Throwback Thursday "In the Pink" Series Quilt #2

Every Thursday Krista@KristaQuilts hosts the Linky party Throwback Thursdays.  It's a fun to link up old post or write a new post about a quilt from our past.  Last week I started a my throwback series of all the cancer awareness quilts I've made over the years.  If  I had to pick one that was the most memorable it would be my "Soaring into the Pink" quilt.

The pattern is one that I had seen online line, I'm unsure of the name.  All I remember is that the original quilt was made in black, white and red.  With the help of EQ I drafted a pattern of my own.  This quilt is so memorable because of its recipient.  While making the quilt there was no real plan on what to do with it.  I don't have a pink room in my house.  Anyway....once the quilt top was together I was anxious to show it off.  So I stopped my moms work(beauty shop) to show off my new creation.  Mom was busy so I had to hang around awhile.  Well in walks a client named Cheryl.  I've know her since I was a little girl.  She's a cancer survivor, not once but three times she has battle this horrible disease.

During Cheryl's first battle with cancer and chemo treatments she had asked my mom to shave her head.  Mom didn't own a set of clippers.  So mom called me because she knew I used clippers to cut my sons hair.  Nervously I agreed to shave Cheryl's hair.  My nerves were soon calmed by Cheryl.  She was so happy go lucky.  At a time when I wanted to cry and thought that she should be crying this lady was cracking jokes.  You would have never known she had cancer.     I hadn't seen Cheryl in about 4 yrs when she walked into the beauty shop the day I was showing off this quilt. She was very interested in what my plans were for the quilt.  She offered up advice about donating it to a raffle or cancer patient.  I took this as a sign.  It had been 4 yrs since I last saw her, and the day I show up with this pink quilt there she is!

While driving home the decision was made to give the quilt to Cheryl. 

 I quilted it up as quickly as I could and presented it to her.  We both fought back the tears.   I told her how she deserved this quilt more than anyone.  And how she inspired me the day I shaved her head.   She wasn't just an inspiration to me but I know she had to touch the lives of other cancer patients.  I learned from Cheryl that attitude can get you through even the toughest battles.  The quilt was hers to do as she pleased.  She could donate it or keep the choice was hers.  She still has the quilt.  We'll always have a special unspoken connection.  Love you Cheryl!

~ Lea Anne ~

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Something to Crow About

Good Monday Morning quilty Buddies!  This weekend was a very productive quilty marathon.  After cutting 1652 pink squares, ( you can read about it here. ) I needed a little sit down time.  The pink quilt still isn't ready for the sewing machine so a quick dig through the UFO bin....and look what was found hiding way down in the bottom.  What a wonderful surprise!  These blocks had been totally forgotten.  How did this happen?  The star blocks were done and the green chain blocks were about halfway done.   It didn't take long to finish piecing the blocks.  Maybe I need more UFO's laying around for that instant quilty fix!

LOVE LOVE LOVE the prints!  The orange and navy blue are both from the vintage stash.  That orange is just sweeter than pumpkin pie!(you must say that using your very best Steel Magnolia southern draw)  They just don't make'em like this anymore.  Calico's....simple and sweet, reminds me of being a little girl and Momma making most of my cloths.  Calico shirts and big ole floppy Culottes(coolots).  Momma was doing her best and it was the style, but to a little chubby, redheaded, freckled face girl....Culottes were not groovy.  Funny how the things we disliked as a child are fond memories as an adult.  It would be even better had mom kept the hideous things.

  

Yep I'm liking this UFO busting.  Maybe I should do this more often....yeah right!  We all say that but we know the real truth.  The likelihood of this staying a UFO is more probable than me finishing it and working on another.  Oh but a girl needs to dream.  While I'm at it I'll dream up a little quilting fairy to help with the mountain of UFO's.  She's a cute little pudgy gal...wearing Culottes!

Alright enough daydreaming, that's the reason why I've so many UFO's in the first place.

The original plan for this quilt was to add some applique.  So what do you think?  Applique or more blocks?

Before I leave let's link up today's post with some very fine blogging gals.  Hop on over, be inspired, join the fun and link up!

