Quilt Quatastrophes

Finished Lemon Tree quilt top

2012-01-10T12:05:00.001-08:00

Techniques: piecing & aplique

Lemon tree quilt

2012-01-05T17:09:00.001-08:00

Modifying a pattern from Quilting magazine

Added yellow print strips around the appliqued piece

Pieces in place, before sewing

close up of a lemon

Finished pics of Ella's wishes quilt

2011-12-30T11:29:00.001-08:00

Finished

The most beautiful baby quilt ever

2011-12-29T14:34:00.001-08:00

Even if I do say so myself. The fabric collection is called Ella's Wishes from www.connectingthreads.com. Stitched in the ditch, machine quilted with thick batting and flannel backed. Ready to snuggle with a new baby girl.

Puppy help

2011-12-29T10:58:00.001-08:00

Awww my Remy is helping me quilt today

Pumpkins!

2011-10-31T12:16:00.001-07:00

I realized I had never posted the completed product! This wallhanging is 3 3 ft by 4 ft, hand and machine pieced, hand appliqued, and hand and machine quilted.

dabbling in crochet

2011-10-13T14:14:00.000-07:00

My mother taught me to crochet as her grandmother taught her. I have been able to do basic stitches since I was 8. This summer while I sat with my injured foot propped, I taught myself new crochet skills: including making hats and following patterns. This is a baby afghan I just finished to give to a sweet baby girl.

Fabulous antique store quilt treasure found!

2011-08-19T12:08:00.000-07:00

You will not believe I only paid $6 for this! It is completely hand pieced and hand quilted! It looks like 1930s feedsacks but could be later. It is a full size quilt...with one hole about 5 x 5 inches.

Pumpkins! Appliqued, quilted wallhanging

2011-08-02T09:56:00.000-07:00

I recently started a project found in the newest issue of American Patchwork & Quilting. It's my first attempt at reverse applique. I love it! This is one of the white pumpkins. The bottom piece is chocolate brown linen. The top is bleached muslin. Blanket stitched with cream color.

This is the first "P" for pumpkin. These are other letters in various stages of completion. It's August and 110o here in Oklahoma. This is to the hope that fall will come, and it will cool off. Meanwhile I sit in the airconditioning with my fractured foot propped, doing hand applique.

Roberta's dress

2011-07-31T20:52:00.000-07:00

So a few years ago, I ran into my good friend, Roberta, at a conference. I was wearing a dress I had made. So she asked me to make her one. I did. Fast forward four years later, she brings fabric to the next conference we attend. Says, "make me a dress out of this." LOL. What is really funny is that she gave me the exact amount of fabric needed for this dress minus two pieces of flannel for the pockets.

How to Succeed at Your First Quilt

2011-01-03T16:32:00.000-08:00

1. Choose a simple project. A Baby/Crib size is a good start.
Simple squares sewn together work well. You can purchase charm packs at http://www.connectingthreads.com/ or most fabric stores. They are 5" squares already cut.
2. Lay out how you want the finished product to look before you start sewing. The floor, bed, or table works.
3. Pin the squares together before sewing. Quilts usually use a standard 1/4" margin. Look at your sewing machine for those measurements.
4. Iron each seam. You don't have the iron the seam open like clothing, but iron to one side.
5. Sew in rows. Then sew the rows together. Pin at each seam to keep them straight.
6. Choose batting made for quilts.
7. Use 100% cotton muslin for the back. You can buy muslin at fabric stores in 44" and 90" wide. Don't use a bed sheet. Sheets have too high a thread count for ease of quilting.
8. Lay muslin out, batting, and then the finished quilt top. Trim around quilt top, leaving at least 2" excess around each edge.
9. Safety pin together at the edge of each square
10. For handquilting, always use 100% cotton quilting thread, and a small quilting needle. You will probably need a thimble. I use a bandaid on my middle finger, right hand, or a leather quilting thimble.
11. The easiest way to finish edges is to buy prepackaged quilt binding & follow the directions on the package.

You can search Youtube for vidoes on handquilting.

Blue, Green, Pink Star Baby Quilt

2011-01-03T16:10:00.000-08:00

Baby quilt made this summer with five inch charm squares.There were different colors, but same pattern. All were decorated with white stars. The quilt has the baby's name after the phrase, "A Star is Born," painted with acrylic paints. If you use acrylic paints, paint thickly or it will wash off in the first few washes.

Instead of the usual batting and back, I used cuddly fleece and machine quilted.

Handquilting time!!!

2011-01-03T15:35:00.000-08:00

I finally finished my 1930s reproduction fabric quilt top. I made squares of 25 2" smaller squares of a large variety of colors and patterns. The finished top is 90" by 80". It took me a year to piece it, and now my goal is to have it handquilted in 2011.

Princess Marie is helping me as usual.

fleece rag baby quilt

2010-11-09T20:12:00.000-08:00

My latest

Dairy free Tomato free meatloaf

2010-11-02T16:45:00.000-07:00

I'm on a constant quest to find dairy free/tomato free meals at our house.

1 pound ground beef
2 Tablespoons worchestire sauce
2 eggs
1 cup saltine cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon steak seasoning with pepper
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Mix together.
pack into greased bread pan

Bake 30 minutes at 375oF

Baby Quilts of June 2010

2010-06-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

This was a 4' x 3' baby girl quilt made of 80% flannel, 20% cotton. The back is shown first, with a couple of patches for artistic effects. The front was made of 2" x 4" rectangles connected with 2" sashing. I used medium loft batting, so it is cuddly....machine quilted.

Kelly's Tomato-Free Pasta Sauce Recipe

2010-06-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

One of the first things people find out about me is that I am allergic to tomatoes. Just try to go a pizza joint with your friends...

Anyway, I have successfully created a pasta sauce that ALMOST satisfies my spaghetti cravings.

