My Wife's Pinwheels

 My wife Tanya has me making pinwheels.  She wants me to make her a quilt out of her Twirl FQ bundle we bought and she wanted to make sure I could make a pinwheel before I messed hers up so she found this cute pattern on Moda Bake Shop for a baby pinwheel quilt.

While I have finished the top on the baby quilt and here it is in all its glory.  I have started sewing the Twirl Pinwheels together also but will be a few days tell I can show those off.

 I am involved with 2 12 1/2 inch block swaps and one of my April blocks showed up and its pretty so had to show it off.

 Here are the 2 blocks I made for my May partners.

Sadly I am a tad late and already have my new may swap partners maybe they will forgive me for being late.

Lastly is a picture of Julia.  The quilt she is laying on was a gift from relief society women at church.  Back before I started quilting we were ask for the baby shower if we wanted a Quilt or Dinners made and I chose a quilt (because my wife would not make me one) while 30+ quilts later I don't need some one to make me one any more, but I do appreciate this wonderful quilt that we got.  They normally hand tie the quilts, but we were awed and amazed at this wonderful machine quilted (FMQ) quilt that we got.  

But that is not why I added the picture.  While visiting my wife's family last weekend (showing off the baby) we were given the Red Dress that Julia has on.  As you can see she is almost too big to wear it but its one of those things that you just have to get a picture in.  This dress belonged to Tanya, my wife, when she was a baby.  So Julia now can say she is already dressing up in her mothers clothing.  Though she has already worn many of her big sisters clothing this one will always be special.

Grand Opening Sales

Before I get to the reason for today's post I want to again mention my Angel Baby Boutique Giveaway I am having a giveaway for 2 different people some of the bows or other items on my Sister-In-Laws's Etsy Store.  Even if your not a bow person I am sure some one in your life is and this would make a great gift for them.  Above is my cute 14 year old sporting one of the bow's we got from her Aunt.

I live in the Salt Lake Valley in Utah (on the north end) and in our valley here we have 3 different JoAnn's stores.  Just north of us was a small store that was closing so I had never visited it.  A couple weeks ago my wife pointed out a new store that was opening in Centerville, Utah not far north from where we were at.  So well I visited it.  For me that is dangerous, as I tend to leave with too much.    At that time my wife picked up a coupon for their Grand Opening which was a few weeks away.  At that time I did not think much about it.  Last night we had a wedding reception to go too and we were heading to the store when my wife noticed the coupon on the floor of the car.  It had a 20% off coupon good only between 5pm and 7pm on the Grand Opening weekend.  Some might think that's not a great coupon.  The Coupon was good after any and all other coupons and sale prices.

The giant bag above is what we ended up with (the bag was free too) I ended up getting 11 diffrent cuts of material one of which was the Green Minky at the top of the bag which I got for 50% off with a extra 20% off that.  Total savings was 181.73  Every thing I bought I got 50% off or more before my 20% off.  Any way if you thought I was creating a lot of quilts before I will be making even more soon as I have stuff for 5-6 new projects.  On top of it, my Green Monster (Jared) is dancing around the house holding his Minky even though his quilt is not any where near done yet. so won't be ready for a finish any time soon.

Little Cupcake

If you are looking for the giveaway go here. For Link A Finish Friday Go Here.

My wife has tasked me with making a dozen or so items for the Etsy store so it has more then just a item or 2 in it.  We have a ton of stuff we have bought to make quilts for the family and she is going though and finding stuff we bought that was cute but did not have a home and giving it one.  This is the left over cupcakes from her cupcake quilt along with a pink/red tie-die

The front alternates the back is all the same.

Link a Finish Friday #13

The Goal for me this year is 52 Finishes in 52 weeks help keep me honest and show off your own finishes at the same time its a Link A Finish Friday!!

The most popular link last week was Curves and Curves which is a cute mini quilt.

I finished only 1 quilt last week. But was out of town half the week so that was not bad.  I also am doing a giveaway which is open still for any one interested.

So for the rules.

1) Who likes rules. Toss them out.
2) Add a link to your finish blog or where ever you show off your finishes (Not limited to quilts but I like them the most).
3) Visit a few of the finishes and comment or encourage them on.

Not Required but fun to do

1) Follow my blog.
2) Follow the blog of all those that link.
3) Link back to my blog.
4) No finish, go quilt and stop reading the web.