Judy@PatchworkTimes for Design Wall Monday

and

Beth@CookingUpQuilts for Main Crush Monday

and

Beth@LoveLaughQuilt for Monday Making

and

Connie@FreemotionbytheRiver for linky Tuesday

~ Lea Anne ~

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Podunk Pickins #10

Hellos sweet friends!  I'm running a little late today with Podunk Pickin's.  For some reason I thought today was Saturday.  OOOPS!   My distraction was 

1652 pink 2 x 2 squares.  Scraps!  I'll be linking up today's post at Quilting is more fun than Housework for the week OH SCRAP Linky party.

If I counted correctly there's about 50  different prints.  The plan is to clear out those scrap bins by making a scrap quilt of each color.  Well after cutting all of these I still have enough pink for a couple more quilts.  Not sure I'll be able to keep up with this bright idea.

The pattern is a basic Irish chain quilt.  Here's the layout and my cutting notes.  It took a day and half to cut the pink, the butter background shouldn't take nearly as long.

Now let's get to Podunk Pickin's link up.  

This will be the last week you can enter to win the super sweet Santa Express Bundle below from this months sponsor Bev at 44th Street Fabrics.  

There's been several ways to enter the drawing during the month of October.  If you're new to Podunk Pickin's  you can still enter the previous weeks by clicking on the Podunk Pickin's Logo in my blog side bar. 

This week you can enter by linking up a quilting/sewing tip or tutorial from your blog or other social media sites.  For this week all who link up will get 10 entries in the drawing.  It can be a new or old post that you want to revive, as long as it's new to Podunk Pickin's link up.  Please only one link up a week.

An InLinkz Link-up

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Friday Finishes

Back in January I deicided to take a break from quilting on the frame.  Feathers and ruler work require lots planning and marking.  I was sick of it!  Well my quilty groove is back.  Today I feel like quilting every quilt top in my Studio.  I know this feeling will soon pass, but if feels good at the moment.  Here's the little quilt (48x48) I designed a few weeks ago for my new granddaughter.  She was born last Sunday.  It may be a little to fancy and white for a newborn but what the heck.

  

If you look closely you can still see my blue markings.  Most longarm quilting gals can remember their quilting designs without needing to mark, I'm not quite that talented.  

The best thing about feather quilting....THE BACK!  Two quilts in one.

Oh yes there's more quilt finishes.  I'm so glad this one is done and can be shipped far, far away from my studio.  Not one of my favorite quilts or color pallet, but the grandkids will love it.

  

Here's a shot of the back, it's ugly also.

This ugly fabric just keeps multiplying....so I made another quilt.  The backing is just more of the ugly stuff.

A couple of reversible treat bags.  They're identical, I reversed one so you could see the inside fabric.

Everything is washed and ready to ship to the young'ens. 

I'm linking up at the following places

A Quarter Inch from the edge

Richard and Tanya Quilts

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Michelle's Romantic Tangle

A Quilted Passion

~ Lea Anne ~

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Throwback Thursdays " In the Pink" Series quilt #1

Since this is Breast Cancer Awareness month it only seems appropriate to share a few of my pink quilts.  First let me do a little shout out to Krista for hosting the Throwback Thursdays for quilters.  You can find the link up at KristaQuilts every Thursday.  It's been fun seeing the quilts that have inspired quilters over the years and seeing the changes in quilt styles.   Hearing the tales of quilting woes and how they fixed them also seems to be a weekly theme.  I invite you to join us in our weekly walk down memory lane, you never know when you might be inspired or find some good quilting advice.

My "In the Pink" quilts are gifted to a Cancer survivor/patient.  Not all the quilts are pink, but the tradition of me making a quilt for cancer patients started with a Breast Cancer Quilt. 

Now let me say... this quilt was made long before my blogging days.  My photography skills were worse than my quilting skills.  Anyway...Mom had requested a quilt for a co-worker that survived breast cancer.  The pattern is Pink Ribbon from the Quilterscache.  If I were to make this quilt again the ribbon block would be reworked with fewer pieces and I think an Irish Chain block would look nicer as the alternating block.  Many different issues happened during the quilt construction.  I can't remember all of them, but I do remember being glad to finally finish and send it on its way.  One of the problems was cutting and piecing the flying geese blocks.  I cut all the pieces for these block in one night, and I cut them all the wrong size.  Just to make things worse there wasn't enough fabric to re-cut.   If you compare the quilt blocks below with my quilt blocks you'll see that mine has fewer geese and a smaller center.    All I remember is cussing a lot and reworking the block.  What you can't see in the fuzzy picture above is the machine embroidered words on each ribbon....Faith, Hope, Cure, Love and a couple more that slip my mind.  At this stage in my quilting life I didn't know how to FM quilt so the quilting was a simple outlining the shapes using my Domestic Machine.

