trying to keep this a secret

I am trying to keep this project a secret.

It is our tween's b-day next month and she has been hinting on getting her mom to make her a quilt. Because I am new to this whole quilting -thing- I was somewhat reluctant. Then she started to put together her ideas for fabric and suddenly there was desire!

Wow!

Cutting and putting the fabric strips together.....well, I think I was smiling. Alot. (I used to dabble in painting, but this is so much better.) Maybe it's the tactile experience of actually being able to touch the colors. Move them around. Add a different color. Until the whole thing just seems to speak to you.

I love that you can just take a hunk of fabric...add other pieces of fabric that compliment your choices and this is what you get.

I can not tell you how much I love the whole process of doing this. (Okay. So this is what you all have been talking about for so long. Only I didn't 'get it' because I never attempted an actual quilt-that-you-can-actually-use quilt before.)

And now that I finally "got it", well.....there's going to be no stopping me now!

P.S. Now how in the world do you keep your kids from seeing the project that you are working on?

new socks for my shoes

Why, what could that be? Could that actually be the sun causing that nice, bright, warm glow coming from the sky? It has been a looooooooong time since we have seen it. I was so happy to feel the warmth of it that I was tempted to get the chaise lounge and set it up right there in the middle of the yard. Who cares if there's still about 12 in. of snow blanketing the lawn?

And just standing out here in just shoes with no socks (and I realize that is the style with our tween and teen) well, it just doesn't work for me.

And because I CAN NOT knit to save my life (believe me! I have attempted this perplexing thing about 1 billion times and to no avail) I am crocheting a pair of socks to match my shoes.
I think I bought the wrong yarn (size 2) and they feel a bit stiff as if they would make a better pair of slippers. So--- I'm not sure shoes will even go on if I am wearing this bulky slipper/sock.

I also finished the first forget-me-not flower for this doily. The pattern is so easy to follow and the flowers almost go on like magic. I never attempted to join this way (whipstitch all the way--that was my motto!) so I love that I can actually get some pretty results.

Time for more sun!

carry-all tote and look! what the postman brought

This is the carry-all tote (comes with a cloth doll that I have already started) that I am making for our daughter. There is no pattern, I am just following the one that has already been made and given to our other daughter. The doll tucks into the front pocket. What a cute sleeping bag!

She was supposed to have received this gift for Christmas, but because the tote is also supposed to contain many dresses, shirts, pants, undergarments....well, like I said --there is no pattern and I am still scratching my head about how to go about sewing a wardrobe w/o the very much needed pattern in hand.

Her birthday is in July, so I am shooting for that deadline.

(And I must say I am so much more relaxed about having works in progress and starting new projects. Because I am from the age of finish-everything-on-your-plate-before-you-leave-the-table, I have always felt immense guilt for not finishing something. Well, thank-you blogging friends, you have eased my mind because now I know [and AM SO RELIEVED] that you all are just like me. Yes, it's okay to have projects--not done & stuffed into the back closet. Thank you! Blogging hug to all of you that have WIP and you still breathe easy even if those projects are in the double digits.)

Our mailman brought this yesterday (the Apr. issue of AP&Q)--and I must say it is one of the best issues ever! Not only is there the cutest sewing caddy right on the front page, there is a wonderful article (with gorgeous, gorgeous pics) about Joanna, from Fig Tree Quilts.

And take a look at this article:

Piece without Precision----whaaaaaaatt!? Was that written for me, or what?

He also brought this stack of books that I have been waiting in anticipation to receive:

1) QUILTING The Complete Guide by Darlene Zimmerman. She also made the featured quilt on the cover of the latest AP&Q

2) Quilting in the Country by Jane Quinn. This book is so breathtaking!

3) Quilt as Desired by Charlene C. Frable. I bought this book for one reason:

TO LEARN HOW TO DO THIS WITHOUT THE PUCKERS!

4) chic bags by Marie Enderlen-Debuisson/Caroline Laisne. I have this thing for bags. Okay. A huge thing for bags as is evident by the bags in my closet.

kat for kim

This pattern is from Curl Up Quilts.
Our daughter is spending the weekend with her friend, Kim to celebrate her 15th birthday. Okay, so what do you buy a freshmen girl in high school? And do you make something? (more about this later.....)

Paging through this sooooo cute book, our daughter found this adorable cat pattern and wanted to make it into a pillow.