Here it is

1 12 oz can of Clam Sauce
1 12 oz can of artichoke hearts
1 onion
1 T minced garlic (I used the jar of minced garlic in olive oil)
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 T olive oil
1 t sea salt
2 t ground pepper

In large skillet, add olive oil, then brown the ground beef. Add onions and garlic, salt, pepper, simmer about 10 minutes. Add clam sauce and artichoke hearts (do not drain them first), simmer 20 minutes. You can cook it longer on low heat if you want...or put it all in the crockpot for a while.

Pour over cooked pasta of your choice. 4 servings.

Feminist rant of the day

2010-06-17T21:31:00.001-07:00

I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a door mat or a prostitute. ~Rebecca West, "Mr Chesterton in Hysterics: A Stud

WHY IS THIS STILL TRUE???? It is 2010, people. Wake up and smell the feminism brewing.

More pics of 1930s quilt

2010-03-23T15:49:00.000-07:00

1930s Reproduction Quilt is getting there

2010-03-23T15:47:00.000-07:00

Princess loves the new 1930s quilt...I've got it to twin size but I really want it king...so I need to double it! I sewed most of the smaller pieces by hand while I was sick with pneumonia this winter...too sick to sit at the machine..

Fall and Winter House Quilt

2010-01-21T12:50:00.000-08:00

This is almost entirely handpieced as I had the H1N1 in October and pneumonia in Nov-Dec. I could not sit up very long at the machine but managed to piece this while lying in the recliner. I hand quilted it also. Don't worry, I washed it twice after getting my germs all over it. ;-) It is lap quilt size--4 ft by 3 ft.

1930's reproduction fabric obsession

2010-01-20T12:45:00.000-08:00

My latest fabric obsession has led to so much fabric, so many 10" squares made of 2.5" patches that I have enough for a king size~~now to sew them together and start hand (yes I'm crazy) quilting it!!!

Ladybugs, butterflies, and pastels, and don't forget cats

2010-01-20T12:41:00.000-08:00

Eeyore is taking a noisy snooze on this unfinished patchwork quilt top. Just try to sleep next to a snoring asthmatic cat.

Barnyard Primary Color Baby Quilt

2010-01-20T12:35:00.000-08:00

This baby quilt started as a pile of five inch squares with the barnyard characters. I fell in love with them. So I added red chenille, and some polka dotted poplin to the mix. It is hand quilted. The back is half flannel and half knit. I find babies love variety in textures. The little guy isn't here yet, but his quilt is finished, given to his parents, and waiting in his well-stocked nursery.

Quilted Purse and wallet

2010-01-20T12:30:00.001-08:00

I know you all know the brand I mean: those gorgeous quilted purses, totes, etc. that cost megabucks. I decided to make my own. Starting with a colorful fabric with pictures of birds, I machine quilted it myself. Then I made a wallet and purse with pockets. The wallet took me HOURS due to the frustrating zipper placement, but I finally got it.

Quilts and scrapbooking

2009-07-28T11:12:00.000-07:00

So we just got back from a week long vacation in Colorado. Amazing time. Took 212 pictures and printed all of them. Bought way too much scrapbooking stuff. I find piecing scrapbook pages similiar to piecing quilts.

City Dump

2009-06-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

Iwent on a pilgrimage through my city with some friends. The first stop was the city dump. It was a large awful smelling place. We could not get close enough to take pictures. It was like an ancient tel, with smoldering methane seeping from the ruins. What will archeologists of the future think of us as they dig through it? Everyone in every city should see where their trash lands. I have never been more motivated to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Yes, it takes a few more steps to separate the trash for recycling, but the smell of the dump motivates me.

Piles of fabric

2009-05-15T13:56:00.001-07:00

So I have piles of fabric and a few ongoing projects...what to do next? Ideas?

Oklahoma Food Coop

2009-05-13T20:46:00.000-07:00

Hey friends
If you are interested in organic meat and other home grown items, and you live in Oklahoma, check out www.oklahomafood.coop. There is a one time joining fee of $50. You make your orders online, once a month, can pick up at several local sites...and you can pay with paypal. I am ordering almost all my meat from the coop now...prices are comparable to stores, and no growth hormones...and you support local farmers. Everyone wins.

Ecoearthfriendlygreeninthehomeandparties

2009-04-23T10:55:00.000-07:00

Yes I ran all the words together on purpose. Yesterday was Earth Day. I saw more advertising for GREEN than I ever have. So I thought I would spout some of my own green practices.

1. No more paper towels. I buy a pile of white washclothes once or twice a year and use them til they shred. I especially like the larger ribbed terry cloth "barmop" clothes. They are between the size of a wash cloth and hand towel.

2. No more paper napkins. I put my foot down even for birthday parties this year. I keep a pile of cloth napkins in a drawer. No, they don't all match, and some of them are not even hemmed. But they work to wipe chocolate off your face and they don't kill trees.

3. No more "disposable" plastic tablecloths. I keep a pile of tablecloths in various colors. Some of them are "vintage" thanks to my great grandmother's linen collection. I love the wrinkled look. It's "shabby chic" but really I just hate to iron. Besides, ironing wastes electricity.

4. Yes, I still buy toilet paper. There were times in my childhood when we were too poor to buy toilet paper. A pile of soft rags, a bucket, and hot water and bleach work. However, as long as I can afford toilet paper I am buying it.

5. I am currently hunting some clothesline posts. Occasionally I hang clothes over the fence in the backyard, but am hoping DH will put up some lines for me soon.

6. Did you know old underwear make good dusting rags? Whatever happen to a rag bag anyway? My mom always kept one. Old t-shirts make for good dusting and window washing. They don't have lint. Moms used to save cloth diapers for such things.

