Wool Squares, Isy and Fabric

This is what I've been working on the last few days ~ it's a block of the month from Pioneer Quilt shop down in Sunnyside. Actually it's more than one block a month, but because they're so small we get 6 (there's 57 total)! It's been fun to put them together and looking forward to next months blocks ~ tho don't get them till October 15 ~



Here's my little Isybelle ~ she looks like a kitten, but she's really just 2 years old ~ she's a tiny one and she's checking out the prizes I won at the last Portland Modern Quilt Guild! A pretty pincushion, some crushed walnut shells (in the jar for more pincushions) and, because a woman there knows I'm in the process of making a kajillion hexagons, gave me 30 she knows she won't be using! Wasn't that nice of her? But that's for another time.



Last, but not least, is a new line of fabric from Sarah Fieke! Go check it out! Her blog is called 'The Last Piece' and she's full of inspiration!

Well, I"m off to work on a project ~ hope everyone has a lovely day!

Vetty's Pink Quilt!

this is the back of the quilt! it turned out so cute ~ a friend of mine called me one day (she was at a fabric store) and said that she had found this really cute fabric with pink in it (she knew I was looking for pink), then sent me a picture of it ~ via cell phone ~ don't you just LOVE that? I said, YES, GET IT! and that's how it turned up on the back of Vetty's pink quilt! had a bit of left over's from the front so put them in the back ~ just loving this quilt.



this is the front! I was thinking of using pink for the sashing and so glad I didn't. I'm not a big fan of white, but think it turned out so crisp and lovely! and yes, Vetty loves PINK!



just another view of the front with a little of the back.

it was a wonderful process for me ~ learned a few things about putting together pieces and quilting. love the putting together part, not so much the quilting part.

I need to plan better when I'm making quilts so I don't put myself in so much of a time crunch to get it done. I do have to say that I love the end product!

Also, I finished another quilt this week that I'll be posting soon ~ for my favorite little boy ~ it was a really fun project because I did free motion quilting!

That's all for today ~ hope everyone is out there doing what they love! Thanks for coming by to check out my quilting progress!

elsa

cutting, sewing, ironing

This is what I've been doing all day ~ luckily I cut out most of the pieces yesterday, so only had a bit left to cut. Making this quilt for a sweet little girl I know ~ she REALLY loves pink, so I think she ought to like it! Now I just need to get it ready to quilt! (and I have 2 other quilt tops to get done too, why oh why do I do that?). Really have a nice sense of completion today. Said I wanted to finish it today and I did!

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This sweet guy is King Big Louie Bean (aka Louie) ~ he was being my helper today ~ sitting all over the fabric and walking in front of me while I was sewing. He's such a love ~ finally put him on the pink cushion on the book shelf where I keep most of my fabric and books. I've got two other kitties, but they don't like the noise of the sewing machine.


Today was a very satisfying day ~ I'm so grateful for the creative women in my life and the encouragement they give me. Hope your day was satisfying too!

a little experiment

Making a quilt for my favorite little girl out of these cute fabrics and couldn't decide what color to do the sashing with ... pink or white. All my quilting friends keep telling me how important white is in quilting but I couldn't hear them (really didn't want to listen cause I'm not much of a white fabric fan). So, I decided to do a little experiment and I've been humbled. They were right. White does make a difference.


I know it probably doesn't show much here but in person you can really see the difference ... so, Annie, Kathie and Carol ... I bow to your experience and will listen (or at least try to) ...

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On another note ... this quilt is for one of my favorite little boys ... it's all about transportation ... cars, trucks, trains, motorcycles and ROCKETS! Just love how it turned out and hope he will too.


wanted to show the back, but my experience in blogging is lacking and I'll have to post it another time ... maybe when it's all done! it's ready to be put together and quilted up.

Hope everyone is well and enjoying their day!

Wooly Pigs and Pretty Shawls!

this is the cutest pig I've ever seen! love the curls on it! I'm not sure if it's used for it's wool but I'd just love to squeeze it's little body!

