Monday, September 22, 2008

A Quickie

My company is gone, but now it's jury duty. Still pretty nutty around here. I'm eeking out tiny bits of time to sew and I've been working on making progress on this hourglass quilt. Maybe a top later this week.




















Since my folks are in Canada, the Bernina is staying at my house. I've only had one chance to sit down at her. I dove head first into free motion quilting on my little quilter's neighborhood mini quilt. It's not perfect, but I'm proud that I finally took the plunge, and I learned a lot doing a piece that wasn't going to be tossed out. I was hoping for a quilting marathon while I had the machine here, but so far no such luck. I am still going to try to get to it.

I feel bad that my blogging routine has been totally messed with and I haven't had a chance to visit many of you, so since I wouldn't have made this without your help, how about a little giveaway? If you would like to own the little quilty neighborhood just leave a comment on this post. I'll do the random number thingy on Friday morning. (Hope the trial is over by then.) Let's be flexible folks...it's a bit crazy around here. Let's try to keep this small...just between us if you know what I mean. Thanks for being patient and staying with me!

102 comments:

Carrie said...

Pretty colors in the hourglass quilt.
May you have an uneventful week on jury duty :)

John said...

What a funny coincidence -- I, too, lowered the feed dogs and braved free motion quilting this weekend for some swap quilts! And ... I have cut and pieced an hourglass quilt!! Great minds think alike. And I know #2 will never win, but I'd love the litle neighborhood quilt. : )

abcgirl said...

such a cute little mini-quilt. i'm hoping to post pics of my first free-motion quilt soon too!

i love the very modern feel of your hourglass quilt!

QuiltedSimple said...

Love your hourglass quilt colors! And I'm so sorry you have jury duty - hope it ends shortly for you!
Kris

Di~ said...

Hey, no apologies needed! I love your blog no matter what! I'd love to win your little pretty!

Tamara Lund D.C. said...

I love your mini houses. After seeing your blog I ventured into trying one myself. First try was not too successful,but the next one will be. Love the hour glass colors. Hope I win.

Purple and Paisley said...

your hourglass quilt is gorgeous and the houses? i love them! please count me in for your giveaway...=)

Unknown said...

I absolutely love the hourglass quilt! I have that same fabric, if you remember, I made a stinkin' cute bag with it. I just love, love, love it! Oh wait I said that already. Anyway, the neighborhood quilt is great. You did a terrific job of quilting it and I would love to be in the running to win it. Hopefully, jury duty doesn't get in the way of sewing time for too long.

Nancy said...

I love house quilts...I have a huge one hanging on my living room wall...and just purchased some black/white fabric printed with houses and shops in Paris...

The hourglass is beautiful..

Hope to see you fully back on track soon...

Tina said...

I'm crossing my fingers that your jury duty is over quick and that things will get back to normal for you! Love the fabrics in your hourglass quilt. And the little quilty neighborhood is so darn cute! Congrats on your free motion bravery!

Brittney said...

I love that hourglass quilt. The colors and prints are so perfect together; definitely inspiring!
The neighborhood quilt is really cute too, I would love to live in one of those cheery houses.

Cami said...

These are both so cute! I have been dying to try an hourglass quilt and this just inspires me more. I love your little houses and I'm glad you tried the free motion. I'm still learning but love it more every time I practice.

Alissa said...

Hope your jury duty is quick and easy! I love that hour glass quilt. And didn't you love freemotioning?!? It's my fav. part now!

Sara said...

This is the 1st time I have ever posted on a blog (found you via craftster). You have renewed my energy for quilting - I had gotten away from it for too long and my Bernina was collecting dust. Since 09/04, I now 3 WIP, complete a trick or treat bag for my 2 year old nephew. And soon I will be starting a wonkly log cabin (one wip is a christmas stocking using your crazy block tutorial).

I can honestly say that you have inspired me to get back to quilting. I love your creativity and use of color! Love, love, love the neighborhood piece!!!

Thanks for (re)lighting a fire under my backend!!!

Browndirtcottage said...

Your neighborhood would look good in MY neigborhood.

Lisa Boyer said...

What an adorable quilt! I'm in! Thanks for the giveaway.

Jennifer said...

i hear jury duty is a nightmare. hope it's not such a gruesome case.

also, love that little neighborhood. reminds me of how my girlfriends and i pretend to 'buy' the houses we love in the neighborhoods we walk through. it would be fun to hang that little banner outside my classroom door!

MelissaS said...

Loverly! I understand about being overwhelmed!

Anonymous said...

