Hands All Around Quilt Blocks

Yesterday I posted a picture on my FaceBook page of a quilt block that I'm currently in love with. This is going to be a long term project for me. One of those where I work on blocks here and there in between designing new quilt patterns and working on upcoming books!




Here are the blocks I have done so far. This block I am working on can go by a few names but I think it's most commenly known as the "Hands All Around" quilt block.

I referenced Barbara Brackmans book Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns and here are some other names that this block has appeared in print as:

Center Table Quilt
All Hands Around
Wreath Of Lillie's
Old Fashioned Star Quilt.

The pattern I'm using comes from this book:




This book - actually there were two books in the series, contain tons of quilt patterns and the templates on clear plastic. This is a binder style book and was one of those clubs you could join years ago and you received a packet of patterns a month for a small fee. I was lucky enough to find the complete set on amazon.com a while back. I've seen these binders popping up on eBay also. There are also a couple of eBay sellers that sell the individual patterns in their shops. So you could do an ebay search for just the name of this pattern if you are interested in it!

The main center fabric I'm using is a Judie Rothermel print and comes with these vintage ladies printed in color or you kind find it with the ladies printed in brown on cream fabric. Both are gorgeous!










I'm hand piecing my blocks and hope to have a nice queen size quilt or larger when I'm finished!

Here's a couple other photos that I posted on Facebook a few months back when I started this project!








In this last photo you see the pattern and the plastic templates!

If we are not friends on Facebook - come over and see me! My personal page is under my name Tara Lynn Darr and my business page is under the name Sew Unique Creations. If you are really into quilting and would like to see the gazillion and one photos I post - come "like" my business page!

Sew Unique Creations FaceBook Page

Have a great day!




Tara
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Silly Sunday

Go Shopping!

It's visit your local quilt shop day! Now get out there and enjoy your quilt shop today - go have fun and be inspired by the fabrics and threads, etc. go and enhance your stash!

No local shop you say - there are plenty of online shops to browse and buy something just for your stash today!

Support your quilt shops - they are disappearing way to fast because of various reasons!


Tara
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Silly Sunday

Help!

Does anyone out there in blog land remember a pattern by Blackbird Designs that uses these small 3/4" hexagons? If I remember correctly its a table runner - was on the cover of the booklet and probably came out about 4 or 5 years ago? Maybe longer. I do remember the book was not full size - it was a small booklet? If you can think of the name of it let me know. I came across a UFO bin with these pretty Hexies and more cut out and ready to go - but no pattern or book with it. I've torn through my book shelves looking for it too!




Puppy update - all the pups are doing great. Momma Bridget had to stop nursing because she got matatis which is an ugly infection. So I've been bottle feeding these seven little cuties. Just like having seven babies in the house all at once! LOL

That explains why I haven't been around blog land that much!


Tara
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Silly Sunday

Silly Sunday

My Little Honeycomb Quilt....another UFO

The other day I mentioned I was searching around in my bins and containers for a certain piece of fabric. I "unearthed" another cute little UFO that I have started. I'm not sure yet if I'll make this into a large size bed quilt or maybe make a few smaller quilts as gifts! Who knows - time will tell!




I just love Sterlite containers - they are so handy and come in a ton of different sizes. I usually find mine at Walmart or Target. I really like the snap on lids of these containers and the fact that they stack on top of each other very well! This container holds the beginnings of my Honeycomb quilt.






Isn't it cute! I'm using a lot of my older reproduction fabrics and some newer in this project and probably have a couple hundred shapes cut out and ready to sew!





Look at all those shapes already cut and ready to sew! I had fun digging around in there looking at all the different fabrics!




This is the Ardco template I'm using. I've mentioned before how much I love using Ardco templates - they have a sandpaper feel on the back side that just grabs onto the fabric and helps to hold it in place while you trace your shapes. I'm using the 1 13/32" size on this project. You should hop over to the Ardco website and check out the many,many different templates that are available! Www.ardcotemplates.com

I think I may just add this project back into my traveling sewing bag that I keep ready for road trips and doctor Appointments and such!

