Lonestar Log Cabin Finished!

 Surprisingly - these mitered corners on my quilt went together easily and quickly last night.  Usually mitered corners on small quilts are a breeze for me and then when I do them on larger quilts - I run into a snag or two.  But this time the "quilting Gods" were with me!

And here is the finished quilt top!  I'm loving it!  Please excuse the props you see in the background - photography genius I am not - and my living room is only so big!  This quilt was way to large for me to put up on the design wall and try to take a picture!  I attempted that this morning and could not stand back far enough to get a good picture!  So the living room floor it is and me standing way up on the stair case looking down acting like a monkey hanging over the ledge to get a good picture!  (picture that without laughing!)

I'm getting the backing fabric ready today and then I'll be shipping this pretty quilt off to the long arm quilter along with 3 other quilt tops that have been sitting here needing a little attention!

Then I think I might just work on a little Jo Morton quilt today if all goes well!  Have a great day!

Borders are going on smoothly...

The borders are going on smoothly this evening.  The Lonestar Log Cabin quilt is getting closer to being finished and headed to the long armquilter.

It's been a good project.  Took me awhile to get it completed with everything else we've been busy with. I'm bound and determined to get these mitered borders finished tonight!  Wish me luck!

Today's adventure

Well, today finds me having a little more fun on this quilt.  I achieved my personal mini goal yesterday and was able to complete all the log cabin blocks!  Yeah me!

Last night I arranged the upper left corner of the quilt.  I fussy cut a particular stripe fabric I had in my stash to go around the medallion lonestar center and I'm really loving that.  Now, here's the funny part.  I did not like how that outer border was looking at all to my naked eye. I started thinking, OK Tara - that's just not going to cut it.  Darn - guess I'll use it as a backing!

Well, live and learn - how many times have I heard of people taking photos of their quilts and then changing their minds about certain things once they see the digital image??  Tons - now that I've taken this photo and looked at it all from a different angle - I'm liking the border fabric again.  Live and learn I guess!

Today, my goal is to complete this section of the quilt.  Then I hope to pull some fabrics to get started on making a sample of one of the Jo's Little Women Club #10 quilts.  Also, I want to pull some fabrics for one of the quilts from the Prairie Women's Sewing Circle Journey #1 club quilts!  Sounds like a pretty busy day to me!  Oh yeah, some hand piecing on those spool blocks again this evening sounds quite enticing with a nice hot cup of tea!

Just a few spool blocks!

I am really enjoying piecing these spool blocks.  To sit and hand piece in the evening with a nice hot cup of coffee or tea is sheer joy and such a stress reliever!!!  I have half of the first months set of blocks finished for January for our Spoolin' Around Club!

In this picture you see that all the fabrics are the same in the spool blocks, but as I continued to sew I discovered I prefer the way these turned out!

I like them scrappy style much more!  So here's what I've decided to do for this project.  Each month we can make 40 spool blocks out of the 5" x 20" pieces of fabric in the club. I am going to continue to make 10 of them that have all the same fabrics matching as in the first photo above.  The next 10 I am going to make scrappy style from that months selection of fabric. Then the remaining 20 - I am going to carry those pieces forward into other months and mix and match those fabrics also!

After I thought about this, I really think it will give the finished quilt a really different look!

Plus, I wanted to share with you - for those of you that have joined the club and are receiving the 5" x 20" fabric packs each month - you will have plenty of fabric left over to make a few more blocks - beyond what you will need for the finished quilt!  I'm thinking about using my scraps to make more of these little spoon blocks to make matching pillows or maybe a table runner and a few small quilts for Christmas gifts!  Now there's an idea!

Now, I need to get back to work for the day.  I have to finish piecing the February club blocks and also ------- I only have a few more blocks to finish for my Lonestar Log Cabin quilt!  I almost finished them yesterday but ran short on time!  I really need to get these two items completed soon - we have the Jo's Little Women Club projects that I want to begin working on as soon as the club patterns get here plus the big one ---the Paducah Quilt Show and Quilt Market in Salt Lake City is coming up really soon and I need some new goodies to introduce along with our book!

