One more thing...

Last minute decisions... 

I decided that the Santa Kitchen Sink quilt needed big scrappy borders, as it was not KING size... 

I know, I know... But I wasn't loving the size it finished at... I didn't MEAN to make it KING, but with borders on three sides it makes it a perfect fit! I also used up a load more of my Christmas fabric! Gotta love that!

I actually had some nice green and red prints to make a pieced back for it too! So there goes another 9 yards of fabric out of my stash! Double YAY!!

I made a big "holly print"square center, and bordered it with the Basic grey, green/red with hearts all around... I think it will give it a nice clean finish on the back side.

One last touch, I added the year on a pop of BLUE in the lower right hand corner.
Even better, I found this Great stripe for binding!  Now it's Good to go! Shipping off for quilting...

Feels good to use up so much fabric!

Hmmm, now what else can I get done and out of here...

Perhaps the elephants are next!

SANTA WHOOP WHOOP!

Finally!  It's done! The 2012 Santa "Kitchen Sink" quilt!
Why Kitchen sink?  Because I made a quilt in 2009 from all my orphan blocks and called it my *Everything But The Kitchen Sink quilt, and every year since, I make...ONE of these kind of quilts. 
I'm flattered when I see people running with the idea and see people calling their quilt the same thing, or a Kitchen sink quilt...  Please send me your photos if you've made one...

(*yep, that's my quilt)

90" X 100"

Here are all the Fabulous Santas you all sent to me! Everyone I rcvd back, was put into this quilt...Can you spot your block? It was incredibly hard to get a photograph of this on my design wall.. I was standing on my window ledge!
Once I get it quilted and trimmed, I will get a better shot of it!  I'm so excited I got the quilt done as close to the year I made it! LOL! Unlike my 2011 version in silk which still hangs on the hanger...This is the year I get that one done too!

...I'm soooo, doing the HAPPY DaNcE over here...

HO HO HO!

Here's a recap of my past "KITCHEN SINK" quilts

2009 Everything But the Kitchen Sink

This quilt included 10 years of quilt making  filled with everything from baby quilts never finished to the dishtowels from my kitchen.. Hence the name! (embroidered hand towel of Cherries top center.)

OLD posts about this quilt are here

 2010 Ragamuffin "Kitchen Sink" quilt

Ragamuffin was another compilation of my orphans and orphan blocks from many of you peeps!

This quilt was sold this year and has found a new home. 

OLD posts about the Ragamuffin quilt are here

and lastly, the 2011 Silk "Kitchen Sink" quilt,  is still on the hanger... 

in the parts department... Sad face!

It might be time to get this done... Do you think?

These quilts started because of the way my grandmother quilted. This above, (bottom section of the Everything but the kitchen sink quilt) was my first attempt to make a quilt like hers, but using cotton instead of what she used...Double knit! (below) I attempted to machine applique fabrics like her hand work, and got so bored with it, that I out it away for 10 years, before I  pulled it out and stared just sewing my scraps together my own way.

Isn't it fun to see where inspiration comes from?

Santa quilt update...

I'm wrestling it to the ground over here! Split seams and all! Section by section the SANTA SINK quilt is coming together!  As I add sections to the bigger piece, it starts to get unruly, but all is falling into place. I had some friends in the studio today, who walked in and wanted the quilt...  I guess they liked it!

The white space is about the size of chunks I'm working with at a time.  Working in pieces of "Made fabric" here and there to keep the seams all mismatched...

Here you can see the top section (above) that I still need to piece to FIT into all those raggedy pieces. The bottom section looks a bit smoother, with a few bumps to work around, but should go together quickly.

I'm so close!!!  Almost!!! Maybe by monday it will be complete!
Happy Friday!!!

Sandy Quilts... Thank you!

Hi Friends!

Just a quick post to share with you some of the "Sandy" Folks who rcvd quilts today.  We, (bumblebeansBASICS) have been delivering a few times a week, and I just want you all to know, just how much your quilts have been appreciated. 

The fact that so many of you spent TIME to make BEAUTIFUL QUILTS to SHARE, 

is just the Greatest & BEST THING EVER!

THANK YOU!

