A Rainbow Quilt : :

Well, we were finally able to take those photos of my finished my Rainbow Quilt yesterday. I am so, so glad I waited until we were at one of our most favorite places -- Allegany State Park. As a family we have made so many memories running around this forest, playing in the waters, and teaching our children about the natural world. It was perfect!



This quilt is really long! Once I measure it, I'll add that here for those of you who still might make one of your own and may be curious. You can find all the instruction for this quilt-along here, I had decided to join in pretty late in the game, but wanted to change up the block design a bit. Rather than sticking with square, rectangle, triangle scrap pieces to fill in each colored block, I had a mandala theme in mind. I started with a center piece or theme for each block and simply cut my scraps by hand or with my Go! Baby fabric cutter, to create a colorful design within each of my blocks. I am really happy with how it turned out!

When it came time for quilting, I took advantage of the many built-in stitches my new Janome has. This is one of my favorites!



To see all of these blocks finally come together to create a finished quilt that I can share with my family and show all of you feels really, really good!



The rainbow of colors in this quilt are so beautiful! The back is finished and also bound with some of my favorite Riley Blake Chevrons from Pink Castle Fabrics and this rainbow bunting Michael Miller print from Cotton Blossom Farm.





I remember mentioning that this quilt was a long time in the making in my last post -- almost a year from start to finish, but well worth the wait and work! If you click here you can look back through and see the previous posts on the makings of this quilt. I might just have to do that myself!

I hope you all had a special weekend!  ♥ Maureen

Finished and Waiting : :

This weekend I finally finished up my Bottled Rainbows Quilt! I can hardly believe it myself!! I started this quilt just as most people were finishing theirs as part of Rachel's Quilt Along, with my very first block being made just before last July.

A whole year, almost! And, now I'm waiting for it to stop raining so I can take some good photos.



I couldn't decide on how to finish this quilt -- at all! I can't tell you how many times I changed my mind. I finally pulled the colorful stack of Riley Blake Chevrons from my shelf late Friday and just went for it! It was a chance for me to add a little black, like I really wanted. And since this quilt is another very special project made up of all those scraps from the last two years, I thought that finishing it with something from Riley Blake would make it even more so. Just another way for me to remember being a part of their team this year!



Our pile of quilts is looking pretty colorful!





I definitely plan to get myself some more of these chevrons. I'm pretty sure most shops are restocking. Oh, and have you seen the new tonals they have coming out in August?? I'm excited!

I picked RBD chevrons for my last Design Team project and again last week for the RBD Pin Cushion Club on the Cutting Corners Blog -- please do check that out!! I didn't get a chance to share it here because of my weekend giveaway. Yup, I definitely love these chevrons!



After finishing up this second, rather large quilt in just a little more than a weeks time, I realized two things --

1. I really need to make smaller quilts, but not toddler size or minis. My Scrappy Quilt measured larger than a queen, this one larger than a twin. I would prefer to make a few on the smaller scale before tackling another large quilt. What is your favorite size quilt to make?? 

2. I need to buy more yardage! I have been stashing fabrics with a passion for a good year now, usually picking up 1/2 yd cuts most often. When it came to deciding on a quilt back for each of these, piecing together something I was happy with felt like more of a challenge than the quilt top. Do you typically buy 1 yard cuts or larger, to have on hand just for your quilt backs?? 

I have a few fabrics that are several yard cuts (for curtains)...



And, just a few more that are one yard cuts...



I think most of you have seen pictures of my sewing room -- I have quite a bit of fabric and clearly need to change the way I shop!!  

I look forward to hearing your ideas!! ♥ Maureen 

p.s. If you're looking for my Sew Mama Sew! May Giveaway -- click HERE!!

A Good Day : :

I stayed determined yesterday to make it back to the sewing room and hooray! It turned out to be a wonderful sewing day after all! With temperatures cold enough to produce snow flurries off and on, and some worn out kiddos from all the Easter celebrating, a relaxing day is just what we all needed.

