Cruise Zombies!

I am SO fried!

I guess that is to be expected…but it has been so long since I have had this bad of a sunburn I keep swearing to myself that I will be more protected NEXT time!

But. Wouldn’t you think that applying heavy duty sunscreen 4 times in 6 hours would protect you enough? Not so when the sun is that hot, and the water that reflective, and the salt water just rinses off anything and everything even though it says WATERPROOF?! Oh! And Sweat proof? FORGET IT!

I just wanted to let you know that Lori and I had the BEST time with all the cruiser peeps….and there are posts to come, and pictures to come, and lots and lots of stories to come!

This picture was snapped just as we were getting ready to sail from Port Canaveral, Florida on our week long adventure to the Eastern Carribean for the ports of Nassau, St Thomas, and St Maarten!

But tonight? I’m unpacking. I’m doing laundry. I’m ready to sleep in my own bed. I’m going to love on Sadie and Emmy Lou and maybe watch a movie and eat popcorn in bed because I can, and sleep until I wake up with no alarm and just enjoy a Labor Day weekend!

How DID it get to be September already!?

I can’t believe how beautiful this picture turned out. I took it with my iphone! We were at the top of the mountain after taking a tram ride up there……this is St Thomas. This is our ship, the Carnival Dream, docked in St Thomas!

This was also St Thomas….oh bliss!

But for now, I unwind!

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Orphan Fairies, Too!

A while back I acquired a stack of Orphan blocks from a quilter I can’t quite recall! I’m going to have to start keeping these baggied up with the contact person’s info attached so that I have a way to show them just WHERE their lovely donations ended up. I’m making a note for myself right now to do that…don’t you think that’s a good idea?

I’ve gone round and round about the best way to keep these Orphan blocks. And I admit it..right now they are in a HUGE rubbermaid tub…just IN there. And when I want something, I dig and dig and dig and try to find what will work.

Sometimes I’m looking for things within a certain color family.

Sometimes I’m looking for things of a certain size.

Sometimes I’m ruling things OUT…like…"No…I really don’t want to use the Christmas themed blocks!" ((For instance, remember the quilt that went to Japan after the tsunami, and I wanted to remove the skull fabric? I was looking for something particular to replace it –-))

So, because I work from so many different categories, so far it just all stays just “IN THERE” so to speak.

The other day, I decided to piece a back! ((And the fact that I had BOUGHT enough fabric for a back of this quilt in Alaska, and had forgotten about it already shall not be mentioned!)) I had found some REALLY crazy browns that just needed to go away happily find a purpose in this quilt!

Ooh…lovely 1990’s brown floral. Actually? I still think this is still quite pretty. And these brown/turquoise to ice blue colors are still popular. But I had YARDS of this…about 3. And was I ever going to use it in the front of anything? Probably not at this point. Brown Floral! You are Backing Contestant #1 on "The Backing Is Right!"

Ooooh…LOVERLY 1970’s brown calico!! Actually, this isn’t SO bad..it kind of has a retro look to it, doesn’t it? Well..it’s the real deal, and there was about 2.5 yards of this stuff. Brown Calico! You are contestant #2 on “The Backing Is Right!”

And THIS one…is staying as a small photo..because it is so blurry when you blow it up it will hurt your eyes! Only click to Biggie Size it at your own risk…This is Backing Contestant #3 on “The Backing Is Right!'

And this is where my Orphan Fairy comes in to play. I wish I could thank her! Sometimes I am encouraged to use the donated blocks in my own projects, or I use them for a donation quilt, or given free reign as to where they should go. Sometimes I marvel that there are quilters out there who are willing to gift such cute blocks in my direction!

Did you gift me with these blocks?! I used them to extend the brown fabrics to make the backing big enough for the quilt:

Your funky pinwheel blocks have been sandwiched between two of my own blocks..I was shooting for size here, so anything that finished to match your 8” blocks was fair game!

So what about the brown fabric that I bought in Alaska…which was SPECIFICALLY BOUGHT for this quilt? Well, because I cleaned out Backing Contestants 1, 2 & 3, and a handful of gifted and orphan blocks..I’ve got room to get what I bought in Alaska ON the shelf. And this is a good thing too!

Here is the BACK of the quilt, with the blocks all quilted through! Isn’t this fun? Much better than a one-fabric back if you ask me! I wish I could show you the front, but it will be a while before I can….

Suffice it to say though, that now that the quilting is done, there is binding and a sleeve to start hand sewing down!

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Quilt Fairies!

Every once in a while a package will show up with no return address. SERIOUSLY! And sometimes there is a note inside, but no address, and sometimes there is a name but no email address so no way to contact the person….

But in these packages are WONDERFUL things, and I am excited to have them!

Sometimes they even come from amazingly far away places, and I eagerly grab the envelope and have to open it right then and there because…WHO would be sending me a big squishy from so far away?

This package had INTERNATIONAL type stickers and custom forms and EVERYTHING

This package came from Jackie, all the way from Australia!

I eagerly and carefully cut my way into the padded bubble envelope with hands shaking....You gotta love Christmas in the middle of Summer ;c)

Inside the package I found:

Look at this scrappy goodness! Isn’t this terrific? She didn’t just send me orphan BLOCKS, she sent the whole top!

She did include a return address, but no email address, so Jackie, I’m gonna have to thank you here, and in public for your wonderful quilt top!

She writes:

Dear Bonnie,

Thank you for your energy & love of quilting. I follow your blog in chunks rather than every day as life seems to allow it that way and marvel each time of what you’ve been doing & the inspiration you raise in so many people.

I’ve made a few of your patterns for our community quilts and hope that you’ll be able to use this top for one of the causes over there.