Sponsored Giveaway from Angel Baby Boutique

Last weekend I visited family in Southern Utah.  While there I got a bunch of bows from my Sister in Law who runs Angel Baby Boutique.  She is a stay at home mom of 2 kids trying to make some money selling bows and flowers and other baby items.  She hooked me up with some bows for Julia and Rebecca. I want to help her by buying some of her stuff to giveaway to you my followers. 

First what you will win is up to $10 in bows or other items from Angel Baby Boutique Etys store , the store currently has 50+ items listed from 4 dollars on up (so for example you could get 2 $5 dollar bows).  Because I am am offering this (As a great brother in law I am trying to get her some business) I can only afford to ship these to the US.  But I will let 2 winners be picked.  I will, like my other drawings in the past, put every ones name into a bowl and have one of the kids pick the winners.  Drawing will be open until Friday May 4th when I get home from work.

There are 3 ways to enter and you do not need to be a follower of my blog to win.  So please share this with your friends.

1) Go to Angel Baby Boutique Etys store and find your favorite item and come back here and comment about it.

2) While at Angel Baby Boutique Etys store favorite the store and come back here and comment about it.

3) Like Angel Baby Boutique on Facebook or comment on your Facebook wall about this giveaway and come back here and comment that you did.

Linking up with

A train ran through it

If you are looking for the giveaway go here. For Link A Finish Friday Go Here.

A Train Ran Through It is another quilt made specifically to sell on my Etsy Store.  My first quilt looked so lonely on sell by its self and it needed company.  You can view it here http://www.etsy.com/shop/RichardQuilts Julia in pink on the blue quilt was kinda funny but she is a looks cute even if its a boys quilt.

linking to 2nd Quarter Finish Party As listed on  My 2nd Quarter todo list

Bye Bye Traveling Stash

Last night I did the drawing for the traveling stash.  We were out of town the last 4 days and when we got home late last night my normal name puller Jared had fallen asleep.

So Julia filled in for Jared (with the help of mom) she was more interested in eating the binky then the name she picked.

Ella from http://throwawenchintheworks.blogspot.com/ is the next to receive the traveling stash.  It will be leaving Salt Lake City, Utah on its trip across the entire county to Atlanta, Georgia (I lived in Georgia once, a pretty state)  My wife says she will try to get every thing stuffed into the box and get it shipped off in the next couple days.

The pile on the left is what I am taking the pile on the right is what I am adding.  If you follow my blog for long you will know that my wife Tanya is conservative she picked the 3 light blue and pink prints on the top left corner of the pile.  I of course grabbed all of the bright flashy stuff (the 2 DNA color prints) and the blue wavy line thing and the pink dots below it.  My daughter Rebecca had to have the pink flower thing.  I also took the bright blue scrap (their was 3 in the box and I took the smallest scrap) and then the bottom right that little pile is a stack of like 6-7 2 1/2 half inch strips I took off some of the remenent pieces of material so that I can add them to my 2 1/2 inch color stashes to make more of the granny squares.

The pile On the right is my Re-Stash.  A yard of my wife's dragonfly's  some floral conservative materials to make up for my wife's take.  Then as some may know, I have a thing for the bright orange.  So i added yardages equal to about half yard each of 4 orange/red  materials from my orange stash.  Then a vanishing 16 block to inspire them to use them.  Also for good measure 2 of my left over granny squares.  Depending on how well we can pack I might have to take a little bit more as that box was quite tight on arrival and my re-stash is bigger then my take at the moment.  Will just have to play around with the packing.

Granny has some Granny's

Tanya and I had the privileged this weekend to visit her family down in Southern Utah about 300 miles from our house in Salt Lake City, Utah.  This was the first opportunity for Tanya's brothers and sisters to see and hold the baby.  But most importantly for us is Grandma Shakespear Julia's oldest living Great Grandmother was able to hold her.  We also took this opportunity to deliver Grandma her quilt we made for her which I named Granny's Gone Wild

She loved her Quilt but Julia stole the show.  Grandma held her for more then an hour.  I wish she was closer so that she could see her more often.  Sadly with being gone for 3 days I am behind on getting every thing done for the Traveling Stash.  I will pull the name tonight before going to bed and email the winner.  And I will post in the morning the winners name and maybe if I have figured it out by then what I am taking and what I am putting in it.  And depending how fast i get a response for the winner can get it shipped off in the next couple days.

Link a Finish Friday #12

The Goal for me this year is 52 Finishes in 52 weeks help keep me honest and show off your own finishes at the same time its a Link A Finish Friday!!

The most popular link by a large margin last week was Flower Fairy 3 finished Thank you to all that linked up last week.

