Pineapple Fabrics and Friends

 Today was the day!!  Chris and I met up with our friends, 

Debbie and Mark at Pineapple Fabrics in Archdale. 

 Debbie and I shopped and Chris and Mark visited.  I

 completely forgot to take pictures inside the shop, 

but got a couple of pics of the two of us and our bags.

These are the 25 nap blankets I made for Debbie to give for a donation.

I got a pic of her and Mark putting them into their car.

These are 2 of my favorite people in the whole world!

They are not only some of the nicest people I know, but very giving too.

We are looking forward to going wine tasting with them when we return in the fall!!

I was super happy to get 50 yards of fabric out in the form of nap blankets.

I also donated another (probably over 20 yards) for her and her friends to use to make some more.

I'm thinking that my goal should be to make another 10 before we return in the fall.

Maybe I will just have to keep making them until all my kid friendly flannel is used up.

What do you think?

Wanna see what I bought today? 

I can show you all but one thing as that's a surprise for a friend.

I found some of the sky Thatched I needed for a pattern.

Then I found some Lizzy House ghosts and some Tula!!!

I bought the rest of the Tula and just a little bit of the ghosts.

They had some of the LH butterflies in navy and a bunch of her constellation prints,

 the ones in the rainbow colors. 

I reluctantly left those all there. 

I found some Tiger Lily.  I really wanted to buy it ALL, but I left some for others

 (plus I couldn't afford to buy it all). 

 These are two of my all time favorite cat prints!

OMGosh you guys.  I could have done some damage here!

I found the cutest panel of a town and roads (a car mat) to make for Avery.

My friend, Debbie, swears by these Magic pins so I decided to give a set a try.

They were 20% off so I figures what the heck.

They also had the snowman panel by Moda for $9.99.

Again, I left that there.

Chris has been into wearing "crazy" socks lately.  

When I saw these I could not pass them up.

His birthday is next month so I will be putting them away for his birthday.

I saw this bag made up and thought it would be a fun one to cut my teeth on. 

 I don't make many bags but this looked about my speed!  LOL. 

 I bought the pattern and think I will do that once I get home.

Isn't it cute?

After a fun lunch at an actual "dine in" place we left our friends and headed back to the camper.

Thanks for a fun time friends!

Yesterday was Finny's birthday.  

He is now 4 years old. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FINNY!!

~XOP~

WIPs With Friends

I have been doing some pattern testing this past week.  

Testers had a 3 week turn around to get a top done and mine is done 

(well almost done), 

in just over a week!  

I don't see any way to get it quilted and bound by the three week deadline either, but oh well!  

This pattern is called Diamond Falls.  

We were allowed to choose our own fabrics so I'll start there.  

I chose to use some older Lizzy House fabrics, her Lizzy Dish line. 

 I was thinking about turning this into a picnic quilt for myself. 

 Since I didn't want to repeat a fabric, I threw in 2 of the duck/swan fabrics from Red Letter Day too.  

Even though most of these photos don't really do justice to the Kona Jade, that was the background.

There were a bazillion diamonds (or 196) to cut out.  

I got those all cut and was able to spend some quality time sewing over the weekend. 

 I got a lot of the diamonds sewn into rows and *some* of those sewn together.

Man oh man there were a lot of diamonds.  

I had to pay serious attention to placement especially as construction was on the diagonal!

Sorry for the bad photo.  My "design wall" is a flannel piece tacked up to the hallway wall. 

 It is the only wall big enough for me to use but the lighting is crap.  

Here is half of the diamond portion (actually 1/4 of the quilt) finished.

This gives a better idea of the true color of the background.  

It was almost dark and super windy so this is the best I could do for a photo last night. 

Phew half way there.

I have to say a few things about this pattern. 

 The cutting directions need some clarification, but once I figured that out, 

it was not a difficult to put together as I had thought it would be.  

It went together fairly easily.  

Makes me think I should try another diamond quilt. 

 I don't think I would have been able to do as good a job a few years ago. 

 I'm confident my piecing had improved a LOT as this actually matches and lies flat!  

Now I will be back at the Folksy Fish, sigh.  

This was a nice break.

Linking up with Sew Fresh Quilts too.

OK, your turn.  

What are you working on?  

Please click on the blue Inlinkz button to add what you are working on.  

Remember to use the #WIPsWithFriends on social media and go ahead and 

grab the button for your blog!

