Swappy Stuff

I've been working on just a couple of little things in the sewing room this week, mostly finishing up since I won't be home much the rest of the summer.  This is the June block for Tricia in the Modern Instabee Bee.  I'm in Hive 8.

I had a much more difficult time than usual choosing the fabrics for this block, although it was a super-appropriate color scheme given that July 4th is next week!

This one is kind of fun to put together.  It all nests inside itself one layer upon another.

My big complaint with this book is that the authors have cut the initial fabric pieces so big you waste a ton of fabric.  I've made notes in my book and cut down the cutting size so I don't waste so much.

Since I'm going to be gone so much this summer, I decided to combine my MQG Michael Miller Challenge and my mini quilt for my partner in the Schnitzel and Boo mini quilt swap.  I can't say much about my partner, but I really couldn't find out much about her, so I decided that these fabrics reminded me of a beautiful sunset.  I used the QAYG technique and put the big petal in the corner as the sun, then used my EZ Dresden template to cut the rays - clouds interspersed with sunshine. 

I found this gray wheel dots MM fabric at my LQS and used the circle to cut a pattern, added the seam allowance and sewed it using the technique I use for drunkard's path blocks...

And then I matched the quilting of the rays beginning at the seam line. 

Then I used the same little wheel dot for the binding.  This one is off in the mail on its way to my partner.  Sure hope she likes it.

Showing Off - A Little Pillow Talk

This spring I had another chance to play along in the Pillow Talk Swap.  Pillow Talk was the first swap I participated in and it's always one of my favorites.  This time, I had a pretty good idea of the pillow I wanted to make for my partner from the start - this super fun Show Off pillow from Amanda's tutorial.  

And I knew I wanted to use this lovely bundle of fabric - Les Amis by Patty Sloniger for Michael Miller.  It's not often that I know exactly what I want to make as soon as I receive my partner assignment.  I usually agonize over it for weeks before the plan comes together.  This time though, the hardest part was fitting it in amongst all the other projects, and naturally I wait until I am up against a deadline.

This was especially tricky this time as my youngest daughter and her husband came home for the weekend for the first time since she got married almost 2 years ago.  What a treat to have them come!

I managed to get the pillow top made on Thursday, after I finished another project I can't talk about just yet.  I did the machine quilting Saturday afternoon while they were at the beach.  Luckily, one of the things she wanted to do while she was home (besides go to the beach) was a Star Wars marathon - the original movies, 1970's style - so I had plenty of time for the hand quilting.

I used my (new-to-me) Accu Quilt for the first time on this project.  It was fabulous to have perfectly cut hexies to work with.  And I love the way Amanda's pattern shows off the fun animal prints from the Les Amis line.  It's a great way to showcase your favorite fabrics.

I'm thinking I might have to make this pattern again.

Lanterns Bloom and Poppy Wall Art - Easy Peasy

A few weeks ago, I was surfing craft/quilt/fabric blogs and happened upon Anna Maria Horner's visit to Martha Stewart's show.  In it, she shows how to paint silhouettes on fabric.  Beautiful Daughter #2 and I had just been talking about how hard it was to find art for the walls of her apartment since she didn't want posters, and didn't want to spend a fortune.  When I saw the video of Martha Stewart's show, I knew I had found my answer.  (Just by happenstance, Michael's had 7-packs of stretched canvas on sale that week - sweet!)

It was really hard to get a good close-up picture of the beading.

Here's the back of the vase and flowers after it was quilted.  Someday, I'm going to do a quilt, and it's just going to be white, with quilting stitches to make up the design.  I think they call that embroidery, but...

I know it may sound irreverent, but I can't seem to watch General Conference without something to keep my hands busy or I tend to fall asleep.  This was the perfect project.  Three pieces of "art", quilted, beaded, stretched, and finished in just a few hours. 


Success!

Happy Fall!

Don't fall colors make you just want to sit down and CREATE something?

This morning I got up with a plan.  I really wanted to get a lot of things done.  I really needed to clean my house, but somehow the draw just wasn't there (the house will just have to wait until tomorrow ).  But I did have some goals, and I'm feeling pretty smug that I accomplished most of them. Of course, I'm totally exhausted...

I finished the "S" and "Z" blocks for the Avignon Picnic quilt from Moda Bake Shop.  The "S"'s were fine, but I had a terrible time with the "Z"'s.  I'm going to blame it on the fact that my sewing room was an oven and I really should have been taking a nap.  But I persevered, and I have my blocks done.   Tomorrow - to the floor for layout.

