Green Fairy Quilts

The final unveiling..................

2012-01-27T21:35:00.002-07:00

Here we go! This is Jan's Beautiful Quilt! So there are no questions about it, here is Jan's description of the quilt in her own words!

"The quilt is from a Block of the Month from Fabric Boutique in Las Vegas. Blocks made in some nice year….2008 or 2009 I think. They sat around quite a while anyhow. It was originally supposed to be white, browns and black. I thought it was way too stark, so I used the butterscotch for the background instead. I put the paisley in
the border because I was trying for a tooled leather look. Not sure if I made it, but I tried!

Setting is an adaptation of one of the quilts in Brenda Henning's School House Sampler. Center medallion is from one of Jane Wilson's patterns from the early 2000's, or maybe the late 1990's.

These aren't colors from my usual palate, however I really like how they worked together. I was shooting for a Western/Manly type quilt. I think I made the grade, what say you?"

Okay, quick stats and then I will talk about the quilt.
Two layers batting - Hobbs 80/20 & 100% cotton Hobbs
4 thread colors - mostly Highlights and Gold Metallic by Superior Threads.
This quilt took me over 90 hours to quilt, I started on January 2nd and finished tonight at 5:15 pm on the nose! I used 30 bobbins of thread, So Fine was my thread of choice for that!

When I first pulled out this quilt, I have to admit - I was stumped for about 10 minutes - then a thought and image of a directional compass popped into my head. I knew this would be the center of the quilt and kind of the theme for the quilt. This was the first time that I had to draw on the quilt before I put it on the racks because the center block is so large. I drew out the compass outline - can you believe that I drew it out in one try? Well, I did - and I won't take credit for that - just amazing luck!

Not one block is the same - I had fun taking each block and giving them their own character.

I had a hard time choosing which pictures to put on my blog, so I have more on Flickr if you care to look - just click on the pictures and it will take you to my Flickr page.

I wanted these blocks to look like they were spinning.

Love, love how this one turned out!

Another spinning block!

As you can see the sashing is a miniature mimic of the gold colored border. These little beauties took FOREVER - and boy was I so happy when I quilted the last one.

(this happens to be my favorite block)

I quilted most of the cream fabric first - stitching in the ditch around the rest of the colored triangles - then I went back and did the rest of the quilt.

There was a TON of ruler work on this quilt. My hands cramped up a little at the end - especially with the borders.

Miniature directional compass blocks - I just may have a tutorial or a PDF coming up soon for these nice blocks.

All in all - it was a labor of love. I absolutely love how this quilt turned out. I am also grateful to Jan for allowing me "do my thing" and turn this quilt into a masterpiece.

And, I can't show pictures without showing pictures of the back!

I am totally joining a quilt along

2012-01-26T21:42:00.004-07:00

First off - thank you for all the fun comments from my last post. I feel like I opened a can of worms, but I am glad to know that we can talk out quilting frustrations! Yay! So anyway, I am almost done with the quilt. Naturally I have been blog hoping instead of quilting the last half hour and I came across this quilt along. Count me in!! I hope I have the time to do it! I saw this block on Jenny's blog and couldn't resist - holy cow this girl is talented and I want to make her cute blocks! I have never done a quilt along, not sure what to do - and if I don't get to it right away - then I just want to make sure that all of you who have more time then me have a chance to join!

(picture blatantly stolen from Jenny's blog)

Okay - so head on over to Jenny's blog and join her quilt along - I have my ruler on order now and I can not wait to make this cute, cute block!

Sittin' on my soap box....

2012-01-23T10:29:00.002-07:00

Okay - I am not big into making a big deal about what people say. I really try to just let it go because some people just say things without thinking and I don't think they are trying to offend and for the most part I am not offended. But, I am still human and some things just bother me. I was reading a facebook thread asking quilters if they want their quilts custom quilted or if they prefer a simple all-over by their Long Arm quilter. It was fun reading what people were saying until one lady said "I don't cheat, I hand quilt all my quilts." (While this comment was not directed to me I took it personally as a long arm quilter).

HUH?!!? Cheat? Really - so I guess I have been cheating all this time.

So, here is my response to that comment. Is it cheating to use your sewing machine to piece a quilt? I am sure our ancestors would have LOVED a sewing machine. Just because you prefer to hand quilt doesn't mean it is cheating.

I absolutely love every aspect of the quilting process. Everyone has their style and preference and that is absolutely great. I think hand quilting is a beautiful art and if you love it - DO IT! I just don't want to. I prefer to free motion quilt on my long arm , while others use their computer guided long arms - that is just fine too because it is art no matter how you look at it.

Isn't the end result of seeing a finished project the best feeling to every type of quilter out there?

Just sayin'!!

At the breaking point.............

2012-01-21T20:46:00.002-07:00

During each quilt that I have on the racks I go through the "breaking point" where I just have to do something else. I can only quilt the same stitch over and over again before I go a little crazy - I know I have said this before, but with each quilt I think I will get over that part of the process. Not so.
One of my dear friends mentioned to me the other day that she had forgotten that I know how to piece because it's been a while since I have really done something for myself - this post prompted her comment. I just had to laugh because I do know how to piece and I absolutely love it. So, I have been piece strippin' tonight and it's fun - real fun! Not to mention a nice little break......I have to get this all in tonight because next week is the week to finish the quilt on the racks - I am excited for it to be finished and excited to move on to something new!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Thoughts, Sneak peek, and UPS

2012-01-17T22:36:00.004-07:00

Some days are better than others and I feel like I accomplish a lot on most days. One of my resolutions this year was to be a little more organized when it comes to everyday life. I have to say that it has been great to find out that having a plan on how to keep this house rolling makes my life easier. I haven't felt sad or overwhelmed and I have found that if I keep up on the housework and keep up with the kids, I still have time to quilt and read (another resolution). My day starts at 7:00 am and ends at midnight six days a week. It certainly isn't perfect each day, and boy am I tired and crave a nap - but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Here's my little Noah - I can't believe he's 14 months old now - he's still not walking (the little poop), but he makes up for it by being the most mellow yellow sweet little boy.

Last night my sister sent me a link to a blog about a little boy who recently passed away. I read the last few entries on the blog and just bawled, imaging the heartache that his mother is going through. It makes me remember that life's moments are so incredible and each day I need to cherish the time I have with my kids. I hugged and kissed my kids more today than normal and thanked God for their sweet little spirits that bless my life each day.

I am progressing on my quilt - slowly but surely. It's going to be amazing and I can't wait until I can reveal it. I might just have to do a few blog entries on this quilt because there is a ton going on and I don't know if I want to put it all into one entry. I am convinced that I am INSANE - but I just have to live with it!

We have UPS frequenting our house everyday, but today was a little more than normal because Moda just released 7 new lines. If you want to see what they are, check out our New Arrivals page. Yay for more fabric!!!

Just call me the insane crazy detail quilter...........

2012-01-13T13:39:00.003-07:00

sorry the lighting isn't the best

because that's what I am. Oh, it will be worth it I say to myself. But a little quilting break is in need. So, maybe one afternoon I can do something else.

Oh look - fabric! I hit a couple fabric stores this morning. Sometimes just a break from the routine is needed and I need to get my "fix" of fabric. It always helps when I can make a quilt for someone special, so this cute bundle of fabric is going to be made into a quilt for an up and coming niece. oh, I can't wait to cut into these little beauties!

Okay - what I loved about my giveaway was that I found out that quilters are very similar and we all have the same issues when it comes to scissors. We would rather buy fabric then scissors - we will use any scissor in sight - we seem to lose our scissors - or those darn kids & husbands take our scissors and use them for anything but thread or fabric. The list goes on........... It was so fun reading all your comments on why you needed the scissors more than anyone else. So, congrats are in order for Val who said:

"Being a retired teacher I thought 'What can you tell me about a pair of scissors that I don't know?'. Well. It seems I have been missing out on the benefit of curved scissors all my sewing life. I definitely need these scissors more than anyone else because I like to sew more than anyone else in the world."

Email me Val at judi(at)greenfairyquilts(dot)com with your address and I will get your scissors in the mail right away!

Oh, and if you need to get your "fix" of fabric - then go and grab some jelly rolls in the shop - we have them on sale for $26.95!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Blog Hop and a giveaway!!

2012-01-10T00:00:00.004-07:00

****Giveaway Closed****

This is a tale of two scissors. I was asked by dear sweet Kelly to participate in a blog hop and when I found out it was for Famore Cutlery - I was all in. I had the choice of what scissors I wanted to review and what else would I choose? Well, of course curved quilting scissors. The deal is, I have been using my curved scissors from my manicure set. It wasn't until I tried the Famore 4" curved scissors that I realized I haven't had a good pair of scissors. I was dealing with thread shredding and I could not get as close to the thread start and stop point. What did I expect? I was using the same scissors to cut my baby's fingernails.

The curved shape is ideal for cutting super close. These little babies are sharp - no thread shredding here. They cut through thread like butter and I have had so much fun having a real pair of scissors to use.

Another look at the thread/scissor closeness. What I love about the curved scissor is how I don't have to worry about poking into my quilts - that's a big deal for me.

The points are nice on these scissors as well because I can take out stitches when I make a mistake. All in all - I love these scissors. No complaints here and they are only $12.00 - so inexpensive for an awesome pair of scissors that are perfect for the quilter!

I have one more pair of these lovely little scissors to give away - you will love them! All you have to do is leave a comment telling why you need them more than anyone else and you are entered into my little giveaway!

Don't forget to check out these other blogs this week for more fabulous reviews and giveaways!

Monday - Patsy Thompson Designs

Tuesday - me

Wednesday - IHaveANotion

Thursday - Happy Cottage Quilter

Friday - SewCalGal

Good luck everyone!

4 New Moda Lines Are Here...

2012-01-07T08:54:00.002-07:00

We have 4 new Moda lines to show you, and have put all 4 at 25% off -

Redwork Renaissance by Chloe's Closet
Summer Breeze II by Sentimental Studios
Urban Cowgirl by Urban Chiks
Tropicana Batiks by Moda

Two down - lots more to go.......

2012-01-06T15:35:00.002-07:00

I had a few minutes to spare today so I finished up two of the quilted pillows for my daughters room. I still have a ton of things to do - including quilting the quilt, but it feels nice to have part of the project finished!

I went for a binding around each pillow - love, love, love the green and red. So cute!!

The pillows are packed with stuffing - I mean packed. I hate it when pillows die and become flimsy too fast - hopefully these won't do that.

On my back looking up!

2012-01-03T11:29:00.002-07:00

When I start a new quilt I always take a minute to make sure I like what is going on from underneath the machine. It always helps when the fabric shows off the quilting and I am really excited about this quilt, really excited!!!

Almost done quilted pillows...............

2012-01-02T12:30:00.003-07:00

These quilt little pillows to be are apart of my surprise. I used some of my scraps from my quilt top to make these cute little pillows. Of course they had to be quilted - I am really excited about them. I used a silver metallic thread for the quilting and I like how it turned out.

Who knew straight lines would be my new best friend?

It's a shame this back is going to be covered up - but hey, I have record of it now - so I can look at it whenever I want!

I wasn't sure I was going to like this one as much since it's not the straight lines, but it will be fun to have a nice variety when it's all said and done.

Such happy fabrics!

There you go, another back! I hope you all had a wonderful New Year's Day and I hope your 2012 will be a wonderful year! I am looking forward to what this new year will bring.

Take care!

Storewide Year End Clearance Sale!!!

2011-12-31T07:33:00.001-07:00

It's time for our Year End Clearance Sale! This is the best time to take advantage of great savings -

All Jelly Rolls - 30% off

All Layer Cakes - 30% off

All Fat Quarter Bundles - 30% off

All Fat Eighth Bundles - 30% off

All Charm Packs - 30% off

All Honey Buns - 30% off

All Turnovers - 30% off

All Quilt Kits - 30% off

This includes all new releases too, so hurry before your favorites disappear!!

Sharon's Quilt

2011-12-27T12:29:00.012-07:00

It's all in the family again! This time it is Sharon's (Em's sister) quilt. This is a cute quilt inspired by the quilt pattern "Everyday Best" by Piece O Cake. Sharon did a wonderful job piecing it and I was happy to quilt it. This was a simpler quilt job for me - I got it done in 5 hours.

Her fabric choices are great - I had a lot of fun with them. I chose a yellow thread (#420 So Fine) to go on the whole quilt. I think it worked great with the fabrics.

Criss-cross here - I love it!

Connecting Curves here.

The borders were really fun - I loved how they turned out. This quilt was another no mark quilt - I just free motion quilted everything and used my straight edge ruler for the straight lines and stitch in the ditch.

I love the quilts where I can just have fun quilting what I want. I can do that more with quilts that have bolder fabric prints all together.

I really love this picture. Texture goodness!

On to the next quilt - I have some major quilting coming up - I hope I don't go crazy with the details, but I am really excited about the thought of it!

Embracing Quilting

2011-12-22T20:08:00.003-07:00

How do I even start? Since the first time I put together a pattern I have wanted to be known as the quilt pattern designer - I have had the goal to design fabric (for Moda, who else?) and we started this business with that thought in mind. I talked about my frustration here and I had so many wonderful people comment back and give me great advice. It's been a long 9 months - all the while trying to weed out the customer quilting - I haven't been successful at doing that. So, the last few months have been eye opening to me - really eye opening, but I didn't see it at first. After I wrote my post talking about my frustrations, I got a book deal - not two days later. But, they wanted to focus more on my quilting, I didn't really think anything of it - I was just pumped that I was working on my first book.

So, months have passed, while my desire to design quilts hasn't decreased, my ability to long arm quilt has increased. I can see quilts in ways that I never thought I could and you know what? I love it - I absolutely love it. I am always cursing myself whenever I start my detail quilting, but through the whole process I wouldn't have it any other way. I feel truly blessed knowing how to quilt. I have always felt that I have been blessed with a talent that should be shared, that's why I show so many pictures of my quilting and do tutorials when I can. I believe God blesses us all with talents and the more we share our gifts, the more we are given.

I have realized that my life is where it should be, and I am going to embrace the talent that God has blessed me with. I say this in the most humble way - and I hope you can see that through my post because if you know me, then you know that I owe all I have to God.

