Friday, November 30, 2012

What's been going on?

Let's see...
 
I made my very first teddy, loosely following this tutorial.
 
 
Following the tutorial, he was actually quite easy to make. 
I think he turned out pretty good for a first effort. 
 
 
After that I was feeling pretty brave so I decide to drag out my Stupid Sock Creatures
book and try making a monster.  I've had the book forever but hadn't felt
adventurous enough to try making one until now.

 
Since this photo was taken I've stuffed the arms, attached them and started to stitch the head on. 
The mouth still needs some finessing but I think it's coming along rather nicely. 
 
 
While sorting through my fabrics to do some destashing a week or
so ago, I got myself sidetracked.  And here is the result.
 
 
I've got 86 triangles made and am half done making another 80.  I've come up with
a couple setting ideas and now just need to decide on one.
 
 
I also made another clothesline rug last week.  Recently I was asked if I could make
three rugs for someone who wanted them for Christmas gifts.

 
The rug was made using two 100 ft. packages of clothesline.  It measures 24" x 27 1/2". 
It only took about eight hours to finish.  I would have already made the other two
rugs but I ran out of clothesline.  Fingers crossed, it'll be here Monday-ish.
 
 
And Tuesday evening I made this giant Cathedral Window pillow.

 
While at the Houston quilt show, I and my friends saw a pillow like this in a vendor's booth. 
I think it was displayed just to show off Kaffe fabric because there didn't appear
to be a pattern for sale...not that I needed it.  Right then and there
I knew I was going to go home and make one.
 
 
And finally...on Monday I received not one but TWO pillow covers from Sarah (coincidentallyquilting) for Modern She Made Swap on Flickr.

 
I am very pleased with the covers she made and I'm looking forward to participating
again.  If you think you might be interested in participating in this swap,
just click the link above.  The swap is open anyone.
 
 
Well that's all I have for today.  It's back to making triangle blocks for me.
 
Till next time...
 

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

So long, farewell, aufwiedersehn...

...goodbye to my Modern She Made Swap pillow cover. 
It is now on it way to its new home.  I really hate to see it go but
I hope the recipient loves it as much as I do.
 
 
It took me a while to decide what to quilt in those corners.  In the end I opted for more feathers.  Everything else I sketched just didn't seem to work for me.  Part of me wonders if I
should have just left the space unquilted...maybe next time.
 
For the binding and backing I went with a taupy grey daisy print. I really wanted something with a lack of color so as to not take your eye away from where you should really be looking.  I think a colorful binding would have kept drawing your eyes to edge too much.
 
I also made a few other goodies to send along with the pillow...a little
coin purse, a key chain, and a needle book.

 
 
Thank you to everyone who left comments the last time I posted about this project. 
It took me a long time to decide what to make.  And even once I decided
what to do, I wasn't always sure I was on the right track.
 
It always feels good to receive positive feedback.
 
Thanks again. 

Monday, November 19, 2012

Mom's Turkey Dressing



With Thanksgiving days away, I thought I'd share with you a recipe I acquired from my mother years ago.  This recipe has been so popular in my house that it is permanently clipped to the refrigerator door.  And it is soooooo good that I'm confident that after reading it, you'll be sharing it with everyone you know.  It's THAT good!


Mom's Turkey Dressing

3 eggs
2 cups rice
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups unpopped popcorn

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2.  Mix all ingredients together and stuff turkey.
3.  Bake at 350 degrees until popcorn blows the ass off the turkey.


Turkey's DONE!

Thanks Mom.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

What I'm working on

While doing some organizing and sorting of my quilt stuffus, I came across a bunch of little quilts that have been accumulating.  So I have decided to spend some time this week quilting them...fingers crossed.
 
Except for the last two, the first four are all from leftover of other quilts.  I hate throwing away scraps and leftover blocks.  It just seems like such a waste.  If I can't find someone to pass them along to, I make a little quilt.
 
The first quilt shown are the leftovers from a 30's dresden quilt I made.  The blocks you see were the used to go around all the blocks.  Someday I'll get that dresden quilted.  The second quilt you see were the left overs after cutting tumbler blocks out of 5" charms.  Nothing too fancy but I like it.
 


The third little quilt here came from the ends of 60 degree triangles I cut...and haven't done anything with yet.  I really need to get back to that project.  The fourth one here came from my Ocean Waves quilt.  With the pink setting fabric I used, it became clear very early on that using pink blocks too wasn't going to look very good.  But they work as a little quilt.




Ever have just one charm pack of something?  It never feels like enough to do anything with.  I found that they make a great little tumbler quilt.    And finally, this last little quilt is a design from Lori Smith of From My Heart to Your Hands.  It was made from four fat quarters.  It's not a favorite of mine...maybe because of the colors I used.  I'm hoping some fancy quilting with snazz it up.