First thing to check off my list, of course, my Bottled Rainbows Quilt top! It's all pieced and I'm so thrilled with it! I'm still figuring out my plan for the back, but I now think it's best to just keep it simple. Hopefully by early next week I will be completely finished with this one!!



Since my sewing room is such a small space and seams to be closing in on me a little more with each fabric purchase, it's tight quarters when there are five of us + a large quilt in there. The kids were more than happy to play a computer game while I sewed those long panels together.



My daughter even began work on a new quilt design for me, putting all those Easter basket art supplies to great use -- I think she has something here!?



The only one of the five of us who wasn't completely enjoying themselves was Lily. Just look at that face! I relocated her fabric bed to a spot other than my main work surface and now she's mad.



Next, I moved on to my etsy orders. Done!



I received some Fabric Envy mail! I won an amazing giveaway on the Fabric Envy blog recently, and now I'm blessed to welcome this fabulous shop as an MCH Sponsor. Aren't they pretty?



I planned out my next Design Team project for Riley Blake Designs. I get to use their Chevrons to create a new tutorial and then give a bundle of them away right here!! I can't wait! You can find these in the shops of most of my sponsors, but you better hurry, they are going fast!!



Finally, late last night I found a little alone time, and decided to begin a new Sketch Stitch - thread drawing project. This one's going to be a mini quilt for my girl. I'm always dreaming up new project ideas and am slowly working out my plan for these Sketch Stitch projects of mine. More on that soon!



Have a beautiful day, friends!!

♥ Maureen

Back to Busy : :

I woke up early this morning and came right into my sewing room.



Right away I began to sew my rainbow quilt blocks together. Thirty five minutes and two rows in and I had my first visitor. And, then my second....and then third.

It felt like Summer and reminded me just how my sewing time was last year -- a few minutes here, a few minutes there. Most the time that's alright, but this morning I was really hoping for at least an hour!  



I'm hoping to find a little more time to finish off this quilt top today, wish me luck!

♥ Maureen

Bottled Rainbows : :

I hope a wonderful Easter was had by all! I was planning to share just our doodle eggs today.



Here's my personal favorite -- doodled by me, waxed and colored by my oldest son Kaiden.



But, on Saturday morning I finally found a good stretch of sewing time, and decided it was long time I finished up my Bottled Rainbows quilt blocks!



First, I added the quilting to my Grass block.



Which left just my Berry and Violet blocks. They came together surprisingly quick, even though I took my time. These purples are so pretty!



The center of my Berry block was a nice surprise, an almost perfectly fussy cut Innocent Crush scrap!



And, the back of my Violet block is one of my favorites. Once this quilt top is stitched together, I definitely plan to show off the back, too! I love the way the batting side of each blocks looks.



I had first decided on this layout. Mixing up the colors from the traditional rainbow order.

But at a second look, with the help of my sisters, we all agree that ROYGBV + Pink looks best.



Now I'm just waiting for a chance to sew these blocks together! I can't wait!!

Bottled Raindows Quilt Blocks : :

Finally, right!? Well, it certainly has been a while since I crossed another bottled rainbow color off my list! My plan from last week worked! Just before I leave my sewing room, I'll open the door to my closet where these blocks hang, and each time I re-enter, they're the first things I see. Is it sad that I am able to trick  myself like that? :)

So, Jacey and I are the only ones I know of who are still v.e.r.y...s.l.o.w.l.y... plugging away at this project. Are any of you? Maybe if we can all agree on a finish date, we can get these done "together"?



My cerise block. Isn't this such a pretty shade of purple? I think so!



My grass and either my orange or tangerine block. Can you tell these have been folded up and tucked away for a while?



I added in a little fussy cut, green Alexander Henry owl -- I had to!



This makes three more finished! Just three more to go!!!