Things lkie jury duty always seem to come up at the worst times, I had to do my stint just after my father died. At least it will be another 8 years before I come up again.
I love your little quilt and would be honored to win it.
Sue Cahill (sbonetsue at yahoo dot com)

audreypawdrey said...

I love how the hourglass quilt is looking! It has such vibrant and pretty colors and I really like all the different pink and black fabric-especially that houndstooth. I would love to win the neighborhood quilt, it is so whimsical.

Sarah said...

I love the color combo in the hourglass quilt. I hope jury duty goes by quickly as well. I also have not had much time to sew since school is back in session. Thanks for including me in the giveaway!

Anonymous said...

The hourglass quilt is so pretty and so well done. I love your neighborhood quilt is fantastic!
jenn

Ginger said...

Your hourglass quilt will be so pretty!

Good luck with jury duty, I hope your life calms down a wee bit soon.

Very cute mini-houses... that would look great on my mini-quilt wall! ;-)

MichelleB said...

Love the hourglass quilt! And I'm so glad you tried free motion quilting. I KNEW you could do it! And it looks great.

Trisha said...

Everything you create is so wonderful! You must have an inspiring stash. I adore your neighborhood quilt and would love it to come to come to my neighborhood!

stitchsmith said...

Good luck with jury duty! Can you bring something crafty with you to help pass the time?

-Rachel in STL

sewtakeahike said...

Hi Jacquie, for someone that is very busy, you sure do get a lot of sewing done!! Your hourglass quilt is so nice!!! Thanks for having this giveaway, I can't believe you are giving your little neighborhood away, it's so precious and I really hope I win. If I don't though, I know it will bless whoever does win!

Kathleen said...

I'm thinking you have a VERY interesting life Jacquie.Good luck with the jury duty and the free motion quilting, am confident that you will achieve most of what you set out to do in life.

I get what you are saying about the giveaway....guess what though? I did the Random.org thing for my giveaway and genuine bloggers won!!! One of my super duper tell it like it is ones won my regular readers section and a new fabulous art quilter in Australia won overall and a very talented one who also loves knitting won the flickr part of it...now I just have to pack up their parcels.

Have so much stuff am going to do a regular Aussie giveaway and a semi regular one for "regular readers" ...like you.

A Spoonful Of Sugar said...

The hourglass quilt looks lovely - great colour choices. Good luck with the jury duty - hope you get a quick case.

Amy said...

Hey congratulations on taking the free motion plunge! Fun, right? It looks great! I hope things calm down for you soon. You are missed when you're not around, but you shouldn't feel pressure. We'll wait!

kat said...

Hi Jacquie. As with all your quilts, this new one you're working on will be fabulous. It's so nice to have stumbled upon another quilter who has seemingly similar tastes to my own! That being said, I would of course love the little houses to hang up on the wall.

I took a free motion quilting class and absolutely love the freedom and the improvisational aspect of it. Yet I have admittedly not found the courage yet to do any on any of my quilts. I think making a small one to test the waters may be just the ticket. Thanks for the ongoing inspiration!

Unknown said...

I love your hourglass! And I am so impressed with your free motion dive! :) I would love to have that piece of neighborhood - it is so fun! Here's to wishing for my number :)

Anonymous said...

I need to learn free motion quilting too. I haven't yet tried it. I don't care what everyone else writes... it looks really hard and a bit scary. Maybe in the summer holidays...
The neighbourhood quilt is just so much fun. You're very clever.

Mama Spark said...

h, I so love this little gem. Put me in your drawing!

Jilly said...

I love reading your blog. thanks so much for all the beauty and inspiration.

I would love to win that little neighbourhood quilt, so although I have terrible luck with giveaways and draws I shall leave a comment.

sclangs said...

When I first saw your neighborhood quilt, I wished that I was able to do something that cute. Please enter me into your drawing. I love your hourglass quilt colors too!

Unknown said...

Oh Jacquie, the neighborhood quilt is so cute. I would be inspired to clean my craft room if I won! I have been wanting to make an hourglass quilt as well!

Fran said...

Your hourglass is very pretty and I love the colors. Keep up the good work with the free motion. As my teacher said "practice, practice, practice".
I will keep you in my mind as you finish with this jury thing. It can't be easy.

~~Fran...:c)

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness - I was looking at this post thinking how cute the houses were and then read the magic word "giveaway"...they are too cute Jacquie!!

Marie' said...

The house quilt is sooooo cute!! I just love how you used the red dots.

Anonymous said...

I completed a quilt top today and felt great. Still not a productive as you usually are but I'm getting more in the groove.

