there is a splendid calm

My first quilt, for the Pay

2012-02-22T13:33:00.001-06:00

In July of 2009 my friend Abbey had her second baby, Bruce. A few months before that I made a small green and brown blanket and gave it to her at the baby shower. Her oldest daughter, Macey, promptly took it and claimed it as her own. So I decided to make a quilt for Macey so that she would return the blanket to her baby brother.
I bought four fabrics from the remnants section of Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft, cut them in to 6 by 8 rectangles and took them up to Fort Worth to get help from Aunt M and Grandmother. They explained to me the problem with the fabric I had chosen and then helped me rework my quilt design. I originally bought the pink polka dot that you see in the quilt, a yellow and white striped knit fabric, a green fleece fabric, and the cotton butterfly fabric that is in the quilt.
I learned that it doesn't work well to combine different types of fabric and that it is best to use all cotton fabric when quilting.

Aunt M has lots of bolts of fabric in her sewing room closet and she gave me the green polka dot fabric, the light pink swirl fabric,the dark purple backing, and the solid white. I bought batting and more of the butterfly fabric from the store and set aside my knit and fleece fabrics.

My aunt C does not sew but she has a great eye for color and layout. She and I laid the blocks on the floor and tried arranging them several different ways. We eventually ended up on these diagonal lines of color and I was very happy with that solution.

I had not planned on adding these three borders or the white sashing in between the blocks, but I am glad that my grandmother suggested it. She is a traditional quilter, as is Aunt M, and they love to add a border to a quilt. Or two or three borders.

Aunt M has an embroidery machine so I used it to embroider Macey's name on the lower right block of the quilt top.

I pieced the top with their help and supervision and then Aunt M taught me how to sandwich the quilt and baste it with what seemed like a thousand safety pins. She showed me how to stitch in the ditch and gave me some clear thread for the top and I used a dark purple for the bobbin thread. You can see my stitch in the ditch lines on the back of the quilt.

After that I learned how to square up the quilt, piece the binding together and sew it on to the front of the quilt and blind stitch the binding to the back of the quilt. Piecing the binding strips together was the most difficult part for me. You have to get them lined up just right and I was always off just a bit. Aunt M would look at it and say, "No, rip it out. Do it again." She said that so many times during my first few tries at piecing binding, but practice makes perfect and these days my binding looks pretty goo...moat of the time.

I think overall this project turned out well for my first try at making a quilt. I gave it to Macey for Christmas in 2009 and she LOVES it, even now two years later. She calls it her Jessica blanket and has it in bed with her for naps and night time.

I am not sure who "owns" the green and brown blanket these days, but it is about time for me to make a quilt for Bruce. There is a third baby in the family by now and he and Macey each have quilts from me, Bruce needs one too.

W.i.P. Wednesday 10

2012-02-14T10:48:00.000-06:00

Hello! Wednesday again! This keeps sneaking up on me; I took some photos last night, but I should of done it during the day. These photos aren't great.
Regardless, I have been very busy and I have a lot to show you. I just had a four day weekend which was really great. I spent most of my time working on this t-shirt quilt. I will be quilting it on Saturday. There is still a lot of work to do, I may have a late night Friday night, but it will get done. It is becoming more of a horizontal layout than I intended, I may have to take those four big pieces on the right side and line them up in a horizontal row at the bottom to create a more vertical layout.

custom order t-shirt quilt

Every so often I needed a break from this quilt, so I worked on a few other things this weekend. These are some half square triangles for my cousin's quilt that I mentioned last week. Robin and I created a layout with 90 friendship stars, which means we have to sew 180 pairs of squares and then cut them in to 360 half square triangles. So far I have sewn and cut 20 squares, and squared up two HSTs. So...there is a long way to go!

half square triangles for Ron's quilt

I also worked a little more on this Lego bag. These strips for the outside of the bag have been sewn together in groups of four, leaving me with 10 big pieces. There is still a lot of work to do on this.

Lego bag

Here is the mess next to my computer desk as I work on Robin's Save the Date cards for her September wedding. I got my desk for free (found it next to the dumpster!) and I am thinking about buying a new one from Ikea with some of my birthday money. This desk is big enough for my computer and nothing else. I don't have room to write or even set my printer. The printer lives in the closet and I get it out and set it up on the floor when I need it. I think I am overdue for a new desk.

working on Save the Date cards

I ordered this coral stamp from Stamp Out Online, an Etsy shop that was incredibly helpful and accommodating while working with me to get the coral looking just right for the wedding stationery. The shop has several great stamps and can create custom orders. I plan to order a stamp from their girly business section soon.

second draft of STDs

Recently, I joined the Scrap Attack, hosted by Stitched in Color. There I read about this scrappy piecing method. I tried it out last Wednesday and came up with this ten by ten inch block. I will eventually contribute it to the Austin Modern Quilt Guild's Block Swap, but I need to make it bigger. I really like this method and how crazy the block turns out. I pulled out scraps randomly and only paid attention to not having the same color next to each other. I plan to make more of these scrappy blocks using a monochromatic color palette.

Scraptacular block

Here is my sister's table topper. I pieced the back over the weekend without planning it out, I just added fabric until it was big enough. I am still thinking about how to quilt this and whether or not I will add heat resistant batting to it.

Christmas table topper

I am linking up today with Freshly Pieced. Stop by and take a look at some other crafty blogs!

I am also linking up with Lynne at Lily's Quilts. Click the button and support a few other small blogs with views and comments. If you find something that you love, become a follower!

W.i.P. Wednesday 09

2012-02-08T00:36:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday I spent eleven hours at a quilt retreat and had an amazing time. I took my sewing machine with me but never took it out of its case. I spent the day cutting fabric for several projects that I am ready to get started on. I cut fabric for two lego bags, one Christmas table topper, and one hounds tooth quilt top. I helped to make a quilt for a fellow Austin Modern Quild Guild member's new baby boy. I snacked on some yummy food, drank a couple of beers and of course chatted with all the other ladies at the retreat.

everything that I worked on at the retreat (or took with me but didn't work on)


solid blues for hounds tooth, the Amy Butler floral is a possible backing for this quilt

With the help of another of our cousins, Robin and I will be making a University of Texas at Austin quilt as a Silent Auction donation for this years Relay for Life event. We are calculating yardage and buying fabric this week and plan to put the quilt top together on an upcoming Saturday afternoon.
This year I am the team captain for my family's Relay for Life team Goertz Family Ties. You can make a donation to our team to help support the American Cancer Society in their quest to create a world with less cancer and more birthdays by clicking on this link. Thank you for your support!

Back to sewing and current projects:

my block for the AMQG Block Swap

t-shirts for a custom order quilt, this deadline is coming up fast

Soon I will have to post photos of the wedding stationery that I am designing for Robin. I also need to continue working on ironing and folding my fabric stash. It is a big undertaking and I work on it a little at a time. I need to make eleven more blocks for the AMQG Block Swap and it is hard to do when I can't easily look over the fabric that is available to me.

Robin and I are also starting a quilt for her brother, the fabric is almost all cut out and ready to start piecing. We will have to make 180 half square triangles! I will have photos of that soon.

table topper for my sister and her sweet tooth

Finished! one of two sets of Valentine's Day towels

second set of Valentine's Day towels

Have a great Valentine's Day next week!

These roses were a belated birthday gift from my hair stylist, Kristal. Isn't that sweet?!

The blue and green block that I made for the AMQG Block Swap is part of Faith's Solstice Stars Series on her blog, Fresh Lemons Quilts.

I am linking up today with Freshly Pieced. Stop by and take a look at some other crafty blogs

Valentine's Day towels

2012-02-07T15:17:00.001-06:00

Valentine's Day will be here soon. I finished these sets of towels just in time. I made two sets of pleated towels from fabric that my cousin Robin and I chose at Hobby Lobby.
I read about this towel idea in American Patchwork & Quilting. The tutorial is called Jolly Holiday and was designed by Anna Griffin. She designed this tutorial to make pillow covers, but the editor of the magazine reworked it for kitchen towels. I made a few other sets of these which you can see here.

Robin's towel

These towels are fun to make and really cute when they are finished, but right now I have so many projects in the works and deadlines coming up, that I am mostly just glad these are done and off of my table. I originally planned to make two more sets of these towels for other family members, but I don't have enough of the solid fabric and I decided to save those white towels to use later. I am thinking about making Halloween towels for myself and for a friend with the Ghastlie fabric that I love.

my towel

The funny thing about these towels is that when Robin was at my house last week and saw them, she thought that the light pink set was hers and the black set was mine. I told her that she chose the black fabric at Hobby Lobby and I chose the pink fabric, but now I like the black set more. She said she likes the pink set more.

I am taking both sets to her house tonight and she can choose which ever towels she wants. (I hope she chooses the pink set.)

Happy Valentine's Day!

I posted these on Craftsy as part of Project Cupid.

A quilted birthday gift

2012-02-03T12:39:00.000-06:00

Last month I turned thirty. I had a great birthday week; it started out with cupcakes and tequila shots on the Tuesday before my birthday and didn't stop until Sunday when my family met for lunch at Polvos.
We had a great lunch and a lot of fun. My sister made a trifle that somehow contained three different kinds of alcohol, it was delicious. Robin gave me a table topper that she made using several fabrics from the Moda Circa 1934 line.

I love the colors and the pattern that she used. The five big X shapes create a bold pattern, and then the next time I look at it, the diamonds stand out to me more.It has a lot of visual interest.

She quilted it on the long arm machine with a free hand meander pattern. It feels strange knowing that she was at the quilter's house without me, and without telling me about it. We usually talk about all of our quilting ideas and projects.

I really love this table topper, it looks great in my dining room and works well with the red accent wall.

