New Pattern..."Sew she Did"...

This is my new pattern that I've been

working on for the last little while.

It's a project that would be fun to have

 in your sewing room...

After all...sewing does take a

little bit of faith...

And we all need some encouragement

now and then...

Especially when we're trying something new.

Do you ever wonder if what you're making will really turn out the way you have planned?...

Or if your best will be good enough?

Well I do.

I think we all do.

But the very first step you take is

believing that you can...

And the next step is doing it.

"She believed she could...

SEW she did."

This project was "sew" much fun to design, draw and then to applique.

I've always wanted a turquoise sewing machine so that's what I made!

I used assorted red buttons...my trademark ric-rac for the cord...glass beads for

the pins...woolfelt for the pincushion top and I added vintage embroidery scissors

 just for fun!

If you would like to
 make one of your own...
CLICK HERE 
to purchase my pattern!

xx

Lori 

My List of 6" block Tutorials!!!...

Have you been wondering where I have been?

I still have been working on 6" sampler blocks here and there inbetween everything else that's been going on this summer...

Although for the last couple of weeks...

I havn't been able to even take the

tiny-est peek at them!

I've been working on a new design and

pattern that I will show to you the

first part of next week...

I can't wait for you to see it!

So anyway...

back to sampler blocks.

Do all of the above blocks on

 my design wall look familiar to you?

That's right!....

they're all of the blocks that I

have done tutorials on.

Have you finished all of them?

A big "A+" to ya if you have:)

Above are 3 more blocks that I have used

the easy corner triangle method on too.

Strawberry = Blossom Berries

Stripe = Cherry Fizz

Green Dot = ?

Fabrics used:

Blue = Sew Cherry

Seed Catalog Print = Annie's Farm Stand

Red = Dresden Plates

Fabrics used:

White = Nantucket Summer

Pink = Bubble Gum Basics

Yellow = ?

Green = Nicey Jane

Blue = ?

Here's what they all look like together

so far...

I do have more blocks to show you

coming up next week.

BTW...I have had several people ask me 

if I would list all of my

6" sampler block tutorials

in the order that I did them,

starting with my

 Mini Design Boards Tute...

so I have listed them at the

bottom of this post...

just click on each title to

take you to the tutorial.

I wish all of you a lovely weekend and

I hope that ya'll get some quilty time sew!

xx

Lori
P.S. I'm still having a blast on Pinterest...
click on the button below to see what
 I've been pinning:)

Mini Design Board Tutorial
Mini Design Board Tutorial - Part 2
Why I Couldn't Just Stop at One
No Templates Tutorial (drafting)
Easy Half Square Triangle Tutorial
Easy Flying Geese Tutorial
Easy Square in a Square Tutorial
Easy Partial Seam Tutorial
Easy Corners and iPhone Tutorial
Easy Corners on a Rectangle
Easy Weathervane Block Tutorial
More Easy Corners Tutorial
Easy Spool Block Tutorial
Easy Corner on a Tree Block

First Day...

It's the first day of school for my

 Kassidy Grace

today!

I can't believe the summer is

coming to an end....

boohoo.

It's not only the first day of school for Kass...but the first day of 7th grade too.

The 7th graders start a few days earlier so Sterling will start 9th grade on Monday.

Kassidy is now officially in Junior High...she just walked in the doors.

Wow!...I can't believe it. Kass is my youngest...no more Elementary School Days.

I'm not sure how I feel about that.

Where has the time gone?

And where is my little girl?

I'm having a happy/sad morning:)

xx

Lori

Denyse Schmidt's "Sugar Creek" just in at JoAnn's!

While I was at JoAnn's this week to pick up a couple of pillow forms...

I found several bolts of the newest and long awaited fall line by Denyse Schmidt.

It's called Sugar Creek and I believe there is 18 pieces total in the line.

