Hello! I'm still here! After an unplanned hiatus - I'm back online. I've been busily planning my little quilt. Mostly while waiting on kids, or sitting in traffic. But thanks to EQ5, I've got my ideas down and I've begun to pull fabrics. I've got them stored by color, so that's going to be pretty easy. I'm trying to make this quilt all from my stash. We'll see how that works out - I just love any excuse to buy fabric! ;D
I just hope the tunnel is a short one! I've been way too busy with real life stuff...most of it not much fun. So I'm looking forward to being creative again very soon. The college applications, and related scholarship, honors, and financial aid stuff is almost done. We still have a number of other college/senior year related things on the agenda, but at least it is beginning to look manageable. My sewing room is a bit dusty...guess I better get in there and get it ready for some fun new projects!
Lots of little stitches! Just about finished with the piecing, then to put the blocks together with the sashing. I'm very pleased with how it is coming together.
That's the goal of the next week or so...the end of the school year and early summer are always the busiest time of the year at my house. Next year will be even worse with a high school graduation to add into the mix. (Not even thinking about that one yet...) Anyway, I hope to do some catching up on things I enjoy, but have to set aside when family activities call.
So here is a much overdue blog post.
My last post was about DQS10. As usual, I stalked my partner and came up with a multitude of quilt ideas. I only wish I had time to make all of them into real quilts. After much deliberation, here is the quilt I made:
I had been wanting to make a Wedding Ring quilt for a very long time, but wanted to try to make it more modern looking. I decided on this setting which looks like a chain. I was very happy with how it turned out. I think my partner liked it, too. I have some other ideas I'd like to try with variations on the wedding ring pattern. Maybe someday...
And here is the fabulous little quiltlet I received:
I just love the colors and the kaleidoscopes...so much fun to look at. It is currently hanging on the wall in my sewing room where I can see it when I sew. It was made by Tina (aka needles-n-notions). And she kindly sent some very fun little extras, too!
I just love my growing collection of doll quilts! I've had so much fun swapping with other quilters around the world!!
So happy and excited to be chosen for DQS10! I got my partner's info and I've been happily lurking about the web, trying to decide on the perfect quilt to make.
Off we go - another adventure in quilting!!
And a new one just begun (love that song!)
Anyway, here I am on the first day of a new year (again). Just looking backing over the past year and my blog posts...I really didn't have the year I had hoped. And I'm an awful blogger.
So, while I don't make resolutions, I am resolved to do better this year! It is always good to be hopeful and optimistic :D
I did not get to quilt as much as I would have liked last year. And that makes me very sad. Sure, life is busy. So many things to do, so many obligations and chores. It is hard to keep up with them all. However, life is short. And spending time doing what you love is sweet. So I am going to make more things because I want to, because they make me happy. I may not take as many commissions for various things - I hope people understand.
I started today by putting my name in for DQS10...hope I get in. I LOVE doing that swap! I haven't posted many quilty photos on my flickr stream, especially at toward end of the year.
Hello 2011! Here's to a year with lots of quilting!
It's finished!! And I'm so pleased with how it turned out! This is the quilt I made for my partner after a couple of draft attempts. I always have so many ideas, but until I start creating them with actual fabric - it's hard to know just how well they'll turn out. The half hexagons were fun and easy to work with; I've got some ideas for future layouts involving them. It went together very quickly and pressing the seam allowances open avoids all the potential bumpy intersections. (Hate those!)
I will send it off to my partner on Tuesday; I still need to add a label to the back. Somehow, I always forget about making a label...maybe next time I should do it first. ;D
Hopefully, my partner will like it. I think it suits her tastes...it really was fun to make.
And I received my quilt from my partner a few days ago...it is cute and sweet and thoughtful. I can't wait to hang it on the wall of my sewing/doll room - it is so perfect for me! I want to do a blog post about it; maybe next week.
This week has been more than a little crazy; the electricity has gone out in my sewing room. The overhead light and all the outlets are just dead. It is not a problem with the breakers - checked those and the other upstairs room on the circuit is fine. I need to call an electrician, but first I must move an enormous quantity of stashed fabric/books/dolly stuff/yarn/misc. craft stuff out of the room so the poor man can get to the walls. Yes, my sewing room is a perfect candidate for one of those de-junking TV shows. But that's not gonna happen! I really want to keep my fabric and most of my other stuff...I just need a better storage solution. A serious clean-out was in the plans, just not this week! So I've spent hours sorting through mounds of stuff, some of it to be sold or given away, some to keep. The silver lining is that once I get it out of there, I can go to Ikea and get the shelves I've been coveting and get my room in better shape. And I'm not buying even another fat quarter until I've got it cleaned up and organized! Better yet, I need to use up some of my stash; so many projects that I've planned and just not found the time to make... So it's either make the quilts or de-stash the fabric! Can't wait to see how my new sewing room turns out!!
