projects.  I may not have time to blog next week.  Will see!

Keep dreaming...Colleen aka 'butterflygirl'

colorful cats galore

So I was reading Beginner's Guide to Art Quilts and took idea of the first project and challenged myself to run with it. 

 

I found 4 inch brightly dyed charm squares in my stash. 

 I picked out 12 different colors creating the 4 by 4 grid. 

Then I found the 3 inch high stack of 2 inch cat squares I bought years ago on ebay. 

BTW in case you did not know ebay is a great pace to buy precut squares. 

I matched up squares by colors and fused the cats to the dyed fabric. 

Then I assembled the cat quilt and practiced some more machine quilting. 

 I think it turned out so cute!

 I need to turn off my brain this weekend so I can finish my quilt along top and baste it at the snack and craft at the church on Tuesday.

keep dreaming...Colleen...aka 'butterflygirl'