Miles helping sew
Until later...
"The Word of God is a seed and it's planted in our hearts"
Luke 8:11-12
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Home again...
Just to let you know, I've made it home safely. We got almost 15 inches of rain at the beach and a lot of quilt tops made for charity! I might be absent for a bit trying to catch up on my sleep and deal with things around here. But then I'll be back to share pictures of everything. I should also have an awesome stash report this week. Until then, here's a picture of one of my quilting buddies at the beach. His name is Miles.
Until later...
Until later...
Friday, October 1, 2010
Charlyn's Nature Art quilt....
Note: All of my blog posts this week were written in advance. I'm currently at a quilt retreat at the beach working on charity quilts.
I was waiting until I finished my own Nature Art quilt before showing you the one I received in return. I'm in a group called The Twelve of Us made up of ladies from all over the country. Every 6 weeks we have a new project to complete and mail to one of the other 11 ladies. And in return a different lady will mail you hers. So far we've completed a purse/tote bag with yoyo's and a sketchbook cover. I've shared both the ones I've made and the ones I've received with you.
Generally I like to share them back to back so you get a better idea of the originality of the projects, but as you know, I'm late finishing my Nature quilt, but Charlyn (who has my name) was actually early sending hers. She went in a completely different direction than I did but I think she did a fantastic job. (I had it stuck in my head that it had to be a crazy quilt, but really it didn't.) So here's what she sent me...
You really have to hold this in your hands to appreciate the dimensionality in it. It looks flat in the pictures I took, but it's anything but. I love the two eagles she stitched by the tree. There are teeny tiny pieces of fabric in them and tons of stitching. Funny thing, when I complimented her on the eagles she fell out because she meant for them to be turkeys! I suppose you could say they are, but I like eagles better and that's what I'm sticking with. Check out their bodies...
And you should see the tree. It's made up of a lot of different strips of fabric twisted and tacked down. It has the look and feel of a really old tree with lots of knots and roots.
To make the landscape she used several pieces of green fabric and layered them on top of each other to get a sense of distance. She sewed each one down and then came back with scissors and made hundreds of vertical cuts in them so they look like grass and are raised off the surface.
She also added a bunch of tiny flowers from a floral bouquet (I'm assuming) to the base of the tree. I tried several times to get a good picture of them, but they still don't show up that well.
And here's a picture of all the leaves and foliage she put into the tree branches. There's lots of tactile things here.
And not only did she send my art quilt, she also included a number of other things in my package. She wrapped every bit of it in fabric which I've already washed and pressed, ready to use. Along with the fabric was a book on green giving. I though it was very appropriate given the theme and her wrapping.
And finally she included this charming candle holder. It's a bird and its wings are inset with some kind of iridescent stone. Again, the pictures don't quite capture it.
Thank you so much Charlyn for my quilt and everything else! I'm looking for the perfect stick in the yard to use as hanger for it. I haven't found one yet, but when I do, I'm going to hang it in my sewing room.
Until later...
I was waiting until I finished my own Nature Art quilt before showing you the one I received in return. I'm in a group called The Twelve of Us made up of ladies from all over the country. Every 6 weeks we have a new project to complete and mail to one of the other 11 ladies. And in return a different lady will mail you hers. So far we've completed a purse/tote bag with yoyo's and a sketchbook cover. I've shared both the ones I've made and the ones I've received with you.
Generally I like to share them back to back so you get a better idea of the originality of the projects, but as you know, I'm late finishing my Nature quilt, but Charlyn (who has my name) was actually early sending hers. She went in a completely different direction than I did but I think she did a fantastic job. (I had it stuck in my head that it had to be a crazy quilt, but really it didn't.) So here's what she sent me...
My Nature Art Quilt from Charlyn
You really have to hold this in your hands to appreciate the dimensionality in it. It looks flat in the pictures I took, but it's anything but. I love the two eagles she stitched by the tree. There are teeny tiny pieces of fabric in them and tons of stitching. Funny thing, when I complimented her on the eagles she fell out because she meant for them to be turkeys! I suppose you could say they are, but I like eagles better and that's what I'm sticking with. Check out their bodies...
