Thimble Chick

More ornaments

2010-12-23T22:32:00.002-06:00

(At this rate, I'm going to need a 15-ft. tree.)
I found the tutorial for these at Linaloo.

Christmas ornaments

2010-11-24T15:07:00.002-06:00

I used Kelli Nina Perkins' instructions for "Frosted Holiday Treats" (Quilting Arts Magazine Gifts, 2009) to make these ornaments. Instead of the beading she recommended, I applied a fine layer of Martha Stewart's crystal coarse glitter to the white areas.

Another bag

2010-11-14T13:09:00.001-06:00

"Fabric Lover's Slouch Bag" by Seams and Dreams

Just off the sewing machine...

2010-11-13T20:00:00.002-06:00

1. A Lilly Apron for my newly-married niece (modeled here by the ever-lovely daughter #2, FashionBug).

(Pattern by Busy Bee Quilt Designs)

2. A hand-quilted mini quilt going to Australia.

("Fantastic Felines" fabric by Laurel Burch for Clothworks)

Camille's Bag

2010-10-07T15:29:00.004-05:00

"Camille's Bag" pattern by Penny Sturges.

"Martinique" fabric by 3 Sisters for Moda.

Lunch tote

2010-10-01T18:07:00.001-05:00

"Desk Deli" tote with matching napkin. Pattern by Penny Sturges. Fabric by Moda.

Swappy stuff

2009-09-27T00:05:00.003-05:00

Heart ornament swap.
Covered notebook swap. (Not my best work; I was in too much of a hurry to get this done before leaving on vacation.)
Home Sweet Home quilt square swap.
Home Sweet Home quilt square swap.

Baby quilt

2009-09-07T16:59:00.003-05:00

I made this a couple of years ago and when I came across it in my quilt stash, I realized I'd never taken a photo of it. It was a kit that I purchased at The Quilt Asylum in McKinney, TX.

Echo quilted around hearts and stitched in the ditch, all by machine.

Cards

2009-09-03T13:34:00.002-05:00

Machine sewn handmade greeting cards, for a swap.

Rose fabric, black lace, black eyelash trim, antiqued paper, all machine sewn to card stock. A bit frou-frou; I hope my swap partner likes it.
Animal print paper, black cotton fabric, faux leather fabric, all stitched to card stock. Lettering done by hand with black gel pen. I think this card could have used a bit more "dressing up," but I couldn't figure out what else to do with it, and I was afraid that anything else I added would look wrong, so I decided to err on the side of caution.(To complicate matters, my swap partner lives in Germany, so I didn't want to load up either card with a lot of English text! "RAWR" seems rather universal. ha ha)

Easy quilt block

2009-09-02T02:03:00.004-05:00

Bright Hopes quilt block, made for a swap. Done in sapphire blues in keeping with the birthstone for this month.

Star ornaments again

2009-08-31T13:26:00.003-05:00

Having abandoned my original design plan, I read through some quilting books over the weekend and came up with a better idea.

In The Quilter's Catalog, I saw Sue Benner's "Wild and Crazy Fused Ornaments" project. Her ornaments incorporated bits of fused silk, but I took a simpler route and used glittery quilting cottons, red on one side and green on the other. They are quilted and edged with gold metallic thread.

I kind of like the no-frills look of these, but using a more elaborate print or silks would definitely make them pop a bit more.

Embellished reusable bag swap

2009-08-29T01:36:00.006-05:00

I actually came up with the idea for this swap! The challenge is to take a ready-made bag (I bought this one at Joann's for $1) and embellish it in any way you like. My partner's favorite colors are purple and green, so I used fabrics in those colors to make quilt blocks to cover the Joann's logo on each side.

Log cabin block with stacked buttons at the block center:

Irish chain block with a string of beads at the center (I should have used a darker purple fabric for better contrast in this block):And a couple of note cards to send along with the bag, just for fun. These are soooo easy to make, and they're a great way to use up little scraps of fabric.

Lovebird

2009-08-28T10:56:00.002-05:00

I love this wee birdie. He's only about 4 inches tall. :) His front is a little pocket to hold love notes.

Tutorial at MollyChicken.

Moving on...

