I've been doing some "extreme cleaning" in the sewing room and found my stack of hexagon flowers. They weren't really lost but I hadn't done anything with them in a while. I love the way they look all mashed up against each other. I need to make MANY more for a bed size quilt. This is definitely a long term project. Currently, there is only one flower from each print but the center colors are used more than once. I need to sew some more quilts to make scraps for this - or, gasp, cut into yardage for the hexagons.
Fabric Swap Projects
A while back, the Ann Arbor Modern Quilt Guild had a "fabric swap" we all brought fabrics that we no longer needed in our stashes and made a very large pile of fabric on the floor. On the count of three we dove in and chose fabrics that we each wanted to add to our stash. It was quite a "free for all" luckily, no one was harmed. All unclaimed fabric was donated for charity quilts.
I tried to be particular with the fabrics I brought home and choose only fabrics that I knew I would use. I am please to report that I've already used some! Woot!!!I made this cross body bag to use at quilt market this spring. I used Kathy Mack's Mail Sack pattern but added a pocket to the outside. It is a great place to pin all the fun buttons I collected at market. The heavy weight fabric is perfect for this bag that holds a lot of weight. The lining is a batik that has been in my stash for many years. I score bonus points for that, right?
Next up is a pair of Parsley pajama shorts for Miss P. She loves them.
They are made out of a lightweight searsucker stripe with a tiny sliver of silver metallic woven in.
Now that we know which size fits her she will be making her OWN Parsly pajama pants out of this swap score.
Thanks ladies, I don't know who brought these fun fabrics to the swap but I am thrilled with the projects we are making with them.
Quilt Magazine
Oh, look, Curry and Cerise is now Simple & Sweet in the latest Quilt Magazine (Aug/Sept 2013)! I just picked one up at the grocery store and then came home and found two more copies in my mailbox! It is fun to see my (Jennifer's) quilt in print.
The Crafty Chloe Geranium
You have no idea how happy I am that today is the last day of school.So. Very. Ready.Miss P finished her geranium top (This is the Geranium for older girls pattern that we are testing for Rae. It will be released soon.) last night so that she could wear it to school today. I think she did a great job. Before starting this top, she remembered that last summer when she entered her skirt in the fair, the judges commented that she should finish the seams on the inside of a garment.She learned how to do French seams and also hand stitched the lining like I did on the dress version.
She wanted ruffles for sleeves so we added those too. That pattern piece was not in the pattern. Just cut an elongated D shape cut on the fold and gathered into the armhole. I love that P is learning new sewing skills and gaining confidence. I helped her a lot less with this project. And I let her use my "cool" sewing machine. She is still finding it hard to believe that I let her use the BIG machine.
Miss P got the book Crafty Chloe, illustrated by Heather Ross, for Christmas and we love it. It's about a craft loving girl who makes a gift for a friend - a great read for crafty girls.
I was thrilled to find this Crafty Chloe fabric, also by Heather Ross, for P to use in this top. She loves it too.
I snapped these photos quickly before we headed to school this morning.
I have now turned off my alarm clock for summer! Woo hoo. Here's to the more relaxed and slower pace of summer vacation!
My Favorite Quilt Photo - EVER!
.I think you can see why I sent Tealorange to my cousin. She LOVES orange. I love the way she styled this photo she took the day she got the quilt. I also cannot believe how clean she keeps her car. Living on a dirt road, my car hasn't been that clean since the day we bought it. This photo makes me smile every time I see it.
Geranium
I did a little garment sewing this weekend! I was practically jumping out of my seat when Rae asked if I would test the big girl version of her Geranium dress (which is a child version of her Washi dress). I had been eagerly awaiting the Geranium in sizes for older girls.I expect this dress to get a lot of wear so I took the time to make French seams on the skirt.
I also fully lined the yoke.
I just love the little notch detail in the neckline.
It adds a bit of style without being "over the top" for young girls.
Miss P is thrilled with the new dress in this fun orange print from Jennifer Paganelli. This is the size six with a little extra length.
The making of the dress went so well that Miss P is making HERSELF a top from the same pattern. She chose which variations she wanted to make and is well on her way.I let her use my big Bernina for this one. She thinks the Bernina is really cool and more fun to sew on than the featherweight. She likes that I can set it for slow sewing and there is no danger of accidentally going too fast.Stay tuned for Miss P's top AND the release of the Geranium for older girls. You will love all the variations you can get with this pattern.
Wordless Wednesday - the Portland edition
(houseboats seen from the Moda cruise boat)
"Is this downtown?" - scenes from Portland
Wordless Wednesday
Mother's Day
Remembering my mother today. I miss her every day.We are off to see a race and then a cello recital this afternoon. I hope you have a great Mother's Day.
Tealorange! - for the love of orange
Here she is, Tealorange! She's finished!