Eagles by the tree
And you should see the tree. It's made up of a lot of different strips of fabric twisted and tacked down. It has the look and feel of a really old tree with lots of knots and roots.
Tree trunk
To make the landscape she used several pieces of green fabric and layered them on top of each other to get a sense of distance. She sewed each one down and then came back with scissors and made hundreds of vertical cuts in them so they look like grass and are raised off the surface.
Grass in the background
She also added a bunch of tiny flowers from a floral bouquet (I'm assuming) to the base of the tree. I tried several times to get a good picture of them, but they still don't show up that well.
Flowers at the base of the tree
And here's a picture of all the leaves and foliage she put into the tree branches. There's lots of tactile things here.
Leaves and flowers in the tree branches
And not only did she send my art quilt, she also included a number of other things in my package. She wrapped every bit of it in fabric which I've already washed and pressed, ready to use. Along with the fabric was a book on green giving. I though it was very appropriate given the theme and her wrapping.
Book and fabric
And finally she included this charming candle holder. It's a bird and its wings are inset with some kind of iridescent stone. Again, the pictures don't quite capture it.
Bird candle holder
Thank you so much Charlyn for my quilt and everything else! I'm looking for the perfect stick in the yard to use as hanger for it. I haven't found one yet, but when I do, I'm going to hang it in my sewing room.
Until later...
God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19 (NIV)
Thursday, September 30, 2010
CQ Update #6...
As a reminder, I wrote this post before I left for my quilting retreat so I'm hoping I have a lot more done than this. But here's my current progress on the never ending Crazy Quilt block.
I'm now working on the fence in the lower right hand corner. I know I want to put lots and lots of roses all over the fence so I started by adding the base of the rose bushes using 3 strands of DMC floss and a stem stitch. I then added half a dozen roses, but didn't like the look of them. So I took them all out. I added more branches in another color of floss and started over with my roses. I have 3 done so far and this is how it looks...
Each rose is made using silk ribbon in either 4mm or 7mm and using the Spider Web Rose stitch. I'm liking the look of this much better than before. I'll continue to add at least another dozen roses in several shades of red silk ribbon. And then I have plans to add a couple of charms to it as well. Hopefully when I return from the retreat I'll have finished this patch and moved on to the Hydrangeas.
Until later...
Crazy Quilt Block
I'm now working on the fence in the lower right hand corner. I know I want to put lots and lots of roses all over the fence so I started by adding the base of the rose bushes using 3 strands of DMC floss and a stem stitch. I then added half a dozen roses, but didn't like the look of them. So I took them all out. I added more branches in another color of floss and started over with my roses. I have 3 done so far and this is how it looks...
Patch #6 - Rose bushes
Each rose is made using silk ribbon in either 4mm or 7mm and using the Spider Web Rose stitch. I'm liking the look of this much better than before. I'll continue to add at least another dozen roses in several shades of red silk ribbon. And then I have plans to add a couple of charms to it as well. Hopefully when I return from the retreat I'll have finished this patch and moved on to the Hydrangeas.
Until later...
When people sin, you should forgive and comfort them, so they won’t give up in despair.
2 Corinthians 2:7 (CEV)
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Mom's September package...
Note: All of my blog posts this week were written in advance. I'm currently at a quilt retreat at the beach working on charity quilts.
Another month has passed and that means it's time to put together another package for my mom. As I've said before, I'm making her a quilting related package every month this year for several reasons. First, I love my mom and want her to feel special. And who doesn't love getting a package in the mail? As I've said many times before, I do! Also, I want her to learn how to quilt and to love it. She's not too far off from retiring and I see us getting together for our own little quilting retreats then. And finally, too many friends lost their own mothers last year and I want to make sure I take the time and effort to really appreciate mine.