 Denyse has designed these lines for JoAnn's and I think they are lovely with a wonderful vintagey feel...which you all know that I adore:)

 I got some of each that they have so far...all 10 of these prints go so nicely together ...don't you think?

I'm sure that there is more to come because they also had this adorable vintagey floral that's part of the line but none of the pinks and red's yet anyway:)...

but you can be sure that I'll be on the lookout for the rest.

Below are the DS fabrics that I bought from JoAnn's earlier this year...

part of her Spring line.

 Her new Fall line goes so well with the spring fabrics too...hmmmm....I feel another quilt design coming on!

I feel much better now after taking a

small break from my computer after the

loss of my sweet Grandma.

It was a much needed break and I wish

to express my thanks to each and every one

of you sweetie pie's 

that took the time to leave me a comment

or send me an email.

You have no idea how much you have helped me through my sadness.

I've said it before....and I'll say it again...you are the best!

xx

Lori

My Grandma...

 This is difficult for me to write about...

I wondered if I even should. 
Afterall...
this is a blog about quilting.

 But I have shared so much of my life
 with you through the 
designs of my quilts...

and as you know...

most of my quilts are inspired

 by my childhood memories 
and my family which includes
 of course both of my grandmothers.

My Grandma Crane...

who is my mother's mother...

passed away last week.
She was 95.

How do I even begin to tell you
 how much she really meant to me?

She has always been a big part of my life.
She lived only 3 houses away from me...
just around the corner...
as I grew up in the small town of Herriman. When I married I just moved 5 miles away.

She was like another mother to me...
she was also my teacher and my friend.
She always told me the truth and
listened to me.

 This is a recent photo of my daughter Kassidy and my Grandma Crane...

known to everyone else as Millie.

The photo was taken during
 a luncheon that Grandma hosted.

 I have mentioned my grandma's luncheons several times before...

The last Saturday of every month all of the girls in the family go to grandma's for lunch...
this includes Kassidy and I, 
my mother and my 5 sisters
 along with thier daughters.

 The lunch is always potluck...
and afterwards...
we play a board game or cards...

which is something we have always done 
with Grandma ever since I can remember.

 Grandma always wore makeup and a necklace

or a scarf or pretty pin everyday.

When she would laugh 
she would rock

back in her chair.

She had a wonderful sense of humor!

She was a devoted wife,
 mother, grandmother,
 great grandmother, sister and friend. 

On that same luncheon day 
I asked Kassidy to take a picture
 of Grandma and I.

 We were holding hands and Grandma had a pillow on her lap with her favorite

pink rose print pillowcase.

I cropped one of the photos in...

showing just our hands.

Grandma has held my hand 
many times

throughout my life.

This picture means alot to me.

I will have it framed and 
place it on the nightstand next 
to my bed to remind me that she
 is still my grandma and that 
she is still holding my hand. 

When Grandma turned 80...
my mom asked all of the grandchildren to write down memories of grandma so that she could put them in a scrapbook and present it to Grandma on her birthday.

I thought I would share with you
 what I wrote to her so that you might know
 a little of what I felt about her...
and what a wonderful Grandma she was to me.

Memories of You...

Wearing cotton aprons with a dishtowel over your shoulder - your lilacs in the spring - lipsticks on your dresser in a mirrored tray - rose scented lotion in the pink bathroom - white open toe sandals on Easter - mashed potatoes and gravy for dinner - reading stories to each other - smiles -

giving me Certs during church -

walking to the store to see you - 

(she owned the only Mercantile in town)