Robin,

W.i.P. Wednesday 08

2012-02-01T00:00:00.000-06:00

There are so many projects going on right now, I will do my best to make a complete list.

I just finished the custom order of note cards this week. They will go in the mail soon.
I never did find time to make Valentine's Day cards to send out to family. That was disappointing, but I have to stop giving myself so much to do at once.

in progress

Finished!

I took on a t-shirt quilt custom order, I plan to have it ready to quilt on February 17th. The woman gave me the t-shirt that her husband wore on their first date and I am planning to put it on the back of the quilt next to the label. She is also giving me fabric that was the backdrop in their wedding reception photo booth that I will use in the back of the quilt. I am excited about this quilt, it has so many sentimental elements.

My mom brought me a stack of my brother's t-shirts from his high school days of choir, drama, and national honor society. He has two shirts from his senior year that she was hesitant about cutting up without knowing if he was finished wearing them.
So she called him and they had the following conversation, which I think is hilarious.
Mom: "I am thinking about using these t-shirts in a project that I am working on. Is that all right?"
Ivan: "What do you mean, you're having Jessica sew them into a quilt?"
Mom: "What?? Never mind about that thing you just said, just let me know if I can use these shirts."
Ivan: "Sure you can sell them at the garage sale or whatever."
I told my mom that the next time she sees him she should hand him $3.75 and tell him that those shirts were a hit at the garage sale.

Robin and I are making arm chair and head rest covers for our grandparents new recliners. The home decor fabric is difficult to work with, but really we are just making six squares so it isn't too much of an undertaking.

I quilted the Zoology quilt for my friend's baby last Saturday. I was getting frustrated during the quilting process, but it looks fine. I just need to sew on the binding and make a label. The baby was born on Monday, and I went to visit them at the hospital yesterday.

I am still working on Valentine's Day towels. My plan is to finish those this week. Robin isn't shy at all, at my house last Friday she said, "Can you finish up those towels for me because Valentine's is only two weeks away." Yes ma'am.

This Friday Robin and I are going to get busy cutting fabric for her brother's new quilt. I'll post more about that later.

This Saturday I am going on a quilt retreat for the day. I have several piles of washed and ironed fabric that are waiting to be cut for particular projects. I think it will be tiring (and boring) to cut fabric all day long, but it really needs to be done and I know it will be rewarding to go home with several projects that are ready to be sewn together.

Yesterday morning I got a phone call about another t-shirt quilt, that has a May 19th deadline.

I got an exciting new book for my birthday, Bags - the Modern Classics by Sue Kim. I chose the first bag that I want to make and bought fabric last weekend. I'll cut out the fabric on Saturday but I probably shouldn't start that until I finish my carrot purse. I have not made any progress on that since the last time I posted about it.

I am working on two quilt blocks for the Austin Modern Quilt Guild. We are having a six month block swap. I will make one block to swap with another guild member and another block to contribute to a future donation quilt.

I am making a floor quilt similar to these that I have made in the past. The difference with this one is that both sides are made of laminate fabric. I plan to put it on the ground in my booth space when I sell at art shows. I have a great antique high chair and baby buggy that I will put on the quilt and display my floor quilts in the antiques.

I quilted Kitchy Kitchen fabric on Saturday to make new potholders. Eight of them have binding machine sewn on and four of them still need binding. Then I will hand sew all of the binding to the back. I will be selling at an art show this Thursday evening, that is a great time to work on binding because it brings people in to my booth. They wonder what I am doing and they come over to ask about it.

A list of projects that are on my work in progress table that I continue to make zero progress on. I am hoping that by listing them out here, I will be motivated to work on them and get them off of this list.
fall leaves pot holders
apple pot holders
coffee cup pot holders
fabric for new textile wall hanging
sample onesie quilt
pine cone ornaments
watermelon table topper
four drawstring toy bags
firewood bag for the hearth

There are probably more things to add here that I am not thinking of now. I will try to keep this list updated.

I am linking up today, go visit these linky parties and support other creative blogs!

Christmas Day 2011

2012-01-30T23:32:00.003-06:00

On Christmas Day my mom, sister and brother came over to my house for breakfast and gifts. I made my own Christmas tree this year, thanks to an inspiring photo on Pinterest.

one tomato cage + four strands of garland + five strands of lights + tablecloth = Christmas tree!

I got up early and made breakfast for the family. French bread has to soak in an egg mixture overnight, so Christmas morning I only had to add a few more ingredients and put the casserole in the oven.

melted butter, brown sugar, pecans for french toast bake

I put together a tray of hot chocolate goodies. I didn't know until recently that you can buy around a small number of marshmallows in a tiny package, it was the perfect amount to add to the top of a few hot chocolate cups.

mint and dark chocolate flavored hot chocolate with marshmallow

I had a little time after cooking before the family arrived, so I logged on to Pinterest again to find an interesting way to fold my napkins. I bought these napkins at Target; maybe eventually I will make my own. I love this napkin fold, it creates a little pocket to put your utensils in.

Over breakfast (which included mimosas, yum!) we talked about a possible zombie apocalypse and all the things we would need to do in order to survive. My sister asked lots of thought provoking questions about what each of us would contribute to a new society of humans that was surrounded by zombies. I would sew everyone's clothes and other necessary textile items, of course.

recipe at the end of this post

We took a few family photos; it is hard to look good from this angle, but our silly photos are fun to create. Our 2009 Christmas photo is still my favorite. I printed it on to a pillow that I made for my mom.

Four corner photo

Head Stack 2011

Head Stack 2011 has become our new catch phrase, every time we mention our Christmas Day events.

After that we sat by the tree and opened gifts. I received lots of great things, but the funniest thing was the little surprise I found when I opened a gift from my brother. He is in his first year of college and did a great job shopping for the family and helping my mom to wrap his gifts. (Except for two bags of gifts that he handed to me on Christmas Eve and asked me to wrap for my mom and a few other people. I finished those up at 2:30 in the morning.) But he is still young, and a boy, and so he didn't notice that he added some trash to my gift.

I found a gum wrapper inside a gift from my brother

After gifts we made hot chocolate and egg nog lattes, prepared a snack and sat down to watch Malibu's Most Wanted.

In the early afternoon my sister left to visit her boyfriend's family, my mom went home to take a nap, and my brother went home to play a new video game. I had a great Christmas with my family, our time together was a lot of fun.
I had the rest of the day to myself to sew, get caught up on some ironing, and plan out some new quilt projects. I made a fire, opened a beer, and appliqued these outfits for a sweet little boy that I know and his sister, she will be born in February.

airplane shirt for Q

butterfly onesie for baby Davis

Side note: When I gave the shirt to Q. a couple of weeks later, he said, "This isn't a Christmas gift. These are just clothes!" He was not impressed with my sewing ability or his one of a kind gift.

Two years in a row I have managed to set off the smoke detectors when I try to light my first fire of the winter season in my fire place. Somehow the flue gets closed during the year, but I don't realize it and the next thing I know my apartment is full of smoke. This year though, I made a successful fire without setting off any alarms...

...and then I tried to iron some laundry. I have a new blouse that is made of some rayon or polyester; I don't know exactly because I removed the tag. It has an undershirt and a sheer top over that, and for some reason the manufacturers put the tag on the inside of the sheer top so it is visible when I wear it. That makes no sense to me and so I cut it out. I thought to myself that the tag probably says Use a Cool Iron, but that never gets any wrinkles out, so I thought I would iron it just a bit. Just for a second or two.

big hole in my new shirt from the iron

the piece of my shirt that was burned off

This set off the smoke alarm nearest to me, which in turn set off all the others ones in the apartment. It didn't take very long to get those quiet again and then I set to work cleaning my iron. And I threw my shirt in the trash. I have decided to make an effort not to buy clothing made of that material anymore.

my poor Rowenta

my hero

looking like new and ready to get back to work

I had a wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and then a week long holiday from work. I went to Fort Worth to visit my dad's family, which was fun and filled with more adventures. Including this:

my uncle and I attempt to work on my Honda's oil leak in his garage

French Toast Bake

12 day-old French bread

5 eggs

2 ½ c milk

1 c packed brown sugar, divided

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp ground nutmeg

1 c chopped pecans

¼ c butter or margarine, melted

2 c fresh or frozen blueberries

Arrange bread in a greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish. In a bowl, combine the eggs, milk, ¾ c brown sugar, vanilla, and nutmeg; pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Sprinkle pecans over egg mixture. Combine butter and remaining sugar; drizzle over top. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with blueberries. Bake 10 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Yield: 6 servings

Christmas Eve 2011

2012-01-25T15:21:00.003-06:00

I am finally getting around to writing about all the fun activities that happened over Christmas.

My mom's large family always has a Christmas Eve party. We used to have this party at my grandma and grandpa's house, but they are getting older and my grandma has been having a harder time with her leukemia lately and she can't host our holiday gatherings anymore.

One of my aunts lives right down the road from my grandparents and she is so nice to have everyone over to her house for our celebration. I made these delicious sesame seed green beans for the occasion. They are simple to make and so yummy.

My brother is a Christmas Eve baby and my younger sister is usually the baker of our family birthday cakes. (Last year she made me a delicious margarita cake!) But this year she has been so busy that the task sneaked up on her, so I told her that I would make a cake for Ivan.
I looked around at the grocery store trying to come up with something more exciting than a yellow cake mix in a box. I found a recipe for chocolate cake with chocolate frosting on the back of a package of baking chocolate. Then I found a bag of Andes® Crème de Menthe Baking Chips, delicious! I asked my sister to help me figure out how much baking chocolate I could replace with the Andes baking chips without making it too minty or not minty enough. I think it came out well except that I had a hard time getting the icing on the sides to look very good.

