Scrappy?

                          

Scrappy...being defined as a variety of fabrics of different colors and prints.   

I do so admire scrappy quilts.  But, in my opinion, one has to have something more than whatever it is that I don't have to put one together.

When I buy fabric, I prefer to buy collections.  I try to buy the entire collection.  I guess I don't quite trust my sense of color/style or whatever you want to call it.  For me, it is far easier to purchase a collection, knowing that all the fabrics were made to go with each other.

Of course, there are always exceptions to that rule.  My absolute most favorite quilt that I made back in 2011 was a scrappy one...the Postage Stamp Quilt.  I used several different unrelated fabrics, sewing them into strips with a muslin square between each print square...

I truly loved making this quilt...all 1296 pieces of it.  Baby sister Jill is the proud owner of this one.

I have put together a few other quilts using several prints from different designers/collections, but they each had a color theme, so were fairly simple to put together.  To me, that doesn't necessarily count as scrappy.  Shown here are my two favorites.

One was for my good friend, Doreen, who succumbed to lung cancer almost 3 years ago...

 

The other one was the black/white quilt I made in 2009 for sister Joyce...

                       
Several collections that I have used have made some very awesome quilts.  I rarely buy from the same designer twice, though...but only because there are so many fabrics out there to choose from.  

I have used two collections by Aneela Hoey to make two separate quilts...and even made the same pattern both times!

Sherbet Pips

A Walk In The Woods 

                                    
And, I have combined two of Lotta Jansdotter's collections to make one quilt...

Bella and Echo

      
My taste has changed somewhat over the past 5 years.  One person I have kept my eye on, though, is Anna Maria Horner.  I have been hearing about her - and all that she does - for a very long time.  See her blog here and do follow the link to visit her shop. She is a very talented woman...her fabrics and designs and just everything she does is fabulous and absolutely gorgeous!  I guess you could say that I am a bit late coming to her party.  I bought my first Anna Maria Horner fabric collection last fall.  

I have been following the Blue Elephant Stitches blog for quite some time...and have long been fascinated by the colors/fabrics she puts together.  Her quilts look so vibrant and ultra-rich.  Anna Maria Horner's fabrics are like that...in fact, there are a few quilts on the Blue Elephant Stitches blog made with her fabrics.  

So.  I invested in a bundle of Anna Maria's Pretty Potent line and ended up with this large patchwork quilt (it is not yet quilted)...

Pretty Potent

I love it!  Then, as you may remember from a month ago, I used some birthday money to buy a bundle of Anna Maria's Folk Song line..

Folk Song

Then, one day whilst I was minding my own business, just browsing the web, I found out that Anna Maria offers a monthly gathering of fabrics.  What?  Of course, I ordered the March Gathering...

It  consists of 12 fat quarters...8 cotton prints, 2 cotton solids and 2 cotton/linen blends!  The April offering is available now, so I will be ordering that soon.  I think I am totally addicted!  But, that's not a bad thing, is it?

My point in all of this is...I prefer buying fabric collections.  And, I will buy as much of Anna Maria's fabrics as I possibly can.  I think I will never tire of how those colors make me feel.  

On another, but definitely related, note...in today's mail, I received a late birthday gift from sister Joyce.  Late only because I could not decide how to use the gift card she had given me.  Besides some doll clothes hangers (too cute!), I ordered this book...

From inside front cover, "Get a peek inside Anna Maria's creative process - and stitch more than 24 stunning original embroidery pieces."

It is a beautiful book...put together with much thought and effort.  I am so looking forward to spending a lot of time with it. 

Have a great week! 



"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.". Jeremiah 29:11

Too Soon...

Too young.
Too good.
Too beautiful.
Too brave.
Too much.
Way too soon.

My friend, Doreen, died today.  Surrounded by her family, she let herself slip away.  She is gone from this world.  I know that I should be happy...she is now pain-free and with our Father in heaven.  But really?  I miss her.  Already.  It's selfish, I know. 

When I was there to visit a month ago, we talked and talked...of the good times...of how we met...of how we stayed friends over the years (40 of them!)...of how much we valued each other.  We laughed.  We cried.  Knowing that it was probably the last time we would see each other, we said what we wanted to say.  And, we said goodbye.  

Since then she's had good days and not so good days.  Last Friday was her last good day.  

Waiting for the right moment...and today she found it.  

Goodbye my dear friend.

 
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."    Jeremiah 29:11

Catching Up...

It's been over a week since I last wrote. 

Guess I didn't have much to say.

A quick catch-up for you...

I went to visit Doreen last week.

It was so good to spend time with her.
She's doing okay for now.
Her pain is being managed.

I went up one day, stayed the night,

and came back the next day.

A nice drive...less than 3 hours.

I will go back in a few weeks.

Here she is with her kids, Chad & Stacey.

 

 oh...and her dog, Jerry.

I've been knitting...
did up a bunch of face washcloths.

Mostly to give as Mother's Day gifts.

Used all 100% cotton yarns...

so soft on the face.

Here are just a few of them...

I haven't been able to really 

put much thought into sewing/quilting.

Too much going on in my head.

But, in a few days, I will be 

making up a space of my own. 

And, I need to sew curtains for my space.

I bought the fabric, thread, curtain rings

and curtain rods over 4 years ago.

All this time, I've had this idea

of how I want the curtains to look.  

Just haven't gotten them made.

Thinking now is a good time, hey?

 

Jill and Tim were here last weekend...

Joyce and Jody will be here this weekend.