So we pretty much followed the same color scheme in the book and incorporated this yummy green w/pink flower fabric.

Happy birthday, Kim.

P.S. Regarding the making of a gift for a 15 year old---there was a time, not so long ago that I would have never made a gift to give (or shopped [okay, admitted to shopping at] at a thrift store. ) These simply were T.H.I.N.G.S. N.O.T. T.O. B.E. D.O.N.E. So I shopped at thrift stores in secrecy and wished I could do more hand-made items for gift-giving, but never did.

Unless the gift had a price-tag attached (the higher the better--don't even bother.)

Then I discovered blogs and it was a pivitol moment for me. Very much like Dorothy opening the door to her house after it has just been hit by the tornado and everything that was once black and white is now in vivid color.

I have found beautiful women who share in the same beautiful wants and desires that I do.

I couldn't believe that I actually clicked onto women who, yes:

1) shop at thrift stores and *gasp* admit to it (honestly--when I have told people that "oh, I bought that at the thrift store", they look at me like I am squished bug under their shoe!)

2) love fabric, embroidery, crochet, quilting, etc... and the history behind it

3) actually give as gifts, these precious extensions of themselves

4) these beautiful, beautiful women who I visit daily are similiar to me--

and if that isn't the warmest feeling....well, it just makes me smile.

~You are my daily inspiration~you all make me smile ~and you all

are such a positive, endearing influence for me~

at peace with paper-piece & perfection

When I first dipped my foot into the sea of quilting, I was so reluctant to even begin. Browsing through quilt magazine after quilt magazine, I did not see quilts as I might be able to make--

but I saw these mathematical compositions of precise workmanship.

And then I read that most of these women who win highly deserved applause over their extraordinary quilts held PhD's in some mathemathical field-----well, then! there ya go! (You can not combine the words -math-and -my name- in the same sentence w/o a huge 'rolling of the eyes'.) I suddenly felt a little bit better.

But then I found a book on paper-piecing. Page after page of beautiful blocks. I looked at the directions and -- wow! -- finally! I was able sew precise, straight lines and have the block actually resemble something coherent.

This is where it began....

A trumpet....

A bass, a violin.......

And it becomes this....

forget-me-not

This doily pattern is from a book with a copyright of 1949....and just browsing through each page carries me back to a time I wish I could visit. There is such an appreciation and fondness for this type of work, I can only hope to replicate it in this 21st century.

This pattern is called:

Forget-Me-Not.

The flower itself is so exquisitely beautiful!----the colors take my breath away.

A near and dear person will be receiving this as a gift. She

has such a fondness for this flower and through unfortunate

circumstances (okay, her husband dug them up because they

somehow don't fit in with his idea of the

perfect golf-course-type lawn....ahem!)

And although it isn't the actual flower, I hope that she can sense

the beauty of the flower in this doily.



Having been taught to crochet within the past 10 years, there
are some vintage crochet patterns that are very difficult for me
to decipher. I was pleasantly surprised that this pattern written
almost 60 years ago is easy enough for me to follow.
It is working up quite quickly.

Because there was a whole pile of books that I purchased from this

rummage sale (even a quilting pattern book copyright 1931!) I am

sooooooo excited to browse through them and find other patterns to make.

The thought makes me almost giddy!

[-insert husband 'rolling his eyes' here.-]

thanks to gwen

It is only because of Gwen

that I even attempted this quilt. She, through

her fantastic applique book, was able to dispel any fear that I had

in attempting needle-turn applique.

It is something that I have dearly wanted to do. I oohed and

ahhed over countless examples that I have seen, but there

was no way I could ever do that. ( I am severely lacking in the

'confident sewer' department!)

Her step-by-step approach was so eye-opening for

me that I pretty much just took thrift finds for fabric

pieces; laid them out; traced them; and thus began

a journey that was quite easy and oh, so wonderful!

Being able to easily transport this project from couch-to

in-laws' house-to-dr's. office-to kitchen counter....

well, that was the clincher. It travels so easily.

And it was one of the quickest quilt projects that I have

ever done and there was something sooooo soothing

and relaxing about needle in hand and these beautiful

colors all coming together. And when I look at it on our

wall, I can't believe that I actually made that.

Thanks, Gwen. *sigh*

Our daughter even spied one of our cats lounging on it---

as if it were solely made for cat naps.