Wanted to post the latest quilts I've completed.   My brother and his wife became foster parents to a little girl and a baby boy.   I made them quilts.  Charming Stars for Jackson and the Lavender Bears for Selah.

Once again my awful skills at taking photos betray me.   In the Lavendar Bear/chain quilt, I think my color choice was a bit too jaring.  Oh well, the little girl won't mind.   I also made "The Yellow Brick Road" pattern by Atkins design as a charity quilt.    I felt like I learned some valuable lessons about color from this quilt.  I definitely messed up and did not get enough contrast in the fabrics I chose.

Hubby has gone TDY to Qatar for 3 weeks, so I've been a little blue.   I've having a little trouble getting motivated to get into the sewing room.  I like handwork and I am still plugging away at my Jumping Bunny Penny Rug.  I really enjoy working with wool. 

I made some blueberry muffins from scratch today which the girls and I really enjoyed.  YUM.   I sent a picture to hubby and he jokingly said he missed the coffee the most and then us second.   Note to self not to post these things on Facebook!

So here is the completed owl wall hanging on Brenna's wall.   I feel like I could have done a little better if I hadn't rushed things a bit.  But I get impatient to finish a project and sometimes get a little sloppy at the end.  sigh.

At quilt market I met the Long girls (Kristie, Apphia, Achaia, Abigail and Abiah) from Marie-Madeline studio.  They handed out a cool brochure that had a quick wearable fabric posie flower on it.  My girls had a fun time making them: 

Here is the link to the project on their website, which has clearer direction and good pictures:
http://mariemadelinestudio.typepad.com/mariemadeline_studio/2009/09/festive-posies.html

Since Robbi and Brenda are so good at Wool Applique, they really got me interested in starting a few projects.  At quilt market I saw some gorgeous wool by Weeks Dye Works and I couldn't resist.   So here are some of the projects I am working on.   I am using the technique with the glue stick and staples to hold the piece in place while I sew it.   It seems to be working OK.

The owl I plan on framing and putting on Brenna's wall.  The bunny pincushion I bought from Primitive Gatherings at Quilt Market.  The jumping bunny is something I saw online and decided to make with bright spring colors.

I pinched my finger closing up a ladder today.  OUCH!  That smarts!  It puts a brake on any sewing I was thinking of catching up on.   So instead I will post a fun picture instead:

So to Swoon or Sparkle Punch?  That is the question!

In case you have been hiding under a rock, it seems that blog world has exploded with the Swoon Quilt, by Thimble Blossoms.  It's basically the carpenter's Block in a big size.  http://thimbleblossoms.bigcartel.com/product/swoon-pattern-142-pdf-pattern

It's gorgeous of course, and it seems that everyone is making one.

But I think I feel more pulled towards Sparkle Punch, by Elizabeth Hartman:
http://www.ohfransson.com/oh_fransson/2012/02/sparkle-punch-quilt-finished.html

I actually bought Elizabeth's book "Modern Patchwork" (her blog is OhFranson.com), but it just didn't wow me.  I don't like Quilting books where the first 30 pages are quilting basics.  I think Sparkle Punch is a much better quilt than the others quilts in the books, it's too bad that it is not in the book.  However, it is the cover quilt in Fons and Porter's July/August issues.

I came across Mary Johnson's great website, Maryquilts.com.   It's a great resource for free patterns for quilts, especially charity quilts.   Mary heads up the Heart Strings Quilt Project which makes and donates quilts for Charitable Organization like Quilts of Valor.     Go check out her website, and I'll wager that like me you will be stumped to pick a favorite.    So far I'm really digging the Red Rover quilt.  I think it would work great for my next Leader and Enders project.
http://www.maryquilts.com/red-rover/

Look at the Stunning Churn Dash and Stars:

Lots of things have happened since I last posted.   I had gallbladder surgery and after about 2-3 weeks, finally felt like myself.   But I didn't have much to sit around because:

My biggest news was that I got to fly to Kansas City, Mo and attend the Spring International Quilt Market.   Robbi Triplett, my dear friend owns Bittersweet Quilts in Joplin and she extended an invitation  for me to join her, her parents and Brenda Patterson at Quilt Market. What an experience!   Overwhelming, exciting, enthralling, exhilarating and exhausting all at the same time.    I took a few pictures, but I mostly I just walked and walked and looked at the booths!   I scored some fun things from Moda at the Sample Spree and attended a mind blurring amount of school house sessions.

I got to meet lots of great people.  Like Darlene Zimmerman, who was so sweet I even got an autographed fat quarter!  Paula Barnes of Bonnie Blue Quilts, now renamed to Red Crinoline Quilts,  Kelly Lee-Creel of Ever Kelly,   Lisa and Nick Bondean of Primitive Gatherings , Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill,  Amanda Herring of Quilted Fish, Jo Morton,  lots of wonderful people from Andover Fabrics and and most importantly, Pam Lintott and her daughter of the Quilt Room!  I just love her stuff and I have all of her books!  I was so fan girlie that I nearly embarrassed myself.   I saw lots of stuff, but more importantly I got to spend some time with Robbi, make a new friend with Brenda and get away from my family for a few days.