Mini QT "3D" Swap Update

Well, as I mentioned in my previous post, my partner in the Mini QT Swap "3D" round hadn't sent me anything. I don't really know the details, but suffice it to say she received a quilt and other goodies from me, but decided not to send something in return. Of course, I was bummed. But then, I found out that Ruth was making me an 'Angel Quilt' and I was thrilled. I'd already swapped with Ruth and her work is gorgeous (check out this post for the details). Well, a few days ago this came in the mail...

It's stunning - she really did her research. I've got some little mushrooms in my flickr favorites. But wait, there's more. Who is hiding behind that door? (forgive the cheesy rhyme - it wasn't intentional, but it's staying in the post)

It's a little garden gnome. Adorable! Thanks so much, Ruth. I love this little quilt and appreciate you for going out of your way to make sure I had a good great experience this round.

But, the fun doesn't end there. The very next day I had a package waiting for me. I recognized the flickr name (DeeRoo G) on the return address and went into panic mode. Had I forgotten I was in a swap? I wasn't expecting anything in the mail and worried that I might have missed a deadline. I opened the package and here's what was inside...

Turns out that Dee felt badly about my fate in the swap and put together a package of goodies for me. Some lovely fabric, some patterns, velcro tabs, a cute mug rug, and a lovely note. How sweet is that?!

Thank you so much, Ruth and Dee, for making this round so wonderful.

A Tale of Three (and a half) Swaps

So, I've been keeping pretty busy with swaps lately. First up was the Scrappy Mug Rug Swap. This was my first time participating in this swap and I really enjoyed making this little mug rug (and receiving some beauties in return).

Here's the quilt with some of the goodies that I sent along (not pictured are some pieces of the batik fabric that I also sent along). I really love that orange swirl glass and will have a small plate made of the same glass to show off soon.

And here's what I received from FlossieBlossoms. She wasn't happy with the aqua and red mug rug (really?!?!), so she made the little hedgie and sent them both. I also got some wonderful little extras of cocoa, chocolate, hedgie fabric (the same fabric is on the reverse of the hedgie mug rug) and some postcards from her area. I am just thrilled with these goodies!

Next up is the Mini QT Swap. The theme this time around was '3D'. This swap is a direct swap (not a secret swap) and, although the deadline was March 31, I haven't received mine or heard from my partner. Hopefully everything is okay with her. Normally I don't post a picture until my partner lets me know the package was received, but I think that I'm safe after 3 weeks. So, here is what I sent out, It measures about 9" x 11" if I remember correctly.

The DQS10 (Doll Quilt Swap Round 10) is the big one... The DQS is the swap that first got me interested in flickr and in swaps. I wanted to join in, but needed to show that I used flickr and had experience in swaps before they would accept me into the lottery. I'm hooked now. I made this little quilt (approximately 16" across) for needles-n-notions. I knew that she liked the aqua/red combo (as do I) and decided to go with this octagon shape. I didn't remember that she had made an octagon Doll Quilt for her partner in the last round of DQS (didn't remember even though I 'favorited' two pictures of it). I included a fused glass pendant with flecks of aqua glass in it and a fat quarter of some of my favorite red batik (not pictured).

Amanda was inspired by a Storm at Sea quilt that I had favorited. She used Anna Maria Horner fabrics (yummy) in the mini. The fabrics have a lovely sheen to them. She really nailed it, it's a gorgeous little quilt.

Finally, the most recent swap was the Make Mine Modern Swap. This was my first time participating in this swap and it's a little different from the others in that the swap item doesn't have to be a quilt, just something sewn (bag, table runner, pillow, etc). There are some extras that are required in this swap also - in other swaps the extras are completely optional. So, onto what I made. I was creating for N. Ramirez who mentioned that she would like a sewing machine cover. I went with linen and bright colors. The ties are tacked onto the sides, but could easily be taken off if she wanted to use it for a wall quilt or table mat. Here it is on my sewing machine which is quite a bit smaller than hers, thus the awkward fit.