I plugged the holes in the former duvet cover so I can turn it into a quilt.  I meant to get it laid out and pinned except my backing isn't big enough.  I'll either have to piece it, do something creative with it, or go buy something.  I'm leaning toward one of the first two options.  Anyway, plugging the holes was an accomplishment all on it's own, so I'll have to be satisfied with that.  This one I had planned to embroider/quilt once I get the "sandwich" put together.  Might be a little ambitious.  Maybe I'll finish it in my lifetime.  You think?

I did, however, get the log cabin half of the duvet cover laid out and pinned.  Not quite sure what to do with it now.  I'm leaning toward machine quilting it.  It's actually quite a stunning quilt, if I do say so myself.  Even Wonderful Husband commented on it when it was all laid out on the floor, and he almost never comments on such things.  He said it reminds him of Arizona in the fall.  Hmmm...  I was thinking more "woodland by the lake", but whatever floats his boat.  Anyway, I really like this one.

I even got to the store and bought some perle cotton (way more fun than buying groceries!)  I checked both Michael's and JoAnn's and the color selection was very limited.  Couldn't find the color I really wanted, so I will have to make do with what was there. 

What I did not get done today was a project I wanted to do to go with Beautiful Daughter #2's tree quilt (which, incidentally, matches the leftover quilt I made from the - uh - leftovers).

I was inspired for this project by something I saw on Anna Maria Horner's website, although this project will be quite different, if it turns out.  I'll be sure to let you know.

Last of all, I received my 3 partners for my handmade ornament swap group.  Fun!!  What should I do?  I thought about smocked ornaments but there are others that look fun as well.  In searching, I discovered Fern's crafty blog that has some pics of some really cute Christmas ornaments that look like tons of fun to make.  So many choices!  And the contemplation of it all is so much fun too!  Ah, sweet!

In the meantime, I just found out that this is National Card-Making Day (it's true, I promise!) so I think I'll go make a card in honor of the occasion.

Or maybe I'll just go to bed.

Lanterns Bloom #2 - Finished!

 The "leftover" quilt, Lanterns Bloom #2 is officially finished!

1.  Patches

2.  Cut apart, rotate, and put back together.

3.  Add borders, backing, and batting.  Quilt.  Bind. 

 4.  Done!

5.  Wrap yourself up and enjoy.

Diamond in the Rough

You wouldn't think so to look at it, but the funnest fabric store in Pensacola has got to be the fabric store with an identity crisis.

First of all, it is, in fact, a compounding pharmacy.  When you walk in, it looks like an old fashioned dime store, with just about anything you can imagine.  A visit to the back of the store finds all of your pharmacy needs, I'm sure.  Their selection of Little Golden Books takes me back to my own childhood. It was the first place I went to buy little Abby-frog those classics  she MUST have, like The Poky Little Puppy, The Saggy, Baggy Elephant, and The Tawny, Scrawny Lion.

But take a left, and then a right, and fabric junkies, Enter Paradise!!  Who would suspect that the back of the store has bolts and bolts and bolts of fabrics from all our favorite designers?  Moda and Michael Miller are two of my favorites so far, but I can't wait to try some of the rest.   It is the only place in Pensacola I have found Moda charm squares, jelly rolls, and fat quarters.  OK, I'm new to these things, but now that I KNOW about them, I have to have them, right?

When my children were little, there used to be nearly a dozen fabric stores in Pensacola.  I have often joked and said that when I went back to work full-time, I stopped sewing, and they all went out of business.  Too sad, but true?  Maybe?  No, I couldn't have kept them all in business by myself....  Could I?

I used to work in Warrington - oh, 25 years ago now - and I shopped at AandE frequently.  But after we moved away, and moved back, I kind of forgot they had such neat stuff.  Then, in 2009, when Beautiful Daughter #2 was looking for some special trims for her prom dress that the ordinary fabric store didn't have, a lady at the cutting counter suggested we try AandE.  And I had one of those, "You Dummy!" moments.  Of course!  I knew about it all along, and just forgot.  And so we drove across town and they had exactly what she wanted.  And it was on sale, even.  And I was hooked.

But I really didn't appreciate just what a treasure it was until Beautiful Daughter #1 turned me on to how much fun designer fabric can be.  And so I have to wander by once or twice a week on my lunch hour or on the way home from work.  I browse.  I touch.  I imagine.  Too often, I succumb to the subtle charms of these beautiful fabrics.  Like I need more fabric.  But I need to feed my addiction.  Still, it is an innocent enough habit, I suppose.

