What the heck is "Steamy Quilting?"

My feedjit widget on the side of my blog has been blazing this week with people from all over who searched for "Steamy Quilting," or "Steamy Side of Quilting."

Could someone who's searching for it please tell me what the heck you're all looking for? My curiosity's got the best of me!

Comforts of Home Part 3

Look what I got done yesterday! I actually felt a little caught up on homework, and since I've reserved Sundays as my day off from long arming, I found some time to sit down at my lonely Bernina. Here is what I did!


These lovely houses are part 3 of the Comforts of Home Block of the Month. They went together wonderfully, in only a couple hours! If I had brought home the fabric for part 4 I would have kept going, but I didn't, so we took a hike behind our house instead.


It snowed again! Just when we were beginning to see grass around the edges of our yard, we got 4-6 new inches over the weekend. Winter is not giving up easily this year in Northern Idaho!
Well, that feeling of being caught up escapes me this morning, as I have 2 assignments due in 3 hours. I guess I might want to get started on them soon.....

The Greatest Ideas Ever!

Moda has started a new blog site, called "Moda Bakeshop," and it's fantastic!!!! It is chock full of exciting and original patterns that use the Moda Precuts. Precuts are any fabrics that come precut, including charm packs (5" squares), Jelly Rolls (2.5" x WOF strips), Layer Cakes (10" squares), Honey Buns (1.5" x WOF strips), Turnovers (1/2 square triangles that make 5" finished squares when paired), etc.....

Take a look here for some great ideas!

www.modabakeshop.com

A Little of This and That

Here's a little of this and that happening around the quilt shop lately.

The 2009 Christmas and Fall fabric lines have been released, and I've ordered several for delivery later this year. The Christmas lines actually arrive beginning in June-before the Fall lines! I ordered my favorite line from Moda, a non-traditional line, of course! Still, it has an elegant appeal to it that I'm hoping you all like as much as I do!

Lots of new fabric has come in the past few weeks. Soiree and Flag Day Farm from Moda, Ron's World arrived and is half gone already, and Snippets is due in this month from Moda. Also due in the next 4-5 weeks is Iced Mocha from The Buggy Barn, and the remainder of Rebel Roses. If you like Rebel Roses, I'd preorder it now, as it's proving to be a hot, hot line before it even hits my shelves!

I chose my Soiree fabrics to make 3 Sun Surf Halters, and I've almost finished cutting out the 3 sizes from the pattern. Here's a helpful hint, if you're making clothing that requires you to cut out the size, and cutting one size means you've ruined all other sizes on the pattern, try this. Instead of cutting out from the actual pattern, first trace it onto freezer paper in each size you need. Save the original copy, and cut out the freezer paper copies instead. By doing this, I was able to make a Girl's size L, a Woman's Small and Medium from one pattern. Had I cut out the Woman's Small, I would have had to purchase another pattern to cut out the Woman's Medium.

I am still working on the Comforts of Home quilt, although VERY slowly! Not due to the actual quilt, but more do to my preoccupation with long-arm quilting and schoolwork. It's going to be gorgeous, so I really should get on with it, already!

Coming up in April-2 quilt shows! Moscow Palouse Patcher's quilt show, and the Lewiston/Clarkston Seaport Quilters' shows are back to back in mid-April. Also in April, I will be participating in the online only, Fab Shop Hop.
In May, watch for more info about the next in store hop, the I S.E.W. Shop Hop.

E.T. Helps Teach a Family Lesson

Every once in awhile, a movie pops into my head that I loved as a child. When this happens, I usually decide to make sure my kids have the same viewing pleasure all kids of the 1980's shared. Last Fall, it was Harry and the Hendersons, which turned into 2 weeks of re-watching, and lots of hilarious questions about whether or not Bigfoot is real.

Last week, after we pulled out an old T.V. that happens to have a built in VHS player, the kids rediscovered our VHS collection. They were like pirates discovering lost treasure, and it just so happens that I still have the VHS of E.T. from when I was a kid. My kids watched is 2 weekends ago, and I have never seen them so glued to the screen for an entire movie!

In a seemingly unrelated event, my husband, I and some friends,went out this past Saturday night to listen to a local band. Being the big booz hound that I am (not), I awoke Sunday with a slight (ok.....massive) hangover. (And I wasn't even drunk enough to dance)

Perhaps I was feeling guilty, maybe I was trying to find something good from my misery, but I decided to use it as a teaching lesson on the affects of alcohol.

Half way through my enthralling speech on why my kids should never drink, I was explaining the term "drunk," and how a drunk person might be clumsy, stumble or fall. My two younger kids had a look of confusion, when suddenly a bright light bulb went on over Kylee's head.

(Kylee, Eyes wide, big, "I get it, now" smile) "Hey, like on E.T.! He drank the alcohol, and then he falls over!"
(Will, now sharing the same "I get it, now" smile) "Ohhhh Yeeeeaaahhhhh! I remember!"

Then, they both started walking around the living room, giggling, like drunk E.T. imitators.

I'm pretty sure this is the point where I decided to cut my losses and shelf the alcohol lesson for a few more years. Who knew E.T. could be so educational?

Comforts of Home Part 1

Comforts of Home is a block of the month quilt project created by GE Designs. Although it's not an especially new set of patterns, I haven't seen it around anywhere, and I thought it was well done and a beautiful quilt! So much so, I've decided to offer it starting in March.

The quilt takes 6 months to complete. Each month's pattern includes a portion of the main quilt, as well as a bonus project. Part of what drew me to it was the bonus projects, as they offer another way to get your money's worth from the monthly patterns! I also like that it incorporates some simple applique, and the applique is done with wool. Mixing mediums, like fabrics with wools, is a great way to add a fresh twist to traditional quilting.

So, I've been working on the first step. Not just working on it, but slaving over it for the past 3 weeks. To be honest, I've done more ripping out than sewing on this step! In the end it was worth it, as the bonus tablerunner is gorgeous, and I'm excited about the portion of the quilt as well! Plus, now that I've figured out all the hard stuff I'll be able to pass on time saving tips for all of you that decide to participate in the block of the month!

Here are a couple of pictures of the runner, minus the applique that I'm planning to add this week.

Update, Update!

Here are some long overdue quilt shop updates!

Ron's World did finally arrive, so cute! This line will make fantastic quilts for your little farmer! I have kitted the cover quilt from the new Buggy Barn book, kits are $74.95 and will be online as soon as I get around to it!

Return to Romance has partially arrived, I'm still awaiting a few bolts, especially the larger focus print, but my mom did get what's in stock online for me. View it here!

Any day now the new Moda lines will start arriving. Coming in March, I'll be traveling to Portland for a weekend of warehouse shopping, and to listen to a lecture/class about batting. Hopefully I'll learn some great information to share!