2009-08-26T16:54:00.004-05:00

Since I'm still having a creative block with those dumb star ornaments, I decided to move on to another project. This one was pretty straightforward: Make a covered journal (I used a composition notebook) that will fit the recipient's tastes. My swap partner likes all things goth, Halloween, skulls, and the like. Not my taste, but I did happen to have some of this pirate skull fabric left over from a do-rag I had made my husband a couple of years ago. Added some black/red fabric, a red zipper and button, and a black ribbon closure. I feel good that I got something done.

Now I really have to figure out what to do about those ornaments...

Star ornaments that don't sparkle

2009-08-22T23:57:00.006-05:00

I'm signed up for a Star Ornament swap that's due to be sent out in a couple of weeks, so I started experimenting.

#1 seemed blah to me, even with the usually popular red/white polka dot fabric.

So I tried a livelier fabric. Not crazy about #2, either. Maybe it needs a different button?

Switched gears to a non-Christmasy color combination. Used silver metallic thread and cord to dress it up a bit, but still not sure about #3.
Do you like any of these? Have any suggestions? Apparently my creativity is on an end-of-summer holiday.

Holocaust Museum Butterfly Project

2009-08-16T22:52:00.003-05:00

Created for a swap involving the Holocaust Museum's Butterfly Project.

Shabby chic quiltie

2009-08-15T11:54:00.004-05:00

I've always liked the shabby chic style. I think if I had stayed single, I probably would have decorated my home that way. Instead, I got married and had 4 kids. So our decor is just shabby, without the chic.

This is a quiltie (also called a doll quilt) I made for a swap. I saw a picture of a pillowcase designed by Holly Holderman (of LakeHouse Dry Goods) at All People Quilt, and modified it for this project. The finished piece is 10 1/2" x 14 1/2" and is hand quilted. I had to tea dye the rick rack to get the off-white color I wanted. (Who knew that no one makes cream-colored rick rack? Every other color but.)

Notebook cover - the first one

2009-08-11T15:18:00.005-05:00

This was my prototype. It looks good, but I made it too small, so it fits around the notebook very tightly. I don't know how long the zipper will hold out; I fear it's going to be pulled apart by the stretching of the fabric. Ah, well. This was some fabric that was given to me, and I thought it was ugly, but it looks pretty good in this project!

Composition notebook cover

2009-08-11T10:35:00.003-05:00

I recently discovered the amazing work of Daily Threads, and made an attempt to copy some of her journal covers. This one is for a swap. I'm not completely happy with the fit of the cover, but it's not bad for a second attempt.

The zipper opens to a pocket under the front cover, where the user can store writing utensils. Cool, huh?!

Using scraps

2009-08-09T19:25:00.007-05:00

I signed up for a new swap yesterday, Sew a Quilted Pot-holder, Autumn Themed. By bedtime, I had finished two pot holders. I have a ton of fabric strips, so I was glad to use some of them up in this project. (Barely put a dent in the pile, though.)

Both designs are from Pretty Little Potholders, although I modified them for size.

It's an addiction.

2009-08-08T12:20:00.005-05:00

My sewing machine & fabric. I'm pretty certain I'd shrivel up and die without either one of them.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

So there I was, cutting up some fabric for a layer cake (10" squares) swap, one thing led to another, and a few hours later, I was carrying a new purse.

It's my own design, but really, it's just your basic boxed-bottom rectangular bag. I put 4 pockets on the inside. This is the first time I've made handles like these. I like the feel of them, but because I don't always stitch in perfectly straight lines, I don't think I'd do these again in a plain fabric that shows every stitch. It has a button closure, because I was too lazy to spend the extra time putting in a zipper.

A swap thing, and something for MYSELF.

2009-08-04T12:04:00.004-05:00

For the October Holidays quilt block swap. This block pattern is from the Sep/Oct '05 issue of Quiltmaker magazine. (Sometimes it does pay to keep old magazines around... :) )

And because I got a little tired of sending all my creative work away to other people, I made a new tote bag for myself. The pattern is Roomy Patchwork Purse from Better Homes & Gardens, and the fabric (except for the handle) is from Moda's Urban Couture line. The loop-and-button closure was my own addition, and I put pockets in the lining. A bag without pockets is like a car without cup holders, in my opinion.

