My name is Jeanie and I am a fabriholic. And I have the most wonderful enabling friends that help to keep this obsession strong and ongoing. (You know who you are!)

Here's my latest project material, all possible because of the above enablers! This will be my first batik quilt. I've always loved the fabrics and have even done my own batiking back in the 60's and 70's. Still, beyond a small project and even some clothing, I simply haven't attacked a full sized quilt using all batik fabrics.

The jelly roll fabrics will be made into a pinwheel type pattern.....the beige will be the background of those pinwheels, as well as the first border...... the next bold fabric will be the bigger border.......the next milder fabric will be the binding....and the last fabric will be my backing.




It was hard to choose the fabrics because the variety is so extensive. I just love the bright colors and the unique shading of each one. Hopefully, it will turn out the way it looks in my mind's eye.

Here's another shot of some new fabrics....again from one of my enablers. Don't know what this will be used for, but I love the bright kitty fabrics. More goodies for my never ending stash!

Hope that you all have a safe New Year's Eve. May God bless you with a new year full of delightful surprises and friends that warm your heart!

HAVE A HAPPY, HEALTHY,

BLESSED 2011!

My pictures are uploaded backwards.....in the wrong order, that is.

This is the baby quilt that was in an earlier post. It is all finished and I put it in the mail today. I had hoped for a sunny day to get some good pictures, but that didn't happen. We did have some sunny days, but I wasn't around at the right time to get the quilt spread out for shots.

This is the back side, an all over animal print that matches the animals on the front.



This is the front side of the quilt in the large animal area. The quilting pattern in this area is kind of a wavy grass blades pattern.



Here's one of the gold corners with a loopy quilting pattern. (Sorry about the blue thread.....these close up shots are not very forgiving!)

The stripes along the sides each have a different quilting pattern. I thought that it looked really cute to use a different pattern in each section.

Here's a corner shot with a little mix of everything.



And lastly, an overall shot of the whole quilt. As usual, I couldn't get far enough away to get the whole quilt in the picture, plus, it was a gloomy day.

I'm happy to announce that Patti's grand niece was born on December 19th and everything went well for Mama and Baby Molly. I hope Molly will have many snugly naps under her new quilt!

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 14:27

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

Here's another picture-loaded post. I took several pictures of this quilt because none of them were turning out very well. This quilt was a Christmas gift for Patti and I bound it and mailed it on the same day, which happened to be a cloudy day, and my only day to take pictures due to the time crunch. Oh well.....

Here's an overall shot, nice and dark. You can't see the much of the quilting, but it was done by Lisa Olinger, a long arm quilter, and she did a fabulous job. Later on, there are a few shots that actually show the detail of her quilting.

Finally, here's a picture that shows some of the quilting in better detail. It was a "simple" meander of wondering roses. There's nothing simple about it, if you ask me, as my quilting skills are just not this precise.

More of the meandering rose quilting.

This is the backside flipped over. I didn't have enough fabric left over from the front to even piece the backing. I found this neutral thistle pattern and thought it matched the colored thistle print on the front pretty well. Plus, it gives you the option to turn it over and use this side too for a totally different look.

This quilt was a labor of love and I enjoyed piecing it throughout the year, all along thinking it would be a great quilt to make and give to Patti. I hope she gets many years of enjoyment out of it and will think of me when she wraps herself up in it!

Today, I have another quilt that needs to be bound and mailed out but I'll try and get some pictures taken on a sunny day before heading to the mailbox.

Hope your day is a good one and that you are getting all of your Christmas projects completed too!

Ahhh.....Winter...... my favorite season......

....chestnuts roasting on an open fire....

But wait....... I don't have any chestnuts to roast....... and I don't have a roaring fire in the fireplace........ and I don't even have a fireplace..... but I do have this;

A $2 DVD that crackles and plays accompanying Christmas music! It may not be quite the same, but I can almost feel the warmth!

Merry Christmas! Make the best of what you have

and you will be blessed!

Warning! Picture heavy and may cause drooling!

Patti and I went to the Festival of Gingerbread and here are just a few of the creations. (I wish I had smell-0-vision on this blog to add to the drool factor!) Enjoy!

