~ Home Again Blocks ~

Hello Quilting Friends!  Its been a while since my last blog post but I've been busy working on several different projects.  Before I share my current project I want to let you know that I post almost daily on Instagram and Facebook because it's quick and easy.  

So back to what has been keeping me busy and excited.  Erin Russek has once again designed the cutest FREE BOM called Home Again.   She gives you 16 blocks free in two different sizes.  There will be several options for finishing the quilt.  The block below is the large center medallion that must be purchased at a reasonable price.  You can get all the details about the free blocks and where to purchase the center block on her website HERE.

The fabric in my blocks is mostly discontinued Lakehouse Drygoods fabrics.  But there are a few others prints from various manufacturers.  The background fabric is from the Sugarhouse Park collection by Amy Smart for Riley Blake.

To keep things quick and easy the applique is done using raw edge fusible applique method.  Heat N Bond Lite is my go to for this method.  It's the only product I've found that does what it claims it can do.

A technique called "windowing" helps to reduce the stiffness of fusible applique.  You can see and example of this technique I used on another quilt HERE.  

Cutting out applique shapes can sometimes be tricky so I shared a few tips in a video.  Click here to watch the video.

The green Rapidesign circle template is what I use to trace the circle shapes to the Heat N Bond Lite.  I purchased mine at Office Depot but they can be found at any craft store such as Joann's or Hobby Lobby.

And the reason why I keep showing scissors in almost every picture is because a good pair of scissors makes all the difference when cutting raw edge applique.  I love my Kay Buckley scissors.  I have them in several sizes.  And cutting paper with them does not dull them like other scissors.  You can purchased them HERE.

You might also notice I've made a slight change to the stems in some of the blocks.  The pattern calls for embroidery stitching.  UGG...As you know I'm not a big fan of handwork.  So in true Lea Anne style I changed things up a bit.  Later next week I'll share how I made my stems.

These little birds is what really sold me on this pattern.  I'm a sucker for birds, especially bluebirds.  They are so cute!

All of my blocks still need to be stitch into place.  I'm leaning towards using Superior Thread MicroQuilter 100 wt. 7002.  But this isn't set in stone. I'm also considering matching the thread color to the applique.  Only time will tell.

Well that's all of them so far.  Hopefully I can find time this weekend to make block 13 that was released yesterday.  Another cutie!  The image below is Erin's Block.

Oh! I forgot to mention the BOM is now a block of the week due to our stay at home orders.  Erin decided to speed things up since so many of us are hunkering down at home.  

See you soon!

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~ Home Again and Playing ~

Howdy Sweet Quilting Friends!  Today I'm doing what I do best, making a HUGE fun mess.  Pulling fabric is the best part of quilting, don't you think?  I'm digging deep into the stash to find my most loved pieces of out of print Lakehouse Drygoods fabrics.  Some of these I forgot I owned.  My original plan for this quilt was to work only from the scrap bins.  But there just isn't enough variety of prints and scale of prints.  I'll use what I can from the scrap bins then supplement with the larger pieces.  In the picture below all but the solid yellow is Lakehouse Drygoods.  The solid will be the background fabric, well at least that's the plan as of right now.

The pattern I'm using is called Home Again by Erin Russek.  It's a free block of the month.  You can read more about on Erin's blog One Piece At a Time here and here.

Not all the fabrics in the scrap bins are Lakehouse prints.  There's a little of everything from Moda to Walmart fabrics.  

The birds are giving me a little trouble.  I can't decide on the perfect combination of prints.  A little more digging might be in order.  Before you know it I'll have every fabric out of the cabinet.  This is how most quilters work fabric magic.  For those of you who struggle to match fabric here's the secret...Play with your fabric a lot.  And then pull more fabric and play a little more.  Then if needed go shopping for more!

Maybe the fabrics in my little test bird is a better option for color?  Well I'm going to be here for a little while longer.

After I make a plan for the center Medallion block I can move onto the smaller blocks. Aren't they just the cutest!   See you in a few days with the results!

Just a little reminder that you can still gt 20% off you entire purchase at The Purple Hobbies website using the code PodunkPrettiesJan20  

Offer ends February 29, 2020.   Make sure when adding the code to your shopping cart that you click APPLY.  You can see my review of the BladeSaver Thread cutter here.  And the Third hand Binding Folder Clip here.

50% OFF Sweet Sixteen PDF pattern 

expires 2-15-2020

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~ Happy Little Things ~ Giveaway! ~

 *** GIVEAWAY CLOSED***
It's hard to believe the Happy Little Things block of the month is almost over.  If you are just hearing about Jacquelynne Steves and this block of the month you can find all the information on her blog, click here.

Jacquelynne's version of this quilt could be used as a lap quilt or wall hanging.  It can be done as applique, embroidery only in the center block or just a plain pieced block.  Fussy cutting your fabric fabric for the center of the blocks would also be super cute.

 Each year as featured bloggers of Jacquelynne's block of the month we are encouraged to make the quilt our own.  This is my 3rd year as a featured blogger.  I try to do something a little different each year.  You can see my versions of the last 2 years here and here.