My partner mentioned that she liked shot cottons, so for the 1.5 yards of fabric that I needed to include in the package I purchased some Carolina Chambray from Lolly's in Shipshewana. I might have taken the opportunity to buy a little fabric for myself also. I also included a fused glass pendant with a modern design in her package.

Now, here's what I got in the swap. Gknittinknam pulled my name and he really spoiled me! I mentioned that I would like either a quilted pillow cover or a table runner. I guess Rick couldn't choose because he made both (and then some). The pillow (sent with the pillow form, so the box was huge) is made of scrumptious silk and came along with the neatest quilted magnetic board and a matching cushion. The workmanship on all this is just exquisite!

Color me spoiled...here is a partial shot of the table runner (it's quite long and difficult to get a picture of the whole thing while still focusing on the details of the piece). The batiks perfectly coordinate with my formal dining room. The fabric origami is gorgeous and, as with the silk pieces, the quilting is spectacular.

Additionally, I received some gorgeous fabric, a couple of postcard patterns, an aqua (!) rotary cutter, and a bunch of Smartees. Thanks so much, Rick, for your generous and beautiful work!

Now I've got to get to work on my next two swaps...the Mini QT Swap theme this time around is Circles/Swirls and I'm also participating in the Scrappy Mug Rug Swap again.

Grandma's Quilt

For my grandma's 80th birthday I decided to make her a quilt for her living room. It needed to be something fairly simple because I might be a little overextended at the moment. I settled on a Chinese coin quilt. For this quilt I used two charm packs of Moda's Fig & Plum line (I had one charm pack in my stash and ended up ordering another pack from an ebay seller). I cut the 5 inch squares into varying widths and paired the prints with Kona bone.



I machine quilted this with a variegated thread that really picked up the colors nicely from the various prints.



I pieced the back, placing a row of the coins about one third of the way down from the top. This used up almost all the fabric from the two charm packs.



Charm packs are definitely not the ideal way to go as there are a lot of seams. It would have been faster to create this with yardage, sewing together long strips and then cutting them. Regardless, I'm pleased with the finished quilt. I gave my grandma the quilt today and she seemed to really like it as well. The quilt measures 43" x 63".

Up, Up, & Away

Here is the quilt that I sent to quiltinkimmie in the MiniQT Swap on flickr. Our theme was Take Flight. My pictures are quite terrible since it is winter in Indiana and a blizzard was about to hit us when I was taking my pictures. So, indoor lighting it is.




The balloon was strip pieced and then cut at angles and sewn back together. I then fused that piece to some double-sided fusable and ironed it on to the quilt. I machine sewed around the balloon for a little extra stability. The basket is made from one inch strips of fabric that I folded in half (wrong sides together) and sewed a seam along the side. I then trimmed the seam and inserted a bias bar and fiddled the seam to the back before pressing open. I ironed the heck out of the little tubes and then cut them into smaller lengths and wove them together. I sewed the woven pieces on top of another piece of the same colored fabric just in case there were any gaps. Finally, I sewed that piece onto another piece of the same colored fabric and sewed the whole lot to the quilt by hand. I finished up with some embroidery and both hand and machine quilting. There's a little 'faux piping' (flat piping without the puff) in red along the egdes of the quilt before the binding went on.

As you can see, the basket is 3D, so you can add a little something (or someone) in there for a ride. In this case, I added a little Wicked Witch of the East doll for Kim (she loves The Wizard of Oz). I also sent along one of my fused glass pendants in coordinating colors.

Here's a close up of the pendant.

And, finally, a look at the gorgeous quilt that Kim sent to me. It is simply stunning. I love everything about it. So did my daughter, so it is hanging in her room. Eventually that kid will run out of wall space and I'll get to hang a quilt in my sewing room...

Thanks, Kim. I had a great time playing along in this swap!

New in 2011

I was inspired by a bit of embroidery that I saw out on flickr and decided to make my own version of the design.



