Blog Move

I have an exciting new announcement! I'm going to be discontinuing my personal blog, but only because my husband and I are collaborating on a new one called "The Himsl Hunter Family Craft Blog". Since we are both so active in crafting and artwork we thought it would be fun to pool our projects and ideas together and post them in the same place. We're going to post fun stuff that we do, projects we're selling but also incorporate more tutorials and pattern reviews. Not to mention the different crafts we do with our son, Ronán. I'm really excited about it!

I sincerely appreciate all of my readers and hope that you'll visit me at my new home!
The Himsl Hunter Family Craft Blog

Wrapping up Christmas WIPs

Well, I didn't get my Christmas quilt done in time for the 2009 holiday. And since I usually don't feel like doing Christmasy (?) stuff once the holiday is over, it is getting put into storage for a few more months. But on the positive side, I'll be able to complete it easily in Fall 2010 since all of the blocks are put together, and trimmed to the right size. I have all of the fabric picked out for the binding and middle piecing (filler? what is that part called?) so it will be minimal cutting and maximum stitching. Looking forward to that. But for now, on to more springy projects like my brother's belated wedding gift, an Irish quilt. More on that later!

Christmas Gifts! #2

I pimped out some ordinary tea towels with christmas fabric trim. A quick and easy gift for my brother and his new wife's first Christmas together! (well first christmas married...)

Christmas Gifts!

I made a table runner for my mum this year. She doesn't usually check my sewing blog, so I think I'm safe positing this before she gets it. I'm so pleased with how it turned out. I like the fabrics, how they work together. I like the stitches I chose to quilt it, and that it lays nice and flat. I hope she likes it too!!

Winners

Sewing Bloggers are the best bloggers out there. With their generous nature, sharing information and tutorials, I am never at a loss for resources. When we share our stories online, we're all winners, but in this particular situation I am an actual winner, of some actual awesome fabric! I won a pack of fat quarters from Amy of Badskirt in Australia. Thank you so much, Amy! I can't wait to fit these into a future quilt.

Done!

Blake models my finished quilt for his step brother's wedding quilt. I hope they like it!

I'm having a blast this week checking out the "Cross Country Christmas Quilt Designer Blog Hop"! A group of accomplished quilters each take a day between Nov. 9-20 and have a free tutorial or project on their blogs! I heard about it through Terry Atkinson who is a local quilt designer. I have one of her books and it is great inspiration!! I copied the websites from Terry's blog so you can see them too!

Nov. 9th. Gudrun: http://www.gudrun.typepad.com/
Nov. 10th. Sandy: http://www.piecesfrommyheart-sgervais.blogspot/
Nov. 11th. Terry: http://www.terryatkinson.typepad.com/
Nov. 12th. Pat: http://www.patsloan.typepad.com/
Nov. 13th. Heather: http://www.ankastreasures.wordpress.com/
Nov. 14th. Pam: http://www.pamkittymorning.blogspot.com
Nov. 15th. Kari: http://www.newleafstitches.com/blog
Nov. 16th. Terri : http://www.whimsicals.typepad.com/
Nov. 17th. Sherri: http://www.thisandthatpatterns.typepad.com/
Nov. 18th. Carrie: http://www.lavieenrosie.typepad.com/
Nov. 19th. Roseann: http://www.rosebudscottage.typepad.com/
Nov. 20th. Linda: http://www.lindalumdebono.blogspot.com/

Professional Quilting?

As you have seen, I'm going a bit quilt crazy this year. I've really got the bug and am having fun with it. I don't have the world's most advanced sewing machine and I can't find a darning foot to fit my machine to enable me to do any free form quilting. So right now I'm stuck with straight lines, which is really fine while I'm learning.

But I can't help but be attracted to the stippled quilts and zig zaggy finished quilts, and I might want to try and bring one of my quilts to a professional for a more advanced quilting look.

How do you find someone that can professionally quilt your project? Does anyone know of a professional quilter in the Twin Cities? A basic search on Google yielded no relative results for me.

Thanks!!
Kristen