I decided that I will continue to long arm quilt. I will however not let it rule my life. My God, husband and children will always be first. So, I will not allow myself to get stressed over quilting any more because at one point I was ready to pull my hair out. My customers know that I will get their quilt done, but I won't promise unrealistic finish dates. I am also seriously considering competition quilting, which will mean that I will be allowing myself time to quilt for myself. With all this said - I won't ever stop designing quilts and I will make them available when I can. I also won't say no to Moda if they want me to design one day - hehe! But for now, this works and I hope to share my quilting life with you.

Thank you to all you amazing followers and to all the people who have encouraged me throughout these last few years. I really appreciate all of you. I can finally say that I am okay with being known as a long arm quilter.

Have a wonderful Christmas weekend!

Take care.

PS - I will keep you up to date on the book - for now it is still in the works.

Productive week? I think so............

2011-12-17T20:26:00.005-07:00

I can't believe I actually got another quilt done this week. Mind you, it's smaller - but still! Yay for a productive week!!

So, quilt stats: This is Em's Mom's Quilt - she is an amazing needle turn applique lady! No joke - amazing! Can't even see the thread and circles? - circles!! Wow - I was so happy to work on this quilt. The pattern is from Pieceocake's "My Whimsical Quilt Garden" book. I used two layers of Hobbs 100% cotton and So Fine thread.

The reason I thought using two layers of batting would be a great idea for this quilt is because I really wanted to make the applique "pop!" It did pop, that's for sure, but it was a lot harder to control my machine around the applique - I have to log that down for future reference.

All the brown background fabrics were quilted in different styles. Circle loops here.

Pebbles here.

Shells.

Echoing.

This one was fun because of the background fabric. I'll talk more about that a few pictures down.

Swirls - can I say again how amazing the applique is on this quilt? Amazing!

I had fun with this quilt because it had so many different fabrics that I could just quilt whatever popped in my head. I didn't use any marking for this quilt - it's all free motion quilting. The borders around each block are stitched in the ditch. I had a hard time deciding if this was enough quilting for the borders in the blocks, but I am happy with the results.

This fabric is amazing! Seriously - talk about quilting texture goodness. I can't believe how fun this was to quilt. It seriously makes the quilt 3D - I love it!

Last, but not least - my favorite part of the quilt. It's just a fun whimsical quilt design that I think just goes with the quilt. I hope she likes it!!!!

One more thing - we still have precuts available for our Sample Spree going on right now. Fabric lines that aren't even available yet!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

MODA SAMPLE SPREE

2011-12-17T07:58:00.003-07:00

It's that time again when you can get your hands on future Moda Precuts during the Moda Sample Spree Sale. We have future precuts from February, March & April of next year available NOW in a very limited supply. Once they sell out, they will be available for pre-order on our Pre-Purchase page. The lines in stock include -

Farmer's Market

California Girl

Ten Little Things

Athill Range

Salt Air

Collections Friendship

Meadow

Ooh La La

Papillon

Sandhill Plums

A Walk In The Woods

Tend The Earth

***These will go super fast, so get yours now or you'll have to wait like everyone else for the lines to release!

I am working on a little surprise

2011-12-15T19:56:00.006-07:00

This is a quilt that I am making for my daughter - I was hoping to finish the top while at the cabin with my Mom, but I underestimated how long it would take. Man, that sounds like me. I pulled the project out again and got the sashing done last night. It was my date with Bliss and Ruby - have I told you that I love Camille's fabric? Well - I do and her new line is to die for! I can't wait for it to come out!

I have been wanting to make a quilt for my daughters bed for a long time, we recently got her her big girl bed - it's going to last until she's all grown up and moves out - I think I just might cry at that thought. Anyway - I asked her what her favorite colors are and she said "red, pink, and turquoise." That made it simple enough to chose the fabric. Also, I used a lot of white in this quilt - that's on purpose because I want to give this quilt some amazing quilting treatments.

Her room needs to be painted and I have pillow shams, decorative pillows, a valance and bed skirt to finish up. This is going to be one of those drawn out long projects because I have to put the quilt aside and wait until all the other projects are made. If I end up quilting the quilt first, I won't make everything else. I know that about myself - plus, I have a lot of quilting to do. So, I will keep you up to date on my progress of this fun project. My daughter saw it and said she loved it - she asked who it was for and I told her someone very special. I think she will be so happy!

Valerie's Quilt.....

2011-12-13T19:52:00.005-07:00

This is Valerie's beautiful quilt - she contacted me after I had done one of her friends quilts. She waited patiently as I took what seemed like forever to get to her quilt. Thanks for being so patient Valerie! She belongs to a Quilt group called the QBees and you can follow their journey on Theresa's Blog.

Here is what Valerie said about her quilt and why she wanted to make it.

I was inspired by this quilt because it combines appliqué with pieced blocks
and I was excited about the large white center to show off quilting. For me
this was a somewhat different color way. As a matter of fact, my daughter
looked at it on your blog and said "That's your quilt, Mom? There is not
enough brown in it..."

****Update****

Pattern is called:

"Home Sweet Home" designed for Patchwork Party Fall 2007 by Carolyn McCray with Cottage Quilts

The pattern was a Patchwork Party event in 2007 - I will get the details as soon as I can - if anyone out there knows the pattern, let me know and I can update my blog so I can give proper credit to the designer.

I used one layer of Hobbs 80/20 batting. I used Superior Threads Highlights #796 for the cream fabric and #703 for the prints.

Oh - and before I forget - I have an A-1 long arm - I love it, I would buy it again. I am not familiar with all the other machines out there because this is the one I have always used, but I think it is an amazing machine and I don't plan on switching to anything else. (That hopefully covers all the missed questions).

Okay - this fun little design was perfect for the corners of the border. It gives it a nice little break from the diamond sash quilting. This is a toned down quilt job for me - I had to promise myself and Clint that I wouldn't do more detail than what I started with. I typically add more detail in because I am just a little crazy..........

Since the center flower basket creates a center section of the quilt and it's own border, I thought it would be fun to mimic the corners, but at a smaller scale. I loved how it turned out!

I wanted the center quilting to really compliment the design. There was enough empty space that I created a fun design to border it.

Don't you love how it almost looks like a butterfly taking flight?

I just love it! I have made a PDF template available for this design. I called it diamond swirl - real original, but it works! You can buy it here.

I really had fun doing this quilt - it went faster than some of my other quilts, but there was still a lot of marking and ruler work. The quilt took me a little over 20 hours to quilt.

One of my favorite blocks - I have done this up and down stitch before, but I haven't ever tried it around all the triangles before. I saw it done beautifully by Jenny - so thanks for the inspiration girl!

How did I know where to put these little breaks? Just a little simple math - they came to the center of each block.

I can't get enough of it!

Well - there you go - on to the next quilt I guess - I will keep the pictures coming!

Temple Square - Salt Lake City

2011-12-12T10:20:00.002-07:00

Clint and I wanted to bring the kids to Temple Square in Salt Lake City to see the Christmas lights and see the Christus at the visitor's center. We hope they can appreciate this Christmas season and realize that it isn't just about getting presents. It's crazy to think that Clint and I grew up in the Salt Lake Valley and got to see Temple Square all the time, but now we have to make a special trip to let our kids see it. It was also fun showing them the Temple where Clint and I were married.

It was absolutely freezing, but gorgeous. I didn't get as many pictures as I wanted - my hands were so frozen - but if you ever get a chance to be in Salt Lake City in December you have to see the lights at Temple Square!

The Christus is amazing - the room is amazing. We weren't the only ones that had the idea to go - so it was a little crowded in the room. I am assuming weekday nights are better than weekend nights. I hope my kids realize how important Christ is - and that Christmas is about His birth. There are some amazing videos that our church has put together about the life of Christ - you can see them here.

We took a carriage ride around Temple Square - it was really fun. The kids were so excited to be pulled by a horse and we could see all the lights around the city. It was a beautifully cold winter night - nothing like bundling up and squishing into a sleigh together.

Note to self - bring gloves! I was so worried about the kids having everything they needed to be warm and I forgot to grab my gloves. Crazy! It was a wonderful trip though and I hope the kids remember the best parts!

Free Shipping until Monday night!!!!

2011-12-10T07:50:00.003-07:00

FREE SHIPPING on top of our sale prices using the code freeship within the 50 states. For international customers, please use the code discount for a bonus discount off your order! This is ON TOP of all our sale prices, so hurry!

http://www.greenfairyquilts.com/

I think I am in love............

2011-12-08T13:51:00.004-07:00

I do have a ton of fabric in my house - let's just say my stash is huge, but then I would be lying because Clint likes to sell everything we have. Every now and again a line comes out that I have to have! So, a lot of begging, and later Clint finally agreed that this lovely bundle is all mine!

Reunion by Sweetwater

It's a must have in my book. I plan on making my boy's quilts out of this fabric line - wish me luck on getting that done at some point. Hehe!

Okay - here are some answers from my last post - I would like to write everyone back individually, but it will be best for me to just answer here.

Q: Where did you get your ruler?

I got it from my long arm dealer --A-1
I am going to look into getting some for our site - stay tuned!

Q: Do you stitch in the ditch before you quilt your sash?

I stitch in the ditch every seam- I believe quilts look better if you do. Also, stitching in the ditch allows me to do a lot of "traveling" with my thread. So the answer is yes, I do stitch in the ditch before I do the sash decorative quilting.

Q: Do you spritz or spray water to get your purple marker out?
Do you wait until the whole quilt is done?

I use the disappearing purple marker, but I am a little impatient and I want to see the results of the quilting right away. So, I spray water right after I am done working on a block and wipe the excess water with left over batting pieces.

Q: When do you mark your quilt?

I mark the quilt as I go - I don't mark anything before the quilt is on the racks and ready to go.

I hope that covers the questions asked that I didn't get a chance to answer. Oh, one more thing - I used 2 layers of Hobbs 80/20 batting on Thelma's Civil War quilt.

That should about cover it. Phew!

Okay - enough with the questions and answers - check out these three new lines in our shop!

Domestic Bliss by Liz Scott of Moda.

Felicity by Sentimental Studios for Moda.

Half Moon Modern by Moda.

Simple Diamond sash quilting tutorial...

2011-12-06T19:24:00.005-07:00

Okay - this may be something you all know how to do - but I figured I would share how I have been doing my diamond sash quilting. I want your feedback at the end of the post - are you okay with pictures, or would you rather have video? Was this something you wanted to know? Be honest - I hope I can handle it...............

This sash is 2 x 13 inches. I want to get a diamond shape, so I draw a line at every 1 inch increment - these lines are just guidelines. I don't draw the diamond shape because it isn't necessary and that would be more work.

Start quilting at the top left side, going down to the bottom right line of the first section. Continue quilting up and down the sections to create up and down V's. Notice my straight edge ruler is 1/4 inch away from the line at the top of the next point - this will ensure that my lines will be accurate. ***Whenever you are working with straight lines on your quilting machine you need your flat extended base attached so that you can get a good grip on the ruler and a flat edge to work with.

If you can see my thumb - it has a little white on the tip because I press pretty hard. I don't want the ruler to move at all.

Again - notice the placement of the ruler - 1/4 inch away from the ending point.

The first section is done - I quilted it left to right. The reason I don't go back right to left is because I am quilting straight lines and my machine doesn't like to go right to left for a long run - the thread shreds if I try. So, start back at the beginning and quilt the opposite sides of the lines to create and X in each section.

Leave your needle down and stay put - you can quilt right to left for the fill in loops.
The reason your machine can do right to left at this point is because you will be moving the machine up, down and over. The bobbin can keep up with that!

Fill in the triangles you made with loops - this will give dimension to your diamonds. So - three loops, small-big-small. Continue right to left, when you get to the end of the last triangle continue onto the other side. I travel along the straight edge of the sash to get to the other side.

So - there you have it - not too bad. What do you think - did you already know this and I just wasted a post - or was this helpful?

Random thoughts and a sneak at what I am working on....

2011-12-02T21:22:00.002-07:00

Okay - this is my attempt at being less detailed - there is so much more that could be done to these diamonds, but for now they are staying the way they are - let's just see if I can allow myself to not quilt anymore in the diamonds..... haha, we'll see!!

Mom - take a picture of me doing this! Man - this kid cracks me up! I ended up having to take 5 pictures of different poses. He definitely keeps us laughing around this house.

Also - I just wanted to take the time to write all you readers out there a huge THANK YOU! You have made me feel so loved with the sweet compliments on my latest quilt - I really am so thankful to you all - I don't deserve such praise - but I thank you just the same. I wish I could write you all back, but these kids keep me on my toes and Clint's got me helping with orders. So, that's our Friday night date!

One last thing - we have got some yummy new products in - finally we have our January precuts coming in and on sale - check out our store before everything is gone. Our new products are linked on our home page. We are also starting to carry notions - we start small and add as we can - so get some markers, scissors and a rotary cutter here.

No shortage of photos here.............

2011-11-29T11:30:00.003-07:00

Okay - it only took me a month to complete. Wow - that's hard to believe, but with family visitors and a week long trip - add in kids and you can hopefully see why I don't get things done super fast. I have realized that I don't like to rush my quilts anyway because I am a perfectionist and I want them to look amazing for my customers.

This quilt was pieced by Thelma, you can see her process for this quilt here. Let me tell you that Thelma is an incredible piecer - seriously STRAIGHT piecing. It really makes a huge difference for me when I quilt. So, great job Thelma!

Here's a description of the quilt by Thelma:

The pattern is called Nottingham Star by Grace's Dowry Quilts. The original pattern was done with blues, grays, beiges and browns. I substituted red for the blues and grays. It's also Lifetime Quilt Number 62 on my Lifetime Quilt List tab on my blog.

When I was deciding what to do on this quilt I remembered that Thelma had mentioned this quilt had a Civil War theme to it. So, I decided it would be best to get researching Civil War quilts and I ended up at this blog and found out that there are a ton of blocks out there that have meaning to them. So, I decided that I would take each square in the quilt and create a civil war block. I learned a few things and that the star block in this quilt is called the North Star. I never knew that.

