Tuesday, April 20, 2010

pretty penny...

I am back on the unfinished object [ufo] bandwagon! Over the weekend I chalked one up on the finished list. A long time ago in a place far away I made these pansies out of hand dyed wool. [seriously a long time ago; like 7 years ago!] I rediscovered them while sorting the massive pile of UFOs. I put it into the 'this doesn't have too much work left on it' stack.

Anywho, I had 4 pink and 4 purple pansies finished and out of those I made one large penny rug and two small penny mats. I love the coffee colored wool next to the purple and pink.

The small mats would be perfect on a table or even for a trivet. the original plan was to stitch 4 flowers along the edges of each of these mats. Ultimately I thought it looked to crowded - one per mat really helps the pansy to standout.

Are you working on any ufos right now? Would love to hear about your progress :]

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

pink + blue + patchwork...

Surprise, I made a few more pillows. I'm sure that you hope to stop by here and see something different, but right now I am enjoying cushion making. I just love them - I can be creative, try out new ideas, but not be committed to a full size quilt. It also allows me to continue honing my skills as a machine quilter.

I am still working through some of my stash [hopefully back to the ufo challenge soon!] These panels were the remainder from a baby quilt I made for a friend. The fabric is from the line Simply Baby by Windham Fabrics. The blue one took quite awhile to complete with it's little checkered border, but it is probably my favorite of the three. I tried out a new-to-me finishing technique for the pink bear pillow. It's so simple - the pillow top and back are layered wrong sides together and then it's bound just like a quilt! I really like the clean lines you can get with this method; nice square edges! Need one for your nursery or a baby shower? All three are hanging out in my etsy shop :]

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

a change of season...

Spring has finally decided to show up, and it seems as though we may have skipped right into summer - it was in the 80s this past week! I think that the last of the winter decorations has finally made its way up to the attic. [how is it that there is always one snowman lurking around after you have lugged the last box upstairs?!]

I took some time to re-purpose some centerpieces we made for the Young Life banquet. This is a really simple project. You need: a clay pot [painted or unpainted, these were left from my wedding!], floral foam, newspaper, moss, a tree branch, and some trimmings. The foam is nestled in the clay pot, then surrounded by crumpled newspaper to hold it tightly in place. Insert tree branch, cover base with moss, decorate tree.

These tiny mushroom birds are perfect, I think. I couldn't resist them at the craft store. I like that they add little splashes of color to the project.

My garden gnome [on sale from JoAnn Fabrics!] keeps watch over the tree and his feathered friends. Gnomes are really everywhere, aren't they? It seems they are no longer relegated to 'pink flamingo' status, but are now posh and modern :] Do you have a gnome lurking about?

Monday, April 5, 2010

spring trading post...

I am kinda hooked on swaps - it is so exciting to send off a special gift to someone that you've never met. [and then to wait for the mailman to come each day :] I like researching; checking out their blog and flickr photostream - finding out what they gravitate towards. The ORBC quilting group is in the middle of a May swap, and here is what I sent off to parts unknown:

I really enjoy re-purposing vintage items. I used a raw edge applique technique to bring this tea towel back to life.

I also sent along a set of six Hunky Dory prints by Moda. Hope she enjoys :]

Saturday, April 3, 2010

block party...

Can it really be April already? Didn't 2010 just begin? I'm not sure where the time goes, but it certainly does go by quickly. March was Carin's month for the block swap. We are both avid followers of the Oh, Fransson! blog - which you simply must peruse if you have not been there! Elizabeth offers up a variety of fabulous tutorials [in addition to some for-sale patterns]. Carin asked each of us to make a block using the 'Map of the States' tutorial. The process was a little time intensive, but I liked the finished product.

While I had the waxed paper out, I decided to try my hand at a block using my stash. I think it turned out pretty well - and SURPRISE it's a pillow now . [YES, the obsession continues]

I have a tiny bit of this Japanese print left in my stash - I love that I could use it as a focus fabric is in this project.

I am enjoying playing around with machine quilting. I am certainly not ready to take on a larger project, but making quilted pillow tops is fun for the time being!
This pillow is looking for a home in my etsy shop.