Arcadia Avenue Update

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I have completed quilting 4 blocks of the Arcadia Avenue quilt. Some of them have been easy to quilt but some are taking longer than expected. Most of this block was just stitched in the ditch. I stitched a few diamonds in the very center. 

Here's a closeup of the black diamonds in the same block.

I finally finished this block when I changed my thread to black. Here's a close up!

Even though the thread is black, it looks almost gray on this fabric. There are so many blacks that it's difficult to match them up perfectly.

I think I've posted this one before. I stitched around the entire block which really makes a difference! It lays so much flatter!

I tried to stitch a spiral in the middle of this block. There is so much bulk there that I just couldn't control my machine. I decided to just make a small spiral flower. Twelve fabrics meeting in the middle makes for a tough area to quilt!

That's it so far. I still have to decide how to quilt the large black diamonds on either side of these blocks. I'm down to 3 possible designs. Decisions, decisions!!

Scrappy Project Almost Done!

I'm done making all the blocks and have started to sew them together. I'm hoping to have this quilt top finished very soon! Not sure about the borders yet. I was going to add 2 borders but not sure anymore. I think I'll be sewing on one border. I feel the quilt is busy enough. I think a nice calming border would be best. I'll be auditioning a few fabrics to see what works best. 

I don't know about you but I don't want to see turkey again until next year. That's all I've been eating since Thursday. Already sick of it!! I don't mind the pumpkin pie though!! Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you and your loved ones a Happy Thanksgiving! I baked my pie and cake last night. Enjoying a nice quiet morning before we all overeat!

Enjoy your dinner and count your blessings! We all have much to be thankful for!

A Quiet Sunday Afternoon

It seems the winter weather has finally found us. I stayed in today and worked on a few projects while sitting on the couch. Due to the cold temperatures moving in, I started a knitting project. I couldn't resist this yarn. I bought it the Mancuso Quilt show this past summer. It's a fingering weight yarn whose color is jewel box. Isn't is so pretty?? I'm going to make a shawl. I could have made socks but I want this gorgeous yarn to be seen!

I'm also doing a little applique for Green Tea and Sweet Beans. I have all my stems ready. I use freezer paper to prepare my applique pieces. The leaves are all ready also but I have yet to choose the flower fabrics. I'll work on the greens first. 

I also worked on a little free motion quilting but didn't get very far. I think I really just wanted to sit on the couch and rest. My husband has a cold so we're sitting here enjoying our afternoon. 

Hope you had a nice weekend! Can't believe it's almost Thanksgiving! Time is flying!

Igloo and Connections

This is the second Igloo block I made for Jen Kingwell's Green Tea and Sweet Beans quilt. I should have made this block along with the other Igloo block needed for the quilt. However, I never even noticed that 2 blocks were needed! I guess I didn't pay attention! It was easy to catch up. Just had to make another block!

Here's my Tone It Down quilt hanging at the Connections Quilt Festival. I really enjoyed attending this show. There were 200 quilts to see and many vendors to keep us busy.

Farmgirl Vintage was also at the show. It was a great show and it was only the first year. My husband came with me on Saturday to pick up my quilts. He had never been to a quilt show. He walked around as they were taking down the quilts. Maybe I'll get him to go to more shows!! We did see someone's husband sleeping on one of the couches. We both had a good laugh when we saw him!

Connections Quilt Festival

Connections Quilt Festival began today and will continue for the next 2 days. As you can see, it takes place in Nashua, New Hampshire at the Holiday Inn. You can find their website here.

I plan on being there the next 2 days. I have 2 quilts in the show and can't wait to see them hanging! It should be a nice event. It looks like there are plenty of vendors as well as about 200 quilts to see. 

Hope some of you in the area will be able to attend! Maybe I'll see you there!!

Mystery Ride

Our guild sponsors a mystery ride twice a year. This past Saturday, we piled into the bus looking forward to a fun day of shopping!

Our first stop was The Victorian Cupboard and Sewing Studio in Methuen, Massachusetts.

This was such a cute shop! It wasn't a large shop but it had the nicest fabrics and accessories. I plan on visiting this shop again. 

We were greeted with coffee and pastries. I think everyone enjoyed our first stop.

Our second stop was the Hampstead Middle School in Hampstead, New Hampshire. They have an annual craft fair that has a huge following.

There were many different crafts represented at the fair. I'm always amazed at the ideas people come up with. Why don't I think of these things?! Lots of fun items!

We had a great lunch at the Atkinson Country Club in Atkinson, NH. Donald Trump made an appearance here the day before our mystery ride. 

Our last stop was Stitched in Stone in Kingston, NH. I was excited to see a store with yarn as well as fabric. 

This shop was loaded with fabric and patterns. There was quite a line at the cutting table. A lot of us bought fabric since we enjoyed a 10% discount.

By the end of the day, I was exhausted! I bought a few things and had fun hanging out with friends. These trips are always a fun time and this one was no exception.

My Scrappy Quilt

Here's my scrappy quilt so far! I had an idea for the middle diagonal but I'm not going to use it. Back to the drawing board for me! I like it so far. Just hope I can come up with a middle row that will complement the rest of the quilt.

Just another view of the blocks. I won't be able to work on this until next week sometime. So busy lately! I'll be going on the guild's mystery quilt ride tomorrow. These outings are such fun.  We all pile into a bus and have no idea where we're going! It's usually a few quilt shops and a nice lunch. I'll blog about it in a few days. 

Have a nice weekend!