Front:
Back:

Dress Shop

2009-07-29T22:37:00.002-05:00

Another row house swap; this time the assignment was "Dress Shop." Here's where those little embroidered tassel dresses came in handy. :)

Birdie stuffie

2009-07-28T16:21:00.003-05:00

I'll soon be doing my first drop for The Toy Society. I found out about this effort through Swap-Bot, and am part of a group of swappers who will be dropping toys and then sending details of the drop to our swap partners. Since partners won't be assigned for another couple of weeks, I have time to think about where to drop my little blue birdie....

Oh, the details on the bird: He's made from a very soft sweater that I picked up at the thrift store yesterday ($1!), some lime green cotton, a bit of orange felt, two black buttons, and some poly fiberfill. The pattern is from the Spring 2009 issue of Quilts and More.

Charm-ing

2009-07-26T22:06:00.001-05:00

More fabric charms to be swapped.

If this keeps up, I'm going to need magnifying lenses.

2009-07-20T23:38:00.003-05:00

Oh my. Another project involving little bits and detailed work. After I finish these, I think I'm going to sew a quilt or something BIG.

These are fabric charms. 1" square, made of faux suede, copper and gold metallic threads, iridescent fabric paints in gold and blue/green, gold eyelets, and gold jump rings. (For a swap, of course!)

little dresses

2009-07-19T21:07:00.004-05:00

I attended the recent Martha's Sewing Market in Arlington, Texas, where I happened upon the booth featuring the embroidery designs by My Fair Lady. Had to have some of those little dresses!!

This weekend, I worked on stitching out an assortment in a variety of colors. Some will be used for an upcoming Swap-Bot project; the rest will be added as embellishments to other future projects.

Jessica's quilt

2009-07-17T19:11:00.002-05:00

My friend's daughter, Jessica, was one month away from her college graduation when it was discovered that she's got non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. She's halfway through chemo, and so far her scans have been good. (Thank you, God!)

I am sending her this quilt. Her mom tells me Jessa loves all things Asian, so hopefully this will make her happy and keep her warm and comforted on days when she's not feeling so great after treatment.

Pattern from Just Can't Cut It: Quilts from Fabulous Fabrics by Pamela Mostek.

Front of quilt:

There aren't any borders on the front of the quilt, so as not to detract from the vertical lines in the piecing and quilting.

Back of quilt, in colors black, cream, and light sage green.

Wee pincushion

2009-07-17T15:21:00.001-05:00

- one bottlecap

- scraps of felt

- thread

- bit of poly fiberfill

- ribbon

- 2 buttons

Mini pincushion! (To be swapped.)

My red birdie has a friend.

2009-07-13T01:03:00.003-05:00

I used different eyes for this guy and I think he looks a little less hypothyroid than the red bird.
I think my next bird will have a little tuft of some fun yarn on top of his head...

Still doing Row House swaps. The theme for this one was Color Choice. I knew I wanted to do a beach cabana, and I thought I might use yellow as my color choice, but once I got started on this, I realized browns and neutrals were going to work best. The curtains were the hardest part, because they kept wanting to be stiff and to stick out in all the wrong places. In the end, I remedied that problem with the twine tie-backs.

The stuff at the bottom that looks unfortunately like flames is actually supposed to be beach grasses. My creations always look so much better in my head than they actually turn out in real life! Argh!

Swap misc.

2009-07-07T00:44:00.001-05:00

Holiday quilt blocks.

February:

March:

And another Row House swap - this one is (obviously) a Post Office.

Fabric charms (NOT charm squares)

2009-07-06T13:23:00.004-05:00

I swap with Swap-bot!

I'm jazzed about this. I never even imagined one could make fabric charms until I saw this swap. I find myself waking up in the morning, already thinking about what kinds of charms I can create...

(For the crafting newbie, a fabric charm square is a 5" square that's often packaged with other coordinating 5" squares. This swap is for fabric charms - little jewelry charms of 1"-2", made from fabric, that can be hung from a chain or cord.)

Look at what WE made!