Reduce Reuse Recycle

Checkerboard baby quilt

2009-04-13T12:43:00.000-07:00

These squares are 1.5 in. Sewn by strip piecing method. The blocks are 12 inch square and the borders/sashing are 6 inches wide. .

Dick and Jane Quilt Top Finished

2009-02-19T16:09:00.000-08:00

It is a twin size. 9 x 8 blocks with 3 inch borders. No, I'm not old enough to have used the books as readers in first grade, but I still love the art and the nostalgia.

Dick and Jane Quilt

2009-01-23T07:40:00.001-08:00

I have been collecting Michael Miller's Dick & Jane fabric for about 2 years and finally got enough to make a quilt. This is it so far...still haven't decided if I'm going to add enough to it to make it a twin size or leave it as a wall-hanging size.

Remy caught hiding under the new quilt on the bed. He thinks it is for him.

Flannel Monkey Baby Quilt

2008-12-11T20:11:00.000-08:00

I made this quilt for a precious baby boy due Feb. 14. It is done in 100% cotton flannel. Monkeys and jungle animals everywhere. The back is done in solid brown flannel. His name was embroidered on the back also. Crib size. I may never handquilt again after using my new free motion quilting foot! What fun!

Dog outfit for my doggie niece

2008-09-21T13:42:00.000-07:00

This is my doggy niece, "Fancy Pants" although she is usally called "Panties" Note the ribbin that says "Meow." She looks so cute in pink!

Another fleece "rag" quilt

2008-09-21T13:39:00.001-07:00

I made this for a friend. It's a lap quilt size. He says it is very warm and usually makes him go to sleep. I put magic in each quilt, you know! ;-)

A day in the life of Princess Marie

2008-09-21T13:21:00.000-07:00

I was really hoping to avoid the camera here in the bathroom closet, but the paparazzi won't leave me alone.

"Will you just leave me alone? I'm sick."

"Hmm I wonder why Mommy has a picture of Remy on the screen and not me. Maybe if I sit here she will notice me."

Lots of Bibs for a very special drooler

2008-09-21T13:15:00.001-07:00

I did buy a new sewing machine this summer: a Brother ES 2000. My first computerized machine. I love the one touch stitch selection and the drop-in bobbin. These were my first projects on the new machine. The baby I made them for went through all six in one day. She's an adorable spitter-upper and drooler. ;-)

OK so not much quilting going on this summer

2008-07-22T20:25:00.000-07:00

I have sewn a total of one thing since I last posted: one shirt. No quilting. I am on the search for a new sewing machine cause mine is on the blink. It is a cheap Brother bought at Wal-mart for $89.00 about 4 years ago and it was never intended to sew as many long hours as mine does.

Suggestions for a machine that will sew 4 layers of denim, quilt, embroidery, one touch buttonhole & costs less than $200?? Laugh, I know. I'm willing to buy used and refurbished. Someone point me to the right website (other than ebay...I'm searching there already).

I've also been battling health issues this summer: mono for the SECOND time in the middle of June and a migraine of migraines this past weekend.

Wear 'em to shreds, my friends

2008-06-16T20:31:00.001-07:00

Yesterday when the recipients of the quilt below opened their gift, 3 other friends just happened to be standing there. One of them said, "I have one of Kelly's quilts."
"So do I."
"and so do I."

I don't remember feeling so happy about something I had done...not even when I received the ol' sheepskin when I graduated from college.

One said she was keeping hers for her daughter when she grows up. I said, "No! That's not why I made it! Let her have it!" Maybe I made a mistake making that one so perfect...with straight lines and new fabric and embroidered name & date? That it became a keepsake instead of a quatastrophe? For everyone who receives one of my quilts, please use them until they are worn to shreds and then use the shreds.

I have made 3 "taggies" for a friend's baby who HAS to have one to sleep. He has slept with all three and hugged them and dragged them around until they are almost in tatters, and he is only 2. (A "taggie" is a small blanket of about a foot square with ribbon tags sewn around the outsides. Babies love them).

Quilt Quatastrophes ARE MEANT TO BE LOVED TO SHREDS!

The biggest Quiltingest Quatastrophe of them all!

2008-06-13T14:55:00.001-07:00

This is a true quatasatrophe. What started as a simple desire to make a lapquilt for a couple's wedding shower turned into this queen size (shown on a king bed) monstrosity of 100% recycled materials quilt. The bride is into recycling and is into anything "green." She even put "Please recycle" on her wedding invitations. I got the inspiration for this one when I heard they were engaged.
I started with the center...6" rag style quilt squares. Then I decided to place a border of dark denim. Finally I ended up at a garage sale buying 6 pairs of jeans to finish it in queen size.

It took 440 yds of 100% cotton quilt thread, and about 8 needles. I have to buy a new sewing machine! My poor cheap Brother can't handle this volume of heavy fabric even with heavy needles.

Remy likes it.

Monarch Chrysalis

2008-05-31T09:18:00.000-07:00

Finished yesterday.

Monarch and Caterpillar

2008-05-26T16:25:00.001-07:00

These are my latest projects. Took about 4 days each. Both are 18" x 24"

Monarch Caterpillar on milkweed. Oil pastel on paper. NFS.

Monarch Butterfly Oil pastel on paper. NFS.

Arts Festival

2008-05-26T15:55:00.000-07:00

Today I went to the Paseo arts festival in OKC to hear my favorite band Grandpa Griffith.
http://www.grandpagriffith.com/

What do I want to be when I grow up?

2008-05-25T21:33:00.000-07:00

So I'm 35 and still trying to figure it out. Call me crazy. Call me non-decisive. I thought I had it all figured out esp. after 2 college degrees. BTW I paid off my student loans last week!!! Sallie Mae won't let me go. She keeps sending me emails, but hey, now I can ignore them.

12 years ago I graduated with a Master of Arts in Religion with an emphasis in practical theology.