When we arrived at my aunt's house I sprinkled some mint baking chips on top and put in those adorable candles. I only wish that I had remembered the glass cake stand that I have at home instead of bringing that plastic one. Ivan seemed to enjoy his cake and I am glad that so many family members were there to celebrate with him.

Ivan's birthday cake

The other exciting thing about Christmas Eve was the quilt that Robin and I made for our grandma for her 82nd birthday. You can read more about that here and here.

Robin, Grandma, Grandpa, me with the side of the quilt that I made

Robin and me, with her bento box side of the quilt

W.i.P Wednesday 07

2012-01-18T16:02:00.003-06:00

I don't have much to report here about actual sewing because I still don't have my Janome back from the shop.
I have made some progress in other creative areas so I'll tell you about that.

I bought the white towels that I need to make my Valentine's Day towels. When I am finished they will look something like this.

I bought a basket to house my fabric scraps. New rule in the sewing studio: my amount of fabric scraps may not exceed what can fit into this basket.

I have a custom order to make 40 note cards from a customer that bought two sets of cards from me in December. He was visiting Austin from Washington D.C. and came by my First Thursday booth. It is exciting to have customers from across the country! I have paper, note cards, ink and stamps. Now I just need the time to sit down and assemble them.

I'm also planning to make Valentine's Day cards to send out to friends and family. I have addressed all the envelopes, and chosen the paper, stamps, ink, ribbon and thread. Now I just need to cut up the paper and sew it down onto my cards. Then write in them, seal them up, put stamps on them and mail them out. I have plenty of time, right? There are only 48 cards...

I was cleaning the house the other day and I found the pattern for this purse that I am making. I was so excited to find it, and I also went to the store to get another copy of the instructions for the double sided fusible interfacing that I am using for the purse handles.

I ordered the rest of the fabric that I need for a secret quilt top that I am making for a family member. All I can say for now is...Kona Solids... (and I found it in my mailbox today!)

I haven't made any progress on the baby blanket for my friend Abbey. The blocks call out to me every day when I come home from work, "Square us up! Pin sashing strips to us!" But so far it hasn't happened. (That baby will be here next week! Eek!)

I bought Christmas fabric after the holiday to make two table toppers, one for my sister and one for me. I washed and ironed the fabric. Now I am just waiting for my sister to tell me the width of her table so that I can cut the pieces out.

I am making plans with my cousin Robin to make a quilt for her brother. He is stationed in Afghanistan right now and we are hoping to finish a quilt by April so that he can get it when he comes home on leave. I will post more about that later. We are fabric shopping this weekend.

Oh, yes. Today is my birthday and my family and friends have lots of fun things planned. Yesterday my cousins, aunt and I went to trivia at the sports bar and they brought cupcakes and we had tequila shots! Tonight I am going to Torchy's Tacos with my cousin Sarah for dinner. Tomorrow night I'll have dinner with my good friend Abbey at Monument Cafe. This Friday a group of my cousins along with a couple of friends, Mackenzie and Jenn, are going to see a Master Pancake Theater show at Alamo Drafthouse. On Sunday my mom, brother, sister and a few aunts and cousins will be having lunch at Polvos. I am so excited for all of these fun birthday events, I have already started thinking of how I will design my thank you cards. I'll post some pictures when they are finished.

I am linking up with Freshly Pieced today, check it out!

Pleated Towels

2012-01-17T10:03:00.003-06:00

These towels are a birthday gift for my friend Mackenzie. She bought two sets of pot holders that I made using this fun P & B retro kitchen fabric. After receiving those she said she would like to have some matching hand towels. I showed her the pleated pillow tutorial that I had recently read in American Patchwork & Quilting. The tutorial is called Jolly Holiday and was designed by Anna Griffin. At the end of the tutorial is a short explanation by the executive editor on how to dress up a kitchen towel using the same pleated fabric idea. Mackenzie said that she liked the look but also wanted to add some sort of closure so that her toddler twins wouldn't be able to pull the towel off the rack and drag it around on the floor.

towels with button closures

I found these snap closures on a strip of white fabric at the craft store and cut it into four small sections. Sewing the pieces to the towel proved to be difficult because the presser foot and the buttons kept getting in the way of each other. Eventually, I just removed the foot and sewed them down without it.

sewing the buttons down, without a foot

the pleats

finished toddler proof towel

I made these Aggie towels as a White Elephant gift for my family's Christmas Eve gathering. Lots of my cousins, aunts and uncles are Texas A&M University Alumni, and my brother is a freshman there now.
I used my aunt's embroidery machine to sew the word 'Howdy' on each towel using maroon thread and at the bottom of the towel I added some maroon fabric folded into pleats. There is a one inch strip of fabric at the top of the pleats to give it a clean line.

the pleats require a lot of pins to hold them in place

My aunt Janet received these towels in the White Elephant gift exchange; all three of her kids went to A&M so I think the towels found a good home. My family had lunch at her house yesterday to spend time with my aunt and uncle who are visiting from Colorado, and Aunt Janet had a Howdy towel hanging up at the kitchen sink.

finished Aggie towel

I have plans to make a few sets of Valentine's Day towels, and after making these two sets, I think the Valentine towels will be slightly different. The fabric is cut, the towels have been washed, I bought matching thread yesterday, and I have started folding the pleats and pinning them down.
My sewing machine is being cleaned and serviced, and hopefully soon I will get a phone call letting me know it is ready to be picked up.
I have been without it for eleven days so far and my projects are beginning to stack up.

Benefit for Michael Adams

2012-01-13T15:32:00.002-06:00

I don't know Michael Adams. I didn't know anything about him until yesterday afternoon when my friend Mackenzie sent me a link to his benefit website and asked if I would like to make a donation to their silent auction. Mackenzie doesn't know Michael Adams either, but her friend Kristin knows someone who knows him.

I love that the world can work this way. I know someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows Michael and through the powers of generosity of spirit and technology his situation has been brought to my attention.

Michael was recently diagnosed with stage four cancer and his family, which includes a wife and three children, need help paying all of his medical bills. The benefit will be held on Saturday, January 14th at the Salvage Vanguard Theater in Austin from 5 to 8 p.m. There will be local musicians, a silent auction, kids activities and food. Donations can also be made on the website if you are unable to attend the benefit but still want to contribute.

Kristin met with me today and selected three of my things to add to the auction.

baby blanket

set of pot holders

purse with yellow duct tape lining

I hope that the event will be a success tomorrow and I am glad that I had the opportunity to make my first donation so early in the new year.

W.i.P. Wednesday 06

2012-01-11T07:14:00.000-06:00

I am working on several things in the New Year. My work in progress table is stacked high with projects that were started last year, so I am hoping to work twice as much to clear out old projects while still completing new projects.

A good friend of mine is having a baby soon and these are a couple of blocks for that quilt. I fussy cut animals from Michael Miller's Zoology in Lagoon for the centers of these wonky log cabins.

When I was visiting family in Fort Worth after Christmas, my aunt and I cut out the backing, sashing, borders, and binding.

This week my Janome is in the shop having its yearly cleaning and some repairs done. I feel lost without it. But it gives me time this week to square up the 12 blocks and get my binding pinned together so it is ready to sew when my machine comes home this weekend. I am working on the assumption that it will be ready for me to pick up on Saturday, because I really want (need) to have it this weekend.

This purse was started last year in November when the quilt guild went on a retreat. I have the bottom of the purse completed. The outside fabric and interfacing as well as the lining fabric and its interfacing are put together and ready for the handles to be attached. The handles are on hold because I lost the instructions for the double sided fusible interfacing and need to go to the store to get more.
Actually the entire purse is on hold while I try to find the pattern for it.

I was packing up some work to take with me for an evening of babysitting a friend's son and I thought I put the instructions in my bag so that I could sew the flower together while he slept. But I think I may have put the instructions in my bag of recyclables instead. It was by the front door so that I could take it outside on my way to the car. When I got home and looked around the house for the pattern, I realized I may have accidentally recycled it. I went out to the bin at 11 p.m. and tried to look around but I didn't have any luck finding it. So I am going to wait a bit and see if it turns up in my sewing studio, and if not I will buy a new pattern so that I can finish this purse.

I love this flower that will go on the outside of this bag!

I cut out two types of Valentine's fabric so that I could make some more sets of kitchen towels. I made some for Christmas gifts last month. I really like the way these turn out, I am going to try to finish pinning the pleats this week so that this weekend they will be ready to be sewn onto the towels. Also, I have to go to the store and pick up some more white towels.

Valentine's Day fabric for my towels


Valentine's Day fabric for my cousin's towels

I am linking up with Freshly Pieced for this W.i.P. Wednesday! Stop by and check out some other amazing bloggers and what they have been up to lately!

Grandma's quilt for her 82nd birthday

2012-01-09T09:32:00.002-06:00

This is a very special quilt that my cousin Robin and I made for our grandma, who turned 82 on December 26, 2011.

Robin and I talked about what kind of quilt to make for our grandma, who is usually a very traditional quilter. Our quilting styles are more modern, and I struggled a bit deciding how to bring traditional and modern quilting styles together into something that I could be proud to have made and that my grandma would enjoy using.

In planning this quilt we decided that it would be fun to each make our own sides of the quilt without telling the other person what we were working on. I had no idea about Robin's choices regarding color palette, block design, or decisions about using a modern vs. traditional style.

I thought about our two quilt tops a lot in the months that we were piecing them together. Will the two sides work together? Will the colors clash? Are we making two very similar things and there won't be enough contrast between the two? Whose crazy idea was this to keep our quilt tops a secret from each other? (It was Robin's, I'm sure. She is the one who usually comes up with the crazy ideas, quilting or otherwise.)

