Keeping Busy...

WOW!!!  Can you believe it?  This is my third post this year...in fact, this month!  Wow!!  What is going on with that, hey?

I've a few things to share with you.  Oh, don't get too excited...just more quilts and stuff.  ~grin~

This first one, you should remember well...it is my all-time favorite fabric collection...Kashmir III. Especially cool to me cuz of the song, "Kashmir", by Led Zeppelin.  Just one of those things.

So.  I am slowly getting my quilts quilted...thanks, in large part, to my dear friend, Brenis.  You know, we have been friends for many years, but never met each other until I moved here to Colorado.  So happy that we are only a few hours apart!!!  But, I digress...

This quilt top was completed in June of 2012.  The pattern is from my friend, Erin, over at Why Not Sew? blog.  Brenis quilted it for me this fall and I finally got it bound and laundered. I love it so much!!  It measures ~57 x 73.

And, the back...what can I say!!!  So in love with it...

I also got the Lotta Jansdotter patchwork quilt back from Brenis...the fabric collections used are Bella and Echo.  This quilt top was finished in February of 2013.  Such a fun quilt...and the quilting is even more fun!!!  This one measures about 55" square.  (It has been spoken for by DIL Rachel.)

Isn't that quilting just too fun?  LOVE it!!!  Thanks, Bren!

With the last box of fabric, my friend, Cathy, sent me a few unfinished quilts.  I had fun putting this one together.  Now I just need batting and backing and it will be ready to quilt.  This one will be going to a charity.  

I started this sampler...need something to keep my hands busy with while watching television.  I am having fun working on it.  I am in no hurry and have no particular color plan.  It's by Rebecca Ringquist...dropcloth sampler.  Sometimes, it is very nice to have no plan and be in no hurry.

I have a few other projects going on, but they are sorta kinda secret projects.  

Hope your week goes well for 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

When You Have Nothing to Do...

It was one of those days.  I had many things I could do, but nothing that I really wanted to do.  Ya know?  So, I did nothing.  Well, until I thought I might go crazy if I really did nothing all day...so I sewed a few zippy pouches.  Nothing fancy...just some simple sewing.

fronts

backs

I really should start paying attention to what I am doing with the hang tabs.  Sometimes, they are on the right and sometimes on the left.  Same with the zippers.  Actually, that's where it all begins.  I put the hang tabs on the same side as the zipper tab, so it all depends on which way I pick up my fabric and place it on the zipper.  Seems like an easy fix...if I remember.  

These fabrics are scraps from the Bella collection by Lotta Jansdotter.  I love her fabrics!  I made a patchwork quilt with two of her lines - Echo and Bella - back here.  Course, it is still just a flimsy...still in my wip pile...waiting to be finished.

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Tag is holding his own.  Nothing new to say, really.  He's such a goofy boy, though...and cracks me up on a regular basis.  I take a photo of him every day.  And, then I put it on Instagram (I am kelonie, and you can find the collection of photos here #tagebutt).

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

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

GIVEAWAY!

I did not forget...I promised a birthday giveaway and here I am with it.  Better late than never, I always say.  

I made another double-zipper pouch with Lotta Jansdotter fabrics.  The pattern is by Sweetwater and is so easy to put together...I rather enjoy making them!  This pouch measures ~9 x 7 inches.

For a chance to win this pouch (which I will fill with a few goodies), leave a comment on this blog post.  What would you use the pouch for...sewing supplies, make-up...could be wonderful for almost any use!  

I will draw a winner on Monday morning, March 2.

Here's the pouch...

front

back

Good luck to you all!



"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

More on Scraps...

I finished playing with my scraps.  I was surprised at how many pieces I cut from the scraps in one 16 quart enamel pot. 

Here it all is in 3 plastic containers that measure 6x12x3.5...

I cut 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 inch squares as well as 1.5, 2.5 and 3+ inch strips.  I wasn't going to cut that many sizes of squares, but that's just how it worked out.  I sat for no more than an hour at a time and got it done in a few days.  I am happy!  

I found some Lotta Jansdotter scraps, so I had to put them together today...

It will eventually be a pillow cover (18") to go with this quilt...

  
This quilt being just one of several that I need to get quilted. 

I have a few boxes to go through - none sewing/quilting stuff - and then my bedroom will be ready for spring cleaning and makeover!  (yeah, it was supposed to happen today, but my helper forgot.  ~sigh~)

Major car repair happening on Monday and then all will be right with my little world.

 Happy Mother's Day to 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

Random...Is There Such A Thing?

Apparently not.  For me, at least.  I tell you...I just cannot do random.  I couldn't when I was hooking rugs and I cannot when I am quilting.  argh!!  What's up with that?

So.  Here's the scoop.  Lotta Jansdotter fabrics Echo and Bella.  Love the colors...they play well together.  I decided I wanted to do a simple patchwork quilt.  I had twenty 10" squares of the Echo fabrics, 5 Kona cotton solids and then added in 2 more Kona cotton solids and seven of the Bella fabrics.  I cut 182 five inch squares to make the quilt top 13 squares across and 13 squares down with some left over for a strip on the back.  Okay...so random.  I thought I would just put all the squares in a bag and pull them out and sew together.  Truly random.  Just wouldn't put two of the same print/solid next to each other.  Not so easy as it may sound.  I did okay with the rows...but when I started putting the rows together, I did not like what I had done.  For one thing, there are some darks and some lights and I did want them somewhat evenly distributed throughout the quilt top.  I ended up reverse sewing about half of what I had done and started over.  Felt like I made this two times.  ~sigh~

Anyway.  Here is the quilt top...not quite how I wanted it, but certainly better than my first attempt...

