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Sunday, April 24, 2011

HE IS RISEN

**Yawn** I just woke up from the most wonderful nap. I rarely am able to take naps, it always seems like there's too much to do... indeed. My spontaneous napping was probably induced after consuming a large portion of Mom's Cooking. ; ) Church was awesome and we woke up in plenty of time thanks to a beautiful, and very loud, thunderstorm. Through church and up until now the weather has been a breezy perfect temperature but it looks like another storm is building AWS.

A few things I've been working on ~
I just finished a quilt for my long-time friend Amanda. I know her from my church camp days at Asbury Woods, a methodist camp, where I was a camper from grade school and a counselor in high school. She asked if I could make her a Hot Wheels quilt for her son. I scoured the web for inspiration but only one artist really struck me. The focus fabric print that she and her son picked out was a striped (border) print. I found it especially difficult incorporating this print in the design. The boy's father made it known that he wanted nothing "girly" so I made a special attempt to keep things "manly" for this quilt. I used alot of black, maybe even TOO much, but I think the black will be able to grow with him. Who knows, the quilt might even be kinda 'cool' as he's reaching his teens. . . . that is my hope, and was my goal.


SAM_6752
SAM_6751
HW closeup
SAM_6758
Of course I did this QAYG because it was a large, bed quilt. I quilted the center all at once, but added the borders afterwards. I ordered 108"-wide quilt backing from fabric.com, but they shorted me half a yard. They were out of the green swirl print and they were sending a replacement of a dark mottled blue. I didn't like this nearly as much as the green swirl, but it was the only thing I saw they carried that wasn't. .. "girly." I was waiting for them to send me a replacement, but I got impatient and went ahead and used what I had of the green swirl. I wanted to get the quilt finished. I WAS too short. . so I added a bit of the striped border hotwheels print fabric to TWO sides of the border . .. I got lucky I was only short that little bit of fabric. I like the way the back looks so maybe it was meant to be?! =cD
And a few shots of the back. . .
SAM_6760
SAM_6764


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As I mentioned in my previous post, I have been trying to sew garments. Well, let me just say that I have absolutely been SO BLESSED in my sewing endeavors!! I have found an absolutely WONDERFUL lady who has taken the time to help me. .. step-by-step and answer all my stupid questions. I don't know why garment sewing is so difficult for me. One would think that quilting skills could really be beneficial when learning to sew garments. I can tell you first hand. . the skills are NON-Transferable. lol ;c)
Although I have a warehouse full of quilting cottons now-a-days, I am now exploring unknown territory. I have recently ordered ... KNITS! < gasp >
Knits, stretchy fabrics, rayon, linen, garment patterns (ugh!) zippers, buttons, alterations, tailoring, darts, tucks, are all things that were once foreign to me. ; c) Thanks to my sewing Teacher, who is teaching me out of the kindness of her heart, via the web, I am learning more now than I could have ever learned from a teacher locally, if I paid her. Just another reason I am so blessed and thankful!!!
Besides learning how to sew garments, I have a few quilts that I have to finish soon.

1) Remember Megan's Signature quilt? She has commissioned me to make another one for her! I love her quilts, they force me to be creative because each of her quilts are totally designed by me, and from no pattern. They come from an idea. . from Megan, her family, and me. . . and that idea is then transfered to fabric and a quilt. This one has been particularly interesting. . . Poppies and Daisies and signatures ; ) Since the quilts I make for Megan are small, wall-hanging size, I have the opportunity to really get in there and play with embellishment and thread painting. This go around, I might try to add a little Trapunto, Sharon Schamber style.

2) Jaime has requested another quilt from me. This time she wants a queen-sized charm quilt. Together we went to Joanns and picked out a bunch of fabrics and FQs for her quilt. (I told her since she didn't want to order from a quilt shop, that I would just have to quilt it to death due to the cheap nature of the fabrics.) I will be starting this quilt early next month. I'm hoping to use HER quilt, for my QAYG tutorial I have promised everyone.
UNTIL THEN! =cD
What's everyone working on?

Sunday, April 10, 2011

IQF slideshow

A slideshow of photos from our recent trip to Cincinnati for the International Quilt Festival. Please accept my apology ahead of time for the fuzzy photos. My camera aint what it used to be. =c(

This will have been my first big quilt show - I am POOPED~! It was a sensory overload for me. One word to describe how I felt = OVERWHELMED! So much to see and do. I learned so much from the vendors...and experienced inspiration to last me till next year!
I found myself speed walking/racing to see everything in one day. I went so fast that by the 9th hour I was limping. .. LOL. . . and although I was carrying about 6 full bags, at least my wallet was less heavy!! hahaha
Next year, I want to go and get a hotel, spend 3 days, take some classes, listen to some lectures, take my time, enjoy some of the city, and get some rest each night!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

1Choice4Quilting Giveaway

New giveaway of some awesome "Happy Flowers" Fabric as well as some other goodies - 5 Winners and 5 different ways to win! Hop on over to 1Choice4Quilting to enter!

Sunday, April 3, 2011

DYE Inspiration





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I love photographing the sky before, during, and after a storm. I love all of the shades of color you get all at once. Most often times when you have rainbow conditions... the opposite side of the sky is just as beautiful.


I'm especially fond of the following photo - it makes me think of those black, white and grey quilts that have just a TOUCH of RED in them.























GOD = an amazing artist!!!


Friday, April 1, 2011

Jimmy Fallon Oldest Cheerleader Quilt

http://www.hulu.com/watch/227312/late-night-with-jimmy-fallon-monologue-mar-25-2011?c=138:153

Jimmy Fallon makes fun of "oldest Cheerleader" by saying she needs a quilt! HA! Well, and I suppose a quilt is better than a blanket - she can warm up in STYLE yo!




BTW,might I add that this supposed "old" cheerleader looks DAMN GOOD! You should see her! Definitely does not look over 40.... well, ... you be the judge: