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!

Denise's Sampler Quilt

I just finished machine quilting this sampler quilt for my friend Denise last night.  It was so much fun!!  This was the first Free Motion Quilting project I've done that incorporated a variety of stitching designs; I was so happy for the opportunity!  But, no matter how much I practice ahead of time, I always feel like I'm going to have a stroke when I first start stitching someone else's treasure. It's easy to get caught up in the lie that it needs to be perfect for them to love it.  But, once I was able to embrace the imperfections of FMQ, I was able to relax and thoroughly enjoy the process.  :)

Denise had pieced this quilt during a class over 20 years ago?  She did a great job with the piecing, but had never gotten around to the quilting part, so she handed it off to me.  I sat on it for a while, waiting for the machine quilting inspiration to hit.  (Inspiration always hits when I'm to be doing something else!)  Anyway, it's always fun to see these projects come to completion.

I stitched in the ditch around most of the blocks and motifs, then went back and filled in with FMQ.  It's amazing how the quilt will "speak" to you and tell you how it wants to be stitched.  I find that it evolves as I go; I just need to start with what I know and let the rest happen (isn't that the case with life too?!).

  I'll definitely use Aurifil 50 wt. thread in the future; I didn't have the right shade on hand so I used a combination of Coats & Clark 100% cotton and Signature machine quilting thread, but I'm learning that my Bernina is happiest with Aurifil, especially for FMQ.

Here are some up close shots:

This little door knob makes me smile!

And, here are some shots of the back:

Can you see the curtains in the window?  :)

OK, that's it!  :)

Denise, I can't wait to give it to you in person!