Wednesday, December 28, 2011

So I think I can quilt... it? Part II

This quilt was my first post. It has now been quilted and gifted the the newest baby in my family. I hope it brings love and comfort to the baby!



 These coasters were made by my sisters and I on a "Sister Saturday." We got the idea from http://lightrefreshmentsserved.com/?s=coasters via Pinterest. We bought the tiles from our local ReStore. When we added up the cost of supplies we figured we had made a set of six coasters for under $2. Now I have all my friend birthday gifts for the year. OK ladies act surprised when they come your way. ;)

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

DIY Easy Ironing Board of any size

I was tired of always having my full size ironing board up while I was quilting. But I can't live with out it. So I made myself this board to fit into one of my drawers. As you can see it fits just right because I cut it to the size I wanted.


Supplies
MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard)
Pelon Insulbrite (big enough to wrap around your MDF)
Ironing Board Cover Silver Fabric
Staple gun with staples

Step one:
Cut a piece of MDF  to the size of your choice. Then Cut Insulbrite big enough to wrap around the MDF.


Step 2:

 Starting in the corners wrap insulbrite around board and staple. Try to tug till the insulbrite is taunt but don't pull to hard, it will stretch and even rip.

Step 3:
Wrap all four sides around MDF and staple. Again making sure there are no bubbles on the front of the board.



Step 4:
Following same process as Insulbrite attach Ironing Board Cover Silver Fabric to the MDF. I cut the Ironing Board Cover Silver Fabric bigger than the Insubrite so that it would cover the Insulbrite and look like a smoother finish on the back.

I hope this will help someone out there looking for more space. I just take the board off the draw when not in use and tuck it under my table. It looks tighty and is easy to get to when I'm ready to pull out the next project.
Happy Quilting!!!!!


Monday, December 5, 2011

I didn't paint the Pumpkins, but my Sister-In-Law did. She make them for me as a Thanksgiving gift. I did make the place mats and table runner. This pattern is so easy! If you have a circular attachment for your machine you can whip one of these up in no time!

The squirrels are the addition to the pumpkins that makes it Thanksgiving.


Aren't they the cutest?


Thursday, October 27, 2011

Taking Time to Smell the Flowers

I used the "Snickerdoodles" pattern from Bunny Hill Designs to make this adorable bunny. It went together very quickly. She has been named Taloosa



While we were taking these pictures, we had a pleasant visitor. This butterfly just stopped by to say hello.

Monday, October 17, 2011

My hubby and I just celebrated 8 years of marriage. What a great time we have had. While we engaged we took a trip to Cali for a family reunion. While we were there, we stumbled across a fabric shop. We picked out a breezy sailboat fabric together. And now 8 years later, I have finished his quilt! It is a variation on the mariners compass.


 With true compasses on the four corners. The Blue background has a glitter that looks like night time stars.


Happy Anniversary Honey! 

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Sailing to Sleep

This quilt is a crib size quilt. I am naturally drawn to more feminine colors, and this is an attempt at a boy blanket.  The blue swirls reminded me of ocean waves. The orange squares have little palm leaves scattered throughout. I smile every time I look at the puffy clouds. Oh man, I long to go sailing!
From a distance the orange squares really show a secondary pattern that was unexpected and fun!


I was inspired by the sailboat motif that I wanted to use for quilting.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

I taught a class on this project. It turned out fun! The picture with red and white is a crib size quilt (40"X60") The one in pink and green is a miniature duplicate of the bigger ( 9.5"X13.5"). Although my sample for the class was Christmas colors and the title of the class was Christmas in July, my students had fall colors, Halloween fabrics and 4th of July patterns. I think that is the one of the things I enjoy about quilting the most. Take the technique, in this case half square triangles, and end up with soooo many options. Placement, colors, size, and shape are all endless possibilities!!
*Christmas in July- Crib size quilt 40"X60"
*Miniature version on same quilt-9.5"X13.5"
I hope your day is full of creativity and laughter!

Monday, September 5, 2011

It's a keeper... or a giver away

I made this quilt for "Project Linus." This group collects and gives quilts to children who are injured or traumatized. Hope whoever gets it, likes it.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

What's that you say, it's not a quilt?

I can't take all the credit for beautiful things around my house. My husband is a wonderful Gardner. He has brought in beautiful tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, peas, corn, and even okra. He also enjoys planting flowers in the garden. This helps attract the bees that pollinate the plants. This year the sunflower sprang up to over 10 feet tall.

I can make flower arrangements as well. Mine are not as natural but they will hold up a little longer.

Well that's just a couple of the things that keep me busy in my day to day life. And love it!

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Kissing Fans

I started this project in response to a challenge from my Manager. She kept asking me to make a circular quilt. I had so much fun! I used a circular attachment for my machine. Then I went to town sewing circles. I used every scrap piece of thread in the drawer and every stich on the machine.

 When I was done sewing flowers I started on a Halloween theme and a black, white and red composition.

When all was said and done, I made a class out of the technique. I only hope my students will think it’s as easy and fun as I did!

Thursday, July 28, 2011

This one was a fun project

This quilt was a gift to myself on my birthday. I just loved the colors and needed to do something with them. I had plenty of fabric left for the cute wall hanging. I have adored the pattern and waited for the perfect fabric to make it.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

So I think I can quilt... it?

I started this quilt thinking I would add elaborate quilting to fill in the "white" space and now I'm scarred. "Practice makes perfect" they say. So I am hoping I can summon the courage to jump in and commit to finishing the project. I need to find a way to inspire myself to finish these projects when I get to a point that I am stuck, worried, nervous, afraid of how they might look when done. Some sort of a mantra to get myself past the stuck and into the done. Any suggestions?