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Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Fabric and Paint

I was looking for crocheted doilies to add to
my most recent art quilt project.
The first thing that I came to was a PAPER doily in the drawer.

An AHA! moment.

Paint and paper doily!!!!

Now I'm messing about with PAINTS!!!
And...
It's fun!!



Sunday, July 29, 2012

Litttle BLUE chair

I FINALLY sent this little blue chair

It's just been sitting around here.
Finished....
Hand quilted!!!...
Beaded....
Bound....
For a LONG time!

I finally got around to SENDING IT IN!!!
Eeeek!!!

I drag my feet about silly things sometimes!
:0


It's been given a number: #11,180

Hope it's assigned soon and finds a PROPER home!
Ooooh!
A GOOD home would be nice too!!
;)

Friday, July 27, 2012

Fun Times!

It's a GREAT day
when you get to see
YOUR OWN quilt hanging in a show!
Even BETTER when it's hanging
with some **QUILT stars***!!!

This one is in Long Beach right now
The exhibit with quilts on the wall is called
"Black and White with a TWIST"
The twist is 10% of another color added to black and white.

I wandered around the show this morning
and.....
 I'm on OVERLOAD!!!

There were so many
interesting.
unusual.
fabulous.
quilts!!!!

I've got to GET busy
and get some of these ideas
OUT of my HEAD.....
and onto the FABRIC!!!!

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Birthday Bag

Some leftover denim makes a GREAT bag!

I first stitched the name in...
Then added three little very simple flowers!
;)


It's big enough for swim things...
or....
book things!

Gotta love that perky lining!

?The question is....
What will I FILL IT WITH for the birthday Girl???

Hmmm...
So many possibilities!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Quilting with Tears

I just finished making these two quilts.
Quilts for my cousin's children.
She passed away right before Mother's day this year.

It was a long illness and her family was put through the ringer!!!

Her t-shirts and nightgowns went into these with some of my tears.
Tears for a life cut short.
Tears for her two children.
Tears for her husband.

They're simple quilts.
Hopefully they'll give some comfort.
I'm thankful that she had trust in God.
Only HE can really comfort us.
I told her I'd see her "tomorrow" in heaven.
Time flies....so I know it'll be soon!
It's such a blessing to have HOPE!

Quilts were made by cutting 4" strips of clothing
and sewing them together in rows.
I used basting spray on fleece....NO batting.
I quilted wavy lines along the seams.....
Then added a binding.
IT WORKED!
;)



Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Garden Thoughts

*Finishing a quilt is rewarding!
*Using up scraps makes the finish even SWEETER.


* Pebbles don't ALL have to be similar in size...
* You can make bigger pebbles when you get tired
of the smaller ones... ;)

* Pieced and pretty fabric makes a GREAT backing.

* When you've made a GENEROUS sized quilt back...
there will be big pieces cut off the edges....
* These are perfect for cutting into 2 1/2" strips for binding!
* You don't have to search for ANOTHER piece of fabric!
* Searching takes a while at my house!!!!

* Even though I LOVE these flowers...
I know they won't LAST.
* A quilted GARDEN DOES!!!!

Monday, July 23, 2012

A garden quilt

I've added some "Pebbles" to my garden quilt!
Pebbles take more thread...
but the pattern is Soooo forgiving!
AFter all...
Pebbles are NEVER alike!
They come in ALL sizes!
And they're not perfectly round.

They provide the PERFECT quilting background!


My flower garden is surrounded
by a simple TRELLIS.
;)

Today...
Hopefully...
I'll be finishing this one up...
pebbling the narrow border on this quilt!



Friday, July 20, 2012

The Finish Line

I'm VERy close to finishing this one!
Woo Hoo!

A few stitches here...
A few stitches there...
Pretty soon you're almost DONE!!!
:0

The 16 patches are ALL done and now I'm filling in the sashing.
No need to mark when the squares are this small!
(2 inches)


Pretty soon it will be a finished quilt...
and....
I'll have to find another quilt friend something else to carry around with me!!!

I think I'm hooked on hand quilting!


Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Old and New

I quilted a quilt top today!
It's the perfect blend of OLD and NEW.
The old homespun and plaids along with
the NEW camper fabric.
They Just GO together.....don't they?

It's the perfect camping quilt.

Cozy.
and.
Comfortable.

With some whimsy thrown in!!!

I was even able to rescue an orphan quilt block.
This TREE seems to be "right at home" in this quilt.

Rescuing quilt blocks is a hobby of mine.  :)

Even using these old plaids and homespuns
felt like a "rescue effort".

Oooh!
Aren't these Rescue efforts FUN?????

Monday, July 16, 2012

Good Neighbors

I had quite a few 2 1/2" strips leftover from a project.
Quite a few....but...not enough.

I did what many quilters do.
I MADE DO!

The cream panel was added
with a vine, a few leaves..
and some fun circles found in a small batik scrap at my house!!!

It all came together!!!
:)
I MAY add a border.
I'm going to look at it and dream a little bit more first.

I will go back and zigzag OR blanket stitch around the applique.
Ironing applique on is SO easy!
I should do it more often!
(The product I used is called steam a seam.)


This quilt is a gift...
Like so many of my quilts are.

