Thinking about the new year?

The turkey leftovers are gone, holiday shopping season has started, and the busy season is upon us!

It's time to start thinking about the new year!

In that spirit, we are taking the month of December off from Minis and More and we'll be back in January refreshed and ready to share some fun new ideas with you.

Take this time to enjoy family and friends and to squeeze in a little extra special sewing for yourself!

We're looking forward to what the new year will bring!

What are you anticipating in the new year?

Any special plans, goals, or thoughts, for yourself or your sewing?

Right now, let's get started with the Parade and I'll share some great projects with you that were sent in by our quilting friends.

This is Brenda's Merry Mini Quilt from the Fat Quarter Shop SAL.  The fabrics are by Holly Taylor from Moda Fabrics.  Brenda took this picture when she was traveling in the mountains.  I love to see that snow!  It's impressive that Brenda is traveling so much and still finding the time to quilt!  How do you do it Brenda?  Be sure to check out what Brenda is up to on her blog, The Quilting Nook.

Vicki's pillow is beautiful!  She made with a scrappy pillow tutorial by my Minis and More co-host Sherri McConnell from A Quilting Life.  The fabrics she used are from a fabric line called My Back Porch.  What a cute pillow!

Red and white is a great color combination for Hildy's pillow cover!  Hildy used the Star Drop pattern from The Pattern Basket with fabrics by Fig Tree Quilts, Gingiber, and April Rosenthal too.  This would be great for Christmas, Valentine's Day, or any time of the year!

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I'm so excited to include this Parade entry from Mary from the blog Needledmom!  Isn't this the cutest snowman?  Mary found this project hidden away in her stash when she was looking for another project to work on.  Just yesterday I was reminded of some Christmas pillow supplies that I had stashed away last year that I hope to make this year.  I guess if you look around in your sewing room you never know what will pop up!  I'm so glad Mary made her snowman project and shared it with us!  You can read more about it in her recent post. 

We're so glad you were here for the Parade today and we'll be back in 2020!

Parade Day

Hello!  It's Parade Day!

It's that crazy time of year when I'm tempted to get out my Christmas decorations because I see so much Christmas decor out in the stores.

I like decorating for Christmas so much, that I'm thinking about how I'd like the tree to be up for a long time.

On the other hand, I certainly don't want to skip Thanksgiving and take my fall things down yet.

Am I right?  Do you feel that way too? 

Where are you on the Christmas starts right after Halloween scale?

Right now, I've decided to hold off.

It's always possible I'll change my mind and pull that Christmas decor out of the attic and get started any day now.

Even if we aren't decking the halls yet, we can always discuss Christmas quilts!

As my cohost Sherri at A Quilting Life mentioned in her Parade post,  I don't think it's too late to make a Christmas quilt to display this year.

I've got at least one Christmas quilt top that I plan to quilt any day now,  and a few other Christmas projects in mind for this year.

Let's see what new Christmas minis our quilting friends have been working on since we were here last month!

Brenda from The Quilting Nook made this sweet Christmas Jars Pattern from the The Pattern Basket.  The red background really says Christmas!

This is a brand new pattern from Camille Roskelley of Thimbleblossoms called Homebody.  Hildy made her's look so Christmasy by using festive fabrics!

Since we're discussing Christmas, her's a few Christmas quits from my collection.

Some of these go waaaay back!

It was fun to look back at my blog while I was searching for these.

I was surprised at some of the things that I've forgotten about over the years!

If you haven't looked at your 'posts from the past' in awhile you might want to do that and experience some fun memories!

This is a quilt that I put together by combining some different blocks by Carrie Nelson.

It's a Wrap Pattern from Pieces of My Heart.

This is Prairie Point Christmas.

Cozy Christmas from a 2002 Fons and Porter magazine.

 Mini Juniper by Fig Tree Quilts. It's now quilted, but I can't seem to find a picture of it since then.

And finally, two pictures of my Christmas version of Carrie Nelson's Lincoln Schnibble.  I liked the setting of the unquilted picture better, so I decided to throw it in the mix too!

I've got more Christmas quilts to share on another day!

Next time on the Minis and More Parade Day, we'll be showing.........'

-insert drum roll here-

............whatever you want!

Yes, that's right!  It will be free choice!

A perfect time to do that quilt that's been on your list for awhile or that gift you intend to make.

It's totally up to you!

It'll be a great Parade, so send in your pictures before the end of the November and join us!

Happy October!

October is here!

I have to say it's one of my favorite months of the year.

Things begin to cool down, the seasons change, and the holidays are right around the corner.

