The twins are here!

So...a friend from high school contacted me when she found out she was going to be a Grandmother, and asked me to create a quilt for her new grandchild.  The new parents are decorating the nursery with an underwater theme.  So of course I had to say yes!

A few weeks later I received a picture of the sonogram.....and there were two little beans in the sonogram. So we needed two quilts!

And here they are....just in time for the boys to arrive! 

It was so much fun to make these quilts! 

Island Batik Ambassador Mini-Love Quilt

February has gone in a flash for me!  What about you?  The end of the month sort of snuck up on me!

This month, Island Batik challenged the Ambassadors to create a mini-love quilt.  I decided to use the beautiful pinks and reds provided by Island Batik to create this little heart quilt.  We are on Winter Holiday and it has been hard to find my mojo and sewing time.  The beach is calling!  But we have had some not so great weather here in South Texas, so I have been forced to stay inside.  I decided to use that time to hand quilt my little quilt and binge on Homeland.  The other reason I hand quilted is because I left my walking foot at home!  I ordered another one, and unfortunately it did not get here in time.  The tales of a RV traveling quilter!  And the 40 mile an hour winds the past few days have not been conducive to taking a picture! So bear with me....

Here at the RV park we have quilting on Wednesday afternoon....so, I think I will go and get a head start on my March project!  I bought a Sew Kind of Wonderful ruler and decided to give that a try  Curves are not my thing...but I love the look of curves in a quilt.

I am happy with how this turned out...stay tuned for a tutorial in the next few days.  This is nice and simple. 

Grace and peace....Sharon

Linking to: 

Island Batik box of goodness!

Last week the Fed Ex guy was highly sought after all over by women waiting for a 22 pound box of fabric from Island Batik.  If only he knew...right?  It's like Christmas, but even better in my opinion.

“The products featured in this post were given to me by Island Batik.” 

The box of goodness included fabric from Island Batik, batting from Hobbs Batting, and thread from Aurifil...wow!  See what I mean?  Better than Christmas!  I pulled out the beautiful pinks and reds for my Mini-Love project and I hope to share with you soon.  I'm having a hard time deciding what to create.

This year I am proud to be an Island Batik Ambassador again.  This is my second year.  I had so much fun last year, and I am thrilled to be chosen to represent Island Batik again.  Sewing with their fabric is a delight.  The fabric are designed by their lead designer, Kathy Engle, along with additional fabric artists and designers.  All of the fabrics are handmade in Bali by skilled artisians.  Every yard of fabric is created using a wax resist method, and laid out in the sun to dry. 

Check back to see my mini-Love project! Several of the other Ambassadors are quick and have started to post their projects, so check them out here:

Island Batik Ambassadors

Alison at Little Bunny Quilts

Amy at Sew Incredibly Crazy

Anita at Quilt in a not-Shell

Anna at Ark Angel Creations

Anne at Sweetgrass Designs

Barbara at Bejeweled Quilts

Bea at BeaQuilter

Carole at Carole Lyles Shaw

Connie at Freemotion by the River

Connie at Kauffman Designs

Dione at Clever Chameleon

Geraldine at Living Water Quilter

Jackie at If These Threads Could Talk

Janet at Whispers of Yore

Jeanette at Inchworm Fabrics

Jen at Patterns by Jen

Jennifer at Curlicue Creations

Jennifer at Dizzy Quilter

Jennifer at Inquiring Quilter

Jessica at Desert Bloom Quilting (you are here!)

Joan at Moosestash Quilting

Joyce at heARTs Creations

Karen at Sew Karen-ly Created

Karen at The Quilt Rambler

Kathleen at Kathleen McMusing

Laura at Slice of Pi Quilts 

Leanne at Devoted Quilter

Mania at Mania for Quilts

Maryellen at Mary Mack Made Mine

Michelle at Creative Blonde

Myra at Busy Hands Quilts

Nancy at Masterpiece Quilting

Pamela at PamelaQuilts

Sally at Sally Manke

Sandra at MMM Quilts

Sarah at Sarah Goer Quilts

Sharon at Yellow Cat Quilt Designs

Sherry at Powered by Quilting

Stephanie at Steph Jacobson

Suzy at Adventurous Applique and Quilting

Teri at Lizard Creek Quilts

Tina at Quilting Affection Designs

Toby at Gateway Quilts & Stuff

Turid at Den Syende Himmel

Vicki at Vicki's Crafts & Quilting

I'm a bit slow, because I am on Winter Holiday for 3 months in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas...I miss my sewing room!  Sewing in an RV is not impossible, but a challenge at times!

grace and peace....
Sharon

It's a bit fishy to me.....

This week has been a good week to stay in and sew....I think all over the country, even in south Texas where its supposed to be nice and warm!  Let's hope that the freeze warnings are a thing of the past now!

