Sew On The Go by Michelle Renee Hiatt

Diary of a Quilter is a really cute blog. I've added it to my blog roll.  http://www.diaryofaquilter.com/ The author is Amy Smart.  She is a 30 something wife, mom and quilter.  She felt like a granny telling people that she was a sewer/quilter until she entered blogland.  Where she found hundreds of quilters of all ages. She publishes her progress on several project.  Her scrappy quilt block jumped at me with all our "scrap" conversations.  Additionally she has her own Etsy store and publishes Quilt Patterns.  This one is really cute and simple.  So Cute! Check it out.

With my first Stashbuster complete, I decided to make Amanda Murphy's Garden Path for my next Stashbuster.  I love the patten and I think makes great use of Stash. I love Amanda's patterns, you should check them out.  http://www.amandamurphydesign.com/patterns.asp The patterns themselves are awesome.  They have great instructions, awesome graphics, full-color booklet, and it really makes you feel like it was worth your $10. Now, onto the actually pattern.... it really is great for a Stashbuster since it uses common "stash" purchases.  I'm always picking up Jelly Rolls, Border fabric, Brights and of late.. background fabric.  Buying background fabric is something really new for me.  It was something I was lacking in my Stash before.   So, now when I see a great background fabric on sale, I pick it up.  Note, some stores will actually give you a discount if you purchase the whole bolt of background fabric....

2012 Stash Buster #1 Complete! My Quilt Group did a group mystery.  I used all stash -which felt great. I followed the pattern with the exception of adding a small inner border (white dot) to float the center.  I like it.  I don't know what I'm going to do with it yet.  I fell in love with the bordor fabric when a quilt friend used the border fabric in a table runner the summer before last.  When I went to purchase  the fabric, the only way I could get it was if I purchased a kit.  Since it was a "must have", I had to purchase it...  that was 2 years ago.  I never took it out of the packaging  (horrible, I know).  However, when I was trying to find fabric to make the mystery, from stash, I thought of it....  Tada... I completed my first Stash Buster of the year!  11 more to go to meet my goal. I still need to quilt it, but love it.

Sew Many Ways' blog - Tool Time Tuesday highlighted the true "Fabric Filing System". I could totally see this working for your medium pieces of fabric.  You could easily move them around.... pretty cool.  She makes a statement in her post; " I think my hobby really is organizing my supplies and not doing anything with them!!! LOL".  I can totally relate on some days. Karen really comes up with some great ideas.  Check it out: http://sewmanyways.blogspot.com/ Sew Many Ways' blog has also been previously spotlighted and is on my blog roll.

Since I mentioned Jacquie from Tallgrass Prairie Studios in my Modern Quilt Description, I thought it would be a good idea to spotlight her blog:  http://tallgrassprairiestudio.blogspot.com/ .  Her most recent post is on her ski trip but prior she focuses on Quilting.  Plus, the trials and tribulations of life.  She made a really cool color wheel quilt.  I really like it and think it would be cool to make.  Check it out.  Let me know what you think

What type of quilter are you? I think that most quilters often find themselves at odds as to what constitutes their own primary style or focus. Do you see yourself as primarily a traditional quilter, modern or liberated quilter, or perhaps as an artist or art quilter? I've discovered that stating one's opinion on what type of quilter they are can often lead to active discussions...even some disagreements...as each of us views ourselves, and others, differently than we do ourselves. So, I worked out some potential descriptive categories for "What Type of Quilter Are You?" Traditional Quilter: You love the history of quilting and the patterns created and carried down through time by our pioneer ancestors and forebears. You tend to use pattern and love the look of traditional quilting above all other forms. Making a "Dear Jane' quilt once in your life is a goal of dedication, perseverance and the love of history,craft, and art form combined. But you might...

My Blog spotlight is on a home decorator, I know she isn't a quilter, but she is a sewer, and she has such wonderful ideas.  One of the Pennington customers mentioned her site/blog and I had to check it out for myself.  She has taken new "drop cloths" (yes those things you use when you paint), washed them and made Chair covers, sofa slip covers, etc. Some of her items have been featured on HGTV. She decribes herself and her craft: "Mustard Seed Interiors is my antiques and home decor business located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. I have always loved decorating my own home and the homes of friends and family. Over the past ten years, I have transformed blank walls, thrift store finds, and hand-me-down furniture with a little paint and creativity. In 2008, that hobby became Mustard Seed Interiors. In addition to authoring this blog, I am a freelance writer for HGTV.com, a contributor to Cottages & Bungalows magazine and sell my finds and creations at The Old ...

Found a pretty cool app for the Smart Photos, it is call Stitcher's Help.  It allows you to store your projects, shopping list for those projects, pattern info, etc.  Plus it has a several quilt calulators.  It was create by a quilter's husband.  It does cost $.99 but it has several features that the free applications do not have.  The developer states: A tool for helping all sorts of crafters track their stitching, quilting, knitting, cross-stitching, embroidery projects and quilt projects! Use calculators, attach images and calculations to projects, track a shopping list: All on your phone! Current features: Several calculators for calculating yardage, cost, or some other measurement. Send me an email at opedog@gmail.com and suggest more! Project tracking. Mark your project as "In Progress", "On Hold", or "Completed". Attach pictures to projects Attach project items to projects. These can be either any of the below calculators with ...

Swoon update; I ended up having to take break from Swoon #1 and complete Swoon #2.  Here it is, I love it. I know it is quite the Blog sensation, have any of you started one?

Happy New Year! I know this topic isn't a surprise, but I figured it is timely. Did you make any resolutions this year? Or set any goals? They are probably one in the same, but I guess I feel that we give up on resolutions once we "fall off". Whereas goals, I think we usually continue to strive for them. Maybe I'm crazy. So, this year I set 6 sewing goals; To keep my sewing space a creative space, and not let it get bogged down, messy, etc. I find when the space is a mess, I tend to avoid it. So, I spent yesterday straighten it up. So far, so good. To make more time for myself to sew. I want to shoot for 8 hours a week. It doesn't have to all be together, but I need to spend more time sewing. It helps me and I need to remember I'm worth it. To complete 6 PIPs (Project in Progress). To complete 6 Stash Buster Projects from stash only (might have to swap a piece or two). I'm going to shop at Michelle's first. I really have som...