I've actually added a little French knot to her bow since I took the picture. I'm thinking that I'll make a little mini quilt using the embroidery as the centerpiece.

I made it into Doll Quilt Swap 10 on flickr and I'm so excited! I haven't settled on a design just yet. Many of the participants have finished theirs, so there is a lot of inspiration to look at over on flickr.

In addition to DQS10, I'm also in the Mini QT Swap, Scrappy Mug Rug Swap, and the Make Mine Modern Swap. I just sent out the December/January Mini QT Swap quilt, which had Take Flight theme. As soon as my partner indicates that she's received it, I'll post a little bit about that one. Next up for the Mini QT Swap is a 3-D theme. My daughter is convinced I'm a little crazy for participating in four swaps at once, but I'm confident that it will be a fun experience!

Slug Bug - Silver

I forgot to take 'before' pictures (and the in-progress pictures, for that matter). I didn't think of it after it was way too late. Anyway...I made this shirt for my daughter. She loves the layered look and really liked this old shirt of mine (which had a hole in it).

I started with a plain black t-shirt in her size, my old shirt, freezer paper, and some silver paint. First, I cut the sleeves off my shirt and sewed them into the sleeves of her shirt. I then cut the bottom off of my shirt. Because my shirt was wider than hers, I cut a front piece and a back piece and finished the edges before sewing the pieces onto the bottom of her shirt. This also provided a nice little vent on each side. I didn't have to hem the pieces because I used the existing hem from my shirt. Next, I cut out a stencil from freezer paper and ironed the stencil onto the shirt. Finally, I just applied a few coats of the silver paint (mixed with a little textile medium). Iron to set the paint and you're ready to go.

My girl loves it and has worn it already. In fact, this picture was taken after a run through the washing machine.

2010 in the Rear View

Well, 2010 is almost over. Frankly, I'm ready to put it in the rear view mirror. Despite the bumps in the road, I did accomplish quite a bit of quilting. The year started with an online quilting challenge. I also jumped into Flickr and the world of online swaps. The challenge and the swaps really pushed me to try out some new techniques and finish more than I would have otherwise.

The above mosaic displays the quilts that I finished this year. Let's see, I've got 15 quilts there...

• One was made to hang on my daughter's wall
• One was a charity quilt
• Two were made as gifts that I gave away
• Two were commissions
• Four were made for an online challenge (those remain in my possession until I find them a new home)
• Five were made for swaps

There are two Lorax quilts in the mosaic and, no, it's not a mistake. I made one for a swap and a friend commissioned me to make one as a gift for her daughter. Of the 15, six are baby to lap quilt sized, while the other nine are sized from 8" x 11" to 25 inches square. There are a few others that were started and not finished, so they'll have to wait until next year. Included in that list of unfinished quilts is a second Peso (the penguin) quilt for my daughter. Hopefully I'll be able to tick that one off in the early days of January.

So, 2011 is going to be better, right?

I'm imagining good great things for 2011. For 2011 I'd like to accomplish the following creative/artistic goals:

• Open an Etsy store - yeah, that was supposed to happen in 2010...
• Continue working with fused glass
• Learn to work in stained glass
• Continue to participate in quilt swaps

Here's to 2011 and new opportunities. What are your creative goals for 2011?

I Am The Lorax

...and I speak for the trees. This is my latest mini quilt for the Mini QT Swap on flickr. The theme for this swap was 'books'. My partner, ruthiequilts, mentioned that she liked Dr. Seuss, so I selected The Lorax for her quilt. The individual pieces are fused onto the background fabric. The details are a combination of machine and hand stitching with a little bit of permanent pen.

Here's a close-up of the little guy himself. I just love this story. If you are unfamiliar with The Lorax (as Ruth was), check it out.

First published in 1971, the story is quite relevant for today. I've heard that there will be an animated film coming out in 2012. I still remember the film from when I was a kid in the 70s - I think the original will remain my favorite, as the animation mimics the illustrations from the book and the new film seems to consist of computer generated imagery.

