Archive for October, 2010

Mistletoe Make & Bake Holiday Blog Hop

Thursday, October 28th, 2010

I’m thrilled to be participating with a dozen other makers & bakers in the Mistletoe Make & Bake Blog Hop. There will be a new designer project featured each day, and dozens of scrumptious cookie recipes just in time for your holiday baking and gift-giving! There will be daily prizes and a Grand Prize drawing. You’ll want to be sure to leave a comment on each designer’s blog on their featured day to be eligible for their prize giveaway.

Here’s the line up…make sure to bookmark each blog so you don’t miss a thing!

November 15
Sherri Falls – This & That

November 16
Heidi Kaisand – Hen and Chicks
Monique Dillard – Open Gate Quilts

November 17
Celine Perkins – Perkins Dry Goods
Patrick Lose – The Latest News from Patrick Lose
Kelly Ann Richardson - Kelly Ann’s Quilting

November 18
Lissa Alexander – Moda Lissa
Julie Stewart – Quilts4Julie

November 19
Roseann Kermes – Rosebud’s Cottage
Brenda Riddle – Little Acorns

November 20
Vickie Eapen – Spun Sugar Quilts
Melisa Morrison – Sweet Home Quilt Co.

On the seventh day, we’ll be resting (and eating cookies!)

Mark your calendar, and help us spread the word by sharing the details on your blog, Twitter, and Facebook. We don’t want anyone to miss the holiday fun we’re cooking up for you!


(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Wednesday, October 27th, 2010

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GO VOTE!

Wordless Wednesday

Wednesday, October 20th, 2010

Round Robin Fun

Saturday, October 16th, 2010

Doli brought these amazing quilts to share with us, and as luck would have it I wasn’t at the shop the day she came by. She’s promised to bring them all back once she has them quilted, though, so hopefully I’ll get to see them up close and personal. Mellie took pictures of the completed tops, but she says the pictures in no way capture the beauty of these quilts.

This was a family affair…Doli, her mother and her sister did a Round Robin together. They all started with the same center block and used the same fabrics, passing the quilts around to each other for the addition of borders of their choosing. Each quilt is similar yet amazingly different!

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Love the dragonfly and the outside border treatment on this version!

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Can you see the frogs peeking out? These were printed on fabric and appliqued to the top…the one on the top left is my favorite…peeking around the edge of the border!

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Another favorite detail…the intertwined border…

What a fun family project! I can’t wait to see the quilting detail to be added!

Melisa

Wordless Wednesday

Wednesday, October 13th, 2010

bed

Observations from a Neighborhood Walk

Sunday, October 10th, 2010

After a week of long hours spent in front of my computer and my sewing machine, I was desperate for some exercise and fresh air this morning. So I donned my walking shoes and grabbed my camera and off I went. We don’t live in a subdivision, but our lot is surrounded on two sides by a subdivision that is great for walking…not much traffic and hilly terrain that gives a good workout. I love walking in the early morning this time of year…there is something really invigorating about the cooler temperatures and bright, clear air that clears my mind and refreshes my outlook. It is a treat to slow down and really ‘see’ my surroundings…

IMG_1460Eerie morning fog rising off the low-lying areas in a neighbor’s yard.

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It is difficult to see in this picture, but the morning dew shimmered like diamonds on the taller grasses along the side of the street.

My morning walk probably disturbed a lot of the neighbors, innocently enough…especially those with dogs in their backyards who really raised a ruckus with their barking as I passed by on the street. Now I know which houses have the dogs that we hear occasionally from our back deck!

IMG_1463Interesting Halloween display…odd that this was the only sign of Halloween that I saw along my walk. When my kids were small we always decorated in a big way for Halloween, but I guess maybe a lot of people don’t do that any more?

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This is the beginning of the little creek that runs through our property…a bare trickle of water this time of year…but what caught my attention was the lone bright blue Morning Glory blossom peeking out of the dense foliage.

I take along a garbage bag on my walks and pick up trash as I go along…unfortunately, there is plenty of it to be picked up…why do people think it is ok to just throw their garbage out on the roadside? But today this really caught my attention…

IMG_1468 A sealed envelope…and I could tell there was something inside, but what really caught my attention was the address on the envelope…Atlanta 15, Georgia? No zip code…it reminded me of the old-timey telephone numbers that you hear on old movies. I didn’t take time to open the envelope until I got back home…this is what was inside…

IMG_1466 Little squares and rectangles cut from green paper, no writing or markings, just the paper pieces. I tried to imagine what they were for, but nothing came to mind. Just a quirky find…I did a quick Google search on the company name and address on the envelope out of curiosity, but no hits. I’ll try to do a more thorough search the next time I go to the library…I love digging through the newspaper archives! I just wonder how long it has been since addresses were written in this format?

The weirdest thing on my walk this morning was actually something I heard, followed by the totally unexpected. As I walked along the main street back to our house, I heard a vehicle approaching…I think ‘felt’ would be more like it…very loud, booming rap music so I was definitely not expecting what came around the curve…a family mini van, all the windows open, loud rap music booming, being driven by a middle-aged man! HUH? I just had to laugh…

Hope you had a refreshing day today!

Melisa

Last Bit of Show & Tell Catch Up

Sunday, October 10th, 2010

I think this will catch me up on show and tell…enjoy!

Crystal_StrawberryPie Crystal’s Quilt of Many Colors, her first quilt from our beginner’s class. The pattern is Strawberry Pie by Silver Thimble Quilt Co.

Terry_1st Quilt Terry’s version of Strawberry Pie, also her first quilt from our beginner’s class.

Louise_Twister Tote Louise shared a tote bag she made for her daughter, Kelly, using the Lil’ Twister tool. Kelly works with 911 Services and Louise used firefighter themed prints in the design.

Sarah_Batik Twister Last but certainly not least is Sarah’s fabulous batik Twister quilt (she used the large size Twister tool). Absolutely stunning!

Melisa

More Show & Tell

Saturday, October 9th, 2010

I’ve been archiving pictures for the last few days to free up space on my computer’s hard drive, and I came across some customer show and tell photos that I don’t think I’ve shared before. I’m ashamed to say that some of these are months old, and I apologize…I just don’t always get around to posting everything…mea culpa! Enjoy the show now even though it is way after the fact!

Allison's Quilt Kris’ daughter, Allison, made this quilt for her boyfriend. She wanted Mike in the picture because he helped pick out the fabrics…it is definitely a ‘guy’ quilt!

Carolyn_Carpenters Star Carolyn’s Carpenters Star…that border fabric is an all-time favorite!

Gail_Stars Gail shared her star quilt with us the last time she was in town visiting her friend, Peggy. I love the intricate look of this quilt that is so simple to achieve with this layout!

IMG_1075 Sandy shared her version of the One Block Wonder…she created a very dramatic setting to highlight the kaleidoscope blocks individually.

Ruthanne_Beyond Basics Ruthanne shared her Underground Railroad Sampler from our Beyond the Basics class…piecing perfection!

More to come…I want to be sure these wonderful projects get the viewing they deserve! Better late than never…

Melisa

Customer Show & Tell

Friday, October 8th, 2010

Bea stopped by a few days ago to share a few quilts she had finished recently…she’s been very prolific lately! These were all quilted by Judy Lockhart who does beautiful longarm quilting as well as being a talented quilter in her own right!

 

Bea_54-40 Fight 54-40 or Fight is one of my all time favorite patterns. Bea had just picked this one up and needed binding…we settled on a really dark green. The stained glass print used in the border is stunning. Bea knows how to ‘make do’ when she has to…she used two shades of green in the quilt and when she ran short of one, she simply turned the other over and used the back side…you had to look very very closely to see the difference!

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Love the simple beauty of the Angel quilt…the quilting motif was stars if I remember correctly.

Bea_Applique Baskets

Bea’s talents as a quilt maker are never more evident than in her beautiful applique quilts. She has a wonderful eye for color and pattern…I think this was a guild BOM from last year.

Bea_Halloween Quilt Bea put together this fun fall quilt using block motifs from several different sources with a fun end result!

Melisa

Halloween Fun

Thursday, October 7th, 2010

Halloween is right around the corner, but there’s still time to whip up these fun little wall hangings…just 10” x 24” finished. A touch of wool adds fun dimension to these projects, or you could substitute cotton fabrics if you prefer. These would be so adorable on a door! Kit includes wool, fabric & buttons for the top, binding and backing…just $23.99 each (click on image to purchase).

GhostStoriesKit WitchHazelKit

                        Ghost Stories                      Witch Hazel