That brings me to the theme of next month's Minis and More Parade, which will be Christmas!

You can't have too much Christmas, so send pictures of what you are working on for Christmas to me or to Sherri before the end of October and we'll include your project in the Parade at the beginning of November.

I have a few Christmas UFO's I'm hoping to finish up this year.

I've got a Christmas quilt top that I need to quilt and some small Christmas trees leftover from a mini quit that I could make into something, maybe ornaments for our tree or a small tabletopper. 

I'd like to get those finished before I start something new, but you all know how that goes!

Some quits are just impossible to resist!

Today's Parade is all about Jelly Roll projects!

September 21st was declared National Jelly Roll Day by Moda Fabrics and they had all kinds of fun events going on at various quilt shops and online too.

It was a great time to break out your Jelly Roll collection and start a quilt!

Vicki was creative and found that Carrie Nelson's Roundabout pattern could be adapted for Jelly Roll strips.  Vicki used some leftover Sweet Blend strips by Laundry Basket Quilts that she had after making a large quilt to adapt this beautiful table runner from Carrie's pattern. 

  

Karen also used some Jelly Roll strips that she had leftover from another project for her creation this month.  She saw the pattern Cartwheel on the Moda BakeShop site, but she was unable to access the information for the pattern, so she created her own version of the quilt instead.  You all are so creative this month!  

Isn't it a great feeling to find a home for those extra Jelly Roll strips?

The Christmas quilt that I was talking about in the beginning of this post is comprised of extra Christmas Jelly Roll strips and Charm Squares that I've saved over the years and then put into one quilt. 

Most Christmas fabrics go together I've found, so you might want to consider following Vicki and Karen's lead for the next Parade if you don't have anything in mind yet, and dig through your scrap bins to create your Christmas project from scraps you have around.

That's not necessary of course, it's just an idea!

Enjoy your spiced pumpkin drinks, carving your pumpkins, and pulling out your warmer clothes this month and be sure to visit Sherri McConnell's blog, A Quilting Life to see the other half of today's Jelly Roll Parade!

Break out your Jelly Rolls!

Get your Jelly Rolls ready!

I'm going to jump right in this time and tell you about the project for next month's Parade because we're so excited about it!

It will be any project using a Jelly Roll!

Just send a picture of your Jelly Roll project to Sherri McConnell or to me before the end of the month to have your project featured in the Parade.

This quilt was made with the Lulu Jelly Roll Pattern that I tested a while back for Amber Johnson of Gigis Thimble.  It's all quilted and finished, but I can't seem to locate a picture of the finish at the moment....... 

When you think about it, using a Jelly Roll this month is really timely, because it coordinates with National Sew A Jelly Roll Day which is on Saturday, September 21. 

Moda fabrics hosts this fun day full of events with internet and social media fun, and you can even find events and patterns at some your local participating quilt shops.

Here's a handy link to Moda's blog where you can read more about it.

Of course, you don't have to sew anything on this day to participate in the Parade.  Its just a source for ideas if you need them and an additional way to have fun if you're interested.

A work in progress picture from a Jelly Roll Sew Along that I enjoyed years ago.

I've always intended on participating in National Sew A Jelly Roll Day, but honestly I've never given it enough thought in advance to get myself, my sewing machine, and my Jelly Roll coordinated and ready on that particular day.

So when Sherri suggested this as the project for the October Parade, I thought maybe this could be my year!

And like I said, even if that day won't work for you, no worries, we aren't looking for your photos until the end of the month so it's not a problem!

And to start out this month's Parade, we have Brenda! She made and also designed this wall hanging for Jacquelynne's August The Art of Home Club Collection.  Isn't it great!  Wow! I love it Brenda!  You can check out more of Brenda's creative projects on her blog The Quilting Nook.  Also, she's having her own fall quilts parade there so you might want to stop by and see it.

The next project is from Sue H. She pieced it from Splendid Mini Charms by Robin Pickens and did some big stitch quilting using #8 perle cotton.  This pillow pattern is called All Is Calm by Amy Sinibaldi.  Sue has been interested in making it for awhile and I can see why!  It's beautiful!

Find the rest of the Parade on Sherri's blog, A Quilting Life and I'll see you back here soon!

It's August!

Hello! 

It is again time for Minis and More!

You can find the entire Parade here on my blog today as Sherri is busy with some other quilty things!  She'll be back for the next Parade and you can always find her on her blog A Quilting Life.

Can you believe we're beginning August?

I sure can't.

I've been spending my time quilting this Bennington Schnibble, that I made back in 2012 and staying out of the heat.

