Magpie Quilts

A fabric panel of vintage coffee signs was the starting inspiration for these quilted mug rugs. I wanted a retro feel and choose a trio of fabrics that continued that theme. Usually I make my mug rugs with the left-over pieces of batting from my larger projects, but this time I thought I would try to use Insul-Bright. Insul-Bright is used in potholders and hot pads because of it's ability to block heat from traveling through from one side  to the other. Vintage Coffee Sign Mug Rugs  I was not prepared for the amount of stretch that happened when I machine quilted the first mug rug. I normally don't have any problem with that, especially when using my walking foot on the sewing machine. Needless to say, the rest of the mug rugs were securely pin basted before quilting! Coffee Mug Rug Red Coffee Mug Rug Green Coffee Mug Rug Hope you're getting all your Christmas shopping done! --Ann

This was an awesome week for actually finishing some projects that were stacked up on the sewing desk. The Christmas items that I cut out a while back are done.   Pot holders - SOLD!   Bell pull   Table Topper   Penguin table-topper And I have all my 3x6 bee blocks on the wall trying to figure out how they are going to go together. I am thinking that I will make a couple more so I have 25 and then just sew them together without sashing to make a square quilt. Or I can split the group in half and make 2 smaller quilts. What do you think? Next week I'll be whipping up some Christmas presents, so maybe I'll show you some hints, but no finished projects! Are you making any Christmas gifts? Please tell me about them! --Ann

It took most of the week, but the sewing room is cleaned up! Still have a lot of organizing to do in the big walk-in closet, so I'll show you that on another day.  All ready for the next project! This is my workspace, just a sewing machine and a cutting mat on a desk. The little quilts hanging just on the top left of this photo are all quilts I've received as part of the mini quilt exchange on Flickr. Ann's workspace!  To the right of my desk is my design wall - nothing fancy, just some inexpensive white flannel tacked to the wall. Easy to take down if needed, but large enough for a good size quilt. The blue, yellow and purple blocks are swap blocks I've received over the past year from fellow quilters all over the world. This will be my next big quilt to finish as soon as I figure out how I will put them together. In the small space between the door and the closet is shelving where I keep all my buttons and knick knacks. The picture at the top is a pencil drawing

I have a shopping bag full of Christmas fabrics, some scraps, some larger pieces. Yesterday I took it with me to my sewing day at my friend, Marie's. I pulled everything out, matched up similar fabrics and began to plan some small Christmas-y projects that I could whip up quickly and get posted on Magpie Quilts on Etsy. Here's a few quilt tops that ended up on the design wall: Debbie Mumm panel - future potholder? Jacob's Ladder Quilt Block - future table topper? More Debbie Mumm Snowmen - future potholders! Red Cardinals - wallhangings - will probably make hangers to go with these too! Christmas checkerboard - future table topper? And I still have a bag full of fabric! So watch over the next couple days for new quilted potholders, mug rugs, bell pull wallhangings and a couple table toppers. Happy sewing, --Ann

I share my creative space with the spare room. The room where the grandkids sleep over. The room where the toys are kept. The room with the walk-in closet. You would think that there would be plenty of space to share, but with a twin size bed, a couple small bookshelves and boxes and bins of fabric, I can never find what I need without pulling everything out! This is what it looked like after I came home from the Craft Sale on Sat. I started cleaning up yesterday and am still working on it today. I have some ideas that may help me out, but I'll need to go to town first and buy a couple items. Tomorrow is my weekly sewing day with a couple friends, so I will need to get supplies together for a project or two so it can be a productive day. Happy sewing! --Ann

Here's a few of the quilts I've recently listed in my Etsy shop: Seaside Stars Table Runner SOLD!!! Adoring Table Runner SOLD!!! (from Moda's Adoring fabric line) Garden Song Table Runner SOLD!!! Dr. Seuss Baby Quilt SOLD!!! Adoring Table Runner SOLD!!! (from Moda's Adoring fabric line) Just cleaning up my sewing room today so I can whip up some more Christmas quilts for you to look at! Will try to keep my camera handy so you can see what's being made in the Magpie Quilt Studio! --Ann

Come out and see my quilts for sale in person as well as a wide range of handicrafts, one-of-a-kind gifts and accessories, and meet local artisans. If you’re looking for unique, handcrafted Christmas gifts for someone special or to treat yourself, Chestermere Recreational Centre & Sportsplex is a must-see! Gift ideas include fabulous holiday decorations of many kinds, wooden games and toys, knitted and crocheted clothing articles, wood-turned and carved objects, handmade exquisite jewellery, various sewing, quilting and other wonderful handicrafts. This has always been a great show and I am looking forward to meeting you there. And best of all, admission is FREE! When : Saturday November 5th, 2011 Time : 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Where : Chestermere Recreational Centre & Sportsplex Address : 201 West Chestermere Drive, Chestermere, AB Here's some pics of my "practice" set up: My table will be in the middle of the hall, so I won't have a wall behind