Giveaway of One Last Box of Samples.........................

One day recently when I just wanted to "SEW", I finished up these 92 Railfence blocks that were just waiting for the last log.  Have been making them as my Leaders/Enders (when I wasn't making 8 quick half square  triangles as Leaders/Enders)........ need 596 for a  72" x 72" quilt quilt and this brings me to  435....... One more round of 161 and I will have enough!  That is, unless I try it on my bed and think I need 78" x 78" which is about what I make for my own bed quilts.............

Would love to handquilt it,  but I have my Colonial Medallion basted and waiting for me!  And, I feel that I have to hold off on Anything/Everything except making the potholder blocks for the Maine show exhibit this summer.  Have only 10 finished with 30 to go.  However, all but one Hard One is done and I SHOULD be able to make up for lost time with the easier ones.

Think I will make little doll quilts like this and then assemble them into the whole Quilt.  

Jo Morton's new line with Moda, "Gratitude" can be seen here!!  Won't be getting it until August so this is just a Tease!!!!

http://storefront.unitednotions.com/storefrontCommerce/search.do;jsessionid=EB4D676FAD0EE82EE209D0AA55519DF7.storefront8080?searchType=keyword&keyword=gratitude&emailAddress=#!

New fabrics recently are Dargate Vines from Margo Krager..........luscious as always!  Some of  the Dargate Ploychromes are on top!

Don't the half yard cuts look beautiful all nice and neat in their crate?

I have one last box of fabric samples remaining......you know the drill.....just leave a comment and my Random Generator Husband will pick a number and we will see who wins!  Sorry I cannot send them out of  USA..........overseas postage has increased greatly!

Winner of the current box of fabric samples is....................................

Ann in PA , also known as quiltfeather!  Send me your address and I will mail them Monday! 

This afternoon in the shop,  I gave away a bunch of fabric sample packages to a young 14-year-old who likes to make little quilts.  And my FL granddaughter has picked up sewing clothing again!  Nice to know younger people are interested!

Guess it has been far longer than the week or so I wrote in my post!  No excuse/reason.......time just gets away from me............and, I keep forgetting to ask my husband to pick a number!  There you have it!  Looked for some photos to post.......could not find anything new.....no new quilt "finishes", no new fabric (but there is lots coming!), weather here is mild and springlike.......hardly had a winter!  That's ok.....last winter's experience will stay in our memories for a Long Time!! 

 I save all the photos my granddaughter sends me of my little great grandson who is now 4 months old!  Each month she takes a photo like this....same position in the same place but with a new number on his shirt!  Nice Idea!  Wish I had thought of it many years ago!!

Winner of Fabric Samples is...............

Karen from Breezy Point!  Email me your address and I will send it right out to you!

When I emptied the large box to fill the box for Karen, I discovered another box the same size underneath it...........filled with guess what...........about Another 400 fabric sample packets!  This will go on until they are gone!  I have More Than Enough small pieces of fabric to see me through as long as I live!  And I just don't have it in me to throw them away!  

Really don't have a lot to talk about today..........still plugging away on the Bristol potholder quilt for the show in July.  Think I am working on the Last Hard One (the ones that needed to be drafted) and then I should be able to work faster on the easier ones that I think I can just rotary cut after determining measurements!  Here are 5 that are bound.  One is in the hoop being quilted.  Another is ready to be quilted.  And another is quilted waiting for binding.

Actually, the Sawtooth Star was Not one of the hard ones....I just picked it as my first block to get started as I was very used to 6" Stars after making 97 during last year's Most Enjoyable journey with Barbara Brackman through her Stars in a Time Warp block of the week!!  Can't work on that  (or anything else!) until this project is done!!

I love feeding birds and I took  photos to show my granddaughter who gave me the lovely bird feeder hanging near the window so I can watch birds when having coffee and reading the newspaper each morning!  

See my beautiful cardinal?!  Had to have an extra bale of hay placed on the banking so I could stand on it to fill the feeders!

