Aurifil January Mini

 Have you seen all the FREE BOM's popping up around the quilty world?  It's so hard to pick just one or two, so I'm collecting 7.  Collecting is the key word, I'd like to complete all of them but let's be realistic....I'm fickle.  

The Aurifil 2015 Designer of the Month Mini 

sounded like it was right up my fickle alley.  No year long commitment in order to have satisfaction.  This little cutie went together start to finish in about 5 hours.  

 I'm sure you could do it quicker but I was working from scrap pieces of fabric instead of yardage so there was much more cutting and sewing involved.   Not to mention my walking foot broke the day before so I had to quilt this one with an open toe foot very carefully.  The pattern designer Gudrun Erla did a wonderful job writing the pattern, easy to understand and giving the pressing directions which was very helpful.  

I'm not sure why the picture below looks green, its really aqua.  It doesn't matter you can still see the stitches which is what I was after.  Seeing how my walking foot was broke I can live with a few long or short stitches.  

And of course I always choose a backing that is not on the favorite fabric list.

On mini's I always attached the binding by machine.  Now if I could just master the stitch in the ditch.

Well I'm off to find a spot on the mini's wall for my new little sweetie, "SPARKLE".  

~ Lea Anne ~

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Now Serving Amour de Cerise

Good Monday morning sweet quilty friends!  I'm so glad you've all stopped by for a visit.  So grab a cuppa and a chair and stay awhile while I serve up some "Amour de Cerise".

She's such a sweet little quilt top measuring in at 69.5" square.   Now I must admit that when it comes to Holiday prints I'm usually not a big fan, but when they're free you can't complain.  It took awhile to gather up the courage to use them.  It was fun challenging myself and getting out of the fabric comfort zone.  You can read more about the fabrics and design here.

The low volume background....YUM!  I think I've found a new love.  Why was I so afraid low volume?  It may be that sometimes as quilters we tend to over think the process instead of just letting it take on it's on life.  By that I mean.... I was afraid the low volume prints wouldn't match up correctly when I started putting the blocks together.  I only used 5 different low volume prints so a little planning went into each block, making sure I had a few different prints in each block.  

My original plan for this quilt was to add applique in the border.  After about two hours of quilt staring, planning and playing with ideas, the girls

(me, myself and I) decided it would make the quilt far to busy and that the quilting would need to speak for the borders.

There's just enough charms left to make a matching table runner.  So later in the week I'll share a free pattern and a tutorial on how to use the Marti Michell Diagonal Set Triangle ruler.  Until then if you want more quilty inspiration, hop on over to Judy's@Patchworktimes for a linky party. 

Just one more picture,  just because I like it!

TaTa Dear quilty friends!  Happy Stitching!

~ Lea Anne ~

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Inspiration

As many of you know a little over a year ago our family came together as hospice caretakers for my Gramps.  Some took care of the yard work, others the finances and then some of us the daily personal care.  During this time some us also reconnected as friends.  Nothing like the death of a prominent family member to either pull a family together or tear it apart.  My Aunt Brenda took time off from her job to be his main live in caretaker, I became her lovely assistant(wink wink).  I always took along some hand applique and my computer for designing quilts in EQ. There was little time for either.   Well yesterday I received this picture on my phone.  My Aunt Brenda is making her very first quilt! She's off to a great start by mastering the HST's.  Pretty darn good for newby!   I like to think her inspiration was me, although she never said.  It just tickled me pink to think there will be another quilter in the family.  

 We never know who or how we'll touch other people lives in our journey.  

There were a lot of memories made in those few short weeks, some were good and some were bad but I wouldn't change a thing. 

The picture below is 

My mom, Gramps and Aunt Brenda.   

Happy Stitching Aunt Brenda!

~ Lea Anne ~

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Amour de Cerise

Translation...Cherry Love.  Need I say more.  You gals know me and you know my Cherry obsession.  The nine patches are L'Amour charm pack by Sandy Gervais for Moda and the background fabrics are Redwork Renaissance by Chloe's Closet for Moda.  I ran out of the background fabric needed for the border so....I made a quick trip to the LQS yesterday only to find they were closed due to a water leak.  Praying and crossing my fingers all the way to Joann's for fabrics to match the designer fabrics.

The powers that be were listening!  I also picked up the red polka dots.

The raw edge applique is made using Heat and Bond Light and 100wt Invisafil thread (my favorite thread for applique and quilting) and a teeny tiny, little itty bitty blanket stitch.  GLASSES REQUIRED  for this old gal!  

So here's my plan.   There will be a tiny bit of applique on the vine border below.  I'll be designing it by good old paper and pencil.  This quilt will also give me the opportunity to use my new ruler, Marti Michell's inset triangle ruler.  I'll let you know how that goes next week. 

~ Lea Anne ~

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