The main design that I decided would work best in the center of the quilt is a block called Order Number Eleven. I drew the block in my EQ6 and created a template that would work for quilting this block. It ended up being my favorite block.

The stars were quilted to show the points. I didn't want to take away from the design of the star.

Here's a close up of Order Number Eleven. I absolutely love this quilting design!

Okay, as you can see - I have each of these nine blocks quilted differently. I had a total of 11 different quilt blocks for the quilt and I had to make a chart to make sure I got them in the right place.

You can also see that I created a border in each block. I wanted to focus on the theme of the Civil War blocks and if I had quilted to the edge of each square, then I wouldn't be able to accomplish the look I wanted. So, I came in each block at 1/4 inch and quilted the straight border before I quilted the rest of the block.

I think I kind of like it!

Now, are you wondering how long this took me? Well, each block took 10 minutes to quilt - that's 24 hours for just the blocks. The borders, thread change, and marking the quilt are a different story.

Let's just say that this quilt that is only 69" square took me over 40 hours of quilting.
Sometimes I think I am slow, but really - I am a perfectionist and I can't go any faster than I do.

I think the blocks that have the two sided Order Number Eleven are my absolute favorite. When I quilted the first one - I fell in love with how it turned out.

Don't you just love how these two come together?

Borders - yes, I love the borders. It took a little planning and marking to get these little beauties finished. It's funny how I hated math in school - I told my mom I was never going to use it when I grew up and now I depend on math to quilt.

I used my straight edge ruler for the zigzag lines, but the straight stitching and feathered design are all free motion quilting. Don't judge me if they aren't perfect - I'm no computer.

I love the back - I always do.

I really get attached to these quilts, it's hard to send them back. The only consolation that I get in sending them back to their owners is that I get paid. Hehe!

Here are my blocks and templates. I had to use each block as a reference, then I drew the design on the quilt and quilted it. I used 4 colors for this quilt - that's a lot of thread changing, but well worth the outcome of this quilt.

Cyber Monday Sale - All Layer Cakes $24.50!!!!

2011-11-28T00:24:00.003-07:00

Did you like our Black Friday sale? Well, we're doing it again for Cyber Monday, but this time all our Layer Cakes are only $24.50!!!!!! This is today only, so get yours before your favorites are gone!!! Today is the busiest online shopping day of the year, are you going to help make that true??? Click here to visit our Layer Cake page.

Black Friday Jelly Roll Sale!!!!!!!!!

2011-11-24T21:47:00.003-07:00

HEY!!!!! All our Moda Jelly Rolls are on sale for Black Friday at our lowest price of the year - only $24.50!!!!!!!!

Click here to go stock up on this incredible offer, but hurry - two days only!!!!

Clarification..........

2011-11-21T19:25:00.004-07:00

Okay - my last post about the markers has made me realize that I need to clarify that I don't draw all my quilting. I only use the markers for outlining my quilting stencils and straight lines. I free motion quilt everything else, feathers, swirls, fillers - you name it! Free motion quilting is how I roll!

My little stash of goodies.....

2011-11-21T16:48:00.005-07:00

Everyone has there little tool or notion that they can't live without. I am always out of these little purple markers - so I told Clint to just buy me a ton, and I won't need them for at least 8 quilts. I go through 3-4 markers per quilt. So, my little stash for just me. It's exciting to have all these markers and I won't be going crazy at the end of the quilt because I can't see my lines.

Also, I wanted to thank all you for your love and support from my last post! It's so nice to know that I am not alone and that a lot of you think exactly like me. So, THANK YOU!

One more thing - we have a couple giveaways going on - so go here and here and you can enter to win some fabric goodness!

Quilter's Cramp............

2011-11-19T21:39:00.002-07:00

Okay - where do I start. I have had this quilt on the racks for a while now - I have worked a ton of hours on it, but I still have three rows to go. It is taking all that is in me to finish this thing. It's going to be gorgeous and I know that I will be proud of it, but I am having a hard time finishing.

I am so disorganized that I get so distracted. I should say my brain is so disorganized that I can't face what I need to get done when I need to get it done. Please tell me I am not alone in this........

Every day I wake up thinking I am going to conquer the world by getting everything I need to get done that day. When it all comes down to it - I don't get everything done and I feel so far behind.

I am the kind of person that allows myself to get distracted when it comes to quilting because I feel so far behind. What I need to learn to do is to stick to a task until it is finished and not allow myself to get distracted. I have realized something about myself though - I have to make each quilt a masterpiece. I can not just skip the stitch in the ditch - I can't leave out the fillers, I want every quilt to be amazing! So, I end up taking so much time to finish one quilt that during the middle of it I get -- Quilter's Cramp!

Truth is - sometimes I just want to crawl up next to Clint on the couch and watch TV with him - even if it's football.

PS -- Please, please don't think I am complaining! I love to work on these quilts - I just need to find a better way to get them done faster!!!

Domestic Diva?

2011-11-16T17:52:00.004-07:00

Ever since we have been married Clint has wanted homemade bread. I told him if he wanted to have homemade bread - then I need a Bosch to make it! My mom had her Bosch and I have always wanted one. So, today while Clint went to the "post office" he came home with an early Christmas present for me. He's so sweet to me! I dropped everything, ground some wheat and made my very first batch of fresh bread. I am so happy to say that it actually turned out - thanks to my Bosch!

There's nothing better than homemade raspberry jam to top it off! Thanks Mom!

I used this recipe, but I used half wheat/white flour - I don't think my family is quite ready to make the switch to all whole wheat. :-)

It's been a productive day - besides all the normal mommy stuff I got a lot of quilting done and I hope to have this quilt finished by the end of the week. I will be sure to post pictures soon.

I'm back home............ and the winner!!!

2011-11-15T11:24:00.005-07:00

Okay - it's been a long, but super fun week! First things first - the winner of Clint's "manly" giveaway is Carla G! (comment 612) She said she loves the "Winter Wonderland" by Ingrid Moda FQ bundle - so that's what she won! Hurray! Thanks to everyone for making this last giveaway a success! Plus Chemistry just arrived for all of you looking for some new Moda Fabric.

Cabin Retreat! From the left to right - me, Tammy, Rinda, Mom - WOW, I had such a fun time with these ladies! We laughed, cried, goofed off and sewed for 3 days! My Mom and Rinda are dearest friends from way back when - they grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico together and have stayed friends through marriage and kids. This is the first time I have been able to make it to the cabin quilting retreat. It's been going on for 4 years now - Tammy (Rinda's daughter) has made it 3 of those 4 years. I can not tell you how much fun I had. Seriously - my mom is hilarious and she can make anyone laugh. Rinda and Tammy are absolute sweethearts and it was so much fun getting to know them better. I can not wait for next year - I just hope we can get my sisters and Tammy's sisters to come - that would make the trip even better!

It was cozy inside the cabin and we really didn't even leave the cabin for 2 of the days - the snow was a fun sight to see since I just don't see snow very often here in Saint George.

What's not to love about this picture? The Moon is incredible! I am always in awe of the beauty of God's creations - it makes me realize that we aren't alone in this universe.

Look at these skinny ladies -not me - but Mom and Rinda have both lost a ton of weight and look so amazing. I am so proud of what they have accomplished! Here we are in front of the Flaming Gorge Dam and Green River.

This was our set up with the sewing machines.

We watched period dramas and sewed our little hearts out. Tammy and Rinda both completed their projects. Mom finished about 6 projects - she's amazing.

Always the over achiever - I assumed I would finish a full size quilt top for Lili's room - and pillows and pillow cases. Well, not so much! I got 25 quilt blocks done and I still have the sashing to do, plus pillows and pillow cases. I was hoping this would be a Christmas Gift for Lili, but it's not going to happen. I have too much catching up on quilting to do. But, I love how these blocks turned out - there are two different quilt blocks and not one of the 25 finished blocks are the same. I used Ruby and Bliss for the project. I will be sure to post the finished project at some future point -let's just hope it doesn't end up in the never finished pile.

It worked out that my dad could bring Lili back up to his house for the weekend, where I was staying, because he has a job down here in Saint George. The reason I stayed the weekend up at my parent's house was so I could go to my sister's baby shower. It was so fun being with my family. I missed Clint and the boys like crazy, but it was fun to have a "girls trip" with Lili. She loved that Grandpa has leaves and she wanted to rake the yard. She got tired before it was all raked, but she had fun!

Jess, Amy, me and Abby at Abby's baby shower. I was able to give Abby her quilt. She loved it! Now, I have to get back to work - kids, laundry, vacuuming, and quilting are calling me. I had a wonderful time, but I don't think I can leave Clint for that long again - I missed him too much!

MANLY GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-11-10T13:31:00.006-07:00

******GIVEAWAY CLOSED*******

Why is it considered a manly giveaway? Because Judi left me for the week to go have fun on a quilting retreat leaving me (Clint) with all the kids, and I need a little more excitement while Judi's away!

Here's how it's going to work, and you have to earn it! I just added future Moda Precuts for the months of February, March and April to our site. You will earn 3 entries by going to each of the 3 pages and telling me what your favorite Precut is from each month. I also just added a huge selection of our current Precuts to our Clearance page with deals from 40% off. You will earn an additional entry by visiting our Clearance page and telling me what your favorite Clearance item is. The winner will win one of the 4 items they chose.

So, once again, you have to visit the following 4 pages which you can click on below -

February Precuts
March Precuts
April Precuts
Clearance Page

and be sure to give me your favorite item off of each page. If you want 4 extra entries, blog about this Giveaway and help spread the word and let me know that you did. You can earn a total of 8 entries. This Giveaway will end Tuesday. Good luck!

Guilty as charged..........

2011-11-07T10:34:00.002-07:00

I have to admit that I have been one of those people that isn't quite ready for the Christmas stuff to be out in stores before Thanksgiving - but I caved. I absolutely love Thanksgiving and will be thinking all month what I am thankful for, but I will have this tree in our entry to remind me of the Christmas season. I love this time of year, it reminds me of what is truly important in life and I want the season to be a little longer for our family this year.

This tree was quite the workout to decorate! I found the big ornaments at Costco, the big bells at Target and the snowflakes at Walmart. The theme of the tree is red and gold and I just love how it turned out.

I hope you all have a great week. I am being brave and taking off by myself to go hang out with my Mom at a cabin sewing retreat. I don't know why it is so hard to leave my husband and kids - probably because I never leave by myself. But, my first solo trip - I am sure they will survive - let's just hope I survive without them.

Take care!

Studio pictures!

2011-11-04T16:19:00.002-06:00

You know when you just need a change to help with the motivation? Well, I needed this little change in my studio to get me excited about finishing more quilts. Clint has been amazing - he moved all the furniture and put up new curtains for me! I love, love how it turned out. You can see what my studio looked like before we moved everything here.

Okay - the quilting machine fits exactly across the room and makes some dead space in the bay window area, but that is fine with me. I will have to crawl under the machine to put quilts on and take off, but I am happy about being able to look outside while I am quilting. We removed the bottom bar that carries the batting so it will be easier to get in and out. Another plus is that I will be forced to move more and that should help with the added pounds - he he he!

I also love that the room feels more open - there is a bigger space in the middle of the room and that will be great when I am laying quilts out.

New feature - we added the quilt racks - made by my dad - I thought it would be fun to have all my quilted bags hanging there when I am not using them. They are usually everywhere around the house, but now I have a place for them and I quite like it.
The only thing missing in this picture is my sewing machine - it's at my mom's waiting for me to go to a little cabin sewing retreat next week. I can't wait! It's going to be fun - for me. Clint's stuck here with four kids - mwahahehehahahaha!

And - I got these beauties in the mail today - there is nothing like a little mail to boost your confidence and make you feel better! Some days are harder for me - like yesterday - so it was fun to get these ribbons to remind me that even though quilting can be crazy, it is all worth it. This is my first "Best of Show." I still can't believe it - I got it for machine quilting the Dragonfly Quilt - there were over 700 quilts in the show. So, I am a little happy right now.

By the way - if you need fabric, we have a store wide 30% off sale going on through the weekend! Have a great weekend everyone!

2011-11-03T22:38:00.004-06:00

I can't think of a title for this post - my brain is gone. Here's another peak at what I am working on. Although - I didn't work on it today. It's been one of those days where I think I am going to accomplish a whole lot - as far as quilting is concerned - but I am so overwhelmed with how many quilts I have in que that I just don't want to face it! So, what do I do? I tell Clint I need a change and I want the studio rearranged! Well, as any good husband would do - he moves everything around and then forces me to organize my things. I feel like I can get a ton done now being organized - I just wish I could stay that way. I will get some good pictures of the studio tomorrow so you can see the change. I love it!

Remember this quilt? I finally got the pdf file ready for this stencil. I call it "Clover" and you can get it here for only $1.95

And this quilt? Same deal here! $1.95 for my "Serenity" quilt stencil!

Here's hoping that more quilting is done tomorrow - that all depends on if the kids will take a nap!

Really? November Already?

2011-11-01T09:03:00.002-06:00

I was fully aware that yesterday was Halloween, but when I looked at my phone and the date said November 1st - it hit me that the year is coming to an end! Holy Cow - where the heck did the time go? Clint already wants the Christmas tree up. Normally I would say "let's wait" - but I am super excited about our tree this year. Well, here's to another great month in 2011 - let's hope I can get some (a lot) of quilts done!

2011-10-31T21:22:00.003-06:00

Happy Halloween! I hope you had a wonderful night! I know we did!

Holy Crap!!! I've gained 10 lbs!

2011-10-28T18:17:00.003-06:00

(this is how I sit now, the arms hide the muffin top)

I am typically not the step on the scale everyday kind of gal - but halfway through my 30th year - I better start thinking about it! My mom always warned me about 30.

Well - I won't bore you with the long sob story of 10 pounds - it happened in four weeks - WOW, that's hard to admit! But, I think I know what the problem is:

Schwan's Ice Cream and Family Visits!

Mix those two things up and I have a whole lot of fun and late night dates with the best ice cream in the world! - Now I just need a dose of motivation to get moving again! It would probably help to not eat so much too!!

Okay - just a proud parent moment! This girl can read, and read well! I was still being tutored in reading during 2nd grade and she's in first grade and reading well beyond her school level! I love ya girl!

