Not So Last Minute Christmas Quilt Along - Dala Horse

Today's the day! Last day of the month means we are linking up our Dala Horse blocks for this month's block in the Not So Last Minute Christmas Quilt Along!  As a reminder, here is what our quilt designer's, Julianna's, block looked like...

 

And here is my version...

 

Now it's your turn!  Grab a button and link up your finishes!  Starting tomorrow, we'll be working on the Star of Bethlehem!

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    An InLinkz Link-up

Today, I'll be linking up with My Quilt Infatuation for NTT, Fort Worth Fabric Studio Fabric Frenzy, Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Can I Get a Whoop Whoop, and Quilt Art Designs Paper Piecing Party.

Texas Sandfest 2015

I spent Saturday at the coast, Port Aransas, Texas.  I took the kids down there for Sandfest, a sand sculpture festival held each Spring.  We had a ton of rain come through South Central Texas last week so most of the sculptures were damaged, but I thought I'd share with you some pics of my favorites.

This was the first thing you saw as you came through the gates.

 

On the side of the same sculpture...

 

A penny, same sculpture...

 

The ladybug was really kinda cute...

 

Willie was pretty amazing...

 

I'm sure this has some significance that I just didn't get but it's pretty cool...

 

 This one was pretty amazing...

 

This dragon was a tiny part of what was supposed to be a larger sculpture but it had pretty much been destroyed by the rain....

 

Wish I could build sand castles like this one...

 

Or this one.  I'm not picky! :)

 

Then there were contests for amateurs but they had just started the day we went so not a ton of progress.  But this one was kinda cute...

 

And we ended the day with lunch at a restaurant on the water.  This was my view from the table...

 

Hope yall had a great weekend too!

Zodiac Stars - Cancer and RSC15

I didn't get a ton of sewing time this weekend, but I did manage to finish up my Zodiac Star for this week and my curved log cabin blocks for this month.  First up, here's the Zodiac Star.  I did Cancer this week...

  

Yesterday, I decided I really needed some brainless sewing so I did my curved log cabin blocks for this month's RSC15, color of purple.  

 

 

This is the last day for linking up your leaders/enders for April.  Grab a button and come play along!

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Today I'm linking up with Patchwork Times Design Wall Monday, Monday Makers at Stoffbreite.de, BOM's Away at What A Hoot Quilts, and Main Crush Monday at Cooking Up Quilts.

On Tuesday, I'm linking up with Quilt Story for Fabric Tuesday, I Have to Say for Show & Tell Tuesday,  Freemotion by the River for Linky Tuesday, and Blossom Heart Quilts for Sew Cute Tuesday.

And Wednesday with Let's Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts, and WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

Bluebonnet Shop Hop 2015 - B and B Quilting

Today I thought I'd share another stop on the Bluebonnet Shop Hop, here in Central Texas. We're stopping at B and B Quilting in Buda, Texas.  This is another favorite shop that has really grown in the last few years.  They just moved into a new building...

 

It is, what I call, a Texas style building.  Everything, including the doors, are so inviting...

Here are a few of the shop samples.  Here is their version of the shop hop quilt.  (As you can see, they carry a ton of notions too!)...

 

I love this log cabin quilt...

 

And just look at this quilt!

 

And this sample...

 

I think one of the draws of this shop for me is that they are moving toward a more modern look and carrying fabrics to go with that movement.  Mom spent quite a bit at B and B.  I love these.  We picked some up last year but I've already used them so Mom bought a few more yards in three different colorways...

 

I love this black!  It has a depth to it that is perfect.  Almost a velvet look to me.  And this green Mom loved and I think it will be fun to incorporate.  Greens are seriously lacking in my stash.

 

Mom is a teal person and we have bought this teal a few times and used them all so she bought a few more yards of it too.  This blue was by the cutting table, is actually 108" wide but Mom loved it so she bought a yard.  

 

I was being good and only bought a half yard of this orange fabric.  I have it in a light blue and adore it so I couldn't pass it up.

 

And finally, here are our free fat quarters from B and B Quilting.

 

If you are ever on I35 just south of Austin, be sure to pull into Buda, Texas, and stop at B and B Quilting.  You will truly enjoy this little gem of a shop in the heart of Texas.

Leader/Ender Linky Party!

Welcome to our leader/ender linky party for April! I actually made progress! Here is where I was last month:

Twenty-one sets in March and now for April...

 

Twenty-seven sets!!!  I feel like I made tons of progress over the last month!  Still plenty of sets to go but I really like the way it's coming along.  All scraps!!  

Now it's your turn.  How much progress have you made this month? I'd love to see what you're working on so grab a button and come link up!