Which means I am just getting started on my little quilt! Well, the cutting/sewing part anyway. I've already spent countless hours stalking my partner (in the best way ;D) and sorting through fabric and design ideas.
My partner seems to like modern quilts and retro-mod stuff for her house, too. Favorite colors seem to be blues and greens. She likes hexagons - who doesn't?
So my first idea was to make a little quilt following the instructions from the Old Red Barn Co. Quilt Along on Flickr for a hexagon quilt. I just used 1.5" strips instead of 2.5". I found a fat quarter bunch on Etsy with that kind of meets the color requirements; it has owls which are cute, but I don't want it to be too cutesy. Anyway, here's the first batch of blocks. 
That's Essex Linen that I'll probably use for the triangles...I think. Boy, that stuff is hard to find!
I have some other ideas, too, that I'll play around with tonight and tomorrow. I'm thinking maybe something using half hexagons, or maybe a double hourglass quilt using the Essex linen and the other fabrics I've got in my stack. I have to be careful about doing anything too scrappy - my stash doesn't really stretch that far. It always amazes me how someone who has as much fabric as I do never seems to have the fabrics I need...
Happy Quilting!!
I had so much fun making this little pincushion! I think I'll be making more!!
I started it several weeks ago but haven't had the opportunity to really focus on finishing it until last night. My kids' swim season has finally wrapped up and I can sit and sew! I had wanted to try this block for awhile now, and decided to reduce the size to 4 inches which is the perfect size for a little pincushion. The fabrics are mostly Amy Butler from a 5 inch square pack I bought some time ago.
I wanted to used Essex linen for the solid but couldn't find any locally. I'll be on the lookout for some for my stash so I have it on hand. The other thing I wanted to try was crushed walnut shells for the filler. The nearest pet shop doesn't carry it and the shipping for the online stores was as much as the shells. So I'll be looking for some of that to stash away somewhere as well. With the craziness of the last 6 weeks or so, there just wasn't time to go hunting for anything I didn't have on hand.
This was fun and easy to make; and it really didn't take very long. I'm already looking over my scraps for more possibilities!
And so I'm making a blog post! Wish I had some quilting to show, but I've been keeping pretty busy with some t-shirt quilt commissions and other sewing for Etsy.
Jennie makes quilts, too. Really cute ones. I met her (well, not in person) on Flickr through the Doll Quilt Swap and I follow her on Twitter. Her blog can be found here: http://sunflowerquilts.blogspot.com/ And she is celebrating 300 (!) blog posts with a terrific giveaway. So she not only makes more quilts than me, she blogs more, too!! Hop on over and check out her blog. Pretty cool!!
And because I'm posting, here are a few pics. I took these last week at Cox Arboretum, near Dayton, OH. Lovely spring we are having this year!!
Hopefully, I'll be back soon with some quilt photos soon!
Happy Quilting!!
I received my quilt today. It is a wonderful little quilt made by Brenis, aka Hey Diddle Diddle Woolies on Flickr.
See! Isn't it just perfect?? I love polka dots and the bird in the middle and the circles and the quilting and...well, you get the idea.
I enjoyed this round of the Doll Quilt Swap very much. I am already looking forward to the next round!
And since I've been a very lazy blogger, here is the quilt I made to send to my partner:
It has a lot of black, which is a bit different for me. But really, this quilt just sort of made itself. I started with the little baskets in shades of aqua and green with the white and black spotted background. From there, it just sort of came together on it's own. The only fabric I purchased to make this quilt was the border fabric. Again, kind of bold for me, but it seemed to suit the quilt. Hopefully my partner will like it. I don't think it has arrived yet; it had quite a long journey and I've got my fingers crossed it gets there safely.
Can't wait to see what is next in DQS9!!
This is my 100th post! Should probably celebrate somehow; but since I'm such a sporadic blogger, I think I'll just make a resolution to do better in the future. It is a new year and a new decade after all...
Anyway, I was thinking about the quilts I'd like to make this year and thought maybe it would be a good idea to make a list. Maybe if I write it down, somewhere it won't be easily lost, maybe I'll actually make the quilts. I have already purchased the fabric for several and even done some preliminary designing in EQ5. My fabric stash has grown beyond the bounds of what I can manage. So rather than having a stash busting sale, which I could still do, I'd like to see if I can use some of the fabrics as I originally intended.
