Happy Birthday

Joyze had a birthday....unfortunately I was not here for it. In fact I didn't even get her gift done before I left town, but it is done now....Hooray!
It turned out fun and happy and oh so fitting for her. She wanted a nice big bag for toting all kinds of things around. (Of course in her favorite orange colors)

I had fun buying a few bright orange fat quarters, using blue fabric for the lining that I already had and filling it with an old blanket instead of buying the expensive iron-on fleece (it worked great)

Newspaper Riddle

This quilt was inspired and started by a trip to Tucson for a quilt show. Jaime invited me to join her going with a bus load of women headed to Tucson. It was fun and awesome to see all the quilts and all the quilting supplies available to buy. At the show I fell in love with this "Bento Box" Quilt pattern and was anxious to make one. I purchased a jelly roll of whites and blacks, used a red material in my stash and went to town sewing. It didn't turn out exactly like I had in my mind. My black and whites are not quite different enough from each other. My blacks needed to be stronger, darker blacks and my whites lighter whites, so the quilt didn't come off with quite the romantic feel I was going for but instead it has a funner lighter feel. So my unromantic quilt turned into a fun, frenzy of ........ what is black and white and red all over? The NEWPAPER RIDDLE!

Just My Luck

It is a brand new month, the year is zipping by so I need to take off my valentines stuff and get out some St. Patrick's day stuff. I knew it was coming so I started on a great green quilt. I pulled out all the misc. greens I had and started thinking. At first I was thinking only about using green but as I stewing over ideas in my head I saw a beautiful multi-colored Irish Chain quilt. Now I have always wanted to make an Irish Chain and what better time than for St. Patrick's. I had always seen an Irish Chain with 2 and sometimes 3 different fabrics but this one had a multi chain. So off I started. I wanted it very mish-mash with no planning so I sewed a white strip to any green strip (2 1/2 strip x about 21 inches -or whatever I had) then I cut those into 2 1/2" double blocks and started putting them together in 3's (with either an extra white or green block. Next made those into a 9 patch then pieced it all together with extra white squares. This is a really simple quilt but with stunning results.
Welcome.....Just My Luck!!

Of course this is still a "flimsie" but I did get done the Table Topper I made to match which I am calling "Lucky Charm"

Lesson Learned: The thing I gain from this quilt is the importance of simple space (or solids) that is what makes this whole thing visually work. Space that lets the eyes rest and makes the color pattern POP out and SING at you. It all the colors were mushed up right next to each other all the time it would be so busy, but with the space it makes beautiful harmony. How we need our own space too. How much better we are to each other when we have space and time to be ourselves, to do things we enjoy alone and apart but then when we are together we are ready to pop and sing and just a much better person.

Bow Tucks Bag

I got to got to a class at Cutting Edge Quiltworks and learned to make Pat Sloan's Bow Tucks Bag. It was fun, Jaime and I got to go together and and we almost got completely done. I love my new bag. I used some fabric that I already had. A Black Denim material with believe it or not, purses stitched on it in a border at the bottom. A bright black, colorful multicolor. It's a fun finished project I am already using and enjoying!!

Check out these pockets!!!

Journey of Life

This was a real fun project. I started with a scrap bag that I purchased. I wanted to make a zig zag quilt but I wanted to do easier piecing...so this is what I came up with....I took one scrap and sewed it to one long 4" by WOF piece of muslin or other light strip. Then after they were all sewn I cut them into triangles and they opened out to perfect 1/2 square triangle blocks.
This is how I put them all together. I could not bear to let the leftover end pieces go to waste so I sewed them together to make the hourglass blocks and added them as a border on the bottom and top.


I call this my "Journey of Life" because of all the up's and downs and twists and turn that come to us in our lives. But look at how beautiful and wonderfull the tapestry of our life looks like when we can see the whole picture not just our current triumph or trial that we are in the middle of right now.

Looking for Love

For Valentines I fell in love with a beautiful set of fabric. It was " Love is in the Air" by Moda. Being the frugal (OK cheap) person that I am I couldn't bring myself to buy more that one charm pack and 1 yard of 1 fabric to enjoy but I wanted a whole quilt for my holiday display wall. So I looked around at what I had - some great red material and came up with a pattern to use (one I had done before (my "Parlor Windows" that I originally got from AP&Quilting Mag. Apr 2008 Dandelion wished ***this was my first Quilting magazine and my first project from a Magazine). Sew, sew, sew and this is what I came up with.

BUT....while I liked the pattern, fabric and quilt, it came out too dark. Not the "Valentine feel that I was wanting. I did love the little table topper that I made using the leftover fabrics. It did fell very "love like".




So I had to try it one more time....one more charm pack. I went a bought one more charm pack, not sure what pattern I would use and lo, and behold in the store they had hanging on their wall a quilt that was just the look I wanted. They let me take a picture of it. So I went home figured it out and made it!! I love it, it is just what I wanted. The only thing left is to add a great red border then brown border and quilt it. I couldn't wait so here it is displayed with my holiday display wall. Notice the cute Valentine notes of Love that A&M family gave us - perfect!


All (meaning my first quilt) is not lost because I did find I love it in the family room on the lazyboy...so it has a great home. Now if I just get these all quilted for next valentines - I will be prepared!! Another bonus is we will get to use it and not just view it. I am sooooo pleased!


Lesson Learned: Things often don't turn out how we imagined or wanted but, we can still enjoy the fruits of our labors. It may be in a different way but still to be enjoyed. Also if we will do just a bit more work, what we wanted and imagined can also happen too!

Heidi's Patriotic Quilt

A great and fun way to use up old jeans in a pretty
way.

Heidi wanted to make a quilt that was
very
patriotic
for her mother.

They were having a suprise patriotic birthday party, so Heidi made her first quilt. It was fun to watch her cut out the jeans for the blocks. She wanted to make sure to have some nice frayed knees (because her mother hates ripped knees) and some fun pockets (maybe to tuck a sweet suprise in). Heidi found some great fabric with the each of the armed forces seals that we just had to use. Her mom served in the Canadian Navy, her Dad served in the army (they were both stationed in Germany when they they met and married then Heidi grew up an "army brat" as her Dad continued to serve. Of course the colors are red - white and blue with demin (in blues and creams) and fun printed reds. The quilting specially spotlighted stars. With the leftover armed forces seals we made a fun pillowcase to use with the quilt. Heidi did a great job!!