Camille's book! I have meant to buy this book since it has come out, but it took me this long to actually order it! I love it! I can not wait to take it (and some Bliss and Ruby) to a little sewing retreat in a couple weeks. I've been holding onto that fabric for a while now, and I am finally going to get to make something for my daughter with it.

I don't always find out what happens with the quilts I quilt, but my recent Dragonfly Quilt was in a quilt show in Washington and We Won!! So exciting! Thanks Laura for letting me quilt for you!

I feel like I am always saying this, but I am quilting (just a little slower than normal) and I am catching up on customer quilts - I am so sorry for those that are waiting, but I want them to know that they are on my list and I will get to them asap!

I am getting my next quilt on the racks and I have spent over 3 hours of research today on what types of blocks I am going to quilt into this quilt - it has a civil war theme to it and I can not wait to get started! Seriously - it's going to be awesome!

Have a wonderful weekend!!

I love flowers Double Feature!!!

2011-10-26T13:43:00.003-06:00

Okay - if you know me, you know I love flowers! That's why a lot of my patterns have flowers in them. I am not afraid of applique because I machine applique everything. Sorry if that offends you needle turn applique people out there - I just don't have the patience for it myself.

Satin stitch baby! That's how I role. See - applique can be fun and easy! Just let your sewing machine do it!

I love the colors of this quilt. I quilted it with my allover flower swirl free motion quilting.

This quilt is so happy! I love pulling out my quilts and getting good pictures of them because it makes me feel like I am getting some sewing done - which, I am not - but it helps me think I am!

So, I give you "Garden Party" - at the top of my list of my patterns. It is really fun to make! You can get it on sale for $5.95 here for a limited time.

Here's the double feature! This is by far my most favorite quilt! I made this pattern several years ago and it still is just right there at the top of the list.

I wanted to feature this quilt not only because I love it, but because I wanted to show that you don't have to quilt just everything like I do. This was quilted way back when - and I would quilt more now - but it is the design that makes the quilt. So, don't think that you have to quilt your quilts like this one just to make my patterns!

I can't tell you how much I love this quilt! It is really simple to put together and you only need three colors. I can imagine it will work well with our new jelly roll Bella Solids - just get three colors and take out the cutting! I love that idea!

So, I give you Checkered Flowers! My favorite quilt pattern that is so simple to put together. On sale now for $5.95 for a limited time, get yours here!

Here's my Mama! She's made herself at home in our guest room because my dad has a job in town. She doesn't go anywhere without her traveling sewing machine and now my home is her traveling sewing machines permanent home. She's a little addicted to quilting and sewing - wonder where I got the bug?

Drawing with Thread.........

2011-10-22T11:50:00.003-06:00

Okay - a little background to this quilt. I am usually working on customer quilts, but occasionally I need to create something for me or someone else. It keeps me sane! Abby, my sister is going to be having her first baby in December - I can't wait - so I wanted to make her a baby quilt. She loves black - always has, always will and she is more of a modern girl too. So, I racked my brain trying to figure out what to make for her and her baby boy. It hit me a few weeks ago what I would make and my pattern "Checkered Flowers" without the flowers of course would work perfectly! Off to the store I went and got me some black and gray fabric. It was so fun putting this quilt together!

I was going to try and keep it simple - because it's for a baby - but then I realized that I just couldn't! I wanted to give Abby something incredible - because I think she is incredible - and so the quilting details took over the quilt. Good thing I had sense enough to put in two layers of batting because I quilted it to death!

I send pictures to my mom for her opinion on pretty much every quilt I do - so when she saw my blocks she said - "It doesn't look like a baby quilt to me." Well - this block is for my mom - now she can't say it isn't a baby quilt! Ha Ha! (do you see the "baby" in the middle?)

I give you "Pierpont's Pendant" template! This is my design and I just couldn't come up with a name for my design, so once again I called and asked my mom for help. I'll give you a little background - Abby won't tell us the name of her little boy, so my mom affectionately gave her baby boy the name "Pierpont" -just to be funny! So, we have been calling the baby Pierpont ever since. For some reason my sister Jessie couldn't remember "Pierpont" and kept calling the baby "Pendant" -- so, there you go! A name for my design and a story that just keeps us laughing!

When I started quilting this, I realized it was going to take a longer time than usual - typical problem for me, so I decided to create two different blocks. I wanted the second block to be easier - well, this is what I came up with! Not easier, but just as fun!!

Everything in this quilt is free motion quilting. I only marked the templates, but the rest of the quilt is just my "drawing with thread" - we have a title!

I used Silver Metallic thread for the top and gray So Fine thread for the bottom. It worked out beautifully! I am still pinching myself because I love how it turned out. I just hope Abby is as thrilled as I am!

Texture goodness!

I give you the back - solid backs are the best - I won't ever do a personal quilt again without using solid fabric because the quilting is so important to see!

I used red binding because Abby loves black and red, so just a touch of red to make it completely her quilt.

Well - it's done! I am so happy to be giving this quilt to my beautiful sister and her soon to be born baby boy! I love ya girl!

Okay - do you want to make the quilt pattern? Well, you can get that here.

And the template? You can get the PDF file for my new quilting template here.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Okay........the winner!!!

2011-10-21T01:06:00.002-06:00

I have to apologize - I meant to post the winner of my giveaway with pictures of my finished quilt earlier this week.

Well, the quilt is still on the racks and I have had family staying over. Right now life is full of juggling time and trying to get things done, but also enjoying the time I have with family. So, thanks for your patience with me. I should get the quilt finished tomorrow - or I guess that would be today since I am still up! Why am I still up?

Anyway - winner of the Fiona's Fancy Fat Quarter Bundle is:

Judi of Life is Sew Good

Congratulations Judi! Email me your address and I will get that sent right out to you. (BTW - love your name! Hehehe

Okay - Moda decided to be completely awesome and come out with new Bella Solid Precuts and we have some in! Yay - you can check them out here.

Have a great day! I will be posting quilting pictures soon and a new template will be available as well. It's going to be great!

Glimpse...............

2011-10-15T15:16:00.002-06:00

I've got some modern quilting going on at the moment - I can't wait to show you the finished quilt! So exciting!

Other news - Dear Jane has made the spotlight again - you can check out the post featuring it as the quilt of the week at Generation Q - here.

My giveaway is still going -- I will announce the winner when I show you this finished quilt sometime next week! Have a wonderful weekend everyone. And - I just want to thank all you readers out there - you keep me going and I really appreciate you! So Thank You!

Fiona's Fancy Giveaway!!!

2011-10-13T21:36:00.002-06:00

I have a lot of things going on - mostly with family visiting for the next three weeks. So - I will post when I can with what I am working on, but in the meantime let's have a giveaway!

Simple contest - here's what you need to do to win this Fiona's Fancy Fat Quarter Bundle:

Go to our clearance page and tell us your favorite product by leaving a comment.

Next, go to our "Pre-Order" page and tell us what your favorite January 2012 product is by leaving a second comment.

Please only leave 2 comments - it makes it easier for me to count when I announce the winner. I will post the winner in a couple or so days when I have finished my latest quilting project!

Good luck!

11 months

2011-10-10T10:53:00.003-06:00

Hi! I am baby Noah! Come and follow me on a little journey around my yard. I just figured out how to crawl and not scoot. I made sure to learn to crawl correctly while my mom and dad where in Romania. Made my mom sad, but she'll get over it!

This would be my favorite place in the yard. There are plenty of fun things to look at.

I just have to figure out what to grab first!

What's that? Did you call me Mom?

I am busy - don't bother me!

Here it is - a rock! I love these things. Small, hard and totally a choke hazard - I don't see why everyone gets so worked up when I find myself a nice rock to play with.

Well, I will taste it and we will see what happens!

Why did you take my rock Mom? And move me over here? I was having so much fun!

I see how it is - you let me roam around, but you are always there to get me out of trouble.

And - you put things in my reach and then take them away!

Well, at least I know that I am the favorite baby in this house and my mom and dad can't believe that I am almost 1 year old. Oh - and by the way, I learned how to wave and clap while Mom and Dad were away too. My mom keeps saying "that darn Aunt Abby!" - cause she's the one that taught me how!

For the love of FQBs - 30% off!!!

2011-10-08T10:07:00.005-06:00

Okay - I have to say that Fat Quarters are my favorite fabric cut right now. Simply because you get so much fabric that coordinates and you have tons of project possibilities. We have all the current fabric collections from Moda, but did you know we also have Riley Blake precuts as well? Well - we do and the fabric is adorable!! I keep telling Clint that I need one FQ Bundle of every line that comes in and he reminds me that I just wouldn't have room to just store the stash. Well - a girl can always make room for her stash - no matter the lack of space.

This cute new line is called "Fox Trails" by Doohickey designs for Riley Blake Designs. It is adorable - I want it, seriously! But, for all you out there we have all of our Fat Quarter Bundles and Fat Eighth Bundles 30% off until Monday. It's a good time to stock up!

This new line is called "Fiona's Fancy" by Lila Tueller for Riley Blake Designs. It is so cute!

This little bundle is from the fabric line "Indian Summer" by Zoe Pearn Designs for Riley Blake Designs. I absolutely love this line - we still have several bundles left.

Sometimes I just have to have a quilting picture in my posts. Makes me happy!

This morning was absolutely gorgeous here. The sun is out - it's cool, but not too cold and the roses are still in bloom. I have to say that I love where I live - even if the summers are a little hot!

Family pics 2011

2011-10-07T09:37:00.002-06:00

One of the things that I have put off is getting our family pictures taken. I didn't want to go into a studio and I love natural lighting photographers. I am so grateful to my friend who introduced me to Amber. She is a wonderful photographer!

Does this look like an engagement picture or what? Ha - well, I love it and I am still in love with this man. We have been married almost 10 years now and it has been an incredible journey.

Warning - I may get a little sentimental!!!

Clint and I met in high school - our senior year. I remember looking at him and saying to myself "I am with my husband now," those words gave me comfort as we said goodbye for 2 years while he served as an LDS missionary. I was totally supportive of his mission and I kept myself busy so time would go fast. But, the time was long - two years was brutal, seriously. I loved him so much and just couldn't wait to be with him. Well, long story short - I survived - we still loved each other and 4 months from the day he got home we married in the Salt Lake Temple. It was the picture perfect day! I got to marry my best friend and we never had to say goodbye again.

10 years and four kids later. It is still amazing to me how fast time has gone since we have been married. When he was on his mission the 2 years never ended and now we have done 2 years 5 times. Crazy!!! Family is everything to us. We want to be with our kids - that is the main reason we have our own business. Some days are tough with 4 kids who are close in age. We had 4 kids in 5 years and believe me - sometimes I am ready to pull my hair out - or at least buy some earplugs so the screaming can be muffled. (I don't know why I haven't done that yet) :) It's the small happy moments that make life so incredible. These little munchkins are the reason I don't get quilting done fast, they are the reason that a lot of my quilt designs are still on paper and not in stores. But, I wouldn't change it because I can't miss out on their little lives.

They are growing up so fast! Why does time move so fast when you don't want it to and it slows down when you need it to go fast? What gives me comfort is remembering to "Enjoy the Journey" because with all the ups and downs, life is worth living for the small moments - and those small moments are with my husband and kids.

All photos courtesy of Amber Wallis of Carly Grace Photography

Becky's Quilt

2011-10-05T20:02:00.003-06:00

Okay - I don't have the pattern info on this one yet, but I will get it and update this post - I just really couldn't wait any longer to post quilting pictures. I have had the quilt done for a couple days and I quilted 3 shams to go along with the quilt today.

Anyway - this is Becky's quilt. Perfect piecing - no joke - she did an awesome job. I debated on a quilting theme for this quilt, but realized that the fabric speaks for itself and I just wanted to add to the quilt instead of take away from it.

I am going to treat myself to some personal piecing for the next couple days - I need it! Have a great weekend!

Layers of Love...

2011-09-29T22:43:00.000-06:00

First off - thanks so much to everyone for the "love" on my tutorial video. It was fun to do and I hope to do more video tutorials as I keep quilting and coming up with new templates. I am also going to be gathering my other quilt templates together from previous quilts and I will be adding those to our site as I get them transferred to a PDF file - so stay tuned for that.

Now it's time for a little precut pattern highlight. Again - one of my favorites - but I can't think of a quilt that I have done that I don't like. They are definitely a part of me. Anyway - the featured pattern this week is called "Layers of Love." Why that title? Well - I used a layer cake and that's the only name I could come up with at the time. Ha ha!!

It's funny showing my quilts with allover quilting on it. But, my staple quilting is the swirl - it seriously works with almost every quilt.

This pattern is great because it is perfect for the beginner. It is also a fast and easy pattern for the experienced piecer when they just have to get a quilt done fast. I used a layer cake for this pattern, - if I were to make this pattern today with what is available in the shop I would use this layer cake - seriously, so cute!

Here's where you can get this pattern on sale at $5.95 for a few days.

But guess what else??? If you buy two Moda Layer Cakes, and use the code twocakes during checkout, you will get each Layer Cake for just $25 each!!! Hurry - sale ends Monday!

Fine print - code only works with two Layer Cakes in your cart, and no refunds on previous orders :)

Have a great weekend!

Dragonfly Tutorial Video

2011-09-27T21:12:00.003-06:00

Okay - don't make fun of me - I am not a camera kind of girl, but I did a little tutorial on my Dragonfly Template. I hope it is helpful to you quilters out there!

Dear Jane...revisited!!!

2011-09-26T13:22:00.002-06:00

Photo - courtesy of Gwen.

It's amazing to me still that I worked on this quilt. Seriously - I had to recover after this one because of how long it took me to quilt. But, it was well worth it and it is a beautiful quilt. So, when Gwen told me her quilt was finished I just had to share it with you. I am still getting comments on the quilt and it has been shared around a ton of quilting forums around the internet. So - I love how it was finished - wish it was mine - still.

Hey, we have a little sale going on in the shop and it's the last day to get Jelly Rolls for $27.50 - so, head on over!

Dragonfly is finished......

