More Applique Bee and Winners

Some more inspiration for your eyes today from the applique bee.
Some more name tags.  Aren't they cute?  Teri is the lady who did thread work on the Japanese panel on yesterday's entry.  If you have seen it  yet, check it out.  It is beautiful.
More Aunt Millie's Garden blocks.  Jane has won many ribbons for her hand applique.

These two pictures are of projects done by Rosann.  The little blocks are about 2"x 3" and she is doing wool applique.  All the flowers are fused on and then she is doing a blanket stitch around the flowers and leaves.   
Drum roll, please.  The winners of my birthday giveaway are Sew Cindy and Crafty Diane.  Congratulations to you both!

With Passion, Carrie P.

When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece.  John Ruskin

Applique Bee

Yesterday I spent the day with the ladies in the two bees that I facilitate. We really enjoyed getting to know each other better and seeing the show and tell. I have said this before but these are some talented ladies.  So today I thought I would share their work.A little finished name tag.  The next two pictures are of a top and back of a quilt that Patti is making for a king size bed.


These two Aunt Millie's Garden blocks are from the nighttime applique bee.  They are made by two different people. I really like the green background fabric.  The one on the right is machine appliqued. 
One of the ladies brought in this panel.  It is originaly just black lines and she has done all the thread work on it.  It is fantastic.  Click on the picture and get a closer look.
More tomorrow.

With Passion, Carrie P.

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.    Theodore Roosevelt

Prairie Points Tutorial

Thank you all for the birthday wishes. I really appreciate everyone coming by and wishing me a Happy Birthday.  You all are so kind. Now let's get to the Prairie Points tutorial.Here is one of the first quilting books I ever bought as a new quilter. I highly recommend this book especially for brand new quilters.
In the book on the section for making prairie points is this formula you can use to determine the size of the prairie points you want to make.

Here I have cut a 4 1/2" square. There are two ways to fold the points.  This first method allows one prairie point to nest inside its neighbor, making it easy to adjust the distribution of the points to match the length of the borders.
The second folding method creates the same size prairie point, but the fold that shows along the center of the triangle provides a decorative addition to the edging.  Triangles can be overlapped to adjust their overall length along the edge of the quilt.
To do the two color point is a little different.  I saw this done on a Georgia Bonesteel's  lap quilting show on PBS so I don't know the true math formula.  It is similar to above but you will have to decide how big you want the point and make some practice ones first.
As an example I want to make a 2" tall prairie point which uses the formula I gave you above.  This strip has a 2 1/2" wide red strip sewn to a 3" wide blue strip.  Then I cross cut it 4 1/2" wide.  You need to decide which side of the fabric is going to be the tiny edging and that will determine which side will be the wider strip.  Here I have decided to show the blue so this strip is wider. (3")  Iron the seam to the narrower strip.  This way the blue will be able to lay down flatter.
Now fold the fabric in half and you will leave a little narrow strip of the blue fabric above the seam allowance.
Finger press to find the center.
Then fold to the center line and press.
Then take your ruler and trim the excess and you have a 2 1/4" unfinished prairie point.  So when you sew it your quilt edge it will be finished at 2".
Here are some other examples of how you can fold them with wider strips and reverse the colors.  Have fun with them.  

Check out these sites for more information on prairie points: Kristen La Flamme ,Rayela's ,  Quilt Town, USA 

Annie's Crazy World.

Check out Betweens quilt with the prairie points.  Beautiful!

With Passion, Carrie P.

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.  Hellen Keller

Day number Five

Yes, today 52 years ago I was born on February 24, 1957.  
My number five gift from sweet Stephanie.  Her and I would talk and share crock pot recipes during the first part of winter and look she made a special recipe book of recipes.  The birthday card is one she had on her blog on Tea Talk Tuesdays.  I think  I am going to find a frame for this card.  It is to pretty to put my "special card" box.  Thank you for the fifth time, Stephanie. Really five times is not enough.  Stephanie, you have made this birthday very special.  Thank you to infinity!!
Look what else I received in the mail yesterday from Terri.  One of those cute little angels she had on her blog a while back.  It will hang in my sewing room.  I would have loved to have seen the quilt before it was all cut up.  Look at those cute little prairie points!  And speaking of prairie points, come back to tomorrow because I will have a tutorial about making the two color prairie points. Thank you to infinity too, Terri.  So sweet of you.  Everyone go over wish her "Get well" wishes.  She is sick today.  Get well, Terri!

Because it is my birthday and after this post I will have four more posts to be at 100 posts, I am going to have a giveaway.

Applique Giveaway
Non-Applique Giveaway

So here is what you need to do: When you leave a comment tell me which one of the giveaways you would like, the applique or non applique.  I will take each name and the giveaway that you want and put them in two containers and on February 28, my husband's birthday, he will draw two names.  You know the drill, you must leave a way for me to contact you if you win and you must tell me which giveaway you would like.

With Passion, Carrie P.

The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking spaces.

Day Four

Day four and I got this towel from Stephanie for my birthday. Very cute. Thanks again for the fourth time. Fun! Only one more day left. Go over and check out Stephanie's blog today. She just finished making a bag and it has the cutest little bird on it.

Since I have been working the on the OPC quilt I really don't have much to show but I did finish this block from Willowberry Designs.  She is a very talented designer.  I am ready for block three.
There are several stitchery BOM out in blogland and I am enjoying working on them.  I thought I would show you this quilt that I made in 2002.  I bought it from a internet store.  Please don't ask me where or what pattern it is because I don't have it anymore.  This quilt is flannel and each month I would get a stitchery block and log cabin block.  This quilt is tied and hangs in my sewing room.
Here are some close-ups.  Candace will like this one.

Go over and say hi to Kerri. She is new to blogging and to quilting. She has made some very cute things.  She is having a giveaway too.  Tell her I sent you.