I did pick up a different project last night, so those three will have to wait just a little longer.

Do any of you remember this project? The link takes you back to July 2010, yup! When I began my very first attempt at quilting. Lets just say I was WAY too ambitious! Well, with all the thinking I did throughout January about these past two years of blogging and sewing, this project remains one of my very favorites. It needs to be finished! I'll show you where I'm at with it tomorrow!

Happy February 1st, friends!

Good Things : :

Sorry for my absence yesterday! I had every intention of getting this post together in time to share just before I left for my Dr's appointment in Erie, but it turned out to be one of those mornings. You know the kind, where you feel yourself rushing around and moving in slow-motion all at the same time. Today, well I am feeling a little bummed about yesterday, so it turns out that it's great that I have this post full of good, stitchy things that are making me happy right now!

After my last Bottled Ranbows Quilt post, I've spent quite a bit of time thinking about how I'm going to finish off this quilt. It's been up in the air for me, going back and forth between adding some dark with grey sashing and quilting thread or keeping it light? I think either option would make me happy, but then I saw Angela's photo of this wonderful, colorful bunting fabric come through flickr and I knew that it would be the perfect fabric to finish off this quilt of mine. It arrived Saturday from Cotton Blossom Farm and I love it!



Here's the newest member of my BRQ family -- My Pink Flower Dance quilt block.



Realizing I am getting close to finishing this quilt, I think I only have four blocks to go, I decided to stash some new pretty solids. Possibly for a new quilt, but mostly just to have handy. I love seeing that stack of solids on the shelf! This is the Blogger Bundle from Pink Castle Fabrics.



This past weekend all of my sewing time, and then some, was spent making more Birthday Crowns. I think there are eleven here! I am expecting a HUGE wholesale delivery of new wool blend felt any day now and I can't wait to begin all the making! This Friday I am also planning an exciting new giveaway for a lovely stack of felt, along with a chance to win Betz White's new Fab Felt Holiday workshop, so be sure to stop back for that!!!



Today, I plan to take an easy and finally finish off a winter scarf for me!! This one has been on the needles long enough!



Happy stitching, friends!

Tuesday Inspiration : :

Black + White + Color

* Rainbow Patchwork Circle * Bedspread * Black and Color Frames * Patchwork Dress * Fiesta * Kei Honeycomb Dots * Methuen1964a * Pattern * Rainbow Brick * Patchwork Pouch 

* A Pretty Perch * Patchwork Pincushion * Color Wheel Quilt Bundle * 

* or Pinterest *

Lately I have been admiring the combination of a rainbow of color with black, and have been noticing it everywhere! I love the way bright colors look with black! How about you?



Late Saturday night after I finished up a few orders, I had some fun piecing together a stack of these patchwork stars. After making the Dresdens for my Mom's pillow, Daisy Janie's Quilt Market booth, and the little half for Haila's Little Red costume, I had been wanting to make more in different shapes, larger pieces, that would come together quicker. I cut a large triangle from a piece of scrap cardboard, started tracing, and cutting into a stack fabrics with black + white + color in mind. I really like the shape it made.

This one I added to some Moda Cross Weave in Wasabi to make a new pillow cover for my BF. The others I am hoping to make into my next quilt.



Again, I noticed a rainbow of color with black in this photo I snapped before wrapping up the orders I shipped out yesterday.



Today, I am wondering what a black or maybe even just a dark grey shade of sashing would like in-between all the colors that make up my Bottled Rainbow Quilt blocks? I realized only yesterday that because of how I have created a design within each block, that I can't have them facing any other way but this way? Which turns out to be different than every finished Bottled Rainbows quilt that I have seen so far.



I have one more row of blocks to finish and then I'll need to figure out how I am going to piece the quilt top together. Got any ideas? What do you think of adding a black or dark grey sashing?

Thank you in advance for your help! I'll be adding this post to this weeks Our Creative Space.
:) Maureen