I Heart My Couch

Now appearing regularly on the couch – Japanese cotton/linen pillow and quilt.  Something very different for me in these fabrics.  Love them!

And…if the fabric seems familiar to you…

From the movie, ‘He’s Just Not That Into You’.  Starring my fabric!

So, you could totally have a duvet like Scarlet Johansson’s.  But, no.  You cannot have Bradley Cooper.  Sorry.

Straight-Line Quilting – Not For The Faint of Heart

Isabel sometimes circles around the many baskets of fabric around here and she takes her time deciding which one she likes best while flinging each one out.  It’s unmistakable when she procalims which one is hers.  Patting her chest she holds up the winner and says, “Ba Ba.  Yeah…Ba Ba.”  Ba Ba is what she calls herself.  We don’t know why.  So, in this particular instance, and because she already has flawless taste in fabric amongst other finer things in life, she grabbed the above blue fabric.  Yes.  A yard of everyone’s favorite out of print fabric, Flea Market Fancy.

But, the situation was that Isabel was about to have heart surgery and I told her to tell me which one she liked best.  Having claimed it as hers, I then asked her if she wanted it for something to wear or for her own quilt.  She took her hand, put it on her cheek, and tipped her head sideways, making the international hand gesture for sleep.  “Ban-bet”  (Blanket for those of you who don’t speak Isabel)

So, I dropped everything I was doing and made this quilt top in just a few hours.  She checked in on me and the progress every 15 minutes or so and always proclaimed it hers and that she liked it.

It’s nearly done as you can see and in my stressed-out and worried state, I figured that it was high-time I started a new way of quilting.  I dove in and starting in the middle I began straight-line quilting.  Also, I decided to keep the lines more or less 1/4 inch apart.  Riiight! What was I thinking? This method really is an homage to your walking foot.  I believe there would be many puckers and lots of swearing if you tried this without one. Just a few hundred more lines and we’ll call this done.

The Big Zag (And a Little Giveaway!)

Edited to say that our winner is #50 – Katie from Sew Katie Did!!  I’ll be emailing you Katie!!

And here’s the other thing I’ve been up to!  I’ve been designing projects and this quilt pattern for Robert Kaufman Fabrics.  This is called ‘The Big Zag’ and it’s my original design which will be available as a free download on the Robert Kaufman site.

I am very excited to announce this new part of my life, and even more excited that I was able to keep it a secret for as long as I did!  This new fabric line is by the very talented designer Josephine Kimberling.  These fabrics are fun and fresh and their bold colors led me to this design using half-square triangles with a brick path border.  Look for these fabrics in your local fabric or quilting shop starting in February.

But, you can get some of these fabrics by entering my giveaway.  I am giving away 8 quarter yards from this fabric line to one lucky winner.  All you have to do is leave me a comment, and a way to contact you.  Winner will be selected Sunday, January 24th.  Good luck!

Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Program

It’s funny how you learn some of life’s most important lessons from your kids.  That’s certainly the case with me anyway, and most particularly this past December.  This was the Christmas that nearly wasn’t – but of course, Christmas did come and it came ‘without ribbons and bows’ just like the old Grinch story.

Our Isabel, it turned out needed heart surgery and she needed it fast.  In a blur of events, we found out she had a hole in her upper heart chambers that needed repairing and her surgery was scheduled for December 22.  I’m thrilled and relieved beyond measure to report that Izzy is just fine, having proved herself once again that she is a super duper trooper and came through all of her procedures with her usual darling smile and bouncing on the couch two days after coming home.  Here she is just after coming home in a new Japanese fabric lazy days skirt, because while all of this was going on, I started sewing things for her like a mad woman.  Sewing helped keep bad thoughts away for sure.

Naturally, as she normally does, she twirled all day long because when you wear a twirly skirt, you must twirl.

So, I have many posts coming up to show all the things that kept my mind occupied and sane during these past few weeks.  Thank you for coming back to my little crafty corner here!  I’m definitely coming back with lots of pictures and news, including a FAB quilt-along with prizes!  I’ll be announcing it soon.

