Joint Venture.....

Our daughter moved out a little less than a year ago and she took some things with her including the bedding from her bedroom (But she left the furniture for now).  Since then, we have just had an old comforter on the bed. It is no way matched the room at all, but it served its purpose to provide a cover on the bed.

I guess we got tired of walking past the room and seeing that old comforter, so hubby (a.k.a. the Mad Quilter) and I decided we needed a quilt for that bed.  We have toyed with the idea of making a quilt together for our bed, so this would be a trial run to see how well we work together on a project.  I mean we do things together, but usually it is one of ours project and the other is just assisting. This was different.  We would be working together through each step (OK.. I didn't quilt the thing.. afterall, he is the fast quilter around these parts and much better at man-handling the beasts!)

The walls in the room are a lovely violet.. not bright purple like Barney, more a medium plum or dark smokey lilac color. So we decided to work off that since we both love violets. We chose a simple pattern that would allow us to utilize scraps we had on hand by alternating 5" charm squares with four patches. Hubby determined the layout of the four patches.. using a light white, cream or tan in one corner to create a bit of a chain once everything was together. We also decided not to limit ourselves to violet. We used that for the 5" charms but the four patches have other colors.. greens, blues, etc.  Very scrappy... we love scrappy!

I think it turned out great! This is our first for us bed quilt.  There will be others... hopefully a King-Size one for our room will be on the list for 2013.

"Belle"

Pincushion Swap

I have shared here before that I am blessed to be part of a small online quilting community.  I love these women dearly and only wish we were closer together geographically. We range from Oregon to the UK... from Rhode Island to South Louisiana.. and many places in between.  We chat and share.. laugh and cry... and a few times a year we do something quilty together... swap fabrics,  participate in a Round Robin, have some sort of challenge.. ugly fabric, UFO... this summer we decided to have a pincushion swap. I was thrilled!  I collect pincushions.. my collection is small, but growing. I am picky. I prefer hand-made pun-cushions to store bought ones.

Once we decided to do this swap, I knew exactly what I would make.  I have made several of these over the years. One for myself and some for others. Here is the tutorial I use.. it is great!  Pincushion Organizer

Here are the ones I made for the swap:

2 of the ladies have already received a Pincushion Organizer from me. One as a birthday happy and one as part of another swap. So I made a different pin cushion for them.

I had so much fun with these that I made an extra one for me, as well as that little square guy.  And a few extras to have on hand to share with other friends.  I am thinking this technique would be cute for quilted Christmas ornaments!

Here is the tutorial for these:  Patchwork Hearts

And one final photo that I had to share.. my little furry shadow, Mac. He was determined to get my attention away from quilty stuff and onto him!

"Belle"

Anthropologie... nope just looks it...

My son's girlfriend is an artsy-craftsy kind of girl who loves to make things for folks.  2 of her cousins had babies this year... both sweet little girls... so JJ decided to whip up some baby quilts.  You can see the first one here... Bunting Baby Quilt

The 2nd quilt is simple, but classy. Very modern. Looks like something from Anthropologie. The new mommy and daddy loved it.. pretty sure the baby did too!

Good Job, JJ!

Isn't this birdie fabric too cute!?

"Belle"

Scrappy Fun

My husband pulled out the scrap boxes a month or so ago and whipped up a bright, fun scrappy quilt top... and then proceeded to quilt it up in no time.  He is so fast!

Here is a photo of his latest scrappy creation...

If you wonder about all these random scrappy quilts and what we do with them, I'll tell you. They start out living with us. Occasionally one is claimed by someone in the family.  But if not, then the quilt is available to be sent forth to share a bit of love with others.  We like having these on hand for when a need arises.  We have given them to shelters.. to our son's girlfriend who moved into her apartment on a Friday in winter to find no electricity would be available until Monday.  She "borrowed" a scrappy quilt and it never came back. :-)  We have given them as comfort quilts when someone needs a reminder that they are loved and prayed for.  And yes, we have some just hanging around here. We go like to rotate all our quilts from closet to couch or bed and give them air and use.  I feel certain whichever ones remain here will be claimed by a child or grandchild one day. In the meantime, we will keep on stitching!