2009-07-04T16:51:00.002-05:00

I think this is the first thing my husband and I have ever created together - outside of children. :)

He turned the maple scrap for the base, and I added the fabric pincushion top and hot glued it all together.

This he didn't help with. This is the Holiday Quilt Block Swap block I made for September.

August quilt block

2009-07-02T02:07:00.002-05:00

Over on Swap-Bot, I've been participating in a monthly quilt block exchange in which we have to create a 12.5" block that represents a holiday for each month of the year. Some months are pretty obvious - for February, we all did hearts; for May, most of us did flowers. But others are a little trickier, like August. I was going to do a beach/vacation theme, but then my plan was thrown for a loop when, in the July swap, I had to send to a Canadian swapper. I couldn't very well send her an American flag block (!), so she got my beach block instead. (I appliqued a seashell on fabric that resembles sand, and could kick myself for forgetting to photograph it before sending it off.)

So my August block ended up being a watermelon slice. To make the seeds, I cut my own little seed stencil from cardstock and stamped the fabric with black ink.

And, as a reminder to myself, here are the block themes I used for all the months so far.

February - stitch and split heart

March - stitch and split shamrock

April - umbrella on "rain" fabric embellished with crystal raindrops

May - appliqued tulips in 3 colors

June - wedding cake embellished with embroidery stitches and appliqued lace

July - seashell on sand

August - watermelon slice

For future blocks, I'm planning:

September - stitch and split apple

October - stitch and split pumpkin

November - autumn leaves?

December - something Christmas-y. Maybe a tree or holly leaves, or a stocking?

January - snowflake

Gnome Sweet Gnome

2009-07-02T01:54:00.002-05:00

Another Row House swap; this one is a gnome house. I'm kind of aggravated that my trees look like palm trees. I guess these are retired gnomes, living in Florida.

Amigurumi (No, I don't know how to pronounce it. Look it up.)

2009-06-27T23:54:00.004-05:00

Amigurumi are little crocheted animals, critters, and generally non-human things, with a cuteness factor times 100.

This is my very first attempt at amigurumi; I used a free pattern I found at Bittersweet. I'd like to make a little flock to accompany this guy (girl?), and then I'm going to try an amigurumi tea cup pincushion (pattern at Lion Brand Yarn site).

Should I be hoping to win this?

2009-06-24T20:20:00.004-05:00

My entry is my ADD Vegetable Quilt:

And here is a close-up of its amazing awfulness.

It's okay if you just threw up in your mouth a little. I did, too.

For the almost newest family member

2009-06-22T22:07:00.002-05:00

My nephew (J. Bull) and his wife are expecting their first child, a girl, in about a month. Since they won't reveal her name until she arrives, I've taken to calling her Miss Adora Bull.

Anyway, these are a couple of burp cloths I stitched up for her this morning. The flannel for these came from sample cards that a lot of shops sell for a dollar or two. You can often pick up some nice pieces of an entire line of fabrics, in all the colorways, and they're perfect for small projects like this.

swappin' into the wee hours

2009-06-22T10:58:00.005-05:00

Stayed up way too late last night, working on swap projects...

Bookmarks for a swap friend. Her given is Maribel, but she goes by the user name of CraftyRabbit. The pink bookmark on the left is made from a paint chip.

This is a zippered pouch made from a pita chip bag. :) It's lined with yellow fabric to coordinate with the exterior colors.

And another zippered bag; both bags are going to a swapper in Switzerland.

Doll quilt

2009-06-19T17:53:00.004-05:00

Recently, while waiting at my dentist's office for the opportunity to spend an ungodly amount of money, I was perusing a copy of Conde Nast Traveler magazine and happened upon a photo of a very cool hotel in Beijing, China. The Opposite House has a wall in the lobby that is a contemporary interpretation of Chinese apothecary chests.

(This picture isn't as good as the one from the magazine, but it's the best I could find online.)

I decided to try the design in a doll quilt, using colors in the aqua/blue/green/tan colorway. I added navy blue buttons in each block. This was the end result.

And, like everything else I've been making lately, this has been shipped off to a swap partner. :)

Never dreamed I'd make a corset.

