Liebster Blog Award

Marika of Live, Laugh, Love...Sew awarded me the Liebster Blog award !

I was so surprised to see her comment today. It was just what I needed to brighten my week. The weather here in Iowa has been cold and rainy the past few days and even with being inside so much I have not sewn since Friday.

The Liebster award (German for favorite) is for bloggers with 200 followers of less. As a recipient of the awad, you have the chance to thank and link back to the blogger who gave it to you as well as pass it along to five other deserving blogs. (I took this from Marika's blog)

I have been blogging for about 2 years now, but not on a regular basis. Between work, the house and running two boys everywhere it is hard to find time to do anything. I have plenty of blogs that I do visit in the late hours after everyone is asleep.

 

I am a self-taught quilter that is trying to learn anything I can about quilting techniques. Can anyone help me with paper piecing?? I have watched so many tutorials on it and my brain cannot comprehend how to do it :(

Anyways..
The Liebster Conventions says that :

1. Thank your award presenter on your blogblog and link back to him/her (check)

2. Copy and paste the award to your blog (double check)

3. Present the Liebster Award to 5 blogs that you think deserve to be recognized (see below)

4. Let them know by leaving a comment on their blog (will do)

5. Have faith that your follower will spread the love too !

My winners of the Liebster award are:

1. http://thelittlestthistlecraftshop.blogspot.co.uk/

2. http://sillybananasewing.blogspot.co.uk/

3. http://brigantiadesigns.blogspot.co.uk/

4. http://thequiltyarn.blogspot.com.au/search?updated-max=2012-03-29T01:03:00-07:00&max-results=7

5. http://shecanquilt.blogspot.ca/

WIP Wednesday

 I finally got the binding sewn on my larger whirlygig quilt. I did a pieced back with 3 leftover whirlygigs.

 Friday night I was able to get my churn dash quilt put together and got the backing pieced. I love the colors of this fabric! I tried to take photos of the quilt the other day but it was a little windy. I had a few neighbors watching me - probably laughing at me.

I did get my plus quilt quilted and have most of the binding machine sewn on. I tried to paper piece a small quilt that my guild is using for a ribbon topper the other night - it did not work out :( I am very frustrated with it. I was planning on paper piecing my Farmer's Wife blocks. I am going to have to wander the blogging world to try and figure it out.

Farmer's Wife and WIP Wednesday

I broke down and bought the Farmer's Wife Quilt book on Monday night. The reason??

Laurie Aaron Hird spoke at our quilt guild meeting! She touched on how she came about to do the Farmer's Wife book but mainly talked about the Pony Club book. It was so interesting to hear how the Farmer's Wife magazine gave ponies away to little kids and to read their letters that they wrote thanking the magazine for the ponies. This will be my next book purchase. I also got her to sign my book! Unfortunately this is the only photo that I took of her Pony Club quilt :(

With the warm beautiful weather we have spent alot of time outside working in the flower beds getting them ready for spring. My first tulips bloomed today. I need to take a photo - they are only 2 inches tall and the blooms about half-an-inch. So cute!

Friday I did start to work on a churn dash quilt using my Aunt Edna fabrics. I have four blocks done and just spent an hour chain-piecing some more. I can't wait to see them laid out together.

WIP

1. Finish binding on larger wirly gig

2. Need to quilt my plus quilt - still undecided on the design

3. Figure out what to use for backing of my granny squares - I plan on hand quilting this so then I will have to learn how to hand quilt and pick my threads.

WIP Wednesday

I got my baby wirly quilt quilted, bound and washed. I also got the larger wirly quilted. I will not show photos since I have done so alot lately. :)

I dragged my crabby kids to the fabric store on Saturday and found a varigated thread for my plus quilt!! (Luckily they were having a craft day there so it put them in a better mood.) But I still haven't decided how to quilt it. So......

I started working on my granny squares. I have four done and 8 more ready to sew the rows together. I love the look of the blocks individually but am not so sure of them all together. I am really bad at scrappy quilts - I love everyone else's but hate my own. But I will plug away and wait until it is completely done to make my final decision. These blocks are fast and easy to make. I might have to keep this pattern in my mind for future quilts. It would be fun to make a table runner out of them.

Finish it up Friday

I got off my lazy butt last night and took some photos of my small wirly-gig quilt before I went to bed (sorry not very good). My goal for the week was to get it quilted and the binding machine bound to the front - achieved! I quilted with straight lines, 1/4-inch from the seams. Something fast and easy.

I did do a little quilting on the large wirly gig last night but only for about 10 minutes. Tonight I am hoping to get it all quilted in a meandering stitch.

I am also hoping to start on my granny squares quilt. I cut the blocks out 2 weeks ago and haven't looked at them since.

Small Blog Link Up

Not much new to show. I was able to get my small wirly-gig quilted and the binding sewn to the front. I also spent last night getting the larger wirly gig and the plus quilt pinned last night. I might start the quilting of the wirly tonight. I still have to figure out what thread I will use for the plus quilt.

WIP Wednesday

Not much going on around here. I got the binding done on my New Wave quilt and the Color Wheel quilt. I am so glad I took the time to do the lines on the New Wave - once it was washed it looks awesome.

I have not touched my sewing machine since Super Bowl Sunday. I got the main part of the plus quilt done and am unsure on what to do for the borders, so it is just sitting there.

I did start cutting out squares for the Granny Squares quilt that is floating around blogland right now. Used up more of my scraps - love that feeling.

Onto my quilt labels - there was a request to tell how I created them. I do all my designing using Adobe Illustrator. I created labels on a yard of fabric that were 3.5x2 (the size of a standard business card) - 180 of these, then shrunk the label done to 2 x 1-1/8 - 100 of these, then to fill up the remaining space I created 6 labels that were 1.5x1. For a total of 3 sizes - 286 labels.

 On my biggest labels I left a white area of 1/8-inch past my blue border. I am wishing I would have had a bigger white area so I could sew the labels into the corner of the quilt and have the binding cover 2 sides of it. Just for a little added security in keeping the label on.

I used my first label on my color wheel quilt. I have a busy backing fabric for this quilt. I am washing it as I speak and when I took it from the washer to put in the dryer - the label was very see-through. I am hoping this clears up once the quilt is dry otherwise I will have to come up with a solution on future busy backing fabrics.

I attached the label with fusible web. It held up in the washing part of the quilt - no loose threads on the edges of the label.

I did not go into much detail on how to create you labels - I am going to refer you to a website that I visited - Jaybird Quilts. She has a 2-part tutorial that will tell you everything you need to know about creating labels with Spoonflower.  http://www.jaybirdquilts.com/2009/07/label-tutorial-spoonflower-way.html 

If you do have questions I will gladly answer them.

My next thing to figure out is what type of marking pen I should use to write on my labels. Suggestions?