See you next Thursday when I share my 

"Flying into the Pink" quilt.  A great quilt with an even better story.

~ Lea Anne ~

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Podunk Pickin's #9 (2 giveaways!)

My current work in progress.

   

Podunk Pickin's is all about sharing your tutorials and tips that are sewing or quilting related.  My tip this week is "get out of your comfort zone".  This could mean many things.  If you find yourself giving excuses of why you can't do this or that, then you are limiting yourself.  When I bought my BHQ above I told myself I can't quilt like the gals with $30,000 machines.  And you know what I couldn't.  But one day I made up my mind... I was going to make amazing quilts with my what some called "junk" machine.  And I made the quilt below, Summer Romance.  You can see more of it here.  Not bad for a frame quilting machine that is consider a hunk of junk in the quilting community.  It took many months of online research about "Issues" that would arise while using my BHQ.   Many of the tips were from gals who owned the expensive machine.  The same rules apply to cheap machines or your domestic machine.  And I know what your thinking, you think I was artistic long before quilting.  NOPE!  Stick men were about all I could manage.  This transformation didn't happen overnight.  It took months, not years, to train my brain and muscles.  Practicing every day on paper, dry erase boards, doodling while on the phone.  So get out of that comfort zone, try some applique, or paper piecing, maybe some miniature piecing, whatever it is that you wish you could do.  The first step in getting anywhere is seeing your destination.

Do you have a tip or tutorial you like to share?   If so link up below.  Beverly@44thStreetFabrics Etsy shop has graciously sponsored this months Podunk Pickin's Giveaway with this adorable bundle of Santa Express.  If you love it and need it right now I know the feeling!  You can purchase it at her Etsy shop here.

 You can also find out about new sales and giveaways for her shop by following her blog 44th Street Fabrics.  I'll let you in on a little secret...She lowered the prices!

  There's been several ways during the month of October to win this bundle, so go back to the previous post and enter.  The link ups are closed but you can still enter by following the instructions for the other entry options for that week.  Just click on the Podunk Pickin's image in my sidebar to find all the posts.

The rules to enter this week are simple.  One entry for each of the following.

1. Link up below, any quilting or sewing tip or tutorial from your blog or other social media.  Please only one link per week.
2. Follow 44th Street Fabrics on Instagram.  <---click there.  By following you'll be entered to win her Instagram giveaway for 3 charm packs of Hello Darling by Bonnie and Camille.  Of course you'll need to come back here and let me know your a follower of 44th Street Fabrics on Instagram. 

An InLinkz Link-up

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Throwback Thursday Quilt #3

If you been following along in the last few weeks I've been linking up with Throwback Thursdays @KristaQuilts.  It's also no big secret that I love scrappy quilts.  From my very first quilt to my most current, almost all have been scrappy.   And more often than not there's no pattern or kit, just an idea that pops into my head.  Of course the internet has helped to fuel and inspire most of my creations.  Occasionally people influence the design.  Which is exactly how the quilt below came to be.  

This quilt was inspired by Mr. Podunk who said "Do you have any fabrics that aren't bright?"  Well I do but they rarely make into my quilts.  I'm an emotional quilter(and eater if the truth be told).  Quilting with brights helps to keep my sunny disposition in check.   So I started digging into the stash for just the right muddy fabrics to make Mr. Podunk a quilt.  There just wasn't much to work with in his color pallet. But I could make it work with a few scraps leftover from quilt one and two.  If you missed them you can find them here and here.   I can remember struggling with quilting this quilt.  I was new to quilting on a frame and needed the practice, but didn't want it to look too girly.  I also remember about a year after making this "Manly quilt"  someone wrote a quilting book called "Quilts for Guys" or something like that as the title.  Mr. Podunk had no idea he would be such a trendsetter.   