You may remember that this quilt grew from two years worth of bee blocks. I asked my bee members to make 6 inch finished blocks that were teal, orange, and cream.
I could never have made this quilt by myself. I love that the blocks are a mix of measured and liberated piecing. I love the mix of fabrics. I love everything about it.
I quilted it with parallel straight lines about 3/8 of an inch apart. It took a while to get it quilted but I think it was well worth the effort.
The binding is made of scraps of fabrics that I used in the star blocks that I made.
The back uses some fabrics that have been in my stash for quite a long time, along with some Thomas Knauer jelly beans.
The finished quilt measures 60 by 73 inches.
This quilt is headed to someone who is a HUGE fan of orange.
Wordless Wednesday
For the Love of Orange
Yesterday we had a controlled burn in our native prairie fields.
Burn days are usually very enjoyable; we stand around watching the fire making sure it stays in it's boundaries. It is supposed to peter out when it comes to the green lawn areas and paths that are kept mowed. If all goes well, we don't actually do much work - yesterday was one of those days.
I did get a bit of sunburn yesterday so today I'm staying in and sewing some scrappy binding to the Tealorange quilt.
Tealorange - quilting progress
I decided that the Tealorange quilt needed simple quilting. I started with stitching in the ditch between all the blocks and then added some parallel lines close to the ditch like I did on this quilt (but only in one direction).Then, I decided that I needed to fill the whole space with lines.
I have to say, I think the result is well worth the hours it took. I am thrilled with the results on the whole quilt.
I'm going to put a scrappy binding of orange and teals around it and will share a full view photo when it's really finished.
It has finally gotten warm enough to be outside without sweaters so we've also been working on some outdoor chores. Yesterday we went out in the fields hunting for morels and asparagus - we didn't find any of those but we did come back with a big load of garlic mustard. Today we'll plant some more things in the garden any maybe even have a field fire. I tell you, the fun never ends around here!
Plein Air
Miss P loves to draw. She has a few "how to draw" books that she has been studying and has gotten pretty good at drawing animals. The other day as we passed the neighbor's horses on our way home from school she had the idea that she could try drawing a horse by looking at an ACTUAL horse and not a drawing of a horse in a book like she has done before.
What a great idea!
It was fun but she did say it was a little tricky because the horses kept moving.
Tealorange!
This is what I've been working on the last few days. TEALORANGE! You may remember me posting some of the blocks over the last two years. These blocks were made by my quilt bee members two years in a row. Aren't they cheery?
This quilt has been a real "pick me up" this week. I needed that.It is too rainy and gloomy to get a good full view photo so, you'll have to wait for the final reveal because I now have it basted and ready for quilting. I hope I don't agonize too long over how to quilt it.
Blue Garden Dress
Miss P has a new dress and she calls it her "Blue Garden Dress".
The fabric, from Jennifer's Happy Land line, was leftover from the backing of one of the quilts I made for her. Miss P loves the fabric so we zipped out a dress this week. She chose the pattern from my vintage collection.
She likes that it is pretty enough for "fancy" wear but also looks great with jeans. Since it was SNOWING yesterday and warm weather seems to be taking its time this year we need some dresses that look good paired with pants. Miss P doesn't like to have "freezy legs" on the playground at recess and I don't blame her. I love her practical style.It is also a great dress for playhouse time.
I used an old Simplicity 6764 pattern but instead of using a facing, I lined the bodice for a more "finished" inside.
I love that these old patterns never seem to go out of style.
Super Hero: Behind the Scenes Look at a Quilt Blogger's Son
He is my super hero.
His special skills involve being tall enough to hold
and help display quilts for photo sessions.
And being patient with the elements (strong winds, rain, snow etc.)
while I try to squeeze in multiple photo shoots
on brief and sometimes rare visits home.
It can be exhausting
and sometimes he thinks he's my butler.
What a ham.
He often has great artistic suggestions on how to show the quilts.
However, I think those ideas are just an excuse to use his super hero skills to go climbing in the rickety loft of the barn.
Here's a big thank you to M, my supermodel super hero.These photos are outtakes from the photo shoot for my Atomic Pinwheels pattern.
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Well Worn
This postage stamp quilt is one of my favorite things at my mother-in-law's house. It was made by HER mother-in-law. I love all the different fabrics in it - lots of squares sewn together. It is a true scrap quilt made much like my first quilt but the squares are much smaller and it has seen so much use and love. I can imagine all of the time put into sewing those squares together and hand quilting - at a time when she was raising her own children, doing the gardening, canning and other housekeeping chores by hand. It is a utility quilt made for use. I love how the colors and fabric have softened over the years. It is super snuggly and still gets used. Miss P slept under it on our recent stay there.So. Much. Goodness. You can just feel the love passed from one generation to the next.
