Color My World- Pattern Testing

A little while back I got to do some more pattern testing! (I just love to test patterns, it makes me feel special!!!!) This pattern is called Color My World by Elizabeth Dackon. If you don't know who she is you should really go check out her blog, Don't Call Me Betsy! She is an amazing designer! I actually got to meet her when I went to The Stash Bash, to say I was "star struck" is an understatement!!!! She is really down to earth and a real sweet heart!!! She has published MANY patterns such as the Lucky Stars BOM (which I am really behind on), Wheel Of Fortune (I have big plans for this pattern), and Sew Positive (I love this one too!!!) On top of that she has a book being released in September of this year...you can go pre-order it on Amazon through this link, it's called "Becoming a Confident Quilter" I'm sure it WILL NOT dissapoint!!! Anyways, she really is an amazing designer, blogger, and quilter, you should really really go check her out!!!
  Now, let's get on with the pattern I got to test! It's called Color My World and is now available for purchase here! (and if you hurry and get it before September 3rd you can get it on sale! ONLY $6!!!! I promise you will LOVE this pattern!!! Her directions are written very clearly, and super easy to follow! The pattern is block based and comes together REALLY fast!!!!
   When she first sent me the pattern I would just stare at the picture of her finished quilt.

As I was trying to figure out what fabrics to use I noticed the "circles" the pattern created. Then I became a little obsessed with them, so I knew my quilt had to make the circles POP, I think I did a pretty good job with making them do so!

If you guys know me at all you know that I love a scrappy rainbow! So, I took the time to draw out the pattern with graph paper and color it in the way I wanted it, so I could get the fabric placement JUST RIGHT! I had to make one block at a time to make sure that my fabrics were placed correctly, but even doing it that way did not take me long!!! I think this is one of my favorite quilts TO DATE!
There is a lot of different ways to make to this pattern your own! Elizabeth put a table in the pattern so you can see how she chose her colors and gave you space to add your chosen colors! And she took my advice and added a COLORING PAGE to the pattern!!! So, you can do what I did and play with the color placement and have a really good idea of what your finished quilt top will look like!!! (thank you Elizabeth!!!)

The quilt pattern offers 5 different size options! I made the lap size, but you could easily make the crib, twin, queen, or king!!! :-) I added a little bit of a thicker final border to my quilt so me and my Hubby can curl up under it and watch a movie together!

I am still trying to figure out what I should do for a backing, any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated! I think I know how I'm going to quilt it, if I can make it work!
  This pattern was originally featured in Quiltmaker late last year, you can read Elizabeth's post about it here! She used Vanessa Christenson's first fabric line for her quilt. Which I think made a phenomenal quilt! The pattern is NINE pages FULL of tips that will help you plan and sew your top! I'm telling you, this is a MUST HAVE pattern! You can easily whip up a lap size quilt in 2 days! It's great for the beginner!!!

I just LOVE this quilt!!! I can't wait to finish it!!!! You can purchase this pattern through Elizabeth's Pattern Shop or through Craftsy and remember, it's ONLY $6 until Tuesday, September 3rd!!! (after the 3rd it will be $8) so if you go buy it NOW you can have a GORGEOUS quilt top DONE by the end of the long weekend!!!!!

I had a blast planning and sewing this quilt top! The pattern is amazing! I loved testing it out for Elizabeth!

Alright guys, I need your help, what would you do for the backing on my quilt? I need suggestions!!!!



~Hope y'all are having a GREAT day!!!~

Quilt Photography Workshop- August Edition

I don't know about you guys but one of my BIGGEST problems is photography! I mean, I love it! I think it'd be AH-MAY-ZING to become a photographer, pictures are the best! But, if I can be blunt for a moment, my problem is....I SUCK AT IT! Seriously.... ISO, white balance, aperture.....Whaaaaat???? Photography is a VERY important part of a blog...so, I've been doing some research. And when I saw that the lovely Beth of Plum and June was hosting a Quilt Photography Workshop over on her blog I couldn't resist!!!!!
From what I gather the workshop is going to be Bloggers helping each other out (isn't that what blogging is all about?)! Beth will be sharing some tips she's learned along the way as well as having a monthly Linky party for all of us to link up to!!!

Let me be honest with you though, I don't have many tips so I dunno how helpful I'll be, but hopefully I will learn a few things along the way!!!
This month Beth wanted us to focus on FABRIC photography....as quilters/sewers we all have plenty of that right!?!? :-) After reading Beth's post I don't think I had the right idea for my post, but I'm going to go with it anyways. I have 3 different stacks of fabrics, all of these photos were taken INDOORS, and GASP at night!!!!!
I have a nice camera....it's a Canon Rebel, but just because the camera is nice DOES NOT mean I will get good pictures! Aaaaaaand, I kind of lost my manual *face palm*!!!! One thing I have learned in my research (beside really needing your manual) is that AV mode is FANTASTIC!!!! The camera still does a lot of work but, the AV mode makes me feel like I can take better pictures! LOL!
So, what I've done is taken all the pictures with my camera set on AV mode, I didn't mess with any setting (basically because I DON'T KNOW HOW!). I have edited most pictures I'm about to post but I have a few that I left unedited so you could see the difference!
  I edit ALL my pictures with Picmonkey, I love this site! It is sooo user friendly!!!