Robin's side of the lap quilt, bento box blocks

my side of the lap quilt, string pieced blocks

In the end, our two quilt tops worked together very well. We both used blue and green fabrics, and my batiks have a hint of pink in a few of the fabrics, which works well with her pinks and reds. We quilted it using a light blue thread and a heart pattern, but we set the quilt up on a long arm quilting machine that I wasn't used to using, and to be honest, I did a poor job of quilting it. My hearts were more square than round, my points were more often loops. And so we decided the best thing to do would be to rip out all of the quilting and try again. Ripping out quilting thread on the 48 by 60 quilt took a couple of weeks and then we went back to the quilter's for round two.

The second time around we chose a light pink thread and Robin quilted it using a free hand meandering pattern and it turned out very well. We squared it up, and realized that we needed to make a couple of repairs to Robin's side, you can read more about that on her blog.

We chose one of Robin's Moda red fabrics for the binding to help bring some of Robin's red over to my side of the quilt. Robin pieced the binding together and I sewed it down to the quilt and made the label.

quilt label includes a Margaret Kennedy quote about family

Robin, Grandma, Grandpa, and me on Christmas Eve

and we're back.

2012-01-05T14:52:00.001-06:00

It seems ridiculous that I haven't posted anything here in three weeks. Where did the time go? I had 12 days off of work for the Christmas and New Year holidays and somehow I still have a million things on my to do list. I am trying to feel ok about it because I did have a really great holiday. I had time to visit with lots of family members, played games, ate great food, received some amazing gifts, drove north to visit more family, came home to have a weenie roast in my grandpa's pasture on New Year's Day. Yeah, I said it. Weenie Roast. Hot dogs and s'mores cooked over the fire. But when you're in the pasture they aren't called hot dogs; they are called weenies.

Anyway, now I am back at work and feeling pretty overwhelmed, but I am planning to spend my weekend doing only three things: go to the gym on Saturday morning, run a few errands, and then come home and tackle that to do list! I'll put on pajama pants, make some popcorn, open a beer, and then get busy. And I won't leave again until Monday morning to go to work. Some of the things I need to get done are the regular never ending household chores, as well as sewing, blog work, editing photos, cutting fabric for new projects, planning two new quilts that I need to start soon and working out the details for a few upcoming quilt donation projects for the Austin Modern Quilt Guild.

Eek! Only one problem with that: one of my errands is to drop off my Janome for the yearly cleaning and maintenance. I injured my machine over the Thanksgiving holiday, but haven't taken it in to get it fixed because I needed it. Really, really needed it. To finish all the Christmas gifts I decided to make. Next year I either have to make less gifts or start working on them earlier. You probably know which option I am going to choose.

So to revise the plan: Friday evening after work I will be sewing a few things that need to be finished. Then Saturday and Sunday I can focus on other things that need to get done while my machine is in the shop.
Like that big pile of washed fabric stash that is (still) waiting to be ironed and folded. And putting away the Christmas tree that is currently sitting in my kitchen.

The real reason I started this blog post was not to complain and whine about how busy I am, but to say that I want to participate in a challenge that I just read about over at Stitched in Color. It is a Scrap Attack Quilt Along. I'll probably be kicking myself later because the deadline for finishing this quilt is in March. Of this year. But there are no rules about the size of the finished quilt so I think I can handle it.

I'll be writing again soon. I have lots of things to share!

W.i.P Wednesday 05

2011-12-14T10:17:00.003-06:00

Once again, let's make this a quick post today.

After Christmas I plan to start working again on some things that have been on my "in progress" table for quite some time. I would like to get this table cleaned off because I am thinking about buying a new table for my studio that is big enough to hold my cut mat. Because guess where my cut mat is right now. Where it sits every day unless I am hosting a family lunch or book club meeting...It is on my kitchen counter. The counter is the perfect size to hold this mat and I use it every day so I never put it away. But I think in the new year I need to move this into the studio and also consider making a curtain to close off the studio so that I can put my work away sometimes and not look at it.

Between working full time, a long commute each day, and trying to make gifts and items to sell in the evenings and on weekends, I feel like I work all the time. I feel like I need to be working all the time, and especially so when I come home and one of the first things I see is my cut mat with projects on it that are waiting to be finished. I need to start scheduling some time off, some breaks and more fun. I can't remember the last time I sat on the patio with a coffee and a book and took some time to relax. Oh wait, yes, I do remember. It was April 2009. Some changes are coming in the new year.

Anyway, back to what I am working on right now and next month we can get back to some studio revisions and priority shifts.

This is another Anna Maria Horner Figure 8 scarf kit, but I chose different fabric this time. The first one that I made turned out so lovely and I immediately I ordered another kit. (And I see more in my future.)

I am making these pot holders to sell in my Etsy shop. They have cute coffee mugs on the front in a brown and blue batik fabric. Why did I just take a picture of the solid teal backs? I guess because I am adding these teal loops for the person that wants to buy these. They will be finished and shipped by the end of the week.

I made a little progress on the applique on this baby outfit. I satin stitched around the center of the flower because the right color of thread was already in my machine. Also, the thread belongs to my cousin Robin and I wanted to use it before I return it to her.

Speaking of Robin, here is the quilt that she and I are making for our grandma. The binding is just about finished, I am giving it to Robin this evening so that she can wash it. Then it just needs one more label sewn on, we will have a photo shoot, and then I will wrap it up in birthday paper! I am so excited to give this to Grandma next week, I think she will really like it.

Slight progress on the satin stitch on this outfit. I like this tree, but my applique stitch is not great. I need more practice on curves for sure.

This picture is kind of silly and pointless, because it is just yellow fabric. I am making it for a family member that reads this blog and so this is all that I can show for now. I planned for this to be a quick project that I could finish in an afternoon and of course it has not turned out that way. One more trip to the fabric store tomorrow evening and I hope to finish this over the weekend.

I am excited to link up with Freshly Pieced on Wednesdays again in January!

Art display at Starbucks

2011-12-13T14:54:00.000-06:00

I currently have artwork on display at Starbucks on Louis Henna in Round Rock. Stop by for a coffee and have a closer look. The orange and green pieces on the left are made by sewing beads down onto the canvas. The shoe, titled Agonizing and Beautiful, is made from canvas fabric which is then sewn to the canvas with embroidery thread.

Thanks to Phillip, the Starbucks manager, and the employees for hauling the ladder out for me and being patient while I move tables around and create a bit of a mess. And thanks to Debra, amazing artist, fellow Starbucks art displayer, and dear friend.

Explored Once Again

2011-12-12T14:51:00.000-06:00

This is a 12 by 36 gallery wrapped canvas. I painted the bright orange background with acrylic paints and then hand sewed individual beads down to create the flowers and ground. I really like combining orange and blue lately, I think I am inspired by my friend Abbey and her wonderful paintings.

I have two smaller paintings that sit next to each other at art shows. Several shoppers have commented on how much they enjoy the blue and orange next to each other.

This piece is currently hanging with two other paintings at a local Starbucks.

Explored Once Again

detail

As Seen Through the Fog

2011-12-11T14:41:00.000-06:00

This is a 12 by 36 gallery wrapped canvas. I painted the green background with acrylic paints and then hand sewed individual beads down to create the flowers and ground.This piece has nothing to do with fog, but I finished it while enduring a horrible allergy headache and so my brain felt very foggy and lost.

It is currently hanging with two other paintings at a local Starbucks.

As Seen Through the Fog

detail

peanut babies

2011-12-09T14:51:00.000-06:00

I made these outfits for Hudson and Ellisa for their first birthday party. Their mother, Mackenzie, had the idea to create peanut onesies for them to wear to the party, and so I used some scrap fabric from the table topper that I made for my grandmother, and Mackenzie gave me some ribbon that she has used in several decor projects in the twins bedroom as well as their party invitations. Mackenzie drew some peanut shapes for me, I appliqued them to the shirts, and added a hair bow to Ellisa's and a bow tie to Hudson's. They twins looked adorable at their party!

Hudson

Ellisa

the twins are getting tired

W.i.P. Wednesday 04

2011-12-07T10:00:00.000-06:00

This is going to be a quick post because I should be sitting and binding a quilt that I want (need) to finish today. There is no W.i.P. link up with Freshly Pieced today because everyone is so busy with the holidays and that will resume in early January.

Last Saturday my cousin Robin and I quilted our grandma's quilt again on the long arm. It looks much better this time, and we just need to finish up some minor adjustments to the borders on Robin's side of the quilt. It was hard to keep it straight as we rolled it through the long arm and things didn't come out entirely square. But I am almost ready to put the binding on and hand sew it and then Robin can wash it! It will be ready in time for Grandma's birthday after Christmas.

I am planning to make four of these bags as Christmas gifts for children. So cute and practical! I bought the rest of my supplies last night at Hobby Lobby and I hope to make a lot of progress on these this Sunday. Really all I have so far is a pile of fabric for each bag. I am using lots of fabrics from my stash and I bought a few yards to supplement from Valli and Kim in Wimberley at the weekend retreat with the quilt guild.
I need to cut 40 of these pie shaped pieces for each bag. Four bags multiplied by forty pieces is 160 pie slices. How many have I cut? Two. (sigh)

I am still working on organizing my fabric stash. This suitcase holds the yardage that has been ironed and folded.The rest of my fabric stash has been washed but still needs ironing and folding. I am using this stash organizing tutorial from Happy Zombie, and it is working very well. Except that I don't have enough suitcases. I may end up putting some of these on an existing shelf on my studio.

This is everything in my stash that is not a cotton fabric.

These are some onesies for my friends' twins. I just need to stitch them, but I haven't decided what kind of stitch to use yet; I imagine it will either be a blanket stitch or a satin stitch.

I'm off to finish my binding so that I can cross this flannel quilt off of my list!