My youngest son is in college, and here in Florida college kids usually go to school during the summer one year.

As far as we could tell, this was the best year for him to do that so, he's been away at school.

 I think that has a lot to do with why I feel like the summer has gone by so fast.

With him in school, it doesn't seem as much like summer and being that I'm a huge fan of fall I actually really don't mind summer going by too quickly!

And since we're talking about fall, let's talk about our Minis and More theme for the September Parade.

You guessed it!  It's fall!

Just send in a picture of your fall project to Sherri or to me and we'll be happy to put it in the next Parade.

Anything fall goes!

Maple Leaf Quilt Pattern by the Fat Quarter Shop, quilt by me.

Something with fall fabric, anything with falling leaves or pumpkins, whatever speaks fall to you.

I've got a quilt planned that I'm hoping to get started on soon, and that will be my fall project.  

Yesterday in Target, I saw some Mrs. Meyer's cleaner with an apple cider scent.  I looked it up and it seems that they have an acorn spice scent too.

 I'm not really sure what acorn spice would smell like, but I'm thinking I'll have to pick some of it up the next time I'm there to bring in fall a little early. 

Endless Summer Mini Pattern by Sherri McConnell, quilt by me.

Maybe I'll just ignore the 96 degree temperatures and all of that lovely humidity, spray some of that cleaner around the room, hope it cleans by itself hahah, and break out the fabric for the fall quilt that I was just talking about.

What do you think?

Sounds like the perfect activity for a hot summer day to me!

This post is turning out to be a mishmash of different seasons as we continue on to our Parade of projects today and these cookies fit in perfectly.

You could have made them on the Fourth Of July as I have before, or in the fall before a football game and fire pit party, and I don't see why they couldn't fit in as Christmas cookies too!

Gooey S'mores Cookie Recipe from Kevin and Amanda

I've made them several times and each time they're a hit!

I use the cinnamon graham crackers to add a little sweetness like Amanda recommends and I'd also like to add that I play around a little with the placement of the mini marshmallows, so more of them are on the top of the cookie than on the bottom.  That way they don't ooze out too much. Amanda uses the really, really, really tiny marshmallows, but I can't always find them.

Now that you've grabbed a cookie, let's get the Christmas Parade started.

Brenda made The Fat Quarter Shop's Charm Pack Christmas Tree Skirt with Layer Cake pieces from Bonnie and Camille's Vintage Holiday fabric.  Isn't her quilting awesome?  I love it!  To read more about it and to see what else Brenda has been up to be sure to visit her blog The Quilting Nook.

Hildy also used Bonnie and Camille fabrics in her holiday pillow.  Creative as always, Hildy based her pillow on an Emily Dennis Quilt Star pattern.  What a nice photo!   And I love how the middle fabric is cut to let the ornaments shine!

I took some of these trees that were left over from a Mini Juniper quilt that I made (the quilt pattern was from Fig Tree Quilts)  and I whipped up a few quick ornaments from them, so I'm ready to go with a few little gifts if I need them!

Don't forget to send in your fall project pictures before the end of the month.

 We'd love to have you here!



   

Merry July!

Now that the sparklers and the fireworks are gone, it's time to think about what's up next and that would be Christmas in July!

If you can see past the hot weather and break out the Christmas fabric and supplies, July is a great time to get a head start on all things Christmas!

I was wondering the other day when we'd see the first pumpkin spice item hit the shelves and even if we'd see pumpkin spice sparkling water in the form of a pumpkin spice Bubly this year.

I'm not sure if you'll find me partaking in that, but it would be interesting that's for sure!

As far as the Minis and More Parade goes, we are skipping the pumpkins for now and heading straight for Christmas with our next Minis and More theme and we hope you'll join us.

So, before the end of the month if you'd like to participate, send an email with a photograph of your Christmas in July project to either my friend Sherri McConnell at A Quilting Life or to me, and we'll see you in the next Parade.

I'm going to be baking some Christmas cookies and watching the Hallmark Christmas movie marathons in July while I sew! 

You might pick up a few gift or quilt ideas from the Parade to give to friends and family, or to put on your own Christmas list this year.

It will be a fun exchange of holiday themed projects!

Since we're on the subject of giving, that brings me to the theme of today's Parade, which is small gifts.

Any kind of small gift qualifies!

Here's mine! It's a popsicle mini quilt that I just finished up for a friend.