I had a wonderful birthday last weekend...thank you to all of you for the well-wishes.  I received a few more cards and gifts this past week...gotta love an extended celebration, hey?

Here's a special gift that arrived in yesterday's mail...

Sister Julie made this...she buys chicken stuff for my kitchen.  Including the frame, this measures 15" square.  I know - having done counted cross stitch for several years - how much time and effort went into this...she did a great job!  The colors are so much more than this photo shows...very soft rich colors. 
 

I am in the process of reading, "The Third Bullet" by Stephen Hunter.  It's a Bob Lee Swagger book (remember "Shooter"...same character).  This story involves the assassination of John F. Kennedy, so is based on fact, but it is so much more than that.  Though the book is very technical in parts, I believe that those details are what makes the book all the more interesting.  WOW!  This guy really can write!  A storyteller at the top of his game, in my opinion. 

Work is becoming very stressful for me.  Not sure how this can be good.  Perhaps retirement will come sooner than I originally planned!  I wouldn't mind that at all. 

I hope you are having a great weekend! 



"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

Lotta Stuff...

I am very happy to have several different things to show you...works in progress and a few finishes.

I finished the curio quilt top...and the backing, too!  Here is the top...I love the secondary pattern the background fabric makes...

 

I made mitered corners for the very first time!  It was actually much easier than I thought it would be...and I am really liking the look!

The backing is pieced, of course, though not as much as many of my other quilts...

Now to get batting...meanwhile, I need to think of how I will quilt it.

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I received all the fabrics needed for the Lotta Jansdotter patchwork quilt I mentioned in the previous post.  And, I must say...Pink Chalk Fabrics absolutely rocks!  I wanted a solid to match the purplish/pinkish color in the Echo line and couldn't find what I wanted in the Kona colors.  So, I called the ladies at Pink Chalk and they found the perfect match in a Kaffe Fasset shot cotton...thank you, ladies!  I cut 5" squares - 182 of them...

 This one should be fast and easy!

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I also pulled out some blocks I've had for awhile...from my friend, Cathy, of Quilting On Turtle Hill and Pink Petunia Cottage Dolls.  I had made a quilt using these prints/blocks a few years ago...see it here.  I loved this quilt so much and will be making exactly the same quilt for an upcoming happy event. 

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Speaking of Cathy...when I first mentioned that 'knitting is my therapy', Cathy asked if I wanted some yarn that she no longer had a use for.  I thought she might be sending a skein or two...should have known better ~grin~.  Here is what I received - 11 skeins!

WOW!  What a generous soul!  I already knit two doll sweaters with yarn from her.  This one is a bit small for Aubrey...would fit a 12" doll nicely...

I made this one to send to me Mum...she has a little bear that she dresses up to fit the occasion...

It takes me about 3 hours to knit one of these doll sweaters...they are so easy and fun to make!  Thank you, Cathy!  You're the best!

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And, last but not least...I continue to make the soft cotton face cloths. I love the pattern on this one...simple knit2, purl2...stitch count can be whatever you want...multiples of 4 plus 2 so that you begin and end each row with knit 2.  I use 34 stitches to knit the face cloths, making them to be about 7" square using Peaches and Creme yarn with size 5 needles. 

So.  That's what I have been up to.  How about you?

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A special note...in six more days, Tag E. Butt will be 11 years old.  And, a week after that is my birthday.  I am thinking a giveaway is on the horizon...stay tuned for more information on that.

In the meantime, have fun doing what you love.


"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

Best-Laid Plans...and all that...

You see, I was planning on finishing my Curio quilt top and backing on these 4 days I've had off.  But it just ain't gonna happen.  Too many distractions and interruptions and new projects and several other excuses reasons.  Criminey!

It's okay, though...it will get done very soon.  I actually sat down to sew today but it is very cold and windy outside and this apartment is drafty...I can feel the draft through the window...and Naomi Janome is cold and my scissors are cold...doesn't really help my cold hands at all.  So.  I will stay out of my cold bedroom.  I actually had the quilt top done on Saturday, and then several hours later, I noticed that one row was totally messed up.  Block A is supposed to alternate with Block B...not be next to another Block A!!!    So, I reverse sewed it and put it back together the correct way.  

Here's a photo of the layout...

Remember (in my previous post), I wrote that knitting is my therapy?  Well, I took some time to knit a doll sweater yesterday!  My dear blogging friend, Cathy, sent me some patterns, so I sat down and tried one out.  I made this sweet little sweater for my Waldorf-inspired doll, made and given to me by Cathy.  It was a very simple pattern...and fun to knit all in one piece.  

Here it is on Aubrey (and Aubrey was her name)...perfect fit!

I may knit more of these and try to sell them.  Win/win!  (therapy/$$)

When I am nearing completion (well, sometimes way before that) of my current project, I start giving serious thought to the next one.  Will it be something new or something I have on my list?  ohboy.  Does this happen to you?  It happened to me on Saturday...one of my many distractions.  ~grin~  I have had this fabric for over a year...Echo by Lotta Jansdotter...and am really excited about working with it.

 
It is my next project...and I know what I am going to do with it...YAY!  No thinking involved with this one...a simple patchwork quilt!  

Hope you're having a good Monday!




"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