~XOP~

An InLinkz Link-up

Pattern Testing

I *finally* chose my background fabric for the pattern I am testing. 

 I went over to my friend, Crazy Quilt Girl's house and brought my focus fabrics.  

We laid them on lots of different backgrounds.  

The one we both liked the best was Kona Jade.

Even though the pattern uses a patterned background I think this will work, or at least it will work for the effect I am going for making this quilt. 

 If I'm cutting a bazillion diamonds, they should be a color I love right?

These are the fabrics I am using for the focus prints and they looked really great on the Jade.

I didn't remember to take a photo when I got home so this will have to do.  

(Hey anyone else notice it is almost the same color as my mat? LOL)

So I see emeralds (actually diamonds) in my future this weekend! 

 What will you be up to?

~XOP~

Fabric Pull and My Big Mouth

I volunteered to test a pattern for someone.  

I did not fully realize what I was getting into, I admit it. 

She sent the pattern and there are 196 diamonds that need to be cut, LOL.  

I ordered my ruler and pulled some fabrics. 

 I think it will make a cute picnic quilt so was 

thinking about using some of my Lizzy Dish fabric by Lizzy House.  

It is an older line and has dishes and silverware on it.  

Now I need to determine what I want to use for the background.

 I could use the white pearl bracelet fabric, but am thinking that I might want to try a color, especially if I use it for a picnic blanket!  

Maybe an aqua?  I could use yellow but I am not the biggest yellow fan, LOL.

I have quite a bit of this line all except for this one yellow print!  How odd is that?

Luckily a friend has some that she is willing to send me for this quilt.  I have really great friends!

Guess I had better figure something out for the background now.  

Also, I need to get back to making fish.

 Diamonds have to be first since that quilt has a 3 week turnaround time!! 

 If you need me, I'll be off cutting a bizillion diamonds.

~XOP~

WIPs With Friends

I am working on another baby quilt with my two friends, Robin and Judith. 

 This time the chosen pattern is called Legandary and it is by Elizabeth Hartman. 

 If you want a copy you can find one right here in her shop.

Now here is some history about this project.  

A woman we all work with is crazy about all Yeti (big foot included), 

so when I saw this pattern I knew this was the one to make for her! 

 They are having a baby girl and these colors are so masculine.  

I decided that I needed to make the Mama Big Foot in pink (with polka dots!) 

 We were all going to make green trees. 

 I cut my trees out. 

 Then I cut her out.  

Then I cut out all the background for the whole quilt.  

On Sunday I sewed her up and was so thrilled with how she turned out.

  I used a print from the Lizzy House Whisper Pallette for the background and I love it.

Next up was my first tree.  Also a Lizzy house print.  Which I probably need more of right?

I wanted to make all the trees,

 but decided I could really only make one more before it was my bedtime.  

I got to use my petite Henna Garden for this one.

I posted on IG several people said they would never have thought to make the Big Foot in pink.  

That's all I needed to get the wheels in my head turning about the forest. 

 I laid in bed tossing and turning when...

EUREKA! 

Why not make a rainbow forest? 

 So then I had to think about how many of each color 

and which one of us would make which color trees. 

(more not sleeping).  

Thankfully I know their stashes!  

So I chose the green (for obvious reasons) and took the orange (they don't like orange).  

I was so excited I could not sleep.  

It was after midnight.  I finally got up and texted them.  

Guess what? 

 Then I was able to get to sleep!!

I am looking forward to getting my orange trees made now. 

 One of my friends just had knee surgery yesterday so it may be awhile until I get her trees, but the baby is not due until April.

Your turn to share what you are working on.  

Anyone working on cutting more squares for the OW QAL? 

 That's on my list after the 2 orange trees.

~XOP~

Now it's your turn to link up your finishes here. 

 Remember that if you do post in the link up here

 you should post a link back to this post on your own blog too.

So now it's your turn to share what you are working on.  

Please use the linky to link up and share that you linked up to WIPs With Friends on your blog too.  If using Instagram please use the hashtag

#wipswithfriends.  

We can't wait to see what you are working on!

Use the blue Inllinkz button to link up and spread the word by linking back to this post!

An InLinkz Link-up

Who's Tripping Down The Streets of The City?

Everyone knows it's Windy!
I said I would talk about my friend, Windy, coming to visit.  

She drove 2.5hours just to go out to lunch with me and go shopping.  

Now THAT's a friend!

She picked me up at work and we drove to Zingerman's Deli in Ann Arbor, for lunch. 