2011-09-23T20:41:00.005-06:00

the never ending dragonfly quilting is done! Hurray! So - facts before I say anything else.......

Laura's quilt - she did an awesome job.
Quilt Pattern - Montana Feathered Star by Jackie Robinson of Animas Quilts.
Batting used - Wool Batting and 100% cotton batting.
Thread used - So Fine #'s 402,411, and 449 - yes, three thread changes, uggh!

Okay - so this Montana Feathered Star is one gorgeous quilt! The piecing looks a little difficult - so beginners, maybe not the quilt for you - but WOW, isn't it gorgeous? Wish I could say I pieced the quilt, but Laura - she did a fabulous job piecing this beauty!

When I was figuring out what to do for this quilt, Laura (the owner of the quilt) asked me if I could do something with dragonflies because the black fabric used in this quilt has dragonflies in it. So - perfect. I had to draw up the dragonfly and make my own template and draw each dragonfly on with the disappearing purple marker. Everything else on the quilt is all free motion quilting.

I love looking at pictures of this quilt. I was ready to pull my hair out during the process because it took longer than I planned, but hey - that's how I work. The end result is always worth the work.

The feathers around two corners of the quilt were kind of a mistake. After I started quilting, I realized I could use up more space with a feather border. But, it was two late to go all the way around the quilt. So - opposite corners became the design, and I like it - a lot!

Straight stitching for the center star - I wanted that to be a focal point of the quilt and not take away from the design. I think it turned out great. The black fabric was simple swirls because you just don't see it because of the busy pattern of the fabric. The green star section is a mimic of the background in the cream background - except the dragonflies of course.

Feather love..........have I told you I love feathers?

Oh, some more - I could stare at this all day! The texture on this quilt was incredible too because of the two layers of batting. I ran my fingers over this quilt a million times.

A play with the contrast and you can see the quilting so much better. I love it!!

So, I had a thought - I have a lot of people approaching me for my templates and I thought maybe I would start offering them for a small fee. Here's the deal. I use cardstock for all of my templates. I don't bother with template plastic - it's just easier for me to use cardstock because I always have it on hand. So - what I have done is drawn out my template and put it available on my website as a PDF file. I am going to do this with all of my quilt templates from this point forward. So, as I come up with something - you can quilt it yourself. I also give tips and directions on how to quilt it. So - does $1.75 sound fair? What do you think? You purchase the PDF File here.

Um, my favorite corner of the quilt - seriously. I was really happy how this part of the quilting turned out. Me = totally happy. Plus, on to the next quilt - that's always a good feeling.

My Bags are Packed Highlight!

2011-09-21T09:46:00.003-06:00

I never really got to show this pattern off because I made it really fast and sent it off to Riley Blake Designs for Market last year in the Spring. It is a favorite of mine because of how simple it is to put together. Also - this is a fun design to show off your big prints that you aren't sure what to do with.

It is always fun for me to dig out my designs from storage in the closet and take some pictures. I really don't have the space to keep all of my quilts out - so a photo shoot gives me a chance to remember how fun each design is.

As you can see the quilting is not custom - so rare these days - sometimes I think it would be fun to just stipple a quilt again, but I don't see that happening any time soon.

So - for the next few days I am going to have my pattern "My Bags are Packed" on sale for $5.95 - you will have so much fun making this quilt, you can purchase the pattern here.

Is it any wonder that my windows are never clean?

Quick Look.......

2011-09-19T06:36:00.002-06:00

Okay - here's a little sneak peek at what I am working on. I have a confession to make, I have a quilting "problem." Are you ready for this? Well, I don't know how to judge the time it will take me to quilt a quilt. I am horrible at it. No matter what I do I think I can get things done faster than I really can. It's not a good problem because I planned on having this quilt done last week and now I am going onto this week. And, the balancing act between wife, mom, housekeeper and quilter is sometimes a little crazy. So, that just means I don't get as much sleep as I crave. But, in the meantime - some serious quilting is going on and I am happy with this quilt so far. I will show you the whole quilt as soon as I finish - let's hope it's sooner than later.

Charity Video is up!

2011-09-16T15:01:00.002-06:00

First of all, most of the new October Moda Precuts are here, including the long anticipated Ruby!! Check them out here!

Below is our 2011 Charity video from our trip which we returned from last week - hope you like it!

Planes, Trains and Automobiles..plus more emotion than I can handle in 8 days.

2011-09-13T21:28:00.006-06:00

Buckle up - it's going to be a long post!

Okay - so I have known for months that this trip was coming up. Clint convinced me to go to Romania with him again - I am not a traveler, seriously! I am totally content sitting in my house with my little family and knowing that we can't get injured or harmed in any way - did you know I have a paranoia problem? Well, I admit that I fear life a little (lot) more than I should, so I am stuck with my own little battle of traveling and leaving the kids. Now, before you say it's a mom thing - it is, but times twenty - so Clint has convinced me that he will help me through this by making me travel. Well, long story short - I told him that if I was going to go, then I wanted to take time to see another country in Europe. (This is why we pay for all of our traveling and lodging expenses - we make it a little vacation amongst the charity work).
Anyway - Italy quickly became the first stop on our trip. So, fear of flying? Make that 8 flights in as many days and you have one scared little wife saying, what the heck was I thinking???

So, we had 3 flights to get to Rome, Italy. We planned on taking the train to get to our hotel, but wouldn't you know it there was a strike so the trains were closed that day. Into the shuttle with 2 other couples from the USA and introduction to driving in Italy - let's just say they know how to get around those little cobblestone streets and have no problems honking horns and cutting anyone off. Pedestrian? Well - you need to watch for the cars, 'cause they ain't looking for you.

BUT - holy cow! I will say we met the nicest people in Italy - I am not kidding, they were so great and helpful. I could listen to them speak forever because the language is absolutely beautiful.

By the time we checked into our hotel and started walking around I was exhausted. It had be 24 hours since I left home and I didn't sleep on the planes like I wanted to. It was hot too - so humid and I wore pants - huge mistake! So, I sat for a bit in the shade and grasped the fact that I made it here without any turbulence.

Because of the strike that day, the Colosseum was closed and so was our tour! So, we walked around the city and I found plenty of things to take pictures of. I chose a few of my favorites to share with you. This is just a gate door that I thought was beautiful and I couldn't help but just stare at it.

We went to the Vatican City and surrounding Museums. This is just a taste of how amazing it was - everything I saw had quilting potential. I look at things so differently now because of my quilting. It never ceases to amaze me the work that goes into creating something beautiful.

Seriously - like how long did this take? It was so beautiful.

Okay, Clint and I were in Saint Peter's Square on Wednesday when the Pope made his weekly speech. We watched him ride in on the Pope Mobile and the crowd just went crazy! It was really cool being there and seeing him in person. We have video of him riding right past us.

Here he is - not the best picture, but this is a super zoom camera shot because we were so far away.

We were able to get into the Colosseum that same day. We lost out on our tour, but we were able to walk around. The size is unbelievable - huge, massive! and then to read about the gladiators and the other things that went on - wow. I had to really grasp the fact that this building was over 2000 years old. Amazing. The detail and workmanship was unreal and I would give anything to be a time traveler and see it in its day. I am still baffled. The whole city of Rome was just incredible and I will always remember how it felt to be there.

You should go, you would love it. Just warning you though, you have to learn how to say "no thanks" a ton because the soliciting there is rampant. They get you coming and going at every turn, selling anything that would make them a quick buck.

I loved the trees there, but I am a huge fan of trees. The fact that this group of trees were growing up on the wall and close to the buildings - even better.

Clint and I had a wonderful time in Italy - it was a much needed getaway for us.

Now the charity work begins. We flew to Romania from Italy - an easier 2 hour flight for me. Gica - the man in charge of the Archway Foundation in Romania picked us up and we got to work. The boys in the picture with me are orphans, but Gica has given them the opportunity to work with him and the Foundation and they were there to help us out. We spent the morning shopping for food and school supplies. That is where your donations come in. With your donations we were able to get 30 back packs stuffed with school supplies for kids starting school, who wouldn't have had these if we didn't get it for them and also food for 50 families. Thank you again for everyone who donated.

Here we are with Gica. Seriously the nicest and most giving man I have met. He works with all of the kids and their families and he has such a giving heart.

At this point I was having fun just collecting supplies, I had no idea what the rest of the day would bring. It was an emotional roller coaster for me.

Here is the van packed and ready to go. We were dropping off food, quilts and the back packs to the people most in need. At the first stop we were just bringing food and we walked into an apartment where a Mom, Dad and 6 kids sleep in a room no bigger than 10' x 10' - I noticed that the single bed in this room had a quilt from last years trip nicely laid out on the bed. It made me feel good to know that the quilts you donate are being loved and used. It was a beautiful addition to the sad living conditions these people are in.
When we were walking out I saw a lot of little kids - all of these kids were in the same living situation as the peoples whose room I had just left, but aren't being helped by the foundation and I felt it was a good time to give some quilts out. So, I told Clint and we asked Gica to have the kids gather around the van. What I didn't realize is that this would create a situation where desperate people, kids and adults were so anxious and hopeful to get a quilt that they started to get a little pushy and we had to stop. The boys that were helping Gica and Clint and me were very protective and at one point (because of the aggression of a few adults) had to shove me back into the van and close the door and we had to drive away. It was so sad, I wish I had had a quilt for each one of these people, but most of all for the kids. They looked up at me and were so anxious to get a quilt and it just broke my heart that we had to drive away.

But, to the kids who did receive a quilt - they were so grateful. Their grateful hearts and the sweet "thank you" they gave us made all of the chaos before worth it.

I witnessed so many families and kids in situations that were so sad to me. It made me realize how truly blessed I am. I saw kids that were sleeping on the floor in the rooms of abandoned homes. These homes should be condemned, there is no working plumbing and the rooms smelled like wet mold. The stairs had no railings and had nails sticking out, plus they were ready to fall apart. These families move from place to place as they get kicked out because they have no where else to go. I found out that some of these people that grow up as orphans don't have identification. They are "unknown" in their country. One of the places that was hardest for me to witness was in an abandoned home where a new mom and teenage mom was sleeping on the floor with her baby on a pillow next to her. I left bawling, I couldn't imagine how hard that must be. I have a room for each of my kids, I have food in my fridge - I have a husband and father to my kids - and these people don't have any of that. It was such a hard thing to witness, but it also made me realize that what we are doing is helping, even if it is just a little bit.

It was an experience that I will never forget. And, although I don't think I can make it each year with Clint, I will be a better and more supportive wife when it comes to him going. I have struggled, and have been a little selfish just wanting him to stay home, but I realize how important this is. I won't ever be the same, I pray that I can teach my kids how lucky they are and also that serving others will help bring peace and joy into their life. I know it has mine and I pray that we can all just do a little to make a big difference in the lives of those in need around us.

Side note - we will have a charity video with more of what went on - so keep a look out for that. Clint just has a few orders to catch up with before we can finish the video.

Romania here we come!!!

2011-09-03T07:47:00.003-06:00

So we're off to Romania, I'm excited to go with Clint but also very nervous for the 24 hours of flying it takes to get there! The only downside to traveling halfway across the world is having to get there! Now if only I could fall asleep on take off and not wake up 'til we get there, is that possible?

Anyway, we're having a quick short Labor Day sale which ends TONIGHT - all orders that include a Fat Quarter Bundle are shipped FREE within the 50 states by using the code bundle during checkout. For international customers, enter the code discount for a special bonus discount off your order!

Have a great weekend everybody, wish me luck!

It's that texture that I just love!!!!

2011-09-02T14:42:00.007-06:00

So, Beth's quilt again! I absolutely love it! The quilt pattern is "Snowball" from a Kaffe Fassett book. This quilt is some more simple custom quilting, by "simple" I mean not as many things going on. It's simply, texturally great! I didn't want to take away from the design or the fabrics in this quilt. So, the following pictures will show you what I came up with.

Swirls, loops and straight lines for the borders.

Free motion straight lines with a curve going on here!

I stitched in the ditch every block and quilted connecting curves in the triangle/squares. They look fun, but they can take a while to do.

Oh, the back - I love it when I can see the quilting on the back. I ran my fingers through the texture of the quilting on this quilt a lot! I can't help myself. Now it is wrapped up, packed and ready to be shipped to Beth on the east coast!

Flower Patch

2011-08-29T14:11:00.003-06:00

Okay - every now and again I want to highlight one of my patterns. This happens to be Flower Patch - it currently sits at #1 on my favorite patterns list. This is the quilt where when I show friends and family, they say "Can I have it?" I look at them and say, um no - I don't think I can part with this one, but I have a pattern! Then, most of them say "I don't quilt." Well, since I have more quilting friends out in the blog world, I figured you would appreciate how fun this quilt is to make. And, since it uses 1 layer cake and 1 jelly roll of the same fabric line - it sure makes it easy to pick out the fabrics to use for the pattern.

I quilted this quilt with my allover free motion flower swirl - this was quilted a couple years ago, so don't mind the mistakes - I have gotten better since then.

This is an all pieced quilt pattern and it is so fun to make! If I were to make it now I would use "Sophie" because the fabric is the current favorite of mine!

I couldn't highlight my quilt without draggin' this little munchkin outside with me. He is almost 10 months old - I can't believe how time flies. I just wish he would grow some hair!

He currently scoots everywhere - he has no desire to pull up on his knees and actually crawl. He loves bananas, or any food right now. He loves it when Daddy has ice cream because he sure gets his fill on that. He is my most ticklish kid and he laughs more than any of my other kids, but for most of the time he is quiet. He is just content to sit in my arms and still lets me cuddle him.

He just recently discovered how fun it is to make Daddy crazy by trying to pull down FQBundles from the inventory shelves and he has been attempting stairs! Oh - the other day he discovered he could pull himself up in his crib, so each morning he stands there waiting with a smile on his face for me to come and get him. Did I mention I love this little guy?

He's on the move and these little hands won't be so little for very long. Oh, how they grow too fast!

And his big little feet are still munchable!

So, to all of you out there still reading this post and just dying to make this fun pattern you can get it here on sale for $5.95 for a limited time.

It's our 3rd Anniversary - our gift to you is...

