Aunt Lindsay's Quilt

I made this quilt for my sister. She and her family live in New York. This was made with a charm pack from Moda called Beach House by Blackbird Designs. The boarder is a Debbie Mum fabric I got at Joann's.

I tried a different approach to stippling this time. I sewed two lines, one on either side of each seam. I saw this on one of my quilting blogs. It made for quick sewing and was less pressure on my hands.

I added a quilt label that I made from an iron transfer and colored with fabric pens.

I had to get this quilt to my mom in time for her to transport it to my sister in New York. So during a two hour car trip I finished off the binding.

Skirt

I hate patterns. I shy away from sewing clothes. I can't sew in a straight line. So I always make quilts. It doesn't matter if the lines on a quilt are not straight. No one can ever tell. But sewing clothes. That is like baking, it has to be precise. Then I found this amazing blog called V and Co. She has amazing stuff and all kinds of tutorials. She made a skirt out of a table cloth. I thought that was so neat. And she found the table cloth on sale no less. I started to keep my eye open for something I could make a skirt out of. I found this curtain at the Goodwill and decided to try the skirt.

Everything went really smoothly. I even did a zipper. My first zipper! The only problem is that a curtain is not the best material to wear next to the skin. It is pretty rough. Even with a slip underneath I can't wear it. I found some other material at the Goodwill this past week that I think will make a better skirt. I am really proud of myself for attempting this. It gives me hope that I can make other simple items. Now what to do with this curtain skirt?

Grandma Maxine's Jean Quilt Bag

This bag was made for my mother-in-law. I strip pieced the bottom on quilt batting. Then using a pair of my nieces old jean shorts I attached it to the jean. After adding a strap the bag was complete. This project was a lot of fun to make. I used only scrap pieces so it was fun to combine the colors and patterns of several different quilts together. Thanks to Cattinka for the great idea.

New Mooon

In honor of the opening today of New Moon here are two bookmarks I made for some friends. We are all going to the opening tonight of the next installment of Twilight - New Moon. We will probably be in the theater with all teeny boppers but we don't care. We are so excited! Yell if you love Twilight!

Thanks to

http://http//kaseyskreations.blogspot.com/2009/05/twilight-bookmark.html for the SCAL files and idea.

Water Color Quilts

These are my beloved water color quilts. They were made from kits. The squares came pre-cut. Your just ironed the squares onto the interfacing and sewed down the lines. The appliques were just ironed on.This shows a close up of the squares and the trellis.

This is my absolute favorite quilt. This used to hang in my boys playroom and when they were babies they would stare up at the bright colors. Whenever I needed to escape I would imagine myself sitting on the wooden bridge with my feet dangling into the water.

Both of these quilts now hang in my office, uh um I mean cubicle. They brighten up the drab space.

This shows a close up the the plum blossoms hanging over the bridge.

Kids Projects

I love to make things for the kids. Here are two projects I made for my boys. The first was a portable play kitchen. This can be rolled up and taken to Grandma's. It was made from some scrap fabric and felt pieces. Just add measuring cups and spoons and the kids will be entertained for hours.

These are capes. The pattern called for a super hero pattern but I wanted my boys to wear them for Purim. Of course they didn't. Now they just use them for play.

Fleur-de-lis

Here is another glass etching project. This time I used contact paper instead of cricut vinyl. I picked up this tip from the cricut forum. It worked just as good and was a ton cheaper. I picked up three huge rolls for $2.00 each. The candle jars were used at my bridal shower. They held flowers. The larger candle jar is also a left over. Probably from a flower arrangement. I used the fleur-de-lis from the Home Decor Solutions Cartridge.

African Folklore Embroidery

In 2003 I fell in love with an amazing craft called African Folklore Embroidery. Leora who started the company returns to her homeland of South African every year and brings back amazing designs. You purchase the design and then do the embroidery. The design is printed on the fabric so you just follow along on the lines. She has hundreds of different patterns.
This is a matza cover used at Passover. The main stitch is called the Daisey Chain. Before airline security was so tight I used to do this for hours when I flew across country.

Beads are added for embellishment.

I made tons of these projects before I got tendinitis. Sadly I can't do this intricate handiwork any longer. I am glad I made so many projects while I could. Go over to aflembroidery.com and check out her beautiful site.

Bee My Honey Quilt

I saw this quilt in a quilting magazine and decided to use up some scarps to make it. I embroidered all the flower stems and bumble bee flight patterns. I also used embroidery thread to frame the hives and the flowers. This quilt came out crooked which is a trade mark of mine. For a long time this quilt hung in one of the courtrooms I worked in at Children's Court. It was fun to come to work everyday and see one of my quilts up on the wall.

This quilt was made in July of 2002.

Winter Candles

A fun holiday gift that is easy to make is these candles decorated with Dazzle stickers. I added some ribbon to give them a festive holiday look.Front
Back

Light House

This little guy was a kit I ordered from the back of magazine. I think it was Better Homes and Gardens but I can't remember. I had this hanging in my cubicle at work to brighten up my work space. I made this quilt in 2003.

Bird Brain Designs

A couple of years I ago I fell in love with the projects at Bird Brain Designs. I have made tons of their things. This is a table runner. It is made entirely from felt. When I was on bed rest with my twins their projects kept me entertained for hours. Because no sewing machine is required I could work on these projects while laying down. I made this table runner in 2005, right before my boys were born.