Dot & Spot

That’s what I’m calling this one which came from two lovely brother and sister basset hounds we met and nearly rescued this year.  This quilt has nothing to do with basset hounds really, but I loved those names together.

I really like how it turned out and I’m very glad that we now have a quilt that fits our King-sized bed. 

A Generous Giveaway…

Go on over to Penny’s blog which is a fun and creative way to say to the Freespirit Folks, “Dude, we want more Flea Market Fancy! Reprint it already!!”

So that we keep the momentum of enthusiasm going, she’s hosting a fab giveaway. Enter to win! You could score some totally hard to find fabrics and even some donations from Denyse Schmidt herself.

Penny, you’re awesome! I think that because of you, this might just happen.

Apparantly The Layout ‘Doesn’t Work’

…At least according to Suzannah, age 8, my slightly impertinent daughter.  While I really liked it, the last layout was given a big thumbs down, despite what you all thought.  *gasp*  So, after turning and fidgeting and fussing, I came up with this.  I’m calling this quilt ‘bunting’ because the sides remind me of the fabulous triangle banners everyone is making these days.

I really like the red border. 

Also, the bigger areas of white are really pleasing to me. 

And, after laying this out the aforementioned impertinent daughter gave this one a ‘big thumbs up’, and “will it be done in time for my sleepover party?”  ….which is in one week. 

*sigh*

Triangles – Red, Aqua & Pink

These…

are turning into this…

Cobblestones

This quilt is nearly done!  And it will be finished in under a week.  Here’s why – I caved in and started with a perfectly lovely sage green albeit purchased (read completed) quilt.  Here’s my rationale.  Unless I can somehow get my hands on a longarm, I can’t see myself making a king-sized quilt.  With two children, two puppies, a full-time job, laundry and 5 other quilts I’m working on, I need to be realistic.  This is a perfectly lovely quilt, 100% cotton with one of my favorite greens, already quilted in a very nice Chrysanthemum motif, on sale at Target for nder $50.  And like the cobbler whose children have no shoes, my bed was missing a quilt made by me.   I’m calling these peacock colors.  It’s all greens and blues.  I can’t wait to show you the completed quilt and a wrench has been thrown into the whole situation by Henry, the boy puppy who chewed my sewing machine cord.  (I’ll be dealing with HIM later.) 

More pictures soon of this quilt and the pink, red and aqua quilt for the girls.  It’s going to be really fun sewing all those half square triangles together.

Geometry

I’ve always suffered at the hands of math.  I tried, I really did.  True confession; poor Mrs. Duffus had to have me twice in geometry because I didn’t pass it the first time.  But these circles are totally different for me.  They’re addicting is what they are.  The picture above is only the beginning because I’m bound and determined to made a quilt for my king size bed.  But the thought of piecing a quilt that large has been too daunting to me.  I’ll never finish it, I’d tell myself.  Then, the incomparable amandajean gave me a great idea somewhat based on this quilt. Isn’t that a great quilt? It’s so simple yet striking and bold. So I thought, “What if I started with an already sandwiched quilt? Wouldn’t that make the process go quickly?”

So, what I’m thinking is involving 108″ muslin and these circles. Stay tuned for more as this evolves.

In other developments, and aside from the circles quilt, I have no less than 5 quilts going. It’s a bit hectic, but it helps with keeping my brain somewhat fresh and entertained. The other geometry I’m working on…

I’ve been so inspired lately by all the cool kids making some half square triangle quilts.  This is my favorite, by red pepper quilts.   Also, the girls are getting into my enthusiasm for the red, pink and aqua combination that seems to be everywhere right now.  So, a quilt was in order to go with this dresser that now lives in their room.  It’s going to be off the hook. 

So, I think all I need is about 5 days to myself and I could finish all these projects.  Yeah…like that’s going to happen.