More Eyeglass Cases

These will be on sale at the bazaar.

Eyeglass Cases

I have been practicing this eyeglass case pattern so I can make some for the church bazaar. 

New skills I have learned with this project, cutting binding on the bias and yoyos.  

This is a great project to practice free motion quilting. 

Church Bazaar Items

I offered to make 10 table runners for the church bazaar in October for the church to sell at its table.  They asked for five fall and five Christmas runners.  I ended up making an extra Christmas table runner because a friend saw one of them and mentioned that it was their favorite so I pulled it out as her Christmas gift.

I still need to sew on the buttons or yoyos or whatever embellishment I decide on, but that won't take long and I still have several weeks before the bazaar.

Shadowbox Quilt

I bought a Shadowbox quilt kit at the Dallas Quilt Show back in 2010.  I finally got around to piecing the top after a miscut that required a fabric substitution.  I had not planned on keeping this quilt for myself, but after someone very dear to my heart laid out the final fabric layout on my design board, this will become one of my all time favorite quilts and will stay with me.

I have purchased the backing, and once the church bazaar is over I hope to be able to sandwich and quilt this project.

Next Project ~ Stonehenge Table Runner

I started hand quilting a new table runner for my foyer today.  It is a Stonehenge panel that Loni bought me when we were in Austin last year.  I plan to outline the design by hand and doing some fill in quilting on the machine.

Stonehenge Panel Table Runner

Fall Table Runner Completed July 8, 2012

I finally finished my fall table runner that I have had in queue since 2009.  I machine pieced it, but it has been completely hand quilted.

I had a lot of fun quilting the two birds on the table runner. 

Quilting the wheat gave me great joy, especially after I figured out a rhythm to the stitching. 

At used dark brown for the first pumpkin stitching, but quickly ripped it out and used black.

DONE! And yeah! it held up in the wash.

It still needs ironing, but since it will be stored until the fall, that can wait.

A close up of the leaves.  I swear it they were reproducing the entire time I was quilting.

Credit/Gift Card Wallets

Someone gave me a fabric credit card holder and I made a couple up based on that design.  I am thinking of making a few up for our church bazaar in October as a donation to the church booth.  Maybe someone would buy them.

This was a birthday gift for a friend so hand quilted the top flap.

I took the picture before I added the Velcro to the pink one.

Fall Table Runner

I am determined to finish this table runner by the end of July. I am hand quilting it and I do believe for every leaf I quilt, five more appear on the fabric.

That was Challenging

I spent this morning helping a friend work on a t-shirt quilt she is making for her son's graduation in May. 

It was an interesting challenge as she does not know how to sew, knows nothing about quilting, and yet dove right in after watching a few tutorials on YouTube.  She is making a king sized quilt and the blocks are not the same size and she is not using sashing to help make the rows even.  She has one t-shirt she wanted to be the focal point and it was not set in correctly.  Her seam sizes are quite varied, and thank goodness for that because I would not have been able to correct the issue with the focal point if she hadn't had extra fabric in the seams.  

 

I helped her rip out a few seams and then we had to lay it out flat while I tried to figure out how we could get the block in without puckers.  With some creative folding I was able to get the block in and then I whipped stitched it in place on top and placed three new seams in for her.  It corrected the issue with the block. I was so glad I was able to find a solution. I think it will be a great looking quilt when she is done, but she will have to spend a great deal of time cutting the excess fabric from the seams.

After getting the focal block in I showed her how to join borders and a few other tips before she headed back to her house.

She just called all excited to say that I showed her more in our time together than she had learned up to now and by using my tips had made great progress this afternoon.  I am so glad I could help her.

When she has the top done, I told her I would help her sandwich and get it ready for quilting.  

I have already given her tips on how to quilt it and have it ready in time for graduation.

It was great being able to help a new quilter.  I think I will be seeing her a lot in the future as she has 7 more quilts to make.  

I think the most valuable thing I taught her was about JoAnn's and the coupons you could use there. 

