It's hard to believe school is almost out.... I can hardly wait. It will be nice not to have any deadlines or projects that have to get done---no more late night trips to Walmart for supplies....for awhile anyway:)

Recently, I was out rollerblading and saw this goose and her little chicks. They were so cute, but I

was careful to use my zoom---not a good idea to mess with geese.

More photos of geese and ducks. They are really quite tame as the locals here bring 

their kids and feed them scraps of bread.

And aren't these little jelly rolls from Moda sweet? I just had to put them on a little cake plate and put them

on center stage. More on Moda coming up soon in a future post, so check 

back soon !

I am so proud of myself--I just finished my first laminated fabric project. Honestly, I have been lusting after laminated fabric for some time, but hadn't bought any yet. I saw this "Going Coastal" fabric recently and it just had to come home with me (it matches my summery outdoor pillows oh so nicely:)

Anyway, mosey on over to Lila Tuellers blog at : http://lilatuellerdesigns.blogspot.com/2012/05/free-trash-stashers-pattern.html

She has generously offered this "Trash Stasher" pattern for free!!

so, I just had to jump right in. I needed a new trash container for my car and this 

would also work awesome beside the sewing machine. I think I may have to make a couple more.

Also, be sure to check out Lila Tuellers line of laminated fabrics coming out--absolutely beautiful. You can find very helpful instructions on working with laminated fabrics on Lila's blog.

I have to say that I don't think there is one thing that Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill designs that I don't just love....I saw this fabric at Olde World Quilt Shoppe and just had to have it. I don't even have anyone I know expecting a little girl

I am looking for just the right pattern to quilt it with and will post it when done...but not sure when that will be as I am in the midst of a couple of custom quilts:) I do plan to bind it with the cute little dot you see as the inner border. As you may have noticed, I mitered the borders on this quilt. Although, that takes a little extra effort, it is worth it at times. I may have to post a tutorial sometime on mitering borders, for those of you who would like to try it.

I made this cute little burp cuddle cloth out of waffle fabric in brown. I used the Bunny Hill pattern, " Cuddle Cloths" and even put some decorative stitching to hold the focal fabric down. I have to admit, my sweet ol' bernina doesn't get to do that much.

Just think what a cute diaper bag you could make with this fabric!!!

 

 I can hardly believe it--my oldest child is going to graduate from high school soon.

 What a journey it has been, and it's not over yet. He will be off to college next fall, so I have much to do to prepare him for the next chapter in his life. Meanwhile, I hope to finish a quilt to send off to college with him...one of my UFO's.  So I have a bit of time to get it done for him. I am hoping he will feel all a little closer to home when he's wrapped up in his quilt

A Book Signing with Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Co at the Olde World Quilt Shoppe

Amazon.com: Another Bite of Schnibbles: 24 Quilts from 5" or 10" Squares (That Patchwork Place) (9781604680584): Carrie Nelson: Books

One of my absolute favorite shops, Olde Worlde Quilt Shoppe had one of my very favorite pattern designers last Saturday for a book signing! It was so nice to have the opportunity to meet Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. and visit with her. She is so charming and talented. She also has a wonderful blog you can check out http://www.laveenrosie.typepad.com/ for inspiration, laughs etc. If you haven't bought one of her books or patterns, you really must. They are well written, easy to follow and are absolutely exquisite--destined to be family heirlooms. She even has a line of patterns called Schnibbles that are made with precuts--most go together quite quickly, and the small ones make such nice gifts. Also if you are ever in the Phoenix area, be sure to check out Olde Worlde Quilt Shoppe--it is such a warm and inviting shop, everyone there is so helpful and their fabrics are to die for!!

I recently finished this quilt for a customer--isn't it a striking pattern? I think the use of strongly contrasted fabrics really pops and gives it movement. And what a nice border treatment--nothing like a bunch of saw tooth triangles to give a quilt a graphic punch.

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I recently finished this quilt for my friend Marge. She worked on this project at quilt camp and it was fun to see it come together on the design board. It is interesting because all the fabrics are essentially solid. There is a trend out there called Modern Quilts and there are Modern Quilt Guilds, and they really do look different than the quilts Grandma used to make. When you're working with solids and graphic quilts like these, it takes some time to come up with a quilting pattern that compliments the design. In the close up, you can see that Marge and I found a pattern that I think really works well-it's called Geometric Path by Kristin Hoftyzer--I think it looks like a circuit board and really adds another element to the quilt. The quilts in the book would be great for men & boys and anyone who prefers a more contemporary design in their homes. Be sure to check the book out sometime, there are quite a few interesting designs inside. That's all for now....Happy 4th of July!!

Here is a couple shots of my latest quilt. This was supposed to be a pink and brown quilt, but then I found this fabulous border print... and it was on sale!! So, I ended up adding green and yellow as well. I really like how it came out. Hope you are managing to keep cool:)