Civil War Quilt Along

Today is the start of our Civil War Quilt Along 2012.  I was invited to join with 11 wonderful lady's in making some really neat quilts using Civil War replicated fabrics.  We are using the book Civil War Legacies as our guide.

Author: Carol Hopkins

Publisher: Martingale and Company The Patchwork Place

Each of the 12 of us have been assigned a specific quilt to make.  I have been assigned Grandpap's Cards to make it is a wonderful quilt.  All of the quilts in this book are small.  This quilt that I will be making as part of this will finish at 31" X 36" with finished blocks 4" x 4".  I had not thought about the actual size of these blocks until  I sat down the other night and made 2 sample blocks (so that on this first post I would have something to show) and WOW small.  I am doing a 4 patch block which has 2 of the blocks have even smaller 4 patch block inside them.  My HST in my blocks (the smaller ones) are only 1 inch when finished.  That is small.  I am not a small person.  I have huge man sized hands and I have tiny blocks to make, this is going to be a challenge for me.  On the top of my blog is a link to my personal page where I will talk more about this as time goes on.  I will have links to all of my friends doing this with me.  As well as 2 buttons on my side bar.  On this post, the button at the top will also link back to our Ring Leader's site and her main page on our quilt along.  For now just know more is on the way and giggle about my small blocks.

Now keep in mind that this is a 4 inch finished square.  It will be fun to see how these turn out.  My wife and I each went on a fabric run and between us I think I got 20+ Civil War replicate fabrics so you will see me finish a few of these quilts.  Though after the first one I think I will scale them up in size as my hands are huge and those small things are hard to iron lol.

Last but not least I have started to sew together 5 x 5 blocks of 2 1/2 inch batiks for my newest quilt.  I over the last day have cut off a couple strips off all my fat quarters for my newest series of quilts out of the 2 1/2 inch block so expect many more of these soon showing up mingled in with the civil war prints.

Richard's Birthday Giveaway

I am sure some think that I am celebrating the wrong thing today.  It is Mothers day today, but today is also my birthday.  My giveaway today will be for a 5-pack of Batik's.  I bought 12  5-packs from http://www.sewbatik.com/ one of the vendors at the HMQS quilt show so that I would have plenty to give away.  I plan to give a 2nd 5-pack away 2 weeks from today on Tanya (my wife's) Birthday, we have birthdays exactly 2 weeks apart from each other.

I love Batik's, my wife not so much but she did let me buy 12 5-packs. 10 for me to keep (50 yummy fat quarters) to make cool quilts out of and 10 fat quarters to share with others.  You could make me a B-day present out of them, but you don't have too.

To win their is no hoops to jump though other then you have to give me a birthday wish (My wife thinks this sounds too complicated IE just wish me happy B-Day).  You could share a fun b-day story with me if you like.  You can have a 2nd entry if you follow me.  I love follower's, especially if you drop notes to me on my posts from time to time.  This will be open to enter from May 13th my b-day to May 20th when I announce the winner.  I will ship any where in the world.

SO 

HAPPY B-DAY 

TO ME

And Fat Quarters to YOU!

For those curious as to what I got me for my B-Day Meaning the Batik's I got here is a picture of mine.

Oh an one last thing not to forget Happy Mother's Day to all of you wonderful mother's out there.  As for me and my kids we are getting up early and making Mother Breakfast In Bed.

HMQS Show

Today and Yesterday (and going back in the morning) I spent taking classes at the HMQS show in Salt Lake City, UT.  I took 2 classes at the show both were good, but I want to talk mostly about my class today.  I have been trying to FMQ since almost the first week that I started quilting 5 months ago.  And I have found my new machine above (My wife says keep dreaming as it cost tons I can't remember the exact amount but more then 8k).  It is a Bernina with a stitch regulator.  So I figured out my FMQ problem.  I have the wrong machine.  I have out lived my little Singer machine and I am now in the hut for a more expensive toy.  I even got my wife to sit down and try the lowest level machine that used the Stich Regulartor (only 3-4k) I almost had to convince my wife I could not buy it at the show as I think she was almost ready to walk out the door with it.  Not that I do not want it, but we need to have her back from maternity leave before I can buy this toy.

I think I found my favorite quilt at the show.  It is not really one of the most fancy, but it fits in with my pioneer heritage.  I come from ancestors that crossed the plains in wagons and handcarts and settled this valley.  I currently live just about 10 blocks north and west from the temple down town and have wanted to make a quilt with the temple on it (still want to just need to figure out how to make something cool) since the day I started quilting.  I have taken I am sure more then 50+ pictures maybe I will sprinkle a few dozen on the site after I sort out the ones I liked best.

Any way I best get to bed I am taking Rebecca my 14 year old to the show in the morning and hope to let her try some of the different machines and buy her something at the show.  And I have $100  burning a hole in the pocket to use on fabric.

Monsters on the loose

Sands of Time

I guess I get what I deserve today.  When I got home from work today I asked my son James to take my camera and get some pictures of my wife Tanya's Quilt she designed and named Sands of Time.  He took about 15 pictures most of which was blurry or just strange (like he threw the quilt in the bushes on one) but hey I got a picture and its 11pm and too late for me to go take better so its what we get.  The photo he took of the back was so bad you could not see it but its a pretty pink dot on white.  This quilt we be sold at auction this Saturday so that our Young Women at church can got to Girls Camp.  If you remember from the other post this is the Pinwheel fail from the other day and the pictures then were a little better.

Jared our youngest son is afraid to hold his little sister.  He has aspergers (a form of autism)  and he is afraid to hold his sister because he will drop and break her.  So the other day I finally got him to sit down and hold her.  Can you see how happy she is to have him hold her?

A day later I did get a little better picture she was not screaming but she had one of those HIM AGAIN looks on her face.

Any way off to HMQS tomorrow I have my backpack packed for my classes.