Sweet Sixteen in La Conner

Nothing makes a Monday morning better than a sweet surprise.  The quilt below was made using my Sweet Sixteen quilt pattern.   Andrea over at Willow Cottage quilt Company used the new line of fabric La Conner by Jera Brandvig (Quilting in the Rain) for Lecien. 

You really need to hop over to Willow Cottage Quilt Company to see these great fabrics.  

Isn't this just the sweetest!  You can find the pattern for Sweet Sixteen on Etsy here.  And on Craftsy here.

~ Lea Anne ~

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~ Santa Express Find ~

Happy Thrifty Thursday!  I just couldn't wait to share my latest thrifty find.  The panel below is called Santa Express by Riley Blake.  It's a few years old, 2013, but its still super cute.  Where did I find this cutie?   Ben Franklin's Crafts in New Albany, Indiana.  It would be nice if they had an online store so I didn't have to drive 2 hrs to get there.  But it was well worth the drive.

 At $3.99 a yard I just couldn't pass it up.  Today I'm pulling fabrics from my stash to make a few extra blocks to enlarge the panel.  I might even try cutting the panel blocks apart.  

Maybe I'll add the blocks my granddaughter help make.

So if you ever make to southern Indiana make sure you stop by Ben Franklin's Crafts in New Albany Indiana.  

Thanks for stopping by my little spot in Podunk!

~ Lea Anne ~ 

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~ Christmas Memories Truck Quilt and Pillow ~

Hello dear friends!  It's cooling off here in Podunk.  The leaves are starting to change and our vegetable garden is done for the year.  So that means my attention switches over to the holiday season ahead and of course quilting.  While taking care of the garden and canning my harvest there was plenty of time to think about quilting.   I've had a year filled with feeling kinda nostalgic.   Canning my own harvest using many of my momma's canning supplies reminded me of a simpler times and fond memories of my childhood.  And with the weather cooling...Christmas!  We never had a real tree but I've always wanted one.  So the next best thing is a quilt depicting what I hope to someday accomplish. This is my newest pattern " Christmas Memories Truck Quilt".  

 It was so much fun keeping this quilt simple with just a touch of nostalgia.   The old pick up truck was fast and easy to make using large raw edge applique surrounded by pieced trees.  And what's quicker than scrappy nine patches made from jelly roll strips and strip piecing.  Bright and happy....taking me right back to my youth and seeing the tree wrapped with gifts on Christmas morning.  

 And what's a Christmas morning without candy canes?  The red and white stripe fabric seemed like the perfect finish on such a sweet quilt.  How many of you remember using a peppermint stick in an orange for a straw?  I wonder if they even make those porous tasty treats anymore?

 The only thing that could have made making this quilt better would have been a snowstorm in Indiana in October just for picture taking purposes.

Measuring 68" x 74" it's going to be  perfect for the back of my couch.  And for the grand kids to snuggle under as they wait for Santa.  Since I love this quilt so much and think you will too I'm reducing the price... 50% off for the next 3 days!  You can find the downloadable pattern here.

The quilt was so cute I just had to make a pillow match.  A quick dig through the scrap basket and a pillow was born.  "Christmas Memories Pillow"

The envelope closure back allows for easy storage and  quick redecorating.  This closure is my favorite way to finish a pillow cover.  It's quick and easy and you don't need worry about the pillow getting caught in a zipper.

 Binding the pillow like a quilt gives the illusion of piping. And if I get tired of using as a pillow, it can easily be hung on the wall as a wall hanging.

Remember when I said there was plenty of time for my mind to come up with ideas?  Well I've one more quilt pattern coming in a few days.  Here's a sneak peak below.

Thanks for stopping by my little spot in Podunk!

~ Lea Anne ~

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~ I Love Home BOM ~ Block 3

Happy Monday Morning quilting friends! It's time for block #3 of the Jacquelynne Steves I Love Home Block of the Month. You can find this months free block on Jacquelynne's blog here.  

Every month I'm trying to use at least one of the fancy stitches on my sewing machine or some type of embellishment, sometimes both.  

My applique templates were made using freezer paper.  A tutorial for freezer paper applique can be found here if you'd like to give it try.  The template in this tutorial is large but the same technique was used to make the small pieces for these quilt blocks.

 

Using Superior Threads MonoPoly Clear Thread and a tiny blanket stitch I machine appliqued the applique in place.  You can read more about this technique on last months block here.  The little leaves on the flower were made using one of those fancy stitches on my sewing machine.  Normally I don't use interfacing on my quilt blocks but this stitch wanted to pull and pucker my fabric.  So I used a Sulky Self Adhesive Tear Away interfacing on the back side of my block.

 

To test my leaf stitch before stitching them to the block I used a scrap piece of fabric and interfacing, adjusting the length and width of the stitches to find what I thought was the best look for my block.   And in all honesty I had to use the book to learn to sew a button by machine.  I normally do buttons by hand.

What a fun block and I learned so much.  This was also the first time that I can remember making HRT(half rectangle triangles).  Jacquelynne has made a video for those of us that are new to this technique.  The video can be found here.  It was quick and easy and worked perfectly!  Below is all my blocks so far.  You can find more block inspiration on the Pinterest Board and the Facebook Group.  

Don't forget to visit all the participants in the blog hop for inspiration and a more chances at the giveaway.

The Quilting Nook
The Sewing Loft
The Crafty Quilter
The Inbox Jaunt
Designs by Sarah J
Farmhouse Quilts
Penguin and Fish
Podunk Pretties(you are here)

Now it's giveaway time!  This months giveaway is an assortment of buttons and charms from I Love Buttons Etc.

This giveaway is open to all!

To enter the Giveaway all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post by Sunday October 8.   Septembers winner was 

Cheryl Gebhart, Congratulations!

~ Lea Anne ~

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