Check out their amazing site at www.birdbraindesigns.net.

Red Sox Quilt

This quilt was made for my hubby, a die hard Red Sox fan. I searched a long time to find the right pattern. I finally settled on a pattern from Spring Creek Needle Arts at http://www.patternco.com/. This quilt was very different from previous ones I had made and required a lot of new techniques. I came up with my own idea for the lettering. And when hubby said the quilt had to have red socks on it I had to free hand a pattern copying one of his T-shirts. The results - well the quilt speaks for itself. I made this quilt in 2004. This quilt takes up residence on the couch every year between April - October.

Min-Rag Brick Quilt

I bought this kit at the Glendale Quilt Fair. I fell in love with the pattern and the soft fabric the minute I saw it. The directions were tricky and had to be followed to the letter. I spent a lot of time on the floor putting the pieces together.

I had to buy a special scissors to cut the seams so they would fray properly. The trick to this quilt is you have to wash it when you are done. That causes the pretty fraying look.

This quilt was probably also bought with that I am saving this for my baby girl idea. This quilt sits on the quilt rack next to the heart quilt. This quilt was made in 2003.

Ladybug Quilt

This is the Ladybug quilt. I found this pattern in a nursery quilt book. Each ladybug and flower had to be individually zigzagged.

The boarder is a checkered pattern and looks much harder then it was. At least that is what I wrote in my quilt journal. It sure looks hard to me now. This quilt was completed in 2003.

The best part of this quilt was the super cute ladybug fabric I found for the backing.

Asian Inspired

When my hubby and I moved in together we went through an Asian inspired decor phase. In keeping with that I made these quilts. The Kimono was a kit I purchased from Quiltingtreasures.com. It was called Kimono Rhythms Quilt by Sprague House. The strips were sewn directly to the batting using the flip and sew method. This quilt hung above our bed for a while and then when we moved it hung in the stair well of our first home. I made this in 2001.

This quilt is titled Tranquility. I made this in 2004. I saw this quilt in a catalogue but didn't want to buy it. I tried getting the book from the library but they didn't carry it. I had a pair of red pants that I was saving for just this type of thing. I took the catalogue page to the quilt fair, found the book, and looked at it in detail. Following the catalogue picture I drafted out the quilt. I quilted the white fabric to match the picture. I used black fabric and the red fabric from the pants to make the rest. The symbol was a real challenge. I tried library books and Internet searches but nothing worked. I finally decided to free hand the pattern using an ink stamp I had. I chose the symbol for Tranquility: the feeling that comes when all is complete in your world. Using quick fuse I ironed the symbol on. This quilt also hung in the stair well of our first home and received lots of compliments.

I plan to enter this quilt in the Glendale Quilt Fair as their theme this year is Asian Odyssey.

Pieced Heart Quilt

This is the second quilt I made. I obtained the pattern from a book at the library. I wrote in my quilt journal that the quilt went together very quickly. I also wrote that I was saving it for my first baby. Little did I know at the time that I would have two boys. The boarder is made with Prairie points. I finished this quilt in 2001. This remains one of my favorite quilts. I love each one of the printed fabrics that make up the hearts. I remember I bought them in an expensive fabric store and spent hours matching them up. I have no memory of how I made this quilt. It looks like it was so difficult and time consuming. This quilt is much neater compared to my first quilt.

Since I remain the only girl in the family I have kept this quilt on a quilt rack so I can admire it.

First Quilt

I used to keep a quilt journal. I took a picture of each quilt and wrote a little about how I made it, what inspired me, or just my thoughts on it. This blog has become that journal. So now I need to add all my quilts that were made before digital cameras and blogs existed. This is the first quilt I ever made. I call it the Cat Quilt. It was the hardest quilt I ever worked on and took me over a year to finish. It required two sewing machines. The first machine broke in the process of making this quilt and had to be repaired. I remember giving myself a deadline to finish the quilt - the day of my marriage. I decided I had to complete this quilt before I got married. I was married June 3, 2001, so I must have finished the quilt some time before that. This quilt used to be our T.V. blanket. We used it every night when we snuggled on the couch. When my boys were born they used this quilt in their cribs and then in their toddler beds. It was just the right size for a little boy. Now this quilt sits folded neatly in a dresser drawer. It is the messiest, most disorganized, least neat quilt I ever made. But as it was my first one it holds a place dear in my heart.

Grandma's Quilt

This quilt was made for Grandma E. It is the first quilt I made for someone else. It was made using a Moda charm pack entitled Aviary by 3 Sisters. The boarder, binding, and backing were purchased at Joann's. The pattern was from the Moda Bakeshop called Clara's Quilt by Angie Davy http://http://www.modabakeshop.com/2009/05/claras-quilt.html. This was the first time that I stippled a quilt. The pictures did not come out that well but you can see I used a free hand pattern similar to the puzzle pattern. I really enjoy making this and loved how the stippling came out. The quilt has such an antique feel and look to it. I loved running my hands over the quilt feeling the waves from the stippling.

I used an iron on quilt label that I hand colored with fabric markers.

I finished this quilt last month but had to wait to post about it until I presented it to Grandma E. She was delighted with it. I am very proud of this quilt. It was a great first quilt to give away. And check out those mitered corners on the binding!