VW Bug Love

I finished my VW Bug last week, but forgot to post about it. I have been picking and choosing certain Snapshots blocks from the Fat Quarter Shop's BOM to make as mini quilts for my sewing room. Since my first car was a red 1970 VW Beetle, I was definitely making this Gone Surfin' block. I grew up in southern California and did a little surfing too. In fact, I think my surfboard is still in my best friend's dad's garage. I traded the surfboard with him for some George Michael concert tickets when I was 16 and he was having his mid-life crisis that involved attaching a surfboard on top of his Porsche and going surfing a couple of times.

I have machine quilted all my Snapshots blocks with a one inch cross hatch on both diagonals and bound them in red.

I have been labeling then in the corner hanger. The backing is from the bargain bin at my LQS and is an organic cotton with turquoise.

 It is Sunday, so that means I am spending a little time with my Cottage Garden wool felt appliqué project for Slow Sunday Stitching 

http://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2015/10/slow-sunday-stitching_25.html

 This is the next block I have prepped for stitching. The blocks are only 5 inches and this is number 6 of 18. My time spent on handwork usually increases as it gets colder. We had our first frost on Friday night which is pretty late for us. My hubby picked all the tomatoes yesterday and I roasted 4 cookie sheets worth this morning. The Broncos are not playing this weekend, but watching NFL Red Zone is on my agenda for the afternoon. Enjoy your week!

Apple-licious Quilt

With fall finally in the air, I finished this Apple-licious Quilt up yesterday, but because of all the rain I did not get a picture of it until now. The design is from Lori Holt's book, Quilty Fun. 

I will be teaching the blocks in the book as a BOM starting in January, so I am trying to make some of the quilts featured in the book. I made the apples at our retreat in July, but did not get around to quilting it until Saturday.

 I love all the bright and happy colors. I quilted it cross hatch style about an inch apart on both diagonals. It shrunk up quite a bit and measures 31 x 43 inches.

 I bought a large red gingham from the $5 flat folds at the fabric store a few weeks ago and used it for the backing. The red gingham makes it feel very country and cheerful. I am going to start piecing my Farm Girl Vintage blocks this week. What are you up to?

FNSI October 2015

 Last night was Friday Night Sew In (FNSI)

http://sugarlane-designs.com/2015/10/holidays-and-fnsi-sign-ups.html 

and I was lucky to sew all day and night. We had the day off from school because of parent/teacher conferences and the 12 hour days we worked on Wednesday and Thursday. I pinned, quilted, and bound Mr. Bones here. My sister pieced him at our retreat in July and sent him to me to quilt in trade for some pink fat quarters. 

 She sent this funny batty backing. I had to piece the backing lengthwise because it is a directional print. Mr Bones measures 49 x 69 inches and is going to an 11 year old boy.

 I quilted it vertically with an organic stitch about 1.5 inches apart on my Pfaff. I washed it up this morning and will send it with my parents when they go to visit them for Halloween.

On Thursday, the Fat Quarter Shop posted their new Snapshots Quilt Along Block, Gone Surfin'.

http://fatquartershop.blogspot.com/2015/10/snapshots-quilt-along-gone-surfin.html

 This is the block I have been waiting for all year! My first car was a 1970 VW Bug and it was red. I also dabbled in surfing, so I could not wait to make this. I pieced it and quilted it this morning. I will save the binding for tomorrow's Slow Sunday Stitching

http://kathysquilts.blogspot.com

I have Monday off of work too and we are expecting rain, so this will be a good weekend for quilting!

Dog Gone Cute Blog Hop

Welcome to Tanya Quilts in CO! I was so excited when Lorna announced the Dog Gone Cute Quilt Along. I am a huge dog lover! As I started to contemplate how to design my version of the Dog Gone Cute Quilt, I decided I wanted to honor the dogs of my life. I started looking through old pictures and reminiscing about the dogs who have touched my life.  This is my tribute to those amazing canines.

 Here is the backing. It is a cheerful turquoise floral and I machine quilted along the black sashing and around each dog's face. I wanted it to look like class pictures.

 I am calling this quilt, "The Dogs of My Life." Let me introduce you to my four legged friends.

Charlie was the beagle-doxie mix my parents had when I was born and was always present in my childhood. She lived a very long life and devoured M&Ms nightly with my dad.

 Beau was an adult red dachshund we adopted when I was about 13 and I had him until I was in college and my parents downsized and found him a new home.

Dudley came with Beau and he was a chocolate and tan dachshund. They were such a hoot together.

Willie was actually my sister's dog and he was a beagle and lab mix that she convinced my parents we needed. What was one more?

 When I met my hubby, he had three dogs! I think his dogs were one of the reasons I fell for him. Panda was an Australian Shepherd mix.

Babe was a German Shepherd mix. The ears aren't quite right for a shepherd, but the soulful eyes are.

 He also had Humpy, a fantastically sweet pit bull. She died fairly young of Hodgkin's.

