Do you find yourself stitching more when the weather is C-O-L-D?  Heating up my sewing room with the iron is a great way to warm up!   I do find I am more productive when the sun is shining, whether it is cold or hot.

We’ve had some snow flurries, lots of wind and falling temperatures.  The wind chill on Friday was below Zero ( F ) and they are promising today will be even colder. This is what it looked like last night.  It didn’t snow a lot, but the wind was rattling the house!

• Back in December I commented on a Blog Post at the Gateway Quilts & Stuff Blog to be eligible for a free pattern – Frosty by Toby Lischko.  Isn’t he cute!

As part of that Blog Post there was also another Give-Away.  I was surprised to get an email from Toby that I had won!  This week I was happy to receive a bundle of Fat Quarters from the Luxury Essentials collection by P&B Textiles. Also included was a Free Pattern from Toby Lischko of the Gateway Quilts & Stuff Blog.  Thank you for the goodies.  I will be adding this pattern to my To-Do List.

See what I got!

I’m hoping to maybe make the center of the quilt as a wall hanging.  Toby showed this on her blog post. She also shares a tutorial on making the paper-pieced geese

Wouldn’t that be so cute?

• Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Testing – it is coming close to the end of this testing cycle and we’ve got a few more blocks to test.  I’ve been sorting through my fabric scraps for lots of colors, but it seems Teal and Black are very popular!

• Fabric Café – Two Tops completed and heading off to the LA Quilter (Long Arm Quilter).

Pattern: Stepping Up, Size: 45-1/2” x 60-1/2”

This was a new pattern from last year.  I really like it in the Red/White/Black combo. Our 15 year-old Pom was supervising the photo-shoot!

Pattern: Boxes and Bows, Size: 49” x 61”

This is a brand new pattern and looks sharp in the White & Black colors.  This pattern will be available beginning at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival in Hampton, VA. later this month. 

Note: If you want to order it before it gets uploaded online, you can call Fabric Café’s toll-free number (866-855-0998) and ask for it by name.

Not exactly fussy cutting, but do you ever try to match up your fabric when piecing borders?  Although, I am a bit OCD, I don’t usually stress over keeping the pattern matched.  But in this case I did.  I wanted to keep the stripes consistent, so I did line up the fabric when piecing this border.  Can you see my seams? (Hope not! )

•  It isn’t Spring around here yet, but we did get some Spring Cleaning done.  We sorted through a coat closet and pulled out some jackets & coats to re-home or maybe up-cycle.  Two other rooms got a bit of attention.

Hope you get some stitching done this week!

Happy Stitching!

Quilt Mouse