Learning New Skills

I have been taking embroidery classes at my church on Monday nights.  

I have to say I am not a huge fan of embroidery, but the skills I have learned in these classes have already come in handy for a project I had in queue.

I bought this placemat kit back when my friend bought her new house and they were supposed to be her house warming gift, but you know life gets in the way sometimes, or the universe knew I needed new skills before I tried to make the placemats.  

My original plan was to machine applique the nose and eyes, but I ended up doing the snowman face all by hand embroidery.  

It looks like she will get her housewarming gift before she has been in the house a year, at least that is the new goal.

Christmas Pillowcases

This is for my youngest, it matches his Turtle Quilt I hand quilted.  This pillowcase would not have been possible if my friend Laurie had not given me the extra fabric that I needed when she found it.

My oldest son loves games and collects dice. I have had this fabric for years, but could never find just the right coordinating fabric.  Finally found some black on black that works.

Mina and Stan's pillowcases to match the quilt I gave them last year.

This pillowcase is not a set because I just used up fabric I had left from Loni's cat quilt.

Some of my Christmas Table Toppers in Use

Christmas Gifts Being Made

Small Christmas Topper

Christmas Table Topper #2

Christmas Table Topper #1

Project Linus

I try to pick up a Project Linus quilt kit every time I go to a show where they are giving them out, in addition to making a couple on my own throughout the year.  I always have to laugh because every time I get a kit there is something that keeps me from making it just the way the directions read. 

This year I was a strip short on one of the fabrics.  The only thing I had in my stash that matched the fabrics in the kit was a solid red.  It would have been cuter with the other fabric, but I am sure someone will like this quilt.

Also a big thank you to my youngest, and sometimes the oldest, for being my official quilt picture "holders."

Project Linus Quilt, Christmas 2011

Bright Cat Quilt

I purchased the pattern and the fabric to make this quilt for Loni 2-3 years ago.  I actually had the colors all laid out on the design wall at one time and took it down.  Every time I started to work on it, something felt wrong about it. 

Then Loni's life changed.  She moved in with me in the late Spring and then this summer I became serious about finishing this quilt. Today I finally completed the quilt, all that is left is the label tomorrow night. 

Even though I finished piecing the top and sandwiching it in July, I couldn't start quilting it until I knew what felt right in the design.  I finally decided to free hand/free motion hearts, flowers, and swirls.

• The hearts represent all the love in Loni's life. 
• The flowers represent many things:
• How I want Loni's life to always be filled with beauty
• How she has continued to bloom and blossom even in the hard times
• To remember her African Violets and how even though they had a tough tumble they continue to thrive.
• The swirls represent all the twists and turns of life.  Some of the swirls are really big and some are small, but they all lead to a heart or a flower, to remind Loni that no matter what life gives her she will always be loved and she can thrive.

I don't think I was meant to make this quilt until now.  This quilt will go to Loni's beautiful new home this week.  

The pattern is by Me and My Sister Designs and is called Twigs.

Bright Cat Quilt Front

Bright Cat Quilt Back

Bright Cat Quilt Front and Back

Bright Cat Quilt Front Close Up

Quilting on Bright Cat Quilt

Tree Farm Quilt - 2 Generations Make One Quilt

I helped my aunt finish a quilt she was making for her sister after she became ill this year and was not feeling up to finishing it before Christmas. She had the front pieced except for a couple of the outer borders.  She made the quilt bigger than the kit called for, so the back then became a quilt of its own with borders.  It is a gift for her sister, my other aunt. 

The quilt pattern was in a Thimbleberries kit called Tree Farm by Lynette Jensen.

Front of Quilt

Back of Quilt

Random leaves were followed on one of the narrow borders on the front.  They do not show up on the front, but make a nice top an bottom border on the back.

Used a template and a Frixion pen on the center panel to create the feel of hills behind the trees.

Wide outer border quilted in a pattern to resemble abstract Christmas Trees.

Gireaway from The Fabricologist

http://fabricologist.blogspot.com/2011/11/first-quilt-market-giveaway.html