..The view from inside..........

Lots of goldfinches this year!  Love being able to see them so closely!!

Another feeding station in front of the shop....a lovely snowy day!  Cardinal decided to join the little Juncos.  Really need to look for a new camera that has better zoom capability!!  What's holding me back?........Knowing that I will need to learn new things to operate it!!  

Almost forgot...........new fabric arrived this week!  Mary's Blenders from Mary Koval.

Love this Turquoise Blue .....design is repeated from her Tree of Life collection that I love!

Loverly textured green for leaf applique!!

The next 3 are a clamshell motif in gold, rust and indigo blue......have to tell you the colors because that is another reason I need to new camera.....colors are not true.....tho it is likely the fault of the flash!

Guess that is it until next time...........................Continue to leave comments if you want to be included in the drawing for the Next Box of Samples!!  I sure hope they are of use to those who want to make small quilts.!!  I'll draw another name in a week or so!

Winner of Fabric Samples is........................

Donna from North Texas!  If you would email me your mailing address, I will send them on their way!  Remember I said this was the last box of fabric samples?  Well, I found that it is not!  When I emptied the box in the attic to fill the flat rate box, I found an identical box underneath filled to the brim with More Samples!  I really hate to throw them out if someone out there would enjoy having them for little quilts............would make a great charm quilt!  So, I will draw another name in a week or so!  Don't know what I've been doing with my time lately...........sure don't have any "finishes" to show for it!  Been working on the little exhibition quilt and really need to stay focused on it as I am Not where I would like be in terms of the number of blocks finished!!  

Went looking around my Photos to see if there was anything to post here and found this Donation Quilt made with "Virginia" flamestich fabric, thinking it might pass for a "modern quilt"?  Closest I will probably ever come!  The pattern is an enlarged "Cut Glass Dish" in 4 inch units making it 24" square.

Leave a comment if you would like to receive a box of fabric samples!!

What have I been doing all month?

Can't believe it has been 3 weeks since my last post! Have been working on projects but not finishing anything much!!  The mini-charm quilt from my last post is ready to bind.  Love the Old Cambridge Pike fabrics so much that I used them again for a small quilt/wallhanging.......Square-in-a-Square using a ruler I wanted to try from OpenGate.....worked very nice but when I went to re-order the Fit to be Square Ruler, the new ones seem to be able only square-up quilt blocks.  Guess I will need to check into that further!

New fabric arrived......"Georgetown" by Judie Rothermel.  From now on I will feature new fabric and shop news on my Busy Thimble Facebook page.....focus mainly on projects here and keep the posts shorter!! Here is the link.  Had to change the name to "Busy Thimble Maine" as there are two more Busy Thimbles out there.....one in Ohio and one in Australia!

Narrow Stripes are always nice for sashing for our little quilts!

Georgetown's focal fabrics are terrific!  Love these Jacobean-type designs!

This is "Chamberlain" from Windham.  Don't know why they named it Chamberlain because he is not on the panel of Generals!  Panel is called "Generals of the Potamac" and Chamberlain was from Maine.....a hero with the 20th Maine at Gettysburg in 1863.  Am right in love the the two serpentines....large, airy one at the top and the subtle ones at the bottom would be interesting sashing for a small quilt.  Did that once and it is one of my most favorite little quilts!

I have finally begun receiving the "Frivols" from Moda, beginning with #5 which is by French General.  The quilt is a chain-type and finishes 30" x 32"....these quilts are larger than I had thought when I ordered them.  Nice gift for a fellow quilter. The collectible tins are 4" x 7"......Quilters can always can find a use for these containers!

Frivol #6 is from Fig Tree quilts....a nice little Churn Dash quilt.....actually not that little....it is 47" x 57"!!! I am selling the Frivols at the EverydayPrice of  $35, which is 20% off!!