I am so touched by your generosity. It truly brings me to tears. You've made my Holidays the best ever!  Every time I hand over a quilt and get a hug, I want to just jump up and down in joy! Well, I kind of do that anyway, and everyone laughs.. ;-)

Do you know that we received 1,300 quilts in just three weeks?   Amazing.

(NOTE: 

QUILT DRIVE ENDED DEC.7th))

Acacia Network, Myself, and ALL the wonderful people who needed your help, 

THANK YOU!

THANK YOU!

THANK YOU!

THANK YOU!

 THANK YOU!

 THANK YOU!

 THANK YOU!

THANK YOU!

You have made a difference in some one's life today.

Happy Holidays!

Ho Ho Ho!

Here are ALL the blocks I got back! If you still have one, and did not get it mailed back to me, It could go on the back...

 I quickly arranged the blocks to FIT on my wall rather like a big puzzle... Now I will go back and play around with a couple different layouts, make a few extras to fill in, and I may even put a border on this one... It's NOT going to fit my KING size bid yet!  If I rearrange them so it's a SQUARE and not a long rectangle, I think I can get it to work really nicely!

I mean, If I am this close to making it KING, I might as well right? ;-)

I love the pops of Blues, turquoise and lime green so I may add a bit more of that... So many clever blocks!!

Above is Tracey P's block, Love that Bright RED STAR with Santa and a little TREE!  And above Tracey's is,  Kathleen R.'s super cute block! Her block with Santa dancing on the roof cracks me up! She appliqued the dogs and reindeer and Santa, and added some machine stitching all around... So clever! 

THANK YOU for all the Fabulous BLOCKS!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Be sure to stop by Angela's Blog for SUNDAY's chance to
win my book!

You can also comment on all the other blogs each day, for a chance!  Including this one!

              Nov 26: Victoria Findlay Wolfe
Nov 27: Bonnie Hunter
Nov 28: Alissa
Nov 29: Pat Sloan
 Nov 30: Fat Quarter Shop
  Dec 1st: Karen Griska 
SUNDAY!Dec 2nd: Angela Walters
Dec 3rd: Generation Q
Dec 4th: Tonya Ricucci
Dec 5th: Michele Foster
Dec 6th: Scott Hansen
Dec 7th: Amy Ellis
Dec 8th: Rachael daisy
Dec 9th: Jackie Kunkel
Dec. 10th: C & T Publishing

Santa's and CHATTING

Lynn P sent a very cute HOHOHO, Santa with gifts! Kathy R sent an adorable TINY Santa,s o sweet!, Sherry V, sent eh cute Red polka dots, and  Kathy W, sent BOTH her Santa's, one with Fussy Cut Santa's and reindeer,(lower left) and the red Blocks(Upper Right)

Thanks GUYS!!! They are so Fabulous!

STILL HAVE A SANTA?

If you still have my Little Santa, please have them to me by Thanksgiving to have him included in the quilt. Soon as Thanksgiving passes, this quilt is the top of my list to assemble!  I can't wait! THANK YOU!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TODAY at 4pm.

Jennifer Chiaverini, Pepper Cory, Carol Jones and Bobbi Finley authors of Fresh Perspectives, and ME, on Pat's show today!

What a fun Line up! 
I have Jennifer's New Book laying here,
The Giving Quilt: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel
Shared BAGEL stories with Pepper Cory at Quilt Market,
Mastering Quilt Marking: Marking Tools and Techniques - Choosing Stencils - Matching Borders and Corners
and Also just bought Fresh Perspectives by Carol and Bobbi! Great stuff! Lovely people!
Fresh Perspectives: Reinventing 18 Classic Quilts from the International Quilt Study Center & Museum


Click to listen in! http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/radio/index.html

play.work.play

Having some fun abstract PLAY on my wall today, It's BIG... and I want to get it off my design wall so I can move the Santa Blocks over to it!

I rcvd a few more last night! Diane S, sent the Hexagon and small triangle Santa's. Aren't they fun?? and Nina Lise sent the Santa whistling in the trees! (Did you know Nina Lise has a great book out? Gledesspredere you can order it at this link)

So much fun! I can't wait til after Thanksgiving to put this quilt together.

Right now I am getting everything in order for Market, a couple more pillows to make and work on my presentation schoolhouse presentation of my book!   Can I just say it's really hard to focus when you get squishy packages in the mail that contain stuff like this new line TYPE by Julia Rothman for Windham?  I just want to play!!!!

sigh.
Why is fabric so addicting?

