For Our Kitchen

Steve has encouraged me lately to have some fun with what I work on and wanted me to make a wall-hanging for our house.  So I opted to do something to hang in the kitchen and really wanted to make it country-homey looking.
Out of my head I decided to combine a few different elements to work on some skills at the same time.  I dug around the web and found some things I liked and created a rough 9-block plan in my mind. From Forest Quilting I used a paper piecing pattern for my 4 corner blocks.
Paper piecing can be tedious and fussy, but this worked up pretty easily and I was very pleased with the results.

Then I decided to make an applique block for the center and wanted it to be simple but fitting to our home, so again I turned to the web to find a simple line drawing to use for a template.
I used the freezer paper method to hold things together while I appliqued the apple, leaf & stem and then removed the paper. Nothing fancy, but since I don't do much applique, I was pleased with my efforts.

For my last 4 blocks I wanted to go with a sampler look of traditional pieced blocks and found a few ideas at Quilter's Cache as well as just some standards of the quilty world.

These are what I came up with:

Now for the fun part!  Jess helped me plan the layout and I sashed everything together with a green allover print.

Trying to decide how to quilt it was a challenge as I didn't have much in the way of small scale pantographs to use but I did find one free leaf vine pattern that was just slightly larger than my sashing width.  I like the way it came out sort of overlapping into the edges of the blocks.

Steve hung it in the kitchen for me and I snapped this quick photo with my phone (which is why the lighting and angle is a bit wonky).

All cotton fabrics from my scrap bag and stash, machine pieced, quilted with King Tut thread on my Janome 1600P and New Joy frame. Each block is 6" finished.

Happy sewing!

Make a Joyful Noise

My dear friend Lisa has 3 daughters that are all very special.
For her middle daughter's 16th birthday, my daughter Jess helped me choose things to create a very special quilt.  Jess & Julie have been friends since the 1st grade (I think).  So I was very thankful for all the insight and suggestions she offered to make sure the quilt would be something her friend would love.

As Julie is a music lover and plays more than just a few instruments as well as writes songs and performs in church, it made sense to use that as a theme.  Jessica helped me choose a pattern (Metroplex by designer  +Tony Jacobson from the ( +Fons & Porter  Easy Quilts Summer 2014)

Then she helped me hunt around the internet to find the right fabrics to fit our theme.  We found a large number of them from FabricShack.com and I was very pleased with the quality and prompt shipping.  We chose materials from the "Let There be Music" collection by Whistler Studios for Windham, "Music to my Ears" collection from Blank Textiles, and "Maestro" collection by Barb Tourtillotte For Clothworks, as well as a white on white print from one of the local quilt shops in our area.  All 100% cotton quilting fabrics - machine pieced.  The backing is Windham Essentials tonal scroll-work design wide back flannel so that it would be a snuggly and warm quilt for our NH winters.

I machine quilted it using a variegated thread - Riverbank - from Superior's King Tut line.  The pattern is a pantograph design called Celtic Braid by Patricia Rutter from UrbanElementz.com. The quilt finished to 64" x 84", and the binding is double fold with the flannel and hand stitched to finish.  I created the quilt label and named the quilt "Make a Joyful Noise" including the reference to Psalm 100 as it is most appropriate.

This was a fun project and given that I spend a fair amount of time praying over my work when it's for someone specific, I know that Julie is covered literally and prayerfully with this blanket.

**Photos mostly by my amazing husband Steve

Something Special for Someone Special

I met my dearest girlfriend Lisa in November of 2004, she was newly pregnant with her youngest daughter.  This little one would touch my life in a special way.  Actually all of her daughters are dear to me and I love them all.  But her pregnancy and delivery of this youngest child was special as I had the opportunity to witness faith in action as her family faced the very real possibility that their precious baby girl might not come home with them but instead go home to Jesus just after she arrived.
I also witnessed prayer answered in miraculous ways as her life was spared and she was gifted to a family and faith community that loves her and where she brings great joy to many.
Our families share lots of time and laughter together and we are blessed to have our lives intertwined in faith and friendship.  As we have now moved to live in the same town, I get to see this little girl more and as her 9th birthday approached, I wanted to do something special for her.
Finally an idea sparked and I set to work.  These are the things I made for her birthday.