Afternoon update: The flannel quilt is finished!

Floor quilts for kids

2011-12-06T10:57:00.000-06:00

I have been making these floor quilts for children over the last several months. The quilt tops are a cotton fabric over a bamboo/cotton blend batting to give the kids something soft to play on. The backs are either a sturdy canvas fabric or a laminate fabric. This gives the floor quilt some versatility. You can use it outside in the grass and wipe down the laminate with a damp cloth afterward. Or use the quilt with the laminate side facing up so that kids can play with play-doh, paints, shaving cream, or other activities that can become messy. A few of them have ribbon tags to attach toys to as well.

I really like the way these pictures came out; they were taken by Bethany Lowen of Betty Lou Project.

I also had some great models for this photo shoot, Ellisa and Hudson of P for Peanuts.

Holiday Artists Market

2011-12-05T09:49:00.000-06:00

There is less than a week until this holiday market! I hope the weather will be pleasant, come and join us for some great Christmas shopping opportunities.
Vendors include:
•Aikumee
•CEMO designs
•Chaos Card Company
•Cuddlestar
•dmac & Bean: Opposites Attract
Drawings & Paintings
•Hammer It Out
•I Love Indigo
•Splendid Calm Textiles
•Kailo Chic
•Knitcrawler
•LaLa
•Linger Bath & Body
•M Squared Jewelry
•Merchant Ship Collective
•Ooh La La
•The Plaid Pigeon
•Sylvie Marie Bohemian Bags
•Tasty Jewelry
•Textile Fetish/Jennifer Ramos Photography
•Third Coast Art Glass
•Tiny Arms Designs
•Vintage Rose

W.i.P. Wednesday 03

2011-11-30T07:00:00.000-06:00

So a lot of these things were listed on my WIP Wed. post from last week. I had a holiday from work the entire week of Thanksgiving and I managed to get a lot accomplished. So technically, most of these are finished products.

This is a play mat for my cousin. I quilted it without batting so that it would be a flat surface for his cars and trains to drive on. I used a laminated fabric backing so that he can use it outside in the grass, or use the laminate side to play with play-doh, shaving cream, watercolors, or other messy things.

I made two of these "Howdy" towels with pleated maroon fabric on the bottom. The set will be my White Elephant gift at my family's Christmas Eve party. There are tons of Aggies in my family, so I hope that they will be a popular item in the game.

This is another set of two towels, I gave them to my friend Mackenzie for her birthday. She asked for towels that attached to the towel rack so that her twins could not pull them down and drag them around on the floor. There are buttons underneath so that it is secured to the towel rack. The fabric matches a set of pot holders that she recently bought from my Etsy site.

This is a 12.5 inch block that I made for a donation quilt. The Austin Modern Quilt Guild is making a quilt to donate to an auction held by Artists Against Cancer. One of our guild members is piecing the quilt top together using blocks made by several of our members. I will be quilting it on the long arm this weekend, and the silent auction will be held on December 11.

I made this Figure 8 scarf last weekend and gave it to my step daughter as a birthday gift. I only had time to take this photo of myself wearing it before going to her house for dinner. It turned out well, and was not difficult to make. At first I sewed the seams down in a funny way and then it wasn't laying flat and I couldn't close it up nicely. It was midnight and so I decided to go to bed and look at it again in the morning. Laying in bed trying to fall asleep, I kept thinking of how to solve the problem, and realized that I needed to rip it out and lay the seams flat before I sewed it down. It is hard to explain without photos, of which I have none, so suffice to say this scarf kept me up at night, but when I tried my proposed solution the next day it worked and the finished product looks fantastic! I would really like to make a few more of these scarves, Anna Maria Horner's kit made it so easy and her instructions are great.

Update on the quilt for my grandma. I am still ripping out the quilting and we only have three days left. My cousin had it for a week and ripped some out and I worked on it for at least five hours yesterday, it gave me a headache. I know we will get it finished, if necessary Robin will come to my house Friday night and we will stay up late and rip it out until it is finished so that we are ready to quilt at nine a.m. on Saturday morning.

I am linking up with the Freshly Pieced blog, go check it out!

floor quilts, pre-quilted fabric

2011-11-29T09:47:00.000-06:00

I have been making these floor quilts for children over the last several months. These are made with pre-quilted fabric, so they are simple to put together. I added some binding and a few of them have ribbon tags to attach toys to. They are intended to give little ones a soft play mat on the floor and can also be used outside in the grass.

I really like the way these pictures came out; they were taken by Bethany Lowen of Betty Lou Project.


Amy Butler, from the Love fabric line

W.i.P. Wednesday 02

2011-11-23T20:38:00.000-06:00

Happy Wednesday! I am working on tons of projects now, and today I finally finished six tote bags! Yay! I think I will put these Heather Bailey totes into a separate post later, but I'll give you a little preview today.

folded Heather Bailey totes

Heather Bailey shopping totes

These will be kitchen towels for a friend of mine. She has some potholders that I made using this Helen Dardik fabric from her Mod Kitchen line.

I use these labels from Namemaker on my quilts and pot holders and things. I bought this ribbon from them for the first time and it looks great! I'm going to use it to wrap my floor quilts. I am participating in three craft shows this December and have a few things to do to get ready for that.

This is one of four canvases that I am currently working on. (excuse the horrible lighting, please) This Sunday I am displaying artwork at a local Starbucks. I have a lot to do to finish these, yikes!

I am making this play mat for my little cousin. I sewed the binding on today, and I just need to decide if I am hand sewing or machine sewing the binding to the front.

These are shirts for the twins that I take care of. I bought pants to match these tops. I ironed the pieces on, I just need to finish the applique. Still thinking about which stitch to use- blanket stitch, satin stitch, straight stitch? So many choices, sadly my favorite vine and leaf stitch doesn't work for these animals.

These towels will be for my family's white elephant gift exchange. Most of my family members are big Aggie fans, and when I helped my brother move in to his dorm this fall at Texas A&M I learned that they say "Howdy" to each other. Often. I just need to add some of this maroon fabric to the towels.

This is a quilt that will eventually be for sale in my Etsy shop. I sewed the binding on today and found out that I didn't make it long enough. I need to add one more piece before I can finish that up.

The other projects that I am working on are still just piles of unwashed and uncut fabric for now, so hopefully I will have made enough progress to post them next Wednesday. I'm linking up with Freshly Pieced, click the button to check it out!

Austin Empty Bowl Project 2011

2011-11-21T20:27:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I went to the Austin Empty Bowl Project with my mom, aunt, and cousin. Austin area potters and residents donate hundreds of hand made and/or hand painted bowls, and local restaurants and chefs donate soup and bread for the event. Each bowl costs twenty dollars, it is washed and then filled with soup. The money benefits Kids Cafe, an organization that provides hot meals, after school care, and tutoring for Austin children. It is such a fun event, I am really glad that we were able to attend. The first time I went to the Empty Bowl was in 2009 and I bought two bowls.

2009 bowl

the bowl is darker than this, my camera flash brought out the lighter brown color. I wanted to show the blue that is hiding beneath the surface.

We missed the 2010 Empty Bowl Project because my family was in Rockne at a baptism for this little guy:

This year I intended to buy only one bowl, but couldn't help myself and I brought home two. They have tables and tables covered with bowls, and as people pick them up to purchase them, volunteers bring more bowls from a back room to fill in the empty space. At the end of the event, there were still lots of bowls left. They will be sold throughout the year at an Austin farmer's market to continue fundraising for Kids Cafe.

After at least two hours of bowl shopping, I sat down to a bowl of delicious corn chowder from the restaurant Sazon. My mom had the gumbo from Bistrot Mirabelle; I had a taste and it was yummy too. When my cousin and aunt sat down with us, guess what they had...corn chowder and gumbo!

2011 bowl

I bought this bowl with the intention of giving it to a friend for Christmas. Today I realized that I would like to make her a gift from a kit by Anna Maria Horner if I have time. If I do, I will keep this bowl at my house because I love it so.

2011 bowl

again, my flash brought out this red color

Someday I hope to have a large collection of Empty Bowl Project bowls in my kitchen. I can't wait to go again next year.

my family. Do you like how our photographer didn't include the complete signage in our photo?

W.i.P. Wednesday 01

2011-11-16T09:56:00.001-06:00

I bought these adorable fabrics during a recent family trip to Las Vegas.
I already posted pictures of the fabric, but I have finally starting cutting into it. I decided to start pre-washing my fabric, so I had to wash and iron these before I was ready to begin. Washing all of my fabric stash has become a huge project that I probably won't finish until after Christmas.
I am planning to make several shopping totes using the Heather Bailey pattern, New Leaf Folding Totes.These will be Christmas gifts so I really need to get to work.
This weekend I am going on a sewing retreat with the Austin Modern Quilt Guild, I am a member (and officer) of that group. I am really excited to have some dedicated sewing time without the distractions of my computer and the pile of laundry that needs to be ironed.

This will be another Heather Bailey bag. The carrot fabric is technically my lining, but this bag is reversible! I am so excited to see how it turns out; it may be a Christmas gift for someone, but honestly I may need to keep it for myself as an early birthday present.

Here are some rough photos of a quilt that my cousin Robin and I are working on together. Our grandma will be turning 82 right after Christmas and we decided to each make a quilt top and sandwich them back to back to make one quilt for her. We quilted it last Saturday on the long arm, and it did not turn out well. We decided to rip it out and quilt again on December 3rd. That gives us just enough time to add the binding, take some pictures, and wrap it up for Grandma.