2011-08-27T08:28:00.005-06:00

...a 30% OFF STORE WIDE SALE!!!! We have put everything in our store at 30% off, including all our new Moda and Riley Blake Precut releases, so come get your favorite fabrics before they're all gone!!!

Sale ends tomorrow night!

Texture

2011-08-25T21:44:00.002-06:00

Okay - guilty as charged. I love the texture that quilting creates on quilts. I spend most of my time running my fingers over the quilting (not joking) and end up posting pictures of it when I should be quilting because the kids are asleep!

I just had to share!

Winners and some thoughts..........

2011-08-24T14:30:00.003-06:00

Winners first! Just email me your addresses at judi(at)greenfairyquilts(dot)com and we will ship out your prizes asap:

FQBundle: Mary Grace McNamara

JellyRoll: Jenny

LayerCake: Patty D from NC

Thank you, Thank you!! to everyone who participated in my giveaway and especially to all of you who donated to our cause. Your money will be a huge help to the people in Romania. We will be leaving in about a week and will keep you up to date on what is going on.

Now for some of my thoughts:

Meet Jess - my sister! She is 7 years younger than me, but you wouldn't guess that. We get along so well, and we are kind of like twins. She has been living here with us for 5 weeks and let me tell you, it has been the best 5 weeks! She left today to go back up to Utah State for her final year of college. I can tell you I am so proud of her, but I am so sad that she is gone.

She taught me how to laugh more and to not take everything in life so seriously. She showed me that cooking can be fun. She showed me how you can find humor in any movie - I mean any movie - its been such a blessing to have her with us. I miss her already!

The school year is back in full swing and full days are here! My daughter was a little nervous about that, but she came home the first day from school telling me that school wasn't long enough. She is so grown up now, time really does fly - but I am so grateful for each moment.

So this little guy just turned 3! He is so grown up! His birthday is the same day as our business anniversary. Hard to believe it has been 3 years since we packed our bags and moved our family 300 miles away to Saint George. We moved 4 days after I gave birth and my first memory of moving into our home was a very large bug scurrying across the floor in the empty house. I looked at Clint in disgust and said "that's a cockroach, isn't it?" He told me not to worry about it and that it wasn't a cockroach - I had never seen one before - anyway, I learned real fast that the bug guy is my best friend and it was a cockroach and that Saint George is an amazing place to live. We plan on being here for a very long time.

So, in the past three years - Clint and I have learned to work together and be home together all the time. We have learned that hard work and persevering makes it possible to live out your dreams. We also learned that you need to keep your personal life and business life separate and that we need to date to keep the romance alive (another reason we are going to miss Jess, our built in babysitter!)

So, summer is pretty much over - life continues to go on, (reality will always be reality) kids grow up way too fast, but I will be focusing on enjoying the journey!

Well, if you are still reading this I wanted to let everyone know that I started a Flickr account and I would love it if you posted pictures of your quilts that you have made using Green Fairy Quilt patterns here.

Also - I am working on a little something that I am stumped on so I need your help. Okay - here it goes, just ask me what you would like to know about long arm quilting - leave a comment and that will help me out. I won't be able to answer these questions right away, but you will see the results of these questions at some point in the future!

A Quilting finish......

2011-08-19T11:50:00.004-06:00

Before I talk about the quilting, here are the quilt facts:
Quilt made by Beth (she does beautiful applique work!)
Quilt pattern: "Flea Market" - it was a series last summer in Quilters Newsletter Magazine.
Batting used: Quilter's Dream Cotton
Thread used for top: Superior Threads "Antique Silver" Metallic #064
Bobbin thread: Superior Threads "White" So Fine #401

The TOWA gauge for the bobbin thread was set at 220 - I just played with the top thread tension.

Okay - I had so much fun quilting this quilt. I usually have fun - but I have to tell you that I always second guess my quilting until I pull the quilt off the frames - then I just love it.

The borders and center flower points were free motion straight quilting - no rulers, so it may not be perfect, but consistent hopefully.

I love this block!

I absolutely love the sash in this quilt. I mimicked the curve lines, then free motion quilted ovals, then went through each oval with connecting curves. This was really fun.

I love the pattern the quilting in the sash sections created at the points. It is just fun.

Here's the straight stitching and the simple swirl in the borders. The patterns on the fabrics are busy enough in the white/black borders that I decided on a simple quilt stitch because it wouldn't really be seen.

I absolutely love how the corners come together on this one. A new love - straight stitching!

Here's a close up - you can see the sparkle of the metallic silver thread. I just love it!

And - a close up of the sash - love, love love it! Now to the next quilt, also made by Beth! Pictures next week!

Oh - and I will announce the winner of my giveaway sometime soon, but there is still time to enter here.

Huge Charity Giveaway......

2011-08-15T13:59:00.006-06:00

Okay - we are giving away a Fat Quarter Bundle with 38 fat quarters in it, a Jelly Roll and a Layer Cake. This is a giveaway to raise money for our charity, we will be going to Romania in 3 weeks and we have all the quilts we need, so THANK YOU to all of you who have sent in quilts for us to take. We are going to be getting school supplies for children in need (they start school a couple of days after we are there) and we will be filling up a soup kitchen with food that feeds a lot of homeless kids, and kids in need. Please know that you can enter this giveaway without donating, and you don't need to donate to win a prize, but we would like to raise money for our cause. Please know that 100% of your donations go to helping with the food and school supplies and that none of the donations go to Clint and me - we pay for our own plane tickets, food, and hotels with our own money.

So, read on for the details!

First thing up for grabs is a Jelly Roll called "Panier de Fleurs" by French General for Moda Fabrics.

Next, a Layer Cake called "Northcote Range" by Cabbage and Roses for Moda Fabrics.

And finally a Fat Quarter Bundle called "Coming Home" by Deb Strain for Moda Fabrics.

Here's how to enter -

Leave a comment telling us what you will make if you win.
(1 entry)
Help spread the word by blogging about our giveaway & leaving a comment telling us you did!
(2 extra entries)
Make a donation here of any amount and tell us you did.
(3 extra entries, 100% goes to the charity)

Thanks in advance everyone!

Charity Giveaway starts on Monday, but the fun starts today!

2011-08-13T07:46:00.005-06:00

Hello everyone, we're leaving in 3 weeks to Romania to deliver all the wonderful quilts many of you have sent. If any of you would still like to help with this trip, you can donate money which will be used to buy school supplies and food for the orphans. We want you all to know that 100% of your donations will be used by us in Romania for this cause!

To get the fun started, all of our Moda Layer Cakes are $12 off, and for each Layer Cake ordered from now through Monday, a portion will be donated to the charity. Then on Monday we will start an awesome giveaway you won't want to miss!

Have a great weekend, and be sure to come back on Monday to check it out!

T-Shirt quilt..........

2011-08-12T10:46:00.002-06:00

This quilt was for Danielle's son - he's off to college and she wanted a custom quilting job for this special quilt. I learned a few things about this quilt - I had to change out my needle and use a size 16 instead of the size 18 that I always use, and I couldn't quilt every block with as much detail as I wanted because some of the t-shirt graphics were more "gummy" if that's the right word. Anyway - it was fun - I am pleased with how it turned out.

Solution...

2011-08-09T17:10:00.003-06:00

Okay - I was completely frustrated with this kids picking and because of you - Thank You! I figured it out! This kid is allergic to the band aids and his skin was too dry!

So - pirate hat - lots of Vaseline and lotion and he is healing nicely. I trimmed his nails short too! Thank you, Thank you to everyone who had a solution for me. I have come to realize that he gets his habits from me, hate to admit it, but I didn't realize it until I blogged about his picking problem.

Okay - my kids - I love these little people. I finally have a picture of them all together. I just haven't done that yet, and I am sad that I haven't. I spent a lot of time the last few months being so worried about getting my book projects done that I didn't spend as much time with them as I should have. I really regret that. I am now back on my schedule of only working while they sleep and it makes me so much happier. I need these little munchkins and I hope they know how much I love them!

The whole family - sometimes I can't believe that there are six of us - where does the time go?

Now, time to get a real photographer and get some real family pictures taken.

30% off all Jelly Rolls!!!

2011-08-06T07:44:00.003-06:00

So we love to save you money, and right now through Monday night, all our Jelly Rolls are 30% off!! Where else can you find the newest Moda and Riley Blake releases at 30% off? They're going fast, so hurry over and get yours! Plus, we just received two new Riley Blake lines called Promenade and Lost & Found, which you can see on our Riley Blake Designs page!

How do you stop a picker?

2011-08-04T17:45:00.002-06:00

Okay - the problem is, this kid won't stop picking scabs. Now he's started making scabs because I cover up the ones he just made, it makes me crazy of course! Any remedies that have worked for any of you out there in blog land?

Here he is without the bandage - the picture below will tell you more about each scar.

A - started out as a very small scar. Okay let's say - more like a scrape - got it from his older brother throwing a car at him.
B - BandAid Rash - I had to keep him from picking A!
C - Other side of BandAid Rash - but now a full fledge picked on scab - that's why I had the gauze on him, to stop him from attaching this new scab and also A.
D - Small scar - not sure how he got it, but I can usually blame his older brother.
E - Couldn't get to A,B, or C so he started a new one! That happened last night.
F - Huge scar from last November - it took over a month to heal from the "band aid, don't touch, band aid, don't touch" routine.

Really - I am at my wits end - I have tried everything, but he does this at night when he is supposed to be sleeping.

This is only a phase right? He'll get over it I hope - but probably not before he totally ruins his cute little noggin.

What's going on here???

2011-08-03T10:41:00.005-06:00

as Timon would say in the Lion King - anyway, I feel like I have been slacking in the blog department. A lot has been going on, first off with finishing my projects - so excited about that, but I am now finishing off the last few instructions to go along with the projects - have I ever told you I hate writing patterns? Well, now I have. Anyway...........

Girl's trip this last weekend to visit the family! Dad was off to Alaska, Joe came in from Missouri, and it was Mom's 60th Birthday. I didn't think I was going to be able to make it, but I did. I left the boys at home and took Lili and Jessie back home for the weekend. Why Jessie? - well, keep reading..........

Dad's garden - it is always so gorgeous! I love going home and just being in his massive yard, we always head for the berry bushes that seem to be everywhere.

So, why did Jess drive home with me, and why the heck is she here? Well, she is the reason I got my projects done. Let's call her my slave, if you will. We have this arrangement going on for the next month where she does whatever I ask and she gets new clothes in return, not a bad gig for me - and I hope she is having fun. But seriously, I haven't had so much fun in my life with her here - she is a breath of fresh air and keeps Clint and me laughing all the time. Oh, the coolest thing that I didn't know about her is that she loves to cook!- NO WAY, ju gotta be kidding me! (Nacho Libre)
So, according to Clint - Jess and I make the perfect woman - because she can cook and loves it - and I don't, but can do other things. He will never live down that comment.

Grandpa, my sweet Daddy is always so good to help the grandkids get their fill on the berries. The boysenberries were ripe for the picking as you can see from the picture with me and Jess - we made the most incredible pie from those babies.

Our trip couldn't have been complete without a trip to the Lehi Bakery - 7 grown adults in a minivan - it couldn't have been more fun. I love my brother's and sisters! Oh, the donuts weren't bad either, I mean - they are the best donuts in the world!

It was fun getting out of the van with our big boxes of donuts and Dad coming over to check it out, wearing his "Greatest Dad" shirt very appropriately. So left to right: Josh, Abby, me, Joe, Amy, Dad, Dig aka Jon - Jess is taking the picture. I love these people!!!! We stayed up way too late each night playing Pit and Phase 10 - Mom's favorite thing to do. What a weekend! I am so glad I was there.

Okay - now that things are starting to get back to normal with the quilts, I thought I would share the smallest of peeks form one of my secret projects. My favorite quilt in the group I think - so I hope you enjoy the peek! Right now I have a T-shirt quilt on the racks and will be catching up soon, so the quilting pictures http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifwill be starting up again next week, I hope.

Another thing that is going on is that our Charity Trip is coming up. Clint has convinced me to go, so we have our trip booked and the babysitter's ready! I just wanted to let everyone know that we pay for our trip from our own money (airfare, hotel, food, etc..) and that all donations go towards the cause. We have reached our quilt goal, thanks to the amazing help from Sarah and everyone involved in Hands2Help. We have confirmed our arrival with the man we work with in Romania and we will be loading up his soup kitchen with food and helping kids in need for the new school year by getting them school supplies. So, if you would like to donate, please do so here.

GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!

2011-07-30T09:08:00.002-06:00

We have a GIVEAWAY to tell you about, but first - all our September Precuts are now in stock (like Terrain by Kate Spain) which you can see on our New Arrivals page, but to make you smile even bigger we have taken $10 OFF all the new Jelly Rolls and Layer Cakes from the September Precuts. Of course, all the new Charm Packs, Fat Eighth Bundles and Fat Quarter Bundles are on sale too!!! Act fast, these September Precuts are going fast!

Now, for the Giveaway, we are giving away a LAYER CAKE over on Sherri's blog, so be sure to go visit her blog and enter!

Have a great weekend!

Riddle me this.....

2011-07-27T16:48:00.002-06:00

What do empty quilt racks,

7 carefully packaged quilts,

and in a cardboard box equal?

A very less stressed me at UPS shipping away 4 months of work!

Customer quilts - here we come!!

Cake anyone???

2011-07-23T12:36:00.006-06:00

Layer Cakes that is! We have a lot of precuts coming in the next few weeks, so we have put all our Layer Cakes on sale for 25% off, which includes all the new releases - like Amelia by Me & My Sister Designs!! Speaking of Amelia, we have a fun new Amelia Quilt Kit on sale for just $25!!! Sale ends on Monday, so hurry!!

How about 25% off all the new precuts...

2011-07-16T08:00:00.004-06:00

As our way of introducing all our new inventory to you, we have put all our new arrivals on sale for 25% off on our New Arrivals page for 3 days only!!! You won't find a better deal anywhere!! Don't miss this chance to get brand new fabric at 25% off!!