2009-06-16T17:50:00.013-05:00

At least I don't have to wear it. :)

This is for a swap for a coffee cozy. I decided to make a coffee corset instead. On my first attempt, I put metal grommets on the holes, and they didn't work well at all. I guess it was because they were going through 2 layers of fabric, plus batting. So I quickly made another one, and this time I used the little eyelet stitch on my machine (1st time!), and I was much happier with the results.

I used this particular fabric because my swap partner loves grapes and grapevines.

A house I love and don't have to clean.

2009-06-13T17:33:00.002-05:00

My new craft challenge - making Row Houses.

This is the very first one I've completed, for a swap titled "Vacation/Beach House." The front of the house (below) features sandpaper for sand, a paper cocktail umbrella, a shell doorknob and a shell house number sign, and paper curtains cut from an ad for a swimsuit cover-up.

The back of the house has a little clothesline to dry a miniature towel and swimsuit. :)

What do you do when....

2009-06-02T03:17:00.003-05:00

...you've made something for someone else, and when you get it finished, you like it so much you don't want to give it away?

This is a "quiltie," a miniature 10" square quilt, that I made for a swap. The challenge was to try a new technique or block or design. Several years ago, I had bought the quilting book Circle Play because I was so intrigued with the idea of the interplay of lines and color between the circles and triangles in the author's quilts. Naturally, after purchasing the book and oohing and aahing over all the pictures, I never actually made a project with the techniques.

Until now.

Wow. This was challenging. Picking the primary fabric for the circles was easy. Background fabrics, not so much. Then cut and piece. Then lay out circles in multiple positions to find the best effect, stitch them on. Then decide to add piping. Then make the border, piecing fabrics and aligning them to get the visual effect I wanted. Then ponder how to do the quilting. Quilt, then add binding and a tiny label.

I love, love, love how it came out. These colors are so "me." Even my husband said, "Wow! That's really pretty!" when he saw it, and getting a wow out of him is no small feat. This is one of my most favorite projects ever.

The big problem now - I'm supposed to mail it to my swap partner. And I don't wanna!!!

Purse Number...412?

2009-05-21T23:21:00.003-05:00

I have no idea how many purses I have sewn over the years, but I know it's a lot. Many - MANY - more purses than one woman can use.

And the really bad part? I have patterns and fabric to make 150 more. Oy.

Anyway, this is the latest. I used Amy Butler's Frenchy Bag pattern and some home dec fabric I picked up on clearance at JoAnn's. I really like the size of this bag, but the interior pockets are too floppy when made according to the directions. I'm going to have to try to modify them even though the bag is already done.

Craftiliciousness

2009-05-18T13:35:00.003-05:00

Another swap project ... This one is a pincushion created using Heather Bailey's free pattern.

And I made a couple of little notecards from the leftover fabric and a bit of ribbon.

reusable envelopes

2009-05-09T02:12:00.006-05:00

My first Buttercup bag. This is a small bag; you only need a fat quarter for the exterior. Cute, but too tiny for me!

_______________________________

Reusable envelopes!

This one is made from a thrifted plastic tablecloth. There is a clear vinyl patch sewn on the front, with a slit behind the patch for an address label to be inserted.

This one was made from 1/2 of a vinyl placemat. The labels are simply affixed with packing tape, which can easily be removed by the next user.

The back flap is held closed with double-sided tape.

Both of these envelopes have successfully traveled through the U.S. and Canadian postal systems!

I love my Bernina.

2009-05-09T02:04:00.004-05:00

My 2nd Buttercup bag, made at 125% size of the original pattern.

In an attempt to be all eco-conscious, live green, and save money, I made this bag from 2 women's shirts I found at the local thrift store. The buttons were just some I had in my button jar. Total cost for this purse: $1.08.

I used the sleeves from one top to make the interior pockets.

On a non-ecological note (heh heh), I made these pot holders for a Swap-Bot exchange.

I'm a sewing beast.

2009-04-24T00:12:00.005-05:00

Another legal pad holder; this one was made from a recycled thrift store garment plus some fabric scraps I had at home.

I've also been sewing some re-useable envelopes, but I'm too tired to upload more photos tonight.