Usually each month I make my mom a quilt, but this time Ive sent her a quilt kit instead. The kit is from Connecting Threads and is called Twilight Stars. (I don't know if you can purchase it from them anymore as I bought it at the beginning of the year always planning to give it to her.)
I also finished the October Camelot Snowman mini wall hanging. I thought this month's pattern was really cute and I didn't have to change a thing (unlike last months). I was able to stitch it out in about an evening.
I really like the cat and pumpkins on this one...
I already had a cute Halloween print in my stash to use for the border, tabs and backing. It only takes a fat quarter to make them.
This was the first month I've had to purchase buttons, but that's because I'm woefully low on orange buttons. Except for Halloween, it's really not a color I use. But I found some cute ones at JoAnns that are the perfect size to go with the black ones I already had.
Can you also see the decorative stitching I used on the border? It's one of the stitches on my machine. I think it's called a fly stitch.
For the rest of her package, I included block 9 of the Imperial Splendor BOM, the second Winter Wonderland stitchery traced out, a pair of scissors and a decorative case to hold them, and a magazine.
So that's it for another month. I'm really going to try to find the time to make her a quilt for October. I already have it all cut out and it will be perfect for fall. But first I have to finish the Nature CQ, LeeAnn's quilt and the charity quilts for Interact. But then, I should have plenty of time, right?
Until later...
Another month has passed and that means it's time to put together another package for my mom. As I've said before, I'm making her a quilting related package every month this year for several reasons. First, I love my mom and want her to feel special. And who doesn't love getting a package in the mail? As I've said many times before, I do! Also, I want her to learn how to quilt and to love it. She's not too far off from retiring and I see us getting together for our own little quilting retreats then. And finally, too many friends lost their own mothers last year and I want to make sure I take the time and effort to really appreciate mine.
Usually each month I make my mom a quilt, but this time Ive sent her a quilt kit instead. The kit is from Connecting Threads and is called Twilight Stars. (I don't know if you can purchase it from them anymore as I bought it at the beginning of the year always planning to give it to her.)
Twilight Stars Quilt Kit
I also finished the October Camelot Snowman mini wall hanging. I thought this month's pattern was really cute and I didn't have to change a thing (unlike last months). I was able to stitch it out in about an evening.
October Camelot Snowman Stitchery
I really like the cat and pumpkins on this one...
Closeup of the stitching
I already had a cute Halloween print in my stash to use for the border, tabs and backing. It only takes a fat quarter to make them.
October wall hanging
This was the first month I've had to purchase buttons, but that's because I'm woefully low on orange buttons. Except for Halloween, it's really not a color I use. But I found some cute ones at JoAnns that are the perfect size to go with the black ones I already had.
Buttons and fly stitching
Can you also see the decorative stitching I used on the border? It's one of the stitches on my machine. I think it's called a fly stitch.
For the rest of her package, I included block 9 of the Imperial Splendor BOM, the second Winter Wonderland stitchery traced out, a pair of scissors and a decorative case to hold them, and a magazine.
The rest of her package
So that's it for another month. I'm really going to try to find the time to make her a quilt for October. I already have it all cut out and it will be perfect for fall. But first I have to finish the Nature CQ, LeeAnn's quilt and the charity quilts for Interact. But then, I should have plenty of time, right?
Until later...
Whoever wants to be great must become a servant.
Mark 10:43 (MSG)
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Update on the bathroom saga...
Note: All of my blog posts this week were written in advance. I'm currently at a quilt retreat at the beach working on charity quilts.
Mr. Quilting Bug and I have been remodeling our master bathroom since April 8th. And by that, I really mean my dear sweet husband has been working on it every weekend since that time. I've shared a few progress pictures but it's been a long time since my last update so I thought I would bring you up to speed.
Let me start by reminding you of what it looked like before the renovation. It was blue with blue marble counter tops. Whatever was I thinking? And it had a weird layout...
