~ Finishing last years En Provence Mystery quilt ~

   Hello sweet quilting friends!   The temperature outside is a very chilly -2 but indoors I'm trying to keep things sunny and warm by working on one of my most colorful UFO's.  This is Bonnie Hunters  Mystery quilt, En Provence.  This was my first attempt at joining in with a Mystery quilt along.  I did okay until it came to the borders.  The units were pieced and the body of the quilt was put together but I just couldn't find the time to put the borders on.  So that's my goal for this week....get this top completed and maybe on the quilt frame.

The mystery is over but the pattern can be purchased here.   Below is Bonnie's finished quilt.  

 I always follow along with the clues for Bonnie's mystery, but had never tried to make one.   This years mystery quilt is called On Ringo Lake, you can find all the clues up to this point here.  If you join Bonnie's Facebook you can get some great color inspiration,piecing help, as well as other quilts her followers are making.  My decision to make it or not will come after the big reveal.  The fabric has been pulled and purchased, but I'll not be using the suggested colors.  Last year I chose to go completely scrappy as suggested by Bonnie, but if I do it this year I'll be making mine with 4 different fabrics. 

I really love the super scrappiness of this one but cutting for it took FOREVER.  Mr. Podunk thinks it's very busy...eh...what does he know about quilting?!

This one depleted my PKM and low volume stash so I've spent most of the year replenishing them both.  Not an easy task when it comes to PKM since she and Holly no longer make fabrics.

I hope to see you in a couple of days with a completed top.  Send me some scrappy mojo vibes....I'm gonna need all the help I can get!

Thanks for stopping by my little spot in Podunk!

~ Lea Anne ~

Quilt till you wilt ~ Giveaway winners #2 ~

The holiday season is in full swing and that means quilters around the world are frantically adding the final touches to last minute Christmas projects.  I'm one of those that waits until the last minute to make Christmas projects.   However mine are not Christmas gifts.  These are to be used before Christmas.  So I'm working on them day and night while the laundry and dust keeps piling up.  

One would think  since I probably have hundreds (possibly thousands) of yards of fabric in my studio I would be able to come up with three quilt backings and bindings without needing to shop.  WRONG!  Luckily we have a great new little quilt shop that is close by and I can usually find what I need at wonderful prices.  And things I didn't need, like the striped fabric I searched for at home and couldn't find, so I bought more.  When I got home and started cleaning the studio I found it!  Oh well you can never have to much fabric.   All the fabric I purchased is name brand, quilt shop quality but purchased at almost half the price of other quilt shops.  How does she do it? Such great prices.  I know her secret but since it's a secret I can't tell!  If you're ever in Trafalgar, Indiana you gotta stop by Coffee Cup Quilting and say hello to Claranna, the coffee pots always on!  This shop caters to the thrifty everyday quilter by offering these lower prices on fabric and longarm quilting  at  reasonable prices.  If your new to quilting,  would like to learn something new or just like sewing with friends she has some really great new quilting programs planned for 2018.  

So with my new fabric purchases I'm able to get these 3 quilts finished this week.  Hopefully I can ship them by Friday, no later than Saturday....and if life gets in the way Monday.  The quilt you see on the frame and the one on the wall are finished and needing binding.  The one laying across the frame is going to be quilted today.  Just simple quilting enough to keep it together, kids don't appreciate fancy stitches.

Now for another 2 winners of my pattern Christmas Memories.  Before I announce the new winners I would like to remind everyone....when your commenting on a blog trying to win something you need to make sure you can be contacted by the blogger.  Adding your email address to your comment is always a good idea.  Have you ever wondered why a blogger never responds to your comments?  It's usually because they can't email you.  He exception to the rule is during giveaways I rarely respond to comments due to the high volume of comments.  Last weeks winners were chosen by a random number generator.  Unfortunately it chose 2 names with no contact information.  I wrote a blog post announcing the names, hoping since they followed me they would see they had won.  They did not.  So this week I decided to pick the first two comments that I could contact.

