Trunk Show

I had the fun of doing a trunk show for my quilt guild today, so this stack of quilts went with me - 23 years worth of stitching!  I didn't think to have someone take pictures for me, so this photo will have to do.  :(

It was very low key, but meaningful for me.  Quilts are meant to be seen, and so often my quilts are folded up or tucked away, begging to be acknowledged.  I was so glad my guild was interested in viewing them with me. 

 I love my guild....  It's a wonderful mix of women at all levels of quilting skills.  It's a great place to learn, share, encourage, pass on some knowledge, be inspired, laugh and be fed - physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Instead of tucking these quilts back into their hiding spots all over the house, I'm going to work at photographing and documenting them on this blog.  Wish me luck!  :)

A Quilt for Ella Marie

I just received these lovely fabrics last night to stitch a simple patchwork quilt for Ella, a customer's little two-year old girl.  Ella is getting ready to move into her own "big girl" twin bed, so she needed the perfect quilt to match her vintage bed frame.  Ella's mom is a graphic artist; she did a great job selecting fabrics and colors.

But, this fabric takes the cake!

Here's a closeup - it's a graphic Ella's mom Jenna designed of Ella's "fwens"; 

she had it custom printed through Spoonflower.

This is going to be one lovely quilt...

Photo by Grace Photography

for an especially lovely little one!!!

Today

Love making these Dresdens...

They'll be part of this quilt.

Fabric is Pam Kitty Morning - love it....

:)

And Another Pillowcase....

I found these fabrics at the thrift shop today, and had to come home and stitch up another pillowcase immediately.

I love how the dots work together perfectly, totally unorchestrated by me!

I found these prints as well - a quilter with good taste must have been cleaning out her stash!

I love all these vintage children scenes...

... but love the prices even more!!

:)

Ronda's Tulips

This is a bad, BAD picture, but I wanted to at least document this quilt top that I just finished piecing for Ronda before it heads back to Idaho.  (I didn't want to risk soiling it by photographing it outside, especially after all the work that went into it.)  I haven't pieced anything so intricate - ever!  

Ronda had started piecing this top a number of years ago, then asked me to finish it up for her.  (It always feels good to get a project finished up, doesn't it!)  She learned that I'm available for piecing work through Kathy's post of the Wallflower quilt that I had pieced for her earlier this year.  Rhonda's piecing was meticulous, so I knew I needed to bring my "A" game if I was going to match her workmanship.

Can't wait to see what magic Kathy works on it!

Thrift-Shop-Inspired Zip Pouch

When I opened my May issue of Country Living magazine yesterday,

... I immediately knew what my collection of funky zippers was meant to become!

I've picked these up over the years at the thrift shop.

Lots of them were simply passed on to me by friends who were getting rid of their mother or grandmother's sewing supplies.

I used this fabric for the back - I had just picked it up at the thrift shop several weeks ago!  I was thinking it was a vintage fabric, 

 ...but I don't believe it is after reading the selvage.  

However, the vintage feel and colors work!

I machine stitched parallel lines with my walking foot, 1/4" and 1" apart.

The lining is Essex Linen (love that fabric!).  To continue the funky theme, I encased the raw edges with this hot pink double fold bias binding, also from the thrift shop.  :)

Even though I still have some more zippers in my stash, I think I'm going to head back to the thrift shop!!

Click here for the link to the directions.

Note:  Stitching the zippers together was a bit trickier than I expected.  I found it worked best to baste the zippers together first; I found they slipped out of place otherwise, especially when stitching near the tabs and stops.  

Also, I whipped stitched the tabs shut on the wrong side - otherwise, they gap open between the edge of the pouch and where the zipper starts/stops.  Depending on what you plan to use your pouch for, it may not matter.

Again, not a quick project, but the fun was worth every minute!

:)

Some More Vintage Sheets

I've finally been finding vintage sheets and pillowcases at the thrift shop recently, for a steal of a deal!

I was all excited, eager to use these in a quilt.  But, then I got to thinking, "How do I know what shape these are in??  Do I really want to incorporate them into a quilt, only to have the fabrics wear out prematurely??"

What do you know about using vintage sheets?  Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Today

There's nothing better than basting a quilt in your jammies (sorry for the BAD picture quality, but it's so dark outside today) ....

I could take a bath in these colors (actually, I need one!) ....

... and these dots.

I never get tired of them!

Are you impressed with my seam matching abilities?

Happy Friday!