Robin's quilt top: Kona white and various Moda fabrics

My quilt top: at least seven batiks from The Quilt Store

Two little peanuts

2011-11-06T22:20:00.000-06:00

When my dear friend Mackenzie told me that she was pregnant and having twins, I decided to make a quilt for each baby. The first one is made from a pattern called Dot Party designed by the very talented Julie at Jaybird Quilts. I really love the raw edge applique; when I made this I had no applique experience, and raw edge was a good way to introduce myself to the process without being terrified of making mistakes.

Ellisa's baby quilt

The second quilt is made from a pattern called Dancing Squares by Nancy Mahoney.

I really love this quilt, and was sad when it left my home to go live with Hudson. I was able to keep a bit of it though, because of a miscalculation made late at night after a long day of sewing.

When I finished this quilt my aunt told me something that I decided to take as a compliment. "Jessica, when you start these projects I see your color and fabric choices, and I just think, 'I don't know about that...' But once you put it together and I see the finished product, it looks great."

Hudson's baby quilt

The twins, Hudson and Ellisa, were born over a year ago, and they are growing up so fast. I stay informed by reading Mackenzie's family blog, p for peanuts. I have made other things for the twins since they have been born, including the outfits that they wore to their first birthday party. I am excited to continue to watch them grow and change and I plan to make more quilts for them in the future.

90th birthday quilt

2011-10-25T15:01:00.002-05:00

I made this quilt at the request of my mother in law. She commissioned it as a gift for her mother and gave it to her this August for her 90th birthday.

It was a challenge to make, each piece is a one inch square. The entire quilt is 79 inches square; I'm not a calculator, but that is a lot of tiny squares! I had many arguments with this quilt, we had a hard time living together for a while, but in the end it came together and I met my deadline.
I quilted it with dark brown thread in a meander pattern, I wanted something simple because the blocks are detailed. (and because I was ready to bind it, put it in a box and mail it far away from me)

I do think it is a beautiful quilt and I am glad that my mother in law and I could choose the fabric and the pattern together.

Fabric Boutique shopping spree in Vegas

2011-10-13T14:36:00.002-05:00

While on vacation in Las Vegas last month I made time to take a cab over to Fabric Boutique. Not a typical Vegas outing, but I really enjoyed the store. I bought a lot of fabric to make some Christmas gifts. The cab rides there and back to the hotel were not cheap, so in order to make the trip worthwhile, I had to buy a lot of fabric. At least, that is how I am rationalizing the shopping spree.

I am planning to make several shopping totes using the Heather Bailey pattern, New Leaf Folding Totes. The food fabric will be the placed in the center panel and the other two fabrics will be the inside and outside of each tote. Exceptions: the garlic purse will have the dark brown fabric on the inside and outside of the tote, and the blue floral fabric will be the center panel for the fabric group without food.
I am going to spend this weekend sewing with my aunt and cousin. We have been known to sew until two in the morning, so as long as I can do that without making any late night mistakes, I should make a lot of progress.

I also bought fabric for a reversible purse, Heather Bailey's Marlo Bloom Handbag.

Honestly, I may need to keep this one for myself. I haven't made many things that are reversible, but if I can do it successfully I think this bag will turn out to be pretty cute. I know that when I see my aunts this weekend they will be skeptical of the purple and orange combination, but I am hoping that there is enough orange in this purple batik to pull it all together in the end.

Ty Pennington fabric challenge

2011-10-03T14:55:00.002-05:00

After brainstorming about some different local charities and non profit organizations the Austin Modern Quilt Guild has made a decision about where the product of our Ty Pennington fabric challenge will be donated. We have decided to use our many beautiful blocks to make two quilts. These two quilts will be donated to two families living in North Austin whose homes burned down on August 22 of this year.
Thanks to the organizations that helped our guild to make this donation possible: Westminster Fabrics and Ty Pennington Fabrics for donating 12 yards of fabric from the stunning Impressions collection, Walker Hall Design for donating additional Pennington fabric, and The Quilt Store in Austin for making a donation as well.
Thank you to all of you in the guild that have helped by making one or more blocks to use in these quilts.
I am very excited to start the next step of our process; piecing the tops and backs of these two special quilts. We should be ready to deliver them to the families very soon.

One of the first...

2011-09-27T14:40:00.000-05:00

This is one of the first quilts that I made when I began quilting in 2009. I bought a kit that included the pattern, as well as all the fabric for the top of the quilt and the binding. The blocks are 8 by 16 inch rectangles so the quilt top was easy to put together. I bought the backing fabric from JoAnn Fabric and Craft, and quilted it at home on my Brother machine with dark brown Guetermann thread.

My grandmother told me that as a quilter, I should keep one of my first projects for myself so that after some time has passed I can refer to it and then clearly see the progression of my skills and creativity. I keep this lap quilt on the arm of my couch and I use it when I am watching a movie or to take an afternoon nap. (each of these is a rare occurrence, who has time for naps when there is sewing to be done?)

While I think this is a well made quilt, I do see a difference in the workmanship between this quilt and the things that I make now. I am so lucky to have two wonderful grandmothers and an aunt to learn this skill from and share ideas with. (Even though they give the stink eye to some of my more modern ideas and fabric choices.)
I have learned to share those modern ideas with another great quilter, my cousin Robin, as well as my fellow members of the Austin Modern Quilt Guild.

Wonky bento box block -12

2011-09-25T19:58:00.003-05:00

This last block was so much fun to make, there are several options in terms of layout once each individual area of color is completed. I chose this layout after a great deal of shifting pieces around and much debate. Next step: figuring out how all twelve blocks will come together. Stay tuned!

birthday quilt for baby f

2011-09-05T20:50:00.002-05:00

Check out this fun new quilt, I just finished it last week. It is a birthday gift commissioned by a mom for her sweet girl. She brought me lots of baby clothes, many of which hold special memories for the family. One of the pink plaid outfits was what the baby wore to meet extended family for the first time! I used these clothes to make the blocks for this quilt top. I was also able to use some of the flowers and decorative pieces from some of her clothing to add texture and visual interest.
I quilted it myself on the long arm machine; I have been getting lots of quilting practice lately. Soon I will have "mad meandering skills" like my cousin Robin, The Tipsy Quilter.

Wonky star block -11

2011-09-03T10:59:00.004-05:00

I am almost finished with this project! I am so excited to start putting this Block of the Month quilt together. I'm not going to use scraps for the back, binding, and borders, so I will have to make some decisions about color soon. Stay tuned to see the quilt top coming together.

Secret quilt update, final

2011-08-29T11:16:00.008-05:00

I am probably posting too many photos of this quilt, but I just really enjoy the colors and layout. I am submitting this to the 100 Days of Modern Quilting online exhibition today.
I can't wait to give this gift and also to let my grandma see the finished product. I didn't get a very good reaction from her when I showed her the fabrics that make up this quilt, they are just not her style at all, but luckily this quilt is not for her.
I am submitting a total of three quilts to the modern quilting exhibit, I will keep you posted if any of my quilts are included in the exhibit.

Modified nine patch block -10

2011-08-26T19:22:00.006-05:00

This is the tenth block for the block of the month project I am participating in as part of the Austin Modern Quilt Guild. It is a modified nine patch. I am getting excited to finish the last two blocks so that I can make decisions about sashing, borders, and quilting. Stay tuned!

Jacket for baby e

2011-08-19T22:39:00.005-05:00

I made this jacket for a friend. She needed a gift for an upcoming baby shower and brought me this jacket. We picked out fabric together and I appliqued a bird onto the back of the jacket. I "put a bird on it," as the saying goes. The project was simple and didn't take too long; it was good to get some practice machine stitching around the curves. I sewed the feet on by hand.
I hope the momma likes it!

Linking up with Pam's Pillows and Cushions Link Party at Threading My Way.

Secret quilt update, 03

2011-08-15T07:05:00.003-05:00

Time for another update. Here are the twelve completed blocks, all of these bright florals are so fun.
This is the fabric for the sashing between the blocks, the border, and the back of the quilt.
I quilted this myself using a long arm machine. The only thing left to do is put the label on the back and photograph it. I will post those photos soon, I am giving this as a gift in less than a month. I am very excited for a certain someone to see it.

String pieced block -09

2011-08-05T18:53:00.001-05:00

I really like the way this block turned out, it is so colorful. It reminds me of that Fruit Stripe gum my sister collected as a kid. Yes, I said collected. She didn't chew gum much back then, she just stockpiled it.
Anyway, the original block idea came from Kaye Prince, her blog is called Miss Print.
I chose to leave out one element from her block, and I am happy with the results. It is basically a standard string pieced block, except that I made it a little wonky.

Habitat blocks-fabric line by Jay McCarroll

2011-08-03T20:55:00.007-05:00

Recently at an Austin Modern Quilt Guild meeting I volunteered to be special events coordinator for the next twelve months. My first project was going to be organizing the group in a Jay McCarroll challenge, creating quilt blocks using fabric from his most recent line, Habitat.
I bought some fabric and made a few blocks to present at the next meeting, and then I found out that we missed the deadline to have fabric donated to our group.
This is my favorite block from that short lived project.

We switched to another very exciting challenge, which you can read about here. I will post more on my blog about it after my blocks are made.

Another block made using some Jay McCarroll Habitat fabric.

Secret quilt update, 02

2011-07-30T19:15:00.006-05:00

I have been working more on this bright floral quilt, it's time for an update. I know you have been waiting and agonizing over what is coming next.

I finished making all the nine patches and cut them into fourths. Here they are.

I had to lay them out on the floor and move them around for a while until I found a layout that I like for each block. Sometimes this process can take several days, I have to rest my eyes, take a break from looking at it and the next time I walk by and look it over I will see something that isn't working and move it somewhere else.

Once I got tired of walking around this huge area of quilt blocks on my floor, I stacked them up and sewed the disappearing nine patches together into twelve blocks.

Next time I will show you the sashing and border fabrics coming together. This is starting to look like a real quilt. I kind of wish I were making it for myself!

