Sweet Tea Time for Natalie

Picked up this pre-printed apron kit at a recent quilt show, as well as the matching table topper (fabric and instructions).  Both were on sale...yippee!  My granddaughter, Natalie, who will be three years old in June likes tea time, so couldn't resist whipping this sweet set up for her birthday.  The table topper will make a fine picnic blanket.  Truth is I'm not crazy about sewing up pre-printed things, generally speaking, but this one was worth the fuss.  Happy Birthday, dear Natalie!

Coffee Cups; odds and ends

Here's what's up.  I chose this mug quilt pattern especially for stash-busting possibilities.  A different print for each cup?  Perfect!  I'm ready to rotate those bits and pieces of mismatched fabrics out of my stash, stuff that I've had tucked away for what seems like forever.  There must be at least a few quilt tops that can be patched together from all those odds and ends of mine.  Oi vey!  After that, I'm going to purge the stash.

Henry's Quilt

Here is Henry with his friend Lamb Chop.  Henry loves to lounge and munch on his chewies in comfort.  He has needed a blanket of his own for some time now, as he's been using an old pink one, one of my "for-practice" baby quilts from years ago.  Henry is Mr. Dog and I think the boyish colors of his new blanket are most appropriate.  This quilt measures only 30 x 35 inches, just the right size for you know who.  The doggie print fabrics was purchased as a pack of fat quarters from WalMart of all places; I should have been grocery shopping only, but who could resist?  The aqua and purple solids were from my stash.  A weekend project completed, now it's onward to other things. 

Ella es muy caliente!

Ella es muy caliente!

Roughly finished.  Raw-edge applique and free-hand quilting is something I have little experience with.  I need more practice.

My first free-motion art project

Here's my first attempt at a free-motion quilting art project.  I had this drawing tucked away in my Illustrator files and thought she'd be the perfect candidate.  I'm struggling with the technique; those stitches really run wild and get away from me, as though the machine has a mind of its own.  While this looks like a good start, it may end up totally out of control.

Hostess Apron

Here's a reversible hostess apron from a pattern presented in Stitch Magazine (Summer 2011).  This was so easy to make.  I added a front pocket panel on one side, because I like pockets and it also makes practical sense.  I used a cream-colored remnant of a mid-weight cotton twill for my base fabric.  In retrospect, I wouldn't use such a heavy fabric; still, this demi-apron hangs nicely and I'm pleased with the result.  This is a great pattern for making quick gifts.  Fun to mix and match colors and prints, and a great way to make good use of my fabric stash.

Christine in the garden, in pants that she made...

Christine; c'est moi

Christine in the garden, in pants that she made!  C'est vrai!  Copied this drawing onto fabric with my inkjet printer.  Then I cut her and stuffed her to make this odd-shaped pillow.  It's a work in progress; I plan to develop this one further.  Variations on a theme, you might say.

Workroom color palette

I wish for a crafty workroom; someplace where I can sew, quilt and create.  Here is my color palette.  Found this basket and the little pincushion on sale at Joann's.  I already had these fabric cuts in my stash.  Made the basket mat in under an hour last night.  I'd like to build my craft room around these colors; refreshing and oh so sweet!

Christmas is coming and I haven't even finished Halloween!

Christmas stash

Slowly working my way through my fabric stash.  Here's Christmas scraps and remnants.  Maybe some oven mitts, mug rugs, patchwork puzzle balls, and aprons will help this pile of fabric to dwindle?  Falling behind already! 

Cheryl's Baby Blanket

My mom's sketch

My mom passed away a good number of years ago.  Among her things was a little plastic bag containing this sketch and a handful of little dingle balls.  When my niece was born, my mom's first granddaughter, I remember my mom working on a baby blanket to send along.  There was a kind of Winnie the Pooh bear appliqued on top of a soft yellow background; that's my recollection.  I remember at the time, looking at the finished bear and thinking what a funny little bear he was; kind of on the skinny side, I thought.   I was with my mom the day she went to Hart's Fabrics in Santa Cruz, when she bought these dingle balls, a few snips of this and a few snips of that.  It must have meant a great deal to my mom to have kept these things tucked away for all that time.  It means the world to me to have them in my keeping.

Slow-going applique...Mrs. Lincoln's Sampler

Working on first applique block of this sampler

Up close

I decided to start my Mrs. Lincoln Sampler (designer Lori Smith), as noted in last entry.  I have dabbled in Hawaiian quilting and applique in general with success, and so I thought I'd whip through the 24  little applique blocks that comprise part of this quilt, without too much trouble.  double hah! hah!  The background surface is a 6-1/2" square piece of fabric, which will be cut and finished to a 5" block.  Looking at my bluebird and those green leaves, I see that I could have tucked and/or rounded the pieces a bit more, here and there.  My bird's neck is wonky, the leaves pointy, but all edges are neatly tucked and stitched down. hmmm...  Tempted to start all over and redo this block to achieve greater perfection, before I set those red circles.  But then...  After all, charm lies in a quilter's individual handwork, which makes it her very own.  Doesn't it?  Final note:  It became an enjoyable task once I relaxed.  Use the correct stitch, trust the process, find your rhythm, and the stitches will begin to flow.

