Clementine, my new pattern

It is finally ready...my new pattern is in my Craftsy shop this week!

This is a two block design set on point.  The finished blocks are 9" and quite simple to make.  It all started with some fat quarters I had on hand....Prairie by Corey Yoder of Moda.  Once I made a couple of practice blocks, I knew I had a quilt begging to be made!  

It's a fat quarter friendly pattern and finishes at 66" x 66".  You can purchase the PDF pattern in my Craftsy shop at 50% off until August 8th.  

Thanks for stopping by today!  

Linking up to:  Lets Bee Social, Midweek Makers, and Freemotion by the River 

grace and peace.....

Sharon

Fabric pull done for QAL

It has been ages since I have participated in a QAL, so I decided to take the plunge and join the QAL going on over at Amanda's blog....This Mom Quilts.
She offers it in a baby quilt size and a lap quilt size, so I thought I would make the baby quilt to give to Project Linus.  Now that the fabric is chosen and the cutting done, I will sit back and wait for the next installment.






Here are my fabric choices:

My Monday morning was spent at Art Camp teaching 7 to 12 year old children to sew.  We made pillowcases.  I loved it when one of the girls said, oh, this is so much fun!  I hope she gets a sewing machine and continues to have fun.

Aren't they cute?  

Wishing you a great week with lots of sewing and creative time!

Sharon

Five Things Friday....on Saturday!

Camp Gramma began on Wednesday...so of course the boys are keeping me busy!  We always have a good time together, being silly, watching movies, talking about books and baking cookies of course!
This is my first post of Five Things Friday...I love the concept of gratitude posts and the end of the week is always a great time to reflect and give thanks.

1. Grandkids

So...check out the socks!  I love it!  This is 8 year old, Jack...

a fearless Pokemon hunter!  I love this face!

And of course, Camp Gramma is never complete without baking cookies! 

2. Silly 12 year old grandkids!

Goofy twelve year old grandsons!  Need I say more?

3. Thoughtful friends  

A sweet quilt friend gave me her copy of Quiltmania 

when she was through with it...love this magazine!

4. Published in the American Patchwork and Quilting 2017 calendar 

This arrived on my doorstep!  I am a calendar girl in the 2017 American Patchwork and Quilting Calendar!  This is my little quilt Floral Whimsy.  May is the perfect month, because this is my birthday month.

5.  My happy place!

My messy happy place...where I can go and create! My sweet hubby 

thinks I should have a bigger room, but I am grateful to have my own room at all!  For many years, my space was the corner of the dining room or our bedroom...so this is great.  I can shut the door and walk away!

That's it for this week! Head over to Gypsy Moon Quilt Company and check out the other links to Five Things Friday, you will enjoy it. 

Linking up to: Five Things Friday  

Tweaking a new pattern today

Clementine

The pattern has to be tested and tweaked...then ready to put in my pattern shop on Etsy and Craftsy.  I love to design and construct the quilt, but when I write the pattern, I freeze up!  Math!!! Anyone else have that problem?  I write the pattern before I do the actual cutting and sewing, so that helps as I can make corrections along the way.  The Pattern Writing Series by Cheryl has been an immense help and I refer to it often.

The fabric line is from Prairie by Cory Yoder of Moda.  Love her fabrics, and I have another quilt coming out using her new Sundrop line.  I really enjoyed free motion quilting this quilt...it is far from perfect, but I learn with each quilt and I feel like I get better each time.  It has helped me to watch YouTube videos and I plan to do the Free Motion Fridays with Suzy on her blog.  Practice is good! I like the brick quilt and it will be a great charity quilt when I finish it.

Sending you grace and peace.....

Sharon and Bella Rose


Linking up to: Fabric Tuesdays  Sew Cute Tuesdays  Midweek Makers

Friday Finish!

Oh my, this quilt is long over due to be completed!  I started it in the spring of 2000...stitched all the blocks and then it was put away and forgotten.  This winter, I went through a box of quilt blocks that needed to be set into quilts and came across these.  I wanted a red and white quilt for Christmas decorating and decided this would work.  So many memories in these little blocks....they kept my hands and mind calm while sitting with my husband at the hospital.  He had a brief fight with renal cell cancer and died 6 weeks after being diagnosed...one of those rare and nasty cancers that take off and there is no stopping it.  But after 16 years, these little blocks deserved to come out and play...and so they did!  Now I have a quilt ready BEFORE Christmas!  How about that?  That usually does not happen!

This quilt was in American Patchwork and Quilting...I think it is called Toyland.  My one and only redwork piece.  My stitches are rather primitive when it comes to embroidery.  I learned how as a child and they still look rather childish, but I like it ok.

Have a great weekend!

Linking up to:    Fabric Frenzy Friday   Podunk Pretties 

Stormy days and WIPS

Love to sew or read on stormy days!  Today I am freemotion quilting on a project for Moda Bake Shop....all that is left is to quilt the border. It is secret sewing so I can't show you much!   I did most of the quilt with a ruler and I have decided I really like this method of quilting. Also tried Angela Walters dot to dot method and I really like combining this method with my rulers.  She has a wonderful tutorial on her blog, Quilting is My Therapy.   And I highly recommend Angela's books, easy to follow ideas for free motion quilting.  She has a long arm, and I do not...so don't let that stop you.  I have a Janome 7700 Horizon and it works great for me.

Look who decided to take a nap instead of helping me quilt!

