Catching Up!

Hello again!  There's been a fair amount of activity around the prsd4tim2 studio, even though I haven't recorded anything here.  Now that Leona has received her mug rug, I can show it here.  Leona is a "fabric collector" and quilter extraordinaire, and she was my partner for the Rugs with Friends swap this time.  I decided to use some of my selvage stash in her mug rug.  The idea is a peek into the window of a fabric store, with all the bolts sitting on the shelf, just waiting to be purchased.  I thought it was a little "blah" in this version, so I added a little gold "chain" and a button peg above the sign, but sadly forgot to take a photo of the finished product, so you'll just have to imagine...

Then, I'm playing along in the Wish List Swap.  My partner wanted a fairly unique item, so I can't show it until she receives it, but I created this little table runner as the accessory.  The fabric is from the DS Quilts collection at JoAnn's.  I love making wonky stars - they're tons of fun as long as I remember to have the triangle cover the corners.  Sadly, since Priscilla's little mishap with the pin a few weeks ago, she doesn't like FMQ, so this is pretty simple straight line and echo quilting. 

I've got a good start on some pillows for my partner in the Modernista Swap.  Just have to put these together.  These were inspired by the Double Hexagon Tutorial on Kerri's blog and by the Jawbreaker pattern by Jaybird Quilts.  My partner wanted some colors I don't generally collect, but then I remembered I have the leftovers of a FQ bundle of Prince Charming by Tula Pink, which I think hope is perfect. 

And I've finally gotten around to working on my granny square quilt.  I started it last spring (May?) during the Granny Square QAL, but didn't finish enough blocks.  Then last October, I had the ladies in the Sew Fun Bee make some more blocks.  And there it sat.  And sat.  And sat.

But my friend Marcy has offered to let me play with her long arm to do the quilting, so I had to get the top made.  I'm really jazzed by getting to try a long arm! Anyway, here's the layout.  The top and back are now done (sorry, no photo yet) and just waiting to be quilted.   We're getting together next Wednesday, and I hope to remember to take lots of pictures.  Can't wait.

For relaxation, I've made a couple more flowers for my GMFG.  I think I need 4 or 5 more to finish.

Krista has been making me half flowers for the edges and I received a bunch just the other day.  I love the way they make it look so finished!  It's almost done!

Along with the half flowers, Krista sent me (look at all the cool Christmas stamps on the box!) a whole bunch of fabric she inherited from someone.  It will make wonderful quilt backs and other things.  It really was like Christmas when I opened the box.  So fun.

Anyway, I've been needing a new ironing board cover (and new ironing board too I thought).  Desperately.  The old store-bought one was stained and had holes where even the foam underneath was gone.  Can you see it?  Even though this cover is only a year old, it has apparently been abused.  Or maybe they just don't make them like they used to.

So I went to Walmart and brought home a new ironing board.  (Of course I had to clean the sewing room to make the exchange, so the process took - um, a few hours.)  Anyway, I got it set up, and realized that my 1970s ironing board is way sturdier than the new one I bought, and for the kind of use I give the thing, sturdier is better, even if it isn't totally flat any more.  So the new ironing board goes back to Walmart.

But I really did need a new cover.  So what to do?  Going back to Walmart was out of the question, as once a day year is really more often than I care to go, and the sewing room was clean, but everything was out of order so it needed to be finished sooner rather than later.

So I dug in the big box of fabric Krista sent and found fabric long enough to fit the ironing board.  I cut the old nasty one apart and laid it on top, cut around it, found a scrap of quilt batting and some bias tape (labeled TG&Y with a price tag of 96-cents!) and sewed up a new cover.  Honestly it was easy peasy.  And free!  Way better, don't you think?  I may never buy an ironing board cover again.

So that's what's been going on around here.  What have you been up to?

Fun Mail

 There has been some really fun mail arriving at the prsd4tim2 household lately.  Last Saturday was no exception.  I received my Modernista package from Heidi (fabricmutt).  I am so excited by the things she sent.  First was this wonderful little mini quilt.  I've seen these around Flickr and always been slightly envious.  What an adorable creation she made for me.  I especially love how the fabrics she chose work so well in this little scene.  The pearl bracelets for the sky and the DS Quilts green for the grass.  The text picket fence.  The "brick" for the house - not sure what fabric that is but it works so well.

The detail is really cool.  I love the "trim" on the eve of the house and the quilt on the clothesline.  How about the lady in the window with the turkey?  And check out the mailbox.

So fun!

But that wasn't all she sent.  She also sent this great table runner.  Love the colors with the linen.  And there are some of my favorite prints in there.  So yummy.

She added a few charms, and what a perfect package it was.

I also received my winter package from Mary P in the Rugs with Friends swap.  Mary is really on the ball, because I haven't started my little mug rug yet, although I do have a plan, which is an amazing fact in itself.  Such cute little FQs came with the package.

But the mug rug is an amazing creation in its own right.  This is a Texas snowman (Mary is from Texas, obviously!)  How do you know?  Check out his hat!  But I love the expression on his face and the detail of the quilting.

Thanks Heidi and Mary for such great swaps!

Table Top Swap

I'm playing along in the Table Top Swap.  Round 2 is table runners.  I was on a real table runner kick a couple of years ago, but this time, I just couldn't make up my mind.  My partner said she liked simple blocks, bright colors, trees and flowers.  No trees here, but I tried to give her a little bit of each of the rest.

Simple blocks?  Check.  Giant shoo fly blocks are pretty simple.

Flowers?  Check.  Embroidered flowers and print flowers.

Bright colors?  Check.  Primary colors should qualify as bright. 

 I was also trying to coordinate with the napkins she received in Round 1.  They had a lot of gray in them, which I'm sure you know by now isn't my favorite. 

I tried something a little different this time...

I used gray background for the two outside blocks...

And white for the middle block.


The blocks are pretty large - they each are 18" square - so the runner measures 18" x 54".

The center of the block was such a big empty space I added some embroidery.  It's pretty much free-hand, unstructured embroidery. 

I also wanted to add some extra color and make the blocks coordinate with each other, so I tried to pick up the colors from the other blocks in each one.

It actually made for a pretty leisurely Saturday afternoon to sit and just embroider the flowers.  Very relaxing.

 I used straight line quilting in the corners to echo the lines of the block and stipple quilting in the colored part of the block.  I think you can see it in the photo.  Just don't look too close at the stippling.    The centers are not quilted because I didn't want to compete with the embroidery.  I toyed with embroidering around the flowers, but in the end, I left them alone.

I also made my partner a couple of other coordinating kitchen-y things, but apparently I had the camera on the wrong setting and the photos didn't turn out.  Oh well.  You may just have to imagine a pretty green kitchen towel and a pinwheel pot holder to coordinate with the set.

And it's off in the mail.  Hope she likes it.