~  Lea Anne ~

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Sneak Peak

 It's been 10 months since I last quilted on the frame.  Just like riding a bike, except my hiney doesn't get sore!  This is a small quilt about 48x48.   Shouldn't take to long to finish.

Here's a couple more that were finished earlier in the week.  Quick and easy quilting so they can be shipped to the grandkids.  As soon as the bindings are finished I'll show the entire quilt.  

Time for a cup of "Joe" and the peaceful sound of corn blowing in the breeze before I head back in the Studio.  See you tomorrow for the last of my Throwback Thursday quilt series.

~ Lea Anne ~

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Podunk Pickin's #8 (DIY Acrylic Templates)

Hi-didly-o!  Quilty friends!  My apologies for being a day late with the Podunk Pickin's this week.  My computer in the Studio decided it needed some TLC or it just wasn't going to work. Three years is a long time to go without updating a computer.  YIKES!  In my defense, the Studio laptop is basically for quilting and sewing related things and rarely connects to the internet.  Well she's up to date and running great after taking almost all day to install all those updates.  

So let's get down to business.   This past week I designed a quilt block that uses 1.5 x 2.5 flying geese units.   There's many different ways to make flying geese.  Being that these were going to be so small I thought over sizing and cutting them down might be best.  Of course I don't own a FG template that small.  Well I can make one.  Making some of your own templates is very doable and much cheaper than buying them.  I've shared this tip a few times in the past here, here, and here shows how to break the acrylic.  When purchasing acrylic sheets from your local DIY store make sure it's the type that can be scored and snapped.  

I found a small scrap of acrylic.  Make sure you score your line on the side that doesn't have the protective plastic coating.  You'll need to score that same line about 5 times.  It doesn't take a lot of pressure, but you'll want to apply some pressure to ensure an straight break.  The red arrow is pointing to a bad break.  This happens sometimes when the piece is small or isn't scored properly.  All is not lost, it's fixable.

The little point can be broke off with a pair of pliers.  Hold the template in one hand and firmly grip the little point with the pliers, now apply pressure with the pliers, just like if you were breaking a graham cracker in half.  Now that my template is the size I need it I need to add the markings.  I've had several responses in the past saying that the markings on homemade templates always wear away.  Well I've come up with the fix.  In the last two pictures above I've scored a flying geese.  

Then I used a permanent marker to color inside the line.  Don't worry if you go outside the line.  It can be quickly cleaned up with a pencil eraser.   And there you have it a perfect little flying geese!

click on this image in the sidebar and it will take you to all past linkups.

So do you have a tip or tutorial to share this week?  If so link up below.  The rules are simple.  They just need to be sewing or quilting related.  No tip or tutorial is to small or to old.  Linking up old posts on your blog or other social media sites is totally acceptable.   

To make this linky party even more fun there's a giveaway.

  Bev@44thStreetFabrics is generously sponsoring the month of October with this adorable Santa Express Bundle.  Bev's online shop carries several new designer lines at the lowest prices you'll find.  She just lowered the prices to make room for the new lines coming in the next few weeks.  52 new items you can find here, Calico Days by Lori Holt, Vintage Picnic by Bonnie and Camille and my favorite Strawberry Fields Revisited by Fig Tree & Co. are just a few.   And to make sure you don't miss out on the newest lines at awesome prices you can pre-order and they'll be shipped as soon as they arrive in the shop.   

So how can you enter to win this bundle?  Each week during the month of October on Podunk Pickin's there will be new and different ways to enter.  So you'll want to stop in each week to enter as many times as you can.  Then on Halloween a random winner will be chosen.  This week you an enter by doing one or both of the following, each one will give you one entry for the bundle above.

1. Link up a tutorial or tip from your blog or social media site below.  Please make them quilting or sewing related.
2. Bev has a new Facebook page, hop over and "like" her give away for the "Hello Darling" charm packs give away.  Yep that's right!  You can win more fabric!  Come back here leave a comment to let me know you've done so. 