I finished up 2 quilts this week including my favorite to day Granny's Gone Wild.  Which I went all out (for me) and quilted it in a Circle or rather a spiral going out from the middle.  I will be delivering this quilt to my Wife's Grandmother this weekend when we go to show her her great grand daughter (not even her newest its been 3 weeks since our baby was born and its been replaced by another baby as her newest great grand child we will just have to hold out for cutest.

So for the rules.

1) Who likes rules. Toss them out.
2) Add a link to your finish blog or where ever you show off your finishes (Not limited to quilts but I like them the most).
3) Visit a few of the finishes and comment or encourage them on.

Not Required but fun to do

1) Follow my blog.
2) Follow the blog of all those that link.
3) Link back to my blog.
4) No finish, go quilt and stop reading the web.

WIP Wednesday #10

Today is going to be a Work In Progress Wednesday.   And will be linking up with Freshly Pieced. 

Completed Projects:

2 completes this week  and I got the Traveling Stash.

Ready To Quilt:
4 Quilt tops ready to quilt here are 2 of them

Ongoing Projects:
1 Quilt 5 X 5 blocks.  Also Jeans for Jared, 3 new baby quilts 1 more John Deer Quilt. Oh and Rebecca's sampler and Tanya's Hearts that are recently floating to the top of the pile.

Planned Quilts:

2 Bug Jar Quilts for nephews.

Tanya's Lap quilts from her fat quarters.
Rose Fabric for Mother In Law's Quilt.

Totals:
Finished: 6 April, 10 March, 10 February, 7 January
33 Total for Year
Ready to Quilt: 4
On Going Projects: 8
Planned: 4 (though I keep thinking I am missing a couple)

One new thing this week is I started a Etsy store at  http://www.etsy.com/shop/rhealey101 and offered my first of many quilts for sell.

Black and Red and Case all over

If you are looking for the giveaway go here. For Link A Finish Friday Go Here.

My wife tells me Julia looks tinted red?  While I still think she looks cute.

This is a quilt for my brother in law another quilt made for Christmas.   I bought some material to make this Rag Quilt and then my wife decided to make it bigger then original plan so we did not have enough of one material to do what was originally planned.  So we added the lighter red (its actually squiggles a cute material)

The back we did half gray and half red.  I love the pattern that turned out.

Again tonight I tried the FMQ.  This time I took one of my summer fun hot pads (I have 3 more to practice with after this one) I did a lot of weird things not trying to do any design just trying to get the feel for how the thread sews.  It was funny about 2/3 done and I turned it over and had giant hoops all over the back of thread.  I am having troubles with this FMQ but did watch a few video's today and need to watch more.  I think I finally got kind of an idea of what I am doing.

Here is the back you can see more of my ugly squiggles.  Now to learn some of these patterns.  I have hear the word stippling and I don't know what it is so I guess I should go figure that out and give it a try.  Any way today was better then yesterdays disaster at FMQ.

linking to 2nd Quarter Finish Party As listed on  My 2nd Quarter todo list

Granny's Gone Wild

It's been a little bit since I have shown off my Granny Squares.  We are going soon to take and show Baby Julia her Great Grand Mothers she has 2 of them alive both in the mid to late 80's and we are making them each a quilt.  I am sure they will love seeing the baby more then the quilt but they get to keep the quilt I am taking the baby home with me.

I had debated many times how to quilt this quilt.  I have tried FMQ a few times and all I end up with is a mess.  I took one of the many fugly runners yet to be quilted and for about an hour tried to FMQ it and then just gave up.

I asked my daughter to bring me a plate and she kept asking what I wanted on it.  I did not want any thing finally in puzzlement she brought me a plate.

I had seen a tutorial for Baptist Fans and thought maybe that could be done.  So using the plate I traced a pattern on the back of my fugly runner and ran 5 rings around the center (just small to big circles)  I showed my wife and her response was can you do spirals?

So I gave a spiral a try I did not want to do any more of my fugly runners wanted to save them for other FMQ tires (I am going to figure out how its done, but it might kill me)  So I started.  I realized soon after that it was a 2 man job.  I did not have any more men around so I let Tanya help!

I think my spirals turned out pretty good just don't look to hard at the center picked it out after the try to the right was done and did it again (and it looked worse the 2nd time) So I kept it.  You know men don't tell them something is wrong they don't care.

Here are some close ups of the twirls you can see the center in the light blue pictures (you will have to look at them large though to see my terrible spiral start)

You might be able to see some of the detail better here on the backs.

linking to 2nd Quarter Finish Party As listed on  My 2nd Quarter todo list