So here is the list of quilts I've been thinking about today:
Laney's Quilt - Pinks, reds, oranges; made with pre-cut Fassett squares, pattern not determined
DQS8 - I plan to participate in this swap; just love the fun process, due in March
Family Room Throw - Taupes, coral, blue, green, some fabrics in stash, others needed; modern square pattern
T-shirt quilts - Two for my own kids and I have several potential commissions
Amy Butler Quilt - fabrics in stash, pattern not determined
Kaffe Fassett Quilt - fabrics in stash, pattern not determined
Well, that's good for a start. Hopefully committing my ideas to a published list will help me to follow through and get them done. Time just seems to go faster and faster; and my list of things I want to get done just keeps growing.
Happy New Year!
At last! My little quilt for DQS7 is finished! I mailed it on Wednesday, bound for its destination which will remain a mystery for now. After all the dithering I did when trying to decide what to make, I am very pleased with the result. I hope my partner is also pleased. 
The pattern comes from Barbara Barber's book, "Foolproof Curves: Quilts with Bias Strips and Continuous Paper Piecing." It is a very good book. I originally bought the book after seeing her on TV with Alex Anderson. She was demonstrating her technique for piecing curves, which fascinated me. This design was included in the book and I always thought it would make a nice little quilt someday. It was actually quite easy to foundation piece the blocks; the border took more time! 
I was able to fussy cut a few of the pieces to add some interest. I just love these little girls!
I made a second quilt, a zigzag quilt with half square triangles from the same group of fabrics. I'll keep that one for now. It just needs to be quilted and bound and then I'll either hang it in my sewing room or give it as a gift. I love the colors; a good thing since I bought so many fabrics for this quilt. I'll be able to work with this palette for awhile.
Now I can just sit back and watch for my mailman to come everyday. I can't wait to see what quilt was made for me. There are so many wonderful quilts showing up everyday in the Doll Quilt Swap pool on Flickr. I haven't been able to keep up with them.
Not mine, I don't have anything terrific to give away. But Heidi is giving away a fabulous quilt! Here's the link.
Pop on by and sign up for a chance to win. I've entered and I've got my fingers crossed!!
Well, I went shopping today. I was really trying to make this little quilt from my stash as much as possible. But my stash and my partner's preferences are not meshing very well. So today, when both of my kiddos were at other activities, I hit the road to Waynesville. There is a very nice fabric shop there with lots of friendly people. The shop is packed with bolts and bolts of lovely fabrics and I loaded up. A bit more than I intended, but you can always use it up in something! If you live in Southwestern Ohio and haven't been there already, you should go. And if you don't live here - they have a website, too!
Tonight I plan to decide how to use all my lovely new fabrics and tomorrow get started on the cutting. I should have taken a photo when I brought them home; but I've already popped them in the wash. I still have plenty of time to get this quilt done and in the mail before the deadline, but I really want to have it well underway. These last few days of summer will fly quickly by as I get the kids ready to go back to school.
Happy Quilting!!
I really need to make up my mind which quilt to make. I've always wanted to make one of these. I made this layout awhile ago; when I made the pink and black Petite Bento Box quilt. But I could easily change the colors around for my current quilt.
So many quilts...so little time...
I think this one has definite possibilities. I've always wanted to try curved piecing; I'll just have to try it out to see if I can do this. I like the Orange Peel pattern; very simple but visually pleasing. I'll have to see how difficult it is to piece with tiny pieces. That is one drawback of making doll quilts: sometimes the pieces get too tiny to work with and the seam allowances become a nightmare. I'll make some templates and see if this is do-able. The other one I've always wanted to try is a New York Beauty style...maybe I'll try that out, too.
Happy Quilting!!
Had a bit of an epiphany while driving today. Yes...I know, I probably shouldn't daydream about quilts while driving on the highway. But you just have to make use of the time you have, if you know what I mean. Now I think I know what I will make for DQS7...just have to decide on the fabrics. I'll play around with EQ later this evening and see if I can draft something do-able. I think it will be fun!!
what to do for the DQS7. My partner was very specific about his/her likes and dislikes. I did break down and buy some "designer" fat quarters today...not sure if I'll use them in this quilt or for some other project. We'll see what I think of them when they arrive. I've never been much of a "trendy" quilter; I tend to be happiest working with colors/fabrics I love - not just because they are by popular designers. In fact, I seem to choose things that are different just because they are different. A bit perverse, I know. But I don't like my quilts to look like I copied someone else. I would like to be original. And there are so many possibilities! Look at all the fabrics and colors and patterns - so many quilts and so little time!
So how about this one? (Playing with EQ5 is so much fun!!)
