Sunday, December 4, 2011

The Grinch Quilt

Just started putting the pieces on my pathetic and very non-fancy design wall (made of batting), but I love the wall because it makes it so much easier to place the pieces where they should be.

This quilt is so fun to work on!

Monday, November 14, 2011

A Little Unfocused

I had to put my sweet dog, Roxy, to sleep on Friday which has been just heartbreaking for me. To try and not dwell on it so much, I attempted to sew something. Unfortunately, I'd start one thing and then lose interest, start another thing, and lose interest again. I started two quilts, tried to practice paper piecing, and then moved on to a different quilt. I just miss my dog!
My sweet grandsons came over tonight and wanted to hang out in my craft room. It was nice to watch them color and laugh about silly things little boys laugh about. The baby likes to sit on my lap when I sew and tell me "Ready, set, go" to make the machine start sewing. It was good therapy. I love those boys!

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

The Block Party

I'm no social butterfly, but I'm having a good time partying over at Madame Samm's Block Party. She's having guest quilters show off their quilt blocks and techniques, so it's giving me a chance to learn new stuff. I'm no pro at quilting, but I'm having fun with it and love to sew.

Madame Samm posted a block on her sewing blog "Sew I Quilt" and I (so stupidly) commented, Oooooo...my kind of block! It's easy to make, but looks like you really worked at it. :O)"  She kindly responded to my comment and said, "it is a bit tricky to get those seams straights."

Well.......she was right. I had to unpick a few seams to get them lined up as perfectly as I was going to get them, which wasn't all that perfect but not bad. I apologized to Madame Samm through an email for being so flippant about the ease of that block and she made me laugh when she replied, "told you sew."

Monday, November 7, 2011

Tree of Life

I bought this fabric kit (a great sale item) because of the tree which reminded me of the tree of life, genealogy, "I see dead people"....well, that's how I interpreted it, anyway. I had it quilted in May and just now have gotten around to finishing the edges. I'm such a procrastinator! The Monkey Boys helped hold it up so I could get a good picture. They are way, way cuter than this quilt (though I love the quilt.) Love those boys!

Sunday, November 6, 2011

It's Finally Finished!

I've been working on this Laurel Burch quilt since 2009 and finally finished it today by putting some binding on it. I'm slowly working through my unfinished quilts (though I'm starting new ones in the middle of finishing the unfinished ones--my attention span is short.) It is so bright, but definitely a cheer-me-up kind of quilt.
The crazy zebra fabric for the back was recommended by Linda at Scrap Apple in Utah. I think it was a good choice for this jungle print.
The weather is cloudy and rainy today--perfect weather for wrapping up in this huge quilt (king size!)  Love it!

Friday, November 4, 2011

Savannah's Baby Quilt

My nephew, Matt, and his lovely wife had a beautiful baby girl a few months ago. I was afraid she'd be walking before I got this quilt made for her. I found the girly little dress at a store in St. George--love it!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Spinning Around

I've had so much fun visiting blogs since this Ghastlie Blog Hop started. I've been inspired to try new things and have started following some amazing blogs. Only problem is.....I've had vertigo all week and it's been hard to sew. If I tip my head down too far, the room starts to spin (or maybe it's me that's spinning.)  While out there blog hopping, I found that there are fabric boxes to make, aprons that look so fun, new quilt squares to try, bags to make (though I'm not good at the bag making thingy), Ghastlie's to frame, and, and, oh my, the list goes on and on!

Sigh....I so want to sew.

Madame Samm has done an amazing job of putting together this Ghastlie event. I've loved it and am so grateful for her hard work on this fun blog hop.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Pampered Pooch

I bought these little charms (on sale) from the Quilt Cottage in Utah way back in September 2009, but I could never really get excited about what to make with them. They are an odd combination (in my opinion) of colors and designs, but I thought I would think of something to make with them since they were such a good deal.

Nothing really connected on what to do with them, but after watching Suzanne from Designs Originals on You Tube, I thought I'd at least use them to practice her technique of a 10-minute square. She used larger squares, but since I had these that's what's going into this quilt.