Summer Colors for a Summer Baby

A sweet young couple in our church just welcomed Baby #3 into their family... yesterday in fact!  When I heard the nursery was bright colors.. pink, teal and orange.. I knew this was going to be a fun quilt to make!  I went with a really simple nine patch pattern and let the fabric do the talking!  And oh the fabric!  The nine patches are from scraps on hand in the stash. Some of the larger quares are from stash fabric, but a few were purchased just for this project. I think the colors are very summery and very fitting a little girl born in Summer. 

The Mad Quilter quilted it using orange thread creating fun linear patterns (so architectural! LOL) I how it looks on the back.  It adds a whole new dimension to this already fun quilt. The back, by the way, is a vintage sheet in the softest pink color.. and feels just as soft. So sweet. This was fun to make.. I would take one for myself!

Lots more has been happening in sewing central. Completed top (soon to be quilted)... finished quilt.. pincushions galore.. photos coming soon!

"Belle"

Recent Purchases

Ran to Hancocks to get some basting spray recently (I love the Sullivan's spray they sell and it was on sale!)  They had tables full of fabric marked down from 20 - 60 % off. I found 2 that were 50% off.  Cute, Cute!  .... Kid Themed... I have no plans for either one as of yet, but I know there will be more kiddie quilts in the future and these will be great jumping off points.

Cowboys and Butterflies... can't go wrong with those!

While waiting in line to have the fabric cut, I spotted this... and bought it.

I hate to rip stitches and have the most trouble seeing what I need to see.  I have actually used this once and it work pretty well. Not perfect. The magnifier moves with the ripper which is a bit awkward on the eyes.  But overall it is works.. I will definitely continue to use it.

"Belle"

Colorful HSTs

My husband just finished up a quilt for a friend in his office. She had a great niece born recently and asked him if he would make a quilt for the baby. The co-worked picked that pattern and bought all the fabrics.  I think it turned out cute. Definitely bright and cheery!

"Belle"

Fishies and Clowns

A few weeks ago a friend shared about a co-worker whose son was born with a rare condition that has required 30 surgeries in the 1st year of his life (I cannot imagine it!)  This coming weekend there is going to be a big fundraiser at a local water park for this wee one and his family.  Part of the deal will be selling homemade items, so I decided to make a quilt. and ended up making 2.

Another dear friend who is an amazing quilter makes quilts for things like this all the time.  I so envy her the opportunity to use her talents and creativity to help someone, so I was thrilled when this opportunity came along!

Here are the two quilts I whipped up... I pieced and quilted these.. nothing fancy, but I think they turned out cute. The Mad Quilter added the binding. I hate that part and he does it so well!  I am a blessed woman!

For the boy quilt, I pulled out some circus fabric I had and used it as the focal fabric adding scraps of this and that to create the coins.  I decided to do something similar for the girl quilt.  I found some fishie fabric in my stash. Can't say it is overly girlie, but I think the fabrics used in the braids helped emphasis the female-ness and the pink backing and binding definitely sealed the deal.

I have to show you the back of the Circus quilt. Hubs and I went to a fabric sell shortly before I made these. A local lady had a fabric shop... she still sells online, but has not been able to cover overhead for a brick and mortar shop right now. She had a big sell out of her home to get the word out. We bought several pretty fabrics and when we commented about some fabric she had with big polka dots, she decided to cut some and added it to our mix for free. We were shocked to find 2 yards of it when we got home. I like polka dots but these are soo big that cutting the fabric would chop the dots up and I am not a big red person.  But I knew it would be used at some point. And it was!  It is the perfect fabric for the back of this quilt!  Goes with the Circus theme so well. And I love the striped binding Hubs added.

Also, I don't usually show labels here as they have personal info. I include the name of the recipient.. a Bible verse (always).. the date and who made it.  Sometimes the quilt gets a name. Well these just got a verse. I add my labels before I sandwich the quilt, so they are sewed on to the back and then quilted through. They cannot be removed without destrouying the quilt.  Here are photos of the labels on these quilt just to give you an idea of what my quilt labels normally look like.

I am working on a new project.. slowly but surely.  My quilting time seems to have diminished greatly... hopefully it will pick back up again soon!

"Belle"

Planning the next project....