I'll be sewing the day away today and I hope you can enjoy your day as much as I am mine!

Lonestar Log Cabin Progess

Here's my lonestar center so far!  I don't think I have showed you this yet with the background fabric added to it!

And we are still plugging away on the Log Cabin Blocks.

I'm making progress - but honestly - It seems to be taking me forever to get anywhere on this quilt!  I'm loving it, but I can't wait to start putting the top together!  I have one more round to go on my log cabin blocks.  Maybe if I put my foot to the pedal a little today, I can get this last bit accomplished!

Not to many strips left!  The end is near I do believe!

Wish me luck in finishing these blocks today - I might be hoping for more than is possible, I only have 2 hours and 45 minutes till the kids school bus arrives!  I'd like to hand piece a little this evening also and work on my little spool blocks using the February fabric pack for our Spoolin' Around Club!

Happy quilting and I leave you with this little ditty....

I love quilting and have a plenty of material witnesses to prove it!

Jo's Little Women Club #10

Having trouble locating a "Jo's Little Women Club" near you?

We can help you out!  Our club is online only!

Jo Morton's new Jo's Little Women Club #10 will be available soon - oh so soon - but you can pre-order your Club #10 pattern set now!!!  This club pattern set has 8 new patterns!  All gorgeous!

By signing up for this online club, you will receive the club pattern set, and a coupon good for 15% off your purchases on our website (online orders only - no phone orders please!) that is good from February 15th through November 15, 2011!

We have to play by the "club rules" just like everyone else and there is a fabric purchase requirement!

To be eligible for the purchase of Jo's Little Women Club #10 - you must also purchase a minimum total of 6 yards of Jo Morton fabric from our website (any combination as long as the total fabric purchase is for at least 6 yards total and we have to follow the "rules" to be able to play in this club, so they have to be Jo Fabrics!!)  This purchase must be made at the same time that you are ordering Jo's Little Women Club #10.  (With one exception to this - If you have placed an order or pre-order for any Jo Morton fabric during the month of January 2011 while we were waiting for the club information - that fabric purchase will go toward your six yard minimum purchase!  - Don't worry about looking for your receipts - we keep good records! If you cannot remember if you ordered any Jo fabric during January 2011 - just email us with your first and last name and we will look it up for you!)

If you are pre-ordering your 6 yard minimum fabric purchase - the Jo's Little Women Club #10 pattern set will ship to you when the fabric arrives and is shipped to you also!

Today we finished uploading a lot of Jo Morton fabric that was recently ordered to replace our dwindling supply of Jo Fabric. Andover is finally done with their yearly inventory and they can now ship fabric again!!!  Our orders will be shipping to us this week and over the next several weeks as they get more out of stock prints in!  All of that fabric can be found here:

Fabric Available for Pre-Order from Jo Morton


 

We do still have Jo Fabrics in stock now - but our inventory is low!  Enjoy browsing our website to see what lovely fabrics we have now and what is coming soon!
 

We are trying to get a good idea of just how many people are interested in this club.  We will be placing our intitial order for pattern sets within the next 2 weeks and will place additional orders as need be!  We will do our best to have the pattern Club packets in stock by February 1st - which would work out great for everyone because that should be about the time we are going to receive several and I do mean several gorgeous boxes of Andover Fabrics! (Would you not love to come play with us the day the "UPS Man" delivers all these goodies!  We should have a fabric party!)

You may pre-order your Jo's Little Women Club #10 pattern packet now and Jo Fabrics by visiting our website here:

Jo's Little Women Club #10

As always, we will not charge your credit card until all the items you wish to purchase are in stock and ready to ship.  Please note: if you are using PayPal and paying be credit card - your card will be charged at the time you place the order!  This is not our policy, it is normal PayPal policy.

****And to answer a question that might pop up - if you order a couple or a few fabrics or bundles that may not come into stock at the same time and you are going to order the Club #10 pattern set.  We will ship you the patterns for the club at the same time that we ship all of the fabrics once they are in stock.  For example: the Hurrah collection is due to arrive this month and let's say you would like to order a bundle of the Ravenwood fabric also - well, some of those fabrics will not be here until Mid February - so everything on that order will ship once all fabrics are here.

