Corgi Fair 2009!

I don't think I ever posted photos from Corgi Fair this year. Lucy didn't seem to enjoy the actual fair, but she did have a lot of fun playing frisbee on the grass!

Did someone say FRISBEE?


Oh yeah, reach for it!

A little to the left...

Point those toes!


Don't worry though, not everything is pretty. Here are some outtakes... which are HILARIOUS.

Misjudged a little?


Hmmm... not quite puphead!


Best part? It never bothers her. And she's off!

Winner!!

Wow, 300 comments? i think that's more than the rest of my posts combined! I should do giveaways more often!

Anyway, congratulations to Crissy of Crissybell. YAY. Email me and I'll get the prize out to you!

My first GIVEAWAY!

I've never done a giveaway on my blog before, but I figure it's about time.  Especially after winning a few prizes from other giveaways, it's about time to repay the good karma!  And talk about good timing, Sew Mama Sew is hosting Giveaway Day!

For this giveaway, I am offering a housewife, mostly because I think the name is funny.  I made it using this tutorial.  Also, a half yard of this pink birdie fabric.  Leave a comment, and good luck!

I will be choosing the winner by random drawing, and I will ship internationally.  This giveaway is open until December 6th, 11:59 pm PST.

EDIT: Here is the pink birdie fabric.  Hope you like it!

Comments now CLOSED, thanks for participating!

D-2 Mouse in a Mirror

LOVE this block.  I think I am starting to like hexagons.  I don't think I'd make an entire quilt out of them, but they are pretty fun.  This block used freezer paper to piece the outside corners, and I used a freezer paper to make hexagon templates, machine sewed them together, then appliqued to white fabric.  Sounds complicated but went very smoothly.

The fabric is from Free Study Glimmer by Kristine Baerlin, and I think it called grasshopper in blue?  It's hard to find information about this line now.

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D-12: Crossed Swords

This one was a bit.. well wonky.   I reverse appliqued the corner squares in, and they're a bit unsquare-ish.  The seams there are just too thick in some places.  I probably should have just done some set in seams.  The rest of the block was freezer paper pieced.

Fabric is a 10" scrap from F&S Fabrics.  I love dots!

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D-4: Crystal Star

LOVE this block.  The center is freezer paper foundation pieced, and the melons in the corners are appliqued on.  They're cute!  I did freezer paper inside for these, and I think they turned out ok.  For the set in seams I am utterly dependant on freezer paper.

The fabric is Erin McMorris' Forest in Lime from the Wildwood collection.  I  bought it from Bobbin's Nest Studio, a very cute quilt shop around here.

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E-2: Merry May

This block could have been easy, but I screwed things up.  I finished appliqueing the center square, only to cut it too small!  I ripped out the stiches and tried again.  The nice thing was that the edges were already turned over for appliquing it the second time around!

The fabric is Heather Ross Underwater Sisters in Plum from her Mendocino line.  I think there are a lot of Heather Ross fabrics in this row.
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E-12: Mary Ruth's Corset

This block was pretty fun to make.  Easy foundation piecing.  Those pieces in the center are tiny!  I did put white fabric where it was supposed to be patterned, so I had to rip it out and redo it.

The fabric is Amy Butler's Wildflowers in navy from the Daisy Chain collection.  I love how the big repeat fabrics look so different in these little blocks!

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D-8: Dee Dee's Delight

In contrast to the last block I did (D-1) this one really was a delight.  I think I'm starting to like hand piecing much better now.  It lets you enjoy the process.  My points are not really that pointy, but I do like the overall result of the block!  And finally, a block in fall colors.  I'm so excited for Thanksgiving this week!

The block was all hand appliqued, using the back basting technique.  It worked really well for this block so I didn't have to mess with the placement.  The fabric was a 10" fabric scrap from F&S Fabrics.

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D-1: Alison's Guiding Light

UGH.  This block gave me FITS!  I'm not really sure what happened, as it's a pretty easy block, but I couldn't get it right!  It's still not perfect, but at least it's DONE.  Yesterday we did a test turkey, and unfortunately it turned out just ok.  Kind of dry.  But at least it was the test turkey, not the real one! 

Paper pieced, and I got the fabric from Japan when I visited.  So fun!

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Flea Market Fancy Giveaway!

I hope you all have signed the flea market fancy petition (bring it back!) but if you haven't, there's a giveaway now to get more people to sign it!  Click on the button below!

 

I've recently rediscovered my love for this fabric.  I started quilting about the time it was out, but didn't have a chance to stock up.  I LOVE the grey seeds and would love to see it again!