And the ladies there are so nice.  And (I'm not sure this is a good thing) they remember me.  The other day, a lady and her daughter were buying some of the Michael Miller Lanterns Bloom collection, and when the lady at the counter saw me, she said, "Here's a lady that has already made that quilt," and so I stopped and chatted, and gave them the benefit of my experience (and told them that the pattern is on Michael Miller's website and they don't need to reinvent the wheel, like I did).  Then, when I was in there today after work, the manager of the fabric department told me I should have been there earlier - that they had some quilters come in with "show and tell", and I would have loved it.

And I would have, too.

I plan to spend the weekend finishing projects.  Maybe I'll have some time Monday to do some "show and tell" of my own!

Scraps

I thought I would get more done this weekend.  I have 6 quilts in various stages of completion and a ton of clothing I would like to sit down and sew, but this summer bug has been a drain on my energy.  Friday, I stayed home, but accomplished nothing creative, although I did sleep a lot.  Yesterday, I sewed the S's and Z's for my Avignon Picnic blocks from Moda Bake Shop (you can link to it here).  I ended up with 18 squares, which really isn't enough, so Beautiful Daughter #1 said she would bring me another pack of charm squares when we see each other in Seattle in September.  (Sounds like a song, doesn't it?)  The sample quilt actually has 64 squares, but I think 36 will make a nice small quilt.  Maybe a baby quilt or a cuddling up in front of the TV quilt.  We'll see.

Oh - and I left the house long enough yesterday to go to the ordinary fabric store (aka JoAnn's) because they had the batting I like on sale and thread 50% off.  I have been running out of thread like crazy.  I bought a ton of thread when I was sewing a lot (before I went back to work full-time), but there is not much of that left.   It's the little things that often drive us crazy, like running out of the right color of thread in the middle of a project.  Coats and Clarks at 50% off is a pretty sweet deal, I think.

The only other thing I did this weekend was sort my scraps.  I was looking for replacement pieces for the double-sided duvet cover that is about to become 2 quilts (see my post on un-serging) so I removed the squares with the buttonholes, hence their need to be replaced..  It was a great opportunity to sort my scraps.  Wow!  Did that bring back memories.  It seems, though, that this scrap bag is just the scraps from the last couple of years.  Wonder where the older ones are?  Think of the memories I will have when I find THOSE!

Happy quilting!

Major Surgery

Well, it's done.  At least the squares are dissected and put back together.  The hardest part was making the first incision.  I felt like I was doing major surgery - cutting into vital organs or something!  (And to think I thought I could be a doctor!)

The second hardest part was arranging the completed squares.  Do I want a square quilt or a twin?  Do I want the aqua squares all in a row or spread around?  Do I like the brown at all?  All this angst!!  But amid the coughing (I guess it's a summer bug) and the company (Handsome Son is visiting from Down South) it is done.  I hope to add the borders and backing and get it quilted this weekend, but for now, I have most of a quilt top.

I think I like it!  Maybe.

Leftovers

Tonight, Wonderful Husband and I were talking and he commented that there isn't much on TV on Wednesday nights.  My response was, "Only leftovers."  He said, "You mean re-runs?"  And I said, "I prefer to call them leftovers.  They're not as tasty as the first time, but they can be OK."

Rather than watch TV though, I thought I would play with my fabric.  Which brings me to my topic.  On Sunday, I blogged about empty nesting and Arielle's new quilt.  She gained some new skills, I think, and I will admit that she challenged mine.  The quilt used just about every scrap of fabric we had bought for the project - or so I thought.  But as I was rummaging around in the sewing room on Monday, I came across 40 leftover blocks from the tree quilt.  Forty!  Not enough for a whole quilt, but that's just too many to waste.  So earlier this week I headed over to the drug store - uh, I mean fabric store - and bought 3 6-inch width-of-fabric strips and enough yardage to do a border from the Michael Miller Lantern Blooms and Poppy Collections.  I now have 81 squares, arranged in groups of 9.  I'm thinking about a Disappearing 9-patch.  I've never done one before.  Should be interesting to see how it turns out.

Empty Nesting

So this year has been something of a challenge for me, the woman who has been a mom for more years than I wasn't a mom - Beautiful Daughter #1 turned 28 last Saturday.  Beautiful Daughter #1 and her husband and my precious grand-baby live in Utah.  Handsome Son lives in Orlando.  And Beautiful Daughter #2 left in January for college in Idaho.  Honestly, along about mid-winter, I was feeling pretty lost.