 Zingerman's is an institution.  

The food is fantastic, but a little pricey. 

 I bought our lunch since she drove all the way to see me!

Number 13, Serman's Sure Choice, my all time favorite!

While on her travels, Windy came upon some Lizzy Dish fabric.  

She knows how much I love this line so she texted me and then brought it to me at our visit!

We went to Treasure Mart, a local thrift shop but the big excitement was going to Pink Castle Fabrics.

I knew I wanted to pick up a few of the prints in the Whisper Pallette by Lizzy House.

I was especially interested in the ghosts, mice and swans.  

Particularly the swans.  

I love it even more in person than I did in the photos of it!  

I also got the beautiful teal to make the School House tunic in.  

I am waiting not so patiently, for the tracing paper to arrive so I can try making one.

These were in the FQ bin and...resistance was futile!

All In all it was a great day and I loved spending time with my friend.

Little did I know that my Instagram friend would turn into one of my best IRL friends!

The internets (all of them) has made this world so much smaller.

Happy Caturday from this silly girl and me!

I hope you get a chance to enjoy your friends this weekend.

~XOP~

Lizzy House Mini Quilt Swap

I'm not sure how it happened but I got yet another amazing mini quilt from the last round of swapping!

I made this quilt to send away to my partner and I was pretty happy with how it turned out.

My outgoing pack looked like this.  I included a charm pack of all the Pearl Bracelets too.

This is the incredibly amazing quilt I received in return for the one I sent!  Can you believe it?  

I especially love the alley cat in the bottom right corner.  See how it looks like he is missing an ear?  It is really there, just a darker gray like the background.  Cute though.  

Even an orange one just like my Jack!

She also sent some tissue, an adorable cat note book and cat Washi tape. 

 I think I made out like a bandit!  Such a beautiful quilt.  

It is hanging on the wall in my sewing room even as I type this.  

Just look at all that Lizzy House gorgeousness!!!

The back was made with this wonderful green Hello Pilgrim fabric, so lush. 

 She even used LH fabric for the label.  

Thanks Megan, for sending me such an amazing mini quilt.  I just adore it!

~XOP~

Lizzy House Mini Quilt Swap

The WIP I want to talk about today is the Lizzy House Mini Quilt Swap quilt.
Linking up to WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced.

 I finally got some time to work on it this past weekend. 

 I decided I needed to get it quilted so that's what I worked on this past Sunday. 

 I had to make the back.

I had one set of flying geese left over but that is not what I wanted to do.  

I picked it apart and made a pinwheel with it.  I decided to put that on the back. 

 Then I thought it would be neat to try to match the placement with the gray pinwheel on the front.  

A little tricky. 

 I sewed a back with the pinwheel in the same place on the back as the front.  

Then I layered it and used the crack in my table and a pin to try to line the pinwheels up 

as close as I could before I began to baste.

I then pin basted and drew the beginning circles using Perfect Circles templates as my guides.

I was able to use those lines to guide off for making the rest of the concentric circles for the quilting.  

I did make a few registration marks to know exactly where to begin the next set of circles, 

but that is all the marking I did for the quilting.  

I chose circular quilting to sort of build on the wind theme.  

Air coming off of the pinwheels.

This is how the quilting looked on the pinwheel on the back.  

Pretty close, just offset by a small bit, but I am happy with this.

Here is the quilt almost finished. 

 I chose some Pearl Bracelets for binding and it is just glued down.  

I still need to finish hand stitching it down and I need to make a label.   

I am very pleased with how it is turning out.  I hope my swap partner will love it as much as I do!

~XOP~

TBT and A LONG Time Ago I Got To Meet Tula and Lizzy

I was thinking since I am not sure when I will be able to blog again I would make a Throw Back Thursday post about that one time I got to go to Spring Market.  

It was an awesome time and I got to meet Tula Pink herself!  

Let's travel back to 2011 shall we?

It was the year Prince Charming came out.  Isn't this quilt amazing?

First place booth!!

Tula and her mom!!!

I also got to meet another favorite designer, Lizzy House.  

I love her even more now then I did at that time.  

Pearl Bracelets and Cat Nap, swoon!!

She was so sweet!!  Aren't her quilts gorgeous too??  This was the year 1001 Peeps came out.

So just a peek into some wonderful women that just happen to be amazing designers!

I hope you enjoyed seeing these amazing ladies, it was a blast getting to meet them.

Have a wonderful week!

~XOP~