I just finished my first semester as an art student. I learned a lot from my professor even though he gave me a "B" for my "A" effort. It's hard to be a student when you've been a teacher.
Anyway, lately all I can do is draw/paint. Oil pastels. Some call it drawing some call it painting with pastels. Whatever it is. I can't stop. I have a muse. I want to be an artist. I want a studio. I want to earn a living with my art.

Finished Baby Quilt

2008-05-06T11:25:00.001-07:00

Finished the flannel pastel baby quilt & gave it at the baby shower which I also hosted. Got some close ups of the quilting. I ended up doing some applique/quilting on it to make it more interesting. Most of the quilting, however, is by hand. Fluffy, thick batting and a flannel backing makes it very soft for the new baby girl that should arrive in late June.

Flannel Pastel Baby Quilt

2008-04-03T06:50:00.000-07:00

I attend a prolific church...there are at least 2 baby showers a month! It was time to make another baby quilt, so I started hunting ideas. This pattern came from American Patchwork & Quilting Magazine this month. It is called Sun-Drenched Strips. Obviously I altered it a little...but I love the pattern & will try it again.

As soon as I put it in the frame for quilting & set it down, Princess Marie had to see if she approved of its softness. She approves. I will post a picture when I complete the quilting.

Top 10 to do before I die

2008-04-02T06:21:00.001-07:00

1. See Garth Brooks in concert
2. Train trip across Alaska
3. Publish a novel
4. Biking trip across Europe
5. Open an art/sewing studio in the Paseo District of OKC
6. Drive up the Pacific Coast highway from southern California to the Canadian border
7. Own a 1966 Mustang
8. Put my kids through college w/o student loans
9. Go on a Sierra Club wilderness survival weekend
10. Refinish the wood floors in my house

My life in dog and cat years Part 2

2008-03-15T09:40:00.000-07:00

Mickey 1
We got Mickey when Kitty met an untimely death trying to squeeze through the chainlink fence. She was a tiny kitten...so small she sat in Babie's food dish. She was sooooo sweet. She used to sleep cuddled up on my chest. She could catch mice, but occasionally lost them. Once she caught a mouse and had it by the tail and I killed it instead of letting her. I flushed the mouse & she cried all night about it. I should have let her eat it.
Lesson learned: Eat the food when it's in front of you.

Misty Lou
Misty was a beautiful dog, but looks can be deceiving. We had only been married a few months when a friend found her wandering around our college campus. I brought her home and surprised my husband. She was so innocent & sweet. WRONG! She tore up everything in the house: blinds, beanbag, ate a basket of Easter candy with wrappers, chewed batteries & sos pads. I could write books on her antics. Misty could not be confined. She was about 40 pounds and blonde...looked like a cross between a golden retriever and a greyhound. She could jump any fence, get out of any harness, choker chain, or collar. She would hop in and out of the neighbor's yards & I would find her racing down the highway. I finally had to give her away after many tears...to a friend who lived in the country where she could run.
Lesson learned: Don't let anything keep you from being free.

Mickey 2
It was 10 years before my husband would agree to another animal after Misty & her demon ways. So 10 years & 2 kids later I tried another surprise: a cat! Mickey was grey striped tabby cat. A vet friend had him & I thought it was a sign he was supposed to be mine since he was already named Mickey. He was about 3 months when we got him. Sweet. Not again. He liked to bite & scratch. He did not catch mice, but would watch them & then walk to his food dish like, "I think that made me hungry but I do not know why." My husband loved him as he is a cat person. Mickey would sit on the back of my husband's recliner and lick the back of his head. My two-year-old would get into the worst trouble of her life with Mickey. It usually involved dunking Mickey in the toilet. He grew to about 20 pounds so no one would dunk him then. He would fight anything that had fur. We had to give him away when we moved and he met an untimely death at the mercy of a large truck outside his home.
Lesson Learned: I'm still trying to figure it out.

Tigger
A few months after we moved into a rent house that would not take pets we bought our own house. Mickey was offered back to us but my husband said Mickey was too mean. So we made the mistake of picking up a stray orange tabby female that we named Tigger. You cannot make an outside cat an indoor one. I knew that...duh....remember Kitty & her ripping screens? Chris (husband) was remodeling the bathroom & left a hole in the floor overnight. Tigger went out the hole. After that she came & went as she wished. She used us for food. Chris was not too disappointed when she did not come back one day...mostly because she had taken to using the dining room carpet as a litter box. We see her occasionally around the neighborhood & she puts up her nose & lets us know she can live on her own.
Lesson Learned: Don't try to make an outdoor cat an indoor cat

Oh I love this quote!

2008-03-06T18:28:00.000-08:00

What was any art but a mould in which to imprison for a moment the shining elusive element which is life itself - life hurrying past us and running away, too strong to stop, too sweet to lose. Willa Cather

Lion Baby Quilt

2008-03-06T05:47:00.000-08:00

I made this for a friend who was decorating their baby room in circus animals.

Quilted Tote Bag

2008-02-27T06:55:00.000-08:00

I was inspired by seeing some quilted bags to make one of my own...here are the pockets before assembly. You will note some of the fabric I received for Christmas included....
Completed bag. The bottom is 13" x 11" and has a piece of template plastic inserted for stability.
Side pockets go all the way around. The end pockets are just the right size for a 12 oz. can or 20 oz water bottle. Currently this is holding my workout equipment but it could be used for just about anything!
View of the inside. Pockets included! I love pockets!

My Life in Dog and Cat Years

2008-02-21T13:49:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite authors, Gary Paulsen, has written a book called, My Life in Dog Years...an autobiography based on the dogs he has had. I took his idea and wrote a little of my own autobiography:

My life in dog and cat years

Tracy

Looked like a white Shepphard but had none in her. Tracy May loved me from the moment I was born. All 70 pounds of her. I’m sure I cut my teeth on her ears. My brother took naps sprawled atop her.

