my September LUCY Patchwork of the Crosses blocks

September LUCY blocks are looking more Autumn-like in colors, I think.

mylifeisastitch.blogspot.com
Lucy Boston - Patchwork of the Crosses - Sept blocks

I'm almost out of my pre-cut honeycomb papers!  (from PaperPieces.com)
I think I had 1,200 papers when I started,
and the stockpile is gettin' low!
Definitely time to start connecting my blocks together
so I can remove the outside honeycomb papers and re-use them.

I leave the outside papers in the blocks for stability
until I'm ready to connect them to the next block.
(The connecting pieces are one-inch squares
between each finished block.)  
After I have two blocks attached with
the four connecting squares, 
I can remove the honeycomb papers on either side.

That's a whole lot 'o squares coming up!
I just frightened myself :)

Happy Monday and Happy Stitching!!

my August LUCY Patchwork of the Crosses blocks

I'm still lovin' my Lucy!
Here are my four blocks for August:

mylifeisastitch.blogspot.com
Lucy Boston - Patchwork of the Crosses - August blocks

Still think it's time to start connecting my blocks...

I think I mentioned before that I wasn't finding fabric (for connecting squares) that I LOVED that went well with all the patterns and colors in the blocks for this quilt...
Part of the problem was that I had wanted to get quite a few of blocks done before I started connecting them as  I wanted to be able to spread out the blocks to balance the  blocks/colors across the quilt. 
Anyway,

I finally chose my fabric to make the connecting squares,

so now I can start making a quilt from all these blocks! 
It's a light blue/slate gray/linen-looking fabric. 
I had hoped to find something that was a little more patterned, but after laying blocks all over many bolts of fabric at the LQS, I went with the fabric that was my first choice.  Isn't that how it usually is? 
Choose a few bolts of fabric and put them on the cutting table, choose some more bolts and add to the stack on the cutting table, ask opinions, then go with your first instinct? :) 
Is it just me and my problem habit of playing with fabric

or do you do this also?

And, finally, I'm kind of proud of myself -

I'm still up to date on

my goal of

one block a week

on this, my Lucy project for this year!

That's 35 blocks so far!!!

What are you stitching on this week?

November! & my July LUCY Patchwork of the Crosses blocks

November already!!
And here I am, finally!, getting pictures posted here
of my July LUCY - POTC blocks:

mylifeisastitch.blogspot.com
July - Lucy Boston
Patchwork of the Crosses

Now that I see this picture,
I think I should have made five blocks for the month -
as aren't there five weeks of July,
not just four?
Yep, checked the calendar, and sure enough,
five weeks in July, not four.
Oh, well...
guess I'll be making another block later.
And here I thought I was up to date!

A side note - looking at my blocks,

the majority of my fabrics are Jo and Judie.

Jo as in Morton, and Judie as in Rothermel.

May have to add their names to my Lucy project...

Lucy J.J. or something :)

I love the rich colors of these reproduction fabrics.
Almost as rich as the fall leaf color around here last week...
it was peek leaf-peeping season,
and gorgeous.

Back to playing with more fabrics/colors.
Happy November & Happy Stitching!

Concentric Log Cabin

Isn't this a keeper?

I love it!

The pattern is Concentric Log Cabin from
"Small quilts with Vintage Charm" - a Jo Morton book.

Remember, I talked about buying a kit and I don't usually buy kits?
'Cause, One, I already have gobs  tons  LOTS of fabric,
and Two, I REALLY enjoy choosing the fabrics for my own projects.
And there's more, but two's enough for now.

Anyway, the kit:  I really liked all of the colors and the fabrics and the price seemed right, SO...
I was thinking hard on it and the shop gals said there was a "kit sale" going on...
"SOLD"!  And since I already had the book -- well, only made sense!


Of course, knowing me, I would NOT be able to make the pattern/kit as it was kitted up...
No, had to add more strips - to fit a certain table, you know.

So instead of 25 "rounds", I did 35.  Yes, that is a whole lot of one inch strips to cut...
But totally worth it, don't you think?

Wait until I show you the close-up!!!  (tomorrow!)

Happy Monday!

hint: the Jo project

On my Snow Day/Sew Day

I cut a bunch of one inch strips.

And this is the project

that I worked on as it snowed and snowed.

 And snowed some more! :)

The Concentric Log Cabin

from the book
"Small Quilts with Vintage Charm".

I saw this small quilt at a LQS,

and they had a great kit at a great price. 

And I thought I had the book, so I bought the kit. 

Not something that I usually do - buy a kit...

But I thought the price was right -

and I loved the fabrics and colors they had chosen.

And I added some more

of my own reds and tans and creams

from my stash

to cut into one inch strips.

Then I started looking for the book...

I guess I no longer had it.

I'm sure I used to...

I don't know if someone borrowed it

or I donated it to the local guild for their fundraising sale.

Anyway,

I called all the LQSs and no one had the book.

I called my Quilting Conspiracy Buddies

 (QCB-that's another story for another day) and no one had the book.

I got online and found the book at a not so LQS.

So I ordered it...the book.

And, of course, I had to add some fabric to the order!

So the book wouldn't

feel all lonely

in the box as it shipped cross country...

you know what I'm saying?

YAY- snow day/sew day

Another

 four to six inches

of snow today!  