Alright, enough rambling...let's get to the pictures!

(this photo is edited)
This was a stack of recently purchased fabrics.

(this one is edited)
Anyone who knows me knows I love a rainbow of fabrics...so I just had to get fabrics in all different colors!

(this is the unedited version) Can you see the difference? A lot darker and the colors aren't as pretty!

(this is edited, but only the color) The camera did the blurry part, which I love!!! I dunno why but I really like the effect of this picture....it's probably just because I'm crazy like that!

(edited) I even climbed up on a chair to have a different perspective!

Here is the unedited version. Sooooo dark, but I guess it didn't help that I was taking the pictures at 11:00 AT NIGHT, huh?

(edited)
Yep, love me a rainbow of fabrics! This stack is actually being transformed into a project for my Sewing Room Swap Partner!

(edited) I like the blurry background in this picture, again, not me...this was all the camera's doing!

(unedited)

I've actually kind-of set some goals for myself for my photography...wanna know what they are? Sure you do!!!
- Take pictures during DAYLIGHT!
- Get my new pressing board made so I can have a "less busy" background!
-Try to find my manual for my camera....or download one!
-Try to learn more about ISO, shutter speed, aperture, and white balance

If you haven't already, go check Beth's post and all the other wonderful blogger's linking up!



~Hope y'all are having a GREAT day!!!~

Family

I was looking through some of the pictures on my computer today and it hit me...I NEVER SHARED MY FAMILY PICS WITH YOU GUYS!!!! *face palm* So this post is not going to be my normal post, it's going to inclue A TON of pictures of MY FAMILY :-) and not any of my current WIP or finishes. (those will come very soon, I promise)
So, go grab you a cup of coffee, glass of tea, or whatever you like and sit back and enjoy these LOVELY pictures!!!!
Disclaimer: I am NOT getting paid to write this post or share these photos. I am writing this post because I WANT TO, the photographer doesn't even know I'm writing it, yet (just sent him an email a few min ago). ALL opinions and views ARE MY OWN based on MY EXPERIENCE with this photography company. All pictures were taken and edited by the wonderful people of Affection Photography. Please respect their hard work!!!!

Okay, now that that's out of the way, let's get to sharing!!!!

Keep in mind that these photos were taken in October of last year! (I know, I'm late in sharing! I hope you forgive me!!!)

I found this company through Facebook last year. I emailed back and forth with Sean a few times before we did the session. Let me tell you a little bit about his company. They are called Affection Photography you can find examples of their work on their website, just click here. Their facebook page can be found here. The photographers are Sean, his sister Sonya, and wife Ashley. Our session was photographed by Sean and Sonya. I'm always a little weary when meeting new people, but let me tell you, these are 2 of the most down to earth people I've EVER met! I just loved spending the day with them! They are both VERY easy to talk to and they make sure you get the pictures you want! From what I can see they do A LOT of weddings, family pics, engagement sessions, and KIDS!

They let me choose the location, which I'm soooo glad I picked this one! (Laurel Run Park in Church Hill, TN) The weather was PERFECT, the scenery EVEN BETTER! :-) I can't say enough good things about this company. Really! Okay, enough with the blabbing for a minute, let's look at some pictures!

That's me and my Hubby!

We hadn't had our pics taken in around 3 years...it was definitely time!

I am sooo happy with these pics!!!

Sean and Sonya made it fun for the kids! I don't know about you guys but my kids get pretty cranky during photo sessions, but not this one! They were laughing and playing and having a great time, THE WHOLE SESSION!!!!

I think that this was one of their favorite parts...throwing the leaves.....

AT US!!!!! I got hit right in the face with a big pile of leaves!! Then was COVERED in leaves, but....it made a good pic, don't you think?

This is Dakota, my step-son. He is now playing football so all that hair is GONE (finally!!!)!!!! He is 13, turning 14 in THREE days! They grow up so dang fast!

Look at those gorgeous eyes!!!!

Yes, he's a big boy! He's taller than ME!!!!!

This beauty is Miss Shyanne, my step-daughter, she is 8 and will be turning 9 in FOUR DAYS! Gosh, this child has grown!!!

She had hair almost down to hair bottom, but decided she wanted to cut it ALL OFF! Now it's barely past her shoulders! :-( She is still adorable, but dang I miss that hair!

Yep, she's gonna be a heart-breaker!

This stud is my baby boy, Gabryel, he is now 6! Gosh, time flies!!! He is the sweetest thing ever!

I could just eat him! He's so dang cute!! I'm gonna be fighting the girls off with a bat when he gets older!