My Sister-in-law, Patti, is awaiting the birth of her second grand niece, sometime in December. While she was visiting for Thanksgiving, we worked on a quilt for the baby-to-be. It was a super simple pattern with a big center focal panel. Sorry about the picture....I couldn't get far enough away to show it squarely. It needs to be quilted next, then I'll post the finished quilt.



Here's a close up of some of the critters on the fabric. Aren't they cute?!

I hope that you all had a Happy Thanksgiving. I had a nice Thanksgiving with a visit from my Sister-in-law, Patti, and for that, I am very thankful.

Along with the blessings of Thanksgiving, was Kevin's funeral and deep sadness. I have to tell you that Kevin was given the send off that he deserved, that of a true American hero! The procession from the funeral home to the cemetery was fairly long, maybe 30 to 40 minutes, and every few hundred yards or so, was a display of some kind of tribute to Kevin. The day was very cold and windy...... a blustery, although sunny, day. The streets were lined with police, firemen, firetrucks, Veterans, Patriot Guards, and patriotic citizens that just wanted to show their support of a fallen soldier. I've never seen so many American flags! They were even hanging from huge cranes in a couple of spots. The people along the road stood at attention in respectful salutes or with hands over their hearts, all holding American flags. Even more than the funeral itself, this public display of patriotism, love, and support was heart wrenching and inspiring. These people did not even know Kevin, they just wanted to thank him for his dedication and sacrifice for his (their) country.

And, publicly, I would like to thank them for standing out in the freezing weather to send a fallen hero home to his final resting place in the style he deserved.....to his eternal home with God. Thank you!

Rest in peace, Kevin. You will be missed, but never forgotten!

I had no idea that my last post, "Freedom Isn't Free", would directly come into my life this week. Kevin is at peace with his Heavenly Father, safe and sound, but his loved ones must follow Kevin's example and be brave and strong as the journey of grief begins. God Bless you, Kevin, and thank you for your sacrifice to make the world a better place! You will be missed!

Where can you buy a quilted purse for concealed weapons?.......why at the Houston International Quilt Festival, of course! I just had to laugh when I saw this on a blog. Texans......gotta love em'!

A little inspiration to jump start your creative muse.

(1620 individuals each made a frame!)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Being a fan of rats, bat, cats, and spiders, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Gee, for whatever reason, the other holidays don't feature these wonderful, fascinating creatures.

Have fun tonight and don't eat too much candy. Be safe!

I don't think we ever get tired of looking at leaves! Spring, summer, fall, and even winter. Each season has it's own special display of leaves. This is just one tree, across the street from me, and it simply glows when the sun is shining.

One of our local quilt shops had a garage sale last week end and this is what I picked up. The Moda charm packs were $2 each.....so how could I resist!? Also got a pattern for a needle/sewing box and a Christmas panel. No plans for any of it....just adding to the stash.



And this is what I received just for entering the little Valentine hanging (a few posts down). I already have this fabric marker and it's a $12 gift, plus they added the needles. I also received a coupon for a free yard of fabric and a 50% off of anything coupon. Not bad for simply entering the challenge!

Here's a great tip idea that just came in my newsletter from Quilters Club of America today. A great way to have a design wall without making it a permanent fixture, plus, it would be very inexpensive. My walls are covered in pictures so there is no bare wall space. This trick would enable me to put the little clips between hanging pictures, then take it down afterwards. Thanks QCA!


Winning Member’s Tip – Portable Design Wall
This month’s winning tip comes from member Janet Arnett:
“I have an inexpensive idea for a design wall. This idea works great at retreats and classes. I purchased two 3M Command Spring Clips and a flannel-backed tablecloth. The spring clips come with mounting strips that can be reused and are easily replaced. When I go to a retreat, I try to get a seat close to a wall. I mount the spring clips on the wall when I first arrive to give them a chance to adhere while I set up my sewing space. I then clip the table cloth up on the wall and I am ready to design. When it is time to go home, usually 2-3 days later, the clips are easily removed by pulling on tabs that release them from the wall. There is no damage to the wall, therefore no worries and it does not take up space in an already crowded sewing room. A tablecloth also affords a lot of wonderful space to display your project in process. Great for getting input from everyone in the room.”

This is my haul from a fabric and craft garage sale this week end. (I'm kind of focusing on fall fabrics right now.) I really don't know the full story, but the gal that has this yearly garage sale is a semi-professional quilter and crafter. My understanding is that she makes commissioned quilts for individuals and businesses. In any case, every year, she has a garage sale to move her old stash out of her house to make room for more fabrics. She sells her fabrics for 10 cents and inch and it's all quilt shop quality fabric. A great deal!




She also had boatloads of patterns that were 12 for $10. Another great deal when you consider the price of patterns these days. Here's my pattern haul.



Can't wait until next year!

Look what I won at Quilters Showcase ! It's a wonderful paper foundation pattern that is so cute!

And look at the size of some of these pieces!! 8 little bits of fabric in the size of a penny! I've been using paper foundations for a long time, but I've never worked with anything this intricate. I'm excited to see how it turns out, although it may be awhile before I begin this project. Christmas is coming very soon, you know!

And lastly, can you even guess what this is?! I was lucky enough to go to the Steven Curtis Chapman concert this weekend with my friend Joyce, and this is the BEST photo that I took. Steven is up there with his son, Caleb. Geeze......I even went into the bathroom for some light to see what was going on with my camera. It wasn't until I got home that I found that I had bumped the "secret" button that gives you the choice of photo settings for the circumstances. (Thus, the horrible pictures at the quilt auction, too.) I've never changed that setting and thought that my camera was broken. Must have been jostled and switched in my purse. Live and learn.....

Anyway, the concert was very inspiring and I would recommend going to one if you get the chance. The Chapman's have had a horrible tragedy in their lives and faith has carried them through.....and continues to carry them, day by day. I left there feeling rejuvenated, uplifted, and feeling even stronger in my faith. Go Chapman's!

The Mennonite Quilt Auction was last Saturday and I'm finally getting some pictures posted. I apologize for the quality of these photos. With the flash, they were almost black, without the flash, they were blurry. You get the idea though...........

Here's a shot of the crowd and this was taken after most of the quilts had been auctioned and the people were thinning out. It was still a good crowd and there were around 250 quilts listed in the auction booklet. The auction stage area is toward the left of this picture.




Here's the first quilt that was auctioned from "our" group of quilters. This one was made by my friend, Joyce, and her sister. I've posted a picture of this quilt in an earlier post on my blog (you can get a better look at it). The auction was not bringing in its usual high prices this year, probably due to the economy, and we weren't expecting it to reach as high a bid as it might have in earlier years. At this point, only one quilt had reached the $2000 mark and one had gone for $1500. Joyce was praying for a $1000 bid. Well, I'm happy to report that Joyce's quilt went for $4100!!! The bidding just kept getting higher and higher and Joyce and I were in tears! What a blessing for hunger relief!




Next up in "our" group, was our Psalms quilt, made by six of us, Kathy, Bev, Joyce, Fran, Lois, and myself. The bidding on this quilt did not go very high.....just $225. It was a disappointment, but we still felt blessed that it did sell and $225 can provide a lot of food for the hungry.



Last up is this little runner that Joyce's 12 year old granddaughter designed. It went for $100, a great price for a little quilt.

Overall, we learned a lot from this auction and what kind of quilts might go for higher bids. Small wall hangings went for a fair amount, anywhere from $100 to $450+. When you factor in the price of the fabric and whether or not you have to pay someone to hand quilt your entry, small may be the way to go.

It was a wonderful, exciting event and I thoroughly enjoyed my day with Joyce and watching all of the quilts, trying to predict which ones would go high.....which ones might not be so lucky. I'm already thinking about next year and what I might want to make. I think I'll do my own project, a wall hanging of some sort, then go back to enjoy the anticipation of the auction results!

When I stopped in one of my local quilt shops last week, I was handed a small rectangle of red silhouette fabric (about 5 1/2" x 7 1/2") and was told that they were having a little contest and everyone that entered would at least win some discount coupons. Good enough incentive for me!

I went with something simple, of course, as it has to be turned in next week when they would be having a shop-hop and wanted these items for display. The fabric line is called "Love Letters", so I had to make something to hold those letters.



Here's the little hanging holding some Valentines. Now I need to deliver it to the shop and see what kind of coupons I'll win......and just for entering!