Another Give-away

Katie Cupcake of



http://katicupcakequiltingco.blogspot.com/



is having a give-away of a kit for this cute quilt:






Go check it out! And tell her I sent you and we'll both get "extra credit". =-) I love it!

My First Quilt

Camille at "Simplify" has an idea for everyone to post about their first quilt and their latest quilt... To help you see how far you've come and to think about what kind of progress you've made. I like that idea! So here's her link so you too can join in the fun: (the 'rules' are there)

http://camilleroskelley.typepad.com/simplify/2009/07/parade-of-quilts.html#comments

And here's my first quilt... Well, technically my first quilt was a 12" x 12" block that I made into a pillow. It was a red & white 9-patch with a bird stitched into the center patch (sort of like redwork), and I thought I made it up! I'd never read anything about quilts, had no teacher, and knew nothing about what I was doing! (a little like now, except I've read a lot since then!) =-)

Anyway, my first real quilt was made from one I saw in a magazine so long ago that I don't even remember what the magazine was, but the title of the article was something like, "Quilt in a Weekend!"... and I believed it! HAhaha! Can't remember just how long it took me to make it, but it was definitely NOT a weekend. Probably wasn't even a month of weekends! =-)

Yes, that's an Amish-style quilt. I still have it, though it's just thrown in a drawer somewhere... Sad, huh.

Anyway, I'm posting pictures of my latest finished quilt even though you've already seen it earlier:

the front

and the back:

I love this quilt, my daughters love this quilt, and my little sister Lindsey LOVES this quilt, which is a really good thing because she's the one I made it for. =-)

Yes, I've learned quite a few things since that first quilt.

• Reading about quilting and getting hints and tips from others is a good thing.
• Dare to try something new!
• If it doesn't come out like you thought it would, either try again or try to look at it in a new way.
• There's honestly no shame in ripping out stitches that aren't quite what they should be. (There is, however, frustration. Much frustration!)
• Inspiration can come from anywhere! Just go with it when you find it. =-)

I've learned other stuff, but it's too early (and with NO caffeine!) for me to be putting so many words together at once. =-)

Okay Camille and Carrie, I hope this is good enough! =-P

A Few Give-Aways

In my perusing of quilters' blogs, I've stumbled across a few give-aways that I thought you'd like to know about.
Christine over at "Front Porch Indiana" is giving away a pattern called "Heritage Sampler" by Lori Smith. Go check it out! (Sorry, but you'll have to copy & paste since I'm not into linking right now... )

http://frontporchindiana.blogspot.com/2009/07/remembering-adelia-give-away.html

Judi at "Green Fairy Quilts" is coming up on her 100th post and having a give-away for it! She's giving away lots of stuff: a pattern with a jelly roll, a quilted tote, a quilt and a honey bun! Go check her stuff out too!

http://greenfairyquilts.blogspot.com/2009/07/its-finally-here-99th-post-here-i-come.html

Over on "A Quilting Life" Sherri is having an anniversary give-away:

http://aquiltinglife.blogspot.com/2009/07/blogiversary-day-two.html

And Camille over at "Simplify" might be having a give-away if enough people get involved. Copy & paste one more time and see what I'm talking about! =-)

http://camilleroskelley.typepad.com/simplify/2009/07/parade-of-quilts.html

That's it for now! Do you know of any give-aways? Let others know about 'em! =-)

'Til next time...

Friends of Old

We went to my Mom's in Beaufort, SC this past Saturday (the 27th). Family friends from Guatemala were in town for the week. We just returned yesterday (the 30th).

We

had

a

blast!!!

Really, it's not like we did anything special.

It's just that we hadn't seen these friends in 10 years!

Yep, you read that right.

Ten Years!!!

I know. That's waaaay too long to go without seeing dear friends! Trust me, I know.

Wait a minute. Let me back up.

In 1974 or '75, my oldest brother Tom went to Guatemala on a student exchange program (AFS - short for American Field Service). He lived there with a family for an entire year!

Watching him depart in the airport was the only time I ever saw my Daddy cry.

Then in '76, Carlos - a friend of the family who later married the only daughter (Maria) of five children in this family - came to stay with us for a few months.

Then Maria came to stay with us for 9 months.

Then my older sister & I sent my parents on a surprise trip to Guatemala for their anniversary - we paid for the flights, got permission from their bosses for them to have the time off and everything! (Trust me, it was my sister who made ALL of the plans!)