So...this is what I am working on.  A good friend of mine asked me to make a quilt for her new grand-baby coming in March, and the nursery has an underwater theme.  So of course I said yes!  A few weeks later she sent me a copy of the sonogram...there were 2 little beans.  Twin boys!  And of course I am happy to make 2 quilts...why not?  So far, this is what I have:

Today I will applique around the edges by machine.  I think it is pretty cute!  Still need to add some seaweed and maybe a lobster or a crab or a starfish.....what do you think?  You can find the pattern here on Craftsy.  Very simple and you can put whatever you want in the white space.  I have EQ 8 and was able to print off applique templates from there and draw some on my own.

Then I will go for a walk in the sun and sit in the sun to finish a book I am reading.  "Before We Were Yours" is what I am currently reading.  It's fiction, but the events are true.  It's amazing story so far.

Hope your weekend is shaping up with some sewing, and don't forget to continue on the Island Batik Four Seasons blog hop next week.  Last week was Spring...this week Summer.  Here is the schedule for you to follow:

SUMMER

January 22 – Paisley Dot
Pamela Quilts • Seams Like a Dream • Mary Make Made Mine

January 23 – Sunflower Serenade
Kathys Kwilts and More • Whispers of Yore

January 24 – City Culture 2
Mary Mack Made Mine • heARTs Creations

January 25 – City Culture 2
The Quilt Rambler • Lizard Creek Quilts • KISSed Quilts

 And, you can still comment and win a prize from me if you go to my previous blog post.  My patterns will continue to be on sale for $5 until the end of January, too.

Grace and Peace....Sharon

Linking to:  Whoop! Whoop!

Four Seasons Blog Hop

Today is my day to show off some gorgeous fabric.  I was so excited to open my box of fabric from Island Batik and receive a large bundle of Southern Blooms, which should be arriving in stores very soon.   You will want to follow the Four Seasons blog hop and feast your eyes on beautiful quilts, and a chance to win prizes.

I wanted to make a quilt that really showed off the beautiful colors and how well they all play with each other.  So I designed a quilt using 2 simple blocks, the uneven 9 patch and a friendship star.  In my minds eye, I could see a quilt that looked like a beautiful spring day.  Spring is one of my very favorite seasons....I love the awakening of colors and new life.

It became a challenge to get this quilt finished in time.  I wanted to have it done by Christmas, but that did not happen since I came down with a virus that lasted 3 weeks.  Not only did that virus take away my voice, but my energy and mojo!  Then we headed for Texas and once we got settled in I started working away.  Normally I can go over to the Community Building and sew, but sometimes there are other activities going on and I have to make do and sew in the RV.  Machine quilting in the RV on my little Janome was a bit of a challenge, but i got it done just in the nick of time!

Can you find the little friendship stars scattered about in the quilt?

Awakening

The quilting on this is my go to quilting when I need to get something finished quickly....wavy plaid.  This time I did it with my free motion foot and it worked out great. (could not find my walking foot...didn't get packed!)  On the border is just some loops and paisley designs.

Now on to the fun stuff!  Prizes! Be sure to head over to Island Batik and get in on the prizes there.  And check out the other bloggers as they have a give away happening on their blogs.  

I have a bundle of fabric for you...5 fat-quarters of the Southern Blooms from Island Batik and the pattern for Awakening.

To win, please leave a comment as to your favorite season of the year.

And one more thing....all of my patterns are on sale for $5 at Craftsy until the blog hop ends!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Four Seasons Blog Hop has begun!

Today the Four Seasons Island Batik blog hop has started, and I know you will want to visit the bloggers for some wonderful eye candy and prizes!  Check out this link to Island Batik for the schedule. 

I am still sewing away on my blocks.  Now that we are here in Texas and the weather is so beautiful, it makes it very hard to stay inside and sew! What a difference a week can make!  When we arrived in Brownsville it was freezing cold, and 30 minutes after we arrived, the electricity went out.  The grid is not set up for the demands of cold weather.

  I really love this line of fabric that Island Batik sent to me...Southern Blooms.  Gorgeous fabric, and I love sewing with it.  Here is a sneak peek of the blocks I am making......

Southern Blooms

Consider visiting the bloggers that posted today....you will be inspired!  Both quilters used Blue Moon....a beautiful line of blue batiks.

Inquiring Quilter

Cheryl Lynch Quilts

Grace and peace......Sharon

One Monthly Goal for January

This year I decided to join the One Monthly Goal over at Elm Street Quilts, I need all the motivation I can get sometimes.  I am really, really awesome at STARTING......but finishing?  I get side tracked so easily!

Island Batik sent me a beautiful batch of fat quarters that I have started playing with.  They are from the Spring Blossoms collection which you can find in stores now.  So I am sewing away to get ready for our Four Seasons Blog Hop with the Island Batik Ambassadors which begins next week. So here is a sneak peek of my springtime quilt.......

Isn't this fabric yummy?

Be sure to come back next week for our blog hop!