I {heart} Floressence

This quilt came together almost exactly as I pictured in my mind.  Don't you just love when that happens!!


I pieced the quilt top at The Stash Bash in April... started Thursday evening and finished before dinner Friday. I'm probably one of the few people that enjoys the process of trimming half-square triangles, and at the retreat I was able to to borrow my buddy Safieh's Bloc_Loc rulers... Wow... Makes the process even better!  I need to get my hands on some of those rulers!


This quilt was my first finish on the HandiQuilter. LOVE!  Although I did finish the heart on my regular machine... I'm not thrilled with it (that part didn't come out as I pictures in my mind), but I can live with it, so I'm not ripping anything out.


Quilt Details:
Top Fabric: Floressence by Art Gallery and Moda Bella Solid
Backing and Binding Fabric: Essential Dots from Bloom & Grow by Riley Blake
Pattern: 5" (finished) Half-Square Triangles

I'm linking up with A Lovely Year of Finishes for May.

Project Life Week 21

May 19 - May 25

  Sunday: Fudge Pie right out of the oven for my brother's birthday lunch.  _________________________

    Monday: All quilted except for the heart (that's for another day)  _________________________

    Tuesday: I love poking around in this shop!  _________________________

    Wednesday: Not even close to burning off the beer and pigs in a blanket from last night.  _________________________

    Thursday: Cleaning the sewing room I found this...  the info booklet from Methodist Sugar Land Hospital that I'm in (second from left).  _________________________

    Friday: Binding, champagne, and some TV... perfect ending to a long week.  _________________________

  Saturday: Back to speech therapy for Megan. This week's magic word is 'shovel'  _________________________

My New Toy

So what have I been up to lately? Oh, just playing with my new toy...


After a little bit of practice work, I loaded my first "official" top last week (it only took me the better part of an hour... can't wait for the day I can do it without having to stop/start the YouTube video!) And I finally quilted the top Monday night (a busy weekend kept me away from just about all things crafty!)

Looking forward to making my way through that giant pile of quilt tops I have stashed away in a corner!

Project Life Week 20

May 12 - May 18

  Sunday: Queen of the quilts.  _________________________

  Monday: I've got my evening plans sorted out.  _________________________

    Tuesday: Thread, fabric, do Good Stitches blocks and a care package from mom... Pretty good mail day!  _________________________

    Wednesday: Took the better part of an hour, but I loaded my first quilt onto the machine.  _________________________

    Thursday: Tooth Fairy is making a stop at our house tonight.  _________________________

    Friday: Bought this as a backing... now just need to plan a quilt for it.  _________________________

    Saturday: June/July issue of Mary Janes Farm magazine features a block made by HMQG member Mona.  _________________________

To Boston With Love

Once upon a time I wanted to be a runner, and on a whim I signed up to train for a marathon with Team in Training. What started that Saturday afternoon in a library meeting room brought me years of fun and some great friendships (along with lots of early morning runs, sore legs, and a few blisters.)

  Me & Mickey after I finished the Goofy Race & a Half Challenge in 2007
I've run some pretty amazing races, but running the Boston Marathon was never in my future... to run in Boston you need a 'qualifying' time, and I was always lucky to finish a race before the whole thing was shut down, never mind ever being fast enough to qualify for anything. And it broke my heart to see the aftermath of the bombs that went off at the Boston finish line. The finish line is such a magical place... all the hard work you've put into training... all the Saturday mornings you've been up at 4am just to get a long run in... and to cross over that finish line and see your friends, family (and total strangers) cheering you on is amazing!

When I saw that Vancouver MQG was putting together a banner of hand-crafted flags for the city of Boston, I knew I had to be a part of it. And These will be on their way to Boston today.


To Boston With Love... Tammy

Flag Details
Size: 6" x 8"
Fabric (front): Happy Go Lucky by Bonnie & Camille for Moda
Fabric (backing & ties): Flea Market Fancy by Denyse Schmidt for FreeSpirit
Pattern: A variation of this quilt

Project Life Week 19

May 5 - May 11

  Sunday: Not everyday you see a metal longhorn strapped in the back of a truck.  _________________________

    Monday: Hubby laughs at how I cool my pop tarts after toasting them.  _________________________

    Tuesday: Back at the gym today with my new toy.  _________________________

    Wednesday: Pay It Forward gift from Amanda arrived today!  _________________________

    Thursday: Flowers from my sweet little girl.  _________________________

    Friday: Muffins with Mom at school today.  _________________________

    Saturday: A couple of cute hearts.  _________________________

Giveaway Day Winner!!

I loved reading about everyone's Summer/Winter plans! Looks like y'all will be spending lots of time with family and at the pool/lake/beach this summer... Sounds perfect to me!

 And now for the winner...


Thanks to everyone for stopping by and sharing a little bit with me!

Giveaway Day!!

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day is here again!



If you're new here... Welcome! Here's a sample of my 2013 creations:




Now on to the giveaway... This time around I'm giving away 2 charm packs of the just-released Happy Go Lucky by Bonnie and Camille for Moda.

 
 
To enter: Leave me a comment about what fun plans you have for the upcoming summer (or winter for my Southern Hemisphere readers). I'm taking Megan to visit my mom in New Hampshire this summer... It will be fantastic to get away from the hot Texas summer for a few days!

As always, entry is open to U.S. and International readers.

Project Life Week 18

April 28 - May 4

  Sunday: Post-vacation grocery run made a little better with Buddy Bucks.  _________________________

    Monday: My least favorite part of coming back from vacation.  _________________________

  Tuesday: Limited myself to just one book at the Friends of the Library sale.  _________________________

    Wednesday: Came back from vacation with 5 coffee mugs!  _________________________

    Thursday: Packing for the HMQG retreat.  _________________________

  Friday: Spoils of today's fabric shopping.  _________________________

    Saturday: ...and done! Started at The Stash Bash in April; Finished at HMQG Retreat in May.  _________________________

A Lovely Year of Finishes - May Goal

There's still no shortage of projects to pick from for this month's A Lovely Year of Finishes goal. But I'm still so in love with the Florescence quilt I put together at The Stash Bash, so I think that NEEDS to be my May goal.

Fabric!!

I haven't done any sewing since The Stash Bash.


But that hasn't stopped an accumulation of new fabric! Guess I better buckle down at HMQG's annual retreat this weekend.