Check out this previous post for the adorable quilt that I received from ruthiequilts. She chose If You Give a Pig a Pancake as the inspiration for the quilt she made for me. It is simply perfect! Thanks again Ruth!

More Happiness in the Mail

Late last week I received a little package filled with fun stuff. Leisel, over at Brown Paper Packages, sent me eight fat quarters of vintage sheet fabric. It was a thank you for participating in the So You Think You Can Quilt contest she held. Thanks, Leisel, I just love the fabrics and look forward to creating something with it. I had a great time participating in the contest and love my parting gift.

This was an unusually good Monday morning. When I arrived at work there was mail waiting for me. It's my quilt from the August/September Mini QT Swap on flickr. The theme was books. My partner and I gave each other the names of a few kids' books that we like and we set about making a quilt for each other. Ruth used If You Give a Pig a Pancake as inspiration for my quilt and it is just the cutest thing!

Here's a close-up of the little piggie. Such a mischeivous little guy. The workmanship is gorgeous and it's such a fun little quilt.

Ruth also included a copy of the book (now I don't have to share with Cassidy), a beautiful bookmark she made, a pencil & topper (which reminds me of If You Give a Moose a Muffin).

Now I've just got to get to work on the quilt I'm making for Ruth...stay tuned.

Is it My Turn Yet?

The last week and a half have been crazy busy, but I'm happy to say that I finished a few projects (on time!) and am now able to do spend a little time working on some things that don't have to be finished immediately. The kitchen is painted, the new light fixtures are installed, and I finished a couple more quilts.

This little baby quilt went in the mail today to my friend, Terry. She plans on giving it to her niece who is expecting a little boy in September. It's a cozy little quilt (about 33" x 44") made of alternating flannel and chenille with a flannel backing.

Below is a little mini that I made for the flickr Quilt Swap Boot Camp for Newbies group. Now that it's reached its recipient, locodowo, here's a picture of the finished quilt. I just love that little owl fabric! I hand quilted this with a large quilting stitch because I wanted the quilting to have more of an embroidery feel to it. It's a simple little quilt, but I'm happy with the way it turned out.

Of course, I'm not just sending out quilts, I received a couple of beauties in the mail Monday. The quilt below was created by Olivethebeach and I received it in the flickr Mini QT Swap for July. The quilting is quite lovely. The fabric choices are great too, including the manatee fabric on the reverse.

My other little treasure came from ashleyboccuti and is my take in the flickr Quilt Swap Boot Camp for Newbies group. It's a gorgeous little quilt full of raw edge appliqué and hand embroidery.

I must say, I'm liking this whole swap thing. It's fun to send my little creations out into the world and to receive little works of art from others.

Now, what should I do next?

Finally, A Few Finished Projects

I've been keeping pretty busy lately finishing up a number of projects. I'm by no means caught up, nor do I ever expect to be, but that's just part of the fun. First up is my mini quilt for the Mini QT Swap on flickr. This quilt finished up at 12 inches by 12 inches and went to olivethebeach. The dolphins are paper pieced with a pattern from A Quilter's Ark.

Next up is the baby quilt I made for my cousin Ginger's baby shower. It's a generous size, measuring about 40 inches by 50 inches. I adore the focus fabric - Zoology by Michael Miller. The colors don't scream 'baby', but I really like the look. I decided to make pretty basic (large) blocks so that I wouldn't lose the impact of the animals. I had about a yard of this fabric, enough for this quilt with ten blocks left over. I plan to create a second, smaller, quilt out of nine of the blocks.

Finally, here's a picture of the finished charity quilt that I blogged about earlier. It's for Downy's Touch of Comfort program.

I've got another mini quilt I need to finish and mail out on Saturday for the Quilt Swap Boot Camp for Newbies group on flickr. I guess I had better log off and get to work...

