pieceful kwilter: June 2011

cotton cave

one of my favorite places and my favorite co-worker

(i left the picture big if you want to click on it to look at the fun little details.)

no fair commenting on my dirty floor :)

FEED ME! NO, FEED ME

i found out that the nest is a tufted titmouse nest.

it's hard to get a good picture of the babies. when they stretch out like that, their wee little heads are so heavy that they bobble alot making a good photo impossible.

this will be fun to document...

-shannon

customer quilts

i've had some quilts go home. lots of pics, so get comfy-

jeanne picked up her three.

this was a simple 4patch and HST, but we both thought the quilting shined beautifully on it.

(remember, you can click on any picture to see it bigger. then click the 'back' button on your browser to come back here)

then her gorgeous jacob's ladder quilt.
i like this quilt because i would of never of picked those fabrics for a quilt. that's one of my favorite parts of LAing, seeing all the different fabric combinations my clients choose to use.

i did a simple CC design on it.

she proudly told me "i'm keeping this one"

i used a denim blue thread and i love how it looks on that rich raspberry batik.

for the thread color, i was inspired by the turq on the backing. jeanne always finds the perfect backs to go with her quilts. she let me have a small piece of the leftover backing to add to my next scrappy quilt.

then a cute little applique quilt for a family friend's daughter who graduated this year.

then pam picked up her three.

this is a simple quilt, but the piecing makes the quilt! i quilted a boxed spiral in each square to not compete with the graphic of the stripes.

then her little medalion walhanging which i had fun quilting.

i loved the challenge of coming up with something creative with this one.

and her last, a small little sawtooth star row quilt.

this is toni's sunflower dresden plate quilt.

it is gorgeous!

see, i have been quilting! now i need to get back to it...thanks for sticking with me.

i found a birdnest in the bush next to where i walk the dogs and have been watching it. this morning i noticed mama bird wasn't there, so i gently looked inside- all three eggs have hatched! the hatchlings are so tiny. their heads are about the size of a no2 pencil's eraser. i think it's a cardinal nest, but i'm not 100% on that. i'll try to get a better picture later when the sun has moved....

kitchen sink is on the frame!!

i loaded my kitchen sink quilt on the long arm frame today!!

OH MY GAWD!! i am having *way* to much fun.

this is one of the funniest quilts i've quilted and the super duper news is i get to keep this one cause it's mine, mine, mine!

my rule:

1. i can not repeat any design til i have used everything in my mental 'library'

it's not fun unless there's a challenge :)

i also decided to use my 'trash back' idea on this one (using half empty bobbins, no matter what color)

here's a sneaky peeky of one of my favorite parts so far (i'm on row 3 of 8)

oh oh oh- i came up with the perfect name:

"DOODLEBUG JUMBALAYA"

*clap* a moment of pure genius!! it is really hard to contain my excitement!

stay tuned! i plan on sharing lots of pictures when it's done!

i'm inked!

i have a tattoo, i am not ashamed.i love it! i came up with the design when i was in 7th grade and it was tat love at first sight *swoon*

fast forward to my early twenties, i still had the little sketch with me (after numerous moves) and i made my mind up to make it permanent, i still loved it years later- why not?

i thought my granny would hate it, but she loved it and said it was very feminine.

fast forward again to my early 30s when i got that featherweight i'd always wanted....that scroll work faceplate design looked so familiar....wait a minute!!! that's exactly like my tattoo!!! how's that for coincidence??

my tat is an arm band and well, it's got a gap in the back (i did consider wrapping the design all the way around, but i wanted the pretty scroll work to show) so i've been itching to commit my love of quilting permanently on my body....last night i was exploring Flickr and i happened on a picture of Dainty Squid's chest tat that got me thinking about a quilting tattoo again (there's also a group for sewing tats- people sure do love their scissors and sewing machines) i'm not as cute as her and i'm pretty sure that i couldn't pull off a chest tat (i have done the blue hair before)....*sigh* i'd love a full quilting sleeve

any whoo- as i was coveting some of the ink on Flickr i had a huge light bulb moment!!! the one thing that has held me back from getting a quilting theme tat is: WHERE TO PUT IT...it took years to decide where to put my celtic knot....LIGHTBULB!!! i can put a little vignette of quilting stuff in the gap of my celtic knot omg- perfect.