It takes five squares, one a different color for the center.
Fold the center piece in half.
Sandwich the folded center piece between two squares,
raw edges together. Sew down one side.
Sew the other side of the folded center between two
more squares. Clear as mud, right?
This is what it should look like when you've sewn the two sides,
sort of a little bridge.
Grab one square from each side, opening up the folded piece
to create a little pocket.
It should look like this. Pinning makes it a lot easier, though
I tend to be a non-pinner in most of my sewing projects.
Carefully sew across all the layers and avoid catching
pieces you shouldn't (this I know from experience.)
When you open it up, it looks like this. Magic!
Iron it nice and flat, making the corners line up with the seams.
You can straight seam sew around the edges, make them
into cathedral windows (whatever that is), or use a
decorative stitch around the edges like this.
These are some of the oddly colored/patterned squares that I now need
to arrange into a little boys quilt. The other squares in the
charm pack are girly colors, so I'll use them for a little girl quilt.
 To be continued........

Thursday, October 27, 2011

The Ghastle Blog Hop

I was out blog stalking a few weeks ago looking for more Ghastlie fabric ideas and was "sew" lucky to find a really fun blog hop.

I've almost finished my other Ghastlie quilt (a table topper) and
will post it (hopefully) next week.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Really! I Finished Two Blankets!

I finished two baby blankets for the twins AND made a cute little tag to go on the package.

BUT...

I nicely packaged them up to be mailed, took them to the post office, came home, AND THEN remembered that I hadn't taken a picture of the finished products. Geez! Such a senior moment!

They were cute, though. Really. I promise. Sigh........

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Finished...Finally! But, Just Beginning...

I've had two baby quilts sitting in a heap of other unfinished quilts and all they needed were the bindings sewn on. They were quilt-as-you-sew, so I couldn't use the excuse that I was waiting for them to be quilted. I like to think I was just unmotivated, not lazy. I decided to finish them today so that I could start working on my next Ghastlie quilt. I totally love that fabric!

With the arthritis in my hands I don't hand sew the binding on them (I know, it is a sin in the quilter's world to machine bind them, but I either machine bind them or I don't make them at all--I choose to sin!) If I ever make an amazingly heirloom-type quilt, I promise to hand sew the binding (while taking lots of Advil for the pain) or hire someone to do it for me.

This little quilt is for my nephew's baby, Luke, who was born in July. I kept meaning to finish it and ship it off to Japan where they are living at the moment, but I just couldn't get it together to finish it. Lucky for me, they'll be in town next month so now I don't have to mail it.
This "Objects of Desire" baby quilt made with leftover fabric strips will be sent off to my cousin's twins. Of course, I'll need to make a second one before I can send this one off. Sigh....I'll have to be motivated for that one another day.
Once the baby quilts were finished, I started on my Ghastlie quilt. I went looking for ideas and found Sew I Quilt Now, but unfortunately her fun Ghastlie project doesn't get started until October and I couldn't wait that long to get an idea of what to do. I WILL be checking back there, though, as I still have some Ghastlie fabric left.

I didn't use a pattern, though my creation is far from unique. I'm terrible at following directions, but occasionally do use a pattern. This time I winged it by starting with the dinner scene as my focal point and worked outward. Doing it this way is crazy, I know, and I did have to pick out a few seams to make it all line up. I still want to make it a little larger, so this isn't done. I'm just so excited to have started it!

Monday, September 19, 2011

The "Bye" tag for Ms. Y

Ms. Y is moving to Puerto Rico in about a month.
I will miss her!
I made her a quilt "to remember me by"
and this tag to go with it. I'll add a ribbon when
I'm sure what type of bag I'll be putting the quilt in.

Friday, September 16, 2011

I'm such an amateur with my stamping, but it is so fun to play around with.

A little embossing and distressing.

This was my first attempt with alcohol inks.  

Friday, September 9, 2011

Such A Slug!

I really have been playing with paper AND quilting, but haven't taken the time to post anything. What a slug I am!

Monday, August 1, 2011

Still Trying...

