String Block

So Molly Flanders posted this really cool block with a tutorial and I just had to make it.  So here it is.  You can find out how to make this particular block by visiting her web  site.  Easy instructions and lots of fun.

Dread

I have been having a blast, totally into my creative process.  I have been working on this as well as a Round Robin for my quilting guild.  I am so loving it.  Right in the middle of this creative frenzy, (you know it is a frenzy when the state of my table has mounds of luscious fabric piled up on it), I decided to get out my quilt that I pieced together during my first quilting class.  It needed to be quilted.  THis King sized honkin' hunk of a  quilt has been calmly asking me to quilt it for some time now.  I see it sitting on the shelf and I keep telling myself, soon, I will quilt it soon. 

The time has come.  Me and that quilt are becoming one.  I have to tell you though. (am I alone in this?), I hate it.  I hate the color, I hate the look, I hate the thread I chose to quilt it, I hate the backing, there are tons of mistakes and now I even hate my quilting.  Well, I don't totally hate the quilting.  I like parts of it.  But the quilt is poorly pieced so it is giving me a hard time.  I am starting to wonder if I even want to put it on my bed.

I would much rather be working on the quilt I started above.

Well Said Ira Glass

Oh my!  So true.  It really could not be said any better- could it? 

Ira Glass on Storytelling from David Shiyang Liu on Vimeo.

Iron Craft: Paper Craft

It's Iron Craft time and the challenge of the week was papercraft.  There are so many amzing things out there on the internet.  Amazing creations.  I was totally wowed.

I found these cute little Japanese women dolls on Omiyage Blog:  Simply Charming.  You can view them here.  Theirs of course are amazing, done wiht beautiful paper.  I have to say if I see beautiful paper like this, I think I will pick some up just to make these Japanese women- they are so beautiful.

It takes about 20 minutes to put them together.  I can totally see why they are addicting.  I would like to make some of the blue ones.

Here is the other thing I made.  This two week thing takes some getting use to but it works so much better for me. Slow I know but it usually takes me about a week to get my inspiration.

Table Runners

I made four table runners for Christmas presents this year.  One I had made last year but there was a mistake that I wanted to fix.  I finally fixed it and gave it to its lovely new owners, my brother and his wife.

The three others were for my friends that meet every month.  We have been meeting for over ten years now, pretty faithfully.  They are warm and supportive women who are wonderful to be around.  I always feel uplifted and my soul feels hugged every time we meet.  How special is that?  I am very grateful for them.

One table runner that I have posted here has a story behind it.  Many years ago, one of the girls in the group, "L" had bought this fabric bundle from Joanns with these Southwestern fabrics.  Her and I had been to Phoenix together so it had special meaning.  I went to Joannes and bought the same fabric pack.  For the longest time I have been wanting to make something with them and give it to her.  THis was before quilting came into my life.  I finally found the perfect thing All Quilts- this table runner.  Very simple design but with the right fabrics it could look stunning.  I made her the runner using the South West designs.  I quilted "ole" and "fiesta" on it, along with some designs I had picked up from The Free Motion Quilting Project.

The other two (dang), I did not photograph because I came right down to the wire, finishing them up before bringing them to our get together to give away. The next time I am at one of their houses I am going to photograph them. I liked them so much that I am considering making a quilt out of them.

Randomness

While we were away at Christmas time I found a great shop that was having a sale... six dollars per yard.  I just had to get some of this yummy fabric, er, fabrics. I see skirts for my girls.

This beautiful little bowl was given to me by a friend of mine.  She does pottery.  I must take it at other angles so you can see more of its beauty.  I actually have it posted in my food blog about red pepper relish on Lori's Lipsmacking Goodness.

These cute mugs are from the MM store in NYC.  Yup, three floors dedicated to the MM guys- a marketer's dream.... only in America.  The red one says", "Wanna a piece of me?" and the blue one says, "It's all good".  The red one is for me on color alone and the blue one is for my husband.  But as far as our personalities go, the ying yang thing, I am more of the Its all good with a little of the piece of me.  And my husband the opposite. 

This here (minus a button I sewed on for the door) was for a gift exchange at our quilters guild. I did not get to see her.  I hoped she liked it. 

This was a tote I sewed from scraps I received at a silent auction.  I made it for my Aunt D.  She is a master sewer.  When I was in my early twenties she made a gown for me for a wedding I was in.  The sizes only went up to 18 and I was in a 20.  There was virtually no difference in our gowns.  Except for the fact that mine was probably the most quality made one of the bunch.  She did all of it without a pattern. AMAZING!

This final one here is a dress I made for our friends daughter for her American girl doll.  I have to get a pic of it in the light because the purples are so pretty and it just does not show up like that in this picture.