simple sampler quilt...

don't worry i came back!! and i am here to show you the first of many quilts i have completed in my blogging absence.  

the first up is from a quilt along called the simple sampler.  it was put on by amy at amy's creative side.

i really liked this quilt along because this was the first time that i really learned any quilting technique.  i was amazed at how much better my skill got along the way!  i think that it turned out pretty nice.  i know that my mom was really excited to receive it under the tree!!

front

back

pattern: amy's simple sampler

fabric:  printed fabric - treetop fancy by tina givens; solid purple - ikea sheet; solid yellow - kona cotton

i used fabric from my stash and a solid sheet from ikea.  i love using ikea sheets for my backing and sashing because it is just so darn economical!  in the past, i have had to pay $50 - 60 for my backing fabric and now i can get away with paying $3 - 5 for the whole back and sashing for the front!!!  

for the quilting, i did straight lines but used a yellow thread so it would really stand out on the purple.  i really like straight line quilting...i am pretty sure it is the accountant in me...

i hope you enjoyed this!  i will be back tomorrow for another!

until then...

catching up...

it has been a long time since i have posted anything on here.  i thought that i was going to start another venture under a different name but things just never got off the ground, so here i am back to what is familiar.

not much has happened over the past few months, but it looks like the next six should be pretty exciting.  i don't want to give away all that i have in one post, so let's just say i will keep you up to date as we go along.

the one thing that i did want to do is to catch you up on the quilting i have done since i last posted.  since i think each one is beautiful and deserves its own time in the spotlight i will be positing about each quilt separately.  i know that you are all just sitting in great anticipation (assuming that there are still some of you out there), but you will just have to wait for another day!

until then...

simple sampler quilt - week 3...

i am really beginning to like the colors that i have chosen and hope that it all comes together well in the end.  i decided that i needed to start using some of the mass of fabric i have bought over the past few months, so i bit the bullet and picked some that i recently ordered from fabric.com.  i really want to get rid of my stash so that i will be able to buy the newest and cutest line for my projects.  in another effort to use up my stash and save money, i decided that my solid would be a purple ikea sheet.  i hope that it is not too dark and dramatic for the quilt.

anyway, here are the pics from week 3...

simple sampler quilt - week 2...

finally catching up on posting my blocks, thanks to vacation time!! these are the blocks that i made for week two.

i was surprised at how well my seams went together on these blocks. i have decided that i do not do well with pressing my seams to the side and have gone back to pressing my seams open.  maybe that makes me less of a quilter,but everything just lines up better for me that way.

more blocks tomorrow!!

simple sampler quilt - week 1...

when i decided to make my first quilt, i really wanted to make one for my cousin as a wedding gift, so i just jumped in and went for it. since then i have learned a lot and my skills have increased, but i still have never done anything to really learn how to quilt.  when i saw the simple sampler quilt along on amy's creative side, i thought it was the perfect opportunity to learn.  i am a  few weeks behind but am working hard to catch up!!

the following are the blocks i completed for week 1.

i am using fabrics from treetop fancy by tina givens.  i hope you like!!

summer reading 2010...

this is the first summer in a long, long time that i have not had anything major going on, and this summer might just be the summer that i get through most of my summer reading!! no grad school, no cpa exam...just free time at night!! woo hoo! so, this list might be a little ambitious since i am so excited but here we go...

books for my local library reading club
june's pick - currently reading -
the blue bottle club by penelope j stokes
this is the first book that i have had a chance to read on my new kindle, so i was excited to get started. this little book has been fantastic so far. i was a little skeptical at first, but the story really sucks you in. it is a very touching story about how life can take you in a direction that might seem to be away from what you want and yet it is better than what you wanted in the first place. i will share more once i complete the novel.

july's pick
the secret scripture: a novel by sebastian barry










august's pick
sister carrie by theodore dreiser
i have read this book before, but i really enjoyed it, so i don't mind reading it again. it will actually be nice to discuss the subject matter with others.








books to read on my own:
the likeness: a novel by tana french
this is tana french's second novel and a follow-up to in the woods, which i read last year. i have had this on my bookshelf for awhile and am ready to get into it. i have to finish it by july because my next book will be released on july 13...






faithful place: a novel by tana french
this will be tana french's third release and also the third novel of the Dublin murder squad. i have not pre-ordered it yet because i am hoping that a kindle version is released by the time i get to it...







the girl with the dragon tattoo by stieg larsson











we will see how the summer goes. i hope that i can enjoy all of these and many more. we just bought a fishing boat, so i should have plenty of time to enjoy my books while getting a tan! :)

all images courtesy of amazon.com

the second love of my life...

i finally broke down purchased my very own...

kindle!! and i love, love, love it!! i have already had to re-charge the battery twice i have been using it so much!

i was really nervous about buying one since they are such a big investment, but let me tell you it was well worth it! i finally justified it to myself when i realized that the kindle version of books are so much cheaper than the printed version. i have also saved a ton of money since amazon offers books that were printed before 1923 or are out of copyright for free! this just happens to be the time period i read the most, so it has been fantastic!!

i started reading next month's book for the book club at my local library last week and am almost finished. i really do think that the ability to choose the text size helps me to read faster.

i will stop gushing about my new toy, but i just had to share cause it makes me so happy!

image courtesy of amazon.com