P.S. I truly love the neighborhood.

Anonymous said...

I was going to leave a comment before I even got to the part about the give-away, so...BONUS!! :-)

Do you happen to remember where you got that black and white houndstooth fabric? It's fabulous. I'd love to get my hands on some.

Anonymous said...

I love the colors in this quilt!

Karen said...

Love your little "neighborhood". You did good!

Amanda Jean said...

I love how your little neighborhood turned out. so stinkin' cute. hope jury duty goes well. and congrats on your first plunge into free motion quilting!

Janis said...

What a shame you got jury duty while the Bernina is visiting. Your hourglass quilt is lovely but your little house quilt is toooo cute! Someone will be thrilled!

Alice Childs said...

Love the hourglass quilt--I may have to try one for myself in fun, bright colors.

Tine said...

The hourglass quilt is looking really good! I would LOVE the neighborhood quilt. I'm so glad you tried FMQ! Fun, isn't it?!

Laurie said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE the hourglass quilt! PICK ME PICK ME PICK ME for the give away! LOL
laurie

Anonymous said...

May you not been needed for jury duty after all...it happens many times. The quilt is wonderful and I just love the quilty houses!

Anonymous said...

Love the fabrics used in the houses. Makes me think of the little fairy houses in mushrooms.

Tonya Ricucci said...

holy cow, look at all the comments. just wanted to tell you I love your hourglass quilt. the colors and prints are lively and beautiful. gorgeous.

dutchcomfort said...

The hourglass quilt looks great. I have never heard of the name hourglass quilt, so today I learned something again!

Who would not want to win your neighbourhood quilt!?

Lisa said...

Jacquie, that hourglass quilt is stunning! How do you do it all?
and you know me... I looooove a house quilt! so count me in!!!! I would love to live in that neighborhood!!!!!!!

Amiechan said...

OoOoOoh cute little houses! <3<3<3

Anonymous said...

Oh, I have the perfect spot for that on my quilt wall - it's divine! I can't believe that you are giving it away!!

syko kajsa said...

Oh wow! Are you really giving away our street!? The little gift I'm sending isn't much compared to that!

Abby and Stephanie said...

Your hourglass quilt is going to be so pretty. You have such a great color sense. Oh I think Loft Creations is housed in that darling neighborhood!

calicodaisy said...

I'd love to have that little neighborhood hanging in my studio or running across the table in my front room. -- Michele

Patty said...

Oh my, I so remember the feeling that runs through your body when you take the plunge and begin Free Motion! You are excited and scared at the same time; one minute you are breathing and the next you realize you need some air; your heart begins beating quickly and your body becomes tense. So, remember to relax, take a deep breath and enjoy! This level of quilting is so exciting and before you know it you will feel like a pro!!!

Ruth's Place said...

I adore the fabrics in the hourglass quilt!

Stephanie D said...

Hurray for free-motion quilting! I did it on Butterfly Kisses that I gave to the new mommy yesterday, but wasn't real happy with it.

If we don't get to go to the beach because there is NO GAS in our town, I might be able to sign up for the free motion quilting class at my LQS. Every cloud has its silver lining, no?

Please enter me in the drawing!

Diane said...

I love the little city of houses. I would love to win at for my home. Thanks I love reading yur blog and miss it when you are busy. However I understand.

Darcie said...

Oooh ooh ooh! Love all of those checks and dots and stripes! How fun. Seriously...can you do anything that I don't like?! ;-)

Please don't feel badly about how little or how much you can blog. Hopefully by now, most of us use some sort of blog managing tool...and we can just pick up where we leave off without any guilt.... ;-)

em's scrapbag said...

Your hourglass is stunning. I love the colors. I would love the neighborhood mini to remind me of you, my dear blogging friend. Afterall in that quilt we are neighbors.

MightyMom said...

keep it small???? YOU ALREADY HAVE 67 COMMENTS!! what do you mean by SMALL?????!!!!!????

I love the hourglass quilt, my favorite part is the whole squares thrown in helter skelter!

and that neighborhood is something anyone would be proud to own!

you might remember that boredom can be a blessing ;-)

jodie said...

WOW! I love the houses! Gorgeous work. Thanks for the chance to win!

KateKwiltz said...

I love the color combo on the hourglass quilt! And am not opposed to winning your little quilt in the 'hood!
Kudos to you for performing your civic duty, torturous as it may be.
Damn life for getting in the way of our creativity! :)

Regi said...