More attempts at distressing. I love watching Tim Holtz create--he makes it look so easy! Not so easy for me, though.
I've added a little bag in the center of the card to put a gift card or check. I like the ease of adding a bag that's appropriate for the occasion.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Distressed Card Attempts

I'm new to the distressed card world, so these first few attempts might just appear a little lame to those people that stamp, distress, and create all the time. Oh well, I had fun practicing.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

A Week's Worth Of Projects

I still don't have my camera, so I had to use my phone camera to take pictures (not so good) of my projects.

I started this Mondo bag by Quiltsmart on Monday. Linda from Scrap Apple showed it to me at the quilt show I went to a few weeks ago. It looked easy enough. I've since learned I don't like making bags--I really hate making bags actually, but I will (hopefully) complete it at some point.
This is the process used to make it. Little squares ironed on specially marked pellon. Then I sewed each row one way and I will eventually sew it lengthwise. I'll add a liner, some handles, and the bag that I never want to sew another one of will be done. If I finish it, I will post it here.
My AccuQuilt was calling for me to make something with the cute dies I found at JoAnne's for $5.49 (they usually cost way, way more.) AccuQuilt has a Block of the Month project and since I've never done a Block of the Month project, I just HAD to do it. Using some of my Moda Serenity fabric that's been sitting around FOREVER, I started the project. I loved doing this and look forward to finishing the squares (if my Senior ADD doesn't get in the way.)
I picked up my quilt from Quilted Works. It's a bit flashy and bright, but since I'm so into "dead people" and researching them, the family tree fabric seemed to call my name.
While at Quilted Works, I looked around for inspiration and found this July 4th fabric. It called to me and now I'm making this wall hanging quilt with the parallelogram die cut from AccuQuilt.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Cherry Quilt

This is a quilt-as-you-sew blanket, but I added narrow stitching so that when I wash it, it will have a vintage, crinkled look to it.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

MoonDance

I found this fabric (MoonDance by Perry Wahe and Maywood Studio) and wasn't sure what I'd do with it, but I had to have it.
It sat in my "stash" until Jason came to town, saw it, and said he'd like a quilt made out of it. I'm not sure it is what he had in mind (lots of purple), but these two quilts will be heading his way this week. Both of them are quilt-as-you-go, but just different techniques. Two Monkey Boys helped me with the picture taking. MB1 is hidden behind the quilts, but MB2 just had to peek around. Love those boys! 

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Laurel Burch Quilt, Almost Finished

I started this in October 2009 (after having the fabric a while and not knowing what I wanted to do with it.) I love Laurel Burch's fabrics! It just makes me feel uplifted when I see it. This is her Secret Jungle line with
lizards, snakes, and jungle animals. The top of the quilt is entirely Laurel Burch fabric, but I used a another line's zebra print for the back. It is so bright, I know, but I still love it. This quilt is MINE, ALL MINE!
I picked it up two days ago from Quilted works. They did the machine quilting with a black thread, which I was a little nervous about, but I loved how it turned out.
Now I just have to bind it and then I get to snuggle up with it (and maybe a Monkey Boy or three.)

Sunday, January 2, 2011

The Brown Quilt, Part 2

I'm just a little bit of a procrastinator...like, two years worth. In December 2008 I posted pictures of this quilt just after it had been quilted. Today I finished binding it....on the sewing machine. It is a huge (king-sized) quilt and there was no way I could hand-sew the binding on...no way...even though I thought that's what I would do. I gave up, gave in, whatever, and machine bound it. I'm good with that.

Mary Englebret Quilt-Completed!

Finally! I've been working on this quilt FOREVER (or so it seems.) I tried to quilt it myself--hated it! I never liked one portion of it that didn't quite meet right, so I took all the self-quilting stitches out and picked out the part I never liked. After resewing it together so I liked it and felt satisfied with how it looked, I took it in to Quilted Works to be quilted. Loved the final product! It took me another month or so to add the binding and now it is done. Yay!
Then....I hung it on my new quilt rack and loved it even more.

Day Four Virtual Christmas Cookie Exchange

 Day three of the Virtual Christmas Cookie Exchange was amazing! Thank you to all of the participants and visitors! Check out these fabulous...