D-9: Uncle Richard

So I don't have an Uncle Richard, but I have a cousin named Richard.  Actually, most people I know pronouce it Reee-shard, but that's ok.  He's a funny little dude.

This block was foundation pieced, and the fabric was a fat quarter that I bought from the Granary.

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Green Tea and Sweet Beans BOM - Month 2!

Another month's blocks finished.  I really am enjoying hand-piecing these blocks.  I've been trying to slow down.  Hand pieced blocks, home cooked dinners.  Unfortunately a clean house is what I'm sacrificing.

Garden Paths:

Lozengers:

The Japanese fabrics really are too cute. And on a side note, how did it get to be the end of November already?  I want my year back!

D-5: Cathedral Window

It's raining today!  Which is good, because we really need the rain here in Northern California.  This block was a quick and easy one, foundation pieced.  The magical #100 block!

The fabric is Amy Butler's Sweet Jasmine in Navy from her Daisy Chain collection.  Not my favorite collection, but it's still fun.

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RS-2: Cherokee Lee

This block was fun to make. I don't know if I'm tired of the tiny pieces, but this one was nice and straight forward with wide columns. I've recently switched from using freezer paper to paper piece to using paper piecing stuff. I do not like the "paper" I'm using now, and will be switching to Carol Doak's paper after I finish up this (thankfully) small pack. It's hard to tear off, and sometimes I accidentally remove my stitches near the edges.

Today is also Lucy's birthday! She's 2 today! It has been an interesting year. I feel like she has become more scared of other dogs, and would rather play fetch than with other dogs. She has become more cuddly as it's become colder, and can be counted on as a heater under the bed covers. She is still a funny funny dog.

Fabric is Clouds in Sunset from Nest by Tula Pink for Moda.

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BR-4: Candy Dish

I guess I should have picked a happier color for this block. I didn't realize it was named candy dish until after I finished! I really need to work on my points when I do applique.

Amy Butler Lacework in Sage from her Lotus line. I used this fabric originally to make a drawstring skirt.

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C-13: Lakota Sioux

Ah, the last block of row 3! At this point I officially have 3 rows done. Feels nice! This block is funny because it uses two different fabrics. I had a hard time centering the seahorses, but they turned out more natural because they look like they're floating. The mermaid head on the bottom was a nice accident. I paper pieced the block, and looking at it now I could have easily swapped the order of the center piece to make placement of the seahorses easier. Oh well.

Fabric is from Heather Ross' Mermaid in Blush from the Mendocino line. The accent yellow squares are scraps from Heather Ross tadpoles.

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I-9 Chase a Myth

This may be my new favorite block. It took a loooong time to make, but I love the end result. I was making it along with another very similar Civil War Diary Quilts block, also with a lot of pieces. I think most of my favorite blocks from this quilt are stripes. I think it's fun to play with the directions!

The fabric was purchased when I went down to LA for the World Baseball Classic at the Sewing Arts Center. It was in a bin of scraps that you purchased by the pound! I love it.

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G-2 Mohawk Trail

What a nice and easy block. Sometimes half square triangles are fun, sometimes they are too much trouble. This block I made by paperpiecing four strips then sewing them together. I really like paper piecing, but sometimes it takes SO long! I have a secret obsession with mohawks, but would never have enough courage to actually get one. The most I do is fashion my dog's fur into a full body mohawk when giving her a bath!

The fabric was a 10" square scrap from F&S Fabrics in Los Angeles.

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C-7 Megan's Mountain Laurel

Whew! This block was a tough one for me. I finished the paper pieced part of the block back in May, and couldn't bring myself to finish the appliqued diamonds until now. Those points are tough! I think I need to practice points. I am absolutely horrible at points! While doing this block, I watched "How to Steal a Million" with Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole. It was cute, and I do love Audrey. I think I need to watch some more old movies!

The fabric for this block is from my cousin, Denyse Schmidt Gold Tile from the Flea Market Fancy line. I hope they reprint the fabrics!

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L-5 Chatanooga Charlie

I've had a bit of a bad week (minus the fantastic Elly Sienkiewicz class). My cyst near my left year, who has been my friend for at least 5 years, decided to get infected and I had to go to the ER to get it removed. Not fun. The good part is that since it's on the side of my face, I couldn't see them do anything. The bad part is that it might grow back and I'll have to get it removed again. I am glad that it's gone for now though, it was really uncomfortable. I will be better when it starts healing and I don't have to tape gauze to the side of my face though!