Every dolly needs new underthings

white muslin edged in pink lace details and bows

white muslin petticoat with white lace details and tulle

And of course, pajamas and a robe are required with a new sleeping bag.

Flannel with a mock pocket

Flannel with white lace edging and a fabric tie

pre-quilted and fully lined with cotton print and an attached pillow

a glittery accent for fun

I machine quilted a design on the pillow to add a bit of fun

And every American Girl doll needs a ball gown and fancy cloak for parties.

Lavender satin with lavender lace edging & ruffles and an attached tulle wrap

stretch purple velour with white braid trim and lavender satin lining
Muff has an accent of beaded lace and is also satin lined

Happy Birthday to the littlest J and may you have as much fun with these as I did making them for you.

**Model doll is "Kit" and belongs to my own dear daughter who graciously loaned her to me for fitting and pictures.  Thanks Jess!

A Phone Clutch Bag (for me!)

Sometimes I get a pattern just because it catches my eye and it takes me a while to get around to actually MAKING whatever it is.  Not really too long on this one as it looked like it would be a quick little project.

I bought the pattern here: Sew Thankful - I've also purchased quilting thread from them in the past and am happy to recommend them!

I decided late one evening to begin this little project for myself and hunted up some left-over fabrics to use as well as a random zipper from the stash I keep on hand.  The pattern called for using a 9" zipper (cut down) but since the size I made (middle one) didn't need one that long, I used a 7" one I had hanging around.

The fabric is all 100% cotton quilting fabric and I used the fusible fleece and interfacing I had on hand (no idea what brands).  It came together fairly quickly and after one small alteration of direction on my outside pocket (because I accidentally reversed the dimensions on the pieced panel) and the alteration on the strap (I didn't have a swivel clasp), it only took a few hours to complete and I'm pleased with the result.

Two outside pockets and 3 inside (2 for cash/cards & 1 little one for a lip balm)

In looking at these photos I suddenly realized that I have fabric from 3 projects represented here - one quilt and 2 different table runners. Gotta love not wasting the scraps! 

Just a Sweet Baby Quilt

I took these random squares...

And began building a baby quilt for a baby girl that is scheduled to arrive late summer I believe.  The ladies group at the new church we are attending hosted a shower for the new mom and since quilts are what I know... that is what I thought I'd give as a gift, well-laced with lots of prayer as that is what God has gifted me to do. 

I built a center and added some borders and corner posts

Then added a few more borders and corner posts 

And a final set of borders with 9 patch blocks as corner posts

This was FUN!

Backed in soft cuddly flannel

Quilted with an continuous line design that I think is called 'flower-power' in a variegated King Tut thread color: Liberty.  I was very pleased with the over-all effect and the new mom seemed pleased with the gift.

The quilt finished at approximately 46" square, cotton top and flannel back.  Machine pieced and quilted by me using both my Janome machines and my New Joy quilt frame.

*Several of the photos were taken with my cell phone and the lighting/quality wasn't as good as the ones taken with a regular camera and natural lighting.

Playing with an Idea

I stumbled on a logo design site and I'm playing with some ideas...

Tangible Love

I often feel like I don't have a lot of gifts that God can use to bless others, but a quite a few years ago a dear woman offered me the chance to use something I love (quilting) to bless others and it changed a lot of things in my life.  It gave me the opportunity to make love & prayer tangible through thread and fabric and a bit of time.
It also taught me that a 'yes' to God is never wasted and even when we think it small, He can transform it into so much more.
So I said another small 'yes' and made this quilt - with more prayer than probably any other one I've made - perhaps because of the size it allowed more time to pray.  There was the piecing of the top, the pressing, the quilting at the frame and approximately 270 inches around by hand for the binding - many hours of prayer poured out at the Throne of Grace on behalf of people I don't know well but that God has put on my heart in a special way.  Time very well spent and fervently offered as service to the One who can touch hearts, minds, bodies & souls in ways we cannot know or imagine.

Scrappy version of a pattern called "Take Five"

The top is machine pieced cottons and the back& binding is flannel.  Machine quilting done on my New Joy Gold Frame w/ the Janome 1600P using King Tut variegated threads -- "Freedom" (blue/cream/red) on top and "Sands of Time" (cream/beige) on bottom -  in an edge-to-edge leaf design. 

As this was my last project for the quilt ministry at our former church, I am praying it will bless the people who will receive it in a very real way.