Friday, December 5, 2014

Tiled Blooms Quilt Block

 For the latest Bees Knees Quilting Bee block
I made
Tiled Blooms
for Sinta Borland (Pink Pincushion)
 Sinta made this so easy for us.
She mailed most of the sections Pre-cut.
All we had to do was 
cut the petals,
iron on fusible
sew applique
and then
assemble the block.
 This is what Tiled Blooms will look like once it's all put together.
Pattern by
Corey Yoder of
Little Miss Shabby
can be found

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Scrappy Crossroads Quilt

 It's beautiful here in the winter in Arizona  :)
Even with a little cloud cover outside today
it's still warm and inviting.
I just finished
Scrappy Crossroads
 Pattern with Free Tutorial
by my friend Lori Holt
of Bee In My Bonnet
can be found 
 A great way to use up scraps!
I knew I saved those little itty bits of leftovers for a reason.
 A total of 
1440
2 1/2 inch scrappy squares 
were used in this project
 For the X part of the block
I used
American Made Brand Cotton
Dark Turquoise
It's the first time I have used this solid
and it was wonderful to work with  !
High thread count and solid to the touch.
 Hey, I remember some of these fabrics
from quilts I made long ago  :)
 And these too!
A trip down memory lane.
 The actual block 
measures 16 1/2 inches unfinished
 You can make the quilt any size you desire.
I opted to make it Twin Size
by putting 
5 rows across
and 
6 rows down.
 I even used some of Lori's fabrics in the scraps
Remember her first fabric line Sew Cherry?
And Millie's Closet ?
Thank you Lori for such a great Tutorial  !!
I feel like I now have a Free Quilt
I'm even considering being brave and
trying to quilt this one myself.
We'll see.

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving!

 From Our Family To Yours:
Happy Thanksgiving!

Monday, November 24, 2014

Nordic Star Table Runner

 I just finished sewing a table runner
as a sample for
Mad B's Quilt and Sew
Nordic Star
From the book
On The Run Again
by Heather Mulder Peterson
 3 Nordic Stars
in happy Christmas colors:
Owner MaDonna requested that I use:
 Chalkboard Snowman (Studio E. Fabrics)
and 
Warm Wishes (by Red Rooster)
for the fabrics
I even braved it,
and used the beautiful Bernina Sewing machines
available in the store to machine quilt the table runner
myself  :)
*Book and fabrics
available at 

Saturday, November 22, 2014

Top Soccer Shoot Out Ever

Mr. Cactus received two degrees from Brigham Young University.
That is one reason I love to watch 
Our Son-In-Law was a top Soccer player.
Now our Grandchildren, even at their young ages, are playing soccer too.
Top Soccer Shoot Out Ever
Scott Sterling, Face of Steel
Make sure to especially watch the very last play.
To watch more 
Studio C 
*I especially like their Hunger Games The Musical clips
 go

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Sew Kind of Wonderful Poinsettia Table Runner

 If you live here in the Phoenix Metro
we have a wonderful opportunity coming up
December 5th
10am-2pm
Helen Robinson
of 
Sew Kind of Wonderful 
fame will be teaching a class
on their
Poinsettia Table Runner 
Perfect project for the holidays.
Helen lives here in the area
and we feel privileged to 
have her teach at the store.
I heard that Sew Kind of Wonderful
really rocked recently at 
Pacific International and Houston
as they demoed their ruler and patterns.
 Kathy Pope 
put together this store sample
and she said the ruler
made the curves very easy to do.
I will be working on the day of
Helen's class and I'm excited to learn her techniques.
Mad B's Quilt and Sew

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Do You Know How To Use A Typewriter?

I know this will date me,
but, did any of you own a typewriter?
Do you know what they are?
Do you know how they work?
I never would have guessed that 
Typewriter quilt fabric
 could possibly be a mystery 
to the next generation.
Kids React To Typewriters
actually made me feel a little better.
This will probably be my one and only opportunity
to actually know more about 
how to use a device
than they do.