This block, unlike my ER visit, was fun. I cut the triangles a bit too small, so I used my handy dandy "Add an Eighth" ruler and it came together really well. Foundation pieced on some stuff I got from Joann's which I do not like at all. The fabric is Perched in Sunset from Nest by Tula Pink for Moda.

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F-7 Star Struck

Hurray, I think it's time to bring my Dear Jane out of project time out and work on a few blocks! It's half a year since I last finished a block. Oops! Yesterday I attended a class by Elly Sienkiewicz, and it was fun and I learned a lot. She is such a lovely person and the amount of creativity in the class was amazing. I wanted to sew more as soon as I got home, but my wrist hurt from so much applique! Good thing these blocks are foundation pieced.

Fabric is Heather Ross Tadpoles in Curry. I love the frog in the middle block, he looks so confused! Kind of like me right now... really? I'm an adult now?

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Block Party!

Block Party Give Away Fat Quarters
Originally uploaded by handmadebyalissa.

I am so excited. The Block Party Quilting Bee organizers are turning their bee into a quilt-along, and to kick it off they're having a giveaway! You could win these lovely drool-worthy fabrics! Check it out here.

It should be really fun, a no-pressure sort of thing since it's a quilt along, not a bee. I really loved the blocks they've made in their bees, so you should check it out. They're posting a block and variations monthly, and if you put it into the flickr pool, you have a chance of landing your photo into the book they're writing. HOW EXCITING!

Hi-yah!! Happy Halloween!!

Happy Halloween from Lucy the Karate Kid!

I can see you with just one eye open!

And now I'm going to hide...

Blocks blocks and more blocks!

Wow, I love making blocks! Here are the most recent ones...

For Bee Inspired:

Maverick Stars for Ann. Luckily my cousin was in town and she helped out and made a couple of blocks!

A hexagon block for Natasha. Took a lot of time, but it was fun to make. I think because of the time it took to make it was hard to mail this one off!

For Around the Block:

Two log cabins in fun springy colors for Louise. Her quilt is going to be so fun!

For the block of the month from Amitie, Green Tea and Sweet Beans, I made these:


I am really really enjoying this block of the month. It's all done by hand too!

And lastly, a new project with my quilting friends, the Civil War Diary Quilt. Here are blocks 1 and 2:


Here is what the whole quilt looks like so far.

I feel like I haven't really done much this month. Working on these little blocks is fun, but it's been so long since I've finished a quilt!

On another note, Corgi Fair is coming up, hope to see some of you bay area corgis there!

Miss March!

I think dog owners always thing their dogs are the best, and of course I'm no exception with Lucy. She is the funniest (and weirdest) dog I have ever met, and I wouldn't change a thing about her. Well maybe her toy and food guarding, but everyone has a vice. Hers is being greedy.

I was so excited to learn that Kelly of Corgibutts was making a calendar with proceeds going to Lakeshore Corgi Rescue, and that Lucy's photo was picked for Miss March!

Kelly did a great job taking the leash out of the photo too. You can see the original here.

If you want to buy a calendar, here is the blog post and the direct link to buy. $5 goes to Lakeshore Corgi Rescue!

It's starting to get cold!

I guess it's officially summer still, but last night I had to get an extra quilt to put on top of my summer comforter. I think it's abnormal September weather for California, but oh well. We got a new king sized bed this past weekend, and it's fantastic! Unfortunately all my quilts are now tiny. I think I'll be requesting big blocks from my quilting bees!

I have finished a few more blocks for my quilting bees for this month. Here is the second block for September for Around the Block:

Unfortunately I ran out of blue, so the block is rushing back to Australia to be finished by a very nice and very understanding Helen. You should check out some of the other houses that are showing up in the pool... they are AMAZING.

For bee inspired, here are my blocks for Karla. This was my first try at disappearing nine patches, and they're pretty fun! I think I prefer regular nine patches, but these were fun anyway. I think they are very striking with the fabric and Karla is going to have a fantastic quilt.



And sadly, my last set of blocks for Chaletgirl Blockswap! It's strange to see that I'm done... now I just have to put my own quilt together. Sheridan, thank you thank you thank you for organizing this swap, it has been so fun!



So lets see, that brings me down to 2 quilting bees and one block of the month (post to come soon!)

Around the Block: Start!

So I joined another quilting bee, Around the Block, organized by Sheridan, who also organized the Chaletgirl Block Swap. All the other ladies in the group are from Australia. Should be fun! Kate started us of early and send us very very cute fabrics for a log cabin block for her little boy. Here is what I made for her:


I hope she likes them!