**** We would love to be able to start an online photo album of all the "in-progress" or completed Jo Projects!  So - as you are working on things - send us pictures!  We love to see what others are working on!  Plus, we will share this photo album with Jo herself!  She loves seeing everyone's completed projects!

Have a great day everyone and keep on quilting! I'll be back later on today to share some progress pictures with you on my Lonestar Log Cabin quilt that I'm still plugging away at!

Primitive Muslins Arriving Today

So exciting around here today!  The Primitive Muslin's fabric designed by Primitive Gatherings for Moda is arriving today!  

(Oh please Mr. Man in Brown - aka the UPS man - hurry up and get here!)

These muslins are just so pretty!

Well, this day just keeps getting better - pinch me!

Look what the boy in brown, driving that big fancy UPS truck just brought me:

Oh my, what's this???  Nope - not a box from Moda - yes, I know it has Moda tape on it - but I "recycled" this box many months ago when I sent something to a very special place called "Kansas City Star".

Hmmmm, let's see what's inside, could it be.....

Oh.... my heart is pounding and I'm shaking from the adrenaline rush!

Yep, it's my little jewels come back home to me.  All 20 little pretties are safely back home and awaiting their guest appearance at their first book signing in a few weeks!  Right now they are being printed into this:

And I couldn't be happier.

Thank you Kansas City Star - you rock!

Oh My - my day is off to an excellent start!

Ok, I'm bawling like a baby this morning - but that's a good thing!  My book is up on the Kansas City Star website!  This is all getting more "real" by the day.  Wow, that's all I have to say.

Check it out here:

The Kansas City Star

A Little Bit of Handpiecing......

Today I was able to do a little hand piecing!  I actually had a few moments to sit and stitch.  These template stamps for our "Spoolin' Around Club" arrived today!

Above is a photo that shows the stamps, the ink pads and the cute little pattern that comes with the stamps!

I was able to stamp out 20 blocks while sitting and helping my children with their homework after school.  Cutting them out was a breeze.  With these stamps, you automatically have the cutting line and the sewing line all there in one step for you!  I hand cut some of mine with scissors and then also cut some using a small ruler and rotary cutter - easy!

Here's the back side of one of the blocks where you can see the stamp/sewing lines.  These stamps are awesome, I'm seriously considering ordering other shapes (if you are interested in other shapes - let me know and I'll order them!)!  We have a few sets left, and I just placed an order for more of the spool stamps because they were received a little better than I anticipated!

And here are the fabrics we have chosen for this months fabric packs for the Spoolin' Around Club! This is going to be one gorgeous scrappy style quilt when we are finished!

I had a lot of fun this afternoon also!  We placed a nice order with Andover to replenish our Jo Morton inventory (we have to be prepared for our Jo's Little Women Club!!!!  Yeah!).  We ordered complete collections (which we pray we get very soon!) of the following:

Ember Reds & Evergreens
Spice Chest
Indigo Berries
Ravenwood
Attic Shirtings
and
Cocoa Express

Plus we ordered several bolts from every other line that is currently showing on the Andover website. Now, whether we get it all or not is anyone's guess!  Andover is currently doing inventory, so I hope to hear something in the next week or so about what will be shipped to us and just what fabrics have already been retired.  Boo Hoo....

Plus - we have Hurrah to look forward to this month by Jo and in March we have Toasty (I cannot wait to get my quiltie little hands on this fabric!) and Luminarias.  Then in May we have Carolina coming and July we have Sweet Emilie coming!  It's going to be a very good year!  Thanks Jo!

Also, in other news - I have to apologize for the little "blip" in ordering on our website today!  Our shopping cart was being updated because the United States Postal Service decided to surprise us with new shipping software for the new year - that didn't work with our website software!  Lovely.... I know.  So, after a few emails and the kind help of a computer guru (trust me, this little blip went beyond my computer knowledge!)  our shopping cart is back in working order.

Gotta run.... I have the hand piecing "bug" this evening and I want to get back to it!  Have a great evening!