Counting: 1, Amy: 0

I'm working on a little quilt that has 100 one inch squares. 100 different fabrics. This is the second time making one of these, but this time I'm using the technique that I've seen all over the web where you draw a grid of 1 1/2 inch squares on fusible interfacing and then sew it up in strips, trim a smidge off the edges so that you can open up the seams and then sew in the other direction. Works like a charm - that is, IF YOU CAN COUNT TO TEN! See anything wrong with my 10 x 10 grid? Yeah, it's actually only 9 x 10. Oops.

The sad thing is, I drew my grid larger than I needed and then trimmed it down to 10 x 10 (or so I thought). I could lie to you and say the fusible was only wide enough for nine columns, but the fact is that I was bested the kind of counting skills that most pre-K kids possess.

No worries, it's an easy fix and has since been remedied.

In the Pink

Our submissions to the So You Think You Can Quilt project were due on Saturday. This is my submission for the 'Modern' themed quilt - this is our last month for the project. I've had loads of fun creating the four quilts for the various themes: Love, Vintage, Circles, and Modern. I've tried out a few new (to me) techniques and have forced myself to start & finish projects when I might of normally thought I was too busy.

Here's a picture that includes a glimpse of the backing. The front is a mix of cotton calicos and linen fabric and the backing is a polka dot cotton fabric. The binding is a pink cotton that matches the color of one of the polka dots in the backing. This was my first quilting project that involved linen and I'll definitely be using linen again.

My daughter likes to play with my jars of buttons in the sewing room while I sew. She created this portrait of me last night (those are snowflakes falling around me). So, if you've ever wondered what I look like, mystery solved.

Wordless Wednesday

Charity Quilt Preview

Here's what I received at the beginning of the month from Downy's Touch of Comfort program. The kit includes all the fabric for the front and back of the quilt. I just supply the thread, batting, and binding. The kit also includes very specific directions that they require you to follow for the piecing. The strips were cut to size, as were the 6 1/2 inch squares of the focus fabric. Unfortunately, the squares weren't very square, so I had to trim all 15 of them so that the quilt would work up properly.

I started and finished piecing the front last night (it went together very quickly) and will post a picture of it soon. I haven't settled on a fabric for the binding yet. The rainbow fabric you see up there ends up being a 1 inch wide border which is followed by a 3 inch border of the focus fabric. Although pretty, the rainbow fabric seems an odd choice to me, as there is zero purpe elsewhere in the quilt. So, perhaps I'll go with a purple binding to give it another shot of purple. I'm determined to use something from my stash for the binding... I need to send the completed quilt back no later than mid-July to meet their 4-6 week deadline.

Sunstruck

The theme for the third month of So You Think You Can Quilt was 'Circles'. Voting ended last night and I'm happy to say that I'm still in the contest. My entry is a wall hanging, measuring about 25 inches square. To make this quilt I used Caryl Bryer Fallert's free Flying Geese in a Circle paper pieced pattern as a jumping off point, enlarging the pattern slightly on a copy machine. The photo online of the finished quilt indicated that the quilter should trim the circle of geese both inside and out (essentially making a donut of flying geese), but I adapted the pattern so that each of the four quarters was squared off. The four quarters of the circle went together like a dream. I enjoy the contrast of circles and squares in the piecing and continued that with the quilting. I'm pleased with the way it turned out.

Cassidy named this quilt Sunstruck.

I learned a little lesson about continuing to sew when I should be sleeping. As you can see below (partway through my repairs), I forgot to put in some of the black framing and had to unpick stitches and do a little more cutting and sewing. I'm glad I followed through with my original vision, I like it so much better with the black framing crossed at the corners.

Here's a picture of a mama and her little ducklings. This was taken on the day before Mother's Day. It was very windy and the poor little guys were getting blown end over end.

Finally, this picture of mama swan and her cygnets was taken on our Mother's Day walk around the lake on campus. Originally, she was farther away near the little island in the middle of the lake. We were surprised when she came up to the shoreline.