i'm thinking a pair of scissors or a rotary cutter, a spool of thread with a needle, and a thimble. if i can fit it and it's doesn't look dorky i'll stick in a sawtooth star block. i'll also get the artist to freshen up my celtic knot.....sweet!

yes, i'm dead serious....

an old UFO

i won these blocks a long time ago, like 4 years ago...i pulled them out and sewed them into a flimsy. i wanted to do something simple and not really get into anything to involved.

i only had 18 and was quite proud of my setting solution......i cut out four 6.5" x 12.5" rectangles to add to the beginning and end of those two rows of three blocks. perfect!

now i only need borders. maybe i'll get this one done in time to hang for this christmas.

from folded on a shelf to sewn and hanging on a hanger, not bad for a couple hours at the machine

Summer block swap

i am hosting another block swap. i found this cool block and think it would be perfect.

i know it's summer and many are busy, but the deadline is August 31st, 2011.

all the info can be found in the .pdf
Summer Swap .pdf (link disabled)

there's no sign-up list. just make the blocks and mail them to me.

let me know if you have any questions....

now what???

with my flimsy finish of HRCM i do not have anything to sew....*crap*

but blogland sent me a answer.... kaelin over at The Plaid Scottie is hosting a DWR sew along starting in july. i mulled it over and decided it was the push i needed to start my dream DWR quilt.

i pulled out my kona color card and ordered yardage of Pomegranate from hancock's of paducah. i plan on using some scraps for the wedges and i'm still narrowing down the fourpatch fabric where the wedges meet...

i'm also looking for my next applique project. i don't have anything to work on in front of the tv...so if a muse reads this, i could really use a visit *grin*

posts look better with a picture....here's lucky on the bed in the spare room with that ear sticking out. he's getting old and i'm letting him pretty do what he wants when he wants. he's earned it.....he has lost his hearing. the big clue was he doesn't hear the doorbell- even unwrapping a slice of cheese doesn't work it's magic.

WTH??

anyone out there know a knowledgable bug person?

i found this H.U.G.E. beetle in the parking lot at the grocery store. he's big!

i looked on the internet, but if you don't know what to look for it's like trying to find a specific needle in a pile of needles...

ETA: i found it! it's a female Eastern Hercules Beetle. it is the largest beetle in North America.

have you ever seen such a big bug???

i wonder what it eats.....

i got through the door without a pat down :)

wildlife comic relief

how can you tell when it's really hot outside????

the squirrels start to melt

*giggle*

(this is one of the babies that i rescued
he's sitting at the table davis built. there is a nail sticking up and we stick ears of whole corn on it for the squirrels. )

i guess i need to find something to put some water in for the relief of the backyard critters....

another flimsy finish

i finshed it!!!

i have decided (with your encouragement) to name this quilt Hard Rock Candy Mountain (HRCM)

it's a big one too 98" x 101"

i adore the B&W print for the inner border. that's a 'signature' thing i like to do, use a B&W print for an inner border on a quilt that has every color under the sun

now, to decide how to quilt it!

i got the blocks done!!

i just finished piecing the mountain blocks (all 154 of them) this won't be the final layout. i'm still moving blocks around.

i'm playing with names:

Hard Rock Candy Mountain

Jelly Bean

Running Hot and Cold

Electric Technicolor

suggestions?

i love it!

these are my borders....i am definitely using the B&W for the inner border and i'm on the fence with the muli ones. i'd have to piece them cause i don't have enough to use one....yeah, i don't like the varigated- i'm going to find a different fabric for the outer border...

mountainous design wall

yesterday was sewing sunday at my house. davis took the boat to the lake (came home sun burnt) so i worked on my mountain blocks.

here's my progress. i had made 12 already, so i really found a groove yesterday. it's kinda 'busy' but if you squint, you can see the warm and cool zig zags.

i don't think i'll spend eternity using my teeeth to pick out my sunday stitches.

