More Jennifer Paganelli quilting

If you are thinking I can't get enough of this Jennifer Paganelli fabric, you are right. I had to make two baby quilts (both girls) and these JP fabrics lend themselves perfectly to that end. This quilt is the fraternal twin to the one I finished earlier this month. I cut enough star parts for two quilts at once and pieced all the stars at the same time. And although they are put together similarly, I had to do something a little differently the second time around. It sure did turn out cute. I had delusions of getting this quilted before Christmas (yes, I was definitely delusional or real drunk), but that didn't happen. But hey, there is always the week after Christmas. (Hope springs eternal here in Austin, Tx.) Merry quilting to you all! Me? I'm cleaning bathrooms, cause I got company coming.

The cutest teacher gifts, ever!

Back in May, I made some cute teacher gifts. I thought they were pretty stinkin cute. However, I have made the absolute cutest teacher gifts in my own history of making stuff (and I've made alot of stuff). I, of course, started out with a quick little sketch, pulled some scraps and I had something going. (I so want to mention that the red solid was a remanent that I paid $.99 for, Yipee!)






I machine appliqued these babies up lickety-split! And it didn't take a hour to machine quilt both of them!




I there anything about quilting that doesn't just make your skirt fly up?
Merry Quilting and happy teacher gift making!

Counting my blessings

I try and count my blessings every day and today I thought I would share a few of them. First on the list, sunny 70 degree weather. Yipee! It has been soupy and in the 40's for days (which would be fine if this were Seattle, but this is Austin, a place known for friendly people, live music, good mexican food and SUN!) Second on the list, a finished quilt. Quilted, bound and washed, it looks good!




Third, feathers. Luv em!!





And lastly, in my world a quilt is not a quilt if the back is not pieced. Oooh, what is not to luv about a pieced back?
Enjoy your blessings today and merry quilting!

Balance

Life is all about balance and being out of balance makes it difficult to get everything done. I have been out of balance but I have taken steps to get back into balance. And hurray! I'm back with a post!
You didn't think I had completely given up quilting, did you? Absolutely not! I still found time to squeeze it in. One of the things I did as a stress reliever was what I like to call "itchy finger sewing". I made a quick sketch. (Didn't spend more that 2 minutes on it.) I then took some of my favorite (of the moment) scraps and came up with this little cutie!




I zipped this up in a few hours and then it took maybe an hour to machine quilt it. And it is CUTE!!





The scraps for this were made from leftovers from these stars.



That went to make this quilt. A baby quilt for a new baby girl.

Happy quilting!

More Machine quilting

I can't believe it has been two weeks since I have posted. Yikes! I have had some stuff going on in my personal life and sewing has been hard to get to. (I have been sewing a little bit, I just can't seem to get anything finished in a timely manner.) This quilt is finally finished! The quilting looks good but I can't seem to take a decent picture to save my life. So for better or worse, here it is! Happy sewing!

Home from Houston

The Houston Quilt Show is a spectacular show every year and this year was no exception. Especially since I got to see the show with Victoria. Funnily enough, this quilt was probably the favorite for both of us. (Great minds think alike.) The maker was Japanese (and I wish I had gotten her name) and it was spectacular! It had the look of an old hankerchief and the hand work was STUNNING. And although this is not necessarily the direction my work is going, I loved this quilt.


Two other quilts that literally stopped me in my tracks were very vibrant and colorful. What's not to like about a quilt that has movement and an "in your face" color palette? Makes my skirt fly up!





This quilt was made by Roberta Horton and hung in a special exhibit. In my opinion, this quilt was just about the best use of fabric I've ever seen. The design was really simple, the quilting was okay (it worked for this quilt but was nothing special), and the fabric did all the work. I LOVED this quilt!



And then there was this antique quilt. It hung in a special exhibit also. I loved this quilt!! (Hey V, how many times did I say I loved this quilt?) I love a quilt that looks like the maker had a great time making it. It made me smile. There's alot about quilting that does that to me.
Happy quilting to you!

My Process

I'm working on a quilt that is absolutely not "me" and very much "me" at the same time. How can that be? It is the process, my friends. I work like this on almost every quilt I make, especially the bigger projects. It starts very often with a rough sketch on paper. (I have sketched on napkins, backs of envelopes and backs of greeting card.) This particular quilt is for my step-sister. It is much more structured but at the same time I tried to give it movement within the structure.





And then there is her color palette. She is an "Autumny" person. She likes the warm browns, golds, and greens. Not really the colors I work with alot, however when I went to put colors together, the ones I chose look like a collection I would put together. (Am I speaking Greek?)




And of course once this quilt started coming together, it looks like my work. And after I quilt the dog out of this top with some feathers, it will look like "me" but in a different direction. So if you are sewing today, do something that is not "you". It feels really good. Happy sewing!