The first thing he did was to gut it. Everything except the huge tub. Our closet was inside the bathroom and when he took down the dividing walls, he found they were hiding the main plumbing stack vent, so he had to move that too. (He's so very handy.) The first picture shows the vent pipe sticking out of the middle of the floor...
And now I'm so pleased to report that we have a new working toilet and a working shower. The shower has so much water pressure now (our old one had none) it might blow you through the back of it. I so love taking a shower with lots of water pressure. Of course, we have no window coverings right now so it's a little too revealing to use them. The cabinets are in as well as the counter top. The tile floor is done and he installed the light fixtures today. I'm really loving how it's turning out.
It won't be too long before we can actually use it. When I return from my quilting retreat, I'm going to concentrate on touching up the paint, finding the right tile for the backsplash and installing privacy film on the windows. Mr. Quilting Bug still needs to finish the electrical for the shower, install the faucets and install the tile around the counter top and tub. Woohoo! I can't wait to use that steam shower! I may hide out in my bathroom for a week enjoying all the new features.
Until later...
Mr. Quilting Bug and I have been remodeling our master bathroom since April 8th. And by that, I really mean my dear sweet husband has been working on it every weekend since that time. I've shared a few progress pictures but it's been a long time since my last update so I thought I would bring you up to speed.
Let me start by reminding you of what it looked like before the renovation. It was blue with blue marble counter tops. Whatever was I thinking? And it had a weird layout...
Before pictures of the bathroom
The first thing he did was to gut it. Everything except the huge tub. Our closet was inside the bathroom and when he took down the dividing walls, he found they were hiding the main plumbing stack vent, so he had to move that too. (He's so very handy.) The first picture shows the vent pipe sticking out of the middle of the floor...
Our bathroom gutted
And now I'm so pleased to report that we have a new working toilet and a working shower. The shower has so much water pressure now (our old one had none) it might blow you through the back of it. I so love taking a shower with lots of water pressure. Of course, we have no window coverings right now so it's a little too revealing to use them. The cabinets are in as well as the counter top. The tile floor is done and he installed the light fixtures today. I'm really loving how it's turning out.
New lights and steam shower
More lights, cabinets and counter top
New skirted toilet
It won't be too long before we can actually use it. When I return from my quilting retreat, I'm going to concentrate on touching up the paint, finding the right tile for the backsplash and installing privacy film on the windows. Mr. Quilting Bug still needs to finish the electrical for the shower, install the faucets and install the tile around the counter top and tub. Woohoo! I can't wait to use that steam shower! I may hide out in my bathroom for a week enjoying all the new features.
Until later...
"Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry."
James 1:19 (NIV)
Monday, September 27, 2010
Twisted Rope progress...
Note: All of my blog posts this week were written in advance. I'm currently at a quilt retreat at the beach working on charity quilts.
I haven't blogged about this quilt since May (I think). It's a quilt I'm making for my good friend LeeAnn and it'll be king-sized when all is said and done. I'm calling the quilt Twisted Rope because that's the name of one of the main blocks in it. Here's the picture from EQ7 with the fabrics she's chosen...
As part of my math obsession, I figured out that there are 931 pieces in it and 181 Snowball and Twisted Rope blocks. To date, I have everything cut out including borders and setting triangles. I've also finished piecing all 100 6" snowball blocks.
I'm bringing the pieces for the 81 Twisted Rope blocks with me and hope to make some progress on them as well. It's not a hard block but does require partial seaming. I'm really hoping to have this quilt top completed within the next 2 weeks, but God may have other plans. We'll just have to see.
Until later...
I haven't blogged about this quilt since May (I think). It's a quilt I'm making for my good friend LeeAnn and it'll be king-sized when all is said and done. I'm calling the quilt Twisted Rope because that's the name of one of the main blocks in it. Here's the picture from EQ7 with the fabrics she's chosen...
Twisted Rope from EQ7
As part of my math obsession, I figured out that there are 931 pieces in it and 181 Snowball and Twisted Rope blocks. To date, I have everything cut out including borders and setting triangles. I've also finished piecing all 100 6" snowball blocks.