Life Lesson Learned from Tracy: Protect the vulnerable.

Brandy
The dumbest but cutest longest eared beagle you ever saw. Whatever we thought about beagles from watching Snoopy, she ruined. No chasing rabbits. Only catching chipmunks and torturing them until they died. She loved to sleep in the clean clothes basket.

Life Lesson Learned from Brandy: Seek comfort whenever you can get it.

Babie
Babie started out as Lady but she was no lady. She was just a spoiled rotten mutt that wandered into our church yard one day. My dad immediately fell in love. No one could guess her breed. She had the worst tail chop job you ever saw. She had the best belly drum...got diabetes late in life and craved sugar. Between insulin shots, she could pack away a 10 lb bag of powdered sugar.

Babie: Uncondtional love…oh and lick the tears off a sad person’s face.

Kitty
Some cats we choose and some cats choose us. Kitty wandered into our yard one day and just never left. She was white and I tried to name her Snowball but who can call Snowball? She would occasionally gift us with her kittens…and could never be tied down to the house. She would rip screens and lift windows to get out. She hunted mice, snakes, rabbits, birds. On an especially good day she would bring home the bird heads for Babie and they would share a feast. One day she knocked an entire ham off the table and she and Babie finished it off.

Kitty: Seek Freedom above all else. Never let anything stop you from being free: not even a screened in porch.

To be continued...

OK, this is my quote of the week

2008-01-30T17:27:00.000-08:00

"Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this." ~ Anonymous

so yesterday I toured some galleries

2008-01-05T16:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my family & I went on the once a month open gallery tour of the Paseo district, Oklahoma city.

Wow. I want a studio and a gallery!!! We were standing in one of them that was piled high with materials along with stuff for sale and my husband says, "this is what you need! get it out of our room!" Wa-la!!! I said, "Honey, please rent me a studio."

If only.

Saw tons of interesting art. Had inspiration...for paintings, not for quilts, sorry. Maybe the painting will become a quilt too. One side of my studio will be drawing/painting, and the other side quilts!

Sigh. For now, I will settle for half of the bedroom and my blog.

Fabric for Christmas

2008-01-05T16:08:00.000-08:00

My mother-in-law gave me a gift cert. to my favorite quilt shop for Christmas. After a hurried trip one hour before it closed for the weekend, these are my choices. I think all of the red, white, and blue will be in one quilt...the red and black scotties...I'm thinking of combining with red, black, and white solid...something triangular.

Many other drawings

2007-12-27T14:23:00.000-08:00

These are from my sketch book: attempts since Thanksgiving. All are pencil drawings.

First attempt at oil pastels

2007-12-27T14:18:00.001-08:00

Received 56 flavors of oil pastels for Christmas. I attempted my first drawing. Very easy to use and much less messy than paints! I did manage to get smears all over the table and my clothes but that is what one must do to learn art, right?

Recent animal rescue

2007-12-24T08:15:00.000-08:00

Our neighbor kids brought this one home but their mom was allergic and had an asthma attack. So I took it. Wanted to keep it of course, but DH said 3 animals in the house was enough. :-(

I did find a good cat lover home for him. He was such a sweet kitty.

Raggedy Ann Quilt

2007-12-22T09:27:00.000-08:00

Five years ago I decided to get a sewing machine and start sewing for the first time since high school. This was my first major project: a raggedy ann quilt for my mom. Here is a picture of her puppy, Xander sitting on the bed...LOL. Anyway, I found some raggedy ann fabric, but I did a lot of drawing on many of the squares. I also had my children draw squares for it. It is a king size. When she came to see me from out of state, I had it on my bed. She came back to my room and said, "where did you get the raggedy ann quilt? " I said, "I made it. It's yours." It was so fun. Most of the squares are 12". It was my first quilt in 15 years so I was afraid to start something with smaller squares. This only took me 2 weeks to complete, so that motivated me to start more complicated quilts.

I survived my first craft fair

2007-11-17T21:24:00.001-08:00

I didn't make all that much...sold about 1/3 of the stuff I took. I have listed the rest on ebay. I felt good though, that people might want to buy stuff I design.

art therapy

2007-11-07T21:18:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about my sewing as art therapy. I started sewing 5 years ago in an attempt to fill hours that had once only been filled with work. I was a workaholic and I did not know how to do anything else with my time. When forced to resign from my full time job to save my sanity, I looked back in my life to see what I had done for "fun" before work entered. I had to look back to high school. Sewing. I decided to teach myself to make the clothes I could never figure out in Home Ec. I prayed for a sewing machine. A friend gave me one. So I bought some Sewing Patterns for Dummies & sewed Barbie clothes. When I succeeded with that, I bought a pattern for baby doll clothes. Easy. Meanwhile I sewed some straight seams and made my mom a quilt. I am still waiting for her to take a picture of that so I can post it! Anyway, I bought another pattern for Dummies and made myself a dress--out of two pieces...easy. After that I braved Simplicity, McCalls, and Butterick patterns. I can follow any pattern now. I still hate inserting zippers and setting sleeves, but I can do both well...after picking out hundreds of stitches. It's just part of the process. Seam rippers get used as much as sewing machine needles.

I suffer from diagnosed clinical depression. I had been through hundreds of hours of therapy--yes, helpful. One day I was sewing and felt a new feeling that I had not felt. After therapy, you question your feelings and want to label them. I realized it was pleasure. It had been so long since I had felt pleasure...if you have ever been depressed you understand....in sewing, creating, I found healing. I am educated--two college degrees, and have had some classes in couseling...like I said been to therapy forever...but received more healing out of sewing than anything else...art therapy I now find out it is called...I never knew much about it until I started researching it lately. Yes, sewing is my art. Sewing is my therapy.