Pillowcases from the scraps

2011-07-20T21:14:00.000-05:00

If you refer to my quilt for a rock star post, you'll see some great Alexander Henry fabric on the back of a quilt for my brother. Depending on who I show it to, the fabric is either very popular or not appreciated at all.

I showed it to a friend of mine and he said he wanted me to make him something using some of this fabric. We decided on pillowcases and this is how they turned out.

They were a hit, and I still have some of the fabric leftover to add to my stash. I don't know what I will do with the rest of it, but it is very fun to work with.

A secret quilt, 01

2011-07-19T00:05:00.003-05:00

I am working on a new quilt, I am very excited about this one. It took me a while to decide which direction to take this quilt and I finally figured it out. Thank you to my cousin Robin and to Bill, from The Quilt Store, for staring at a huge stack of bolts with me for close to an hour. Here are the twelve fabrics that will be featured. Many of them are from the collections of Kaffe Fassett, Philip Jacobs, and Brandon Mably.

Here is an example of the nine patch that completes the first step of these blocks.
I cut the nine patch block down the middle horizontally and vertically.
This is an example of the disappearing nine patch block that will be created. But I will be using a more random approach in my piecing. The four pieces that come together to create the finished block will not all come from the same nine patch block that is cut apart.
Stay tuned for an update on this quilt. It is not technically at the top of my to do list when I consider deadlines, but it is so much fun to work on that it is hard to leave it alone. I have a feeling it will be finished soon.

How Long Have You Been Purple Like This?

2011-07-18T23:18:00.002-05:00

I finished this painting at least a year ago, but I am not very happy with it, so I am just now posting it here. I think it may be the proportions of the flowers and the stems. I plan to sew some more beads on to make the stems more substantial and see if that helps it.
I have been taking it to shows, but so far it hasn't gotten too much attention. I need to move it up on my list of projects and try to improve it some.
I bought 16 canvases during the "buy one, get one for one cent" sale at Aaron Brothers last weekend. I have some more ideas for new canvases, now I just need to designate some time to paint!

These photos were taken by Joe at Treaty Oak Photography. Thank you, Joe!

Rock Star quilt

2011-07-15T00:43:00.009-05:00

I made this quilt for my wonderful brother. He graduated from high school this May and will be attending Texas A&M in the fall. He is a wonderful singer and performer, he participated in the Texas All-State Choir show two years in a row. In trying to decide what to make for his graduation gift I thought about his piano lessons as a kid, his amazing performances as a member of the high school choir, his many hours spent playing Rock Band with friends, and his wardrobe that is inundated with skulls. I designed this original quilt pattern that I feel really speaks to his passions and talents in life. I am so proud of him, and can't wait to see what he will accomplish this fall in College Station. That reminds me that he recently auditioned for and was accepted into The Texas A&M Singing Cadets.
I used several batiks for the quilt top, appliqued each black piano key and found this great Alexander Henry fabric for the back. It was beautifully machine quilted by Kim Peterson of Austin, Texas.

These photos were taken by Joe at Treaty Oak Photography. Thank you, Joe!

Oh, my stars, it's a boy! blanket

2011-07-07T15:53:00.006-05:00

Quilt for the new addition

2011-07-05T19:55:00.010-05:00

I made this quilt for my newest cousin (the 22nd first cousin in my mom's family), her baptism was on Sunday and this was my gift to her. Lately, I have been including famous quotes on my quilt labels, this one is by Thomas Jefferson. I also was fortunate enough to borrow my aunt's embroidery machine to embroider her name and birth date onto the quilt top.
Oh, I almost forgot! This is the first quilt that I quilted myself on the long arm machine at Scrap Happy Quilting. I was very nervous to quilt it, but it helped that the fabric is busy with flowers and the thread is a cream color, so any mistakes that I did make are very difficult to notice.

The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family.
-Thomas Jefferson

Springtime quilt

2011-07-04T15:47:00.005-05:00

This quilt has been finished and sitting in my closet for months now. I finally took it out and had it photographed at Treaty Oak, a studio in Dripping Springs. Joe took wonderful photos of my artwork, I will be posting them on my Etsy site mostly, but I will also use them on this blog and to apply for art shows.

Pinwheel block -08

2011-07-04T13:38:00.008-05:00

Yet another block for the Block of the Month quilt, the pinwheel. I like the delicate lines in this block. And I think my points came together nicely. I am very excited about this project coming to its end so that I can decide how to lay these blocks out for a quilt top. I have been practicing using the long arm quilting machine, and I am excited to have the opportunity to quilt this one myself on that machine.

Wonky log cabin block -07

2011-07-04T13:35:00.006-05:00

Here is my latest block for the Block of the Month project. I like the idea of an asymmetrical layout, but I wish my brown and green pieces weren't so wide. It is difficult to know how this block will look when it is finished, hopefully with more practice I can begin to know how certain design decisions will affect the look of the finished piece.

Growing From the Sunrise

2011-06-12T08:18:00.004-05:00

I used pink and cream acrylics for the background on this 8 by 10 canvas. Using a sponge, I created a texture within the wet paint, to me it resembles clouds.
Each bead is individually hand sewn onto the canvas, creating two flowers.

Block of the month..in progress

2011-05-21T21:29:00.005-05:00

This is what I have so far for my Block of the Month project, hosted by the Austin Modern Quilt Guild. I just realized though, that I am two blocks behind the rest of the group, so I need to get caught up. So far I like this balance of busy blocks, and more simple blocks with large areas of a single fabric. We will see how it continues. I am making all of these using my fabric scraps from other projects, so I just hope I don't run out before the quilt is complete.

Dragon quilt for a warrior

2011-05-18T20:47:00.004-05:00

This quilt is a gift for my beloved stepson. When he asked me for a dragon quilt I was nervous; I have seen some dragon fabrics that can only be described as...well, cheesy. But I found this great solution, the Asian Tatsu Print by Alexander Henry. I combined that with some ever helpful Moda Marbles and a couple of solid fabrics. It was quilted (beautifully) by Kim Peterson of Scrap Happy Quilting in Round Rock, Texas. The quilting pattern is called "Fern," but to me this pattern looks like flames straight from the mouth of the dragon.
I gave it to him as a birthday gift in April and he loved it!

Growing From a Nest

2011-05-11T17:36:00.003-05:00

This painting is 4 by 12 inches, gallery wrapped canvas. I used acrylic paint and water to create the blue background. The beads are each sewn individually to create a unique flower and stem.
The "nest" that the flower is housed in is made from a piece of dryer sheet that has been sculpted into shape and set with glue.

Stripy circle block -06

2011-05-08T19:33:00.006-05:00

Here is my latest block for my block of the month quilt. We had several circle blocks to choose from, and I chose this one so that I could have the freedom of choosing how many fabrics I put into the circle and how they are arranged. I appliqued it onto the background with a leaf embroidery stitch, but I am not entirely happy with it. I chose the leaves because several of my fabrics have leaves or flowers on them, but I wonder if a basic zig-zag or blanket stitch would have worked better.

For baby claire c

2011-05-07T17:13:00.005-05:00

I made this set for my newest little cousin, she is so adorable. There are two burp cloths, two bibs and a small bag that holds a diaper and wipe for those times when it is not convenient to carry an entire diaper bag.
I really enjoy the bright colors and the birds in this set. The leaves embroidery stitch is still my favorite, I love it in this bright pink thread! I am looking forward to making more of these bibs with the terry cloth backs.

Plaid block -05

2011-05-02T09:07:00.003-05:00

Here is the plaid block for my block of the month project. I have been putting this one off for a while now, because I was nervous about making poor color choices and it not turning out very plaid-like. I think it is successful, but it is not my favorite of the blocks for this project. I enjoy this block of the month project, and can't wait to see the final product.
The first photo here is the full block, the second photo is a close up shot of part of the block.

Paintings at Starbucks

2011-04-28T16:20:00.002-05:00

My friend, Abbey, and I have our work hanging at Starbucks in Round Rock. Stop by and see it and order a coffee while you are there! I plan to go in soon and try one of their new sweet treats. Cake on a stick? What!?

Watermelon slice table topper

2011-04-26T08:19:00.001-05:00

I made this as a gift for my cousin and his wife that got married in March. I think they really like it and it was a lot of fun to make. This is the first "quilt as you go" project that I have worked on. I wish it had a few more seeds on it, but those buttons are really hard to find for some reason.
I have fabric to make a second watermelon slice, among my stack of fifteen or so projects that I need to get started on.

Clarksville Family FunFest...a success

2011-04-18T20:31:00.002-05:00

I had a good day at this event even though the wind was so strong all day long. My canopy and a painting were damaged, but hopefully soon I will have everything back together and in working order. There weren't too many people out shopping, but overall it was a good show. I made some sales and met lots of people.
And I was able to listen to good live music all day, like Joe McDermott. "Don't drop a brick on your foot...it will hurt. It will make you hop around in the dirt."
Thank you to everyone who came out to support a good cause.

Shop Crafty...after the show

2011-04-17T22:33:00.001-05:00

Another great show hosted by the wonderful Lone Star Ladies, Anne Marie and Allison! Thank you to everyone who came to shop and say hello.
See you again next spring!

And Spring Is Back Again

2011-04-14T23:07:00.002-05:00

This piece is a 4 by 12 inch gallery wrapped canvas. The background was painted in acrylics, and then individual beads were sewn on to depict this bright, springtime flower.

Meet the Vendors of Shop Crafty

2011-04-12T08:33:00.003-05:00

Please visit the Handmade Happenings blog to meet the Shop Crafty vendors.

There are so many great shops that will be at the show on Saturday, so introductions are broken down into three blog postings, starting with Part One.