My trip to New York

I'm home from my trip to New York. I went to stay with Victoria and spend the weekend sewing. We had a fantastic time! Victoria is absolutely the "hostess with the mostess". So that being said I thought I'd share a few things about my friend that you may or may not know. First of all, she lives in a loft in New York City and it is incredible! Her husband, Micheal is also fabulous. He is very charming with a slight British accent and the man can tell a good story. They make a very cute couple. Victoria's daughter "B" is a great kid. She is smart, creative, interesting, beautiful and precocious, definitely her Momma's daughter.
And now for Victoria herself, she is tall, thin, and beautiful and as great as she looks on the outside she is even more fabulous on the inside. We had more fun than the law should allow. Andrea came over and we sewed and ate and chit-chatted and then we realized something was missing, shopping. So off we went to The City Quilter, where we each made a fabric purchase and then we went back to V's and sewed some more. (Definitely some of the most fun you can have with your clothes on.) And amid all this sewing we did manage tiny bit of sight seeing, (this was my first time in New York.) Here we are in Central Park. Don't we look like we're having fun?
Thank you again Victoria for a fabulous weekend. I'll see you in three weeks in Houston, my friend. Yipee!!!! Happy sewing!!!

Tara's crooked little house

I'm packing my bags today, because tomorrow my machine and I are getting on an airplane and going to spend the weekend sewing with Victoria. I'm so excited my face hurts from smiling. We don't know what we are sewing but we are going to sew. Woo-hoo!!
I've had a lot of stuff to get done before this trip but I did manage to sew this cute little block for Tara. It is a little crooked house on a little crooked road. Hope you like it. It was alot of fun to make! So if you are looking for something fun to make try this little crooked house.
I gotta go finish packing. Happy sewing!!!

More flying geese

My flying geese are quilted and bound and cute as all get out! The smaller one is for my girlfriend Kristee. We have been friends since before we could drive, over half our lives. Today is her birthday. Happy Birthday, Kris. I luv ya more than my Bernina, my friend! So, if you have some scraps laying around and you want to make something quick and cute, sewing a bunch of flying geese and put them together. It is small enough that you can quilt it without having to worry about managing your bulk. And since I love a pieced back, of course I piece my backs (with scraps of course.) Happy sewing!

Itchy fingers and flying geese

Do you have fingers that are itching to sew but you don't have a specific project in mind? Try flying geese. All you need is a pile of scraps to start with. They cut very quickly and sew up lickety-split. Then the fun comes. The first one I like. The second needs more work. Still isn't there but I'm not done yet. It definitely has possibilities. Don't ya luv it when your project talks to you? I'm still having a conversation with this one. More to come on these geese. Happy sewing!

Doll quilt ready to go

My Doll quilt is done and ready to be sent to its new home. I sure hope my swap partner likes it. I really tried to make something that was in line with her likes and still was very much me. I sure had a good time making it and it went together very easily. I pieced the back using some of the left-overs from making the top. I couldn't help myself, I had to make it a little funky. (I gotta be me, what can I say.)
And then last night after dinner was done I cut a few triangle, cause I have a "hankering" to make some flying geese. I'll have to see where this leads. I have no idea, but it sure is fun! Quilting makes my skirt fly up! Happy sewing!

Back to School

Yesterday was the first day of school and just look what I got done! It is amazing what you can get done when you don't have any children, "Momma, Momma, Momma-ing," you. I started out with an idea and some solids and this is what I came up with. It is freakin cute! Today I'm piecing the back and getting it pin basted so I can quilt some feathers on it. What's not to love about the first day of school? Happy quilting!

First Day of School

Yipee! Today is the first day of school! My beautiful babies, scrubbed and shiny as new pennies, headed out the door and I gotta tell ya, I was glad to see the back of them. So what did I do to celebrate? Why sewed my brains out in between loads of laundry. I have to make a doll quilt for the doll quilt 7 swap. I have a whole bunch of solids and an idea in my head. (My inspiration is a Gwen Marston quilt.) That being said, my swap partner is not the lover of bright in your face color that I am, so I'm having to choose my colors a little differently. Normally, I like brights, mediums and darks with a few lights thrown in for movement. However, for this project I'm using lights and mediums with a few darks and brights thrown in. Funnily enough it doesn't feel as odd as I thought it would. And here is my first set of blocks. I have a few more sets to go. Happy sewing!

I can't believe a haven't had time to post in so long but school starts here on Monday (THANK GOD!) and between wringing the last bit of summer out that we can and getting everything ready to go back to school, there just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day. However, on Monday my mailman brought me a happy surprise. I am participating in the Doll Quilt 7 Swap and my swap partner sent me this delightful little quilt. It is cute, cute, cute! Thank you so muchJodi. It is already hanging on a wall in my house. I also managed to put together these two blocks forVictoria for her Pixiedust quilt. (See her blog for details.) V , they are going out in the mail today. Happy sewing. Me? I can't wait til Monday!

Quilting the middle of a king size quilt

The hardest part of quilting any quilt bigger than a throw is the middle and that is especially true of a king sized quilt. The middle is a bitch! However, once you get the very middle out of the way is does get a little easier. And after you've finished the middle part, and your forearms feel like Popeye's, and you lay it out on the bed to take a good look at it and it looks FREAKIN' GREAT, you can then jump up and down with glee cause you have just done something hard and you have done it well! Yipee! and Yehaw! Quilting makes my skirt fly up! Now I'm off to quilt some more. Happy Quilting!