Congratulations!

Anita

and

Martina

I have sent both of you an e-mail with the pattern attached.

~ Thanks for stopping by my little spot in Podunk ~

~ Lea Anne ~

~ Christmas Memories Winners! ~

It's crunch time, I'm marathon sewing a quilt designed for my 8 yr.old grandson.  

Hoping to get it in the mail by next week so he can use it before Christmas on his bed.  My daughter said not to make it cute or in bright colors.  Geesh that's way out of my comfort zone.  EQ and me whipped up a couple ideas and sent the images to my daughter.  She choose the one below.  I think the name panel will be switched to the top and a red nose added to the deer. 

Most of the fabrics were pulled from my older stash, and a couple I had purchased for another quilt Christmas quilt that has been pushed aside to make this one.  

Thanks so much to everyone that participated in the Christmas Memories giveaway here on my blog and on Instagram.  The 2 lucky winners of the Christmas Memories PDF pattern......  Congratulations to....

GranChris

and

edithcsokmay

Could both of you please send me your email addresses so I can send them out ASAP.  If you do not respond by Monday December 11 I'll choose new winners. 

~ Lea Anne ~

~I Love Home BOM ~ Borders ~ GIVEAWAY!

*** GIVEAWAY CLOSED ***

Well it's here, the last month of the I Love Home BOM.  You can find this months border and finishing instructions here.  I would like to thank Jacquelynne for allowing me to join in the fun and for all her hard work designing and sharing of the pattern.

Below is my finished quilt that didn't go by the pattern. Jacquelynne asked that the featured bloggers think outside the box and use the blocks however we wished.  I loved this freedom of design because I rarely make a quilt as written in the pattern.   So I enlarged the sashing and changed the borders.  This scalloped border is my go to border, it's quick and cute and adds a little country charm.

 I tried to keep my quilting as simple as possible so it could be used as a wall hanging or a sweet little quilt that my grand daughters can snuggle under when they visit.

The border quilting was one of my favorite parts of the quilting process, big ole hearts that fit the theme of I LOVE Home. 

So this months Giveaway is sponsored by Thermoweb. A $25 Gift card.  I love Thermoweb products and use them often.  The one I use the most is Heat N Bond Lite.  It truly does what it claims and fits right into my budget.  The Thermoweb website also offers many free projects that you can find here.

To enter the Giveaway here on my blog just leave a comment below, please add your email address to your comment so I have a way to contact you.  Any comment will do, but if you need help how about you tell me if your making any gifts for Christmas.

Don't forget to visit all the participating bloggers listed below for more chances to win a $25 Gift Card from Thermoweb.

The Crafty Quilter

The Inbox Jaunt

Designs by Sarah J 

Farmhouse Quilts

Penguin and Fish

Podunk Pretties

The Quilting Nook

The Sewing Loft

Find more I Love Home inspirations on the Facebook Group and Pinterest Groups.

~ Lea Anne ~

Christmas Memories pattern GIVEAWAY!

***This Giveaway is closed***

Let's make this short and sweet, right to the point.  I'm giving away 2 PDF copies of my Christmas Memories quilt pattern here on my blog and 2 more PDF's over on my Instagram account.  You need to have an Instagram account to enter the giveaway there.  So that means there's 4 chances to win a copy!

To be entered for the giveaway here on my blog all you have to do is follow my blog, links for following me in the side bar.  You can follow by Email, GFC, or Blog Lovin.  Leave a comment letting me know how you follow. 

For a  second entry here on the blog leave a SEPARATE comment telling me if you like making bed sized quilts, and if  you do what size bed.

 This Giveaway will close on Dec. 4, 2017

The finished quilt is 68 X 74

Linking up with the following.  Hop on over for more quilting inspiration.

FreeMotionBytheRiver

Thanks for stopping by my little spot in Podunk!

