Welcome Spring....

Or at least it felt like spring today with temps up to 70...yeah!

What have I been doing lately?

Quilting!!!  I've discovered quilting.  I always knew that I would quilt some day because I love to sew and I adore quilts. 

I signed up for a Kim Diehl class in August.  We meet every other month and make a mini quilt from her simplewhatnots collection.  I totally love it!

These are a couple for the ones I've made.  

I have to say these small quilts have really helped me sharpened up my skills.

This quilt I made from a you tube video from Missouri Star Quilt Company. 

I also finished a block of the month quilt.  I started it in October 2014 and finished it last month.

This is a pattern called "How Does Your Garden Grow?" By Norma Whaley of Timeless Traditions.  I am so happy how it turned out I even quilted it myself.

I am also working on a quilt along called Splendid Sampler.  We get patterns for 2 blocks every week and I think it goes for almost a year.  There are 80+ designers submitting their patterns.  I just hope I keep up :-)

That's all I have for now.  I did put a few pieces on eBay.  The link is on my sidebar.

Enjoy your day,

Leanne

Hello September....

Where has the summer gone?  Time does fly by!

This quilt was made by me!  I still can't believe I made this.  I joined the Kim Diehl club at the Ye Olde Schoolhouse Quilt Shop. This quilt was a challenge!  I'm kind of new to quilting, I know how to sew but quilting is quite different. Cutting accurately all those little squares, marking, sewing a scant quarter inch seam, all those little pieces to stay organized are just a few things I learned how to do. Oh and read directions over and over again.  I am totally hooked on quilting!  I can't wait for the next class :-)

I getting ready for my craft fairs. Making a lot of wool appliqué pieces.

Scarecrows

And more wool.

First fair September 19 @10:00, Holy Hill Art and Crafts Fair in Hubertus, WI.

Now for a tip....

I like my work to have a primitive look.  Sometime when working with wool I can't get the antique looking color I like.    If the color is too bright coffee dye it!

See the difference? The piece on the right is the coffee dyed wool...the perfect color!

Enjoy your day,

Leanne

All Prepped and Ready to Sew....

I spent the last two days prepping some stitching and stitching.

I have my block of the month ready for stitching. These are blocks 9 and 10 of Norma Whaley's How Does Your Garden Grow. I'm running a little behind but I'm hoping to get these done before my next blocks come....that's my goal.

This table topper is all ready for stitching.... I just love this!

This is a custom order.  My customer and I worked together to come up with this design.

I love it when two minds work together so well!

Here's the fabric for my next project.  All starched just hanging to dry.

Yes I do starch my fabric before cutting into it.  I think it's easier to cut the fabric more accurately  when it is starched. 

I bought this kit along with the pattern in Chicago when I went to the Quilt Market. So cute and I get to do a little embroidery on this one.

I finished these pillows last night.  These are going to be for sale at my craft fairs. They look so great on the chair I just might have to make one for myself :-)

I'm off to do some stitching.

Enjoy your weekend,

Leanne

Finished....

Finished this quilt wall hanging and in time for summer.

It's hard to see but I finished off the quilt with a blue print binding.

Now back to working on some wool appliqué...

and I think I'll finish another quilt hanging that I made for fall.  

This has wool applique vine and leaves in the borders.

I am so happy I learned how to machine quilt.  I'm loving all the mini quilts that are so popular now. I have my eye on some new ones I would like to make or try to make.

Enjoy your day, 

Leanne 

Working on Something for Summer and a Tip....

I'm pretty much a beginner quilter but that hasn't stopped me from trying to design a wall hanging.  

It all started with this pattern from Buggy Barn.

I just loved the center flower basket.... perfect for wool appliqué.

 I wanted to make something more scrappy for summer in red, white and blue. 

I found some French General fabrics in the colors I wanted. 

I made the center wool appliqué and did the quilt squares. 

One problem..,

I think these squares are too scrappy.  

I love the fabrics.  

I just think I need more solids or smaller prints to make this block work. 

 I just don't like them for this project.  

So with the left over fabric and buying a neutral fabric I made these blocks.

Now these pinwheel blocks look so much better to me. 

I had the piano key stripes cut so I added them to make the wall hanging larger. 

Used the left over red for a border. 

 I like how it all came together.

I have it all pinned and ready for quilting.