100 Snowball blocks
I'm bringing the pieces for the 81 Twisted Rope blocks with me and hope to make some progress on them as well. It's not a hard block but does require partial seaming. I'm really hoping to have this quilt top completed within the next 2 weeks, but God may have other plans. We'll just have to see.
Until later...
The Lord has hidden himself from his people, but I trust him and place my hope in him.
Isaiah 8:17
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Charity Quilts...
I've already mentioned that I'm spending the next 5 days at a quilting retreat with my bee. Have I also mentioned this retreat is at the beach? I know, lucky us. This is the first of two retreats we have planned for this fall. The purpose of this first one is mainly to work on charity quilts to be donated to Interact, a woman's shelter.
I've got tons of charm squares from swaps over the last couple of years and I thought this would be a great chance to use some of them. Here's a picture of some of them sorted by color...
I figure I have at least a couple thousand of them. When I started thinking of patterns that use lots of charm squares, a Disappearing 9-Patch seemed the obvious choice. I'd made this one for my mom earlier this year...
There are tons of tutorials about how to make a Disappearing 9-Patch block, so I'm not going to rehash it here. If you've never made one and are interested in learning how, just do a search in Google.
I designed a simple quilt in Electric Quilt 7 using this block. I love designing quilts in EQ7. It's so easy to draw a complete one in a matter of minutes. (If anyone would like the EQ7 project file for this, let me know. Although you might not get it until I get back.) So here's a picture of the quilt I came up with...
As I have it drawn, the quilt will finish at 59" x 74". Each quilt uses 108 charm squares along with sashing, inner and outer borders. I've spent some time over the last couple of days putting together kits for it. I've made 6 kits in 3 different colorways (green, blue and purple).
I'm not planning on making all of these quilts myself. Any of the ladies at retreat who'd like to make one are welcome to them. I also separated out enough charm squares for more quilts in red, orange and yellow if they'd rather do those. I just didn't have a coordinating border fabric for them (and didn't want to purchase one).
It's such an easy pattern, I'm hoping I get at least 2 of the tops made. I have another quilt I want to make for a child out of different fabric. I'll have to let you know how much I actually get done when I get back.
Until later...
I've got tons of charm squares from swaps over the last couple of years and I thought this would be a great chance to use some of them. Here's a picture of some of them sorted by color...
Charm square stash
I figure I have at least a couple thousand of them. When I started thinking of patterns that use lots of charm squares, a Disappearing 9-Patch seemed the obvious choice. I'd made this one for my mom earlier this year...
Disappearing 9-Patch quilt
There are tons of tutorials about how to make a Disappearing 9-Patch block, so I'm not going to rehash it here. If you've never made one and are interested in learning how, just do a search in Google.
I designed a simple quilt in Electric Quilt 7 using this block. I love designing quilts in EQ7. It's so easy to draw a complete one in a matter of minutes. (If anyone would like the EQ7 project file for this, let me know. Although you might not get it until I get back.) So here's a picture of the quilt I came up with...
Disappearing 9-Patch charity quilt
As I have it drawn, the quilt will finish at 59" x 74". Each quilt uses 108 charm squares along with sashing, inner and outer borders. I've spent some time over the last couple of days putting together kits for it. I've made 6 kits in 3 different colorways (green, blue and purple).
Kits for D9-Patch charity quilts
I'm not planning on making all of these quilts myself. Any of the ladies at retreat who'd like to make one are welcome to them. I also separated out enough charm squares for more quilts in red, orange and yellow if they'd rather do those. I just didn't have a coordinating border fabric for them (and didn't want to purchase one).
Enough charm squares for 3 more quilts
It's such an easy pattern, I'm hoping I get at least 2 of the tops made. I have another quilt I want to make for a child out of different fabric. I'll have to let you know how much I actually get done when I get back.
Until later...
"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and rescues those who are crushed in spirit."
Psalm 34:18 (NLT)
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