An InLinkz Link-up

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Throwback Thursday Quilt #2

A couple of weeks ago I shared a scrappy quilt made with every fabric in my stash.  Every fabric I had at the time.  If I were to try this now the pieces would be very small in order to keep the quilt a manageable size.  There were tons of scraps  because there was no plan, no math, just cutting and cutting.  We'll call it Improv quilting, just to make it sound like I had a clue. 

 The original quilt was given as a gift to a dear friend.  When her mother in law saw the quilt she wanted it.  For some reason this batch of mishmashed fabrics gets everyone's attention.  It's not one of my better quilts, but everyone seems to love the no rhyme or reason color pallet.  So when I found out her mother in law wanted the quilt what could I do but make another quilt from the leftovers.  Let the scrap play begin. The white used in this quilt was also scraps from another project.   My first plan below.

 The first quilt was a snowball quilt made using the flippy corners method.  This method always produces HST scrap.  Might as well use them too!

Oh these were the good old days of pinning a quilt sandwich.  A process I don't miss now that I have a frame quilter.

The quilting was simple because that's all I knew how to do back then.

And the binding was made from more of the scrap.

And a few more scraps on the back.  My BFF's MIL loved the quilt.  As far as I know it's still draped over the foot of her bed.

If you'd like to see more quilts from the past, head on over to Krista Quilts for Throwback Thursday.    I'm writing this post early so you may need to click on her home page at the top of the blog to see today's list of Thowbacks.

Oh if you haven't signed up for the giveaway here on my blog you can find it here.

Lea Anne

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Podunk Pickin's #7 (Giveaway)

I'm so excited to share the first sponsor of the Podunk Pickin's weekly linky party.

44th Street Fabrics is a fabulous online quilt shop that opened in 2008.  Bev and her new partner Jen have been stocking the store with several new fabric lines from  Moda, Penny Rose, Riley Blake and many other top manufacturers, all at great prices.  Checking the shop daily to see what's new  has become part of my morning coffee routine.    If you're like me and collect fabrics by color, style and theme Bev will put together a custom bundle with the fabrics you pick from their large selection of lovelies.   You'll also want to make sure you follow her blog 44th Street Fabric, and Instagram.  This is the best to be first in line for new fabrics, giveaways or sales in the shop.

Bev and I have been working on a secret fun project that we can only tease you with at the moment.  But I can tell you that you'll want to keep an eye on us over the next few weeks.  Until then Bev and Jen have graciously sponsored this month with a super cute GIVEAWAY.  A Bright Santa Express Fabric bundle.  Adorable!   If your drooling and can't wait for the giveaway you can find this bundle in the 44th Street Fabric shop here.

Every Sunday during the month of October you'll have more chances to win this bundle during Podunk Pickin's.  I'll announce the winner of the bundle on Halloween night(October 31).   There will be many ways you can enter to win this bundle each week.   So you'll want to come back every Sunday for more entries.

 For those of you that participated in the Podunk Pinkin's Link up last Sunday you've already earned 3 entries for linking up your tutorials.  If your new to Podunk Pickin's here's a quick explanation of what it's all about.  Each Sunday you can link up any quilting or sewing tutorial.  No tip or tutorial is to small.  You can link up new blog post or an old one that you'd like to rejuvenate.  The only thing I ask is that you share a new or different tip or tutorial each week. Below are the may ways you can earn entries this week to win the Bright Santa Express fabric bundle.

1. You can earn 2 entries by visiting and following Bev@44th Street Fabric Blog, she has several ways you can follow.  Come back here and leave a comment telling me how you follow. 
2. 2 entries earned for browsing the 44th Street Fabric Etsy shop, come back here and leave a comment telling me what you would put on the list for Santa.
3. 2 entries earned for each of the following:  (1)adding the 44th Street Fabric Etsy badge( first image above) to the side bar of your blog and making it a clickable image linking to the 44th Street Fabric Etsy Shop.   Share the 44th Street Fabric Etsy shop on  (2)FaceBook or (3)Instagram using the #44thstreetfabricgiveaway .  Leave a comment for each social media site where you've linked to the 44th Street Fabric Etsy Shop.
4. 3 entries earned for linking up on this weeks Podunk Pickin's below.  ONE quilting or sewing tutorial from your blog.  ONLY ONE LINK UP PER PERSON PLEASE.

An InLinkz Link-up

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