~ Lea Anne ~

~ Santa Express ~

Hello quilting friends!  I'm excited to share my Design Wall today.  It's something simple but cute.

 I rarely work with panel prints but when I found this Santa Express by Riley Blake at Ben Franklin's I fell in love and knew it would make the perfect little quilt for my grand daughters.  So I purchased two!

After cutting apart the blocks, squaring them up(not easy or fun) then adding frames around them.  I realized I was going to need to add more blocks to this quilt.  The little Christmas tree blocks my grand daughter helped make a couple of months ago will make the perfect addition.

But that still wasn't enough to make the quilt big enough for her twin sized bed.  Two more blocks were needed.  So I quickly drafted an 11.5" Christmas present quilt block.

These look so adorable along side the sweet panel blocks.  

Each one is just as adorable as the next!  It makes me want to trace them and make my own applique from the images.

Want one these cute panels for yourself?  Well I did the leg work for you!  You can find them here.  And a little secret....Walmart has some great reds and greens that match this panel pretty well.  The red Christmas words fabric is one of them.  $.97 a FQ!

For more Design Wall inspiration hop over to

Small Quilts and Doll Quilts for a Design Wall Linky Party.

and 

Love Laugh Quilt for Monday Making

and

Em's Scrapbag for Moving it Forward

and 

FreeMotionbytheRiver for Linky Tuesday

Thanks for stopping by my little spot in Podunk!

~ Lea Anne ~

I Love Home BOM ~ Block 4 + a GIVEAWAY!

 It's that time again!  Time to share the last block in the I Love Home BOM.  To get more information on this block and all the others just hop on over to Jacquelynne Steve's blog.  Wait don't take off just yet, you'll want to stay for the giveaway at the end of this post!

 Here's my block 4, I love the design, the different sized points look like fireworks exploding.  Yes!  We're having a celebration today!  Wooohooo!  The last block, we did it!

I've had so much fun adding my own little design elements to this BOM.    In this block I opted to leave out some of the windows and hearts on the roof due to the larger print on the fabrics.  

Fussy cutting the the hearts for the center of this block was my favorite part.  I thought about using fancy machine stitches for the flower stems and leaves.  But at the last minute I decided to use up some small scraps of green fabric.  This left no room for the leaves.   

 Most of the fabrics in my quilt are PKM by Lakehouse fabrics.  Many of you may know that this company is no longer making fabric and it's hard to find but if you search Etsy and Ebay you can still find a few of the prints. 

I'm looking forward to seeing what you and all the bloggers in blog hop do with this months block.  The pictures in the Facebook Group and Pinterest Group have been so inspiring.  I'm already thinking about creative new ideas for next years BOM.  

This months giveaway is sponsored by OLFA.  At the beginning of the blog hop OLFA generously gave each of the bloggers a cutting mat, rotary cutter, and a Endurance Blade.  I've been using them since receiving them.   And let me tell you, when they say Endurance Blade they mean it!  Not only have I cut all the fabrics for this quilt using them, I've cut fabric for four other quilts.  The blade and mat are still going strong!

The most exciting news is OLFA is sponsoring this months giveaway.  Here's what you could win.  A cutting mat, rotary cutter and a package of the new Endurance blades.  Due to shipping this giveaway is only open to residents in the US. 

To enter the giveaway all you need to do is leave any ole comment in the comments section below before the end of the day November 12, 2017.  Make sure I have a way to contact you. There's been several no-reply comments.  Add your email address to your comment if you're unsure.  Don't forget to visit all the bloggers in the hop for more entries.  

The Crafty Quilter

The Inbox Jaunt

Designs by Sarah J 

Farmhouse Quilts

Penguin and Fish

Podunk Pretties  ***  you are here!

The Quilting Nook

The Sewing Loft

See you all next month for the borders grand finale!

~ Lea Anne ~

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 ~

~ 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 ~ 

~ 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 ~

~ 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 ~