Swap goodies

2009-04-13T22:48:00.002-05:00

Just some of the recent things I've been working on....

This little legal pad holder was for a swap titled, "Just the scraps, ma'm." The challenge was to use just scraps of fabric, no large pieces. I think this came out pretty cute.

This was for a Creative Mail swap with a theme of spring flowers. Drawn in black ink, then colored with watercolor pencils, followed by application of a wet brush.

Recent projects

2009-04-03T21:12:00.005-05:00

Well, I finally gave up and admitted to myself that I lost the charger for my camera battery. Got a new one at Best Buy and now I can get back to taking pictures. But I'm still irritated with myself for being so scatterbrained!

This is my second version of the Vera Bradley knock-off purse. Aqua is my favorite color, so naturally I love this fabric. I also copied VB's techniques for finishing the interior, including adding bias trim to cover the seam allowances.

These are photos of my very first fabric postcard. I really had no clue what I was doing (and that's probably obvious - ha!), but I tinkered around with some fabric paints, markers, and glitter, and this is what I ended up with.

Ornament Swap

2008-12-06T12:33:00.004-06:00

I learned about this swap last month and signed up immediately. I love Christmas ornaments. :)

I was going to make lace angels with my embroidery machine, but my husband has been making some "updates" to our computer and now my embroidery software doesn't work. I hope Santa brings me my very own laptop this year, and a big sign to hang on it that says, "TRESPASSERS WILL BE SHOT."

Anyway, I ended up making these.

They didn't photograph as well as I'd like. It's hard to see the finer details in these pictures.

They are made with Peltex as the stabilizer. On one side I sewed a small square of sheer, glittery snowflake fabric. On the other side, I did the same, but I backed that square with some silver taffeta. I trimmed the Peltex with a zig-zag rotary cutter, tacked on the ribbon, then applied craft glue and glittery snow around the edges.

I sent the required 10 out for the swap, but I have enough supplies left over to make about 100 more. Anyone need an ornament? :)

2008-11-11T02:22:00.001-06:00

Cajun-themed apron I made for a blog give-away. I picked up the fabric in Lafayette, LA, during an ice hockey trip. (Yes, they have ice hockey in southern Louisiana. I know, I know! Who knew?!)

The lovely model is my younger daughter.

Christmas stockings

2008-11-11T02:18:00.007-06:00

After hearing my kids whine and moan about their old Sesame Street stockings for the last several years, I made these. The girls' stockings are pieced with various prints with gold accents, and their names are embroidered with gold thread. The boys got plain old red. And I'm definitely not making any more stockings until I have grandchildren. Harumph.

Lasagna quilt

2008-11-11T02:14:00.008-06:00

Pieced with flannels and homespuns, and backed with a print featuring pine cones and needles. My thirteen year old son has this on his bed and says it's the warmest quilt in the house.

Cherry placemats

2008-11-11T02:09:00.005-06:00

I made these a while back. They were my first attempt at machine applique. I'm not a big fan of applique, but these turned out cute. So cute, I won't let my family eat on them.

Knock-off bag

2008-03-07T23:07:00.003-06:00

This is a Vera Bradley knock-off bag. My wonderful mother-in-law showed me how to make it. What I love most about it is that it has SIX inside pockets. So now I have even more places to search for my cell phone.

I want to make another one of these, in a more contemporary fabric mix.

lace ornaments

2005-12-09T11:42:00.000-06:00

I recently learned that making lace on an embroidery machine is very easy and fast. These are the first ornaments I tried. I've heard these sell well at craft shows; I'd love to know if that's true because, from a seller's perspective, these would be money-makers.

Baby Quilt

2005-12-01T12:23:00.000-06:00

This is just a little quilt I recently made for a new baby boy in our church. The pattern is from the book, Sweet & Simple Baby Quilts. I "wrapped" it in a matching Humbug Bag, of which I forgot to take a photo. The blues in this photograph don't show up as vibrant as they really are. I really need to learn how to take better pictures of my projects.

a commissioned piece

2005-12-01T11:59:00.000-06:00

This is a flyer from a church in PA; the image was photographed from inside the church through a window. I was asked to created a pillow for the retiring pastor, using the window as the focus of the pillow. Here's what I created.I used plain black cotton fabric for the main body of the pillow, and a soft yellow swirl print for the background. The pillow is edged with a satiny black trim.

