Quilting: Daisy on faux fence

Yep, when I bought my sofa I asked if they ever had upholstery samples and the girl said yes.  So I came home with a huge box.  Thank goodness I gave 1/2 away.    Still have a very nice stash.  Decided one day to see if I could create something using one of the pieces and this is what I came up with.   I also have a lot of yarns.   Faced the back.

Sewing Corner & Quilting: Microwave Bowls

While I've been playing, now sure if I've shared this.  I learned how to make these back in Nov. and have been making lots.  Seems like it takes me forever.  Idea is that you can sit your bowl of soup, etc. in the microwave fabric bowl.  This way you don't need pot holders to take it out of the microwave and you can just eat in your chair if you wish.

Now Don has discovered he likes it for ice cream, cereal, warmed up left overs.  He uses his all the time.  I gave away a few for Christmas and so far everyone has loved them.  Great gifts.

Lots of directions on youtube and Pinterest.  Mine starts out at 10.5" sq. piece of fabric.   MUST be 100% cotton fabric, batting and thread.
Happy to share if anyone needs help making one.... but if you make one, you'll need 2 for sure.

Quilting: Black and white fabric challege

You may have noticed that I discovered Zentangles a couple of years back.  Well I just love it but not so good at it.  I'm an artist wannabe.  Anyway, my friend Mary Jane and I meet half way every month for lunch and crafting.  Yep at the restaurant, Ryan's in Salisbury, we shelp in our crafts and we play most of the day in a corner table.  Lately we've been mostly working on our zentangles and chatting.  In March we decided to do a black and white challenge in fabric.  Well here are the results.  Mary Jane decided to do a jacket.

  I had planned to do some wonky birds on a white shirt and didn't like my birds so change of plan.  I ended up making a small wall hanging.  I like it a lot. 

Another baby quilt finished

Well my goal is 12 baby preemie quilts for the hospital this year as part of Forsyth Piecers and Quilters.  I'm going to also add this one to my last quilt post to see the difference in how the came out with the different colors, and I started with the same squares.    I also got to practice my free motion quilting more on this one.   This one makes #4 on my donation list.  I'm having fun.  Thanks for letting me share.  Later, I'll remove this post as it will be added in with the last one. 

March & April baby quilt finished

Well around the end of Summer 2012 I could not find the group I wanted so I started a Quilting Bee, BusyBees and we meet every Thursday at Georgia Taylor Rec Center off W. Clemmonsville Road.  Check in if interested.

Now when it comes to sewing and patterns, I fly by the seat of my pants.  As I mentioned earlier with the "Birds in Fall" piece, I'm more of a cut and sew as you go gal.  Don't do well with patterns and directions.  I for sure can't cut straight (even with a ruler) or sew straight.     Susan drew me the layout.  I'm a visual person.

My 2 new friends at the bee, Susan and Becki have been helping me along.  They may soon give up on me.  Susan showed me how to do the Diappearing 9 Patch.  So I thought another baby quilt would be a good place to start and practice and off I went.    No pattern, just cut up some fabric and put it back together. 

Same blocks with different sashing.   Yellow sashing one finished in April, 2013 and is #4.   

 

Now that I see it on the screen, with white sashing, humm, it could have been better but you only learn by practice and for my first not so bad and hey, it's not a panel and I used a bit more fabric.    Luckily I had 4 extra blocks so I can try again and make another one and change it up a bit. 

WOW, now I see that Don was right.... the bunny label should have been in another color.  Maybe I'll add some stitching around the bunny label to make it pop. 

Thanks for stopping by and letting me share what I've been up to.    I just looked over and on my desk is a quote from a magazine.....

Remind yourself that it's okay not to be perfect.

Baby quilt story...... will tug at your heartstrings

As part of my 2013 goal, I plan to try to use down my fabrics without having to buy too much to go along.  Seems I have very few solids so I might have to make a run to the store. 

Took the easy route and started with some simple panels I had.  The quilts are for the preemie's at the hospital.   THis all started with a very nice email for 2013. 

Around January 2013 I got an email from Stampin up and I thought I had a new customer.  When I followed up it was someone trying to track me down.  Seems in 2003 when I was in the local guild I was making preemie quilts.   Turns out that she received one of my quilts and wanted to send me a note to let me know what it meant to hear.   