holding my hand - neopolitan ice cream on Sundays, served in square glass dishes - lots of books that we shared - playing with toys in the backroom of the Merc. - laughing together - playing cards - calling you to settle arguments or just to tattle when mom wasn't home - sleeping over in the downstairs bedroom - you were usually the first one to hear my poems - Christmas mornings - our guest for Sunday dinner every week - always a quilt on the frames in your livingroom and you teaching me to take small stitches - banana cookies - stories of what "mama" or "papa" used to do or say - you were always my first stop after getting off the school bus - orange sticks being passed around during family visits - being there to listen to my primary talks , sacrament meeting talks or when I would sing in church - helping me with my homework or a book report - teacups and saucers - tightly wrapped birthday gifts signed from "Grandma C" - family get togethers with all of the cousins at your house - letting me wear your clip on earrings and necklace during sacrament meeting - giving me Avon lipstick samples 
(she was the Avon Lady too!) - always letting me have a bottle of pop out of the machine at the store - pink popcorn balls wrapped in wax paper on Halloween - always listening to me - pretty handkerchiefs - nicely boxed chocolates - you always like to hear my jokes and you always laugh at them - 

Grandma, these are just some of the things that I remember when I think of you. I am so thankful that you were and are

still just around the corner. 

You have always been there for the important things in my life along with the normal everyday things of living.

I am so proud to be your grandaughter
 and now also your friend. 
Even though I have grown up and married 
and moved away, (5 miles is all haha) 
I still always feel that you understand
 and love me and I love to come 
and visit you often.

Happy 80th Birthday Grandma

I Love You!

Lori

As you can tell, grandma was a big

part of my life and although
 I will miss her dearly... 
I am happy that she is 
with my grandpa again...

she has been without him for 43 years.

 If you are a grandma...
I hope you know how important you are
to your grandchildren!

If you are a mother...
I hope you understand how important
it is to 
cultivate a relationship between
 your children and thier grandparents.

If you are a grandaughter...

call your grandma today
 or go and visit her.

If she has passed to the other side,
go place a flower on her grave or
hang her picture in a spot that will
remind you of her often.

There is nothing like 
the love of a Grandma:)

xx

Lori

I've Got Mail!...

Whoo hooo!...I got a fun package in the

 mail this week.

It came just about the time that I needed a little cheering up and it did the trick

quite well I must say:)

My friend Ayumi(of Pink Penguin fame) who now lives in Tokyo... sent me some love in a box all the way from Japan.

Before I show you what's in the box...I just want to give you a tiny taste of how very talented Ayumi is.

Look at this gorgeous paper pieced block that she designed and made.

Oh my gosh!

Isn't it fabulous?...and yes...I was so pleased when I saw that she had used some

Sew Cherry:)

You really need to click on over to 

Ayumi's blog and see all of her beautiful creations and her amazing tutorials....

when you get there...

tell her I sent you:)

 Okay...back to my mail!

Look at the cute stickers that she put on the package before sending it my way ...

 It was covered with stamps and looked so cute that I almost didn't want to open it:)

 Um...I said almost....(giggle)

 I didn't wait too long to open it...it seemed almost like a birthday suprise because I had no idea what was inside:)

 Ayumi and I met through our blogs and have been chatting back and forth via email.

She wanted some more of my Sew Cherry fabric to do some special projects with and she also knows that I love the quilty Japanese style...so we thought it would be fun to

send each other packages!

 Oh my...just look at all of this fabric!

 Ayumi sent me this sweet letter along with

 her package...so sweet.

 Inside this fun burlap sack ...

 Ayumi had placed all of these fun treasures!

A cute little pegboard... ribbons...buttons...appliques...

stickers and paper tape.

 Look at the coin purse toppers!...

love it all:)

 Look at this little egg carton with

an egg inside...

 And inside the egg is a cute little wild strawberry plant for my garden:)...too cute!

 And now for the fabrics...

just take a look at all of the loveliness!

Isn't it lovely?

Ohhh!...I just love japanese fabric...

don't you?

(Insert big sigh and grin here).

How can I ever thank Ayumi for

her friendship and kindness?

I will think of her each time I use the beautiful things that she gave me...I will know that while I am in my studio
quilting away...
she will be 5,000 miles across the ocean
 doing the

very same thing.

Thank you Ayumi...
from the bottom of my heart:)

xx

Lori