Sewing Central is on the Move

I started quilting 11 years ago  and from day 1 I've used our dining room table. There was no other spot available.  It worked great until we needed the dining room. Yes, we use our dining room... mostly for holidays, but really anytime we have more than 6 at the table (that's all the kitchen table can hold) and more than 6 has become more and more the norm. So down Sewing Central would come and then up it would go again. Not the worst chore.. but not the most fun either and as life has changed and I've gotten busier..working full time again as well as other outside activities, the up and down of SC has made it more difficult for me to get motivated to sew.

Well the times they are a changing. The nest has been emptied... all the chicks have flown... we now have a bit of "free space" and I've decided to claim some as my own!  LOL!

It is will a while before it is fully set up.. we are slowly painting and redoing throughout the house, plus there is furniture to move once walls are painted. However, this belle was ready to stake her claim, so I set up shop in the corner bedroom. Son decided to leave his desk / table and I find it makes a great sewing table.  Eventually there will be a skirt on it (Going to use the space underneath for storage).  The double bed is being moved to a different room too and other things will make their way to what will be the new and improved Sewing Central, but for now I am excited about this humble start...

And it appears the pups are pretty happy with it too. They just want to be close!

There has been sewing happening too!  I put together a special t-shirt quilt top and the mad quilter (a.k.a. my sweet husband) has it quilted and bounded. In fact, it is swishing away in the washer as I type.  I am in the midst of a cute construction themed baby quilt that is looking super fun!

So be on the lookout for quilt pix soon and updates on Sewing Central as it evolves.

Belle

A bit of fun...

One of my favorite things to do is take figure out how a quilt or block is made.  I will see a quilt I like or a block and be intrigued by it which starts my mind to whirring.  This happened recently as I was looking through some of the quilt blogs I enjoy.  I saw a block and it intrigued me. So I played around on paper and came up with what I thought was a close proximity to the block.  It was a fun process.

Here is the block I saw:

I found this and others at Pleasant Home.. one of my favorite blogs!

Here is my version:

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"

Hint, Hint... it's a boy...

A few years ago a co-worker of my husband's became grandmother to a sweet little boy.  I whipped up a quilt top and hubby quilted it. Here is a picture of that top without the final border etc. I somehow forgot to take a photo of it all finished!  http://thequiltingbelle.blogspot.com/2010/06/snips-and-snails-and-puppy-dog-tails.html

Well she has another grandbaby on the way.. due any day now.. and once again it's a boy!  So hubby pulled fabrics this weekend and whipped up a top.  I love that he used some of the same fabrics as the first quilt and the pattern is similar, but not the same. Here is a hint of what's to come...

There will be a photo of the final product once finished.

"Belle"

Saddle Up Cowboy!

I posted this quilt top already, but wanted to show you the finished product.  I did super simple quilting on it. Just in the ditch around the panels and then some fun boots in the sections with the cowboy print.  The boots are difficult to see on the front.. I used a honey colored thread.. but they show up just fine on the back.

I love drawing out the designs (tracing them!) and then following the lines with my sewing machine. One day, maybe, I will be brave enough to go it alone and do some free motion quilting!

"Belle"

Ready for some Boys!

Recently whipped up 2 baby quilts for 2 little fellas.... both due in August. I have posted pix of the tops, but wanted to show them completed.

The first is for Oliver.  I pieced the top and my husband quilted it. Be sure to look at the upclose shot of the border. He had fun creating there. And there is a photo of the back.. I am hoping the quilting shows.  I have to say that the photos do not do the fabrics in this quilt justice.. they are beautiful (and were all in my stash.. bought nothing for this one but batting!)

And the other is for Reed. Reed's dad is a basketball coach.. so I went with a sports theme. I pieced and quilted this one.  Very simple disappearing nine-patch with in the ditch quilting. But I decided to try something else. In the 4 corner blocks and the very center one, I quilted the outline of a basket ball. They are not perfect by any long shot, but I think they turned out cute and I feel certain Reed's dad will like them. I had most of this in my stash. Had to purchase some fabric for the border and the batting.

Working on a quilt for a little girl now ... have another boy top done and ready to quilt... and then have another boy and a girl coming in December!  More baby quilts on the way.  I love babies and I love making baby quilts!