I used the Mini Popsicles Table Runner Pattern from Fig Tree & Co and I just stacked my popsicle blocks to make a mini quilt out of it.  The fabrics I used for the popsicles are mostly from Sweetwater  and the low volume background fabrics are an assortment from my stash.
  

 I did the wavy quilting using rulers, which are now my go to staple for quilting just about anything! 

This adorable patriotic pincushion was made out of the Sweet Liberty Tuffets pattern by Sue!  She's giving it to her friend who lives in Cleveland for her birthday.  Sue is also gifting her the book Stars and Stripes Gathering by Lisa Bonjean, so Sue thought that the pincushion would be the perfect addition the the gift and I have to agree! 

I love this picture of the pincushion gift that Sue made along with some others.  Thanks so much for sharing your creation with us Sue!

There are more small gifts made by our Minis and More participants, so be sure to head over to see Sherri at A Quilting Life for the rest of the scoop!

And we'll see you back here in the beginning of August with a Christmas Parade! 

Hello June!

Hello and welcome to the June Parade of red, white and blue projects!

My sewing machine has been trapped under sheets of clear plastic due to our bathroom renovation, so I'm going to share a few of my favorite patriotic projects that I've made through the years, then I'll move on to some new projects made by our quilting friends!

This beauty is my Star Bright Mini.  The pattern is by Sherri McConnell.  I used a variety for fabrics out of my red, white and blue stash.  I keep a small bin of red, white and blue fabric scraps handy!

These are some patriotic pincushions that were on my list for awhile.  The pattern is Sweet Liberty Tuffets by Carrie Nelson.  This pattern is now out of print I believe, and Carrie kindly shared the pattern few years back. You can find it by clicking here.

And speaking of Carrie Nelson, here is another patriotic project that I made from one of her patterns, Tagalong.  The fabric is called Bar Harbor, and since we lived in Maine at one time, you know I had to use that fabric somewhere! 

And now let's see what some other quilters have been up to!

Hildy used red, white and blue fabrics to make Camille Roskelley's Round and Round Mini.  It looks wonderful Hildy!  I love the cute photo!  The red flowers in the border really bring it all together.  Thanks for sharing it!

This original design was created by Vicki from Colorado.  How cute!  I like that she went out on her own and created something without a pattern.  I'd like to do more of that myself, but I always seem to find a pattern I want to make first.  Way to go Vicki! That light blue fabric is just adorable!

There are more quilts to see on Sherri's blog, A Quilting Life.  You can catch the other half of the Parade there!

Our July Parade will be all about small gift ideas!

Summer is a great time to get started on a few holiday gifts. 

Yes, we are halfway through the year, but don't panic you've got plenty of time and I'm sure you'll find a few additional great ideas after you see the July Parade!

There is no need to restrict your projects to just the holidays, of course.

There are plenty of other reasons to give small gifts.

Maybe a favor for a shower, a hostess gift for the Fourth of July, a small birthday gift for a friend, or a thank you treat for a kind neighbor.

Here are few links with some gift worthy projects that I've made in the past to get your creativity flowing!

A Sweet Summer Tote Bag

Phone-nominal Phone Pillows (My boys still love these and I use mine often.)

Cute Little Halloween Basket

A Spring Flower Pot Tablerunner

A Strappy Handbag

Simple Patchwork Bag

Novelty Pillowcases

It was fun to take a quick look back at some of the giftable (now I'm just making up words here) items I've made over the years.

I hope you've gotten some great ideas and you are able to enjoy some quiet sewing time to make a small gift or two to share with us for the July Parade!

Happy sewing!

May

Welcome to May!

I'm looking forward to a fun, busy month and I hope you are too!

The weather has been great here in Florida, we've been busy with our master bath remodel, and my college son is finishing up his first year away from home.

It's hard to believe the first half of 2019 is almost over!  Yikes!

I'd like to squeeze a little more sewing time in each day because it seems like the year is going by so quickly and there are so many projects that I'm interested in working on.

At the same time, I'm also trying to finish up some of my favorite UF'O's so I can get them out and use them.

I don't really like having unfinished projects around, but somehow that doesn't stop me from picking up another one before I've finished the last one.

That's habit I'd like to break! 

Hopefully,  I'll get in a few more finishes before the month is over and we're officially halfway done with the year

What are you interested in accomplishing before we reach the halfway point?

Well, I didn't mean to go in that direction when I started typing but that's just what came out. 

 Sometimes its just fun to chat with you about what's on my mind for a minute before we start the Parade.

Flowers are what we should be talking about today, because that is the theme of today's Parade!

Half of the Parade is here on my blog, and you can see the other half on my friend Sherri's blog,  A Quilting Life.