I say YAY!

Also, Yippee and Yahoo!

(I know, I have a snow problem...or so I've been told.)

That means another project day...

So I cut some more one inch strips

to add to something I started a week ago or so...

Here's a peek:

Can you guess what it is?

I'll give you a hint - it's another Jo project...

Snowing and sewing - what a great day!

Hope yours is too!

BFF a.k.a. stalker

So,
This is another person that has me standing in front of quilts in awe.
In awe because of her talent and creativity.
I do not stalk Jo Morton.
Though I did warn her of someone that I know that could potentially be her stalker.
(Stalker sounds so harsh...maybe "follower" would be better.  No, "follower" sounds too nice...maybe BFF-stalker.)
Anyway, that someone/stalker/BFF did not attend Quilt Market this spring, so Jo is good. 
But to appease the potential stalker, I asked Jo to sign her new book "Coming Home" for this would be someone/stalker/BFF. 
Hopefully that works.
And the new book is GREAT!!!

Jiggity Jig, can you say that very slowly and drawn out?

My jiggity jig is much, much more slower than it was last Thursday.  And not because I picked up a Texas drawl! That would be a direct after-effect of the Houston quilt market.  "Fall Market", as it is called, is the wholesale part of the quilt industry.  It comes right before the retail quilt Fall Market. 
Our hotel was only six long city blocks from the convention center.  And the hotel offered a van shuttle service when we called and booked our reservation.  "Why, yes, we do have a free shuttle to and from the convention center".  In actuality, the shuttle service was only Thursday.  Evidently, the downtown area of Houston just closes up after 8 p.m. on Thursday, 5 p.m. on Friday, and after 3p.m. on Saturday.  And good luck finding anything open on Sunday at all.  Even the mall and food court!  Anyway, we lucked into a Friday night shuttle because there was a wedding at our hotel with party at the convention center.  Then when the rain came in (the temp did drop to a nice 80 degrees!) and the weekend came........you guessed it, no shuttle.  And six blocks is only six blocks.  I walk that all the time.  Just not usually in the rain, being a pack mule carring 75 pounds or more of fabric and books and printed propaganda, AFTER I have walked a concrete convention center floor the size of a football field at least 5 times.  I'm tellin' you'all my dogs were-a-barkin'!  (Yes, I heard a Texan use that line and I am quoting).
O.K., enough whining. 

First:  The picture that shows we are HERE:

Second:  Moda had a photo op area with props.

Here's a picture of the most magnificant quilting diva aka:  Miss C.       A little secret about Miss C.  She's afraid of her shadow.  That is a scary shadow, isn't it?   No joking, that shadow can make her jump out of her skin and drop things and grab the person beside her!

Here's Miss C as we get back from a long day and a longer walk back from the convention center.  Clockwise from the white bag:  12 pounds of wool kits and wool floss; the Jo Morton fabric bag has about 45 pounds of propaganda; the back pack is books equalling 75 pounds; the light paisley is 25 pounds of fabric fat quarter bundles; the yellow bag is more fabric fat quarter bundles.  Only 20 pounds in this one!  I kept telling her she could carry it if it was distributed evenly!  And by golly, she did!

Ms. C with her new best friend in the Amy Bradley booth;  Ms. C with her new best friend Jinny (yes she got an autographed copy of that book and it weighs about 400 pounds!);   Then you will see that Miss C found her new best friend Jo.  THEN, Ms. C and her new best friend Nancy!

I wasn't quite as fickle.  Well, maybe.  My new-found best friends: The first is Helen.  Check out her blog and great pictures from Houston Market. http://hugsnkisses.typepad.com/ I picked up this pattern, possibly for a block of the month group.  I would show you the pattern close-up, but it's in a box that I shipped, so won't be here for a couple of days.  And, she brought each of us that attended her lecture a little baggie of the most scrumptious cherry candies from Tazmanian cherries, I think.  Yes, I shared!  This is Rosalie in the pink.  This was at Schoolhouse sharing her new designs and a new fabric line. http://rosaliequinlandesigns.typepad.com/

Then, the last picture is my new best friend, Lynette Anderson.  Her link is http://lynetteandersondesigns.typepad.com/lynette_anderson_designs/  I know she's not blogging while in Houston, so her site is not updated with market info yet.  But it was great meeting her and her son Eddie.  They were working on a 28 hour day/flight with no sleep and then set up and then market, so they had to be tired, but you sure couldn't tell.  I think I would have been more than a little grouchy!

I just love her patterns.  I'm working on a couple of her Christmas designs now, but hope to do the quilt we are standing in front of.  It's called Irish Bird.  Stitching and piecing. 

Another one for my project list!

I also met Alma Allen and Barb Adams of Blackbird Designs.  No pic, but she gave me an autographed copy of her new pattern Hallowe'en - 1904.  I know her cousin, Mary in Alabama, and Mary told me I should go chat her up next time I saw her at market.  So I did, and she is just so nice and down to earth.  She is from Kansas and has just a little different mid-west accent, which I really enjoyed.  Here's her blog link:  http://blackbird-designs.blogspot.com/

I have some shots from the quilt show itself - great quilts, so, more pictures later.  I need to get to work.  A couple more quilts to quilt and laundry and finish unpacking all my goodies!

Home again, home again, Jiggity, jig.