Here is a bit of what she shared.      Better grab a tissue.

Jan 5, 2013: 
  "My daughter was a premee, born in April 2003. The tag was handwritten
with Joan Lowder 196 Ju. -Lenor Dr. I will send a pic of the tag."
 
Jan. 6, 2013
   Shes beautiful!    My daughter was born on Easter Sunday(4-20-03). I was only 17 and
scared to death. She weighed just under 2 lbs.

 The only time I left her side was when a surgeon from Baptist came to perform heart surgery. I was so scared! I was was crying, sitting in the floor of the hallway that lead to where my daughter was. Needing to be as close to her as possible.

 A nurse, Alli, came to me and took my hand. I followed her to the big cabinet where they kept the quilts. As she opened the door, she said, "here, would you like to pick one out? It might help." I found a quilt that was bright on one side and had a heart stitched to the middle of the other side.  I sat in a rocking chair beside her for a few more weeks. Using your quilt to cover myself as I took cat naps. On the day we headed home, I put her in her carseat, and tucked the quilt in around her.

 Haley Anna is now a beautiful, smart, 9 year old. She still have the quilt and is very proud of it. Thank you so much for your kindness. Your quilt came into our lives at a time when I needed comfort more than ever.  I will send a picture soon. And yes, please feel free to post it.
    Thank you and God bless!   Lindsay Smith & Haley Anna

January 7, 2013
We live .. about 40 min south of Winston Salem. Over the years, ive taught my daughter the importance of giving and volunteer work.   

 Every year at Christmas time, she cleans out her room and closet, to donate out grown clothes and toys. This year, she had a friend over,  helping her. I overheard Haley say, "no, ill never give that away". I  walked around the corner to see her sitting in her closet explaining to her friend how special the quilt was. At that moment, the thought came to me that I' d love to say thank you for it.

Jan 7, 2013
I'm so glad that we reached out to you. I will send a pic of the quilt as soon as I can. Its not frayed at all! We have taken very good care of it. Please contact me any time! God brings people together for
reasons only he knows.


And that is how the story goes when lead me back to a reason to use up my fabrics and starting making preemie quilts again.    My goal is to make at least 12 this year.    Her story is what started my year off  on the right foot. I appreciate her allowing me to share the story with you.

Haven't sewn in so long I took the easy route and started with 2 panels and now 4 pieces of fabric are in a better place.   It was a good way for me to practice my free motion quilting.   I just finished one that is pieced that I'll post shortly.

Revamp the sofa pillows for a new look

In addition to trying to get my act in order in 2013, I thought about all the times Don and I share taping on the tv and then there is little time for me to watch what I've taped.  Love that DVR.    Yep there is a TV downstairs in the craft room but no windows. 

On the top floor are 2 rooms and a bath.  One is a bedroom and the other is like a sitting room.  Both very pretty but we rarely get guests and what a waste of space.  So I've decided to take it over and have my own woman retreat.  It has windows, nice furniture and a place to hang out, watch a hallmark movie, quilting, take a nap and I might let him visit. 

While laying on the sofa I was looking around at how I might make some changes.  I do plan to make some pillows for the furniture but thought how could I make it more up to date, as it's almost 20 years and hardly been sat on.  I decided to take the ruffles off the pillows and stitch them back up.  Takes up less space and I think I like it.  1 more pillow to go.  Just another one of those projects I can do while watching a movie. 

Well of course I thought of sharing when I was down to just one pillow left to remove the ruffles.    Now with the ruffles removed I can easily make slip covers for the 4 pillows and change the look of the room.  Keep you posted.

I'm having fun in 2013.. 

Spring purse for your little girl

Does your little girl have her Easter purse ready for spring?

Some time ago I made this little purse for my niece, no pattern, so it's one of a kind. It's Mary Engelbreit fabric inside and out. Different fabric inside.

It has a snap closure and a pocket inside. The inside is using fabric like the label on the front.

Of course my camera died when I took picture of the inside so check back. I've started up my Etsy site and have listed this purse for sale, $12.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=39713766