Tuesday Confessions of an English Paper Piecing-oholic

Oh how work has been getting in the way of my quilting! This week for my paper piecing post I'm sharing some beautiful paper pieced quilts by other quilters so I can have another week to get some more of my own paper piecing done before I share!


This first quilt is from the 2010 Tokyo Quilt Festival

Next is a different approach to the traditional flower garden quilt, the flowers were appliquéd onto this quilt

and finally, the last quilt I'd like to share this week is a more traditionally pieced grandmothers quilt with a not-so-traditional quilting job - the quilt was machine quilted after being hand pieced. If you'd like to read about why the quilter decided to machine quilt the hand pieced quilt you can read about that here http://pananani.wordpress.com/tag/grandmothers-flower-garden/

Hope everyone has a fabulous week and I promise not to disappoint with next weeks post I'll be quilting away all week!!
xo
Em

Tuesday Confessions of an English Paper Piecing-oholic

Hey! Check it out!!! It's ACTUALLY Tuesday and I'm ACTUALLY posting this!! Yay for me :)


Haven't made HUGE progress on my quilt this week... two flowers and one partially sashed... here they are:

I'd also like everyone to notice I'm back focused and working on my grandmothers flower garden instead of the wonderful rose star that I had made last week.. might have to make another one of those this week but I also I'm getting super excited to finished up this flower garden quilt!!


As far as my inspiration I found this week for other projects to start someday, I'd like to share this awesome floor I found (maybe in a bathroom of one of my favorite coffee shops) ... How fun and different would it be to do a quilt top like this with the flowers only around the outside of this quilt??? Oh so many ideas and such little time!!

Anyone else do any fun english paper piecing this week??
Have a great one!
xo
Em

MUST READ!!!

Okay, okay... I know after I finished The Help I had said I was going to try reading more non-fiction books and especially books about presidents and for the record I am still working on "Mr.Lincoln Goes to War" but lets face it - I'm a non-fiction reading type of girl!! So, since everyone I know and their dogs were reading the Hunger Games I figured I HAD to read it - you know just a quick break from Mr. Lincoln :) 


I'm definitely NOT into believing the world is ending and that we're going to go back to tribes and such so at first I really didn't expect to LOVE this book. After reading it in a quick 3 days though I have to admit this is really just as great as everyone is raving about!!


Have you read the book also? What did you think??

Tuesday (When I learn how to look at Calendars) Confessions of an English Paper Piecing-oholic

Well looky there! Tuesday came and went without me even realizing! I've came up with a few excuses if you'd like me to share :)


1. Presidents Day - Weeks with Monday holidays should have a full other set of days to go by since it makes the whole week screwed up! 


2. Mexican Minutes - Went to Mexico over the weekend with my mom and our taxi driver was explaining to us mexican minutes - Approximately 5 American Minutes = 1 Mexican Minutes... Let's just say I might still be running on Mexican minutes would then make today maybe just Tuesday??


Okay, I get it! You're not going to let me come up with a way to make today Tuesday because I have to face it - it's WEDNESDAY so I already screwed up my English Paper Piecing posts and this WAS going to have just been it's second week! UGH I PROMISE to not fail you again!!


Anyways, last week I shared a few projects I wanted to make AFTER I COMPLETED my Grandmothers Flower Garden quilt but since "completing quilts" doesn't actually exist in my vocabulary I went ahead and tried out the wonderful pattern from summerfete's blog - "The Rose Star"


This is not a "quick" block by any means!! Let me tell ya' ... However, once you finish one, like all other hand pieced blocks, you want to make another and another! But now that I got it out of my system to "just try" this wonderfully super fabulous pattern I have promised my Flower Garden quilt to return to her!

Here's the Rose Star I made!!

Now, while you wait to see if I can keep track of my days to post my TUESDAY post on Tuesday next week I want to wish you a great week and a Happy National Margarita Day!!

Tuesday Confessions of an English Paper Piecing-oholic

I've decided that each Tuesday I'll post an update on my English Paper Piecing adventures, finds, likes, loves, etc!! Since I got my job flying commercially I've had more time than I've known what to do with sitting around in hotel rooms WITHOUT MY SEWING MACHINE at first I found this as the most horrible thing ever but then I remembered a Grandmothers Flower Garden Quilt I had started when I was probably about nine (I've been a quilting freak since a VERY young age) and was instantly more excited than ever!!! Luckily, this thought came to me while I was overnighting in Augusta, GA where there is a Hobby Lobby across the street from our hotel. I had never been to a Hobby Lobby before and from the outside the place reminded me of somewhere you'd buy stuff to make model cars and other "dumb guy hobbies" but since I didn't see a quilt shop or anywhere to buy fabric I figured it couldn't hurt to take a look inside. OH MY GOSH!!!! Instant heaven! After taking a bunch of pictures and texting them to anyone and everyone I know that MIGHT appreciate the never ending isles of crafting supplies I darted into the fabric area and stared grabbing bolts. A hexagon template... needed one of these too, found a card with templates for every shape under the moon but really? I could not justify spending 15 bucks on this (I'm pretty cheap) so I grabbed a receipt out of my purse and traced the hexagon. Was this considered stealing? I'm not sure, but I had my laptop back in my room and could've just as easily got a free hexagon template offline so I didn't feel TOO guilty just enough to have achieved that "need for a little thrill" feeling we all get a one point or another :)


Alright, enough blabbing for today here's a picture of how far I've gotten on my Grandmother's Flower Garden I started that day in Augusta, GA. As for the one I started when I was nine on a road trip to visit my aunt and uncle in Montana, well that one is still in a bag in my parents basement. I have since looked at it, but it's totally different colors than this one so it'll have to wait to be finished after this one is done. This beautiful quilt that has consumed my life:

Okay, maybe just a little more blabbing... Since I started this quilt now all I can think about is all the other english paper pieces quilts and projects I want to make after it.. There are SO MANY beautiful English Paper Pieced wonders out there I feel that I should share some I have came across :) Enjoy!

This is a pattern available on etsy the link is

http://www.etsy.com/listing/70910662/grandmothers-garden-tote-pattern?ref=pr_faveitems

and this is definitely HIGH on my list of "other projects to start when/if 

I ever finish the million I have started"

Love that they made these 3-D

and this stinkin' patter might, just MIGHT lead me

to cheating on my current english paper pieced project

check out http://summerfete.blogspot.com/2012/02/rose-star-link-party.html

this blog features a BUNCH of quilters ALL making these blocks 

which I feel like I DEFINITELY need to join in on!!

Have a great week!

Em

Had to share this!!

The Help

Just finished the book "The Help"!!! AND picked up the movie so now I can FINALLY watch it!! Loved the book and have heard great things about the movie!! 

Now, no more fiction books for me for a while, new goal I'm starting with Nana is to read a book on every President. Picked up a book on Lincoln when we went to his cottage last spring titled "Mr. Lincoln Goes to War" the reviews on this book that I have read so far are quite interesting, many readers feel the author has a negative opinion of President Lincoln and say the book is more about the war than the president himself. I'll share my opinions once I finish the book!

Nana and I at President Lincoln's cottage