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    An InLinkz Link-up

Today I'm linking up with Val over at Val's Quilting Studio where people are showing off their patchwork quilts, current or old projects, in her wonderful linky party every Tuesday to bring back your old posts.  Go take a look and enjoy!

And I'm linking up with A Quilting Life where we are showing off our scrappy projects.

Bluebonnet Shop Hop 2015 - A Quilter's Folly

I thought I'd share another post from our Bluebonnet Shop Hop. This time, we're stopping at A Quilter's Folly, up in Austin, TX.  A Quilter's Folly is one of those good local quilt shops where you can stop in for your basics.  They have a large selection of fabric, mostly sorted by color, so you can usually find something that will work on your projects.

Here is the shop hop quilt they had on display...

 

I loved the look of this next quilt, but it was hard to see as they had it covering a cutting table...

 

And this star quilt that they had above that cutting table is gorgeous!

 

At this shop, I did manage to find some more of the fabric that I needed for the background on my niece's Zodiac Stars quilt.

 

And these are the free fat quarters we picked up...

 

I'll share more shop hop pics later this week!  Be sure to stop back by tomorrow to add your link to our monthly leader/ender challenge linky party!

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Zodiac Stars - Weeping Angel

It took me all week, but, finally, I finished my Weeping Angel block!!!

 

This is the most intense paper pieced block I've ever attempted.  It had 31 pieces of paper and, I counted, 248 fabric pieces.  All for a 12-1/2" block!  But it was so worth it!  Isn't she gorgeous!  She's not perfect, I see all the little alignment problems, but my niece says she's perfect and that's what matters.

This week I decided to go back to the next Zodiac Star for this quilt which will be Cancer.  Much, much easier

Tomorrow our link party for our leaders/enders will open so be sure to stop back by and link up!  We'd love to see your progress!

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Today I'm linking up with Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times, Monday Makers at Aylin-Nilya, Monday Makers at Hug-a-Bit Quilts, and Main Crush Monday at Cooking Up Quilts.

And Tuesday with Quilt Story for Fabric Tuesday, Show and Tell Tuesday at I Have to Say, Linky Tuesday at Freemotion by the River, and Sew Cute Tuesday at Blossom Heart Quilts.

And Wednesday with Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday, My Quilt Infatuation for NTT, and Sew Fresh Quilts for Let's Bee Social.

And finally, on Friday, with Fort Worth Fabric Studio for Fabric Frenzy,  Quilt Art Designs for Paper Piecing Friday, and Can I Get a Whoop Whoop from Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

Bluebonnet Shop Hop 2015 - Valli and Kim

If you follow me on Instagram, you noticed that this last weekend I participated in the 2015 Bluebonnet Shop Hop here in Central Texas. Over the next few days, I'll share some pics of the fun! And first stop is one of my absolute favorite shops, Valli and Kim.  Valli and Kim is a gorgeous, modern store right on the edge of the Texas Hill Country.  (Fair warning, this is a very picture heavy post.)

 

I mean, honestly, how could a quilter not love this store???  The above picture was featured in Quilt Sampler Magazine.   Here are a few from my visit this weekend.

 

 

The shop is large, open, and filled with so many gorgeous modern fabrics.  They have a longarm for rent, a decent sized classroom area, and inspiration everywhere.  Here is the best picture I could get of their version of the shop hop quilt.

 

And below is the bounty that I picked up at Valli and Kim.  First, I had to start rebuilding my stash of neutrals as I seriously depleted it working on my Grand Illusion Mystery.

 

Sorry, this one is blurry, but I've been really wanting to get my hands on this viewfinder fabric from Cotton and Steel.

 

And this gorgeous silver fabric.  If I remember right, it's from a line called Faith, Hope and Love.  I got the end of the bolt.  I have a cross I've been wanting out of silver as well as the rotary blades for my rotary flowers on the quilter's garden quilt.

 

These next few pics are mom's purchases.  If you are a blog follower, you may remember my mom.  She loves to shop for fabric, but she hates to sew!  So I end up getting to bring it home.  I love that orangey/coral arichitextures.

 

Mom and I had seen these gorgeous "solids" from the Paint line a few months ago and put off getting any.  No longer!  Can you see the depth of the color in these???  Love!

 

Mom is a teal person.  These just called out to her and I adore them.  Can't wait to start playing.

 

And lastly, during this particular shop hop, everyone receives a free fat quarter from each shop.  Here are the ones we got from Valli and Kim.  

 

It looks like Valli and Kim has started to built their online presence.  If you are ever in Central Texas, Valli and Kim is a must see shop.  If not, stop by their online store and enjoy!  

Just a reminder that next Tuesday is the linky party for our monthly leader/ender challenge.  Grab a button and come join the fun!

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