Here is a link to Part Two.

Splendid Calm Textiles and I Love Indigo are mentioned in Part Three.

We hope to see you there on Saturday!

Clarkesville Family FunFest

2011-04-11T09:10:00.012-05:00

Sunday, April 17th, 2011 from 1 - 6 p.m.

The festival will be at the Clarksville Neighborhood Center on West 11th in Old West Austin.

Featuring:
Artisans Fair
Silent Auction
Pet Parade and Contest
Food from local restaurants, including Galaxy and Zocolo
Live music, Sweet Home Baptist Church choir & Joe McDermott

Proceeds from the festival will be used to help support the affordable housing program of the Clarksville Community Development Corporation (CCDC), improvements to Mary Baylor Park, and to help pay for the renovation of the historic Sweet Home Baptist Church. The CCDC is dedicated to preserving the history of historic Clarksville, a community established by freed slaves immediately after the Civil War and to maintaining the ethnic and economic diversity of Clarksville through its affordable housing program. Sweet Home was founded by freed slaves in 1871 and was recently given historic designation by the City of Austin.

Aggies in love...eating food...outside

2011-04-03T21:31:00.005-05:00

I made this Aggie picnic blanket for my cousin Aaron and his wife, Mauri. It is their wedding gift, and I think it turned out great! I received my thank you card in the mail this weekend and they seem to be really excited about the blanket. I used a vinyl coated fabric for the backing so that it can lay on the grass and dirt, and then be easily cleaned off.
These two newlyweds need to go have a picnic before it gets any hotter outside!

Shop Crafty-April 16th

2011-03-31T20:48:00.013-05:00

Hello, everyone. It is time for another great show hosted by the Lone Star Ladies, a family-friendly celebration of the Handmade Community from Austin and all over the Nation!

Saturday, April 16th, 2011, 10am to 5pm
The Marchesa, 6406 N. IH-35, Ste. 3100, Austin, TX 78752

This one day festival will feature Austin-area Studio Sponsors in our exclusive Craft Lounge - teaching you how to make crafts, jewelry, sewing projects and much more! You can also shop unique items handmade by over 60 artists, crafters and designers from across the US.
Shop Crafty is also a charity shopping event to raise funds for Crafting Comfort, a local organization that provides comfort to those in need through gifts of handcrafted items.

Splendid Calm Textiles will be selling paintings, note cards, flower clips, and wall hangings and sharing a booth with I Love Indigo. Come out and see us!

click here to purchase tickets

Minor repairs needed

2011-03-27T17:46:00.001-05:00

Here is another buggy that I bought on my antique shopping day! This piece needs a little work, lots of rust falls off of it, and it's wobbly. I will need to strengthen the front axle so that it won't sway from side to side. I am thinking about draping some baby quilts over the handle, but I don't want them to get dirty, I will probably get a basket for this buggy as well, or look for some kind of matte sealant that can keep the rust from flaking off. It's exciting!

A multi-tasker

2011-03-23T20:18:00.002-05:00

Here is another antique purchase to add to my quilt booth display. I love this old German high chair, it is metal and seems like it would have been incredibly uncomfortable to sit in. I think it is so funny that this high chair has a wooden seat with a hole in it so that it can double as a potty! I'm not exactly sure how that worked, but I plan to ask my (German) grandpa the next time I see him.

A new addition

2011-03-17T20:54:00.003-05:00

I went antique shopping with a friend recently and I came across some great finds! I plan to use this baby buggy as part of my booth display in future art shows. I am going to find (or make) a basket to sit in it that can hold rolled up quilts, pillows, or other items that I will be selling.

Double four patch block -04

2011-02-27T16:16:00.007-06:00

This double four patch block is for the block of the month project I am participating in. I love this bright green, and batiks are so fun!

Friendship star block -03

2011-02-27T16:10:00.006-06:00

Another block for my block of the month project. This is a Friendship Star. Originally I surrounded the star with a dark gray fabric, but I decided that it does not work with the color scheme of the other blocks, so I ripped it out. I put in this light blue, and the colors work better.

Sewing machine balloon

2011-02-27T15:24:00.010-06:00

Today I went to lunch with my family for my aunt's birthday. We went to North by Northwest in Austin, and it was wonderful. Good food, great beer, and they let my sister bring in a dessert that she made for the birthday girl!
There was a balloon artist there as well, Nate, the Great. He made a giraffe corsage for my aunt, a huge hat for my cousin, and a sewing machine for me!
We had a fun time, and I love my new sewing machine, it has a needle, a spool of thread, and even bobbin thread!

Valentine's gifts for my girlies

2011-02-13T21:03:00.004-06:00

I appliqued onto these two t shirts this weekend; they were fun to make. I forgot to leave stabilizer underneath the owl so that I could more easily hand sew his feet on. So his feet are a little funny looking. Oh, well, five year old kids don't notice those sort of things, right? ...Actually, this particular five year old might.

Baby girl bib set

2011-02-13T18:41:00.010-06:00

I love this fabric! I bought a kit from JoAnn Fabrics to make these bibs and burp cloths. The back of each piece is white terry cloth. The smaller burp cloth is contoured to be placed on a shoulder, hugging a person's neck, it looks like a huge eye mask to me. I am almost finished with another set of these and I will post them soon.
I decided to top stitch these with my favorite embroidery stitch on my new Janome. I love the leaves, and the pink is really vibrant!

Hedgegrow block -02

2011-02-13T17:29:00.004-06:00

The second block I made for my block of the month quilt. I think it turned out very nice; I may applique something onto the center square. Maybe a bird or a tree. I plan to complete a few more blocks before I make a decision.

Disappearing nine patch block -01

2011-02-13T17:14:00.008-06:00

Here is the first block that I made as part of the block of the month project I am participating in.
I love this block, it was so easy to make, and it turned out so beautiful. More blocks coming soon!

Austin Modern Quilt Guild

2011-02-13T17:08:00.005-06:00

Hello, everyone. I recently joined the Austin Modern Quilt Guild! My cousin and I went to a meeting and there are some very nice ladies in the group. I have seen some amazing quilts and projects that the guild members are working on.
As a group, they are working on a block of the month project. Each month we look at a new block pattern, make it at home, and bring it to the next meeting for show and tell. At the end, I will have twelve blocks that I can join together to make into a quilt.
I have decided to use fabrics from my stash and have come up with a color pallette that I like very much. It is fun to work on these blocks because I am using scraps of fabrics from past quilts and gifts that I have made for loved ones. In the end I will have a great memory quilt that reminds me of many great people in my life!
In the coming months I willl post blocks as I make them.
Austin Modern Quilt Guild Flickr Page
Austin Modern Quilt Guild Facebook Page

more flower clips (addicting!)

2011-01-31T08:03:00.007-06:00

These flowers are so fun and quick to make, I kind of went crazy producing them. In fact, there is another stack sitting in my studio waiting for clips to be put on the back. Then I will have to photograph them and post them up. Ok, after the last group I have going, I will stop making these flowers. I mean it, I can stop whenever I want...

Linking up with Pam's Pillows and Cushions Link Party at Threading My Way.

Dream As If You'll Live Forever (an art edit) -sold

2011-01-30T17:58:00.003-06:00

I hung this piece at a gallery in November without the leaves. I completed it after that hanging and here it is, finally finished.

Bunny placemats

2011-01-30T17:40:00.008-06:00

These are place mats that I made for Christmas gifts. The bunny ears are a cloth napkin that can be removed and used for meals. They were a lot of fun to make, (I especially love the carrot) and it was also fun to see the children that received them be so excited about the gift.

Twins appliqued onesies

2011-01-23T23:02:00.003-06:00

I bought these onesies at Old Navy and appliqued onto them for my friend's twins. They turned out to be pretty cute.

Baby clothes quilt

2011-01-15T20:40:00.005-06:00

This quilt was so much fun to make. It is a custom order quilt for my sister's friend. She gave me a bag full of her son's shirts and onesies that he has grown out of. I cut them apart and used them for the blocks of this quilt. The quilt has great texture; there are buttons, appliqued animals and even a pocket. I used classic pooh fabric for the borders and backing of the quilt. I delivered the finished quilt to my customer and her son and he wrapped himself up in it for the walk back to the car. Knowing that he was happy with my work made me feel very proud.

Baby Z in the ocean

2011-01-15T20:22:00.006-06:00

This is a custom order quilt that I made for a friend from high school. She didn't know if she was having a boy or a girl; she just told me that she and her husband were decorating the baby's room with an ocean theme. (it turned out to be a boy, Utah!) So I made an ocean background using several batik fabrics. After the ocean was assembled, I appliqued several seahorses onto it using a bright yellow fabric, and another fabric that is kind of a watermelon color. Not quite red, but not quite pink, either. I love the way it came out and she and her husband do, too. I just hope that Utah enjoys it.

For my Grandmother

2011-01-15T20:19:00.004-06:00

I made this table topper as a Christmas gift for my Grandmother. I visited her in Fort Worth over the New Year's weekend and gave it to her. She really likes it. It was hard to make something that was so monochromatic, but in the end I think it turned out pretty nice.

Getting better with the applique

2011-01-05T14:06:00.006-06:00

I am getting better at the applique stitch! These clothes are so cute, I want to make more. Again, I bought these clothes at Target and added the airplane and the monogram.
My aunt's first grandson was born yesterday and she wants me to send her a blue airplane so that she can put it on a bib for him. What a copycat!

Applique on my new Janome

2011-01-05T13:58:00.003-06:00

I asked friends and family for money for Christmas so that I could buy a new sewing machine. I bought a Janome 3160 and I love it! It is so much fun and this weekend I practiced using the applique stitch. I bought these clothes from Target and added the bird. He has a few problems, but overall I think he is pretty cute.