(aside) i found a way to log in to blogger/google to leave comments- when logging in, do not check the 'stay signed in' box.

seasons and memories

i took jane her little wallhangings this week.

first, the spring one. i'm always hestitant to literally quilt things (like the fur on the rabbit) but i felt that it was the only way to go this time. i did give it a S&S before commiting :)

i also gave him a 'quilted' jacket. the blue reminded my of Betrix potter's bunny and i imagine him wearing a quilted vest...

jane will be adding a button for his eye.

and just in time for summer. i like the flowers...

my favorite summertime kid memory was eating watermelon, spitting the seeds in the yard, then throwing the rinds over the fence for the cows. granny was mad one year when a watermelon vine started growing in the middle of her flower bed.

i just remembered the sound of the ice cream maker....*sigh*

detail of the rind

fun little wallhangings to quilt and a fun little stroll down memory lane...

thanks jane!

baby quilts

this subject has come up a couple times lately and i shared what i do with a friend and she loved the idea, so i'm posting it here to share with y'all!

we all have a go-to pattern when someone we know is expecting a baby. i used to use a simple 9-patch with a setting square in colors that the mother requested. then i got a better idea....i'm making a quilt for the baby- not the mom...

my go-to quilt now is an alphabet quilt made with novelty fabrics that feature something that starts with each letter of the alphabet . i have boy themed fabrics (snails/bugs/etc) and girl themed fabric (ballerina/cupcakes/etc) and for the unknown gender- i use all animals and food. you can use the sashing and borders to coordinate the quilt to the nursery colors to make mom happy...i've been collecting for over 10 years so i have a nice stash to pull from.

with access the the internet finding fabrics is so much easier than it use to be. from experience I, J, K, L, Q, U, V and Z are the hardest letters to find but some creative google searches have yielded some great fabrics. i buy a yard or more of the hard to find letters, and i buy 1/2 yard of the easier to find letters. one of my favorites is my zucchini fabric...i stay away from ones that have a silent first letter- like GNOME. imagine trying to explain to a kid why it starts with a G, but you don't say it...

here's a simple .pdf of how i go about it

Alphabet Quilt Instructions

in the four corners i use a fabric that has letters on it, a nice graphic black and white print, or a fabric with a simple design (like dots). if you make the quilt after the birth you could add the baby's name and birthday to those squares....

my favorite thing about this quilt is that it can be used long term. it is a improved version of a Ispy quilt, but can be used long term for learning...i like to fantasize that i'm helping nurture future geniuses.

weekend review

what i did during my memorial day holiday weekend....

friday and saturday i cut 132 8.5inch squares, 66 warm and 66 cool, from my batik stash. i originally thought that i wouldn't have the stash to get the variety i was wishing for. i need to stop doubting my stash.

i am going to use before mentioned squares to start Bonnie Hunter's Scrappy Majestic Mountain quilt. i will use the warm as the 'lights' and the cool fabric will be stand in for the 'darks'....

then i got all distracted watching this little guy fill his checks with sunflower seeds. i love watching chipmunks. the way they run with their tails stuck up in the air...

i have 6 chipmunks in my yard now...i think they are a family from the neighbor's wood pile.

i wonder if the squirrels posted on FaceBook about the all-you-can-eat sunflower buffet in my backyard??....hmmm.

sunday i proceeded to starting sewing my mountain blocks. a word of advice- bonnie has you cut the squares at 8.5", make the HST, then trim to 8"....i stupidly cut all my squares before making a test block (who am i to question the generous ms hunter?) if i had made a test block i would have decided to cut my squares at 8.75" rather than 8.5" cause after making the HSTs, is it really tight getting a 8" square...i mean REALLY tight!

so here are my blocks so far....i can tell i'm going to really like this quilt. i like that it's a slight optical illusion tessellation type design...one minute the warm colors receed and you see the cool color zigzag, then the next moment, the opposite happens...kewl!

later i'm going to share what i'm making with the 'pieces' leftover when chopping up fabric to get squares....it's gonna be awesome! i just need to get some zippers, Drings, and a swivel clasp!