More on that later.

That's all for now...hope your week is good.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

The Sun Shines Just For Her...

Doreen is a beautiful person.

She's been my friend for over 40 years.

I love her so very much.

You all first met her here.
 

She is now in hospice.

I need to spend a bit of time with her.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."    Jeremiah 29:11

Sunday Night...

I never get as much done 
on the weekend as

I think I will.

But.

I got this done...a pillow cover for
sister Julie (the one who lives here with me).

The pillow cover is her (late) Christmas gift.

 The fabric was in one of the boxes

received from Cathy of 
Quilting on Turtle Hill.

I bartered with Julie...

I supplied the pillow form for her cover

and she bathed Tag.

Methinks I came out on the

better end of that deal.

 

I started quilting on the baby girl quilt.

But, because I took time out to watch the 

U.S. Figure Skating Championships,

I only got half done.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please say a prayer for my friend, Doreen.

Her latest ct scan showed that

the lung cancer is growing.

She's coming down here to

Madison to the UW Hospital

to see about a clinical study.

Doreen is being very positive

and believes all will be okay.

It's got to be.

Right?

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."Jeremiah 29:11

Bloggers' Quilt Festival :: Fall 2011

It's that time of year again!

Each spring and fall,

Amy hosts the festival...

a fun time for all blogging quilters

to share a special quilt and its story.   

It is so much fun to visit all
of the blogs to see everyone's
entry and to read all the stories...

and comments! 

Click on the button to check out and

be inspired by all of the special quilts.

I had a difficult time choosing which

quilt I wanted to showcase here.

In the end, I chose the one

that was made for a

very special friend of mine.

The 'sunshine' quilt, as I like to call it.

The one I made for Doreen...

because she has lung cancer...

because I wanted to show my love for her...

wrap her in it, so to speak.

Doreen has been a very best friend

of mine for almost 40 years.

I love this woman so much...

she is one brave woman.

So far, she is holding her own. 

So.

This is the quilt I made for her. 

Sunshine Quilt.

Thank you for visiting...

have fun checking out all 

the other quilts in the festival!

How I Spent My Week with Pneumonia...

A huge thank you to everyone who has commented here and emailed me with get well wishes, good thoughts and prayers.  I am on the mend and feeling a bit better each day.  I've been taking lots of meds, (antibiotics, 2 inhalers, cough syrup and steroids) and they are doing what they're supposed to be doing.  YAY!  I go for a recheck on Monday.  

I've been reading and napping and watching tv (last weekend's Lucille Ball marathon was totally awesome!).  

And, I've done a bit of sewing.  Mind you, I do about half an hour of something and then I get tired and need to rest.  So, the progress I've made on these projects has been slow...but that's okay. 

So.  First up.  I finished this Christmas table topper.  It is for me Mum to give to a friend.  Fabric is Jovial for Moda by Basic Grey.  It measures about 23 inches square and went together very quickly.  Last seen here, I added the borders, quilted/bound it.

Second.  Here's what I have done thus far on my doll quilt swap quilt.  Last posted about it here...it's been waiting for borders...been very undecided about them.  I finally made a decision and put them on last night.  It measures 17 inches square.  I am a little behind...but I think I'll get it into the mail by the due date (August 16). 

Third.  Remember the Sunshine Quilt for Doreen?  Well.  When we met for lunch, Doreen  showed me a picture of Jerry, her miniature dachshund.  She absolutely adores him.  I mean...she is over the top in love with him.  (nothing wrong with that...just sayin')  He is pretty cute...but I am not a huge lover of small dogs.  So, I was a bit less effusive with my adoring praise than she thought I should be about him.  {grin}  He is pretty cute.  I guess.  So, now every time I talk with her, she asks me if I don't think that Jerry is just the cutest dog ever!  I decided that - because of his adorableness factor - or was it to do with how much my friend loves him - he deserved his own little quilt.  I had more than enough fabric scraps from her Sunshine quilt.  So.  I did what any other quilter would do.  Made Jerry a quilt.  Here's a photo of the finished top, which measures 15 x 18 inches.  I made a simple patchwork quilt with squares.  The borders are the same as the borders on Doreen's quilt.  Refresh your memory here.

And, fourth.  This is, after all, 'Christmas in August' for Sharon and I, so I am working on a Christmas gift.  I started this last Monday evening...and have made some good progress.  I'm using two basic stitches...stem stitch and back stitch...with twelve colors of floss.  It's much different than working on the 'snow days' blocks that use only the one variegated floss.  I'm trying to be fairly relaxed about color placement and so far, I'm happy.

Must go rest now.  I'll keep you posted on my pneumonia progress.  Please keep up the prayers and good thoughts.  Thank you!


"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Done and Gone...

The 'Sunshine' quilt for Doreen measures
54 x 57 inches after laundering.
I used Kona Cotton Solid in Banana for the backing.

Here's Doreen with her daughter,
Stacy & granddaughter, Payton.

 

The quilt is passing inspection...

I love you so!

 

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."    Jeremiah 29:11

Summer Sunshine...

ohboy...I discovered something new!!!

With Julie here, 
I have someone to hold my quilts

while I take the photo(s)!!!

You cannot imagine how excited I am about it.

{grin}

Here's the summer sunshine quilt...

the hexagon center is done.

Need to add a few borders.

Out of some leftover pieces

& Kona cotton solid in white,
I quickly put together this quilt top.

Summer sunshine for a sweet doll.

Happy Sunday!

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might. - Ecclesiastes 9:10