I have made several kid/baby quilts using the Disappearing Nine Patch method and really like it. I recently saw this BIG Scrappy Version and fell in love...

http://audreypawdrey.blogspot.com/2011/02/scrappy-disappearing-nine-patch-quilt.html

And so I have decided to make a scrappy DNP for the sofa here.  I did go and look at some other ways to lay it out..

http://www.stitcherydickorydock.com/2011/08/scrappy-disappearing-9-patch-tutorial.html

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ivI0z9tWgkg/TTUbmQESg1I/AAAAAAAAApU/tB7ZpmWVHjA/s1600/baby+dnp+finished+001.JPG

http://sarahlovesfabric.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/img_0671.jpg

But as of now I think I am going to go with the same layout as the nig ole scrappy one... but larger blocks!

And I am thinking of backing it with flannel and using no batting. This creates a very lightweight quilt that will be great to use in the summer here. Yes, we do use quilts at times in the summer despite the heat and humidity of the Deep South. :-)

There are many tutorials for making this easy pattern online.  Here are a few:

Disappearing Nine Patch

DNP - The Easy Way

Chickpea Studio's Way

Cluck Cluck Sew's Version

So today I start pulling out stacks of 5" charms (I have lots!).  Sewing Central was disassembled to become the Dining Room for Easter, so hopefully I can get it set back up in the next day or so and start sewing together some 9 patches!

"Belle"

Another Scrappy UFO completed

The Mad Quilter... a.k.a. my husband... strikes again!  Another one of the scrappy tops he made in the last year or so has now become a quilt.  There is only 1 or 2 left, I believe, and he will be caught up. :-)

"Belle"

Sigh.....

I was zipping along.. getting the Circus quilt quilted... and then it happened. I am doing straight line quilting. Had everything done going in one direction. Had only 6 more lines the other way.  CLUNK.. the bobbin hung up... have no idea why. I removed the quilt, took everything apart, cleaned it up, put back together. Sew, sew, sew.. but wait.. where is the bobbin thread? The needle refused to pick it up. I wonder what the bobbin did to the needle to make her so mad!  LOL!

So off to the shop my little machine has gone.  I have an extra, but don't really want to pull it out to finish this up. So I will wait until it is fixed, which should be this week.

In the meantime, I have the Internet full of quilting blogs and sites.. and this came in the mail to give me ideas for future projects...

And of course I could work on hand-work!  I have several UFOs that are in need of handwork.

"Belle"

As for me and my House....

The House Wall hanging is done and hanging in the eating area of our kitchen.. a very prominent spot in our home as it is also open and visible from our den.  I love love love it!  Looks great with the green walls. As much as I love the Snowman Faces we had hanging there (and will love putting it back up next winter!) I think I may love this one more!

2 more tops done...time to sandwich!

Finished up 2 more tops this week.  The House Wallhanging...

I love, love, love the final border fabric. It looks soo good!

And the other charity quilt I am working on... this one is for a girl.

So now it is sandwich time!  These 2 plus the circus themed quilt (also charity) and a scrappy top of hubby's that has been waiting patiently in the linen closet.

I hate sandwiching.. but it is a necessary step for turning tops into  quilts.

"Belle"

Rainy but productive day....

Today has been a rainy day with dropping temps... this Southern girl is downright chilly tonight! With the rain and such, it was a perfect day to stay in and work on quilts.

I finished up the center block of the wall-hanging last night.  I have to make a plug for a product.. Fabri-Solvy by Sulky.  I used my word processing software to layout the verse like I wanted and then printed it on a sheet of Fabric-Solvy.  Peeled off the back and pressed it to the front of my fabric.  I embroidered as usual, but I didn't have to trace the pattern because it was printed on the stabilize and now on the fabric.  Once done, I peeled and cut off the excess.... then soak in warm water for a few minutes to melt away the rest.  I will say that once it dried, it looked as if the thread had run.  So this morning I decided to wash it. My washing machine has a super delicate hand wash setting. I used that and put the block in a mesh bag.  The rest of the stabilizer along with the excess dye from the thread came right off!  It air dried with no problem and has now been united with the Happy Scrappy House blocks that I had pieced this weekend.

My husband put the top together with sashing and corner stones. He is much better (and more patient) doing those corner stones than me!  I think it is looking great...

Next we needed 1 more fabric for a final border... tried lots of things we have here, but nothing really seemed to suit it. So... a trip to the fabric store was made and this was found..