Have a great weekend!


Tara
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Carol Hopkins Pattern Winners

Congratulations to the following two people!  If you will both email me at sewunique7@aol.com with your snail mail address, I'll get these patterns sent right out!

Thanks for joining in on the fun!

Julee said...

I'm working on a red, pinks & green small wool project now. The pattern is a Lori Smith My Heart to your Hands, Miss Emilee.

 Carla A Few Of My Favorite Things said...

I am currently working on a quilt in pinks, browns and creams. This little quilt would look adorable in my left over scraps of those colors.

My children enjoyed picking the winning names from the basket!!!

A Few Of My Furry Friends

Yesterday I mentioned that something has been keeping me a little busy lately. Let me show you.......






This is Bridget and her seven sweet adorable pups born bright and early New Years Eve morning.

To back this story up a bit - Bridget is not our dog, we are her foster parents and it happened quite by accident and very quickly. Bridget was saved on December 30th from being put to death by a local animal shelter. This sweet Momma was due to give birth soon - very soon. When taken to the vet on the 31st, the ladies from the shelter learned she would probably go into labor that very evening.

I was helping, along with my son at an adoption event for some of the other dogs on the 31st and learned that Bridget desperately needed a foster home to go to and have her pups so she could feel safe and warm and not be alone at night at the shelter in case of complications.





I could not stand the thought of this sweet, scared and very gentle Momma dog being all alone. So home with us she came. Needless to say - dear hubby was shocked but as usual he just went with the flow and we made room for Bridget.

My daughter Ashley and I made up her temporary living quarters and made her comfortable. We both slept on the floor next to her in anticipation of the births on the 31st. By 6:50 am on New Years Eve she had her first pup and over the next few hours she had five little boy pups and two girls. All adorably sweet and healthy. The second one to be born gave me a little scare as he did not want to breath, but with a little coaxing we got the poor little fella breathing and we cried because we nearly lost him.






Momma Bridget was not liking her dog food that the shelter provided for her and was already under nourished. So yesterday I learned to make her own "gourmet" dog food mix. Plum full of good natural human foods that are high in vitamins and fats, mixed with her doggie food so that she would eat. What a learning experience this has been!

Thankfully our own dog and cat have "allowed" her to be in their home with no complications.












This is our cat Bella dressed as Santa on Christmas Day - outfit courtesy of my daughter that loves to dress her up! She doesn't look to happy in this picture!





This is our dog Harley back in the summer when it was warmer and he was my daily companion outside on our deck. He would sit there all day with me on his own deck chair as I sewed away our wrote pattern directions on the laptop!

I'll be back a little later to announce the winner for the pattern giveaway! If you missed yesterday's blog post - you might want to go read it, as I have two extra patterns to giveaway. My kids will be drawing the winning names later today!

Chat more later - I'm off to sew for awhile and then I need to make some more doggy chow! LOL


Tara
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Fun Little Pattern Giveaway!

Wow - a New Year! Just how does the time fly by so fast on me! I've been missing in action for a few days from blogging - but I have a good reason for it and I'll share that with you another time!

I was digging around through some of my bins and containers of UFO's looking for a certain piece of fabric (I'm sure you know how that is!) and I ran across this project!





Isn't this going to be adorable when I get it completed! Well - one of these years I'm sure I will! I hand pieced those little star beauties and they are just as cute as can be!

This pattern is called Sweet William #208 by Carol Hopkins Designs. I just love her stuff. She can magically take fabric and turn it into something beautiful! Don't you agree! Evidently I meant to finish this project and use the finished piece as a model to sell the patterns back in my fabric selling/quilt show days! Here's a close up of the pattern cover.




So - I have 2 extra patterns to give away! All you have to do is leave me a little comment and tell me what your favorite color combination to use in a quilt currently is! My kids are on Christmas break, so I'll have each of them draw a winning name from all the comments left tomorrow sometime in the late afternoon! Good luck!

Tara
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