Be sure to go over there and see what Sherri's up to.

She always has the most inspiring and informative posts!

Here is the first Parade entry from Vicki in Colorado.

She used a free pattern called Bay Breeze and she was kind enough to include a link to the pattern that you can find here.  The flowery fabric she used is from one of her favorite lines Coney Island, by Fig Tree Quilts.  It's a favorite of mine too! Vicki says she's working on the quilting today.  When she pieced the quilt Vicki used Sherri's 'Best Tips For Mini Quilts' and and she was really pleased with how it went.  It looks great Vicki!

Janice submitted the next picture for today's Parade.

She made this table runner after being inspired by a wall hanging made by Taunja Kelvington of Carried Away Quilting. She has some really cute flowery fabrics in there and I just love that bunny she has on display too. I wonder if she used a template for cutting or just her ruler?  (Edited to add:  Janice was kind enough to contact me and let me know that she use the Marti Mitchell Tumbler Template to cut her blocks.  She says it has 8 sizes on it!  Thanks so much for letting me know Janice.)   That's a great shape and a really nice table runner!  Thanks so much for sharing with us Janice!         

I went way back in my blog and found a few of my favorite flower pictures to share with you.

These flowers are paper pieced and I made them for quilt that I entered in a local quilt show back in 2007.

I remember when I got the phone call and I learned that won first place!

No doubt, they are some of my favorite flowers ever, so I thought it would be appropriate to pull them out and share them with you in the flower Parade today.

I remember having my doubts about that black background, but I'm glad I went with it.

It really made the flowers pop!

When we have the Parade at the beginning of June, we'll be focused on everything that's

Red, White, and Blue!

That way, you can have some new decorations ready for Memorial Day and the Fourth of July too!

Send a picture of your project for the next Parade to me, or to Sherri, and we'll put it in the next Parade.

We always welcome photos from new and old friends so don't hesitate to send one in and if you have any questions about how the Parade works we'd love to help you, just ask!

Enjoy May and see you again soon!

  

It's Springtime!

Hello!

This edition of the Minis and More Parade welcomes the season of spring!

I've been working on these butterfly blocks from the Fig Tree and Co. pattern, Painted Ladies.

I made some last year and I've added to my butterfly blocks collection this year too.

Right now I'm planning to make twenty four blocks, even though the pattern only calls for twelve. 

 Sometimes its nice to put your own spin on a pattern even if that's just adding a few more blocks!

Vicki has been doing some spring sewing too!

This adorable bunny was pieced and quilted by Vicki from Colorado.  The fabric she used is Nest by Lella Boutique and the pattern is Little Cottontail, also from Lella Boutique.  The diagonal line quilting that Vicki did is perfect for this cute, little mini!  Now Vicki is all ready for spring!

While we're on the subject of spring,  I'd like to share a few of the springtime quilts that I have around my house right now.

You may remember some of them from past blog posts.

This is my Gentle Art mini quilt. 

A Schnibbles pattern!  You know I can't get enough of them!

 This is Mini Shine!  One of Sherri McConnell's patterns!

Here's a Sweetwater Label Crew project that I made years ago.  I don't do much hand embroidery, but I'm so glad I did some on this table runner.

Endless Summer is the name of this mini pattern by Pam Buda from Heartspun Quilts.  I used the Sweetwater line Sunkissed.  I do love that fabric collection!

That was just a few of the quilts that I have around my house right now.

What quilts do you like to have out in the spring?

Aren't you ready to think about flowers?

You're in luck!

That's the theme for the Parade at the start of May.

You know the saying 'April showers bring May flowers'?

We'd like you to send us a picture of any flower quilt project that you made by the end of April, so we can put it in the May Parade!

Please email your picture to Sherri McConnell at her blog, A Quilting Life or you can email it to me.

We'd love to see your quilted flowers!

If you have any questions, just leave comment and we'll get back to you. 

Here are a few ideas to get you started on your flower quilt!

A few free tutorials-

Flower Pots Quilt by Lori Holt

Cutie Pie Flower Quilt Tutorial

Sweet Baby Jane by Me and My Sister Designs

Spring Fling by Me and My Sister Designs

Some flower patterns from Fig Tree and Co.-

Mini Blossom

Mini Daisies

Mini Somersault

Sherri has some great flower patterns available-

The Lily Quilt

Flowers In A Row

Flowers For Emma

Bloom

Blossoms

Pinwheel Posies

And you can find the rest of the Parade on Sherri McConnell's blog, A Quilting Life!

Happy Sewing!