ATCs

2005-11-14T12:57:00.000-06:00

My lack of recent posts is no reflection on my creative output - really! I've had a sick computer, and the software on this secondary computer might as well be written in Mandarin, it's so foreign to me. Anyway, I think I managed to scan a picture today, so you can see I haven't been a total sluggard.

This is an ATC (Artist Trading Card) that I created for an online swap with the atc group at yahoo groups. The theme of this particular swap is "Black & White." I got the idea for the design of my cards from a quilting book, Circle Play. I couldn't decide whether or not to add some kind of decorative stitching around the edges; in the end, I left them alone because I didn't want to detract from the the interplay of the lines in the center of the card.

One Christmas gift done, 12 (or more) to go...

2005-10-18T12:18:00.000-05:00

This is a flannel quilt I made for my brother & his wife. They have FIVE boys, so I know this quilt will be machine washed & dried a lot, and probably won't live to see "heirloom" status. For that reason, I broke a few quilting rules.
1) I used polyester thread, which is normally a no-no with cotton fabrics, because the polyester cuts through the cotton. But the poly thread is stronger and should last a long time.
2) I sewed the binding on the back and then machine stitched it down on the front. Normally I sew it to the front first, then hand-stitch it down on the back, but again, the change was made in the interest of longevity.
3) I used a cheap batting from WalMart. I hate this lumpy batting, but it worked okay with machine quilting and the thicker flannel fabrics.
This family is big into outdoor activities - camping, kayaking, hunting - so the fabric themes "fit" them. I decided to free motion quilt pine trees in each black square. I like the way they came out, even though I had to do some of them upside down to get the quilt under the machine. :)

Fabric boxes!

2005-10-13T14:39:00.000-05:00

I've made fabric bowls before, but this was my first attempt at a box. On the first go round, I didn't read the directions carefully and ended up having to throw out the box bottom. THEN, I re-read everything and found I didn't have enough of the original fabric to match the completed box top, so I had to dig around in my stash to find a suitable match. Lesson learned - READ everything carefully and more than once, and check each step before proceeding!

I'm going to attempt a few more of these in different shapes and with beaded trim.

machine embroidery

2005-10-08T22:58:00.000-05:00

I made these coasters on a whim, and sent them off to my mom. Now she wants more. :)

Diane

Summertime Stars

2005-09-06T15:28:00.000-05:00

This quilt pattern is from the book, Quaint Quilts. I love the soft colors and the "antique-y" look. It was tough to wrestle it under the sewing machine for quilting, though! I think if I ever make a king-size quilt, I'll have to pay someone else to machine quilt it.

Another Recent Project

2005-09-01T12:15:00.000-05:00

This is "Stars and Bars," a quilt pattern I saw & loved last summer. It took me until this summer to get it done, but... such is the life of a quilter. :)

My Recent Creations

2005-09-01T11:55:00.000-05:00

This is a small wallhanging quilt I made after studying the value of fabrics. This was a lesson from a recent issue of Quiltmaker magazine which taught the learner to "read" the darkness/lightness of a fabric relative to the fabrics close to it. I learned a lot from the project and am pretty happy with the outcome.

I've joined the 21st Century.

2005-08-05T13:50:00.000-05:00

WOW. Who'da thunk creating a blog could be so EASY I could actually DO it?!

This is where I'll post my rants, raves, musings, and pictures of my latest creations. Gee, my own little spot on the World Wide Web. This is almost as exciting as owning a little piece of America. :)

Diane

How I Spent My Summer Vacation, Part I

2005-08-05T02:20:00.000-05:00

Kids & I drove from Texas to PA to celebrate my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. All I can say is, THANK YOU, whoever invented on-board DVD players. But other than the l-o-n-g drive, we had a great time. Looking at the pictures now is bittersweet, as my oldest cousin, Art DeYong, died unexpectedly just a few weeks after the party.

We spent some time with my brother and sister and their families. The picture above is Tyler at my brother's pool. Typical Tyler: never do anything the normal way when you can be extreme!

Diane