They're ALL special...
but this one is EXTRA special.

It will be given to my neighbors who are moving away soon.
They have been the BEST neighbors and I'll miss them.
Terribly.

Quilting gives me a place to grieve.
A place to be sad.
The stitches are a bit of healing for me.




Friday, July 13, 2012

Just one

A little block for Lori.

It is paper pieced.
6"
Pattern here.

I'm in AWE of you quilters who make
WHOLE quilts using these
itty bitty...
teeny tiny...
perfectly pieced blocks!!!

YOU know who you ARE!!!

Not sure I will ever have the patience to do it!!!
I will say making this block
Humbled me..
and also made me want to TRY to MAKE one of those
AMAZING quilts!!!

I CAN make ONE block......
but a whole bunch???

Hmmm....

Thursday, July 12, 2012

A First!

Here's my friend's FIRST quilt!
Isn't it a BEAUTY??

She came over to sew today and
FINISHED this top!

She began by making lots of 16 patches
using this method.

Then...
She found this BEAUTIFUL vintage fabric
to alternate with her pieced blocks.
The vintage fabric was found at a rummage sale
and in it's former life had been CURTAINS!!!

I love that buttery yellow!!!

While she pieced this lovely quilt today.....

I worked on my botched banner..
and FINISHED!!
Woo Hoo!!!

Quilting with friends ALWAYS
makes the sewing SWEETER!!!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Disqualified!

There I was...
Sewing REALLY big rings onto a sheet.
(This is a big flag for a children's program at church.)

I was dreaming about OLYMPICS.
Sewing Olympics.
I guess that's what a quilt show is...
But....
 there's no gold medal for the FASTEST quilter..
Is there??
That's the one I would go for!!!
LOL!!!


I had the cotton sheet on hand...
but had to buy the felt.
I used a BIG, big serving bowl to get the ring size!
Glad I HAD THAT!!!

Oh boy, I was feeling good about finishing this up!
I was feeling like the FASTEST quilter in the land!!!

I even found some thread around here that matched the colors!
Maybe there's an award for that too???
  ;)
I was having fun in dreamland...
When....

ZIP!!!

I cut the bottom off too SHORT!!!!
UGh!
Double Ugh!!!

If you were my neighbor you would have heard me CRY!!!
:0

Guess I'll be doing some UN sewing NEXT!!!

"Disqualified!!!"
I can hear the announcer NOW!!!

:)

Monday, July 9, 2012

Thoughts on Labels

Another quilt is quilted.
WHEW!!!!
This one was a biggy!!!
Please remind me to say "NO" when asked to make
a queen sized monster....o.k.???

I wanted to get this labeled and OFF quickly...
but found out this past week
that my handy dandy label pens are not holding up!!!

When I spied this quilt last week I noticed
the print on the label I had written had all WASHED away!!
EEeeeK!!!

I did a little research thinking maybe I'd buy some
pre-printed labels for future quilts.
They are almost $1 a piece.
(maybe YOU know a good source???)

I began to brainstorm!


I have a quilting/darning foot....

and I have DARK thread!!!

I made one myself.
It's my first try...so don't be too hard on me.....;)

I figure my stitching will probably last longer than
the pens I had been using!!!!

And my Dad who's getting this one...
won't care that my penmanship is not
TOP notch! ;)

I used freezer paper on the back and peeled it off.
DON'T do that.
In the future I will use an interfacing.
;)

After attaching this label...
We're going to eat!!!


One of my favorite simple recipes....
Cheeseburger pie!!!

I split the meat in half ....
Double the recipe....
and sneak in some zucchini!!!
I'm always trying to find places to put THAT!!!


The quilt is quilted and bound.
The label is DONE.
And dinner AWAITS!
;)

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Do as I SAY not as I DO!

I used a blanket for batting on this one.
DON'T do it.
Many of you advised me to make a denim quilt
when I blogged about my son's special request.
So.....
I thought about backing this with denim...
but my son said that didn't sound cozy enough! ;)
I thought it was a GREAT idea!!!!

I already had the quilt top ready to go...
otherwise...
I DEFINITELY would have made it DENIM!

I quilted this very SPARINGLY!!!
AND...
It wasn't EASY!!!

Don't DO IT!!!
I hope to never do it again.
:0

I survived.
The DEED is DONE...
and I can move on!

And guess what???
It IS heavy!!!!
At least it WORKED, huh?

Oh! the things we do for our CHILDREN!
;)

++++++++++++++++++++

My husband and big kids were all gone for the last few days
so I got a LOT of quilting in!!!

The two younger ones, who WERE home, don't mind simple meals.
So I did a little cooking.....
if you call SPAGETTIOS cooking!!!
LOL!!!!

These quilts were also quilted up...
and didn't tax my muscles as much as that heavy thing did!!!

They're quilted and bound...
READY to go!!!

Here are the backs using mostly donated fabrics!
Thank you so much!

I will be giving them away this week!

Thank you to ALL of you who helped out with these!
Group projects are ALWAYS so much fun!!!


P.S.
Just got a GREAT big BEAR hug
from my TALL 18 year old
for making him that BIG ol' heavy quilt!!!
:)
I'm Smiling now.
:)