"Belle"

More Fabric in the Mail

I could so get use to getting Quilty stuff in the mail every day!  I actually got a box earlier this week from Connecting threads and didn't post about it here. More of their lovely Essential Thread, as well as a couple of pieces of fabric that were on clearance.

Then on Friday, I received a squishy packet and a box.  The squishy packet was from my unofficial-sister (LOL!) who lives in PA. I mad a mug rug earlier this month and commented that if I had more of the fabrics I used (they were scraps), I would love to make a table runner with them. No surprise, she quickly emailed and said "I have some of that green on tan fabric!" and so it arrived on Friday.

The box was from a friend in IL who is an amazing quilter and has influenced me in more ways than she knows.  I recently sent her some TOT Creams and Tans for a project and she reciprocated by sending me some much needed browns and yellows and even a bit of the same green on tan my sister-friend sent.

Here is the green on tan fabric... it is, to me, one of those fabrics that look better when used than just by itself:

And here are the browns and yellows...

I really love that back yellow with the sort of folksy floral print. Love it!

I worked on my mom's GFG last night and will work on it more as the weekend continues. I am also putting together a pieced border for the graduation quilt. It is looking good.  Lots of quilt action happening here!

Oh yes... and just when I think I am caught up on Baby quilts, 3 more pregnant mommas pop up! LOL! I have a little boy quilt to make, a girlie girl and one that doesn't know yet. The earliest due date is late August, so PTL I have a bit of time.  But the creative process is already churning in my mind. I love baby quilts!

"Belle"

In my mail....

I love receiving packages in the mail.  They almost always have something I want or need in them. Lately the only packages arriving here have contained books for college classes... the college student in resident doesn't really want them and neither do I! LOL!  But yesterday a better kind of package came... one from Connecting Threads!

I love Connecting Threads.  I especially love their Essential Cotton Threads. Last weekend hubby asked if I would order some more of a color we had tried out.. Dark Honey. He loves it!  So I popped some in the shopping cart and I tossed in some Natural (we always keep that one hand) and then we just played a bit... ordering several other colors including some on clearance.  I think our array is lovely...

Then I decided to look through their clearance fabric.  I have bought a good bit of fabric from Connecting Threads and been very pleased with it.  Found a really pretty green... it is a bit brighter in real life, almost a light lime.

These swirls were so cool had to have some of each color offered.... the orange is a bit more of a yellow-orange in real life.

Then I found 2 fat eighth samplers. The first is from their fabric line called "Cheap Talk".... 16 F8ths

And then 24 from their "Sip of Summer" line... I LOVE these and they go so great with the swirlie fabrics above. I even have a quilt idea for them already.

Last but not least are 2 blocks I made for a swap. This is the Prairie Flower block from Quilters Cache.  I love pink and green, so I loved these!

Mr. Mac wanted to go outside and romp in the sunshine terrorizing birdies, but I was taking photos.  I had to snap a shot of him waiting patiently.  Such a good quiltie boy!

"Belle"

Gearing up for that end of the year push....

We are on quilting overload here. Sewing central is also our dining room... so it was down for Thanksgiving and at some point soon ( probably the week before Christmas) it will go down and be down until after the holidays. Sigh!  So Hubs and I are working like made to get everything done that needs to be done before we close the door on 2010.

He got the baby quilt top I pieced a few weeks ago quilted....












And he quilted a quick and easy cheater quilt I put together for my mom for Christmas....

I whipped up some burp pads for a friend's granddaughter...

Several years ago (2005) I made my first Christmas quilt using the Yellow Brick Road pattern and some Holly Fat Quarters my hubby had bought for me.  We dubbed the quilt Holly Jolly.  Last year I thought it would be fun to make a matching tree skirt (I had some of the fat quarters left.)  I got the blocks made, but ran out of time before getting them pieced into a skirt (Starting a Christmas project 2 weeks before Christmas is not wise!).  So I pulled them out and got them pieced together. Hubs quilted them and now we have a lovely tree skirt. Can't wait to see it under the tree!

I used some of the left over blocks to make a couple of pillows for the couch...

Then I decided we needed a couple more to add to the Christmas cheer, so made 2 more with different fabrics... I really love Hubs quilting on these...

Here is one of the couches with the quilt and one of each pillow....

There are still other projects in the works. Hubby is quilting a t-shirt quilt I put together for our son's girlfriend. It will be her Christmas present from us, even though she gave us the shirts and knows we are making it!  I have another pin cushion / thread catcher / sewing organizer to make to send to a friend.  I also want to make up some much needed pot holders / trivets and a mug rug or two.