I see a project before I start it. I don't know how to explain this. I guess artists call it inspiration or getting the muse. "I dream my painting and then paint my dream." said Vincent Van Gogh. I have a simliar process. Each baby quilt I craft is made esp. for that baby...based on what I know of the parents and/or the child. It's hard to sew for those I don't know...why I have not entered craft fairs until this week. I see the clothes I sew in my head before I make them. I usually pick fabric first and then pattern. Or I see a piece of fabric and the picture of the finished project appears in my head and then I try to find a pattern to match it. If I can't, I alter or make it without the pattern. I don't have many UFOs because I need to see completion...I worked so long in a field that didn't provide completion and satisfaction from that completion.

I dream of owning a machine quilter. Now I handquilt, tie, or machine quilt with my standard machine...very difficult with large quilts. This is usually limited to baby quilts. I usually tie the large ones I make. One of these days my garage will be turned into my studio...but my desire is not to turn it into a quilt business, but a form of art therapy.

Log Cabin Tablerunner

2007-10-31T15:22:00.000-07:00

I couldn't figure out what to do with these sampler log cabin blocks...and they came together as this table runner. It even has a "theme." Lots of wildlife, fishing, and flowers. Bringing the outdoors right to the center of a table. Colors range from white to yellow to hues of green and blue. Some of the pieces are flannel, but most are quilter's cotton.

When Scraps/Patches take on a life of their own

2007-10-29T18:08:00.001-07:00

Ok, so today I sat down to rotary cut some 6" squares for a rag purse and this is what happened! They just refused to be ragged or pursed, instead became a baby quilt top. The darker blue fabric has little red ladybugs all over it. It has always been a favorite...made a raggedy ann costume out of it last October..and here it has surfaced again.

My first tailored suit

2007-10-08T07:44:00.000-07:00

No, not the first one I have owned. It's the first one I've sewn! It is unlined, and the fabric is a black and white plaid boucle'. The front of the jacket is held together with two small white ribbon ties. I have yet to insert the shoulder pads. The skirt is an a-line with a slight gather, side zipper, and wide waistband. The jacket is my most difficult sewing project to date as it had 18 pieces! However, there is a satisfaction in tailoring one's own jacket. It took several attempts and alterations to get it to fit perfectly, but I did it.

A new invention

2007-09-20T19:40:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you've heard of "taggies." This is a quilt with taggies...what should I call it? A quaggie? a twilt??? The taggies are little ribbons sewn on the edges so babies can chew on them. This quilt is a lesson in various textures for a baby boy. The close up shows it is a rag quilt...made out of scraps of fleece. I machine quilted-in-the-ditch.

Pink and Purple Baby Quilt

2007-09-07T09:02:00.000-07:00

I am working on this baby quilt for my mom's coworker. It is pink, purple, with some orange. The fabric has a floral or butterfly pattern. Has four inch squares with a four inch border.

Patchwork Pillow

2007-08-27T09:01:00.001-07:00

I made this patchwork pillow for a friend's little girl's preschool naptime. It is 10 x 12.

Grounded

2007-08-06T10:41:00.000-07:00

Ok so I've grounded myself from the fabric stores in an attempt to save money and finish some projects! I still have not put the batting and backing on the taffy(brown, pink, blue pinwheel) quilt even though I bought the stuff. I have done nothing else on the vegetable quilt. It has been the busier summer in years. Remy the puppy does take time. He expects a walk at least twice a day. :-) I can't complain. It certainly isn't hurting me to get off the couch or away from the computer. I directed Vacation Bible School in June & received fabric store gift cards and thought yeah now time to quilt. Not. Church camp came next along with a trip to the ER because of an allergic reaction to a fire ant sting. This was my second experience with fire ants. Anyone who knows me if I start to turn red in the face and swell and start panting, stab me with my Epi-Pen!

House invaded by Puppy

2007-07-10T11:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry cat lovers, but the blog will have to include some puppy stuff now that one has moved into my house. His name is Remy & the cats hate him.

Vegetable Garden Quilt

2007-06-30T20:52:00.000-07:00

This is the first completed block in a new quilt adventure. I am using a Garden Quilt pattern from a Better Homes and Gardens Book. This is an ear of corn. It is pieced...the yellow of the corn is actually a corn print. The next row will be appliqued yellow bell peppers.

Princess Marie & Eeyore move into a new house

2007-06-06T05:22:00.000-07:00

No, I have not given the cats away. They took up residence in the Barbie house yesterday. This is not posed! Eeyore is in the bottom. She always shuts her eyes in the flash so she blends into the shadows. Princess Marie, however, is a ham as usual.

Crocheted Backpack

2007-05-29T06:31:00.000-07:00

Why haven't I been posting quilt stuff? I've been busy working on other projects. This is a crocheted backpack/purse, lined, that I recently completed for my daughter's teacher.

My Amazing Garage Sale Find

2007-05-07T07:08:00.000-07:00

Saturday the family & I were out garage sale-ing and look what I found! I bought this quilt for $1.50! Stamped on the back, "Oklahoma Quilters Guild," I am sure it is handmade. It looks like a baby quilt--it has written on the back "MONKEYS" with a permanent marker. The quilt measures 33 inches by 34 inches. Nine ninepatch blocks nestled in light blue solid sashing...with tiny hands stitches....I am going to sew a sleeve on the back and hang it.

What you've all been waiting for: My first feminist rant

2007-04-30T19:15:00.000-07:00

OK so I just sat through a conference where ALL men sat in the front. ALL men spoke.
The one woman who was given the mic was escorted to the platform (a custom I loathe).

One woman was applauded for her homemaking skills.

No, this was not a homemaking conference.

Meanwhile I came home early to work on Homeroom Mom stuff. I know. I am a walking irony.