The new lines include -

Amelia - by Me & My Sister Designs

Hometown - by Sweetwater

Meadow Friends - by Deb Strain

Oops A Daisy - by Keiki

Reindeer Games - by Sandy Gervais

Santa's Little Helpers - by Erin Michael

Swiss Holiday - by Sentimental Studios

Together - by Brannock & Patek

Snowy Eve - by Sentimental Studios

This sale ends Monday, so hurry!!

Will work for fabric.....

2011-07-15T18:24:00.002-06:00

Just a few minutes ago, Clint was unpacking some new fabric and I overheard Lili ask him, "Dad, if I do some chores, can I have this?"

That's my girl!!!!!

Of course I had to investigate and take a picture!

8 months!!!

2011-07-14T14:11:00.005-06:00

Can you believe my baby is 8 months old?!?! I hardly can. Facts about him: he is the best baby! Not kidding, he is so mellow sometimes I forget he's here. He just sits there while his older brothers and sister are screaming and fighting and enjoys the show. He has two teeth - two on the way - and even with all that teething he doesn't make a fuss. Seriously, the Lord knew I need a mellow kid because He realized I couldn't handle another hyper child! (Not that I don't love the other three and I don't have a favorite - wink, wink! J/K

Noah can also scoot anywhere, especially if he is chasing a ball! It is so cute, he gets up on his hands and arms and then drags his feet. He knows how to clear his throat with his mouth closed - it's a sound I make when I am clearing my allergies and a sound that my family hates - so naturally I love that he can do it already!

He smiles so quickly and grunts so loudly when he wants food and my new favorite thing he does when he eats is to breath loud and fast and holds his arms out until each spoonful of food goes in his mouth! I love this kid!

Well, 4th child and 3rd boy, I figured it was time to have crib bedding (oh and a real crib, not a Pack n Play). Wish I could claim that I made this cute set up, but I didn't! Grandma did - I do have the best Mom - I sent her the fabric, told her just to throw it together and this is what she came up with! I love it, and I think Noah does too!

I could just munch on this kid!

Here he is making that throat noise - mouth closed and everything. It's so funny! Glad I got it on camera so I can remember it.

My mom wanted Noah to be able to look at all the different colors and she added Ric Rac for him to play with - he immediately started to play with it - too bad he's flipping off the camera though. Sorry, I couldn't resist sharing that!

Get me out of here Mom and stop taking so many dang pictures!

Have a great weekend everyone!

M.I.A......

2011-07-12T14:10:00.003-06:00

Okay - I totally feel guilty about not blogging lately. It's been really frustrating not being able to share what I am quilting right now. So - I have been super, super busy, but I did make time to go to my family reunion this last weekend. So - here's a few pictures from the weekend - just so you know that I am still alive and I am not abandoning my blog! :)

Since my mom will be 60 this year - we were going to have a grand celebration with all the kids and grandkids, but schedules changed and things didn't quite work out for that, so I decided to take my mom and sisters that were in town to lunch. Mom's choice was Chili's and we had a wonderful time. So, left to right - Jessie, Abby, Me, Amy, Mom - and might I say that I am so proud of my mom. She has type 2 diabetes and she is off insulin and all her medication because she has stuck to her diet - not to mention she has lost a lot of weight. So proud of you Mom! Sadly - 2 of my sisters weren't there. Wish they could have been!

Me and my sisters again - notice anything new about my hair? All gone - Abby gave me a cute A-line hair cut and touched up my roots. I love that all of our hair is not our original colors - that happens to be because we have 2 of the 6 sisters that are cosmetologists.

I can't get enough of my boys! They had so much fun at the park for the reunion.

Lili had so much fun with Maggi! They even dressed exactly alike for the reunion. My sister just moved back to Salt Lake from Missouri - so we haven't been able to be together much, but Lili and Maggi were instant friends and had a wonderful weekend.

They had so much fun sliding on the tires in the park - so they ended up with black bums! Notice their cute bows? At least my sister Jen was there through her talents!

Thanks for letting me share a little of my life with you - I am nearing the end of my stressed filled weeks and I will soon be quilting customer quilts again - and will be back to sharing all my work! Thanks for your patience!

Moda Sample Spree...

2011-07-02T08:16:00.006-06:00

In case you missed our newsletter, we received ALL the September and October precuts for Sample Spree. We still have some left in a very limited supply on our Moda Sample Spree page - all at 20% off!!!!!!!

Once they sell out on our Moda Sample Spree page, they will be available for pre-purchase on our Pre-Order Future Precuts page - like the quick selling "Ruby!"

We also have more Bella Solids and Marbles Jelly Rolls available like Citrus-
Have a wonderful 4th of July weekend everyone!

Have you visited our 30% Off Clearance page recently??

2011-06-25T07:03:00.008-06:00

In case any of you haven't checked out our 30% Off Clearance page lately, we have added many new items like Jelly Rolls and Layer Cakes at only $24.50 -
and Riley Blake Rolls and Cakes from just $15.40 -
and Fat Quarter Bundles from only $14!!! So come get yours before they're all gone!

Giveaway Winner!!!!! and a few other things..................

2011-06-21T21:41:00.003-06:00

Okay - before I tell you the winner of my giveaway, I will let you know a couple of things. Right now, the emails are way behind - sorry about that. I don't think I will be getting back to everyone, so I am going to try and answer a few questions that keep coming up. I hope it will help with a lot of the emails I feel bad about not getting right back with an answer.

Right now - working on a book. Picture above is the smallest of glimpses of what I think is the most amazing quilt I have done so far! 3 down 4 to go and less than six weeks.

Am I taking new quilts for customers? Not now - I am booked out for a year, I will let you all know when I can add to my schedule. Oh - and thank you so much to my current customers who are patiently waiting to have their quilts finished. I promise it will be worth the wait - as soon as I can just get that August deadline out of the way.

What batting do I use? Mostly Hobbs 80/20, if I want to have two layers with extra loft for pebbling in my quilts, I add in some wool batting with the Hobbs 80/20.

What thread do I use? Superior Threads - So Fine, Highlights and Metallics - that's pretty much it.

Do you use the pre-wound bobbins - no, don't like them.

What machine do I use and is it computerized? A-1 Long Arm, no it's not - all free motion baby!

Okay - if I have missed any questions I am sorry.

Okay - other things - these cute Alphabet Soup FQB's just came in and I want to dive right in and make something with them. Since I can't right now, you can by going here and here and buying them and making something pretty out of them, I will be so jealous! But, get them out of here so I don't have to cry anymore that I don't have time to make something with them! We also have this line in 10 inch squares, 5 inch squares and 2 1/2 inch rolls, you can see all the Riley Blake Design precuts here.

Oh - how I want these! Anyway!~ On to the winner! Kasey has won! YAY!!!

She said: That Ruby layer cake is too pretty... hmm, October is just before November, which means that would be a great gift my husband could "surprise" me with!

Just email me Kasey at judi(at)greenfairyquilts(dot)com and Clint will send out the Holly Jolly FQB to you!

Thanks everyone, have a great week!

Giveaway Giveaway!!! Plus - all Fat Quarter Bundles 25% off!!

2011-06-18T08:29:00.008-06:00

We're giving away a FREE FAT QUARTER BUNDLE!!!! Who can pass this up??? Okay first of all, in case you don't receive our newsletter, we're having a fat quarter weekend blowout sale with all our Fat Quarter Bundles at 25% off through Monday night! This includes all our new releases, so snag them before they're gone!!
Also, we're having a GIVEAWAY for a Holly Jolly FAT QUARTER BUNDLE by Riley Blake Designs!! Here's how to enter -

1 - Leave a comment telling us your favorite Pre-cut from our October page (pre-cuts being released in October which you can pre-order today).

2 - Blog about our Giveaway and leave a comment telling us you did.

3 - Tell us what your favorite Pre-cut is to use between Jelly Rolls, Layer Cakes, Charm Packs, Fat Eighth Bundles or Fat Quarter Bundles - and why!

Easy enough? We will announce the winner on Tuesday night the 21st!

Panguitch Quilt Walk

2011-06-13T11:06:00.009-06:00

Here's the auditorium before there were people inside - it didn't look too frightening at first, but I was still as nervous as ever. My mom and her friend Rinda were so great to take pictures for me. By the time this was all filled up, with chairs being brought in for the back section, Clint figured there were over 300 people. Pretty good turn out for my first trunk show.

There I am in the doorway - just waiting to do my thing. I kept thinking " I should probably go to the bathroom," but then I kept talking myself out of it. So, when my name came up - I really had to go, but had to put that feeling on the back burner and get through the trunk show.

Hideous picture of me - the only reason I am showing it is because I had a cordless microphone, but I kept turning it off accidentally. So embarrassing! They had to drag in a microphone with a cord so I would stop doing that. It made for some good lame jokes and lightened the mood a little bit. My mom started crying right at first - then I did - what am I going to do with her?

Here's me talking about my "Flower Patch" quilt - easily a favorite quilt of mine, it's just beautiful and I never get sick of looking at it.

I totally talk with my hands - always have and always will. Here, I am showing off "Dahlia." It's funny how many people think that this quilt has applique in it, but it's all piecing and I absolutely love it!

Joe and Nan brought their "Blue and White" quilt - I don't have the name for it, but Nan says she will let me know what the pattern is when she finds it. It was probably hard for everyone to see the detail quilting of this quilt, but you can check it out for yourself here.

There's Joe and Nan - easily the nicest people in the world! I just love them!

Here I am talking about "Serenity," the gasp in the audience is always a good sign that they loved the quilt.

Afterward I sold some of my patterns and I was able to meet a lot of the people there. It was so fun being able to meet so many sweet and wonderful people! I think Panquitch is a wonderful little town and I had such a good time.

Claudia is the best! She is in charge of the Quilt Walk and she did a beautiful job. I am so lucky that I know her, she is so amazing!

After the Trunk Show I walked around with my mom, daughter and my mom's friend. We were able to see houses that had wonderful quilts in each room. I did have to take a picture of this saying - now I just have to convince Clint that this saying should be my Motto!

This was at Claudia's house. She has a ton of antiques and it was so fun just walking around her place. I took this picture, just imagining how perfect it would be for a backdrop for one of my quilts.

I loved this quilt, it looks totally modern to me. It was just beautiful and all done by hand.

Another beauty - I am assuming that Claudia made this quilt, but she can let me know different if that is the case. Lili had a lot of fun walking around with us.

We had a wonderful time in Panguitch! I love the feel of a small town, where everyone knows everyone else and life just seems so much more simple. Clint and I were ready to pack up and move there, then we remembered that our life won't get any simpler just yet. We still have all our responsibilities of the business, and it keeps us super busy. It was fun to take a time out and really let the kids just play. Lucky for us, there was a park right behind our Motel. The kids thought that was the best - what I loved about the park was that there weren't any other people there - we had it all to ourselves. So the kids could just be free and have a wonderful time.

I can't ever get a serious picture of this kid - he makes me laugh though. He had so much fun.

The drinking fountain proved to be a favorite. It shot up about 10 feet and the kids thought that was the best.

Thanks Panguitch for a wonderful time! We will be back for sure!

25% off all Jelly Rolls 'til Monday!!!!

2011-06-11T08:06:00.005-06:00

We have a lot of fun and new Jelly Rolls all at 25% off like Dogwood Trail -

and Summer House -and many many others - so come get your Jelly Rolls at 25% off before they're all gone!!!

Wish me luck...............

2011-06-09T15:54:00.011-06:00

I have my big stack of quilts - hard to believe this isn't even half of the ones I have made. But, I am taking my quilts to the Panquitch Quilt Walk which is going on now and I will be the guest speaker doing a trunk show tomorrow at 12:15 at the Panquitch High School. Not a big deal, right? Whatever!!! - there is supposed to be quite a few people there - I would have a hard time talking in front of 5 people and to tell you the truth, I haven't spent much time preparing what I am going to say and I have no idea what to wear. I am planning on winging it - I hope I don't look like a dork. I am sure I will butcher my words when I first start off and I will be red in the face for the first 10 minutes, but I am hoping after that I can be comfortable enough to continue.

I have a feeling this is going to be a long post, so bare with me. I am so grateful for incredible friends throughout blogland. Since my last post I have had so many encouraging emails and comments by all you incredible people out there. I am so thankful to all of you. I wish I could give you all a big hug for lifting my spirits and making me laugh! You will never know the difference you have made for me and I appreciate every single one of you! So, THANK YOU!

Okay - on with the post!

I thought it would be fun for all you beginner quilters out there to see my beginnings. I would be totally embarrassed to show you these pictures if I never got any better, but these pictures are proof that it takes time, and a whole lot of effort practicing to be good at long arm quilting. Keep in mind - I started to quilt in 2004, but it was a really slow start. My mom bought an A-1 long arm and I taught myself how to use it. My mom didn't go through a dealer when she bought her machine - BIG MISTAKE - and she still tells me today how she wished they would have sent someone to help out at first - anyway, we both had to learn. So, we had no clue how to use a laser, no clue how to do pantographs and really had no clue on how to load a quilt. We (Mom and I) loaded the quilts wrong for the first 4 years without even knowing it.

So, because we taught ourselves - we never touched a pantograph - everything was free motion quilting, everything and to this day - I have never done a pantograph on a quilt. The picture above is my first attempt at a flower. Hard to make out, but a flower with only four petals and an uneven circle would just kill me now. But, there you have it - my first flower.

The other side of the quilt - you can see the flower a little better. But, it still doesn't help the fact that this is obviously a beginner quilter.

This is my Liliana's Heart Quilt pattern - really the pattern that started this whole thing. I was so proud of the quilting on this quilt and now I look at it and want to throw in so much more quilting. Detail Judi! It needs detail!

Check out all that empty space - it just cracks me up now. I would never leave that much space in a quilt and look how uneven everything is. I really hope this encourages you beginners out there!

I was so proud of this quilting job too - but look how I didn't even quilt around the flower - not one speck of quilting - I would totally echo quilt this flower and add so much more. But, I have to say - to this day this quilt (Checkered Flowers) is definitely my personal favorite.

What do you do with all that missing detail? Seriously - if I knew what I would be doing as far as quilting is concerned years later, I would have laughed back then.

Stitch in the ditch anyone? Well, that's all I did on my "Rick the Rack" quilt - also one of my very first designs back in 2005 I think.