 Melody was another pit bull that my mom rescued and brought to us. She was meant to be our dog and we enjoyed her for 10 wonderful years.

Dora was our chocolate lab and boxer mix that we had to put down in May. Now that she is gone, I realize how vocal she was in our pack.

 Lola was our first dog we got in Colorado. She is a border collie and black lab mix we got at the rodeo over 10 years ago. She is suffering from cancer right now, but holding her own.

 Bella is our vizsla and Australian Shepherd mix we adopted from one of my students. She is five years old and finally starting to mature.

And last but certainly not least, is Fergie, our new puppy. She is a cattle dog and miniature border collie mix.

It has been so much fun to recreate my dogs in fabric for this quilt! I hand embroidered each of their names and enjoyed designing them. Now that I have recreated the dogs from my life, I think I want to play with some fabrics and make a whimsical version.

Be sure to visit all the blogs on the Dog Gone Cute Blog Hop listed below.

Thank you Lorna for allowing me to participate!

Tuesday, October 6

Karen of Run Sew Fun

Kris of Kris Loves Fabric

Anja of Anja Quilts

Kelly of Quilting it Out

Tish of Tish’s Adventures in Wonderland

Thursday, October 8

Carol of Just Let Me Quilt

Nina of Inchworming

Doris of The Quilting Queen Online

Brandy of Pampered Pettit

Leena of Creative Instincts

Tuesday, October 13

Ruth of Charly and Ben’s Crafty Corner

Tanya of Tanya Quilts in Colorado

Laurel of Quilts by Laurel

Kathy of Kathy’s Quilting Blog

Deb of New Creative State

Thursday, October 15

Anita of Daydreams of Quilts

Gina of Quilts and Cakes

Beth of Words & Stitches

Rachel of Quiltineering

Julie of Mack and Mable

Tuesday, October 20

Cathy of A Quilting Chick

Selina of Selina Quilts

Shauna of Shauna’s World

Gayle of Pedal Sew Lightly

Kathy of Kayak Quilting

Thursday, October 22

Sandy of Upstairs Hobby Room

Heide of Heide’s Quilty Hugs

Britt-Inger of Hill Valley Quilter

Judy of How ART You?

Louisa of Sewmotion

Tuesday, October 27
Teje of Nero’s Patch and Post

Stephanie of Jak and Will

Valerie of Val’s Quilting Studio

Ellen of Georgia Florida Studio

Cristina of Pretty Little Quilts

Thursday, October 29

Abigail of Cut & Alter

Magdalena of iloveneutrals

Jenn of A Quarter Inch from the Edge

Anne of Batiks by the Bay

Susie of Susie's Sunroom

Tracy of Tracy’s Bits N Pieces

Slow & Fast Sunday

 Happy Sunday! I am hand embroidering my Dog Gone Cute quilt for Slow Sunday Stitching. See what everyone else is working on here http://www.kathysquilts.blogspot.ca

As soon as I finish up, I am going to machine quilt it and hand bind it. The whole project will be featured on my blog on Tuesday for the Dog Gone Cute Blog Hop. You can find more information about that here http://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.com/p/dog-gone-cute.html

I tried to get a picture of all three dogs together, but instead I had to settle for a picture of Lola and Fergie sharing a bed. I was disturbing their morning nap. Have a great Sunday!

Farm Girl Vintage Blocks Done!

 So I got behind on the Farm Girl Vintage Sew Along blocks, so I finally bit the bullet and got caught back up. Here are the Pinwheels Block, the Postage Stamp Block, the Scrappy Maple Leaf Block, and the Scrappy Strawberry Block.

 Last night for Friday Night with Friends (FNwF), I worked on these blocks. See what everyone else did all over the world http://stitchingcubbyhole.blogspot.com/2015/09/fnwf.html

This is the Simple Star Block, the Spring Star Block, the Summer Star Block, and the Sunday Morning Block.

 Today, I made these-- the Sunny Sunflower Block, the Tumbleweed Block,

the Water Turn Block, and the Welcome Block.

These were the final two blocks featured yesterday, the Winter Star Block and the Woolly Sheep Block. I need to embroider the legs on the sheep and its eyes. Lori Holt's blog said that the Farm Girl Vintage Sew Along will be continuing. I am not sure how I am going to set all 45 blocks yet, but they are DONE!

I made the Lori Holt Bee in my Bonnet Row Along a couple of years ago and still have not finished it up. I am scheduled to teach it next year as a BOM for our local fabric store, so my top is hanging in the store. I probably should finish it up before I worry about these blocks...

 I have not done much handwork lately, but I did finish this wool felt block up

 and started on this one for the Cottage Garden quilt I have been working on. I feel the need to slow down, so I plan on continuing to work on this tomorrow for Slow Sunday Stitching http://kathysquilts.blogspot.com while I watch a full day of football.

I have also been working on my Dog Gone Cute quilt, but I am saving that to reveal on Tuesday, October 13th when my blog is part of the blog hop. Don't worry though Fergie will be included!