My very very first quilt

2007-04-25T19:09:00.000-07:00

This is the quilt I mentioned two posts below. My mom & I made this quilt when I was 5 & 6. I colored the iron-on transfers with paint in tubes (popular in the 70s I don't remember what it is called)

You can see the signature and date on one of the squares. Another shows a closeup on the patches upon patches I have done over the years to hold the quilt together. Other than coloring, I remember tying the knots as it was stretched across the living room floor. I also remember my mom waking us up in the middle of the night a few months later as she was working on another quilt. She had popped her toenail off as she moved furniture to tie another quilt. We had to get up and go with she and dad to the ER.

Aunt Linda's Quilt

2007-04-23T06:40:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in the previous post the quilt I received on my fourth birthday from my Aunt Linda. Here it is...patched and worn, yet still in use! I can't count how many times I lay sick underneath of it, counting the patches, or marveling at the nine patch blocks. Quilts do something for the self esteem of children. No one else in the world had a quilt exactly like mine: it was made for me. I love to do the same for the children I know, as you can see by reading my blog.

Why I started quilting

2007-04-22T15:27:00.000-07:00

My aunt Linda made me a quilt when I was 4. Patched and worn, it still keeps one of my children warm at night. I colored some pictures with fabric paint at age 5, and my mother cut up some old clothes and we made our first quilt together. It is even more worn than the other since we used old fabric as a start. I have patched it and patched it...but it is still well-loved and on the bed of my other child. I loved to sew as a child. My mom's machine broke when I was 11 or 12, and we did not have the money to buy another. I hand-sewed dolls and doll clothes until I was 12 or 13. My dad was a pastor, and one of the older ladies of our congregation took me under her wing when I was 13 and decided to teach me to quilt. She taught me hand-applique with polyester as it did not ravel on the edges. I worked on it for a while, but alas! boys began to hold more of my attention than quilting. The day before we moved to a new church when I was 15, she helped me sew my small pile of appliqued blocks to other plain blocks to make a quilt top. Using a sheet purchased at Dollar General with my hard-earned summer job money (picking vegetables in 100 degree heat), she taught me how to pin-baste the front to the back with safety pins. She gave me a lap hoop and said, "You can finish this in a month if you work on it every night." LOL!! I was 15 and had a boyfriend. I did not sit around sewing every night. This is quilt you see below that took me 15 years to hand quilt! I did not make another full quilt for 15 years...but now I take on smaller projects or hand-tie a huge quilt...My dream is to own a long armed quilting machine, but that is in the future.

A little more progress on the pinwheel

2007-04-09T20:01:00.000-07:00

I made some progress today. Still not sure about the design.

I tried a few more color combinations...added white with brown that reminds me of chocolate and vanilla ice cream. I could call the quilt neopolitan but for the blue. What flavor is light blue? Can't be blueberry. Maybe "blue rasberry." Or maybe the blue stands for ice??? I am trying to think of a clever title for the quilt...any suggestions?

As usual Princess Marie sits on the pieces. She doesn't like it when I go on a cleaning binge like today. All of this is now put away and she has nothing but a smooth table to lie on. She prefers the mess, but alas my husband does not.

Still working on the Pinwheel

2007-04-09T08:06:00.000-07:00

My chocolate and taffy pinwheel has not gotten very far...perhaps because everytime I spread the pieces on the bed, Princess Marie had to park on them. Or maybe it's because every time I arrange the pieces on the design wall, my children decide to rearrange them.

I'm not a Quilt Shop Quilter

2007-04-05T12:15:00.000-07:00

Ok so today I visited a real quilt shop for the first time. Yes, I've been quilting forever, and yes I've been to quilt shows....but as for a formal quilt shop where they teach classes, etc...first time.

It is a beautiful shop boasting 5,000 bolts of fabric. I was disappointed. Why?

1. Fabric is $8.00-$10.00 a yard!!! I think I'm paying a lot if I splurge on $4.00 a yard!
2. Everything looked too perfect...every example looked factory-made even though I know they sew them in the work room right there. You sure wouldn't find my rag quilts made out of worn out jeans hanging in those displays.
3. I asked about classes...since I have never taken a formal class, they said I had to start with a beginning class...using a rotary cutter and sewing a 1/4" seam. I said I was sure I could do that...see I don't want to pay $50 to learn how to do something I have been doing for 5 years (rotary cutters at least...I've been sewing for 15).

In conclusion I will continue to shop at Jo-ann and Hancock clearance racks (esp. $1.00 a yard).
I will continue to quilt in my own non-perfect, homemade-looking way...and no, that shop does not know the definition of scrappy!!!! They do things well, don't get me wrong, but it's just not for me.

Chocolate & Taffy Pinwheels

2007-04-05T06:07:00.000-07:00

This brown color reminded me of chocolate...so I mixed it with 2 pastels in a pinwheel block: pink & teal. So far no idea how far I'll go with these in size...the dream is a queen size for my bed, but we shall see.

Completely hand quilted lap quilt!

2007-03-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

Yes, you saw this quilt below...I posted it when I had finished everything but the binding. It is lapquilt size...I machine pieced the blocks, but it is 100% handquilted...recently finished the binding. The backing is an interesting linen black/white.

Dog Jacket

2007-03-19T08:22:00.000-07:00

I made this doggie jacket for a very special one-year-old's birthday. One of his first words was "dog" and he loves to imitate the dog sniffing. The jacket is cotton, lined. The buttons are also little dogs. The lining has tiny dog prints all over it. Ok, I know it's not a quilt, but this is what I have been working on...and if it is two layers with some quilting on it, it qualifies as a quilt in quiltquatastrophes!!!

A Crazy Project

2007-03-09T07:24:00.000-08:00

A pile of random blocks attempt to become a quilt. Princess Marie MUST jump in front of the camera as soon as I get it out. She is such a ham.