Love the colors in the hourglass quilt.. the neighborhood quilt is lovely... and the idea of free motion quilting scares the heck out of me. Perhaps someday I will throw caution to the wind and join the party.

~Regi

Joanna said...

Keeping it small? I am comment number 72 I think lol!! So is this neighborhood the one in which I live?!! Huh Huh?! I must win this!! How could I not own my own property??? ;) Love the hourglass quilt too - and the free motion - just practice a lot and you'll be a pro in no time:0)

tess said...

hope your jury duty goes ok!

Julie said...

Hi Jacquie! With 73 comments your circle of friends is growing. I would love to win the neighborhood. It would look extremely cute in my girls' room.

Doris said...

Wow, like 75 comments! You Go Girl! Love that little neighborhood quilt...I could definitely find a good home for it!

Hedgehog said...

Wow - you've had a lot of comments! Love the colors on the quilt - and the neighborhood is just adorable!!

Two Dogs and a Quilt said...

Congratulations on taking the free motion quilting plunge!!! Hope you get some time to practice when jury duty is over.

the girl said...

That came out so great!

Anonymous said...

I love your square motion quilt in the sidebar which had my clicking on your flickr photos too. I like your style.
The neighbourhood quilt looks so cute & I'm impressed with your free motion quilting! Count me in for the draw please
Chris x
chris-mackenzie@ntlworld.com

Shannon said...

You continue to impress!

Oh, and my lucky number is 9 so can I be 9?

brown robin said...

A quickie post to you! I enjoyed finding your blog today and I will be coming back by regularly. You are an amazing quilter, and I have much to learn from you...

ellen said...

You are missed, but life does have a way, doesn't it? The hourglass is looking lovely.
Of course, I would love to see "my" little house and neighbors hanging on my wall.
Take care, we'll always be here.

Kim said...

Jury duty, huh. I feel for ya! The hourglass top goes together fast and is very cute finished. The Mini House giveaway has attracted a HUGE number of happy quilters. Good luck everybody! :)

Rebekah said...

Have fun with jury duty! I love the color scheme on your hourglass quilt :)

Anonymous said...

new to your blog! really enjoy it!

Beth said...

ok, I'd love to hang those houses in my sewing room. I just tried the free motion for the first time with the correct foot. That darning foot makes a big difference! Hope jury duty goes well. I actually quilted my first quilt while sitting and waiting at jury duty about 10 years ago!

Anonymous said...

Wow..the colors of the hourglass is beautiful. I hope I could be expert like you in choosing colors' fabrics.

MightyMom said...

you won an award

Clare said...

OMG - look at those comments! Those hour glass colours are fab!

Jodi Nelson said...

89 comments! Geesh! I want that little quilty neighborhood! What are all you doin leavin comments! LOL. The hourglass quilt looks amazing. ooxx`jod

Anonymous said...

Love the hourglass quilt. Hope all goes well with jury duty. I've never had to do it but I have a friend whose done it a lot and I know it takes a lot out of her! Here's wishing you get to your Bernina soon!

Vicki said...

The house quilt, and the quilting, look great!

Unknown said...

Love your hourglass quilt, so bright and happy, and what a cute little neighborhood quilt.

Allie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Allie said...

Oh-pick me, pick me!

Very generous give-away. Love your blog!!!

Cheryl Arkison said...

Thanks for the link to syko, great stuff. Your houses turned out great!

Anonymous said...

What beautiful pillows, quilts and even more pillows! I LOVE the little houses----I am totally amazed at how much you seem to get done. Maybe I just spend too much time thinking about what I want to do :-) I would love to win those wonderful little houses!
Beautiful pictures---inspiring!
~Loreedoo (at) roadrunner dot com

Robin (RsIslandCrafts) said...

he colors in your hourglass quilt are stunning. Your little neighborhood is adorable. Hope your week eases a bit for you....

Dawn W said...

Love your little houses - just found your site and you are very creative & inspirational. Keep it up!

Dana said...

I think I would die if I won this quilty little neighborhood. Seriously. I would. I love it soooo very much and have visited your blog dozens of times just to look at it. It would become the new banner on my blog for sure. And then find a perfect home in my home.

Unknown said...

i saw this on craftster & LOVED it!! followed it to your blog with all your pretties, and now a chance to win it?? you are an awesome quilter!!!

Q said...

Your quilting and your blog inspire me. I'm going to practice free motion quilting this weekend!

Unknown said...

nooooo, I've missed the giveaway - agh!!!!! ha ha. Someone will be a very happy winner, that's for sure!!!!

gunnelsvensson said...

so beautiful miniquilt!