Then in '79, I went there for 3 months in the summer and stayed with this same family. I came home with a nice tan and ONE dollar in my pocket! I had my 16th birthday there!

Some time in the '80s, my Mom went there with an old family friend of hers.

Carlos and Maria got married and had three daughters.

In '94, they came here with their daughters and some family & friends, and we all got together.

In '96 my sister went there for a very nice vacation.

Two of their daughters have stayed with us at different times for varying amounts of time.

So you see, we have maintained a special relationship with this family for over 30 years now. We love them dearly.

I don't communicate with them like I should, but they love me still. =-)

And now...

We are tentatively making plans to send our "Baby" to Guatemala next summer...

For six months!

Did I mention that she's my "Baby"?!?

...more to come...

Adieu

An icon has passed from this world.

Whether you loved him or hated him,

listened to his music

or quickly flipped stations when it came on the radio

thought of him as talented or twisted,

you must admit

he had quite an influence on the world.

He performed on the World's stage from the tender age of five.

He has always "been there" as long as I can remember...

But now he's gone.

Michael Jackson

August 29th, 1958 - June 24th, 2009

Thank you for the music...

A Few of My Past Quilts...

Nichole had a question that made me pause to think...

So I think I'll post a few pictures of a few of my quilts. (I'm on Boyfriend's computer 'cause mine's been having troubles alllll day... So I only have a few pictures...)

This is a Wedding Ring Quilt (NOT to be confused with the Double Wedding Ring!):

And a close-up:

A *Huge* Bear Paw Quilt:





And a Close-up:



A Trip Around the World (made from Batiks):





And a close-up of the center :

That's all I have time for today Folks! =-)

Number 30, I Believe...?

I've been obsessing lately...

I'm making a quilt for Bunny (19 yo daughter), and it's applique'd!

Did I say it's applique'd? I mean the entire thing is applique'd!!

Yes, I *am* crazy, thank you very much.

I'm quite possibly STUPID too!!!

Anyway, the vision I originally had in my head looked a little bit like this:





But not quite.
Yes, that's a strange, Tim Burton-meets-Willy-Wonka-type curved, rounded or whatever tree. I wanted it to have another curved-rounded-whatever branch on the left, but it just was not cooperating. I just could NOT get the vision that was in my head onto the fabric (well technically, onto paper first, but whatever). Plus, I wanted many flowers and lots of greenery around the bottom of the tree, a silver moon on the top right, and a Luna moth flitting around on the left...
But things were not going as planned. The fabric was NOT cooperating...

So I went to plan B:




I decided it would look better as a more "traditional" tree...

Because the image in my head just would NOT become a reality for me!!!

So then I added a few flowers:




I haven't added any of the greenery yet (except for the one lone lily on the right). It is really slow going. Did I mention that the WHOLE thing is applique'd?!?!

Damn! Whose bright idea was this?!

Anyway, a close up of the large daisy-like flowers:




And the really time-consuming, but adorably cute... whatever-kind of flower:

So, luckily, I'm liking it. =-)

But it's not finished. Oh no. It's not nearly finished.

I still have to make lots of greenery.

And more flowers.

And did I mention there'll be a flutterby flitting around on the left (instead of the Luna moth)? No? Well, there will. And guess what? It too is to be applique'd! Big surprise, that, I'm sure.

None of this is tacked down yet. It's still fairly "fluid", so to speak. I'm still messing around with the layout.

But I plan to continue on, despite that it may possibly be the most difficult quilt I've ever done. That, plus the fact that I really don't have any applique experience to speak of, and that the layout continues to change as I go along...

I've known for quite a while now that I'm clearly out of my mind, but now... well... There's no denying it to me or to anyone else, really.

But the upside is that you, my dear reader, get to simply sit back and watch the chaos ensue! =-) So, bonus for you! haha!

Please allow me to go back to my own personal CrazyTown to continue in my Folly. More pictures to follow... soon, hopefully.

Today seems to be an odd day for me...




I'm sort-of wandering around, talking out loud to myself...




Boyfriend is at work, our oldest daughter is at one of her college classes, and our youngest is taking her kitten to the vet...




So I'm stuck here, alone, wandering around between loads of laundry, with the tv on for noise...

I'm sort of lost today.





I'm in a funk.