 For quilting I want to outline the wool appliqué and stipple the background on the block. 

I'm not sure how I going to quilt the rest.

Now here's my tip....

I take a picture of my quilt to see how the blocks and fabrics are working together. 

I will do this to audition fabrics for my borders too.  

I don't have a design wall and taking pictures works just as well.

Happy sewing,

Leanne

This is not my garden...

but I wish it was.  ha ha

I just thought I would share a few pictures from our trip to Las Vegas.

My favorite places to stop by are the atriums at the Wynn and Belagio.

This is the Wynn.  So much color all made out of flowers.

I just love these flower balls hanging from the trees. 

I wish I could have these in my yard.

This carousel is amazing!

Even the floor is beautiful.

The Belagio smelled wonderful.

This Japanese garden is so pretty and I just love the tulips.

So peaceful.

Love these parasols.

Guess where we stayed?

If you said the Flamingo you are right.

The weather was perfect!

I just had to add one dam picture.

Okay one more dam picture.  This was taken from the bridge you can see in the previous picture.

This is what I am currently working on.  

I want the larger, longer runner to match the small one.

I just love how this is looking!

I'm still working on my hexies.  

I think I want this to be a table runner or two.  

I'll just keep adding fabrics in red, black, caramel and off white 

and make

hexies until I decide.

I finished this little Buttermilk Basin picture on the plane. 

I bought the kit at the Quilt Show in Chicago.

Have a great week

and

Happy stitching,

Leanne

Quilt Show and Hexie Love...

I went to the Quilt Show in Chicago!  

I'll share a few pictures.

I love Red and White quilts and the Quilt Show had an amazing display of them.

Don't you just love these positive and negative houses?

The Log Cabin was the first quilt I made and it remains my favorite block. 

More houses...this treasure is a mini quilt.

The quilting is just amazing.  It's so beautiful.

I did my part in keeping the quilting economy going. :-)

I bought some wool and wool projects.

Love Primitive Gatherings!

I have been wanting to do this quilt for a long time so I bought the kit. 

The vines around the quilt is done in wool applique.

I had to get something Red and White.  I can't wait to do this mini. It has tiny red flower shaped buttons to go on the embroidered stems and leaved.  Once I get a triangle square up ruler I'm going to start this project.

My friend Anne told me about the hexies she was making and how fun they were...making hexagons using the English Paper Piecing method.  

She said I know you will like it.

While at the Quilt Show we saw a booth where a woman was working on a piece using hexies.  She showed me how to do it and of course I had to buy the paper for 1/2 hexies. 

The above picture is my first Hexie.

Thank you Anne for introducing me to hexies... I'm hooked! I got Anne hooked on wool appliqué;-).  

Here's my first star.  I did buy some little fabric bundles and added some fabric that I had because I didn't want it scrappy. I do have to tell you this is not a fast process. It's just something fun to do while watching tv.

I happen to have this tackle box which is the perfect place for all my Hexie work. Please note this box was never used for fishing bait. 

I wonder how many 1/2 inch hexies you need to make a king sized quilt? Way too many to count....lol.

Enjoy your day,

Leanne

Trying Something New.....

 Or at least new to me. 

I just signed up for Instagram as leanneatharvestmoon. 

I thought this would be an easier way to show you what I've been up to. It's so fun and easy to use. You can teach an old dog new tricks ha ha. 

I made myself a glasses case for my sunglasses and yes it's made out of wool.  The sun is out, the snow was gone and it started to warm up....yay!

Friday's mail brought me blocks 5 and 6 of How Does Your Garden Grow? by Norma Whaley of Timeless Traditions.  This B.O.M. was offered by Primitive Gatherings...love that shop. It's my first B.O.M. and I am hooked!  The only thing I don't like about it is that I have to wait for the blocks. I now get how some people sign up for two or three or more B.O.M.'s.

I have my blocks all prepped and ready to stitch. 

I plan on stitching these while watching the Badgers tonight.  Go Badgers!

You can see the first four blocks on instagram you'll find the button on my side bar.  I think it's going to be fun for me to watch my progress in pictures.

I'm getting a lot of stitching done this weekend with all the basketball games on. March madness has hit our home. All basketball all the time. 

I also added some things to ebay like

this appliqued heart pillow. 

You can see my things by clicking here.

Enjoy your day,

Leanne