There will be pictures!

"Belle"

Quilty Saturday!

Today has been a very quilty day! Worked this week on a t-shirt quilt I am making for my son's girlfriend. It was supposed to be her birthday present but I missed that deadline!  I would LOVE to post pix, but she might look here and see, so I will have to do that after Christmas. I will say it looks great! Cannot wait until it is all quilted and done.

I found some blocks and fabric that I started some time ago for a quilt for a little boy. For some reason, I don't remember why, I abandoned it and did something else. So I ironed everything out. And am going to finish up the blocks and make the quilt for a little boy due in late November.  The fabric is a vintage cowboy theme. Really cute!

I am also working on a pincushion/thread catcher thingie. I made one for myself earlier this year (see A Happy For Myself ) and love it. I use it all the time when working on my GFG quilt.  I am making another one for a quilting friend.  The fabrics are ironed and ready for me to cut (once I get off the computer).

Hubby and I basted a quilted today. Last year I won some lottery blocks .... a group of quilty friends have a quilt lottery every quarter. The blocks I won are mini-bowties made with 30s repros. I put them together.. added a couple of borders and a flange. (see Happy Quilt Day )  Looks so good!  Hubby (the Mad Quilter) is going to quilt it for me. I cannot wait to see it done. It will be lovely on the couch this spring!

That same group of friends (the absolute best Quilt buddies ever!) do a Mystery Swap Box thing every so often. Someone gets a box and over time fills it with fun quilty stuff (and usually a few non-quilty things that she knows we will like). These can be new or things she already has but doesn't use or no longer needs. Once full, she mails it off to one of us. We go through the box.. pick up to 6 things to keep and add 6 new things.  It is a lot of fun to see what folks put in and what they take. SO here are the 6 goodies I got took from the box today...

There were 3 cute patterns that I just loved (well more than 3 but I am limited to how much I can keep!)...

I also took a cute little magnetic notepad with matching magnet. I love those things. Poor Hubby... he dreams of a day when the refrigerator has nothing on it. For that to happen he will have to outlive me! :-)

I am not a huge fan of this next pattern for a fall table topper BUT I really love the fabric. The photo does not do it justice!

And the last thing I kept is a Quilt Panel...

I love Snowmen and Red Birds!  This will make a cute Christmas quilt.

It was an exhausting task! If you don't believe me just ask Mac...

and Mia...

They are such great helpers!

I put some wonderful things back into the box.. but I cannot share what they are. My quilt buddies read my blog and that would spoil the surprise!

Back to Quilt Land!

"Belle"

Progress...

Finally got to work on some projects this weekend.  I whipped up some blocks for a quilt I am doing with some friends. ... Nice crisp reds and whites (the dark ones in the photo aren't that dark in real life)... the pattern is Double Wrench from Quilters Cache (Check out the pattern here ).  Very easy and quick and cute block! I especially love it on point (look on 2nd page of the pattern).

I started a Grandmother's Flower Garden about a month ago. The plan is to make a Full Size quilt with 1930s / 40s repros for my mom for her 80th birthday (Sept. 2011)... all by hand.. piecing and quilting.  I have no doubt she will love it.. she has hinted and hinted for a repro quilt for a while now.  :-)  I am really loving making it... I just think I am wired for handwork. My Mama Rush (Paternal grandmother) never owned a sewing machine. She made a number of quilts.. did a lot of crochetting.. and sewed some of the lovliest dresses for me when I was a wee one all by hand.

No doubt machine work is quicker, but I love the control and creativity I feel when doing handwork.. and the connection I feel with my Mama Rush.

This will not be my last by hand project!

Anyway... I've been whipping up hexagons... and zipping them together into flowers... I really wanted to see what they would look like put together... so I pieced a small section, just to see. I think it turned out very nice. Ready to get more done!

I also did some non-quilt sewing this weekend. My son (college freshman) was looking online at Urban Outfitters for some shirts and shorts. Found some things on sale. The shirts were a good deal, so he got a couple, but even on sale the shorts were $40... and they were essentially non-denim cut offs.  I mentioned that he might have some pants here that he no longer wears that could be cut off. He remember some gray cords he bought a year ago that are way too short these days.  He used another pair of shorts as a guide.. added a 1/2"... marked a cut line and used my rotary cutter to whack them off.. and then I hemmed them. He doesn't like the ragged edge you get with cut offs.  Took about 10 minutes total and cost nothing!  Now that is a deal.  I have a feeling I will be hemming some more in the days to come.