But SHE gives me comfort! =-)





It's not a very focused picture, but really, are we supposed to *clearly* see faeries? Aren't they supposed to stay in the realm of "those things that we're not quite certain of"?

She found me at a yardsale, and my 18 yo daughter tried to claim her, but she stuck with me. (Yay! The gods smiled on me yet again.)

I still need to find a name for her. Any suggestions? I have no idea if she came with a set of anything, nor if she's a cartoon, or what. Nor do I want to know!

And the quilt I'm working on is lying there looking at me accusingly.


I need to get to work on it, but I'm stuck for a bit.




I guess I'll go look around the 'net for some tutorials on applique'...




Back later. But in the meantime, here's a sneak-peek at this thing I'm trying to work on:

*Hot* Damn!

::Scream::

I won a give-away!!!
Rachael had a give-away, and I entered it, blogged about it, and even linked to it (Go Me!), and... ::drumroll::
I won her give-away!

http://parkave-sweatshop.blogspot.com/2009/06/ikea-giveaway-winner.html

Well, guess what came in the mail today? (Okay, okay. So I'm slow. It actually came on Thursday [TWO days ago, for those who are counting], but I couldn't find the time to post about it!)

Yep. My IKEA fabric that Rachael so generously gave away! =-)
It's four pieces of 58" by 18" fabrics, so it's like "chubby fat quarters"! =-)

I'm thrilled! (As if you couldn't tell by all of the exclamation points!)

I have no idea what I'll make with these almost-upholstery-like fabrics, but I'm sure *something* will come up in my little mind! =-)

Thank you Rachael!!!

I haven't won anything in a really looong time. This feels nice.

Hmmm...

Maybe this means I should start looking around my scraps to see if there's anything in there that would like a new home...

=-)

Finally Friday!

I am finally posting pictures of the baby quilt!
Yay! Go me.

Unfortunately, the pictures are not as good as my daughter's would be, so you'll just have to bear with me. I apologize for that... But hey, at least I got up off my butt and did it for myself finally! =-)

The first picture is the whole thing. It's flannel! from "Giggles" by Moda. (I had saved the card with all of the info on it, but now I can't find it!!! Oh well.)

I got a jelly roll and just sewed the strips together.
I had a difficult time with this one, let me tell you.
First of all, I wanted to put yellow strips in there, in a blue-white-green-yellow-kind of pattern, but there were not enough yellow strips to do that!

Crap!

So I left the yellow out, but decided to do a border strip with the yellow.
Once I got it put together, I got out the flannel fabric that I thought coordinated with it when I was in the store! Only to find out when I got home that it didn't really match!!

Crap!

So I went to the pitiful fabric store we have here in town, and looked and looked for a flannel that would look good with it (and, YES, I took the quilt top with me! I have learned a thing or two over the years. lol ) and...

Crap!

Nothing really matched! I did not want to go into the next town to look for fabric, so I settled on a plain white fleece.

I've never sewn with fleece before, but I thought, "It's just for a baby" and got what I thought would be enough fabric. (Mind you, this was after much debating with myself about the downfalls of having a basically white backing for a baby, and wandering from aisle to aisle between the flannels and fleeces... which were on opposite sides of the store!) I got it anyway.

Crap!

It did not cover the back!

"Holy cow, how many more 'craps' am I gonna have with this quilt?!?!"

So I decided to put a stripped piece on the backing, kind of like Amanda Jean of http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/ does. I've done this technique before, and have always ended up liking it. I like it on this one too. =-) Yay.


So, here's the front:

This quilt measures approximately 37" x 45".

And a close-up:


I'm not sure if you can see it, but I used a variegated mostly-green thread to machine-sew on the binding. It's fleece too, so I didn't double it or turn it under like I usually do on bindings. It went super-fast putting it on like that! =-)

Also, on this picture, you can see that I just straight-line quilted it, staying 1/4 inch from the seams.


And here's the back with the strip of flannel:



And a close-up of the strip, just so you can see how cute this fabric is! =-)



Okay, I think I'm done saying "cute" for the day.

Well, you go have a great Friday, and a restful weekend... Hopefully I'll be quilting! I've sort-of started on my next one. It's for my 19 yo daughter.

And it's different from any quilt I've ever done before!

Wish me luck!! =-)

I'll be applique-ing this one. I'll need all the help I can get!