Here Comes Santa Claus...

Santa block up dates... How cute & clever are these?  The surfer Santa cracks me up, I love it!
Thank you's go out to: Toni S, Jane B, Peggy B, Lynn O. and Bonnie T.

I was also gifted these extra Christmas blocks, which will be really nice fillers, in parts of the quilt... THANK YOU!!!

Can I tell you how much fun it is to sit and sew and look at these all day long?? It might be time to move these blocks over to my KING size wall!

mmmm mmmm...Right down  Santa Claus lane....

Ok, Now I have that song stuck in my head...

Is it to early for Christmas tunes...??

CrAZy DaY!

I had kind of CrAzY, fun, day, yesterday!!! Hoda, from the Hoda & Kathie Lee (the Today Show) were in my home & studio yesterday! SQUEAL! Wild huh?  (she says shaking her head in disbelief!)

Yes, we had a bit of fun.  I asked my pals, Encyclopedia, Helen and Andrea to come by and help me out with it... You'll have to tune in next week (Monday maybe), I'm still waiting for the exact  air date yet.. Will let you know...  hehe... Just something silly, but FUN!

And lastly, I'm half done on Susan's quilt! I used wool batting so it is fabulously, fluffy and snugly. I think it's going to be beautiful! It's been a JOY to work on this quilt... I can't wait for Michele to see it on Thursday, then we can send it on to Susan! YAY!

The Santa Blocks are growing! I rcvd blocks from Gail N., Tove S, Nancy C.  I can not wait to put this quilt tog ether... But I will.. I have a few more things to do this month before I can play!  Not til after Thanksgiving will i even begin to start to think about it... For now I am just enjoying playing with the blocks. Gotta Santa Block to spare?  You know where to send it! ;-) Thanks!

Ay, Ay, Ay!

Remember this quilt I bought last summer?  Well, I am remaking it because I really need another hand project!  (sarcasm? maybe!) I just love the quilt, and it has just the right amount of hand work for me! 

I have all my blades laid out so that I have hand sewing projects for the next few months of travels!  I had found this fabulous GRUNGE fabric by Moda and made my first block.  I loved the crazy fabric for this traditional style quilt...

I soon realized I wouldn't have enough of the background, so I ordered new fabric. 
Low and behold the fabric did not match the picture...

So I ordered again, trying to find the aqua blue with the dashes of lime green in it ( makes sense with my green leaves)  and look what I got this time? See below?  Not the same... I give up...

If you are going to make selvages with the name on them, why not give each colorway a correct number so reordering might be easier?  One doesn't get to see the circle color dots on the internet, to check if it's right... and no one locally carried this fabric... 

 ¡Ay, caramba!

The fabric at the TOP is what I wanted, the middle is my first reorder, the third is my last reorder... Well, It does have GREEN in it, but a dark green... Oh well...

I guess you will see a whole bunch of AQUA quilts coming from me! I have a load of yardage of each of them now! I've given into the fact that I won't have the "Aqua with GREEN"... So I am just going to have one block with it...

Another trick of the quilt historians...
 "Did she mean to use only one block of the Aqua and Green?"
LOL!
NO!
Oh well... Sometimes you have to roll with it...  It will make it more interesting right?

 Helen and Tove's Santa Blocks arrived! How sweet are they!

Thanks Ladies!

The light was amazing this morning, coming into my studio... The season definitely has changed! Hello FALL!

Have you had some unexpected fabric surprises from ordering online? 
Generally I get it right, but this was my first, "Oh! Good golly, NO!" Experience...

Susan's Blocks and Santas

Susan's blocks :  Sharon T, Jana, Linda S, Sandi A, Ruthmary S.,Tracey S, Antonia M. 

Sandi A, Ruthmary S.,Tracey S, Antonia M. 

Xmas, Blocks: Kim B, Terry P, Susan I, Carol E., Gail N. Sharon

(Terry is from AU, can you spot which block is hers?  hehe!)

How sweet of all of you!! THANK YOU!!!!

I will put Susan's quilt top together this weekend. I will post a pic of all the blocks tomorrow. I'm off to Boo's Volleyball game!

Have a great weekend!!!

What will you be doing this weekend?