Ready to start block 11 of Elegant Garden by Edyta Sitar.  I think I will use Broderie Perse in this one to replace the four flowers.  I liked this one from "Lately Arrived from London" but it is a bit large....so.......

I found this Old Fabric that I think I will use.......it is Generations by Marcia McCloskey..........long time ago but I have always loved it.

 Tried a little Broderie Perse for this 6" block for the Make It Up as I Go Along 9-patch quilt......it's going to have a little bit of everything in it by the time I finish!  This is a print from Maison de Garance by French General which she redid in LeMarais.  The background does not look as different in real life as it does in the photo........tho it would not bother me if it did! 

I've been working on the 6" Potholder blocks for the replica of the 1843 quilt I am making for the antique exhibit at MaineQuilts this summer.  I should have 20 blocks made by now and all I have is 3 completely done.  The Lemoyne star is ready to bind and the 4 Lemoyne stars below are ready to quilt!

This block has been the hardest to make so far.  And it is a tad too big, but I am Not doing it over!   Hopefully, I can quilt it enough to shrink it in (hate to cut off the points but maybe I will have to!)  Also found the background fabric to be too light so I coffee-dyed it.  The stars are 2-1/2".

Next up is the orange-peel applique block....four little 3" ones.....back-basting really makes it easier!  It is the second of the only two applique blocks in the quilt.  And I will be making the templates for another block of  four 3" Lemoyne stars.....not hard but time-consuming because I am so slow at hand-piecing.....I enjoy it but don't work very fast.   Have to convince myself to stay focused on this and stop getting sidetracked with other things! Like Blogs, Pinterest and Facebook!!  So much to look at nowadays!!


Leave a comment to be in the drawing for the last box of fabric samples!!

Ordinary Days

Back to what I like to think of as normal, ordinary days!   The Best part of Christmas was the gathering of family for a lovely dinner........actually 3 dinners
now that I think of it!!   Out in AZ,  my great-grandson is now 2 months old!!   His dark brown eyes are quite a change for me as all my babies had eyes of bright blue!  His Mommy is so good about sending me photos and videos so I can hear his little baby noises!!  Looks like he is beginning to find his smile!  

I've been spending my days getting back to sewing, reading, planning, sorting, organizing, bookkeeping (ugh!)......you know....all those things we do at the start of a new year!  I finished this Jo Morton Club 14 top today......called "Goslings", blocks are 3".  Wish I had kept track of how many hours I spent on it!  It was a lot!  I made a paper-piecing pattern for the little flying geese units. But now it is ready to layer for quilting.  Will likely only machine-quilt "in the ditch" along the sashings/borders.  Maybe handquilt a wavy line or two in the border.

Also finished a couple blocks of Ongoing Projects.............

 Edyta Sitar's "Elegant Garden" block 10 (of 24), a BOM from a Long Time Ago!!  But, I am now doing Back-basting Applique and I think I am working Faster!!  

 And also this block from the Jane Stickle Civil War quilt......A7 I think....yes, still only one the First Row!  Next block up is Very Easy!  

Jo Morton's latest line is "Charlotte".............

Hyde Park is also new...from 3 Sisters by Moda.....love the early look of this print!

Since making the little 6" sawtooth stars all the past year through Barbara Brackman's blog, I just can't stop!  

Barbara's "Old Cambridge Pike" is here too!!  Love this focal print in all 7 colorways!

 Ferns, leaves and such speak to me every time!

 These smaller leaves and the stripes round out my selection.

While waiting for the bolts to get here, I made this little tablemat/wallhanging from the 2-1/2" mini charms.  I made it from an old photo (probably from Moda Bakeshop) and when I was finished, I found a pattern using a single block in one of Moda's booklets for using the mini charms................... has a border of the floral focus fabric in plum on it now!

Forgot to take photos of my little 2-1/2"Lemoyne Stars for Potholder quilt!  Next time!  Need 4 and only 2 are done..........takes me a whole evening to hand-piece one..........so maybe the whole block will be done when I post again!!