Mrs. Lincoln Sampler

5" blocks

I have had it in mind to do a more detailed project.  I had thought about starting a Dear Jane quilt and may still do so later on; but then I came across Lori Smith's, Mrs. Lincoln's Sampler Quilt.  What a charming quilt.  These are 5" blocks, some pieced, some appliqued.  I am currently on my third block.  It may take me some time to finish, but I'm enjoying the challenge.  In the meantime, I'm still cranking out those pot holders and mug rugs, as well as other quick and easy projects for Christmas gift giving.  Also, my Colores quilt top is complete and I'll soon begin machine quilting that one and finishing it off.  I've got a lot of projects going on!

Halloween's a comin'...

Halloween 2012

Halloween 2013

Last Halloween 2012, I thought it would be fun to make play blankets for Chloe and Natalie, and so I did.  I bought a bunch of Halloween prints and still have a bunch of fabric left over.  So this year, with the mug rug craze that's taken hold of me, I decided to make the girls some Halloween mug rugs.  These finished mug rugs measure about 6-1/4" x 9-1/2". 

Mug Rugs and Mini Mitts

Mini oven mitts

Rug Mugs; I mean..Mug Rugs!

Love these Sock Monkey mini hot mitts.  My design has only one pocket instead of two, but they're still functional for grabbing hot dishes from the oven or microwave.  Mug rugs are much smaller than a place mat, but larger than a coaster.  These little rugs are perfect for hubby at his computer station, or on the coffee table, a good place to rest his coffee cup or cold beverage, to catch the drips.  The larger ones in the picture above measure about 6"x8", a very convenient size.  



Keep tools handy!

Chris' catch-all thing-a-ma-bob

So I keep misc. tools and gadgets in this catch-all, thing-a-ma-bob.  Half the battle is remembering what you have, the other half is remembering where you put them.  Tonight I was looking for those scissors-like pinchers that I use to pull my needle through stubborn layers of fabric and batting, for when I'm hand-quilting or stitching, to give my poor fingers a break.  There they are in the jar! 

Poor Witchy Poo!

This side...

and that side

And then there's Witchy Poo.  I started this baby quilt last year, after I had already completed two Halloween playtime blankets for my granddaughters.  Poor Witchy Poo!  Her threads are still dangling, which bespeaks her unfinished condition.  On the other side, I pieced together a simple two-color checkerboard pattern.  See the "Happy Halloween" skeleton fellow in one of those lime-green blocks?  I used a fusible, iron-on printer sheet for this design, and I am not exactly pleased with the result.  Next time I will try stamping directly onto fabric with a rubber stamp.  There must be some kind of fabric-friendly ink available for this kind of project.  I'll have to check it out.

Progress report...

This quilt wall hanging has been pieced and ready to be quilted for some time now.  The design is Edyta Sitar's "Mini Star Quilt," from her Scrappy Fireworks Quilts book.  Definitely, one of my UFOs that I hope to finish before the end of 2013.

L'il Mitts and Potholders

Useful l'il mitts

8" patchwork potholder

Back of patchwork potholder and one in the making

I love making these little mitts and patchwork potholders.  I went through my boxful of fabric scraps and fat quarters, mixing and matching colors and prints; an artist working her pallet, one might say.  I'm thinking the yellow patchwork potholder is a little bit busy?  But it's adorable.  I didn't put hanging loops on any of these and I'm wondering if I should or not.  The loops would definitely give them an official potholder look, but I don't hang my potholders...so there you go; I'll have to think on that.  Right now, I'm on a roll.  Reasons I love to make mitts and potholders?

1.  Great use of fabric scraps (Always on the lookout for scrappy patterns)
2.  Mixing and matching colors and prints is so much fun
3.  Small-scale machine quilting helps me improve my skills
4.  Great reason to make my own bindings (not so hard to do)
5.  Practice applying binding, especially in the round and at corners
6.  Finished potholders and mitts are useful and they make great gifts

Colores Quilt - Rough finish; almost done

From this...

to this...

...to this; 20 finished blocks.  Quilt top almost done!

Here they are.  Twenty completed quilt blocks for my Colores quilt top.  I moved blocks around, over and over again, in an attempt to distribute colors evenly; to create a visual palette that would be pleasing to the eye.  I definitely wanted to make a quilt with a Southwestern flavor, in honor of Papa Paz who hails from the enchanted State of New Mexico.  My next step will be to sew the blocks together.  The finished quilt will measure approximately 56"x 70" and I plan to order extra-wide fabric for the quilt back, so that it can be placed all one piece.  As for quilting the layers together, it will be very basic machine quilting, in accordance with my skill level.  I guess the only way to master machine quilting is to forge ahead and just do it.




Colores Quilt Top in the making...

Piecing the blocks, one by one...

Here are some finished blocks are on the design wall

I've been working on this Colores quilt top, but have had it on the backburner for a while.  With summer gardening chores under control, I finally have come back around to quilting.  Time to sort through what I have on hand, what needs to be completed, what I'd like to work on next.  They are often referred to as UFOs, those unfinished projects stashed away in cupboards and boxes.  I'm determined to finish Colores before summer's end.  Each finished block for this quilt measures 13"; there will be four blocks across and five down, for a total of 20.  I have completed nine, almost ten, as of this writing.  Cutting measured pieces from two-inch strips and then piecing them together is very easy to do (it goes quickly with a rotary cutter).  I enjoy the process; mindless pleasure one could say.  After having made a handful of blocks and hanging them on my design wall, I see an overall pattern of color emerging.  With each block, I give thought to color selection so that there will be a good distribution of colors and an overall balance of darks and lights.  Once this quilt top is completed, then the quilting begins.