With Passion, Carrie P.

In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous. Aristotle

Day Three

Couldn't wait to wake up this morning and open the third gift from Stephanie. Look at this stylish new cup I can drink my tea from in the morning. Another bird. Stephanie knows me pretty well. Thanks for the third time. Having fun!!
Here is my version of the OP Challenge block.  Look closely at the two center blocks.  They are different and I used two of the birds from that fat quarter.  If you look even closer a the blocks you will notice cut out birds and flowers.  They are stuck on right now with Steam A Seam.  I haven't ironed them on yet because I just wanted to see if anyone thinks I should move them to different places.  I am planning to use the teal fabric for the borders and maybe a small orange border.  I think I might use the triangles that were left over  from the blocks in the border too. Love some input.
With Passion, Carrie P.

Birthday Gift

Just had to show you day 2 gift.  Look at the sweet bluebirds on the little wallet Stephanie made for me.  Now I am off to sew more OPC blocks.  

With Passion, Carrie P.

It is possible to move a mountain by carrying away small stones.  Chinese Proverb

Tickled Pink

I have had a busy day with the OP Challenge but I will get to that in a minute. First I have to tell about a box I got in the mail today.  My birthday is in five days and I got a box with these wrapped gifts in them from Stephanie.  I pulled out one and then another and then there were five. Just a couple of weeks ago she sent a beautiful bag and journal she made and now another box.  She is going to spoil me.  Since there are five gifts and five days until my birthday I have decided to have a little fun and open one gift a day.  Today I opened up the plate.  I am a birdwatcher and I love certain things with birds on them. This plate is so cute.  This plate will hang in my kitchen.  Can't wait until tomorrow!  Thank you so much Stephanie for your thoughtfulness.  You are a blessing to me and many others.
Now for the OP Challenge.  This bird fabric is my inspiration.  I thought I might use purple as my third color but I got to looking at this fabric and I decided to use the teal on the bird.  So today when I went to run some errands I made a quick stop at the quilt shop with a 30% coupon in my hand and I bought 3 yards of a fabric that matches perfectly
You can see it in the middle cross sections of the blocks.  This is what I did today.  Tomorrow I am going to mix up the placement of the colors.  I am planning to use those birds in the blocks somehow. I only have a fat quarter to work with so I am going to have to think about how I am going to do this.  You can check out Pat Sloan's blog to see some other versions.  
Until Tomorrow,

With Passion, Carrie P.

 

OP Challenge

Today is the first day  of the Orange Pile Challenge.  I just got the pattern from Pat Sloan's blog and I am ready to go start cutting fabric.  I will show you the blocks as I get some done.  If you are participating , Have fun!      I wanted to leave you with these two blocks I have finished from the Christmas wish BOM.

With Passion, Carrie P.

If you dream it, you can do it.  Walt Disney

Carried Away!

Yes, I got a little carried away making these little wallets I first saw on Stephanie's blog.  I have a lot of girl's birthdays coming up and I am going to put gift cards in them. Then they can use them how they want.  They went pretty fast too. I ruined some snaps before I got the hang of putting them in but you could use some Velcro and then put a button on front like Cindy did. 

With Passion, Carrie P.

Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.  Marie Curie

On the Go

Look at this beautiful rainbow of colors.  I bought these little bobbins from Piece O' Cake designs.  These will be my "on the go" threads to use on my applique blocks.  I got the little bobbin holder at Joanns and it is pretty snazzy!  It is so cool how it just holds those bobbins in place.
These are all the threads that they sell and as you can see I bought them all.
Look what little surprise I received in the mail yesterday.  One of Nanette's little pot holders.  And look at the Valentine.  It has a bee on it.  For those of you who have not been to her blog it is called Fred's Hive.  She is one talented girl. Thanks so much Nanette!!!  
With Passion, Carrie P.

How often we forget it's the "here and now" that's important.  Setting our sights on our destination, planning for tomorrow, worrying about the future, rushing towards whatever is over the next hill...phew!  This causes us to neglect the beauty of the present.

$5 BOM and UFO

Our local shop had the $5 BOM this morning and I just got home so I thought I would show the fabrics that we received. I am going to wash the fabrics by hand to make sure that none of the run. That would not be good.

One of the ladies that was in the group brought me a bag of selvages. She also machine quilted my Patriotic quilt. She is new to blogging. Go over and say hi.
I have two sections of my #6 UFO done. This applique is so easy compared to Aunt Millie's Garden. Don't get me wrong, I love doing AMG but sometimes you just want some instant gratification and this does it for me.
When you look at the pieced blocks remember, I was a new quilter and my fabric choices were pretty interesting. I wanted it to be scrappy so I was using the fabric that has the pansies on it as a focal fabric.
Well, I am off to wash fabric and get some sewing done. Until next time.
With Passion, Carrie P.

The race is not always won by the swift, but by those who keep on running. Anonymous

The Weekend

How was your weekend? Did you get to spend it the way you planned? Because Saturday was Valentine's Day I received a very nice surprise. Roses!!
For the rest of the month of February this wall hanging will be up in my special place in my kitchen. I used this pattern to teach applique classes. It is a Bunny Hill Designs pattern.
Remember this sneak peek of a wool project I am working on? These wool flowers are being appliqued onto fabric. I am getting to close to finishing it.
I spent Sunday afternoon making prairie points to go around this wool project. This was actually my first time making the points. I saw a lady on a Georgia Bonesteel TV program making these that have a different color on them. I didn't have directions, I just tried to remember how she made them and here they are. Not really to hard. You just have to know the math formula to make the size your want.
Hope you all had a sweet weekend.

With Passion, Carrie P.

You have two hands. One to help yourself, the second to help others. Anonymous