On Monday I had a lovely and exciting surprise.  One of the ladies at quilt guild congratulated me on having my quilt on the cover of McCall's Quilting magazine.  Yay!  I am a cover girl!  So excited to have my quilt chosen to be on the cover of the magazine!  It will hit the new stands on July 28 and I guess some with subscriptions are receiving theirs now.

Carnival

Hope you are able to check out all the wonderful bloggers on the 2016 New Quilt Bloggers Hop...it is fun to meet so many talented and interesting quilters!
You can find all the links here on:
 Quiltingjet Girl,
Meadow Mist Designs 
Late Night Quilter...our fearless leaders!  And be sure to get in on the fabulous prizes!

Linking to:  Midweek Makers  FreeMotion by the River  Lets BEE Social

2016 New Bloggers Hop

It's my turn on the New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop, so happy to have you visit my blog!  My name is Sharon...I am a wife, mother, grandmother, and a creative soul.  I'm happiest when I am being creative!  I love all things quilty and most of the time you can find me happily playing in my sewing room.  It is a happy place for the grand kids too...we have spent many an afternoon creating to our hearts content.  I am also a wanna-be artist...love to art journal and tangle. But I think my absolute passion is anything to do with needle and thread and fabric!

The rest of the time I spend reading, gardening, hanging out with grandkids, and volunteering.  Now that I am retired, my favorite saying is "I don't know how I had time to work!"  I'm just trying to pack in everything I wanted to do when I was working and didn't have time.  Quilts of Valor, Project Linus and CASA keep me busy as well! 

Why blog?  I had to think about that for a minute...for me it is an online journal.  It is also a way to connect and share with other creative souls. I am constantly inspired by all the talented bloggers out there.  

Yellow Cat Quilts is derived from my sweet ginger kitty, Bella Rose.  She is a constant companion in my sewing room.  Every quilt gets her seal of approval, I think she hope each one is for her!  Yellow Cat Quilts is also the name of my pattern company...which is still in the works. That is one of my goals this year.  

Bella Rose of Yellow Cat Quilt Designs

Favorite Quilts

Choosing 4 of my favorite quilts was hard...they are ALL my favorites!  Kind of like my children and grandchildren...love them all!  So here are a few of my favorite quilts....

Scrappy Baskets

This quilt was started back in the 1990's with some of my quilty friends.  We exchanged fabric scraps and made these darling little baskets.  Then they fell into that dark hole of unfinished projects and did not see the light of day until last summer.  I was on a mission to start finishing some of those poor neglected quilts.  I love how this turned out...so scrappy! 

Star Gathering 

Another basket quilt...I love baskets and stars! This block pattern was created by Linda Brannock. I started hand piecing the blocks in early 2000, and it is another that found it's way to the unfinished project pile of blocks!  I don't know why I waited so long to finish this...I love it!

Last summer, we lost a sweet soul, Linda Brannock.  Her quilts designs have always been a favorite of mine.  So I hunted for the blocks that I had made in a BOM that Liberty Quilt Shop had...designed by Linda.  Simply titled Flowers.

Quilting Tip:  Just enjoy the process! Don't get hung up on perfection.  I have been quilting for over 30 years, and in every class I take I learn something new.  Challenge yourself to new ideas...it may or may not be your cup of tea, but you will learn.

Favorite Book:  Love the Outlander series! It's hard to just list ONE book...I love to read. I love thrillers, Sci-fy, and a good mystery.


Favorite TV show:  Why Outlander of course!  and Game of Thrones and Project Runway.

Favorite food:  Chocolate!

What inspires you?  How do you get your mojo back when you lose it?
I find that reading blogs is a great way to get inspired.  Also Instagram and Pinterest!  Belonging to quilt guilds is great, too!

A huge thank you to our hostesses for the 2016 New Bloggers.  My hive momma is Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl, she is such a huge help and influence for all of us! If you go to her blog, you can throw your name in for a prize.  

Please be sure to visit the other bloggers this week, I know you will enjoy their blogs as well.
 Amanda @This Mom Quilts

Laurel @Quilts By Laurel

Marla @Penny Lane Quilts

Thank you so much for stopping by...and I hope you will come to visit often!  As I learn more about quilt blogging, I hope to add a Quilt Along in the near future.

Grace and peace....Sharon

Mojo is back!

So...after not so much sewing being done around here the last 3 weeks, my mojo is coming back!  It's sizzling outside, so what better time than to sit in the cool indoors and sew?  Or read?  I love to read, and bought a new Kindle tablet last week.  My other still works, but couldn't resist the price, and I love a new techie gadget now and then.  Of course I had to make a cover sleeve for it, and this is what I came up with yesterday.  Easy peasy and made with scraps!

If you want to make one for yourself, here is the tutorial.

So what are you reading?  I just finished Miss Peregrines Peculiar Children....loved it and I am excited to see that a movie is coming out in September!  Now I am reading Find Her by Lisa Gardner...a thriller.

Finishing is not one of my strong points...I am always starting something and setting it aside because I have another idea in my head.  A.D.D!  Today, I am trying to finish a paper piecing pattern I am working on.  Hoping to get it done and do a quilt along next month...I will keep you posted.  It is fairly easy as far as paper piecing goes.  If you have a glue stick and an Add-a-Quarter ruler, you have it made!  Also, I like to use the Carol Doak paper for piecing, so easy to sew and easy to tear out.

I better get back to the sewing machine, so I can sneak off to the pool later on today!  Hope you are enjoying your summer....or winter, depending on where you are!

Linking up to: Main Crush Monday  Midweek Makers Freemotion by the River