Eeyore attempts to hold down her favorite square.

...As I type this, Princess Marie has fallen alseep on her favorite square. I few Dresdon blocks, some different sized log cabin blocks and even a strip of flying geese have tried to sneak their ways into this quilt. I'm still in the arranging and rearranging part of this...and it makes me think of life...I had all these plans laid out for the future...and well, circumstances have turned my life out different than I expected. Yet God and the companions that hold me down can turn my life into something beautiful...even if it isn't all neat and lined up perfectly.

Tinkerbell Quilt

2007-03-08T06:13:00.000-08:00

My daughter wanted a tinkerbell quilt. I took a crib sized panel and added six inch squares all around it, mostly in nine patch patterns. I used lots of chenille, some terry cloth, and flannel. I hand quilted around the fairy, but used ribbons to tie the rest of the quilt.

Checkerboard Quilt

2007-03-07T06:32:00.000-08:00

I made the checkerboard squares of dark blue calico and unbleached muslin. I used the strip piecing method. The setting blocks are light pink calico and light cream colored calico with a tiny pink floral pattern. The nine squares are 10 inches square, the end result with border being a 36 inch square wall hanging. I have completed the hand quilting, but have not bound the edges. I plan to bind the edges with unbleached muslin. Princess Marie jumped on the sewing machine table as I pinned the quilt to the curtain to take pictures. It's like she knows it's time for a new blog post.

Details on Airplane Baby Quilt

2007-02-27T08:07:00.000-08:00

Some closeups of the airplane quilt. I used a picture of an airplane, enlarged & printed. I traced the entire shape onto the plaid fabric. Then I cut the pattern down to 7 smaller pieces, traced those on to varied colored fabrics, and used fusible web to apply them to the original airplane shape. Finally, I sewed around each shape by machine with a zigzag stitch. There are four total airplanes, each slightly different, yet following a color and pattern theme of plaids, stripes, solids in greens, blues, browns, and reds. I used a light blue airplane patterned soft knit as the backing. Knits are more difficult to machine quilt as they want to bunch, so it took a little picking out of stitches, but the end result was worth it. Flannels and knits combined make a soft blankie for Baby to hug.

Airplane Baby Quilt

2007-02-23T16:20:00.000-08:00

Just finished another crib sized quilt! I love to make unique quilts for babies: thinking perhaps they just might become a "blankie" for them. Like Linus, many babies love security blankets. My cousin had one she called "Nonny." She wore Nonny to shreds. When she went to Kindergarten, she carried pieces of Nonny in her pocket. The baby boy about to receive this quilt tomorrow may read the archives of my blog sometime down the road, and see how much I desired to give him a little piece of my love. This quilt has appliqued airplanes on 11" blocks, bound together by 4" strips of flannel sashing. It is machine quilted with a light blue backing.

Princess Marie finds a new perch

2007-02-16T14:30:00.000-08:00

Princess Marie likes to sit next to me while I type...this is the shelf for the printer, recently emptied.

Nine patch Tablerunner

2007-02-12T08:53:00.000-08:00

I have finished piecing this tablerunner. I used a nine patch set on point with large triangles and sashing to complete it. The sashing is a fun print with pictures of people fishing. Now to quilt it...

Rag Quilt Details

2007-02-06T07:09:00.000-08:00

The rag quilt mentioned below has many denim squares. Instead of only using neatly cut denim, I used the pockets as well (note above).
This Cat in the Hat was once on the front of my daughter's overalls. Rag quilts are a great way to display once treasured clothes.
I used a cat stamp on this square to add character.

Princess Marie book recommendation

2007-02-06T07:07:00.000-08:00

Princess Marie would like to recommend her favorite quilting book.

Nine Patch Baby Quilt

2007-02-02T11:47:00.000-08:00

I finally finished this nine patch baby quilt. The nine patch squares are a blue dotted swiss along with a pink and white calico. The alternating solid pink 6" blocks are pink linen. The linen squares are quilted with a heart shape. As usual, Princess Marie is helping me sew by holding the quilt down with her body weight. She especially likes to cuddle up behind the sewing machine while it is running. I think she thinks it is purring.

My signature jacket

2007-02-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

I created this jacket after seeing this phrase on the wall at a quilt show. I don't think there is another phrase that could describe me better. Of course Princess Marie had to stick her nose in while I was photographing the jacket. That says something about her behavior.

Birdhouses

2007-02-01T12:32:00.000-08:00

I made this birdhouse wallhanging about a year ago. It is 18" by 18". I followed a pattern, but I always diverge from the pattern--just me....anyway, as you can see it is a little lopsided--because I can never get anything lined up correctly. I hand quilted it in narrow lines.

It's snowing in Oklahoma City

2007-02-01T07:18:00.000-08:00

Princess Marie perches in the window this morning. She was posing for the camera here. Eeyore decided she wasn't ready to get out of bed. She lay in my daughter's bed, surrounded by a quilt. You can see the stitches on the hand done applique on the roses. This is the quilt I began at 15.

Both of my cats

2007-01-31T20:02:00.000-08:00

I took this picture of my 2 cats, Eeyore and Princess Marie while they lay cuddled on an old chair. In the background you can barely see the quilt my Aunt Linda made for me when I was 6.

Cat on Rag Quilt

2007-01-31T19:50:00.000-08:00

My darling long haired cat Princess Marie sits on her favorite perch: the back of the couch. Beneath her is a rag quilt I made this year. I used lots of denim scraps including pockets cut out of favorite pairs of jeans. More on this quilt coming later...

Some tiny Doll Quilts

2007-01-31T19:44:00.000-08:00

These are some tiny doll quilts I made at the age of 10. My daughters use them for their Barbie dolls now. The one on the top is 4" by 6", and the one on the bottom is about 3" by 4". I created these all on my own, by hand, for my family of dollhouse people.