But then last Sunday, as I was teaching my Sunday School lesson, we were talking about how the Lord cared for Elijah by having the ravens feed him, and then commanding the widow of Zaraphath to feed him while he was in hiding from King Ahab and Jezebel.  The point was that the Lord loves each one of us individually, knows us by name, and is prepared to help us in the ways we need it most.  Which brought to mind Elder Bednar's talk when he was first called as an Apostle and mentioned that the hymn right before his talk was his favorite, "Did You Think to Pray" and how it comforted him and let him know the Lord was looking out for him and cared about him. He called the phenomenon "The Tender Mercies of the Lord."  As I was reflecting on this subject it struck me what an extraordinary year this has been.  I too have been blessed by the tender mercies of the Lord.  Far from being the lonely year I expected, I have had wonderful opportunities to enjoy my children this year in new ways.

Handsome Son came home for Easter.  It was General Conference weekend, so we didn't have a big Easter dinner.  It was just the 3 of us, but I enjoyed watching conference with him.   And, it allowed me to give him his (finally finished) Christmas gift.  Yes, it's wrinkled, but hey - he's a guy!

Then, in the middle of April, Beautiful Daughter #2 came home for her semester break.  We stayed up late and watched movies, got a pedi, did a little excursion to Destin shopping and talked and talked and talked.  Then at the end of that week, Handsome Son and Beautiful Daughter #1 and her family came home, and we were all together for a weekend.  We went to the beach and took some pictures - ironically the day the oil spill occurred.   Unfortunately, Dear Son-In-Law was the photographer (didn't he do a magnificent job?!) and so wasn't in the photo. 

Beautiful Daughter #1 and Baby Abby got to stay for almost 3 weeks.  We did some girl bonding, some shopping, and some creating while they were here.  Manda made 3 quilt tops, and some other projects.  She introduced me to new things, like charm squares and jelly rolls and honey buns and quilting blogs.  We shopped for fabric at the drug store (which will be the subject of another post someday.)  But mostly I got to hold beautiful baby Abby.

Then, sometime in May, after Wonderful Husband drove Beautiful Daughter #2's car to Idaho and visited Beautiful Daughter #1's family, he came up with a wonderful idea!  We would all go to Yellowstone for July 4th weekend.  Unfortunately, Handsome Son couldn't make it, but the rest of us had such a grand time. 

Then, in mid-July, I got to go visit HS in Orlando.  He took me on a mother-son date to this great Irish restaurant in Downtown Disney, complete with Irish singers and traditional Irish dancers.  And the food was wonderful!  Unfortunately, I am not the photographer DS-I-L is, so we'll just have to use this photo off the Downtown Disney website

 

We went shopping at one of the outlet malls along I-4, and I took this photo to make the girls drool.  We didn't buy much, but we had a great time.  On the downside, boy was it HOT!

We went back to his apartment for a nap, then to dinner and a movie.  A wonderful, relaxing weekend.

And most recently, Beautiful Daughter #2 came home for her semester break again.  She wanted to make a quilt, and not one to ignore requests from my girls to share my favorite things, we headed off our favorite fabric store (the one that thinks it's a drug store) and looked for some Sandi Henderson fabric to match this oh-so-festive party banner she and her sister made...

Instead, we fell in love with this quilt made from Michael Miller's Lanterns Blooms and Poppy collections:

So we bought the fabric and headed home.  Ari and I cut out the squares, she arranged them on the floor (where else) and she stitched the quilt top that afternoon.

But then the dilemma.  How to make the beautiful tree.  I had to go back to the store and take this photo (should have taken it when I was there the first time.)

Turned out the tree wasn't so bad, but how to do the leaves?  You can't see it in the photo, but they are 3-dimensional.  Very cute, but I had to ponder on that for days.  Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately, when you consider my stress level), the clock was ticking, and I didn't have very many days.  In fact, it was Saturday morning and the flight was to leave at 6:30 pm.

I finally drew a leaf on a piece of paper, cut it out, and started stitching.  There were a few false starts, but finally, I had something I could use.  At left is a photo of the quilt top, before leaves, borders and quilting.


 I didn't ever take a photo of the finished quilt.  I thought it turned out pretty well, though.  Ari seems happy with it.  As it happens, we had a thunderstorm blow through just about the time the flight was to leave, so after waiting an hour and a half in the airport, she realized there was no way she could make her connecting flight and she came home.  Good thing.  I finished the quilt while she was at the airport.  Saved me mailing it to her.  And having the extra few hours let me finish the pillow shams, too.  Maybe one day soon she'll send me a photo of the finished product.  Meanwhile, suffice it to say that my kids challenge my skills.

Ironically, as I was surfing the net the evening she left, I found this photo and the downloadable instructions on the Michael Miller Fabrics website.  There is a pattern and instructions for the leaf.








And, as luck would have it, Handsome Son will be home this weekend.

Empty nesting isn't so bad after all.  Wonder what project HS will have for me?