Monday, November 10, 2014

Kevrey's Signature Wedding Quilt

A few weeks ago I showed you the 
Signature Wedding Quilt
I made for our daughter Aubrey and 
her husband Kevin
Aubrey requested a quilt that could be signed instead of a guest book.
We decided upon a scrappy
X Plus Block pattern
We placed the quilt on a table right at the entrance
of the yard where the reception was held.
With nieces and nephews taking various shifts
to watch over the quilt
we encouraged the guests to leave 
their happy thoughts and congratulations.
For each block, I made a blue "Plus" center
as a nice spot for the messages
Micron pens
with permanent ink
were available on the table.
The pens do not bleed
are archival quality
and worked perfectly.
I've now touched them up with a hot iron,
which also helps set the ink.
These messages will bring such happy memories
in years to come.
The couple has received such love and support
as they begin their lives together.
Now they have a preserved memory
of children's signatures
from an age when they were learning to write their names.
And signatures of an older generation
who will someday pass on.
Aubrey and Kevin were very appreciative
of family and friends 
who traveled from long distances to attend their wedding.
Both sides of the family
came together in support of this marriage.
We like to call him "Kevin Heaven"
and 
they adore our Aubrey, too.
Now when they walk in the door, we call them
by their blended nickname
"Kevrey"
Last night after a family dinner
and with the help of nephews
we placed the quilt over a chair
so Aubrey and Kevin could read their messages.
The top will now be sent off, along with the backing 
to the long arm quilter 
as the next step in
preserving these treasured memories.

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

I'm Still Here

 As you may (or may not)
have noticed
I've been taking a 
Blog Nap
Not to worry,
everything is fine
and 
I'm still here :)
Lot's of things going on,
just not a lot of quilty things to take pictures of and share.
You can always find me on Instagram under the name
Nedra Sorensen
I have done little bits sewing the last few weeks
for my friend Monica
She had a few quilts that needed binding
which is something I find very relaxing and like to do.
Love this Jelly Roll Race 
with a soft Minkee owl print on the back.
 And another Polka Dot Jelly Roll Race
These are so easy and fun to make.
The tops can be put together in about an hour and a half
and make a great charity quilt.
 Purple binding for a purple quilt
I even put the bindings on 8 reversible Place Mats
for Monica
that represent Christmas here in the Southwest.
Other than that, I have been making backings for 3 of my quilts
(needs to be done, but I won't bore you with the pictures)
Once our daughter was married,
and all of our Out of State company left town,
I immediately jumped into another new opportunity:
I have started a new job!
Little hint:  I'm still in the Quilt Industry
yay!
But more about that later....

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Those Mesa Ladies/ October

 Yesterday was that favorite day of the month
where I had the opportunity to spend the day with
those wonderful Mesa Ladies
We quilt together at the church, visit,
eat wonderful food, and have the best time.
Janet is getting ready for Halloween
with a work in progress
fusible applique
Bench Pillow
 I believe the pattern is by KimberBell
 Lori found this baby quilt 
 she had started 8 years ago 
for her grand daughter :)
Time to finish now!
 Only the binding needs to be done.
 And a new baptism quilt for the same grand daughter
CTR= Choose The Right
 For Show and Tell
Peg brought her 
Getting Around To It
that she designed
 Raw edge circles
 Soft Minkee back
Look at the wonderful quilting!
 Julie was working on a pink Chevron quilt for a grand daughter
 Each month two of the ladies in the group 
serve as hosts
This month Julie and Christine provided the most fun Halloween themed day.
As we walked in, one of the tables was decorated with snacks
and door prizes
 How cute is this?
Julie decorated her trifle bowl 
Inside was a snack of roasted peanuts and candy corn.
When eaten together, they taste a lot like a Payday candy bar.
 And for lunch Julie and Christine treated us to
the most delicious 
Halloween Bag Lunches
 Quilty labels
Chicken Salad Croissants
Veggies and Dip
Fruit Cups
Chips
Homemade cookies
and of course
eyeballs and spider rings
Can you see why I feel so spoiled?
Thank you ladies  !!!