This is also a first - Life of a Snowman - there is a lack of "stitch in the ditch" and the tension is uneven. Something I did back then that I refuse to do now is to match the bobbin thread to the back of the quilt, sorry - I just won't do that anymore. I use the same color of thread on top and on bottom - no matter the quilt top or back.

This is a little better - this was my "Turtle Walk" quilt and I liked how I quilted it, but I would still quilt it differently now. So, when I bought my A-1 long arm in October 2008, and I went through my dealer, Jen - I learned how to load a quilt. I learned how to use a pantograph and the laser, but I had Jen take off the laser because I knew that I would never use it. I love custom quilting, I love that I free motion quilt everything, and that each little mistake that I can find proves that the quilting is human. Not that computerized quilting is not as amazing, but I just prefer to add my touch to each quilt that I do. I learned from my sweet friend Em that I should never unpick my stitches - to ere is human - and once you pull your quilt off the frames and see the whole picture, you just don't notice the mistakes.

To this day, the only tools I use for my quilting is my nine inch ruler, and my disappearing purple marker. I make all of my own templates and I free motion quilt them. The trick is, you just have to practice on your machine. You can draw all the designs you want on paper, but you won't get to know your machine unless you use it. It seriously takes time, a lot of time. I still have to take breaks from quilts sometimes because I have committed myself to so much quilting detail that it does get old. That's why a lot of the time it takes me a while to quilt a quilt, I get burned out. But, I never want the quality of my quilting to be affected, so I take a step away until I can face the machine and the quilt again.

For my last picture - Dear Jane - I can't believe how popular this post has been, I keep getting emailed about this quilt. So, years later I can quilt pretty good - I am proud of what I can do, but I really owe all of my talents and blessings to God. He has truly blessed my life.

So, moral of the story and probably the longest post of mine ever, don't give up - keep going and practice like crazy and you will become the quilter you want to be! I hope that helps all of you out there that are struggling with the fact that you bought an extremely expensive machine and you don't even know how to use it!

Hey, maybe I'll use this post as my presentation tomorrow! :)

Take care!

Straight talk................

2011-06-07T21:38:00.004-06:00

Okay - I love what I do, and I am so grateful for the talents that God has given me. I enjoy creating - I love drawing a quilt, piecing it together and then quilting it. I can do all of it and I love it. I do it because it keeps me sane, but lately I think I have been going INSANE if you can believe it. Well - if you know me well, then that wouldn't surprise you.

Anyway - I guess I am just sick of all the crap! Crap being the "competitive, rude, jealous" women that pretend to be my friends and then I find out from my own mother - 'cause it's gone through the most random gossip grapevine - that they are just talking untrue crap about me! WHY PEOPLE???? Do we have to do this - it's getting really old, seriously. It takes all the fun out of creating and trying to be good at something.

I love what I do and I love to share what I do, and it seems the minute I have a bit of success - then the claws come out - like I am in competition with anyone - I am not, I simply want to share what I know and hopefully everyone out there wanting to be better at their own thing can use some hints or inspiration from me. Truth is - I design and we (Clint and I) have a business because we just want to provide a good living for our kids and we want to be home with our kids - we are in our little world minding our own business - trying to run a business. So - get a grip!

I am not saying that everyone out there is like this - it's just a select few people who choose to be ornery! So - now that's out - it makes me feel better just to say it because it has been stewing in my brain for a couple weeks now and I feel like I am going to explode!

Now - back to creating - 2 done - 5 to go and the time line is going to kill me - I hope I can get this book done asap so my kids no longer think I am a crazy stressed out mom!

Too early for Christmas???

2011-06-04T07:59:00.004-06:00

So here's the deal - we have TONS of new precuts coming for the summer months, and while looking at our current inventory we noticed for some reason we have LOTS and LOTS of Christmas precuts, so we decided to have a Christmas in June sale - 30% off all our holiday precuts - including our brand new releases like Nature's Gift by Deb Strain pictured below!!

Some of the holiday lines include -

Countdown to Christmas

Fa La La La La

Flurry

Grace

Jovial

Nature's Gift

Ready, Set, Snow

The Caroler

Christmas Candy

Holly Jolly

Sale ends Monday night, so don't miss this chance to get your hands on new precuts at 30% off!!

Priceless

2011-06-02T23:30:00.001-06:00

Almost 7 months.......

2011-06-01T17:10:00.002-06:00

It's hard to believe, but my little guy is almost 7 months now. He has been my BEST baby so far and he brings so much happiness into our home.

He is rolling around like crazy and today he was under my machine munching on some cotton batting - gotta love that!

He makes Clint and me smile all the time and his brothers and sister just love him. I am always amazed at how much I love each one of my kids!

Riley Blake Designs...

2011-05-28T08:24:00.010-06:00

So I mentioned in my last post that we now carry Riley Blake Designs Precuts, but wanted to formally introduce you to some of the products. We are expanding and will now carry 100% of all the new Riley Blake Precuts coming out each month in addition to our 100% of all the Moda Precuts (which you can pre-purchase through October by the way!) Anyway, Riley Blake has some really fun fabrics they've just released, like Lola's Posies -Christmas Candy -Hoo's in the Forest -

Trick or Treat -and Holly Jolly -

We have these lines available in Fat Quarter Bundles, Rolls, Cakes and Charms - so come check 'em out!!

Ribbons... aka Quilt Bling and some news!!!

2011-05-26T14:11:00.003-06:00

I was so happy to receive my "Serenity" quilt back in perfect condition (I have been a little paranoid about quilts since the fiasco with my last quilt) - by the way, thanks for all the helps and tidbits on how to fix my quilt - I will let you know which method I chose when I get to fixing it.

Ribbons - Aren't these fun? I want to submit my quilt into more shows - but I am not sure which shows I should enter - any suggestions would be great! I already know what my next show quilt will be (it's designed in my head), but it's going to be a long time before I can get to that.

Anyway - news, I am sorry for the overload of older quilts and the lack of new quilting pictures in my past posts, but I have been working like crazy on a project! A BOOK, if you can believe it! I am knee deep in piecing and quilting, but I can't show you anything and I can't give you any more details than that. So, forgive me in advance for not being able to post what I am working on.

PS -- We just got some Riley Blake precuts in - so check them out here.

A little bothered......

2011-05-23T14:56:00.002-06:00

I love my "Frame This II" quilt - the sample is made out of the perfect fabric and I was so excited to get it back from a trunk show. Every single quilt I make is a part of me and I take the time to make them just right, you know?

So - when my quilt came home with a 1 inch slit through each layer, I was upset. I am trying to figure out how someone can rotary through a quilt? Or is it a rotary? I just don't get it.

Anyway - I am a little bothered. I know I can get some stabilizer and zig zag the slit, but it just won't be the same. I am not upset at the store owners because I love them dearly and that is why I haven't said who they are. But - if you are a store owner and are doing a trunk show for a designer, make sure you take care of their quilts! Well - I said my piece.

On a happier note, I sent my quilt "Serenity" to the MQS Quilt Show and I was happy to find out that I received an "honorable mention." It was the first time I sent out my quilt to a national show and was happy that someone wanted to "mention" it!

25% off all Layer Cakes!!!!

2011-05-21T09:37:00.005-06:00

Hey everyone, we have all our Layer Cakes on sale for 25% off - including all our new releases!!! This sale ends Monday night, so hurry!!!

Market!

2011-05-17T14:16:00.004-06:00

Okay - since this was my first time going to Market I have to say that I was completely overwhelmed - seriously - so much so that I didn't take nearly as many pictures as I wanted. But - I managed to snap the craziness of Sample Spree on my phone. Just imagine a million woman (I saw a few men) running like crazy to snatch up new fabric fast, it was like Disneyland at its worst with wall to wall people times ten! Seriously - 15 minutes - $500 later and I was like - get me out of here!

Moda had a free photo booth and my partner in crime, aka Mom was there with me to take it all in. We had so much fun!

We ran into Susie - a long time friend and punch needle expert - she always makes us laugh - got to love her scissor head! Ha!

I met Angela in Julie's booth. Angela is an incredible long arm quilter, so it was great to talk to her!

Amber is a doll! I have gotten to know Amber a little bit over blogging, so it was great to meet her. She is as nice as can be! Her pattern line is Gigi's Thimble and she has some adorable patterns.

Here I am with my doll block for the Riley Blake "All Dolled Up" quilt. These quilts were adorable!

Here is a close up of the block - I am not sure who quilted this, but they did a fabulous job!

I couldn't go to Market without meeting Camille - she is so AMAZING - she is as genuine as I imagined her to be and it was so great to finally meet her.

Just for laughs!

Camille's booth was beautiful and her new patterns and new fabric Ruby are gorgeous. I happened to get a couple of FQB's of Ruby during Sample Spree and I am going to use one for a new design. YAY!! I can't wait to cut into it.

And for all you that want to know - we have ordered a ton of Ruby precuts and they are available for pre-purchase. Get them while you can! We have also ordered all of the new Moda lines that are coming out through October!

Market was so fun - I had a great time, but the truth is there was so much to see that I just didn't see it all - I was a little overwhelmed with how much there was. Row after row of amazing booths and talented people. I really wish I would have gotten more pictures, maybe next time?

Stepping Stones on some cute Terrain!

2011-05-14T21:29:00.002-06:00

Fun little title there. That's the pattern name (Stepping Stones) and some super cute, got to have it fabric "Terrain" by Kate Spain. Hey that rhymes!

So - here's the deal! Sherri contacted me for a quick project that would be hanging up in Moda's Booth at Market - Yes, was all I could say - of course, the quick project it could have been turned into a ten hour 58 x 58 quilt. Detail quilting, the works! I absolutely love it, and the fact that I had "Terrain" by Kate Spain (I just love saying that) in my hands before Market? Well, that's just cool! Sherri did her amazing piecing and handed the quilt off to me to add my touch to it - I sure hope Kate likes it -

I am totally crazy about solids - oh the quilting possibilities in solids. Seriously - my new love.

Borders - love, love, love it!

I could just go on about every picture, but I don't know what to say other than, it was a pleasure quilting this quilt and I loved every minute of it.

Me and Sherri at Market with the quilt hanging so proudly in the Moda Booth. I had a great time and I will be posting more about Market next week.

June Precuts in stock and on SALE - New 30% off page - and want your order for free????

2011-05-14T08:29:00.001-06:00

New June releases are here and on sale -

Most of the new June lines are now in stock, and ON SALE!!!! Here are some of the new lines now available -

Countdown to Christmas by Sweetwater

Fa La La La La by French General

Jovial by BasicGrey

Lil' Rascals by Chloe's Closet

Wee Folks by Ingrid

Riley Blake Designs

Northern Cardinal by Holly Taylor

Enjoy these low sale prices on brand new releases while supplies last!

Don't miss our new 30% off page - and your order for free?????

To help make new room for all our new inventory arriving each month, we will be giving you great savings on some of your favorite precuts - 30% off while supplies last!!!! Visit that page here.

Want your order for free???? In the comments box during checkout, tell us which item(s) you can't wait to get your hands on from our "Pre-Purchase" page, we will choose one lucky winner to have their order refunded back to them!!!!

Have a great weekend!

Clint and Judi Madsen

Green Fairy Quilts

www.greenfairyquilts.com

Almost Straight Pins........

2011-05-11T16:19:00.000-06:00

I must confess - I have been using the same pins for a long time. I hate to buy straight pins - they happen to be in the same "I hate to buy" category as toilet paper, laundry soap, tissue.............etc. In fact, I don't think I even bought these - most of these pins are taken from my Mom's stash, and I got some from my Grandma when she gave me her sewing machine. Anyway - I have finally cleaned up the not so straight pins and they are in the garbage - Mom would be proud!

Here's my fresh new batch of straight pins, but I am not sure how long they will last as "straight pins" since I like to sew through them on my quilt projects. It's a very bad habit of mine and I maybe should consider changing that...........ummmm....... I probably won't.

I love these roses my honey gave me - they are sitting so nicely on my cutting table and they scream happiness!

Winner!

2011-05-09T22:55:00.003-06:00

Thanks to everyone that entered my giveaway! Julie (no blog) has won and I have contacted her! It was fun finding out what your favorite upcoming fabrics are. I think "Terrain" won with the most votes - that is by far my favorite fabric right now. I will be showing you a quilt very soon with that yummy fabric! Kate Spain is an amazing designer - and her fabric is always wonderful!

Anyway - it's busy around here. I managed to take time (and get a babysitter) to celebrate my birthday on a much needed date with Clint. Thank you so much to everyone who wished me a happy birthday - I read every single note and I am grateful to your kindness. I hope you will forgive me for not writing everyone back individually.

Bring it On! The BIG 3-0

2011-05-07T06:58:00.000-06:00

So - I was searching all over for a "good" picture of me, can't find it. Anyway - I am 30 today - I am saying goodbye to the 20's. Those years were so great, but I know the future will be even better.

Do I feel different? No - but I am scared that what my Mom told me about my metabolism might be coming true - "It's going to catch up to you one day," she has lovingly said to me several times. It could just be that I just can't control my love of sugar - anyway, I have some love handles that would have definitely been gone by now if I were......... say 24!

Thinking back - the 20's were the best of my life. I married my sweetheart, had four beautiful children and we managed to create a beautiful life together. We have had our ups and downs like everyone else, but I wouldn't change my life one bit because I feel so blessed. So, getting older doesn't scare me at all because I know that with each new stage in life brings more possibilities of love and laughter.

What's great about my birthday is that it is always right around Mother's Day - so Clint has to prepare for double! Ha Ha - but on that subject - I love my Mom and I hope that I can grow up to be half the woman she is - she's amazing - she can always lift my spirits and she encourages me to be the best I can be. She has been my #1 fan since the start of my quilting - although she tells people that she is 95% proud and 5% jealous - ha, ha! I love you Mom!

So - here's to all you Mother's out there and to me turning 30 - seriously - I never thought the day would come, but it's here and I will embrace it!

Since it's my 30th birthday and I will only be 30 once - we have placed a huge selection of our inventory on Clearance for 30% off! It will only be good for the 24 hours of my birthday. May 7th, 12 - 12 MST! Enjoy!