There is a light at the end of the tunnel...

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!

Tiny bear paws...almost done

Tiny bear paws...almost done, a photo by On a Whim | LittleWhimsies on Flickr.

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.

Catchin' Up!

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!!

Ten - I'm in!

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!!

Well, another year over...

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!

Floating Hexagons

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!!

DQS9 - Deadline is just around the corner!!

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!!