 
 
I have my next little quilt progress.  From the leftovers of another quilt I'm making 2" finished hour glass blocks.  After thinking about all the possible layouts I've decided to do a simple every other block kinda thing. This one is going to be a lot of fun to quilt and I can't wait.
 

 
 
Well that's all from me for now.  I hope y'all are having a great week.
 
Till next time...


 



Tuesday, November 6, 2012

There and back again...Part 2

 
Here is the second and final installment of my quilt pictures from Houston.
 
Enjoy!
 
 
 
 Odin's Trilogy
by Linzi Upton of Banchory, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
 
 

Scenery Through Round Windows
by Keiko Morihiro and 30 friends of Sanda-City, Hyogo, Japan



 
Diamond Quilt
by Tara Faughnan, Oakland, California
 

 
Alexandra's Quilt
by Tara Faughnan of Oakland, California
 

 
 


Dear Friends
by  Michiko Yanagihara and 8 friends of Gotemba, Shizouka, Japan
 



Imagining India
by Pat Holly of Ann Arbor, Michigan



 
Summer at the Lake
by Rahna Summerlin of Port Orange, Florida
 



Lumination II
by Susan McBride Gilgen of St. George, Utah
 

 
Pennsylvania Hearts & Hands
by Kelley Cunningham of Stevensville, Maryland
 

 
Tennessee Treasures
by Linda Roy of Knoxville, Tennessee
 

 
The Peaceful Ones
by Denise Havlan of Plainfield, Illinois
 

 
Mother Earth
by Julie Duschack of Denmark, Wisconsin

 
Ms. MacDonald Had a Farm
by Lynn Czaban and member of the Hanging by a Thread Group of Vancouver, WA

 
Koshare Indian Dancer
by Carol Moellers and others of Green, Iowa
 

 
Synergy
by Nancy Sterett Martin and Karen Sistek of Owensboro, Kentucky



 
Schooling Through the Jellies
by Susan Fletcher King of Houston, TX

 
Rainbow Lorikeet
by Helen Godden of Latham, ACT, Australia

 
Flower Quartet
by Yasuko Sugaya of Ichibara, Chiba, Japan

Monday, November 5, 2012

There and back again...


...a quilter's tale about this year's Houston International Quilt Festival.

I and two of my besties headed down to Houston on Thursday and spent the day on Friday at the show.  We did the ENTIRE show, quilts and vendors, in ONE DAY!  And let me tell you I was EXHAUSTED at the end of the day. 

It was not an adventure for the faint of heart.  We spent the first 8 hours just making it through the vendors.  There are so many vendors to see that by about half way through you're visually numb to almost everything because it all starts to look the same.

I could've bought and bought and bought.  But I showed restraint...lol.  Here's my modest haul.

 
Some 1/2 and 1 yard cuts, some fat quarters, and a couple bundles of wool squares...
 
I would like to have found more text prints but I was especially happy to
find Kaffe Spots and Aboriginal Dots in fat quarters.
 

 
A pre-printed panel to quilt, a couple patterns, a soap stone/graphite
pencil, a few stencils, and wedge paper pieces...
 
If you're ever in the market for quilt stencils, I highly recommend
The Stencil Company.  Their selection is the best I've ever seen.
 

 
...and Kathy Doughty's new book that I've been dying to get!
If I ever make it to Australia, Kathy's shop is first on my To Do List.


After all that, the last hour of the show was spent actually looking at the quilts.  While the winners were all amazing, I want to share with you the ones that didn't win the BIG awards and that I was especially smitten with.  In no particular order here are just a few of the quilts.

 
Winding Blade Quilt
by Christine Imbaud of La Rochelle, France
 

 
Zomerse Dag
by Lilija Kostenko of Gouda, The Netherlands
Second Place - Novice
 

 
Starlight Night
by Ghislaine Lucas of Le Conquet, France
 

 
Clarissa
by Aline Joulin of Chaillevette, France


 
From Replica to Replica. Ursula, Doris, and I!
by Simone Patouillard of Sorbiers, France
 


Double Feathered Star
by Gabrielle Paquin of Orleans, France
 

 
Upside Down
by Marie-Josephe Veteau of Steinsoultz, France
 

 
Berne House Quilt
by the members of the Bernese Quilters of Berne, Switzerland

 
My Journey to Baltimore
by Lois Podolny of Tucson, Arizona
 

 
The Age of Discovery
by Setsuko Matsushima of O-Tsu Shi, Shiga, Japan

 
 
Baltimore in the Provence
by Ellen Heck of Somis, California
 

 
Hope
by Yoshiko Miyamoto of Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Ken, Japan

 
Raven Blanket
by Lynn Czaban of Vancouver, Washington


 I have more quilt pictures to share.  But that'll have to wait till tomorrow. 

Till next time...