It doesn't show up here too well, but there are green leaves here and there along with the blue ones. Works really well with the green sashing.  Can't wait to see it added to the top.

While at the store I picked up some pink fabric. Not because I love pink (which I do!!!!), but for a quilt I started today. I am making another quilt for a charity bazaar. I found this fabric in my stash...

Pulled some 2 1/2 inch strips and started making braids with fabrics that I feel "coordinate" with the fishies.

Once all the braids are done, I will use them for the top with some sashing between them and a small inner border that matches it.  Then the fishies will be the outer border. It is going to be a bright quilt!  I have no doubt some little girl will love it.

Here are the pinks I bought..

One of them will be the sashing and inner border.. don't know which one yet.  The leftovers? well they will go in the stash. The pink boxes (yes boxes!) are getting slim and there are 2 baby girl quilts to be made before summer!

All and all this rainy day has been a good one... tomorrow is already full, so won't be a lot of fabric time happening.  Hoping to have the wall hanging and maybe the fishie quilt tops done and ready to sandwich by the weekend.  The circus quilt is waiting patiently along with another scrappy top from last year.  Saturday will probably be a "deli" day.. gonna be making lots of quilt sandwiches!  :-)

"Belle"

National Quilting Day!!!

So pretty much everyone in the US knows today is St. Patrick's Day, but for quilters it is another holiday too.. National Quilting Day.  NQD occurs on the 3rd Saturday of March, so not always on 3/17.

Hubs and I celebrated today by going to a fabric sale and sewing....

Here are the fabrics we bought...

Some bright fun butterflies (the white behind it is Kona Cotton Snow.. bought that today too..)

Some fun polka dots....

A WILD Print that hubby liked....

And one more polka dot.. a big dot.. that the shop owner tossed in as a happy.... 

And here is what was worked on today...

I finished up the house blocks and started making them wonky... the excess fabric gets trimmed off when they are squared up...

And hubs finished up the baby quilt top he has been working on... 

All in all I would say it has been a good National Quilting Day here!

"Belle"

Baby Quilt Inspiration...

Baby quilts seem to be on the upcoming menu here (I love making baby quilts!).  My son's girlfriend has another cousin expecting a baby and wants to make a quilt for the wee one, I want to do another one for a charity Bazaar and we have a young couple in our church expecting girl #2.  All 3 of these will be girl quilts. So lots of pink is expected!  

I have been looking around the Internet and have seen some lovely quilts to inspire..

This one is so simple and sweet....

I love the ruffled edge!

This is one of my faves.. I love the colors.. I will make this one day!

I am not sure a rag quilt is best for a baby, but I do love this. I have Fat Quarters for every fabric in this collection. It is one of my faves.  

Another very simple quilt, but oh so sweet.

The initial adds a cute detail to this one.

Some pretty Spring Flowers for a Spring Baby

Works In Progress...

Sewing Central is buzzing with several projects right now....

Hubby is making a baby quilt. Co-worker asked him to make it for her niece.  She bought fabric and picked pattern.  He has it laid out and is in the process of piecing the top together. I love the colors.. bright and cheery.. perfect for a little girl!

Once he is done with this, he has a quick project for the house... napkins!  These fabrics will be transformed into new spring napkins.  Won't they be lovely!

I watched a video last week on a really interesting technique for making quilt blocks with 2 1/2" strips.  We have a slew of these in our scrap stash, so I pulled a few and gave it a try.

Here is what the block looks like once done...

Here are a couple of possible layouts...

The technique really is cool.  You can watch it here: Amazing Jelly Roll Quilt

I may use that technique and some of our strips to make up another baby quilt for an upcoming bizarre to benefit the family of a little boy in need.  I made this top for it all ready..

It just needs to be sandwiched and quilted to be done.

I am also working on a new wallhanging for the breakfast room. I knew I wanted to use a specific Bible verse that has to do with House.. so a house block was called for... there are many, but one of my faves is found at Quiltville...  Happy Scrappy Houses

The pattern calls for 2" strips. The stash here is full of 2 1/2".. so I adapted and came up with this...

Looks great.. even before being wonkied.. but it is bigger than I want for my layout.

So today I cut down some of those 2 1/2" strips to 2" ones and pulled together some "kits" for house blocks.  They are waiting patiently for me to sew them together.

Plenty to keep us busy this week!

"Belle"