Our group North of the Torra Quilters (NOTY), being close to the 2009 bush fires received many donations including from the states, and I like to think that this quilt top may be used for one of your disaster victims.

Being able to do even a little when needed always helps those who give and those who receive. Strangely we had quilts sent from Christchurch New ZSealand for the bush fires, then we sent some back for THEIR earthquake!

In a few years I hope to be able to organize a small group within NOTY which concentrates on scrap quilts and expect to use your books & site to inspire the members.

I know I”ve done this already from the Show & Tell at our meetings.

Keep up the good work! Yours in Quilting,

Jackie

Jackie, I can’t thank you enough for this gift top!

Just look at these fun crumb blocks, Y’all!

Aren’t these a great way to set these precious little bits?

I’ll be quilting up this top so that I have something on hand to donate the next time a need arises. I hate to think that a need WILL – but unfortunately that is inevitable, isn’t it? But instead of panicking next time, and scrambling..I’ll have something to fit the bill right away, and we’ll get this quilt off to someone who needs it, from both of us --- Jackie in Australia, and me in North Carolina.

Sometimes it does take a village….or just two people on opposite ends of the earth.

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Show & Tell Thursday!

Yes, it’s that time again! It’s been a few weeks and I’ve got plenty in my inbox to share with you!

Again, these posts this week are all being written ahead of time as we are on our Caribbean Quilting Cruise adventure with Sew Many Places! Hopefully Lori and I are relaxing with our toes in the sand, noses in books, cool drinks by our elbows and enjoying a bit of island adventures as well as quilting our brains out when we are not in port!

In May, I visited the Piecemakers Quilt Guild of Athens, Alabama. It seems like forever ago already, but it was only 4 months ago…and I so very well remember that day, and the thunderstorm rolling through and taking the power out! Some things are so very unforgettable.

Since that workshop day -- Ada has been SO busy!

She made Hawks Nest from Scraps & Shirttails II! Honestly, when I was finishing up this quilt myself, putting my borders on, starting the text writing, and came to the fact that it had a trazillion gazillion half square triangles that finished at 1.5”—I wondered if anyone would be crazy brave enough to tackle this quilt!

I’m so glad to see that I am not the only loonie tune in the box when it comes to my love of many small pieces. I love piecing to be a challenge…something to enjoy for the whole process, not just to sew it together in a day and call it done.

Ada, your quilt turned out BEAUTIFUL! Thank you so much for sharing the picture with us!

This is Cathy Witt’s Tumalo Trail Quilt, also from Scraps & Shirttails II!

She writes:

Bonnie, now that you are back from your trip, I thought you might enjoy seeing pics of your Tumalo Trail I just finished... I actually started it the day I received your book back in March, but had to put it on hold due to a request from a non-quilter friend for a custom made RRCB (after she saw mine ). Once I finished the second RRCB I was able to get back to Tumalo Trail. It was a pleasure to piece... your patterns are always just perfect.

I have not made a quilt by any other pattern/designer since I stumbled onto your website two years ago. I started off by participating in your Carolina Christmas mystery and was hooked ever since.

Thanks so much for everything you do.

Cathy in TN

Close up of piano key border and quilting detail.

Cathy! Thank you so much for sharing your gorgeous quilt with me! This one just shines! What a great collection of scraps you used….and thank you so much for the sweet compliments. :c)

Next up is Yvonne!

Yvonne’s Blue Ridge Beauty units turned into jacob's ladders and took a turn into a different lay out! Isn’t this great?! I love blue and purple together --

Yvonne writes:

Bonnie,

This is the leaders and enders I was working on during my other projects. Eventually it became my primary of course cause I was itching to see it.

Happy scrappy sewing to you!

Yvonne in Chilliwack, BC

Thanks for sharing, Yvonne! And you are not alone…my leader/ender projects often niggle at me to become “REAL” projects too! Ummmm….I hear those 3” cheddar bow-ties calling my name as I type this!

Cindy Broadway has been quilting like crazy!

This is Cindy’s Maverick Stars quilt….I love what she did with the inner border, don’t you?

She writes:

Dear Bonnie,

A fellow quilter introduced me to your website and I love it!! I have always considered myself a "scrap quilter" and your patterns have been a delight.

When I began quilting, I couldn't afford to purchase new fabric and tried to use all those left over pieces from years of sewing for my family. Now I belong to a guild that does primarily charity quilts; so I enjoy using your patterns to make those just a bit more special.

I like the new web set up for your patterns and think the directions are easier to follow. I have attached some photos to share those I've tried and given away.

One of my favorites was the "Maverick Stars" using the tiny triangles from piecing bindings in reply to a challenge from my guild members who were going to throw them away!!! I used several of their other smaller pieces to make the inner border as well. Thanks for the many ideas.
Keep the inspiration coming.

A quilting friend.
Cindy

Cindy’s Crayon Box quilt just zings with that lime green border! How many 2.5” strips could you get rid of with this quilt? Anything goes…use it up!

Boxy Stars is another great free pattern to use up those 2.5” strips. It works great with a Jelly Roll, peeps --- You should give it a try! Work it up in a planned color scheme, or go as Cindy did…play scrappy!

Whooowhooo!! Look at the fun and wonderful strings that Cindy was able to give place to in this quilt! This one is Diamond Strings, and I’m itching to make another one of these! That bright bubble gum pink is a great accent color, isn’t it? It just pops!

Thank you ladies, for sharing your beautiful quilts with me so I could in turn share them back with all of you!

I don’t do “Show and Tell Thursday” every week, but as time and space allows. If you have a Quiltville quilt that you would like to share, please email me a photo along with a little story about the quilt! Your quilt could appear here!

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