This is one of the shawls I have posted here, called Solis Citron ~ made with Malibrigo yarn. Really love this one ... feels so wonderful on and looking forward to wearing it when the weather gets chilly!

This shawl is the River Multnomah! it was a challenge for me ... haven't blocked it yet so you can't see the lace in it, but it's really quite pretty ... have someone in mind for it! do hope she likes it! I've made one more for a special person and working on another ... just love how it turns out! Again, Malibrigo yarn.


And finally, this shawl is the Swallowtail Hug! it was just a straight knit and got tired of it so added the ruffle at the end! sent it to a swap I did on Ravelry and she loved it! And once again, Malibrigo yarn, my favorite to knit with!

Have a few other things in the works ... a pair of socks with a leaf pattern that I'm really proud of, another shawl for my cousin Tami and a couple of quilts that I'll be posting soon. Really hoping to post more often ... really do love sharing what I've been creating!

Hope all are well and enjoying their day!

Oh, and I'll be doing a give away soon ... so check back!

Little bits of my home and a new shawl on the needles!

A few friends have asked me for pictures of my home, so here are a few bits and pieces of it ...
There's Pippy looking all cute! this shot is the sort of pantry ... there's a cool old hutch in there too, not a built in, that came with the house (okay, I asked for the previous owner to leave it and she did). I've been changing things around lately, trying to find some order in the chaos that I tend to have around me. Leave little piles of this and that everywhere and it gets out of control.



This is a built in hutch that I have some things that are meaningful to me and in the hutch are dishes that belonged to my Grandmother ... that old horse clock belonged to my Mother-in-law,
Violet. It's not working but would love to get it fixed!



This is another part of the dining room ... the piece you see here is one that my good friend, Michele, gave to me ... and yes, that is Christmas stuff you see ... I love those things and they are always out!
(Notice that the sun is shining!!!)



This is a shot looking out from the dining room to the living room ... and beyond that is the sun porch and that looks out to the cemetery! I'm surrounded by trees up here, it's so nice!




And, last but not least, the new shawl ... I managed to wait till 8 last night to start it ... love the yarn ... tho this shot doesn't do it justice, the color is much more vibrant than it shows. It's called Mutnomah, after the county I live in! Designed by Katy Flagg of www.hellokitty.net, it's a very pretty shawl and think it will go fairly fast!

Thanks for visiting my blog and hope your day is creative and makes you smile ... tootaloo till next time!

New Sewing Machine and a little space ...

This is my new sewing machine! a Janome 6600 professional ... sews like a dream and has a bunch of options on it, really fancy! My son, William and D-I-L, Brandie like to sew, so they will be using it too!

Using the space that I thought was just going to be a place to read for my sewing room ... 54x45 (inches), pretty small but big enough to sew. Have a card table that belonged to my Grandma, it's really a cool one ... wood top with an insert for a sewing machine ... that I'll use when I have something that needs extra space that the sewing table can't handle. My new home is a lot smaller than the old one and just don't have any other places to set up ... but love it (my home and the space!).



Craft books ... picture didn't come out very well. Have a few more up in the attic that I have to go through, but really, these are enough to keep me busy for a long time!



This is the space! Small, huh?!? but nice, cozy and straightened up (at least for now, don't have any projects going on at the moment ... that's a little window at the top of the photo and a tree out of it ... not a picture! I can see trees out of every window of my home ... sort of like living in a treehouse!



This is a piece I did quite a few years ago ... it's stained glass grouted instead of soldered. Love this piece ... did it for my Dad (though he did call them weeds) ... he was a Kansan and the sunflowers are the Kansas state flower (they grow everywhere). It's the first time I've ever hung it. It looks pretty nice on the wall. Think of my Dad every time I look at it!

Still have some straightening up to do, but it's coming together and happy about it!

Have a great day on this the first day of February!