My plan for this year was to make a two color quilt, red and white.  Sometimes a plan looks better in our minds than in reality.  But failure is not an option, starting over is also not an option.  So I had to find a way to make my very busy blocks work together or at least get along.  It's just like dealing with a 2 year old child throwing a temper tantrum.  Distraction.  Wave a cookie in his face and BAM...tantrum gone!  The same works for a quilt.  Find something to pull they eye away from the busy blocks.  I tossed around many ideas and I mean that literally.  Fabric was everywhere.  Creativity is a messy process.  After many hours of design changes  and fabric tossing the quilt morphed from an eye sore to a patriotic beauty.  

I was going to stop with the blue border but decided to take a chance on a scrappy border using the leftovers from the red fat quarters used in the blocks.  I love how it completes the scrappy look.

I think she is going to make a nice addition to my ever growing patriotic quilt collection.  The image below is only part of them.  

So let's get to the giveaway!  This months giveaway is a great little bundle sponsored by Thermoweb.    I love this company and all their products!

The rules for the giveaway

1. Open to both US and International
2. One prize per person per giveaway
3. LEAVE A COMMENT ON THIS BLOG POST.    Click on the word comment at the end of this post. (not at the bottom of the page).  Make sure I have a way to contact you.  Leaving your email address is a good idea if your not sure.
4. A winner will be chosen at the end of the day December 8th.
5. If you are chosen  as the winner you will have 24 hrs to respond or another winner will be chosen.  

There are several chances to win, all you need to do hop over to each of the blogs below and follow the the rules for entering the giveaway on each blog.

Good luck to each of you!

The Quilting Nook https://thequiltingnook.wordpress.com/

Happy Quilting Melissa http://www.happyquiltingmelissa.com/

Podunk Pretties http://podunkpretties.blogspot.com/    YOU ARE HERE

The Crafty Quilter   https://thecraftyquilter.com/

Flamingo Toes   https://flamingotoes.com/

Allie-Oops Sweet Happy Life   http://allie-oopssweethappylife.blogspot.com/

Kathy's Quilts  https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/

A Quilting Life  https://www.aquiltinglife.com/

If you are making this quilt or plan to, make sure you hop over to the Facebook group for inspiration or to share your quilt.  When sharing your quilt on social media use the following tags 

#HappyLittleThingsBOM and #HappyLittleThingsQuilt

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~ Happy Little Things ~ Block 2 ~ GIVEAWAY ~

Hello Happy Quilters!  Today I'm sharing Block 2 of the Happy Little Things Block of the Month by Jacquelynne Steves.  There's still time to sign up for the FREE block of the month if you haven't already.  Just click the image below to be taken to the sign up page on Jacquelynne's blog.  Click here to go to Jacquelynne's Block 2 blog post for block inspiration and blog hop details.

For this years BOM I decided to work out of my color pallet comfort zone by working with 2 colors only.  Normally my quilts are scrappy, bright and happy.   Most of my quilts also have RED as the main color.  So working with red and white was the perfect color combination.   You can read more about my fabric choices, machine stitched applique and specialty stitches on last months blog post for block 1 here.

Let's keep things short and sweet this month and get right to the good stuff....THE GIVEAWAY!

***Giveaway Closed***

This months giveaway (pictured below) is sponsored by Aurifil, with a retail value of $50 US. The Aurifil blog has tons of fun going on each month, click here to explore the fun.     

This giveaway is open to both US and International.  Only one prize per person, per blog, per month.

Each of the bloggers on the list below will be having this same giveaway.  That's 8 chances to win and 8 winners each month!  So be sure to visit each featured blogger and follow their specific instructions for more chances to win.  

A Quilting Life  https://www.aquiltinglife.com/

Podunk Pretties http://podunkpretties.blogspot.com/ YOU ARE HERE

The Crafty Quilter   https://thecraftyquilter.com/

Flamingo Toes   https://flamingotoes.com/

Allie-Oops Sweet Happy Life   http://allie-oopssweethappylife.blogspot.com/

Happy Quilting Melissa http://www.happyquiltingmelissa.com/

The Quilting Nook https://thequiltingnook.wordpress.com/

Kathy's Quilts  https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/

To enter the giveaway here on my blog all you need to do is click on the button at the end of this blog post.  If you are using a phone or tablet to view this you may need to scroll to the very bottom and click on WEBVIEW or WEB VERSION to see the ADD YOUR LINK button.

After clicking on the button a drop down menu will open.  Add your first and last name and email address, leave all other fields blank, click submit.  Your email address will not be visible to anyone but me.  It will not be sold or used for any other purpose than this giveaway.  Leaving a comment in the comments section of this post will not enter you in the giveaway, but feel free to comment if you like, I love to hear from all my followers.  Giveaway will end on Sunday, September 8, 2019, 11:55 pm EDT.  A winner will be chosen and contacted by email on Sept. 9.  You will have 24 hours to respond to the email or a new winner will be chosen.  SORRY, NO EXCEPTIONS.

#HappyLittleThingsBOM

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