"Belle"

Catching up on Projects... New Toy....

Seems there has been very little quilting or sewing of any kind around here for a month or so. The summer has been full and busy instead of slow and relaxed!

This past week hubby and I made up for lost time. He finished up a quilt top he is making for a co-worker who is on his 2nd our in Iraq. Most of the fabric used came from an online quilting buddy of mine who recently made a patriotic quilt for her son on his return from Iraq.

Quilting buddies are great about sharing fabric!

I played around a while back with some scrap strips (2 1/2") and came up with some blocks. I took part of them and added sashing and put them into a top this week. This will go into a pile of quilts here to be used when someone is cold or to be given away when there is a need. Last year we had an apartment complex burn and 8 families lost everything they had. I so wished I had some quilts to donate to them. I am working to create a pile of quilts to have on hand for when someone needs one... or even wants one. My kids' friends hang out here a lot and many come from less than ideal family situations.

Several have said that they want a quilt all their own. If I had some made up, I would just say "Here.. take your pick." So that is part of the plan too!

Some online quilt buddies and I do a quarterly block lottery. I won the last one... gorgeous mini-bowties made from repros on white backgrounds. SO I got to choose the next block.

I picked Buckeye Beauty (easy block that has several neat layout options) and fall fabrics. We draw in August, so just in time for the winner to get some blocks for a Fall Quilt. Here are a few of the ones I made:

A couple of weeks ago I made a bit of an impulse buy... but I think I am going to be pleased I did. I have been toying with the idea of an embroidery machine. I looked at some wonderful ones, but they are way outside my budget. I decided to just let it go and look again next year. Then one night I was looking at Craigslist and came across an add for a basic Brother embroidery machine. A bit of research and I found the seller was asking $100 less than the cheapest retail price I could find. Further inquiries and I learned she was the mom of 2 children.. toddler and infant... bought it 4 months ago with the intention of learning to sew etc. Got in over her head and needed money more. So I bought it.

I finally had time to play with it today. One thing I love is that it has the applique stitch. I have a basic Brother sewing machine (you can see it in the picture too) that I love and have used for 5 years, but it doesn't have the applique stitch. I have not tried the embroidery features yet. That is very new to me, so will take a bit of time and patience on my part.

Hopefully now that summer is winding down, I can get back into some sort of routine and find some quilting time each week!

"Belle"

A Very Special Quilt

DH decided to make a black and white quilt for our son's 15th birthday (in 2007!). It turned out great... very big... but great. There is a hint of red in it also as I had one piece of red fabric that he wanted to use. It has musical instruments on it and our son is a musician. Well, this poor quilt top (like so many others here) has been waiting patiently to become an honest to goodness quilt and that finally happened this past week. DD and I were out of town... DS was busy with friends and a music GIG... so DH took advantage of alone time and quilted the quilt... bound it too! It turned out great! He used a red thread and a basic grid quilting pattern. The quilt has 3 basic blocks.. a large 1 patch, a 7 patch that uses 6 small squares and 1 rectangle to create a sort of faux 9 patch look, and then a traditional 9 patch. DS loves it! So do I!

I LOVE REPROS!

I really do love 1930s repro fabrics. Maybe it is because the quilts I grew up with were made with feedsacks and such. NO I am not that old... but most of the quilts I grew up with were older ones made by my grandmothers and one great-grandmother in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. My mother remember a large chifforobe (Southern for armoire) full of feed sacks that her mother saved over the years. Whatever happened to them no one knows.

So when my quilting groups spring block lottery was announce and I saw that it was a cute block using repros, I knew I had to play! Here are the 6 I have made... aren't they cute!?

(This is the mini-bow tie block from Quilter's Cache... http://www.quilterscache.com/M/MiniBowTieBlock.html )

I also decided to play with one of my favorite blocks.. the Churn Dash.. I have always made it with 2 fabrics... one for the background, one for the dash... this time I used 3 fabrics... solid white for the background, one repro for the HSTs and one for the rectangles. I love the look! I am certain I will be whipping up more of these blocks soon!