Do you see what I mean? Man, I'm in trouble! :-)

This is our baby, Jordyn, who is now 5! She is a handful to say the least! She tries to act all innocent, but don't let her fool you! She's the meanest one!!! :p

I get asked a lot if her hair is naturally that curly, and YES it is!! And it's not too fun to take care of either! Talk about a "rats nest" in hair, she gets about 30 a day! LOL!

So pretty!!!!!

So, that is my family. Again, these WONDERFUL pictures were taken by the AMAZING photographers of Affection Photography. If you are anywhere near the "Tri-Cities" (Kingsport, Bristol, and Johnson City), TN I STRONGLY suggest booking a session with these guys! They are FANTASTIC, their prices are very affordable, and I promise you will have the BEST time with them! It won't even feel like a normal photography session! I will DEFINITELY be booking another session with them for this year! If you decided to check them out tell them Kelie sent you!!!! I promise promise promise you will NOT regret it!!!!

I hope you enjoyed "meeting" my family, I really enjoyed sharing these pictures with you!!!!

~Hope y'all are having a GREAT day!!!~

I Finished a Quilt

       I'm back!!!! And I have another finish to share with you! Although, I have to be honest....when I first started making this quilt I was NOT feeling it (which I think is the reason it took me so long to make) but it HAD to be made! This was a "commissioned" quilt for my Mom's boss.. She'd KILL me if I didn't get this done!
 

          I'll tell you the story behind it (well a little bit of it at least). As some of you know my house caught on fire this past March. (yes this has NOT been a good year for me) I needed to make some money and fast, to help pay for the repairs that needed to be done, so I thought I could raffle a quilt!!! But I did it kind of backwards, I didn't have a quilt already made up. I figured people would be more willing to help out if I let them choose their own color scheme and design. Soooo, my mom's boss won that raffle! She was not very picky as far as the design went, she gave me the colors she wanted. The exact message I got from my mom was "She wants navy blue, light blue, white, dark brown, and a little orange. She wants a modern quilt but not wonky" So my friends, that left the field WIDE OPEN! I thought about it and thought about it and thought about it some more. I wanted something quick and easy.
   I don't know what came over me but I sketched out my design and went with it. The broken spider web blocks are NOT quick, however they are easy! Well, for me at least they weren't quick! This quilt turned out exactly like my sketch! First time EVER!!! I'm really happy with the way it turned out and SOOOO GLAD that I stuck it out instead of changing the design.

      I did a larger stipple all over the quilt (because that's my go-to stitch for quilting) and I had the entire thing quilted in less than a whole day! I did run into a few issues along the way though.
   

                         I decided to back this quilt with a sheet and I found this sheet at wal-mart and thought it was a perfect fit! It is a "Microtex" sheet. Please learn from my mistakes and if you choose to use a Microtex sheet DO NOT USE BASTING SPRAY!!!!! USE PINS INSTEAD! I spent around an hour basting this baby with 505 (what I use for all my basting) and when I went to start quilting it, the SHEET WAS NOT STICKING AT ALL!!!!! I had to go back and pin baste the entire thing!
   I don't know if I've ever told you that I am a procrastinator, in the worst way. In my hurry to get this thing done before my deadline I wasn't paying attention and ended up quilting some of the excess backing onto the actual quilt! Grrrr!!!! Ripping out quilting stitches IS NOT FUN! But, that's okay, I got it done and to my mom's boss before the deadline! YAY!!!

    She absolutely LOVES the quilt! Which of course made my day! I am so excited that this quilt is going all the way to California! She is gifting this to her son, she said he will LOVE it! She said that she wanted him to have a piece of his home (TN) out there with him, she also said I nailed it! And it just so happens that her son lives RIGHT NEXT DOOR to the one and only BLAKE SHELTON!!!!!!!! *squeel* When I found out about his next door neighbor I told her there was a stipulation to her son getting the quilt, he HAD to show it to Blake Shelton and tell Blake to give me a call so I could make him a quilt! (a girl can dream right?)

    I really am sooo happy with the way this quilt turned out!

    The bonus was that this quilt was mainly made from my scraps! YAY!

   I love the way it crinkled up after washing it! It was so soft! I didn't want to give it up, but you do what you have to!

     
           I think the binding really did the trick for me! :-)

    I do actually have some labels now (that's a whole different blog post) but she wanted me to sign it instead of using a label. She said it would make it more personal. So I put my name on it (it's really hard to sign fabric) and where it was made and the year.
   

Quilt Stats:
Size- After washing around 68" x 84"
Fabric used- random scraps and Kona for the solid brown (I don't remember the name of the color) and for the binding I used a print from Marmalade by Bonnie and Camille
Pieced and Quilted- by me on my home machine

I hope you guys like it as much as I do! I'm hoping to get some selfish sewing time in now so I can finish myself a quilt! I'll be ack soon though, got something else to share with you!!!!



~Hope y'all are having a GREAT day!!!~